Jock

by CM Foss

  Great answer.

  He tore off his shirt while I fumbled with his pants, pushing them down to let him scramble free. With a hand on the small of my back in support, he walked me back until my legs reached the edge of the bed. And he kept going until I lay flat and he was hovering over me. My knees came up around his hips and my hands began to roam, casually touching every part of him I could reach, taking the opportunity to explore and savor him in this setting.

  He eased into me, and my entire body released a sigh. At that moment, everything was perfect and easy and right.

  Scratch that. When he started moving, that’s when the world became perfect and right. When we knew exactly what to do, what the other was going to do, our bodies in rhythm, striving and racing and heated.

  We would kiss, the rough and hard type of kisses that meld souls, then break away to breathe, panting and sucking in oxygen. I took those moments to collect myself, to remind myself that what we had going on was not as poignant as my heart wanted, and that it didn’t have to be. My body didn’t care.

  And when we were completely sated, lying in a boneless heap, side by side, hearts pounding, I watched the rise and fall of his lean, muscular chest. I watched the way he stared at the ceiling and wondered what he was thinking about. But I didn’t ask.

  He stretched his arms high above his head and rolled onto his side. His eyes were soft and knowing, twinkling with satisfaction. Even though I wasn’t feeling particularly light, a smile crept across my face. That’s what he did. His nature just put people at ease.

  I pulled the covers up, balling them in my fists to tuck under my chin. “So now what?”

  He lifted the edge of the sheets and slid closer until our skin met. “Now we cuddle.”

  I wrinkled my nose and he pinched me on the butt.

  “Yes. We’re gonna cuddle all night long. Then in the morning, we’re gonna do more stuff and cuddle again. You’ll love it.”

  “I have to get up at four.”

  He puffed up his cheeks as he blew out a dramatic breath. “Okay, we’ll skip the second cuddle.”

  Chapter 24

  It’s a strange feeling to be woken out of a deep sleep by a lurch in your stomach. It’s disorienting, your brain trying to catch up through the fog. Was it a dream that caused it to be upset, are you held at gunpoint and your body can feel it? Is it the leaden weight of a sexy male arm across it? Or is it the fact that for the past year you’ve lived on steamed veggies and hard-boiled eggs and your asshole siblings fed you copious amounts of fried shit and your stomach is revolting?

  I had a guess.

  Flinging Jace’s arm off me, I bolted from bed and rushed to the bathroom where I skidded on my knees across the tile to land directly in front of my mostly clean toilet. And where somehow the contents of my remaining dinner made its exit.

  It was horrid. My eyes stung and my nose burned, and I willed the experience to be over as quickly as it could. But it wasn’t fast enough. I sat there, hunched over until dry heaves wracked my body, back muscles spasming painfully in protest.

  I felt Jace behind me, pulling the hair away from my face and holding it at my neck. I felt his concern but appreciated the silence.

  After a heavy sigh, I stood on shaky limbs, brushing off his hands as I stumbled to the sink. It was the best teeth-brushing experience of my life. Seriously, nothing had ever felt so good. I brushed and brushed and brushed and brushed, tongue and teeth, the roof of my mouth, every part I could reach.

  Finally I turned and rested back against the counter, realizing for the first time that I was naked. And so was Jace.

  “How is that possible in these circumstances?” I gestured at his semi.

  He shrugged, completely unapologetic. “It doesn’t care about anything except your being naked. But I do, so it’s okay.”

  “Oh. Yeah.” I snorted. “That makes it totally okay.”

  “Speaking of okay, are you?”

  I stared down at my toes, curled on the chilly tiles. “Yeah.” I blew out a long breath and rubbed my hands over my face. “I just woke up and everything wanted out.”

  “Food poisoning?”

  “I ate everyone else’s food. I think it’s just… my stomach couldn’t handle the grease.”

  “How do you feel now?”

  “Gross. But kind of fine.”

  He walked up and brushed the hair from my forehead. I leaned into his touch, my eyes fluttering shut at the caress.

  “What can I do?”

  “Nothing. I’m just gonna take a quick shower and try to go back to sleep for a couple of hours.”

  “Well, that I can help with.”

  I shoved at his chest, chuckling lightly. “There’s something wrong with you.”

  He bent to kiss my nose. “I know. But I really will just help you shower.”

  I wrinkled the spot he just kissed. “I’m not sure I need help. I can actually do it myself.”

  “It’s more fun with help.”

  I rolled my eyes and pushed away to turn the water on as hot as I thought I could handle, intent on scalding my rude awakening away. My stomach felt gnawingly empty; it felt comfortable. I shoved that thought to the very back of my mind, much like the backseat of my truck, to examine later. Or never.

  I sucked in a sharp breath when the first stinging spray hit my chilled skin, gritting my teeth against the discomfort as I acclimated.

  “Shit, that’s hot!” Jace more or less yelped from behind me.

  I closed my eyes as the hot water sluiced over my head, my body warm and already accustomed.

  “Don’t be such a wuss.”

  “Geez. Being around you is rough on my manhood.”

  I sputtered, laughing, and rubbed my eyes clear from the stream running over them. Looking him up and down, I couldn’t say I hadn’t imagined him in here with me in the past. I licked my lips as I perused the peaks and valleys of his toned chest and abs and arms and legs and…

  “Stop it.”

  I raised my eyebrows as I lifted my eyes to his narrowed ones. His gaze was playful but stern.

  “I mean it. We are not having shower sex after you’ve been sick. I have standards.”

  I frowned. “Hey.”

  He placed a hand on either shoulder and turned me around. I stood there, only slightly pouty, as he squirted shampoo on my hair and began massaging it in. Slowly, and with just the right amount of pressure, his fingers worked their magic into my scalp, easing all the tension from my body, making me forget what I was miffed at before. He tilted my head back so I could rinse, using his big hands under my jaw to manipulate me. That reminded me what I was miffed at. I took a shaky breath and released it through my nostrils, trying to hide how affected I was by his touch.

  He stilled for a moment, his thumb tracing over my cheekbone and down to my lips. I pressed a small kiss to it as it passed, and I leaned back against his chest, shocked that it was still cold. He stepped forward as I reached to hold the sides of his thighs, inhaling sharply as his body began changing temperature. His fingertips followed the water down my neck, my collarbone, around my breasts and down over my belly where he stayed, palms pressed firmly against it as if that would keep him from going farther, then wrapped his arms all the way around my waist.

  “Can I take you on a real date, like out? Tonight? It can be a movie with no food.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t tonight. Maybe tomorrow?”

  He bent his head to kiss my shoulder, staying that way, lips to skin, for a long while. Always at war with each other, my mind raced as my body melted in his embrace. Half comforted, half uncertain. Half excited, half scared to death. Half hungry, half never wanting to eat again.

  When he lifted his head and stepped back, all I felt was a rush of cold, a sense of loss, even though his hands supported me at my back, steadying me as he put distance between us. Without a word, he combed conditioner through my hair with his fingers, slowly running them through the locks, loosening the tangles. I ra
ised my hands to help rinse, and then he was gone, out the glass door without a word.

  A few minutes later, I climbed back into bed, just a few short hours before I’d need to be up. I moved carefully, trying not to jostle the bed too much or rustle the sheets. Jace lay on his back, unmoving. It was too dark to see if his eyes were open or shut, but his breathing was steady and slow. I sank into my pillow with a sigh of relief at being horizontal, about two inches from Jace’s body. I could feel the tension between us, feel the heat, but I didn’t know what it meant or what to do, and I sure as shit didn’t know what to say.

  He reached over and drew my hand away from my mouth where I’d been chewing on a finger unknowingly. Kissing my palm, he rolled toward me and wrapped his arm around my waist, tucking me back into his chest.

  “Don’t overthink it. I just needed to get out of there before I bent you over in the shower.”

  I sighed because, well, that was oddly romantic. He pressed another kiss to the top of my head and sighed into my hair. Once again, my mind whirled with questions and feelings, all jumbled in a way that I couldn’t verbalize, if I even wanted to. But my body succumbed to his hold, giving in to the beat of his heart.

  Chapter 25

  Birthday cake gum is horrifically disgusting. And I couldn’t stop chewing it. It was like a vicious cycle of ass and stale frosting. Then ass.

  At one point I even had that telltale sting in the back of my throat, and my stomach lurched in protest as saliva pooled in my mouth, the all-too-familiar signs of impending vomit. Fortunately, I’d had nothing to eat so it was fine. Close call. I popped another piece of gum into my mouth, thinking maybe a fresh piece would be better.

  I wrinkled my nose and spat the wad out the window. Nope. Still bad.

  “The fuck?” Drew hollered as I shut my engine off. Whoops.

  “Sorry.”

  He stood about an inch behind where the gum had landed at his feet. If I’d been aiming, I’d have hit him for sure. That would have been so funny.

  “You’re late. Again.”

  “You’re pissy. Need a cookie?”

  “Don’t start with me, little girl.”

  “You’re having a hard time thinking up a nickname for me since bug girl is off the table, huh?”

  “Kind of.”

  “You could always try Tessa.”

  He shook his head. “It’s too nice of a name. It doesn’t fit.”

  I rolled my eyes as I slid out of my seat. I was late. I’d started out nearly late on my rides in the morning because I snoozed my alarm twice after puking my guts out in the middle of the night and thinking about my feelings. Then I had to extricate myself from bed without waking Jace, facing a chitchat, and committing to a date.

  “What’s the plan, Pimp-Daddy?”

  “The plan is for you to act like you follow instructions, stay quiet, look cute, and let me do my job.”

  I frowned at most of his description. “Cute?”

  “I was kidding. Can you look like a boy instead?”

  “Want me to stuff my pants?”

  He shuddered. “Maybe if I hadn’t been in them before. But otherwise no. I don’t need further scarring.” He cut his eyes to me. “How was the scale this morning?”

  I kicked a pebble and watched it bounce away as we walked. “It was good.”

  It had been good. And that scared me.

  “Didn’t you go out last night?”

  “Yeah, but I was fine. It was fine.”

  I’m not sure why I didn’t tell him about the real events of the night. I told myself it didn’t matter. That it had all worked out and it was just a onetime thing. No big deal.

  I could feel suspicion oozing from Drew, but I shrugged it off, moving into discussion of racing next week and the impending move to Florida next month for the winter.

  I stopped short when he rattled off his plan for my upcoming rides. “Wait. What about Trouble? I thought she was going Saturday.”

  He kept walking, flipping his pencil around. “They put Javier on her.”

  “What?” I kept my feet planted, hands on my hips.

  Finally he stopped and turned, leveling me with his annoying and parental-type stare.

  “Don’t look at me that way.” I pointed at his face. “You knew I’d be pissed and you know why.”

  “It’s out of my hands. They’ve always wanted Javier on her, and he finally agreed.”

  “He’s an asshole.”

  He threw his hands up and let them fall to his sides. “So are you.”

  “I’m a better jockey.”

  “He has more experience. More wins.”

  “Well, he’s never gonna get a win out of her. She’ll hate his ride.”

  “This is one ride. One race. You gotta let it play out. Let me do my job.”

  “This was your job. I’m standing here, right now, asking you to do your job.”

  He spun around and ran a hand through his hair before turning back to face me. “Listen, my hands are tied on this one. They wanted Javier, I had to give it to him.”

  My jaw dropped. “Give it to him? Are you telling me you’re representing that small-penised asshat now?”

  His glare was all the answer I needed. There was a little pity in it that made me squirm. “I can’t make a living off you alone, little one. Even if I wanted to.”

  I gritted my teeth, feeling chastised and childish, but also still pissed off. “Shit.”

  “I know. Get over it.”

  Later that night, after meetings and working out and sweating it out, I had just made it out to the deserted parking lot when I saw Jace leaning against his truck, the hairs on the back of my neck rising while between my legs went damp.

  I kept walking to my truck, pretending I hadn’t noticed or didn’t care. My quickening heart was threatening to betray me. My day hadn’t improved, from puking to gross gum, to losing my ride, to dealing with Drew… to all the unanswered questions from the middle of the night. I was not in the right place mentally to examine it all.

  “Tessa,” he said from behind me as I unlocked my door and popped it open. His voice held a touch of amusement, as it often did.

  “Jace,” I replied without turning around. “I’m not up for a date night. Look for romance and wooing elsewhere.”

  “Bad day?”

  “Not great.” My breath hitched as I felt him move in close, the heat from his body crossing the air between us.

  “You wanna talk about it.”

  “I do not.”

  “Hmm. I can do a lot wooing without talking.”

  He slowly wound his hand into my ponytail, tightening the strands with each rotation of his wrist. I stilled, holding my breath in anticipation. This. This was what I needed, more than anything. Not a talk, not a hug, not a cookie. This.

  I braced my hands on either side of the door frame, pressing back, seeking contact. He stayed just out of reach, bringing his free arm around to unbutton my jeans and shove them roughly down around my knees. I kept my eyes open, surveying the grounds to make sure no one caught us. This might get me suspended, and I was damn close to not caring. The cool night air caressed my bare ass while his fingers dug into my flesh, bruising my hips. His breathing was ragged, the sounds of his restraint and desire making me throb at my core.

  My jeans kept my legs immobile, rendering me helpless when he gently but firmly pushed me forward, pressing my face against driver’s seat. Never releasing my hair, he skimmed a hand up my thigh, finding me wet and hot and so fucking ready. We still didn’t speak. I wanted to scream at him to hurry, to take me, use me.

  But I didn’t. I waited, breathless and sweaty, completely at his mercy as he tortured me with his fingers, bringing me almost to the brink before slamming into me, stars lighting behind my eyes. I gasped with each thrust, biting my lip to hold back any screams or moans of pleasure that might escape as my pelvis was ground into the edge of my leather seat cushion. Essentially we were having a threesome with my truck. I was in l
ove.

  With the truck. Just the truck.

  He kept a brutal pace, releasing my hair to grasp both hips, holding me firmly against the onslaught of force. I kept my eyes squeezed shut, blocking out sight and sound so I could feel and not think. And when he swelled and throbbed and groaned his release inside me, thought was no longer even an option. I cried out, not caring who heard, as the waves of my climax crashed over me, spreading from deep inside and reaching every last nerve.

  We were quiet after, still joined, both catching our breaths. His hand began to roam, slowly soothing my hypersensitive skin. I squirmed and pushed him away, yanking my pants back up and climbing into my truck the right way. After quickly organizing himself, he leaned close, invading my space.

  “Wow. I really do feel better.” I grinned and winked at him, but his face was serious, eyebrows drawn together.

  “Midge.” He touched my cheek gently with one knuckle.

  “Oh, come on. Not everything has to be poignant and romantic, does it?”

  He snorted, a smile stretching across his face, making his eyes twinkle under the lights of the parking lot.

  I raised my foot and placed it on his chest, slowly pushing him away. He was full-on grinning as he trailed his fingertips down my leg until I snatched it back and slammed my door.

  Turning on the ignition, I rolled down my window as I pulled forward. “I’m holding out for my date.”

  He gave a mocking salute before sauntering back to his truck, and he watched me as I left him in the dust. I know because I had my eyes on the rearview mirror until he was out of sight.

  My mind raced on the short drive home, my knuckles white around the steering wheel as feelings in me warred and clashed. What the hell just happened? And why did I let it? Well okay, I knew the answer to that. Let’s face it, that was hot. He was becoming a welcome distraction.

  Until I was alone again. Quietly entering my house, I flipped on the lights and almost collapsed. My limbs turned to jelly as all the adrenaline left my body in a rush and my stomach twisted and turned. It actually felt dry, crispy. Was that possible? With sheer force of will, I dragged myself into the kitchen to get something to eat.