by Nana Malone
“Then what? What's wrong with me?” Oh shit, her eyes stung. She blinked the tears away. She was not going to cry in front of him. If he didn't want her, fair enough. She'd become way more social since they started dating. She could manage.
He took her hand as they paused outside her dorm room. He opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut again. “Becker. Fuck. There is nothing wrong with you. Do you have any idea how much I think about you? How much you're on my mind, and how fucking badly I want to touch you right now?”
Becker swallowed hard and unlocked her door. “Okay, then come inside and tell me what the hell is up with you, and don't say ‘nothing,’ because you've been acting weird since the game ended,” she said, dropping down on her bed.
He ran his hands through his hair, but he didn't sit down. “Fuck, I don't even know where to start,” he said.
“Okay…now you have to tell me, and I promise I'll do my best to give you the benefit of the doubt. Just tell me. If it's me, maybe I can fix something. Am I not sexy or something?” That stung. And she certainly wasn't going to change who she was, but she needed to freaking know.
His gaze snapped to hers. “Stop that. I've been walking around with a permanent hard-on since that very first party. Since I bumped into you at the sandwich cart. And then when I walked into our first tutoring session. You're plenty sexy. I'm working like hell to not touch you right now.”
“But why?”
He fidgeted in place. “You know what, fuck it.” Gage sighed and drew a hand through his hair. “There's…a tradition on the team. At the start of the season. It's meant to be an…incentive program, of sorts. Each player has a set goal for how many points to score during the games, cumulative, not a points-per-game thing, and until we hit that goal, we're not supposed to—you know…” He let his voice trail off.
After a moment, his meaning sank in. “Oh, God.” Becker groaned. She'd come here hoping to get laid…amongst other things. But now that was firmly in the not-going-to-happen category. Oh, who was she kidding? She hadn't come here for sex. Not entirely. She'd come here for the buzz. The tingly, butterfly feeling she had every time she was near him. The hum she felt every time he smiled at her.
Oh hell, she had it bad. She needed him to get out of here, before she did something stupid.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. It's stupid, I know.”
She couldn't help a laugh that bubbled up. Okay, maybe some of that was hysterics. “Oh, God.”
Gage looked flustered. “Fuck, I'm sorry.”
“Oh,” Another thought popped into her head. “So, you mean our relationship is up for bargaining?”
“No. It's not like that. And fuck if I'll let any of the guys on the team talk about you. It's a stupid hazing ritual, but it's tied to two things I want more than anything. You, and making my Dad proud. I put that in danger at the beginning of the year, and I'm fighting to hold onto my shit. And I don't want to lose you.”
“Why didn't you just tell me?”
“I don't know. I guess I don't want you to feel like that's why I'm putting so much into all this, that I'm just doing it to hit a hundred so I, so we, can… It's not,” he fumbled. “But one of the guys, tonight, he said something that—” Gage shook his head. “I want to be here. I want to be with you.”
Becker chewed her bottom lip. “So you do want me?”
“God, yes. I have been climbing the walls, I'm so desperate to show you how much.”
Well, at least she wasn't the only one suffering. “So, we can't do anything?”
He swallowed hard. “No. We, uh—” He licked his lips. “There's stuff we can do, but I don't want to get carried away. With you, it's too easy to forget where I am and what the hell I'm doing, or not supposed to be doing.” He finally sat next to her, and took her hand.
“You've been thinking of what we can do, though,” she pressed.
He didn't speak, just swallowed and nodded, and Becker took a chance, pressing her body against his. Heat lanced through her, and her nipples tightened as she pressed her breasts against the flat planes of his torso. Gage shuddered.
She swallowed hard. What the hell was she about to do? “So…what exactly are these rules?” She took their linked hands and brought them to her chest, pressing his hand to her breast. His eyes fluttered shut, and he moaned low. Immediately, he squeezed her gently, sending electric charges of lighting straight to her core.
“You're fair game,” he whispered, leaning down to press his forehead to hers. “But me… No one's allowed to touch me, but me.”
“So touch me,” she breathed, arching her back in invitation.
His hand slipped from her breast to the hem of her blouse and slid under the fabric, his thumbs skimming over her waist.
Becker sucked in a shuddering breath as he brushed his hands over her ribs. When he reached the undersides of her breasts, he froze, and she gasped in frustration. “Gage, please.”
“You are so damned soft.” His gaze pinned to her lips, and she nervously bit the bottom one.
With a muttered curse, he dipped his mouth to hers, trapping her lips underneath his, as his thumbs found her nipples. He ran his thumbs in small circles over the tightening buds.
With a growl of frustration, he stopped, and yanked the soft jersey fabric of her top over her head, then made quick work of her white, lacy bra. He stared at her for a long moment, his pulse ticking roughly in his jaw, a low growl in his throat. Then, he changed position so that he knelt in front of her. He dipped his mouth to one of her breasts, and ran his tongue around the dark-chocolate tip, causing Becker to moan deep. She gripped his hair in her fingers and held him in place, urging him to taste more of her, to tease her with his tongue and teeth, to suck and nip, while she dug her nails into his scalp.
Gage dipped her back as he switched from one breast to the other, her breathing growing ragged. With his opposite hand, his fingers gently tugged the now-stiff peak, while he sucked deep on her other nipple.
“Gage, oh my God.” She began inching her fingers down from his head to his neck and shoulders, tugging at the fabric of his shirt. She wanted more of him to touch her, and it surprised her how badly she wanted this. Wanted him. With Gage, all she felt was heat, need, desperation. No fear.
Every lick, suck, or gentle tug, she felt directly in her core. She couldn't help but roll her hips, seeking so much more.
Gage pulled back and released her nipples. He pulled at waist of her leather leggings, tugging them down over her hips and thighs. A flicker of worry tried to creep in, but she shoved it away. This was Gage. She knew him. She trusted him. He wasn't going to hurt her.
But when he slid a hand between her legs, she clenched her thighs together instinctively, trapping his hand.
“Let me touch you, Becks. Please.” His request was soft, like his fingers on her heated flesh, and became a question.
She swallowed hard as she tried to relax, and posed a request of her own. “Can you take off your shirt, or is that a part of you I'm not allowed to touch?”
He grinned, snatching the cotton from his back, then tugging it up and over his head. “You just can't touch my dick. Much to his chagrin. The rest of me is fair game.”
Becker kicked off her leggings and scooted back on the bed. He prowled over her, but his jeans stayed on.
“Now your pants,” she requested. Before he could start to argue, she added, “Boxers are fine, right?”
He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. Boxers are allowed.”
He wasted no time tugging at his belt, and shucking his jeans. She bit her lip, when she saw the way his cock pressed for release and attention. “Wow. You're, uh…” Not like she could say he was big, because she had no frame of reference. But from what she was looking at, she instinctively knew he was on the larger end of the scale. And there was no way that monster was going to fit inside her. That's not happening tonight. Relax. Enjoy.
His smirk was cocky, but his words were tende
r. “And you are so fucking beautiful.” When his tongue expertly coaxed hers into a mating dance, her blood simmered. His kisses drowned out all rational thought, and all she wanted to do was rub herself all over him.
The low growl from his chest enthralled her, as his hands scooted to her ass, squeezing. He lay over her, his cock aligned with her heated center. Oh, God. He felt so good there, throbbing against her. She could feel every pulse of his thickness, and she gasped.
He cursed as he broke the kiss, dragging his lips along her jaw. “Fuck, you feel so good.” He blinked at her, as though he was trying to make sense of it all. Fire burned in his eyes, and his cock jerked again.
His hands squeezed her cheeks again, and he moaned. But when his lips returned to hers, he was as gentle as if they had all the time in the world. All her efforts to convince him to deepen the kiss failed as he lazily sipped at her lips. She clamped her legs around him tighter. He dragged his lips from hers and nipped at the column of her neck.
His hands skimmed her thighs, pausing only to gently squeeze her hips, before tracing up her belly. Becker gasped, unable to think about anything but his hands on her.
His hands stroked up her thighs. When he reached her panty line, he cursed. “You're so wet already.”
She arched her back, begging him to keep touching her. “Gage, you're driving me cra—”
She lost the rest of her sentence, as he slid one finger under the fabric of her panties, and into her slick core. Heat engulfed her body. When he reached a hand up into her hair and forced her to look at him, she wanted to hide from the connection. But Gage wasn't letting her hide from him. Instead, as he penetrated her with his finger, he made them connect. Made it impossible for her to hide.
He stroked her again, and a low growl emanated from his chest. “Becker, you feel so goddamned good around my finger.” He added another finger, and her body stretched to accommodate. Gage kept the pace steady, pushing forward, then retreating, then pushing forward again.
Becker bit her lip, as he took her higher and higher with his fingers. She focused on the bliss warming her body from the inside out.
“Becks, look at me.”
When she met his gaze, he leaned down, and placed the most tender of kisses on her lips. He turned his hand so that his thumb could stroke her clit, even while his fingers pumped inside of her, and Becker raised her hips, arching into the caress. Needing more. Needing him just…there.
He pulled his fingers from her center.
“Hey!”
“Shh.” He brought his fingers to his lips, and licked them. “So sweet. I need to taste more of you.”
Oh. Wow. “O-okay.”
He placed wet, openmouthed kisses along the column of her throat. Kissing lower, he paused at her breasts, sucking her nipples. Continuing his downward progress, Becker threaded her hands into his hair. He moaned when she ran her fingers through it.
He kissed his way to the juncture of her thighs, then paused for just a moment, before hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her panties and tugging them off her legs. He tossed the garment over his shoulder.
The first stroke of his tongue was a surprise. “Oh, my God, Gage.”
His only response was a moan against her flesh, and that made her shudder.
As he licked a path from her center to the tight bundle of nerves, she called his name over and over. The second lick titillated, as he avoided direct pressure on her clit. The third, excruciatingly slow lick, was a revelation, as he sipped at her juices and took his time. He varied his pace, sometimes lapping at her like a starving man, and then taking his agonizingly sweet time. When he started slow, controlled flicks of his tongue, she locked her legs around his head.
“Gage. Oh my God, that feels so good.”
His deft tongue swirled around her clit, and she bucked in his arms. Tingles started before she could even understand what was happening. He increased the tempo, and the imminent orgasm sent electric shocks through Becker's body.
Her release slammed through her quickly, and with enough force to make her limp, but she held his head to her as she rode out wave after wave of bliss.
Becker didn't know how long they stayed like that. Even after she came, he placed soft kisses on her lips as she sank down from her high. When he shifted above her, he pressed a soft kiss to her mouth, and she could taste herself.
Was that a bad thing? She had no idea. All she knew was she always wanted to feel like how he made her feel.
Gently, he rolled them over so she lay sprawled on top of him. His hands settled on her hips and squeezed tight. His erection still pulsed against her, making her want more. Moving on instinct, Becker rotated her hips.
Gage's hands squeezed again, as he hissed out a breath. “Jesus, Becks.”
She froze. “Am I hurting you? Should I stop?”
“Fuck. No. Please don't stop.”
So she did it again, and…again. Before she knew it, the heat was taking over. She adjusted her position so her hands were planted on his chest, and her hips continued to slide over his cotton-clad erection.
“Becker… Fuck.” Harsh pants tore out of his chest. “Yes…don't fucking stop.” He smoothed his hand up to her breast, cupping her fullness, his thumb tracing over her nipple and gently tugging.
Becker threw her head back. “Gage.”
The more she moved, the more she shifted the cotton of his boxer briefs down. The tip of his cock peeked out of the top of the elastic, and she slid over the length of him.
His hands clamped on her tight, halting her movements. His teeth were gritted, and his head was thrown back. “Fuck, Becker. If you slide over me, I—”
What would happen? Feeling a little rebellious, she rotated again, sliding her wetness over the length of him. His eyes popped open, and his gaze bore into her with a heat and intensity she couldn't escape. “Gage?” she asked cautiously.
“Do it again.”
She popped her ass back, and slid over the length of him. “Fuck, yes.” They were playing with fire, and she liked it. Liked it too much. “You're so fucking wet. So hot. I can almost feel how hot you'd be, if I slid all the way inside you. You'd be so damned tight.”
Another orgasm snaked up her spine, and she knew it was coming. “Gage?”
Their bodies rocked to a beat only they could hear. He pushed himself up on his elbows, pulling her forward so he could suck on her nipple.
Her breaths came out in short, choppy pants. “Yes, please, more.”
He sucked deep, and then he froze, a low roar bursting from his lips. His hands tightened in her hair, and Becker chased his release with her own, sliding just until the tip of his cock pushed against that bundle of nerves.
Throwing her head back as her orgasm rolled through her, she called out his name. Gage slid her hips over him once more before finally collapsing backward, with her on top of him.
After several minutes, he shifted her to his side, slipping out of bed and heading to the bathroom. He came back with a washcloth and cleaned her up, before sliding back into bed with her and pulling her close.
He leaned back to where the wall abutted her bed. His boxers sat extra-low on his hips. “No broken rules,” he assured her. “Technically, no hands.”
She giggled. “That's quite the loophole you guys have got there,” she laughed.
“At this point, I'll take what I can get to be with you.” He leaned over to kiss her.
“Eighty-seven more points, was it?” she whispered as he broke the kiss.
“Eighty-three,” he murmured against her lips.
Twenty-One
“Wait, so what do you mean, he won't sleep with you?”
Becker flopped back on Avery's bed. “Not that he won't, but he can't. It's some stupid hazing ritual that states until they score during games, they can't score at home, or whatever.”
“But that's ridiculous. Doesn't he know you have a V-card to drop?”
Becker bit her lip. “Uh, well, no. He doesn't kno
w.”
Avery's mouth fell open. “Tell me you're kidding.”
Becker swallowed hard. “Uh, no.”
“How did that not come up?”
“I dunno. It just didn't.” She swallowed her guilt. “Look, I was fine anyway. It didn't really need to come out. I don't think we need to have some big conversation.”
“Babe, this is a big deal.”
“It's fine, and I trust him, and when he kisses me I feel like I'm melting. No bad triggers. It's fine.”
“But honey, don't you think he should know? Sex can be complicated.”
“Look, I know, and if it comes up, I'll tell him. But maybe he won't notice.” She couldn't meet Avery's gaze as she changed the subject. “So, anyway. After he came home, he was avoiding alone time with me. But at least now I know why. Ever since he got back from his weekend home, he had been pulling back. Like not kissing me and stuff. I didn't know what the hell I'd done wrong. Or what was going on. I thought I had messed up or something. He finally told me after their first game.”
Avery groaned. “But that's hardly fair. You didn't sign up to play basketball.”
“Trust me, I know this.”
Avery twirled around in her desk chair a couple of times, before stopping and pinning Becker with a look. “Okay, so humor me this time.”
Becker knew what was coming. “Thank you for checking in on me, Avery, but I'm okay. Gage is great. I haven't had a single nightmare. No flashbacks. I'm good. All good. Actually, kind of climbing the walls with need.”
Her friend grinned. “Welcome to the rest of the world. I wanted to hear it, though. And I'm glad that it's someone as hot and sexy as Gage Coulter who's making you weak in the knees. For real, though, you deserve to have a good guy. And he seems pretty decent. Even if he is a jock.”
Becker chewed her bottom lip. “Okay, so I may have had him pegged wrong. I know I always lump them in the same bad category, based on past experiences. I'm not doing that now. I can't wait for you guys to properly hang out and stuff.”
Avery laughed. “Listen to you, with a proper boyfriend. Wanting your bestie and your Mr. Man to hang. I can do it.”