Player

by Natalie Rios

  I like knowing he’s watching me.

  “Tell me how it feels,” he growls. His strokes are faster now, pumping and squeezing with a ferocity that lets me know he’s just as turned on as I am.

  “Wet,” I moan and it’s not a lie. I am slick and ready for him.

  That word must have been the secret password or something because next thing I know, Theo is on me, lunging across the room and onto the bed in the blink of an eye. Withdrawing my hand from between my legs, he brings my finger to his mouth and licks it clean, staring at me the entire time.

  So. Fucking. Hot.

  “Sweet, just as I suspected,” he mutters while I try to control my galloping heart. His palm spreads across my stomach, pushing me down flat against the mattress. “Change of plans. You’re coming on me, not your fingers.” Holding my gaze, his hands roam up my ribs, rough fingertips tracing over the slopes of my breasts.

  I whimper, both at the contact and the greedy look that comes over his face as he toys with my nipple between his fingers. A rush of heat sweeps through me and I revel in the warm skin-to-skin contact, loving the way his hands and lips trace over my skin. He leaves me to reach for his bedside drawer and I’m giddy with excitement because I know what’s about to happen.

  Tearing the foil, he rolls the condom on before pouncing on top of me again. He tortures us both by circling my folds with his tip. I wiggle my hips, inviting him to hurry the hell up.

  “So impatient,” he smiles, making my heart flutter in my chest. “Say it. Tell me you want me.”

  “Yes,” I breathe, barely able to get the word out. “I want you.”

  “I want you,” he says back as he slips inside of me.

  I can only gasp as he sinks into me inch by inch, my body experiencing the most delicious stretching sensation ever. And then I feel full, so full. Pleasure with just a twinge of pain that only adds to my arousal. Grabbing my hips, he buries himself to the hilt and then we’re both shaking.

  This feels so damn good.

  Rearing back, he starts thrusting. Smooth, deep thrusts that have my nails digging into the skin on his back. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I bring him in deeper. A groan escapes his mouth, vibrating across my skin in way that has me writhing beneath him.

  I should be embarrassed by the noises we’re making. My small moans, the sound of my sweat-coated skin sliding against his. But I don’t care. Because this is amazing. Maybe even the best.

  He meets my eyes and the look on his face...so intense and wild and primal. Cupping my cheeks, he kisses me. I hum with pleasure against his mouth, enjoying the way he savors me with his lips and tongue, when he picks up the pace.

  Short, hard thrusts, each one bringing me closer to the edge. The pleasure builds and builds, wrapping around me so tightly, it’s almost unbearable.

  Finally, finally, I tip over. It’s like the wildest roller coaster of my life, hitting me in fast rolling waves. All I can do is surrender. Panting like a wild woman, moans and all sort of other noises spill from my lips.

  “Fuck,” Theo groans. His breaths have shallowed above me and I can feel the muscles on his back tightening. He pumps once, twice more before he on top of me. He buries his face against the side of my neck and I can feel his cock throbbing inside of me.

  We lie just like that for a few minutes, Theo holding me tight as we both catch our breath. Then, slowly, he eases up. The bed shifts and I can hear him removing the condom. But just as quickly, he’s back, an arm wrapping around me so my body curls into his.

  I have to admit, this feels almost as good as the sex. Happy, sated, warm, and relaxed, my eyes droop. Before I know it, I’m fast asleep.

  I wake up wrapped in Theo’s arms. And with a strong urge to pee.

  Slipping out of bed as quietly as possible, I search for a restroom. Thankfully, it’s not a long journey. His apartment is small, but tidy. Much cleaner than I would have expected for a college jock.

  Returning from the restroom, I stand in his doorway and take in the view. Theo, sprawled across his bed. Our clothes scattered across the room. The soreness between my thighs a sweet reminder of what can only be described as the best sex of my life.

  A smile spreads across my face and I can’t get over how right this all feels.

  I want more of this. I want more of him.

  As soon as the thought crosses my mind, a bubble of fear rises in my chest.

  Don’t let the high from the amazing sex fool you, Allie. This is Theo Montgomery. He doesn’t do girlfriends. Or romance. Or dates. Girls throw themselves at him every day and he takes their phone numbers with ease. And this is just college. He’s destined to go pro where even more women will throw themselves at him.

  He’s the king of casual sex. And me? I want a relationship. A partner. Something lasting and real. Is he capable of that? Is he even interested in trying? With me, of all people? I don’t know and I’m too afraid to ask.

  I manage to get my skirt and bra on before he stirs.

  “You awake?” Theo yawns. “Jesus, it’s still dark out. Come back to bed.”

  I glance over my shoulder, throwing him what I hope is an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  He’s silent for a moment, but I can feel his eyes on me. “Are you leaving?” The bed creaks and then he’s at my side, pulling my shoulder back so he can see my face.

  “This is how it’s done,” I shrug, trying my best not to fidget under his gaze.

  “How what’s done?” His hair is tousled in every direction, his voice gruff like he still isn’t completely awake. Even with the bedhead, he’s distractingly handsome. Sharp jaw, ruffled hair, half-lidded grey eyes...He looks like a dream. A shiver runs down my spine, heat stirring between my legs. Knowing I need to look away now before I do something stupid (like crawl back in bed with him), I force my gaze to move downward.

  Mistake. Big mistake. HUGE.

  My eyes are met with an expanse of chest, reminding me he’s still naked. Well, almost naked. Wearing only a pair of black boxers, I have a perfect view of his broad shoulders. And large forearms. And the smooth tan that tapers down to his waist. I feel an intense urge to touch him, reach out and run my hand down his perfectly toned abs.

  Why do football players have to be such perfect physical specimens?

  “Allie?” He’s inched closer to me, his eyes narrowed like he’s trying to read me. Shaking my head, I try to move past him towards the exit, but his hand catches mine. Just that bit of contact is enough to have my skin tingling and my stomach doing flips. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to get out of here,” I blurt out and immediately cringe. I hadn’t meant to say it like that. “I mean, I have to go home and...get ready for class.” I shake out of his grip, but he makes it to the bedroom door before me, blocking my only escape route.

  “It’s four in the morning. You don’t have class until eight,” he points out.

  “Yeah...but you have a 5am workout. Might as well get out of your hair now.” Weak, I know, but it’s all I have.

  “I’ll drive you.”

  “No! I mean, I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.”

  Raking a hand through his hair, he lets out an exasperated sigh. “How many times do I have to tell you? Spending time with you is never an inconvenience. I always want to spend time with you.”

  Oh, Lord.

  Not driving me, but spending time with me.

  I suck in a breath, closing my eyes so he can’t see how his words affect me. Self-preservation. I need to get away from him for my own self-preservation.

  “My apartment is in the opposite direction of the gym.” I force my voice to sound even. Normal. “I can just-”

  “What? Take the bus?” he scoffs. “You don’t even have a shirt, Allie. The buttons ripped off last night, remember?”

  My cheeks flush at the reminder. How could I have forgotten the super-hot shirt-ripping incident? “Right! I, um...May I borrow a shirt?”

 
; “So formal,” he smirks. Waving a hand towards his open closet door, he adds, “Help yourself.”

  I don’t bother with the closet, just pick up the first shirt-looking item I find folded on top of his dresser. I look up to find him gawking at me. “What?”

  “Excellent choice. Let me change and I’ll grab my keys.”

  I glance down and fucking hell. I’m wearing one of his jerseys. I try to look for another shirt, but he must not have trusted me to stay put because he’s back in under five seconds, wearing sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt.

  The car ride to my place is super awkward and quiet. Theo tries to engage in conversation, but I keep my answers short and simple.

  Are you okay? Yes.

  Did I do something wrong? No.

  Why are you so quiet? Just tired.

  When he pulls up to my place, I immediately fling the passenger door open, ready to bolt.

  “Allie, wait.” His hand reaches across the console, tugging the door closed again. Damn him and his long arms. “Tell me last night didn’t ruin our friendship.”

  I sigh, not sure how to answer this question. We can’t go back to the way things were, but I don’t want to completely cut him out of my life either. He said last night I was his best friend and, well, he’s kind of become mine too.

  Staring straight ahead, I say, “We’re fine.”

  “Try again and tell me the truth this time.”

  Smiling, I turn to face him. “We’re fine,” I repeat.

  “And last night was good, yeah? Fooling around was fun?”

  Fooling around. That’s what last night was to him, just fooling around. Hearing those words shouldn’t hurt. Isn’t this what I thought would happen? He only does casual. Another one-night stand for Carlton’s Most Valuable Player.

  For the sake of my sanity, I need to get the hell out of this car. Plastering a fake smile on my face, I force myself to answer him. “Sure. So fun. Listen, I really have to run. I’ll see you in class.”

  “Wait.” He grabs my arm again before I can leave. “Are you mad at me?”

  “No,” I sigh. He is who he is and I am who I am. It’s not anyone’s fault. It just is.

  Judging by the tightening of his jaw, I don’t think he buys my answer. So I lean over and hug him. Another mistake. His closeness wreaks havoc on my senses. I want to bury my nose in the crook of his neck and never come up for air. Inhale and surround myself with his familiar scent.

  I force myself to pull back instead.

  “Keep that shirt safe for me,” he smirks and I just roll my eyes.

  “Sure. Have fun at the gym!” I hop out of the car and run up the walkway, only pausing to catch my breath when I’m safely behind the other side of my front door.

  He’s not for you. He’s an arrogant jock. A player who is incapable of being in a committed relationship.

  He’s not for you.

  That’s what I’ll continue to tell myself for as long as I need to hear it.

  19

  Theo

  ALLIE'S BEEN AVOIDING me for days. Oh, she claims to be busy. Lab, work, class, studying. You name the excuse, she's used it. And yeah, I know she legitimately does those things, but she's been doing all of those things from the start of the semester and it hasn't stopped her from hanging out with me or spending hours on the phone while we watch one of our shows on Netflix.

  She's avoiding me, no doubt about it.

  I may not be a 4.0 student like Allie, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out it's because we had sex. Well, not the sex part. The sex was awesome. Everything else was a clusterfuck.

  To recap, I hauled her off like a caveman, made her masturbate in front of me, and then asked her if she had fun "fooling around" with me.

  Yeah, not my finest moment right there.

  In my defense, it was 4am and I was running on very little sleep. My brain was foggy and I said something stupid without thinking it through first. Of course Allie's mad. She has every right to be. I shouldn't have said it. I shouldn't have acted liked it didn't matter, like this relationship doesn't matter when it's quickly become one of the most important in my life. These past few days without her have been torture and the thought of us never hanging out again kills me.

  I show up at the library unannounced. I know she's here because I pulled the most pathetic move ever and talked to Schmidty's sister, Lia. I gave her my number and asked her to text me next time she was with Allie. Asking a girl who clearly has a crush on me to help me link up with her best friend is a dick move. Most girls would have told me to fuck off.

  Lucky for me, Lia is not most girls.

  "That sneaky little bitch! No wonder she never gave you my number! She wants you all to herself," she said, literally bouncing on her feet with excitement.

  "She did give me your number," I corrected, because I didn’t want her to think Allie was a shitty friend. "I just didn't take it."

  "Oh. Oh. You like her. Oh my God, of course I'll help you! This is so romantic!"

  I'm not sure using Allie's best friend to help me ambush her falls under the umbrella of romantic gestures, but whatever. The point is, Lia texted me so I know Allie's here.

  And there she is. At the same table we always sit at. Our table.

  Standing at the head of the table, she's wearing a fitted white t-shirt and royal blue leggings. Black rimmed glasses sit on the bridge of her nose and her face is as makeup-less and fresh as ever. She looks fantastic. Relaxed, yet pretty and sexy at the same time.

  She's reading something from a book, bending over the table in a way that gives me a perfect view of her ass. Damn, do I want to get my hands on those lush curves again, feel her softness against my hardness.

  Sorry, cock. No skipping ahead here. We have to get through an awkward, but important, conversation before we stand a chance of getting physical. Gulping down my nerves, I fold myself into the chair next to her. "Hey."

  Her head snaps up, lips flattening into a straight line when she spots me. She doesn't look happy to see me, but she doesn't look pissed off either. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

  "I wanted to say I'm sorry."

  She blinks at me. "For what?"

  For what? I pause, unsure how to proceed. Of all the reactions I imagined (her yelling at me, slapping me across the face, running in the opposite direction, sighing and telling me not to worry like she did with the phone sex incident), this is definitely one I hadn't considered.

  "For the other day. When I said we were fooling around. Wait." I hold up a hand, cutting off whatever she was about to say. "Just let me get this out first. I shouldn’t have said that. The thing is, I like you. I like spending time with you. I really like sparring with you. And I..." Jesus Christ. Why do I feel like I'm fumbling around in the dark here? I had an entire speech prepared, but now that I'm within touching distance of her, I can't remember a damn word.

  You know what, screw the speech. That's not who Allie and I are. We're honest. Raw. Unfiltered.

  "I want to take you out on a date," I blurt out.

  Allie looks amused. Amused. Like I’ve said something funny. "A date? You want to take me out on date?"

  "Yes, parrot. I want to take you out on a date."

  She crosses her arms and levels me with a look. "Why?"

  "Why what?"

  "Why do you want to go on a date with me?"

  I scrub a hand over my face. "Didn't I just explain all of that? I like you. I want to spend more time with you and-"

  "Hey, Theo." A brunette saddles up next to me and I can't give you a better description than that because I barely glance in her direction. My eyes briefly flicker over to the new feminine voice joining us before returning to Allie, who is now sporting a resigned expression on her face. Like in this moment she's accepted something about me. Something not good.

  Well, fuck that noise.

  "I can't wait to see you play Syracuse this weekend," the new girl blabbers on. "Everyone knows their quarterback is your only com
petition in the draft this year. You are entering, right? I mean, it would be stupid not to-"

  Jesus Christ, this girl talks a mile a minute and I don't have time for any of it. "Not now," I snap, still not sparing her a glance. Allie sits down, the back of her laptop blocking her face.

  "Oh." The girl lets out an awkward laugh. "Am I interrupting something? Sorry. Guess we all want a chance to talk to T before a big game-"

  "I said not now," I repeat through gritted teeth.

  "Oh, well, I suppose you have to get going soon-"

  "Can’t you see I’m fucking busy right now?" That one does the trick. The girl gasps, muttering something about me being an asshole, before stomping off. It's the first time I've been rude to a fan and I do feel bad about it, but I need to finish this conversation with Allie. I push her laptop closed, earning me a glare so sharp it could cut glass. "Okay. So about that date..."

  "Seriously?" Allie huffs. "Uh, no."

  "No...as in you don't want to go out with me?"

  "No as in, I'm not interested."

  I’m flabbergasted. I can’t tell you how many girls have begged me to ask them out over the years and now that I’m finally interested in one, she turns me down flat.

  Frustrated, I shake my head. "Bullshit. We're done playing that game, the one where we pretend this thing between us doesn't exist. Tell me the truth."

  "You want to hear the truth? The truth is, it bothers me your fan club keeps interrupting whenever we try to have a serious conversation. I hate that you feel a need to collect their numbers. And I really hate that now that we've had sex, I feel like one of them, like all those other girls you fucked and forgot about."

  "You are nothing like those other girls," I say through clenched teeth. "Nothing."

  "Why? Because you asked me on some sort of pity date? Please. You only did it to relieve your conscience. Rest assured, I'm not mad. You don't need to pretend you want to take me on a date-"

  "Who is pretending?" I demand. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know how to do this and maybe it didn't come out right, but my intentions are genuine." I reach for my back pocket and slap the tickets on the table in front of her. "Drake is performing in Boston Sunday night and I got us tickets. Fourth row," I continue when she remains silent. "Towards the center of the aisle. I had to sell half of my organs to this mercenary disguised as a teenager in Lawrence to get them so last minute, but they're the best seats I could find."