Roughing the Passer (Quarterback Sneak Book 2)

by Natalie Brock

  “Uh uh. I’m not gonna let you give up!” Tony threw back the covers. He climbed over Allison and got out of bed naked. “Come here.”

  Allison cocked her head and looked at him quizzically.

  He held out his hands and repeated, “Come here!”

  Allison scooted to the edge of the bed and reached for her T-shirt, which was stuffed inside her pillowcase. Tony clutched her wrist before she pulled out the garment all the way. “You won’t be needing that,” he insisted. She looked up at him and he shook his head from side to side and smiled slyly. “Just the way you are, baby.”

  “But—”

  He gripped both her hands and pulled her to her feet. His eyes roamed her body and he licked his lips. She turned her head and eyed her tee, feeling a little weird about being buck naked outside of bed. “Shut up, you’re gorgeous,” he told her, as if he was reading her mind. He dropped her hands just long enough to grab his phone off the nightstand and navigate to a music video.

  Not sure what to do with her arms, she clasped her hands in front of her. “Um. What are you doin’,” she asked.

  A slow salsa tune began playing and he set his phone back down. When he reached for her waist she laughed. “That tickles.”

  Pulling her closer, he looked deeply into her eyes and spoke in an incredibly sexy voice. “We’re gonna find your center of gravity.”

  She briefly imagined him exploring her entire body in search of her center of gravity. Cocking her head, she asked, “What do you mean?”

  He slipped his other arm around her waist and pressed her body to his. “Shhhh. Just trust me. Close your eyes.” When she did as he asked, he leaned closer and gently kissed her lips. She relaxed and held onto his muscular biceps. He stroked her backside before moving his hand up to her waist. Bending his knees so his groin pressed flush against hers, he swayed slowly and guided her hips to rotate in sync with his.

  Allison was close to forgetting why they were doing this dance. Her inhibitions gone, she was keenly aware of his skin on hers, her body in his arms, the bluesy rhythm of the Tijuana Brass and her sexy Latin lover’s eyes drinking her in. She arched her body to give him a full-on view of her breasts. His breath quickened and he took a step back, holding one of her hands and twirling her around in time with the music. After a twirl and a half, he caught her and pressed her to him, her back to his front. She groaned when felt his hardness press into her buttocks.

  With their hips swaying in unison, he held her against him, his fingers pressing into her abdomen and his knee pushed against the back of her knee until they were both standing on one foot. He whispered in her ear, “Feel the music, baby. Concentrate on your core. No matter what I do, hold your balance.” She nodded her acknowledgement and closed her eyes. She forced her mind to zero in on her core despite the fact that his fingers were creeping up her torso toward her breast. His hand rolled over her nipple and palmed it in circular motions, moving from one to the other, over and over. Oh God. When she moaned, he whispered, “Concentrate.”

  She felt his lips press into the side of her neck. His teeth scraped along her neck to her shoulder. His other hand moved from her hip up to her breast and he took possession of both breasts, gently pinching both nipples at the same time and rolling them between his fingers, increasing her desire exponentially. She wanted to let herself go, to let her weight fall against his body and give in to him. “This is torture,” she murmured. She could feel his breathy laugh.

  “It’s practice,” he whispered, “and you’re perfect.” While his right hand continued to torment her breast, his left hand traveled downward until his fingers found her groin. She sucked the air through her teeth when he reached her most sensitive spot. “Oh my God,” she cried, as her entire body pulsated with pleasure.

  She could feel him breathing hard behind her, his desire building in time with the music. He unexpectedly spun her back around and caught her in his arms. She laughed, feeling a combination of dizziness and lust. Both feet were now flat on the floor, nestled between his much larger feet. “See, you didn’t fall, Allie. You won’t fall and you won’t fail,” he promised. He leaned his forehead on hers momentarily before capturing her lips and walking her backward to the bed without breaking the kiss.

  With one arm cradling her back, he slowly lowered her onto the bed and gazed into her eyes. “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known.” His voice was throaty and deep when he said, “You’re gonna knock ’em out, same way you do me.”

  Allison wanted to reply and tell him how amazing he is and how deeply in love with him she is—to hell with waiting for him to say it first—but she was too choked up to speak. She was overwhelmed that he came up with this elaborate exercise just to give her confidence in her abilities. She gazed at him through tear-filled eyes. He reached for the nightstand with one hand, opened the drawer, and fished out a condom. Sliding her hand behind his neck, she pulled him closer. His lips covered hers once again and he climbed on top of her, guiding his arousal between her thighs before sinking inside her.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The faculty and cheer captains serving as judges were finally back from summer break and it was down to eight girls vying for three open spots on the Barracudas cheer squad. This was it, do-or-die time.

  Allison lingered near the registration desk in the corner of the gymnasium closest to the exit. On the other side of the gym, Brittany waved and pointed at Allison as a show of encouragement, but Allison failed to smile back. She was too nervous. The number of people in the stands—she estimated a hundred or more—was intimidating. Didn’t they have anything better to do than watch some dumb cheer tryouts? The room was getting hot. The low rumble of voices in the crowd became amplified when it reached her ears. She heard the sound of laughter and wondered if she was the one being laughed at. Oh God. She was doomed to fail; she just knew it. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth it. She glanced toward the exit and considered making a run for it. She was about to do exactly that when her eyes met Tony’s in the stands.

  Just like she’d been there to cheer him on all those weeks ago during practice, he was here to support her and tell her she can do this. Looking at his beautiful face in the fourth row, she smiled involuntarily. He returned her smile and pumped his fist in the air, reminding her she was strong, prepared, confident, and in his words, amazing. Like he told her last night, “You won’t fall and you won’t fail.” She took a deep breath and her anxiety vanished. She was ready for this—until she heard a woman’s voice call her name.

  “Allison!” Looking around for the source of the voice, her eyes widened when the last person she wanted to see approached her.

  “Baby!” Her mother greeted her with a hug.

  “Mom?” This can’t be happening. “What are you doin’ here?” She didn’t mean to sound accusatory, but that’s how the words came out.

  At forty-five, Allison’s mother was still strikingly beautiful. High cheekbones, flawless complexion, almond-shaped blue eyes. Today her hair was chestnut brown, but the color was subject to change without notice. She wore an open-weave pullover sweater in a powdery blue color that complemented her eyes. Her short, tight skirt and high-heels screamed, “Look at me, I’m still hot.” Allison felt inferior just standing next to her.

  She pinched Allison’s cheek. “I’m here to cheer you on, baby.” Her eyes drifted to the top of Allison’s head and she touched her daughter’s hair. “Your hair should be up in a bun. It’s more aerodynamic that way. The judges prefer it too. I can tie it up. Where’s your hair ribbon?”

  Allison reached for her ponytail and took a step back. She eyed the competition. The other finalists wore colorful hair ribbons. Her mother was right about that. It was actually listed as required attire for the tryouts, but hair ribbons weren’t Allison’s style—too babyish. The judges can think she’s a nonconformist if they wanted. “I’m fine.”

  “Really? You look nervous, baby.”

  I wasn’t nervous a minute
ago, Allison thought to herself, but she merely repeated, “I’m fine.”

  Her mother scanned the stands. “Well, I should go find a seat.”

  “You’re gonna watch?” Now she was nervous.

  “Of course. I drove six and a half hours just to be here for you.” She hugged Allison again, but Allison didn’t return the hug.

  “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me you were comin’?”

  Her mother looked hurt. “Baby, I wanted to surprise you. I thought you’d be glad.”

  Allison looked around not sure how to answer. She didn’t intend to be rude, but she really really really didn’t want her mother here. She spotted Tony watching her intently from the stands. She could tell he was wondering what was going on.

  When the tryouts director walked to the center of the gym with a cordless microphone, Allison turned her attention back to her mother. “You’d better find a seat.”

  Mrs. Martin gave Allison a kiss on the cheek, then wiped her lipstick print off Allison’s face with her thumb. “Good luck, baby.” Oh great, Allison thought. She’ll be doing the whole cheer routine with a L’Oreal Berry Blossom lipstick smudge on her cheek. If only there was time to do a quick mirror check.

  Watching her mother take a seat a few rows back, Allison felt like she was eight years old again. She could hear her mother and sister laughing at her and telling her she was far too klutzy to be a cheerleader. Allison swallowed the lump in her throat and refocused on Tony, the man who believed in her. Even more than that, he’d gone out of his way to help her succeed. She couldn’t let him down.

  She worked to control her breathing and mentally rehearse her steps while her competitors danced their hearts out. The two girls ahead of her had each recited a dedication before their routine. Now it was Allison’s turn.

  When she stepped to the center of the court, she locked eyes with Tony. Just looking at him gave her confidence. “I want to dedicate my routine to my personal coach, Tony Ramos, the first person who ever really believed in me.” She blew him a kiss and got into position.

  All eyes turned toward Tony, including Allison’s mother’s, who eyed the crowd until she found the focus of their attention. Allison thought she saw her mother scowl and presumed her mother saw all the negative news reports about Tony along with everyone else. Well that’s just too bad, Mom. Live with it.

  The music started and Allison began her dance.

  »»•««

  Her mother seemed to appear out of nowhere right after the winners were announced. The newest cheerleaders were encircled by friends and family, while Allison was getting smothered for a different reason. Mrs. Martin brushed the hair from her daughter’s face. “You must be crushed, baby. I’m so sorry you didn’t win, but the other girls did perform better. Are you okay, hon?”

  Allison knit her brow wondering how her mother could get so many hurtful words into just a couple sentences. “Yes, I’m fine,” she replied coldly.

  “You don’t have to pretend around me, baby.”

  “I’m not. In fact, I just realized that I never really had my heart set on being a cheerleader.” Allison felt like she was having an epiphany and this probably wouldn’t have happened if her mother wasn’t here. “I think I was tryin’ to live your dream instead of livin’ my own. And from now on, I’m gonna pursue my own path. I got this out of my system and I’m glad. I can put it behind me now.”

  Her mother flinched. “I’m glad you’re taking the defeat so well.” But she didn’t look glad.

  Allison ignored that comment. “Don’t you wanna know what my dream is?”

  “Of course I do, baby.” A roar of laughter rose up from one of the clusters around the winners. Her mother looked behind her. “Why don’t we go somewhere else, get away from these crowds?”

  “No, this is fine,” Allison spat with defiance. “See, Mom, I have lots of different ideas that I want to try. And as long as I have someone who believes in me by my side, I know I can accomplish whatever I want.”

  Tony had been standing a few feet behind Allison’s mother, giving the two women some space. When Allison caught sight him out of the corner of her eye, her lip began to tremble. Until she saw him, she didn’t feel upset over losing.

  Her mother followed Allison’s gaze to see what her daughter was staring at. Mrs. Martin glared at Tony.

  He cleared his throat and hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and taking Allison in his arms.

  “I’m sorry,” she said against his chest.

  “Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for.” He kissed the top of her head. “You did great.”

  “Not great enough to be selected. I let you down.”

  He leaned away without letting her out of his arms. “Hey, never. You could never let me down. You gave it everything you had. It’s their loss if they can’t see what I see.”

  Allison looked Tony in the eye and took a deep breath. “You’re not upset?”

  “Me? No.” He wiped a tear away with his thumb. “I’m only upset because you’re upset.”

  “Actually, I’m not that upset. At least no one laughed at me,” she said, swiping at a tear. “I just didn’t wanna let you down.”

  “Allison, dear.” Her mother stepped closer and interrupted their personal conversation. “Aren’t you going to introduce your friend to me?”

  Tony started to pull away, but Allison tightened her hold on him, tacitly telling him to stay put. “This is my mother, Heather Martin. Mom, this is Tony Ramos, my boyfriend.”

  Tony took one arm off Allison’s back and extended his hand to her mother. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Martin.”

  Her mother barely touched Tony’s hand before pulling away. She kept her eyes on him but addressed her daughter. “Baby, you didn’t tell me you have a boyfriend. I suspect you were ashamed because his reputation precedes him.”

  Tony stiffened but said nothing. “I have nothin’ to be ashamed of and neither does Tony. So don’t believe everythin’ you hear,” Allison snapped.

  Her mother put her arm around Allison and gently pulled her out of Tony’s embrace. “We need to talk, baby. Why don’t you show me your suite.”

  Allison looked at Tony and he nodded at her. “It’s okay. Go spend time with your mom. I’ll catch up with you later.” He kissed her cheek and nodded at Mrs. Martin before walking away.

  Allison let out a heavy sigh as she watched Tony leave the gymnasium. Her mother always found a way of chasing off the boys she liked. “You didn’t need to be so rude,” Allison said through clenched teeth.

  “Who, me? I wasn’t bein’ rude.” She reached for Allison’s ponytail, but Allison pulled away. “I just want to spend a little time with y’all, darlin’.”

  Allison hated when her mother put on that fake Southern accent. The woman was from Massachusetts, but whenever it was convenient, she adopted a Georgia twang to try and sound sweet and coy. She missed by a mile.

  “Fine,” Allison said with annoyance. “I’ll show you my dorm.”

  »»•««

  Allison unlocked the door to her suite and led her mother to her bedroom. Mrs. Martin set her purse on Allison’s desk and sized up the place. “Are your roommates back from summer break?”

  “Yes, Mother,” she replied impatiently. “Everyone’s back from summer break. Fall semester started over a week ago.”

  “Then where are your roommates?”

  “How should I know,” Allison answered with disdain. “We don’t keep track of each other. We’re all independent women.”

  “That’s great, baby. I’d still like to meet them.”

  “Why?”

  She sat down on Allison’s bed and made herself at home. “Because, I’m only going to be here a few days and—”

  “Days? Oh my God. You’re gonna be here a few days?” Allison panicked. She could barely stand being around her mother for a few minutes, much less a few days.

  “Well what did you expect? I didn’t drive six hours just to sa
y hi y’all and have lunch.”

  “I’m busy, Mom.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I have classes. I have work. I don’t have time for—”

  “For who? Me? But you have plenty time for Tony Ramos. Is that why you’re being so snotty to me?”

  Allison’s eyes flashed with anger. “I am not being snotty! Well, okay, maybe I am,” she admitted. “If I’m being snotty it’s because this is how I really feel, and this is the first time I’m on my own and not livin’ under your roof where I have to follow your rules. And this has nothin’ to do with Tony, so leave him out of it.”

  “Doesn’t it? I mean, why didn’t you ever mention him to me before?” Her question sounded more like an accusation. “How long have you been dating him?” Allison couldn’t believe it when her mother put air quotes around the word dating. “And why? Is this a rebellion against me?”

  “What? No! Believe it or not, Mother, not everythin’ is about you.” She hated how her mother put her on the defensive all the time, but here she was, doing it again. “And if I didn’t tell you about Tony, it’s probably cuz you and me don’t communicate much these days, except for texts once in a while.”

  “That’s only because you never return my actual phone calls.”

  “I’m busy dammit!”

  “Don’t shout at me, young lady!”

  Allison closed her eyes to a count of five. She looked at her mother. “I’m sorry.” She really wasn’t, but the high road seemed in order. “I apologize. Okay? But really, Mom, you’ve been here an hour and all you’ve done is pick on me, criticize my hair and my dorm and my boyfriend. Doesn’t it matter to you that I’m happy?”

  “I’m not picking on you, Allison, but how can you possibly be happy when you just lost a spot on the cheer squad?”

  Allison’s shoulders slumped and she lowered her head. “Thanks for remindin’ me, Mom.” Lifting her head, she took a deep breath. “Like I said before, bein’ a cheerleader wasn’t in my blood the way it was in yours. I’m honestly and truly fine not makin’ the team.” Her mother eyed her skeptically. “I am! My life is goin’ good and I got plenty goin’ on without havin’ to attend cheer camp and practices and rallies and goin’ on the road with the team.”