Jack felt his lips spread out in a smile. He still didn't quite understand why she was so nervous, but he liked the way her cheeks turned red and that her voice changed octaves depending on what she was talking about. He had the sudden desire to kiss her, to take her in his arms, put his mouth on hers, and kiss her.
"…passing is always on point and—" She put her hand over her mouth and shook her head as though she was embarrassed by the amount of words she had just used. "Sorry." She dropped her hand and forced it behind her back.
Before Jack could stop himself, he leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. He couldn't help it. She was like a magnet, drawing him closer to her until he had no other choice but to kiss her. Her lips were soft, just like he imagined.
He wanted more, but he didn't want to scare her.
He pulled away and caught her eye, waiting. She needed to be the one to make the move, to indicate that she wanted this just as much as he did.
And then, Lily bit her bottom lip—
Goddamn that bottom lip.
—before she stepped forward once more and grabbed the back of his head so she could pull him down to her mouth and they were kissing once again.
This time, Jack did not hold himself back. His arms wrapped around her waist and he pressed himself against her. He needed to feel her body pressed against his own.
She let out a soft whimper that caused his cock to stiffen. How was it possible that something seemingly so innocent and spontaneous could have such an effect on him?
After another moment, they both had to take a break in order to breathe.
"We should…we should probably stop," Lily got out. Her cheeks were rosy and he knew she was slightly embarrassed while simultaneously exhilarated. It was strange but he could swear he heard her heart beat pound against her chest. At the very least, he felt it when she was pressed tightly against him.
He should have agreed with her. One kiss was risky, two was pushing it. Instead, he reached out and curled a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear.
"Is that what you want?"
Lily's throat bobbed. His cock twitched, as if to say he needed to be buried inside her now.
She placed her hand on his cheek and he tilted his head down so his forehead rested against hers. Such a strange feeling, to be so close to someone, to share their air, to breathe in cohesion with them. Jack had never felt anything like it.
Lily tilted her head up, pulling away from him, but only slightly. She locked eyes with him, dropping her hand from his cheek so she could grab her shoulder.
"No," she murmured. It was a ghost of a whisper, so quiet Jack wasn't even sure he actually heard it. "No, that's not what I want at all."
Jack rubbed his lips together and nodded his head. In truth, he had no idea how to respond to that, but it was important to him to show that he heard her.
"Okay."
Lily took his hand and stepped away, leading him into her bedroom. He felt his heartbeat increase, the way it had when he had the breakaway during the game. He’d deeked the goalie and scored, and now…
No. He wouldn't compare getting laid to scoring a goal. That was too cliché and it ignored the fact that Lily was so much more than a game.
They stepped inside the dark room and Jack closed the door gently behind them. He made sure to lock it, just in case. Alec probably would be out all night, but on the off-chance that he wasn't… Not that he came barging into Lily's bedroom without knocking, but still.
Slowly, they merged back together in the middle of the room. Her arms locked around his neck, his hands held her waist, and their lips touched. Jack slid his tongue into her mouth and explored everything she granted him access to. His hands ran up and down her back.
This was what heaven must feel like. This was what all of those songs and books and movies were about. It was like a lightbulb had gone off and he finally understood.
When they had to break again, Jack's fingers slid under the hemline of her shirt. She sucked in a breath as he pressed them flat against her stomach. He wasn't sure if it was because his fingers were cold or because he was touching a sensitive area on her body. Maybe it was both. He slowly pulled it over her head and dropped it to the floor. He kissed her neck, her collarbone. His hands reached up and unclasped her bra. That, too, found a place on the floor.
Jack kept himself from indulging in his desires, at least for the moment. He didn't want to touch her until she was completely naked.
He pulled her into his arms again and kissed her, using his weight to lean her back so they both fell on the bed. More clothing was shed, this time on him. His shirt, his undershirt. He was glad he opted to take a shower after the game rather than wait until he got home. He'd probably have smelled like a barn if he had chosen to do that.
She kissed his shoulder, then his chest. Her hands caressed his stomach, and he twitched.
He wanted to open his mouth, to talk to her, but he didn't want to sound stupid. He also didn't want to kill the mood.
It wasn't long before they were both completely naked, simply kissing each other—he could never get enough of kissing her—feeling each other. He liked the way her body felt underneath his, how soft her skin was in comparison to his.
"Do you…" It was the first words she managed to say and her cheeks were flushed again with pink. He grinned down at her, coiling a stray strand of hair around his finger, waiting for her to continue. "Do you have protection?"
Shit.
"Yeah," he said. "In my bag. One second."
He got off of her and immediately felt cold. How could he have forgotten to ask about protection? Typically, in circumstances like this one, he always made sure to clarify what was expected, and he always wore a condom. With Lily…with Lily, if she hadn't brought it up, he would have forgotten all about it, and that was a scary thought.
Jack went to the living room and grabbed a condom from inside. He was stark naked and glad Alec had gone out. The truth of the matter was, he still probably would have risked it, knowing he was going to be inside Lily once he came back.
When he returned, he tore the foil and slipped it on.
"Ready?" he asked her.
She nodded.
He positioned himself over her and slowly slid inside. She reached up for him, her nails digging into his back. He grunted, feeling her warmth coat him in a tight grasp. Jesus. If he wasn't careful, he was going to finish right there.
After a moment, he settled in and she stretched around him. He forgot about time, about hockey, about everything else except exploring Lily's body, hearing the soft noises she would make, feeling her from the inside out. When the two finally climaxed, Jack was hit with the thought that this was it, he would never find anyone better than this; it would never be as good.
Finishing caused a surge of pleasure to rip through him, and he held Lily to him for a long time afterwards. When he was forced to throw out his condom, he made it quick so he could crawl into bed and fall asleep with her. Hopefully he woke before Alec returned, but in that moment, he didn't care.
10
Lily
A chime woke Lily up.
She shook her head before she even opened her eyes. Images from last night started playing in her head like a movie and she felt her body shiver. At first, Lily was sure it had been a dream. A vivid, amazing, secret dream she would relive but never speak of. However, as she reached over to see what time it was and who would be texting her at whatever time it was, she felt Jack's arm that had been flung around her waist tighten. Like he didn't want to let her go just yet.
Lily couldn't help but press her lips together, as though she was worried she might be smiling too loud.
She shook her head and grabbed the phone before burying herself under the covers and Jack's warmth. Even though it wasn't terribly cold, falling asleep naked caused her skin to pinch with tension unless she was next to Jack.
Ridiculous.
She bowed her head to the smartphone, turning it in a
way where the light hopefully wouldn't affect Jack.
3:07AM.
Jesus.
The number wasn't saved in her phone. However, she knew who it was.
Suddenly, her entire body went cold, despite the fuzzy blankets and despite Jack's arm around her.
I gave you a few days to change your mind. Now, you can't. The video has been posted. Just thought I should let you know.
Lily felt her heart speed up. There was no way….
But deep down, she knew. She knew.
Her face heated up, her eyes pinched with tears that seemed both immediate and unwilling to fall. She blinked, trying to shake them from her, to no avail.
She unlocked her phone and found the text had more than just what she read. Apparently, he ex spaced out his message with the link. She didn't need to click it to know what this was for. The website where their video was.
"Goddammit," she muttered to herself.
She was hot. Suddenly, Jack was smothering her and the blankets were heating her up and if she didn't get away now, she didn't know what was going to happen. Lily pulled from Jack. His grip tightened again. Now, though, she was annoyed. Now, she didn't want to be here.
Lily managed to break free without actually waking Jack up. She had no idea where she was going or where she wanted to go. Her feet direction her into her attached bathroom. The tile was cold on her feet but she barely noticed. Her body went through the motions of turning on the showers and making it hot. She needed it to burn her skin.
How could this have happened? How could he have actually released the video? She didn't think he would actually do that.
She shook her head. Everyone was going to see her, seventeen years old, fumbling around with her boyfriend, inexperienced about sex and how to please.
Jack would see her.
"Shit," she muttered to herself.
She needed to fix this, but how? It was too late. She was going to be out there. She wouldn't be surprised if Andrew went out of his way to tell people about the video too. Maybe he had some kind of fascination with trying to be an amateur porn star. Maybe he thought he could make more money that way. She didn't know and trying to rationalize Andrew's decision wasn't helping.
Lily reached for her phone on the nearby nightstand and unlocked it. She immediately hit the Safari button and began to search through articles regarding how to get her video taken down. What rights did she have if she didn't know she was being filmed at all?
Unfortunately, Lily only came across negative stories and bad news. This was a time when having so much information at her fingertips was not helpful in the least. The horror stories of the women who were going through this exact thing shook Lily. It didn't seem like she could do anything about it. Sure, she could go to the police and explain what happened, but because proving that she had no idea Andrew was filming her would practically be impossible, there was almost no point. Fighting it would make it a bigger deal, would give it more power. And yet, the thought of pretending it wasn't out there made her sick to her stomach. She needed to figure out how to do something.
She set her phone back on the nightstand and tried to take calming breaths. The rain was still falling and she could hear it tap against her window like someone throwing pebbles, desperate to be let in.
"There's nothing you can do about this," she muttered to herself. "The best thing you can do for yourself is try to sleep."
Lily snorted as she bundled under the covers. She longed to go to Jack, to feel him hold her once again, to bury herself into his warmth, but for some reason, the thought of even touching him was enough to pinch the skin on her body. How could she think of Jack as someone safe when she wasn't someone safe? When she was the issue?
She turned, facing away from Jack, and positioned herself on her side. Instead of shutting her eyes, she kept glancing at her phone.
What if…what if she could compel Andrew to have them take down the video?
Yeah, right. If Andrew already got paid, there's no way that could happen.
She bit her bottom lip. She hated going out of her way to text him. Lily avoided him as often as possible, even before all of this drama, but something needed to be done. Huffing out a sigh, she reached out and grabbed the phone, unlocked it again, and brought up the text messages.
Why would you do something like this?
Before she could stop and think about it, Lily hit send.
She waited.
Nothing.
Her heart beat skipped.
Still nothing.
At that moment, she huffed a sigh. Andrew was probably sleeping like a baby. What else would he be doing? Certainly not worrying about her or her reputation.
A soft brush of lips swept across Lily's shoulders and goosebumps erupted all over her skin. Then another, and another.
"I can hear you thinking from here," Jack murmured, his lips vibrating against her skin. "Are you okay?"
Lily allowed herself to be distracted by Jack. She rolled onto her back so she could see him. God, he looked so beautiful, even in the moonlight. Shadows crossed his face, causing his sharp cheekbones to look even more defined. Before she could stop herself, she lifted her head and brushed her lips on his jawline. His eyes closed as her lips lingered. She could not help but be awed by such a reaction. Certainly Jack attracted many women, had probably hooked up with many as well. And yet, the way he was when he was with her made her feel as though she was the only one that mattered.
That was dangerous. This whole encounter with Jack was dangerous.
"Can't sleep," she said, her voice coming out as whisper.
"Do you need anything?" he asked. He tilted his head and began to kiss her neck. She felt a sigh slip out of her mouth. His fingers trailed across her lower abdomen until they claimed her hipbone. "I can probably help distract you for a bit, if you need it."
She wanted to. She wanted nothing in the world besides Jack, inside of her, distracting her from the turmoil that was clinging desperately to her mind and forcing her to remember that this, with Jack, was not a reality. None of this was. The next day, they would move on. Go their separate ways. Forget this even happened. This would be a dream, nothing more than a memory.
"Kiss me," she pleaded. She did not know why she sounded so desperate but she could not take it back.
Jack looked down at her, concern pooling from his dark eyes. Eyes she could fall into. Eyes she could get lost in.
She could not even put into words just how badly she wanted to get lost right now. Perhaps Jack could assist her, as he promised.
He nodded his head. She could tell he wanted to ask if she was okay again. He couldn't hide his concern. She was glad that he did not. She was afraid, if he did, she would start to cry and the words would burst out of her mouth like water shooting from a broken dam and flooding a nearby town.
"Kiss me," she repeated, this time with more urgency.
Jack did not hesitate and bowed his head to hers, his grip on her tightening. Yes, she knew she could not get lost, but he could make her forget, if only for a moment.
- - -
Lily slept better after they finished. She woke up sore but well-rested. Inhaling deeply, she felt her chest expand. She shook off any unease.
11
Jack
Jack tried not to take Lily's abrupt dismissal of him personally. Maybe she was nervous because they had had sex. Maybe she wasn't quite sure how to act now. To be fair, he felt the same way. Just because they had had sex did not mean they were suddenly together. Was that even what he wanted? Did he even want them to be together? He didn't know. Maybe space would give them the allowance they needed to figure it out.
Jack also needed to get on the couch before Alec showed up. The last thing he needed was Alec finding him in bed with Alec's sister. That would complicate things.
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"Hey," Jack murmured.
"I have to shower," Lily snapped. "You should go before Alec gets here, if he isn't already."
>
She didn't wait for a response. Instead, she resumed her stride to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
While Lily showered in the bathroom, he picked up his clothes off the floor and only put on his sweats. The others, he held onto until he walked into the living room and down the hall to where Alec's room was. He opened the door and tossed them in the general direction of where the hamper was before closing the door and pacing to the couch.
He plopped down on the edge and threw his ankles up so his feet rested on the coffee table. In all honesty, he couldn't stop thinking about them together. It was exactly what he wanted. He wanted more. And he’d thought, based on Lily's response, she would as well.
He guessed wrong.
Jack ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more than it already was. In fairness, he couldn't exactly blame her for being cautious. He hadn't had the best track record when it came to other girls. He hadn't taken anyone home to meet his mom because he didn't want anyone to meet her, and instead of actually experiencing serious, long-term relationships, he focused on hockey and hooking up. He told himself it was because he didn't want anyone—not his mother, not a girl—to keep him from escaping his shitty life and doing something more with himself.
Now, though, Lily completely wrecked that thought. He wanted Lily, not just physically, but in all ways he could have her. He wanted to always touch her, like the feel of her against him to remind himself of the fact that he was worthy of being loved by someone like Lily: pure—and not in the sense of sexuality, but just a good person who had good intentions—sweet, a sprinkle of sass, and so much smarts. It didn't hurt that she was so fucking beautiful.
He shook his head and leaned forward.
What the hell had he gotten himself into? Wanting Lily was the worst thing that could happen to him only because of Alec. Alec was his best friend. Alec didn't like Lily dating anyone—especially after that asshole in high school. He didn't think anyone was good enough for her—and Alec was right. How could Jack expect to date Lily—he didn't even have his own place.
Rookies Do It Better: Book 1 in The Minor League Mayhem Series Page 6