Catching Raindrops (The Sutter Family #1)

by H. D'Agostino

  “I know what you mean. Back at school I used to go out on the field after practice and just sit and watch the sun set. The crickets would come out with the lightning bugs. It reminded me of home.”

  “You did this alone,” he smirked.

  “Why is that so hard to believe,” I laughed as I leaned towards him and placed my head on his shoulder.

  “You just don’t seem like the type,” he turned his eyes down toward me.

  “And what type is that?” I giggled.

  “The type that would come sit on the beach in the dark with a guy,” he smirked and I couldn’t help but blush.

  “You’re not just a guy,” I muttered.

  “I’m not?” he cocked a brow as his grin grew larger.

  “No,” I sat up straighter and grabbed the beer I’d been nursing along.

  “And what type of guy am I?” he pursed his lips as he tried to keep a straight face.

  “You’re enjoying this way too much,” I rolled my eyes. “Got any more of these in there?” I eyed the basket. “I need more if we’re really going to talk about this,” I deadpanned.

  “Will this work?” he lifted a bottle of tequila and snickered.

  “What exactly did you plan to do tonight?” I scoffed.

  “I didn’t know what you’d like,” he shrugged, removed the cap, and took a shot before passing me the bottle.

  I lifted it to my lips, took a deep breath, and then took a giant gulp. It burned going down, and I sputtered as my belly warmed. “Feel better?” he chuckled.

  “Much,” I took another gulp. He was going to ask me questions that I needed the buzz to answer, and it looked as if it was starting now.

  “I gotta better idea,” he mused. “Let’s play a game.”

  “What kinda game?” I asked warily. It was getting dark now and we were the only ones around.

  “Hey Emma,” he paused and waited for me to look at him. “Truth or Dare?”

  Crap! This night just got real, real fast.

  Chapter 7

  Brock

  I don’t know what I was thinking when I started this. You weren’t thinking, idiot. We’d been going back and forth for an hour asking each other mundane questions as we stared at the ocean. It was getting late, but I just couldn’t bear to let her go inside. My brain kept telling me how stupid I was; how this was only going to end in disaster, and how if I really cared I’d tell her who I was, but I couldn’t.

  “Truth or dare?” she grinned as she swayed drunkenly toward me. We’d almost finished this bottle of tequila. Of course it was only half full when I brought it, but I had a bad feeling that there would be no running tomorrow.

  “Truth,” I leaned closer, letting my breath feather across her neck. She shivered and my dick hardened as it begged me to touch her.

  She giggled before licking her lips and nibbling at the bottom one as if she had this secret that she was about to spill. “When’s the last time you had sex?” as soon as the words left her lips she turned bright red. It was hard to tell on the darkened beach, but I could see her neck tinged pink.

  “So we’re getting real now, huh?” I snickered.

  “Just answer the question,” she muttered.

  “Fine, I’ll tell you if you tell me,” I smirked and turned to face her. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell her, but more about the fact that I wanted her to tell me. “I broke up with my last girlfriend about six months ago, so somewhere around there. Your turn,” I tipped my head to the side.

  “Nope. It doesn’t work like that,” she shook her head and turned away from me to stare back at the water. A sadness passed over her and she wiped at her eyes as if she were crying.

  “Hey,” I nudged her. “I’m sorry.”

  She shrugged before clearing her throat and brushing me off, “No worries. Your turn.”

  “Truth or dare?” I whispered as I leaned into her. I wanted to get back to the playful side and away from whatever I’d just walked into.

  “Dare,” she grinned as she reached for the liquor and took another shot.

  “Hmmm,” I tapped my chin before leaning in closer. “Kiss me,” I murmured as I leaned in. She smiled, and then pressed her lips to mine. It was a quick kiss and as she started to pull away I teased her, “that was lame. Give me a good one.”

  She scoffed as she shifted and pressed her mouth to mine forcefully. She flung her arms around my neck causing me to fall forward, losing my balance. Without loosening her grip, she pulled me down on top of her, and all thought flew out of my head. I’d imagined this so many times, and as I settled between her legs, my body took over leaving my brain in the dust.

  Emma

  What am I doing? Oh god, it feels so good. Shut up brain. When he said give me a good one, I was determined to put everything I had into it. I pulled him down on top of me, and now all I feel is his cock pressing between my thighs. My dress has been bunching up all night, and now I’m not even thinking about it.

  Brock gently laid me on my back against the beach towel. One hand is by my head holding his weight while the other is clasping my hip. I can feel the restraint in his kiss, and it’s killing me. I’ve dreamed of this for so long. Him, me, us, together.

  “Please?” I begged when his lips left mine and trailed down to my collarbone.

  “What are we doing, Emma?” he panted.

  “I don’t know, but please don’t stop,” I begged again.

  “Tell me if I do something you don’t like, ok?” his voice trembled. It was as if he were in pain he was holding back so much. We’d never shared anything but a few kisses, and now we were in a full on makeout session. When I didn’t answer him, he leaned down next to my ear and growled, “tell me to stop if I do something you don’t want to me to do. Understand?” The hand gripping my hip moved up to hold my chin so I was looking directly at him.

  I nodded, “Ok,” and before I could say anything else, he pressed his mouth to mine once again. His hips rolled against mine before he shifted to lie beside me. One hand slowly made its way up my torso as his fingers pressed lightly into my side. He paused when he reached my breast, and I felt him tremble. His restraint was beginning to fail, and as I threaded my fingers into his hair and tugged lightly I felt it snap. He groaned as he tilted his head, plunging his tongue farther into my mouth. I could feel my blood heating as my body lit up like a firework. No man had ever worked me up like Brock was doing. I moaned as I rocked my hips against his thigh trying to get some friction.

  My center throbbed, and my breast tingled as my brain tried to process what was happening. “More,” I gasped as I broke the kiss. “Touch me,” I begged. Who was this girl? I never did this, but the idea that my fantasies were coming to life right here was almost too much.

  “Emma,” he growled. “I’m not gonna stop if we do that.”

  “Please, just touch me?” I squirmed against him before trailing my fingers down his chest. I stopped when I got to the waistband of his shorts, and turned my eyes up to his. “We don’t have to go any further,” I grinned as I cupped him through his shorts.

  “Jesus!” he hissed as he jerked in my hand.

  “You like that?” I giggled. The alcohol was making me brazen, and watching him fall apart was more of a thrill than I thought it would be.

  “Fuck!” his head dropped to my shoulder. “You don’t how bad I want to fuck you right now,” came out muffled against the towel.

  I couldn’t stop my body from going rigid, and Brock felt it. The idea of having sex out here where anyone could see, scared the shit out of me. I hadn’t been with anyone in months, and after everything that happened with Jordan last spring, I wasn’t sure if I could even go there again no matter who it was with.

  “We’re not going to. Relax,” he sighed as he started to push away from me.

  “Wait, no,” I gripped his shoulders. “We don’t have to stop.” I was worked up, and I wanted relief, but the more I tried to get him to keep going, the faster he put the brakes
on.

  “Yes, we do. That right there tells me that we’re not doing this,” Brock rolled to a sitting position and bent his knees. He leaned over them taking a few deep breaths, I’m sure to calm his body down. The tent in his shorts said that he was ready to take things farther, but his brain stopped him.

  “Is it the age thing,” I pouted as I sat up beside him. “I don’t get it. Do you not want to?”

  “No, it’s not that,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s not that at all. When we go there it won’t be on a towel on the beach. It won’t be somewhere where your family might walk in, and you sure as shit won’t pull away. We’ll go there when you know you want it. You don’t really want it tonight. You’re drunk, and when I started talking dirty, you stiffened,” he looked up at me before turning back to the ocean. “I want you to be sure because once we do this... there’s no going back.”

  “Ok,” I mumbled. I didn’t know what to say after that. I’d never met a guy who would stop without me telling him to. Jordan always pushed, and when we finally did it, it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It wasn’t sweet, or romantic. He was rough, and when it was over he pretty much walked away. We still dated, but he didn’t snuggle or pull me close. He climbed out of bed and walked back to his dorm. I always thought it would get better with practice, at least that’s what Jordan said, but it didn’t. It was always awkward.

  “What’s going on in there?” Brock tapped my head on the side. “You’re overthinking this.” I shrugged as he blew out a long breath. “There’s a lot you don’t know, Em. Stuff that’s going to change between us once we do this. There’s nothing I want more than to take you back to my place and make love until the sun rises, but you’re not ready for that. When you are,” he smiled as he cupped my cheek “I’ll be here,” he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips before standing and pulling me up with him. “Sleep it off, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I gotta work in the morning, but maybe we can meet out here again.”

  “Ok, goodnight,” I smiled as I started to walk away but Brock grabbed my hand, halting me.

  “Whatever is in that pretty little head telling you I don’t want you is not true. Understand? I want you Emma. I want you more than my next breath, but we’re gonna wait. We’ve got plenty of time, and I want you sober when you say yes. Goodnight,” he whispered as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Dream of me when you close your eyes.”

  I may have swooned a little as I walked away. I knew I’d have sweet dreams, and I knew he would star in them. Brock Foster starred in all my dreams for years, and now that he was kissing me daily he was starring in them once again. As I made my way up to the path that led over the dunes, I smiled. I wanted so badly for those dreams to become a reality and it seemed that it was finally a possibility.

  When the sun came glaring through my windows the next morning I thought my head might explode. The night before came rushing back, and along with the tequila came Brock’s kisses. My body hummed as I thought about the way it felt having him pressed up against me, and as bad as my head hurt I couldn’t help but want to dance around my room.

  As I got up and shuffled out to the kitchen I could hear my parents laughing. Dad was leaning against the counter as Mom cooked something on the stove. “I don’t know why you can’t eat something first,” she rolled her eyes. “The team isn’t even going to be there for another hour. Aren’t you just meeting your assistants?”

  “I’ve got to go over next week’s schedule,” Dad groaned. “You know when we travel, I don’t like to leave my assistants without a training schedule.”

  “Travel?” I stepped around the corner and they both jumped.

  “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Dad teased as he grabbed at his chest. “Don’t sneak up like that.” He chuckled as I scowled. “I was invited to speak this weekend at a convention in South Carolina. Your mother was going to come with me, and we were planning to stay a few extra days. I didn’t think you’d mind keeping an eye on your brother,” he smiled before he moved to stand behind Mom. His arms wrapped around her middle as he leaned down and nuzzled her neck. “We need some alone time. I haven’t gotten to see all the new things you’ve bought,” he mumbled into her neck and pressed a kiss against it.

  “Eww,” I gagged as I moved to grab an orange juice out of the fridge.

  “How do you think you got here,” Mom laughed as Dad continued to hug her. His hands were mobile at this point and I figured I needed to leave the room or I might see more than I bargained for.

  As I was rounding the corner toward the living room Dad shouted, “I’m going to be working in my office a bunch today if you want to get a workout in on the weights.” I froze as a smile crept up. My dad used to let me come with him at least three time a week. I loved it there, and they had one of the nicest weight rooms around. It was way better than the gym down the street, and Dad made sure that the players kept everything in good shape.

  “Really?” I smiled as I spun to see him grinning at me. He was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. Mom laughed as she shoved his arm.

  “Truck leaves in ten minutes. Be ready if you’re coming,” he winked before turning back toward my mom. I heard her smack him as she scolded him for eating the bacon she was cooking, and he retorted with something dirty because Mom groaned. That was all it took to get me moving toward my room. I didn’t have anything going on today, and the idea of hanging out with a bunch of football players was actually quite appealing. If anything it would be a nice view.

  When I climbed into the truck, Dad turned to me and stared. I could see he was trying to figure out how to say what he was thinking. He always got this little crease in his forehead when he was deep in thought, and when I was younger it would always send me running in the other direction.

  “What?” I sighed as I flopped back against the seat.

  “Nothing,” he muttered as he put the truck in drive and started heading down the street.

  We rode in silence for the first fifteen minutes before he finally started talking. “So, are you going to tell me why you quit the team?”

  “No,” I shook my head.

  “No? No, what?” he glanced at me before looking back at the road.

  “No, nothing. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s no big deal anyway,” I shrugged as I leaned against the window. Suddenly this morning with him didn’t seem like such a great idea. “It’s not like I’m quitting school, Dad,” I muttered.

  “Is this about a boy?” he prodded.

  “What? No!” I shrieked as I crossed my arms over my chest. A cold chill settled over me from the air conditioner, and I balled myself in the corner as far from him as possible. I didn’t want to talk about Jordan, or anything that happened between us. I still wasn’t over it, and my dad wouldn’t understand.

  “Is it the coach?” he pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine once he reached his space.

  “No. It wasn’t what I thought it would be, ok. Can we not do this right now?” I could feel the tears welling, and I blinked furiously to keep them from falling. I did not cry. I wasn’t that girl, and I’d already cried enough over this. Jordan didn’t deserve my tears, and if my father didn’t stop pushing, I knew I’d give in and tell him my real reason for coming home this summer.

  Why couldn’t everything be the way it used to be? Why did life have to be so hard now, and why did men like Jordan lie? For the last week I’d been holding it together pretty well, but between Brock’s odd behavior and my parents giving me the third degree, I was slowly feeling my façade break.

  “Fine,” Dad sighed as he tossed his hands in the air. “I won’t ask again, but Emma,” he paused as he opened the door, “nothing in life is easy. Whatever the reason is for you being here, I hope it’s worth it. I hope that whatever caused you to walk away from something you’re truly gifted at is worth it in the long run.”

  I nodded as I opened my door, and climbed out. I came around the front o
f Dad’s truck and hugged him, “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” he chuckled as we walked side-by-side into the field house.

  I was busy looking at my iPod instead of where I was going, but I heard him. Dad made some comment about a meeting in his office and the one voice I least expected to hear came ringing through loud and clear.

  “Be there in a minute, boss,” was called from a distance and my head snapped up. At the end of the hallway coming out of another office was Brock. He stumbled slightly as his feet came to a stop, and his mouth dropped open. He blinked a few times as if he were trying to make sure that he was actually seeing me there. I smiled and started to say something when he shook his head no, and rushed back into this office. Dad grumbled something about him always being late before turning toward his office and leaving me standing there, none the wiser of the exchange to between Brock and myself.

  I rushed down the hall to where Brock disappeared and yanked open the door. “You work for my dad?” I squeaked.

  Brock was pacing the small space and tugging at his hair as all sort of expletives fell from his lips. “Yes,” he sighed as he shook his head and his shoulders sagged.

  “You lied to me?” I stumbled back a few steps.

  “Emma,” he moved closer. “It’s not like that.”

  “Not like what?” I stepped back farther before turning to run down the hall and outside.

  “Emma, wait!” he yelled as he burst through the door after me.

  I spun and glared at him. “It’s not like what? You’ve had plenty of chances to tell me. You knew who I was. Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

  He stood there staring at me. His mouth opened and closed a few times before his chin dropped and he stared at his feet.

  “That’s what I thought,” I growled as I turned and started running home. It was a twenty-minute drive, but I was going go as far as I could. I’d probably end up calling Aaron at some point to come and get me, but at the moment I didn’t care what happened to me. Brock lied and the little part of me that still held out hope of actually being with him was just blown to bits.