Coping Skills (Players of Marycliff University Book 5)

by Jerica MacMillan

  Elena shifted, feeling a twinge of guilt. She hadn’t realized that. He’d asked her out a few times and hinted at wanting to turn what they had into something more, but she’d always shot him down. He’d taken it in stride, not seeming bothered by her insistence that she was too busy for a relationship beyond what they had. She’d assumed that he was a manwhore like the rest of the football team. Apparently she’d been wrong.

  “Oh,” was all she could manage to say.

  Matt and Hannah went back to the living room to keep watching the game. Elena sat at the table for a few minutes, mulling everything over before going to the bathroom and returning as well. No one mentioned her outburst again, though she did apologize to Megan before she left.

  Megan waved her off. “It’s not a big deal. I get it. Don’t worry about it.” Then gave her a big hug before waving at Hannah and Matt and following Lance and Abby out the door.

  The revelation about Daniel preferring relationships and not usually being okay with casual arrangements stuck with her, and made her want to talk to him about it. What if he wasn’t happy with the way things were? Would he end it if she kept turning him down? That thought made her stomach drop. Would she be willing to give a little in order to keep him around for longer? She just might have to.

  Chapter Ten

  Elena had to wait several days until Daniel got back from his latest away game before she could approach him about their relationship. And she decided to take a head-on approach to test things out. They’d gotten home Sunday, but he’d been exhausted and needed to catch up on homework, so she waited until Monday evening, even though the wait had been agonizing. The good part was that agonizing over Daniel and how things might go when she saw him provided sufficient distraction from the phone call with her mom, which reported no change in her dad, and the hint that the doctors thought he was likely as good as he would get.

  In that way, Daniel was doing his job of distraction without even being there. Not that he knew that was why she spent so much time with him. Well, at least in the beginning. And she still went over there if he was home after talking to her mom, needing him to turn off her brain, make her feel something other than grief and sadness and guilt. But she enjoyed his company too. They talked a lot, and he would vent to her when his dad called, making her feel like they had an even exchange of sexy distractions, even if she called upon that more often. They played Mario Kart, especially if his roommate was still around when she got there. They seemed to have worked out an unspoken agreement that Coop wouldn’t linger when she showed up, though. He’d finish whatever he was doing and head out. She didn’t know and didn’t care where. She was just glad she got time alone with Daniel.

  When Daniel opened the door to her knock, she didn’t even wait for him to say hello or see if Coop was around. Going up on tiptoe, she reached behind his neck and pulled his mouth to hers, thrusting her tongue past his lips. He didn’t react at first, too stunned by her aggressiveness to do anything. Then he came to life, his hands gripping her hips, pulling her hard against him, bending her back, sucking on her tongue before sliding his against it, dueling with hers while he took control. He pushed her into the doorframe, trapped between the uneven wood digging into the column of her spine and his growing erection digging into her belly. But she didn’t care, didn’t want him to stop, welcomed this response to her onslaught, loved provoking the fierce beast lurking inside the nice guy cover.

  The sound of a car door slamming and neighbors’ voices drifting up from the parking lot below had him pulling back, his hands reaching behind his neck to disengage hers, his chest heaving like he’d just run a full practice worth of drills.

  “Hi.” His lips curved in a sexy smile, his pupils dilated.

  “Hi.” Even though he’d disengaged her hands, he still had her pressed against the doorframe, and she squirmed, growing uncomfortable now that she wasn’t lost in his kiss.

  He noticed, and moved back, pulling her inside by the hand. Closing the door, he leaned against it and looked her up and down while running a hand over his short, coarse hair. He’d let his beard grow out a little again, like he did sometimes. He’d told her that he just set the clippers to the lowest setting and used it on his face and head when he did that. It made it easier to do it all that way, and he only had to do it every few days. Based on the beard rash on her face, it seemed like he was due to trim it again soon.

  She didn’t mind, though. She liked when he’d go down on her like this, the sensitive skin on her thighs bearing the reminder of him for a day or two afterward, making her smile when she noticed it.

  Rubbing his hand over his chin, he pushed off from the door, stalking toward her, backing her through the apartment into his bedroom. Once there he closed the door, which gave her a twinge of concern.

  “Is Coop home?”

  He shook his head and pulled his phone out. “No. But he wasn’t going to be gone long.” His thumbs moved over the screen before he put it on the top of the dresser. “I let him know you’re here, but he might need to stop by before he goes wherever.” He paused, stepping closer to her. Her breathing picked up when he trailed his fingers up her arm, over her collarbone exposed by the V-neck of her sweater, tracing the edge of her bare skin down to the point where her cleavage peeked out. His eyes followed his fingers, but flicked up to meet hers. “What brought this on?”

  Her nipples hardened in her bra as his fingers teased the tops of her breasts. She took a deep breath, lifting her breasts so they pressed against his fingers more firmly, hoping for more—more contact, more kissing. “I missed you.”

  That sexy smile was back. “Did you?” He made a low rumbling sound, like a cat purring its happiness. “I missed you too.”

  She smiled. “Yeah? Wanna show me how much?”

  That was all the encouragement he needed. His mouth covered hers again, and his hands slid under the hem of her sweater, skating over the bare skin underneath, reaching up and undoing the clasp of her bra, then lifting his head so he could strip both sweater and bra off together, leaving her in her jeans. Which didn’t last long. His hands fell to her waist, popping the button and unzipping the fly, pushing inside under her panties so that he gripped her bare ass, pulling her hard against him for another kiss designed to make her lose her grip on her sanity. Since she hadn’t had a firm grip on that in quite a while, it didn’t take much to get her to let it go altogether.

  Pushing her back on his bed, he pulled her boots off before stripping the rest of her clothes, then dispatched with his own T-shirt and sweatpants in a blink. He crawled over her, reaching into his bedside table to get a condom out for when he needed it, and she enjoyed the sight of his firm pecs over her face, taking the chance to run her thumbs over his flat nipples, just a shade darker than the rest of his skin.

  He hissed in a breath as his nipples firmed under her hands, and he looked down at her. Grabbing her hands, he pinned them over her head. “Am I going to have to restrain you?” A shiver went through her, and his face took on that analyzing look that he got when she revealed something new to him. “Hmm. I’ll have to keep that in mind. I don’t have a handy way to do that, and I don’t want to take the time to figure something out.” He pushed the hard length of his cock against her hip to illustrate his point. “So for now, leave these here.” He pressed her hands back into the mattress above her head and let go, running his hands down her arms, over her breasts, smiling when she squirmed as his touch tickled in her armpits and over her ribs.

  His smile got a more wicked edge. “Hmm. That might be fun.”

  “What?” She couldn’t help the breathlessness of her question.

  “Tying you up so you can’t get away and tickling you. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

  She groaned and twisted as he tickled her ribs again. “No. That sounds awful.”

  He leaned in close, his breath blowing hot over her ear as he tongued the lobe. “But I’d make it so good for you after. If you let me do that. You’d end up
enjoying yourself, I promise.”

  She whimpered, shaking her head.

  He sat back up, still running his hands over her body, circling her breasts but avoiding her nipples. “We’ll talk about that later. When you can think clearly.”

  His fingers circled around her nipples again, and she tried to move to force him to touch her there, but couldn’t.

  “Getting impatient?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Please touch me.” She was afraid he might tease for longer. He did that sometimes. But not today. Though he didn’t touch her with his fingers like she’d asked. He did better, leaning forward and running his tongue around and over one nipple, then the other, before taking one into his mouth, biting gently with his teeth, sucking and using his tongue on it at the same time.

  With a moan, she arched against him, trying to drive further into his mouth. When she brought her hands down to clutch his head to her breast, he sat up, that wicked gleam she’d gotten to know in his eyes, pressing her hands back above her head. He clucked his tongue at her. “I thought I told you to leave these here.”

  With a soft whimper, she nodded. “You did.”

  He arched a brow. “It’s more fun if you do what you’re told.”

  “Okay.”

  Moving down her body, he positioned her legs how he wanted, parted wide, with her knees bent and her heels close to her ass so she was as open as she could comfortably keep herself without help. “Don’t move.” And then he began running his hands up and down her inner thighs, just firm enough not to tickle. She shivered, trying hard to hold position and not push her hips up into his hands.

  She kept her eyes on him. He mostly watched his hands, but would look up to see his effect on her from time to time, his smile growing along with her impatience. She didn’t know if he realized how close she was to breaking, but just as she was about to move or beg or both, he let his hand drift down, brushing over her mons and outer labia.

  She moaned in response, that lightest of touches enough to send her arousal skyrocketing. He smiled widely at her reaction and did it again. Both hands ran down her thighs, pressing them further apart, massaging the juncture of hip and thigh, then parting her, holding her open and looking his fill.

  This time she couldn’t help herself, and she pushed up against his restraining hands. She couldn’t move much because he held her in place, but he looked at her, his warm chuckle vibrating out of him. “Patience, Elena. You know it’s better if you wait.”

  “God. I’ve waited long enough. Please.”

  He chuckled again. His fingers slid through her wetness, circling up and down and around her clit, not quite touching it. This time she growled, but that didn’t phase him at all. He kept up his leisurely pace.

  Finally—Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, finally—he slipped a finger inside her, slowly fucking her with it, and brought his mouth to her clit. His tongue brushed over it gently, just a quick flick. Then again. Then for longer. Two fingers were inside her now, and his tongue circled around and over her clit. Over and over and over. She couldn’t help herself, she bucked against his tongue, seeking even more stimulation.

  Instead of stopping and reprimanding her like he sometimes did, he gave her what she wanted, wrapping his lips around her clit and sucking, his tongue scrubbing over it while his fingers worked in and out of her. He only had to keep it up for a few seconds before her orgasm came screaming through her, her thighs clamping around him, her muscles convulsing, pulling her upper body off the bed, her hands coming down to his head, first to hold him in place, then to try to push him away as the sensations grew more intense. But he didn’t let up, instead wrapping his arms around her thighs, holding her in place while he continued to lick at her, sending spasm after spasm through her body until she was completely wrung out.

  Daniel stood up, wiping his mouth with one hand while reaching for the condom. His eyes never left hers while he rolled it on and knelt between her still-spread thighs, dragging the head of his cock across her oversensitive tissues. She shuddered, trying to close her legs, but only succeeding in trapping him more firmly against her. He gave her that sexy grin again as he lined himself up and slid inside an inch, leaning over her and kissing her, her taste still fresh on his lips and tongue, sliding inside a little more. With one more slow thrust, he slid home, holding himself still until she moved her hips against him.

  At her movement, a low rumble emanated from his chest, and he rocked against her, the motion slow and smooth. “God, you feel so good wrapped around me.”

  He thrust again, and she arched under him, running her hands up his arms and over his back, down to grip his firm ass. She half waited for an objection, or his hands grabbing hers and pressing them above her again, but apparently his earlier no-touching rule had expired. Or he was too lost to sensation to care anymore.

  That was the last coherent thought in her brain as he picked up the pace, one hand grabbing her ass, lifting her so he could hit her deeper. She gasped, hitching her leg around his hip, giving both of them better leverage at the new angle. Moving faster, he swiveled his hips with each stroke, a wordless demand for her body’s response.

  And her body gave him what he wanted, heat pooling low in her belly again, her muscles tightening as he drove her closer and closer to the edge. Sitting back on his heels, he dragged her lower body into his lap, controlling their movements and the angle, one hand still gripping her ass, the other settling over her mound, his thumb dipping between them, pressing and rubbing over her clit.

  “Come on, Elena. I need to feel you coming around me again.”

  His words sent her higher, and he thrust hard, pounding into her, not letting up for a second until she let out a strangled cry and burst under his hands. His thumb left her clit and he gripped her hips with both hands, picking up the pace even more, her body clenching around him until he held her hard against him, his whole body contracting and shuddering as he came.

  After he recovered enough to move, Daniel dealt with the condom and got back into his bed, pulling the covers out from under Elena so they could both get in. She didn’t always stay for post-sex cuddling, but tonight she did. She wanted to talk and suss out where he stood on the subject of them. After a mind-blowing round like they’d just had, she figured she had a better chance of getting him to see things her way if they weren’t already on the same page.

  He lounged with his head propped on his doubled over pillow, one hand behind his head, and his other wrapped around her. She lay on her side against him, her head on his shoulder. Running her fingers up and down his chest, she tried to find a way to bring up the subject casually, without making it seem weird.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  She glanced up at him sharply, her hand stilling. “What do you mean?”

  He grinned, his teeth standing out in the dim evening light filtering through his window. “Your brow is all furrowed, and you’re fidgety. Normally after sex you’re relaxed or on your way home. What’s bothering you?”

  Resuming her tracing of his pecs and abs, she watched the path her hand made, finding it easier to talk if she didn’t look directly at his face. “Um, well, I was just wondering if you’re okay with this.”

  “This? Meaning …?”

  She shrugged her shoulder. “Us. You know, our relationship being limited to just this.” Waiting for him to answer felt like waiting for the jury to read its verdict, and you weren’t sure if they’d find you innocent or guilty. When he didn’t say anything, she lifted her face to look at him.

  His smile was gone, his face serious, his eyes searching hers. “Is it really just this? Just sex?”

  She swallowed. “Well, yeah. I mean—“

  “Because you said you’d come to my game this weekend. And to the party with me after. Didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, but that’s because it seems important to you. It doesn’t mean—“

  “Doesn’t it?”

  She sat up, needing space now. He stared at her, his face i
mpassive. “Look, I’m pretty sure that I’ve said before that I don’t have time for a boyfriend right now.” She motioned between them with a finger. “We’re not dating.”

  One of his eyebrows arched up. “Answer me something, Elena—how often do you come over here?”

  Shrugging, she pulled the sheet tighter around her chest. “I don’t know. Maybe two or three times a week.”

  “Maybe when I have away games. You’re here almost every night when I’m home. Do you spend time like that with anyone else?”

  “Well, no. If I’m here that often, it would be impossible for me to spend that much time with anyone else.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Exactly. So it’s safe to assume that you’re not having sex with other people.”

  She glared at him. “Of course not. You know that.”

  Another nod. “Me either. So we’re exclusive, we see each other all the time, and now you’re coming to my game and going to a party with me. How are we not in a relationship again?”

  Letting out a frustrated sigh, she opened her mouth to tell him that none of that meant anything. But before she could, he sat up and pulled her hands away from where she had them clutching the sheet against her chest.

  “Here’s the thing. I don’t really do casual. You can call this whatever makes you feel good, but when chicks hit on me at parties, I tell them I have a girlfriend. And I’m not lying—at least I don’t think I am—because I have you. You don’t have to tell people we’re dating if you don’t want to. I don’t really care. I know you’ve got a lot going on, and my goal isn’t to stress you out. But I like you. I like when you come over, I like having you in my bed, and I’d really like it if you’d start going places with me outside of my apartment. You can still say no if you’re busy. But Coop would appreciate it if he didn’t get kicked out all the time.”