Managed Hearts (Players of Marycliff University, #3)

by Jerica MacMillan

  He shifted, glad that he still had his jeans on to hide his growing erection. And that movement seemed to break whatever spell held Hannah in silence.

  “I fucking love you, you asshole.”

  Matt flinched, both at the words and the anger behind them. He opened his mouth, trying to formulate a response to that declaration.

  She poked him in the sternum. “I love you, and I need to know if you feel the same as I do.”

  He caught her hand before she could poke him again. Her sharp fingernail stabbing him in the chest hurt. “I love you.” His voice was a croak. He cleared his throat. “I love you, Hannah. I told you that weeks ago.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn’t pull away. His thumb rubbed along her wrist, almost unconsciously. He couldn’t help it. Caressing her was an involuntary response to touching her again.

  “Yes, you did. But you also tried to get me to give up my career before it’s even begun. You can see how that might send mixed messages.”

  He grunted, running his free hand through his hair. “I know. And I’m sorry. I said that before, and I’ll say it as many times as you need until you believe it. I was being a selfish asshole, and I’m sorry.”

  Her eyes dropped to where he still held her wrist in his hand. He thought about letting go, but waited to see if she’d pull away. She didn’t, so he continued to hold her arm, stroking the soft skin inside her wrist with his thumb.

  “What does this mean?” The question came out as a whisper, and she raised her eyes to his once more.

  He lifted an eyebrow. “You tell me. What about Carter?”

  Guilt flashed across her face, and he held his breath waiting for her answer. “There wasn’t really anything between Daniel and I. We went out a few times. Nothing serious.”

  “Then why were you there with him tonight? Why did you let him wrap himself around you after we talked? That looked like something more serious than a few casual dates.” Jealousy and bitterness infected his voice, but he couldn’t rein it back in.

  Her gaze sharpened. “We were broken up. I was trying to get over you. Again. Once and for all.”

  He sucked in a breath and pulled her closer by his hold on her arm until their hands were trapped between the press of their bodies. “And how did that work out for you?” He almost growled the words, knowing her answer, but needing to hear her say it.

  With her head tilted up to look at him, her green eyes caught the light from the street lamp, flashing with anger and lust. “I’m here, aren’t I?” She shook her head. “I haven’t been able to get over you since that summer we first got together. You stole a piece of me then, and I’ve never been able to get over its loss. You’re the only one who fills the hole you put there. No matter how hard I’ve tried over the years, I’ve never been able to move past what we had, what we have. No guy has ever measured up. It’s always been you.”

  Matt couldn’t help the swell of pride, the hole in his chest filling in with her words. She’d never been able to get over him, even when she’d tried. She sounded a little angry about that, but he didn’t care. That wasn’t important. The important thing was that she was here, now, with him, telling him that she loved him and didn’t want anyone else. Ever.

  He let go of her wrist and wrapped his arms around her, one hand cupping the base of her skull, his fingers threaded through her hair. Bringing his face close to hers, he stared into her wide green eyes. “You’ve always been it for me, too. I didn’t realize what I was looking for until I found you again. But it’s always been this. You and me. We fit, and it’s fucking perfect, and I’m never letting you go again.”

  He sealed his mouth over hers, confirming his words with his kiss. She opened for him, and met his tongue with her own. It started off slow and luscious, but morphed into something more fierce. Matt poured all of his pent up feelings into the kiss, and Hannah met him with her own—anger, frustration, longing, jealousy, lust, and most of all, love.

  * * *

  Hannah went up on tiptoe, pressing herself into Matt, running her hands over his shoulders and behind his neck. He growled into their kiss, and she felt the low rumble through his chest where her breasts pushed against his pecs. His hands ran down her back, cupping her ass, lifting her so she wrapped her legs around her, her whole body wrapped around his.

  He turned and carried her into his room, his muscles firm under her hands, but appearing to expend little effort. He tossed her on the bed, and she lay sprawled before him, his eyes dark as they raked over her body, taking in her disheveled hair and the way her dress rode up on her thighs, almost revealing the black thong she wore underneath.

  With a wicked smile he crawled up her body, kissing her briefly on the lips before nuzzling his way to her ear. “First, I’m going to strip you, then taste you everywhere that I’ve missed for weeks. Then I’m going to make slow, sweet love to you so you know exactly how much you mean to me. After we’ve recovered from that, I’m going to spank that ass until it’s red and fuck you hard. Any objections?”

  Her breath hitched, and she shivered at his words. He pulled back a little to look at her, waiting for the small shake of her head. With a wicked grin on his lips he flipped her over so he could pull down the zipper in the back of her dress, having her push up and pull her arms out of the straps. He unhooked her strapless bra while she did that and tossed it aside. Lifting her hips, he tugged her dress and panties off, tossing them to the side as well. Then he started to make good on his wicked promises. Light kisses started at the nape of her neck, making her shiver. He worked his mouth down her spine all the way to the top of her buttocks, some kisses light and teasing, some wet and open mouthed. Every so often his tongue would dance over her skin.

  When he reached the base of her spine, his hands gripped her buttocks, his roughened hands almost covering each cheek, kneading and pulling. A sharp bite had her sucking in a breath, the quick pain soothed immediately with an open-mouthed kiss. Then the same thing on the other cheek. Spreading her buttocks, his mouth drifted lower, and she pushed her hips up, giving him better access to where she really wanted to feel his lips and his tongue.

  His breath felt hot against her wetness. She was so turned on by just him kissing his way down her spine that she thought she’d explode from the barest touch of his tongue to her clit. And as though he could tell, he held her there like that, drawing out the anticipation, making her wiggle her hips, but his hands held her so she couldn’t push back onto his mouth.

  At her whimper of frustration, he let out a low chuckle, then gave her what she wanted. His tongue swiped over her, from her clit back to her opening, where he plunged it inside her, fucking her with his tongue for a moment. She couldn’t have held back her moan even if she’d wanted to.

  He held her that way for a few more minutes, his mouth on her from behind, but the position was awkward, and she wanted his fingers inside her while his mouth sucked on her clit. That wasn’t possible this way. “Matt.”

  “Hmm?”

  Oh, God. The vibration of his voice while his mouth was on her was exquisite. She wanted to move, but she didn’t want the pleasure to stop. Even if she knew it would get better if she could lay on her back. “Oh, God. Matt. Stop. Please.”

  He stopped immediately, though his hands still held her cheeks spread. She collapsed into the bed. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” With a supreme effort she started twisting her upper body and looked back at him over her shoulder. “I just want to turn over. I don’t think I can come like this. I have to focus too hard on holding myself up.”

  He grinned at her and let go of her ass, his hands going to her hips, helping her turn over, pulling her body where he wanted it. His mouth was on her again before she was really settled, and her hands flailed, clutching at the pillows and sheets while he thrust his fingers inside her, pumping them hard and fast, sucking on her clit, ramping her closer and closer to the edge. He backed off for a second, bringing her down a little with the flat of
his tongue, his fingers stroking her slowly from the inside. He knew her, knew how to read her reactions, knew how to bring her to the edge and not let her tip over like he was doing now. She hoped he didn’t play with her for too long, because she was already desperate for the orgasm that had been so close.

  She bucked her hips, clenching her muscles around his fingers, and he hummed with pleasure, picking up the pace again. He brought her to the edge quickly again before backing off once more.

  “Please, Matt. Please don’t tease me for much longer. Please let me come.”

  His blue eyes held hers as he lifted his head for a moment. “When you beg so nicely, it’s hard to tell you no.”

  And with that he lowered his mouth to her, running his pointed tongue all over inner flesh before circling her clit several times, then sucking it into his mouth. All the while his fingers stroked her, building her up, pushing her to the edge, holding her there for a moment, then with a firm thrust of his fingers and a flicker of his tongue combined with the suction of his lips, she tipped over the precipice, flying into bliss.

  Instead of softening his touch when she reached her orgasm, Matt kept up the intensity, sending her into wave after wave of pleasure until she reached down and pushed him away. He finally relented, grinning at her as he crawled up her body to kiss her, his face still slick with her juices.

  He pulled away and stripped off his jeans and boxers in one swift movement, rolling on a condom, and climbing back on top of her, nudging her limp legs apart with his knees. Threading his fingers through hers, he lifted her hands above her head, kissing her again as he entered her slow and smooth, their bodies fitting together like they were made for each other. Matt was right. They fit together so perfectly. She couldn’t deny how right it felt when she was with him, both in bed and out.

  She kissed him back, the combination of his tongue in her mouth and the slow stroke of his cock in and out of her center had her stirring her up again, even after the multiple orgasms she’d just ridden out on his mouth. She lifted her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust, and she moaned into his mouth, reveling in his answering growl.

  He released her hands, sliding one hand down the length of her body, and bent her leg, opening her further and allowing him to hit deeper, the angle changing so he hit her G-spot with every thrust. She gasped each time, her arousal spiking impossibly higher.

  “That’s it, baby. That’s it.” He punctuated each sentence with firm thrusts of his hips. “Let me feel you come all over my cock. Come for me.” Another thrust. Another gasp. “Now.”

  And she did, the combination of him moving in and out of her sensitized flesh and the rasp of his voice while he spoke those dirty words sending her over the edge once more.

  As soon as her muscles clenched around him, Matt picked up the pace, his mouth set as he worked himself in and out of her spasming center. With another growl, he joined her. She loved watching him lose control, the look of bliss that took over his face as his muscles tensed and then relaxed with his release.

  He pinned her to the bed with his weight, rolling a little to the side so she could still breathe, wrapping his arms around her, his cock still buried inside her. They stayed that way for a few moments, wrapped around each other, and Hannah had never felt so treasured, so cherished, so loved.

  Matt released her with a kiss to clean himself up, and she pulled the sheets over herself, ready for nothing more than snuggling for a while. The soft smile that came over Matt’s face when he saw her snuggled under his blankets had her reaching for him. “Come here.”

  His smile grew wider, and he lifted the blankets, gathering her against his chest, his chin resting on top of her head. Yes, they fit together beautifully.

  He placed a soft kiss on her head. “We’ll rest for a while, then maybe get something to eat. You’ll need your strength for the rest of what I have planned.”

  A zing of arousal skittered down her spine, and she tilted her head up to look at his face, his blue eyes shining with wicked amusement. “Sounds good.”

  EPILOGUE

  Hannah waved to catch Matt’s attention. She sat with a group of her coworkers from Eco Utilities, where her summer internship had just started this week. She couldn’t help the little thrill she felt as he came up and kissed her on the lips in front of everyone. This was the first time they were able to be out with people from work as a couple. And she loved that he had no residual qualms about showing affection to her as he pulled a chair closer to hers and settled in with his arm draped over the back of her chair. She toyed with the necklace he’d given her shortly after they’d gotten back together—a silver flower pendant.

  A few people raised their eyebrows, taking in Matt’s relaxed attire of tan cargo shorts and a t-shirt. She was sure they’d never seen him out of his former work clothes. But he didn’t have to dress up for work much anymore now that he had his own surf travel company and had quit Eco Utilities several weeks ago. He did most of his bookings and advertising online or at the university and community colleges in the area. Rich frat boys looking for something new and exciting were the bulk of his clients so far. Several of his former teammates from Marycliff had booked one of his first trips and then hooked him up with the presidents of several of the fraternities. From there he’d been introduced to more and more of the members of the Greek system. He was booked out for most of the summer already and it was only mid-June.

  She knew he was a little nervous about fall, when students would be less available for vacations. But she also knew he had plans on leveraging several of his corporate contacts, offering packages for executives to encourage team building and allow for planning for the next fiscal year or something. She’d helped him put together some of the advertising packages he was starting to send out and helped him run his social media stuff. The things she was learning at Eco Utilities were coming in handy in more ways than she’d expected.

  Hannah sat back and enjoyed the way Matt had morphed back into the laid-back surfer guy she’d met that first summer they were together. A more mature version, sure, but this guy was so much more fun than the stressed-out guy who was worried they’d be seen together anytime they were in public that she’d been with before. Once he’d turned in his notice at Eco Utilities he’d started to relax more and more.

  The first surfing trip that he’d done in Westport as a trial run with Lance, Chris, and, surprisingly, Daniel Carter had completed the transformation. Since it was pretty soon after the end of the semester, she’d gone on the trip too, along with Abby, Megan, and Elena. Hannah had been a little worried about it being awkward having Daniel with them, but he’d been just as cool about everything as he had when she’d explained that she couldn’t date him because she was still in love with Matt that night at Megan’s show. And Daniel and Elena seemed to spend a lot of time together. When she’d asked her about it, Elena had brushed it aside, saying that it was impossible for them not to pair off together since everyone else was a couple. But her protests seemed a little more emphatic than necessary.

  After drinks with her coworkers, she and Matt headed back to the house he still shared with Chris and Megan. They’d all been gone off and on since Chris had graduated and gotten drafted by the Washington Mountain Lions. Megan and Chris had taken a trip to celebrate, just the two of them, then they’d all been in Westport, and everyone was starting to look for new places to live. Chris needed a place in Seattle soon, since preseason training for the rookies started in July, and they were also looking for place for Megan to live for the next year.

  “What do you think about you and Elena moving into the house with me?”

  Hannah turned to look at Matt, a little startled by the question. He’d been quiet since they’d gotten in the car after leaving the restaurant, and it struck her as funny that his thoughts had been so closely aligned with hers.

  “You want Elena and me to move in with you?”

  He shrugged, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye and smoothly navigatin
g a turn before answering. “You and I could take the master bedroom once Chris and Megan move out next month, and Elena could have our room. It’s a good house, and my name’s already primary on the lease, so it would be easy to just switch Chris and Megan off for you and Elena when we renew it.”

  She was silent for a moment. “I thought you couldn’t wait to move out on your own.”

  He shrugged again. “That was before.”

  A smile tugged at her lips, but she suppressed it, curious to see what else he would say. “Before what?”

  He glanced at her again, a smirk on his lips, like he knew exactly what she was doing. “Before you. Before I decided to go crazy and start my own company—and I’m still scared shitless that it’ll fail, and I’ll be left with nothing, by the way.” He paused, but she didn’t fill the silence. “So, what do you think? Do you want to talk it over with Elena?”

  She waited, staring at him while he drove, making the last turn onto his street, which might soon be their street, and pulled into the driveway. He parked his truck, killed the engine, and finally turned to face her, his face both wary and hopeful.

  “Matt. Do you realize that you haven’t actually asked me to move in with you? Like, I mean, yeah, you kinda just did. But that was all about practicality and stuff and you asked my roommate and I to move in with you, assuming I’d just share your bedroom. What if I want my own room?”