What in the hell?
Almost immediately, Travarius and Carter are looming over me. “’The fuck was that?” Carter snaps.
I grit my teeth. “What?”
“You were flirting with Chloe Greenleigh,” Travarius accuses.
“So?”
“So that’s not cool,” Carter spits out. “We told you not to fuck this up for us. Bryant wouldn’t like it if she knew that you were—”
“That he was what?” an amused voice interrupts. “Having a conversation with another woman?”
Relief washes over me when Bryant sashays to the couch, hips swaying and tits jiggling beneath her V-neck top. She’s wearing a flared green skirt that she arranges primly before planting herself right on my lap.
“Honey, you played like a champ tonight,” she announces before planting those red rosebud lips on mine and kissing me happily. I’m pretty sure my mouth is smeared with her candy-apple lipstick when she finally pulls away. “I darn near cheered myself hoarse, JR.”
As she loops her arms around my neck, I awkwardly rest one hand on her hip and the other around her shoulders. I notice Travarius and Carter have lost their hostile expressions. They’re smiling at Bryant.
“What about me?” Carter asks her. “Did I play like a champ?”
“Of course,” she declares. “And you too, Travarius. I can’t remember the last time our team gelled this well.”
“Me neither,” Travarius admits.
Carter shoots me a grudging look. “Anderson had some damned good footwork out there.”
“Ace?” Bryant prompts.
Well, shit. Was that a compliment? “Thanks,” I say grudgingly.
“Oh sugar, you’re so modest,” Bryant teases, leaning in to kiss my cheek. That one second of contact has my dick going half-mast. I think she feels it, because she wiggles her bottom a bit and winks at me. “You’re allowed to boast about your accomplishments a little. We kicked some serious booty tonight.” She glances at the other guys. “Would you boys do me a favor and track down Earl for me? I need to discuss something with him.”
Carter and Travarius race off as if God himself commanded them. I stifle a sigh, wondering exactly what kind of spell Bryant Johnson has cast over this school. Everyone seems to adore her. My dick certainly does, judging by the way it’s throbbing against my zipper.
The moment they’re gone, Bryant brings her lips close to my ear. “Don’t play games with Chloe,” she whispers. “She’s a sweet girl, bless her heart, but she has self-esteem issues. She thinks casual sex will make her feel better, but it always makes her feel worse.”
Guilt ripples through me. Damn it. I guess Bryant saw me with the redhead.
Although, why am I feeling guilty? We’re not together!
“I wasn’t playing games,” I answer tightly.
Bryant’s big brown eyes probe my face. “You were considering hooking up with her, weren’t you?”
“Yes, I was considering it,” I say through clenched teeth.
She shakes her head in disappointment. “Oh, Ace. Did you forget the rule?”
I just gape at her.
“Bryant.” I force out a calming breath. “Bryant,” I repeat. “We’re not going out. If I want to hook up with someone else, I can.”
She arches a perfectly defined eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“Yes, it’s so!” I’m frustrated again, even more so because my dick is rock-hard and she doesn’t seem to care. She’s perched on my lap as if she’s a queen on her throne, oblivious to the lust surging through my blood. “I’m not cool with this.”
“Not cool with what?”
“This!” I quickly lower my voice when I catch Masters frowning at me from across the room. God forbid I raise my voice at Queen Bryant. “I told you, I don’t date during the season. I don’t have time for a girlfriend, and even if I did, I don’t want to get serious with anyone. I’m not boyfriend material, okay?”
She laughs softly, then leans toward the coffee table to pick up my beer. The neckline of her top sags as she eases forward, providing me with a perfect view of the creamy swell of her cleavage. I swallow a groan. Goddamn this woman.
Sipping my beer, Bryant eyes me over the rim of the bottle. “Tell me why you think you’re not boyfriend material,” she says thoughtfully.
I resist the urge to rip my hair out. This girl drives me fucking nuts. “Because I’m a selfish prick,” I shoot back. “And I’m unfaithful, in case you haven’t figured it out.”
She slants her head. Then she nods, as if she’s made some decision. Which, of course, she doesn’t seem interested in sharing with me. “You’ll be faithful to me,” she says firmly.
I’m close to losing it. Luckily, we’re interrupted by the arrival of Earl Wagner, the team’s star defensive tackle.
“You needed me?” the huge, shaved-head senior asks Bryant.
She shifts on my lap so she can face him. This tiny bit of friction once again threatens to blow the tip of my dick off. “Evening, sweetie,” she says, beaming at Earl. “Are you enjoying the party?”
He nods. Earl’s one of those guys who doesn’t talk if he can help it. Throughout summer camp, I watched him communicate with mostly grunts, nods, headshakes and shrugs.
“Good, I’m glad to hear it.” Her expression becomes serious. “I spoke to Lorraine after the game.”
Earl furrows his bushy brows. I have no idea who Lorraine is. I don’t know a thing about Earl or his life other than that he’s a beast on the field.
“She said your one-year anniversary is next week,” Bryant adds, smiling again. “I just wanted to make sure you’re planning something wonderful to celebrate.”
Earl looks startled. “Uh…”
“Oh, sweetness, please tell me you have something planned.”
“Uh…”
Bryant heaves a massive sigh. I find myself fighting a grin when I notice Earl shifting in discomfort at her disappointed expression.
“I’m not good with that lovey shit,” he finally mumbles. “You know that, Bryant.”
“I know, but this is important, big guy. One year is a major milestone in a relationship. Lorraine is such a sweetheart—don’t you think she deserves a romantic gesture?”
The tips of Earl’s ears pinken.
“Tell you what,” Bryant says cheerfully, “I’ll talk to the manager of The Mansion and see if the private dining room is available next week. We’ll do a candlelit dinner, private quartet, the whole shebang.”
Earl shifts again. “Aw, Bryant, you know I can’t afford that.”
“Don’t worry, Timothy owes me one. It won’t cost you a dime. Though you will need a suit—I recommend the navy-blue one you wear when the team travels.”
I choke down another laugh.
“Lorraine will be on cloud nine,” Bryant declares, and from the gratitude in Earl’s eyes, it’s clear that he appreciates the gesture. “I’ll text you all the details when I have them.”
“Thanks, Bryant,” he says gruffly.
“Any time, big guy. Now go find your woman and drop some hints about the big night you have in store for her.”
As Earl lumbers off, I stare at Bryant in bewilderment. “Why?” I find myself blurting out.
She blinks. “Why what?”
“Why do you do this shit? Why are you so fucking nice to every person you meet? Why are you sitting on my lap right now?” I falter. “Why are you so determined to be with me?”
The answer she gives me is as frustrating as everything else she does. “Because.”
A growl flies out. “Jesus, Bryant, you drive me crazy.”
That gets me a melodic laugh. “I know. But you like me, anyway.”
She’s not wrong. I do like her. And my dick…well, he loves her. I’m getting hard again, because the sound of her laughter and the sparkle in her eyes are so damn appealing. Plus, she’s climbed back on my lap and wiggling around again. My dick is trying to blast its way out of my pants, and all I can t
hink about is shoving my hand underneath her skirt.
“Uh-oh,” she murmurs, her gaze locking with mine. “You look positively savage right now. Are you thinking naughty thoughts?”
I growl again. “Of course I am.”
“Well, try to set them aside for now, honey.” She pats my shoulder. “Because we’re about to have some company.”
My cock weeps in disappointment as several people join us. Carter, Zane, Samson, and some chicks I don’t know but who Bryant seems very friendly with. Hell, Bryant is friendly with everyone. It’s like she knows every last person at this college, and they all love her and that means they all love me, because apparently I’m an extension of Bryant now.
For the next hour, I’m reminded of what it’s like to be popular again. Teammates who were cold to me even after we won tonight are suddenly including me in conversations, and not merely stuff related to the game. Bryant’s mere presence causes their demeanor toward me to change. They crack jokes with me. They talk about plays we should run at our next practice. They invite me to a bachelor party for one of our senior linemen, who I didn’t even know was getting hitched.
“See?” Bryant whispers in my ear at one point. “Look at all the benefits our relationship reaps you. You’re a hit!”
No, she’s a hit. She’s funny, sweet, kind. She not only remembers names, but also some important detail about every single person that makes them light up when she mentions it. And the entire time, she stays in my lap, torturing my dick with that sweet, round bottom and making me shiver each time she shifts, accidentally brushing my arm with a side of full, luscious boob.
And although that word—relationship—has me close to breaking out in hives, I can’t deny that Bryant is fun to be with. I also can’t deny how much I want to fuck her again. So maybe I should. Maybe I should just let this play out like Lucy recommended.
The only problem with that is, I’m not entirely convinced that Bryant is actually into me. Sure, she’s draped over me right now like a toga, but I get the feeling I’m just a project for her, a guy she wants to…fix, or some shit? I don’t need fixing. And if I’m going to keep seeing this girl, I need to be sure all the lap grinding and teasing kisses aren’t some pity thing.
So when Bryant says, “I need to use the little girls’ room!” and hops off my lap, I waste no time getting up, too.
“I’ll walk you,” I say.
She lifts a brow.
“I’ll guard the door. Make sure nobody barges in on you.”
Carter snickers.
Bryant, meanwhile, looks amused. “Most bathroom doors have locks,” she informs me as we thread through the crowded main room toward the corridor. The bathroom in the hall has a line a mile-long, so we bypass it and head up the stairs.
“Freddie has a private bath,” she says in a conspiratorial whisper, tugging me toward a bedroom at the end of the second floor hallway. “He’s the president of this fraternity, and he said I’m allowed to use his bathroom whenever I want.”
Of course he did. I have a feeling Bryant gets whatever she wants handed to her on a silver platter.
After we enter the darkened bedroom, she makes a beeline for the bathroom, her flouncy skirt flapping behind her. I wait outside the door, but once I hear the toilet flush and the faucet stop running, I turn the knob and join her in the bathroom.
She squeaks in surprise. “Ace! What are you doing?”
“This,” I answer, and then I flick the light switch at the same time my mouth crashes over hers.
The kiss startles her, eliciting a soft gasp that I swallow up by driving the kiss deeper. My tongue slides through her parted lips, my hands planting on her hips. She’s kissing me back in no time, moaning against my mouth and rubbing her curvy body against mine like a cat in heat.
“If I date you,” I mutter, breaking our mouths apart, “I have a rule, too.”
“What is it?” she asks breathlessly.
My vision is adjusting to the darkness, and I can see that her eyes are narrowed. She’s breathing hard, her perfect tits heaving beneath her tight top.
“You don’t hold back on me,” I say roughly. “You don’t lie there with your eyes closed while I fuck you and act like you’re doing me a favor by letting me drill your pussy.” I grasp her chin, tipping her head so she’s forced to look at me. “I either turn you on or I don’t. And if it’s the latter, then I’m not wasting my time here, Bryant.”
Her breathing sounds even more labored now. “Ace…”
“Do I turn you on?” I demand, rubbing her jaw with my thumb.
There’s a beat of silence. Then she moans. “Yes.”
Pure male satisfaction skyrockets through me. I back her into the vanity and shove one thigh between her legs. Then I grind slowly, summoning another throaty moan from her lips. “You lying to me right now, sweetheart?”
“No,” she whispers. “I’m not lying.”
“You going to be real with me from now on?” I dip my head and lick a hot stripe down the side of her neck. She shivers wildly. “You going to come for me when I tell you to? You going to be there with me—really be there, when I’m fucking you so hard and so deep that you won’t be able to walk the next day?”
A strangled noise escapes her mouth. “Y-yes.”
Grinning in the darkness, I skim my hand down her body and slip it underneath her skirt. Her panties are soaked when I cup her with my palm. “You promise?”
“I promise,” she chokes out.
I nod in approval. “Good. We’re starting right now.” I strip the skimpy panties off of her and let them drop to the tiled floor. “You want us to date? Then come all over my fucking hand, baby. Right now.”
Without delay, I push two fingers into her wet sex, and she cries out so loudly I have to silence her with another kiss. Don’t need President Freddie walking in on us. I didn’t lock the door, and it’s a whole five feet away and my hands are busy. One squeezes and fondles Bryant’s tits over her shirt, the other is finger-fucking her, fast and deep. My thumb tends to her clit as I plunge my fingers inside her.
“I can’t wait to fuck this tight pussy again,” I rumble in her ear. “My dick’s aching for you, baby.”
She moans, rocking hard against my hand.
“That’s it,” I say approvingly. “Fuck my hand, Bryant. Show me how you want my dick.”
My mouth finds her again, my tongue thrusting deep, mimicking the actions of my fingers. She’s so wet, dripping all over my hand. I want to sink to my knees and taste her, lap her up, but her inner muscles are clamped tight around my fingers and from the way she’s trembling, I can tell she’s close. But her eyelids are squeezed shut, her hands balled into fists against my shoulders, which tells me she’s fighting it.
“Don’t,” I command, and her eyes pop open. “You promised.”
“I…” She sounds a bit helpless.
“Let go. Give me what I want.” I pinch her clit and she shudders. Then I add a third finger and she comes.
Her features go slack with pleasure, her lower body rocking hard, her pussy spasming and squeezing the hell out of my fingers. It’s goddamn beautiful, and I almost shoot my wad in my pants like an inexperienced teenager. I manage to fight off the urge to come with her, and I make no move to unzip my pants or grab a condom from my wallet. I’m not going to fuck her tonight. I don’t know when I decided that, but it’s not happening.
Tonight was about Bryant giving herself to me. She wants me to date her? To give her what she wants? Then she needs to be fully on board, because I’m not about to get involved with a woman who holds anything back.
“Oh, sweet Lord,” she says weakly, after her body stops shaking. My fingers are still inside her, soaked with her juices. “I…” She trails off.
I slowly ease my hand away and lift it to my mouth. Her lips part as she watches me lick my fingers clean. I hum in satisfaction and then bend down to pick up her discarded panties. “You good to walk or should I carry you back downstairs?�
�� I ask smugly.
“I can walk.” She bites her lip, looking slightly stricken. “Are you always so…fierce? In bed, that is?”
I can’t help but chuckle. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? You changing your mind about us?” My tone is smug again. “And yes, I’m always this fierce, as you call it. When we fuck, it’s gonna be intense. Got a problem with that?”
“N-no.” She clears her throat. “No. I don’t.” But she still looks shaken, and for the first time since I met Bryant, I feel on solid footing. Still chuckling, I follow her wobbly frame out of the bathroom.
9
Bryant
I can still feel him. I can still feel his fingers, pressing and stroking and pulling the orgasm out of me. I can still hear his voice, low and dark, whispering the most filthy, dirty things. My whole mind is full of him. If I take a breath, I swear I can still smell the woodsy scent of his aftershave mingled with a clean sweat. I may never to be able to go into the woods again without my whole body getting goosebumps.
Is it any wonder I grabbed my panties and left the Sigma house before another soul could see my shell-shocked face?
This unnatural response has me worried. Kayla finds me in the kitchen, frowning into my coffee mug.
“What’s wrong, Bryant?” she asks. Her sleepy eyes snap wide. “Did that boy treat you poorly last night? I saw you go upstairs with him.”
“Of course not.” At least not in the way Kayla thinks. I mean, I can hardly say to her that Ace making me come in the bathroom was something bad. That sounds loony. “I’m actually thinking that he might not be the jerk I thought he was. He might not need me.”
Yes, this is my out. He’s smart, emotionally smart, so he’ll work through issues by himself. He doesn’t really need me. I grab another mug and mix Kayla’s cup of coffee. She likes hers half-and-half—half coffee and half Vanilla Delight.
“I don’t know about that. He wouldn’t even talk to anyone until you showed up,” she says as she takes the cup from me. “He sat in his corner and glowered at everyone like he was mad that he was there and he was mad anyone else was having fun. It’s good you don’t sleep with these guys. I can’t imagine getting into bed with him until you thaw him out. He’s as cold as an ice cube.” She pretends to shiver.
Downed (Gridiron #3) Page 7