“Dude, I can’t be a dad. I ain’t ready for it. What if I get drafted next year? What if we do? I can’t have a kid and a baby mama at home waiting for me. This is jacked up.”
“You sound like a moron. Why don’t you just ask her?”
“You should ask her. She’ll tell you the truth because she wants your approval.”
“That my brother, is the dumbest idea you’ve ever had. I’m not asking your girlfriend if she’s knocked up, and if she is, you’ll be a good dad. The child will be taken care of.”
He started to calm down. “You’re right, man. I’m probably freaking out for nothing. Maybe she’s just having a bad period or something.”
“You still haven’t gotten laid?” The question was for me. I needed to know if Reese was lying to me. I hated thinking it, and I knew he’d tell me the truth.
“Nope. I’m pretty much shriveled up. If she doesn’t fuck me before Saturday I’m doomed.”
I hadn’t even thought about it. Jax has this stupid tradition that he had to get laid before each game. He was going to expect to sleep with Reese, and as long as they were still together she wouldn’t be able to get out of it. “Stop bitching. At least you have someone at your beck and call. I’m the one that has to go out and find pussy. Sometimes it’s a hard job.”
He gave me the finger while throwing a fry into his mouth. “Rub it in why don’t you? You’re lucky we’re related. I’m so horny I’d fight someone for using those words.”
“Does that make you a sex ninja?” I laughed at myself for saying it.
“Screw you. This is a very serious matter.”
“Jax, it’s not really that serious. People go months without getting laid. You’ve gone a few days. I’m sure you’re going to get through it, and if you don’t there’s got to be a mental institution for men who think they’re sex ninjas.” For the second time I laughed at myself, squirted ketchup all over a large fry and popped it in my mouth.
My brother pounded his fists on the table. “That’s it. I’m calling her and getting this shit figured out.”
I watched Jax fumble with his phone and drop it in his soda that I told him needed a lid. The splash covered the table, including all of our food. He pulled out his phone and ran towards the bathroom, as if he was going to rinse it off. While the cashier gave me dirty looks for causing a ruckus, I sat there eating my cherry soda flavored meal.
When I realized he was going to want to use my phone I quickly called Reese. I couldn’t take the chance of her saying something that would reveal our secret.
Now, in that instant I wasn’t thinking about our last conversation, or how I may have had a little too much to drink. I couldn’t even remember half of the things I said.
“I’m in class, Jake.”
“I’m calling for Jax. He just dropped his phone in a soda. I didn’t want you thinking it was me calling you if he decides to use my phone.”
“You told me you didn’t want to talk to me.” I could tell she was walking out into a hallway when I heard the sound of a door shutting. “What were you saying?”
“Jax is probably going to be calling you from my phone. He dropped his in a soda. Look I’m sorry about whatever I said last night.”
“No you’re not. You meant it. You were drunk.”
“I didn’t mean it. Listen, that’s not important right now. He thinks you’re pregnant.”
“Yeah right. Is that what he said?”
“He’s freaking out. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know it probably won’t be me calling.”
“Thanks for telling me. Will I hear from you later as well or are you really done with me?”
I looked around to make sure Jax wasn’t coming out of the bathroom. “I said I was sorry.”
“You said a lot more than that last night. You also made out with a girl in front of me. That’s not cool, Jake. You told me you’d never be faithful to me. I just don’t know how I feel about that.”
I knew I’d hurt her. “I was trying to make you jealous. It was stupid and immature.”
“Did you even know her?”
“Do you want to know?”
“No. You know what, I don’t. I can’t hear anymore stories about you and your brother and all of your conquests. It’s sickening.”
“Jax is coming. I’ve got to go. I love you, Reese. I mean it.”
With his phone wrapped in brown paper towels from a dispenser, Jax sat back down and took a bite of his cold sandwich. “Well this sucks. Now my phone’s broke.”
“Here, just use mine.”
“No, I just remembered she’s in class. I don’t want to bother her. I’ll see her tonight and get things figured out.”
After my brother finished devouring every crumb of his soggy burger, we headed back to the dorm. He hooked up with a couple guys in a gaming room on his console, and I told him I was heading to the library, in hopes of catching Reese before she headed back to her room. I didn’t want to be caught anywhere that Jax could find us. There were things we needed to clear up, and I couldn’t wait until our class together to talk about it.
The little window didn’t provide me with enough viewing space to locate her in the large room. I dialed her number and sent her a message, hoping she hadn’t turned her phone off.
I need you to leave class. I’m in the hallway. – J
A few seconds later she came prancing out. I hated that she was mad at me, and could tell the moment our eyes met. I didn’t waste time pulling us through the corridor until I located a small broom closet. It was out of the main hallway and looked like it wasn’t used for anything but storage of cleaning supplies. Shelves filled each wall with gallon containers of different sanitizing solutions.
Once we were inside I flipped on the light and got my first glimpse of what it felt like to have her hate me. “We need to talk about last night.”
“Maybe if you would have talked instead of sticking your tongue down some bimbo’s throat we wouldn’t be having this conversation. What you said to me last night…” She threw her arms up and pushed me away. “I can’t even look at you. All I see is you shoving that girl up against the wall and touching her.”
“Are you mad because I touched her the way you wanted me to touch you? Is that what this is about? Did it make you crazy seeing her all over me?”
“Shut up. Please, Jake.”
I could tell I was getting under her skin. Though I didn’t mean to be cruel, I wanted her to know how it felt to see her at that party. “You were holding his hand, smiling. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t exactly walk up and say hi.”
“You’re the one who told me to be with him. I was only doing what we agreed.”
I ran my hands through my hair, trying to come to grips with what she was saying. Reese put her hands up to her face to keep me from seeing her getting upset. I lunged forward before she could block me and pulled her into my arms. “I’m so sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to hurt you. This is all too fucking much to handle. We can’t keep sneaking around. It’s only been a couple days and we’re going crazy. I thought I could handle you being with him, but I can’t. I can’t stand the thought of him touching you anymore. Now, because you haven’t put out he thinks you’re knocked up. This can’t get anymore fucked up.”
Finally I felt her arms wrapping around my back. “I hate this so much, Jake.”
I settled down and enjoyed the moment. “I know. Something’s got to give, babe. We can’t keep torturing each other one minute -.”
“And loving each other the next?” She finished my sentence.
“Yeah. Pretty much.”
“I don’t want to fight with you. It makes me crazy.” She looked up in my eyes and formed a smile. I knew it wasn’t out of happiness, but more like she was trying to find the good in so much bad.
“How are we going to get through this?” I asked.
“That’s what scares me the most. I don’t see something good coming out of what we’re doing. How can we keep h
urting each other, and everyone else we care about? Is this even worth it?”
I let go of her and turned around, unable to handle what I’d just said. While it all sunk in, I felt her touching my back. “It’s worth it to me.” She placed her hand flat and continued to speak. “Last night when I saw you with that girl, I wanted to crawl up in a ball and die. It killed me. Jake, I can’t give you up.”
I turned around and pulled her back into my arms where she belonged. “I wouldn’t let you. We’ve just got to come up with a better plan. Jax knows something’s wrong.”
“I’ve got to be with him, Jake. It’s the only way we’re going to get through this week.” I started to pull away from her, because the idea of that made me so frustrated. “Before you freak out think about it. I’m not hooking up with some random guy. I’m not a whore, and I hate the idea of it, but I’ve been sleeping with Jax for months. Who cares if it happens one more time?”
“I care. You say that watching me kiss a girl killed you, how the hell am I supposed to be okay with you screwing my brother?”
“Jake, calm down and be rational about it. It’s your idea to wait until after the game. I’m trying to keep the peace. I’m doing this for us, because I want us to have a chance.”
She was right, even though I couldn’t begin to grasp how I was going to handle it, I had to let her be with Jax. “If you sleep with him than I’m going to need some time to get over it. I can’t just let something like that go. It’s too deep of a cut.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Trust me, I know how much it’s going to hurt you.”
“This wasn’t how I saw our talk going.” I don’t know what I expected from her. I guess I pictured apologizing, on my knees if I had to, but not agreeing to be okay with her fucking Jax. Anything but that would have been better.
“I need to know you’re going to be okay. I have to make sure you’ll be your best out on that field. A lot of people are depending on you.”
I raised my hand and stroked her smooth face. “I’ll be fine. I play better when I’m pissed off.”
“I guess it’s settled. I’ll leave you alone until after the game. I won’t even talk to you in class if that’s what you want.”
“It’s not what I want,” I assured her. “I need to be able to see you, but nothing else. It’s bad enough he’s going to celebrate when it happens. I don’t need to rehash what I’ll already know. As far as us seeing each other, well that’s inevitable. We have a class together in less than an hour.” I leaned forward and let my forehead fall on hers. “I’m not okay with this plan one bit, but I know that if it helps us to be together it’s worth it. I’ve waited a long time for you. I can wait a little longer.”
“Can you please kiss me now? We’ve been alone in this closet for this whole time and you’ve barely touched me.”
Our kiss wasn’t like the ones we’d had before it. This particular embrace was filled with pain and fear. Reese was about to make a sacrifice, and I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get over it. In the back of my mind I feared that it would somehow change her mind about being with me. I knew how juvenile that seemed, but the thought wouldn’t leave me.
Savagely, I guided her back against a set of shelves. She got the gist immediately, jumping up into my arms. It was obvious she wanted to feel what Britney had at the party. I wasted no time leaning her ass on the edge of it in order to shove her shirt up above her breasts. I needed to see, touch, and savor them. She unfastened my pants and used her feet to shove them down past my ass. Removing her pants was a little difficult. She lifted her ass so that I was able to get them down enough. I took one step back and spread her legs as wide as they would go. Her pussy was mine for the taking, and I wasn’t about to back down. Closet or not, I needed this; it was important to feel like she was mine.
Our kiss was ravenous, almost chipping teeth as we continued sucking each other’s lips. My dick, which had become immediately hard, shoved inside of her. Against my lips she let out a loud gasp as I filled her completely. My thrusts were sporadic and with force. I had one mission. While Reese’s legs wrapped around my back, I picked her up and walked to the other side of the small area. Her nails dug into my chest as she let her body lean back against the metal frame. I pounded into her with no regard for the amount of noise we were making. I didn’t care about rules, or getting in trouble.
The closet became so hot. Beads of sweat fell down my face as I continued lunging my engorged cock into her tight hole. Our kissing only stopped when the friction became too much to handle. I lifted one of her arms over her head and laced our hands together, while I held her with the other. Then I filled her, with every bit of anger and frustration I could rid myself of.
Slowly we separated, paying close attention to each other as we did. “Sorry, I got a little carried away.”
“Please don’t apologize for wanting me, Jake. I needed it, like I desperately need you to trust in this. Please don’t give up hope. You take my breath away. I’ll fight for this until we can be together. Every inch of me desires you. You captivate me, in ways I yearn to explore. Don’t you dare even think about walking away from this.”
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her chastely.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
When we parted in that closet I felt like I’d already lost her, but I refused to rehash the same things over again. This was something I’d have to learn to live with if I wanted to have a chance with her. I’d have to be patient, and above all forgiving.
Chapter 22
Reese
Walking out of a broom closet with Jake was the last of my worries. My mind was still a haze from our afternoon quickie. I didn’t bother going back to class for the last ten minutes. Instead I walked alongside Jake, holding our secret romance close to my heart.
We had about twenty minutes to kill before the classroom filled with other students. We took our normal seats together and sat there staring at each other, as if we were silently communicating. With remnants of what we’d just done still very apparent between my legs, I excused myself to the restroom to clean up the best I could.
My phone rang as soon as I got into a stall. The number wasn’t one I recognized, but I had a good feeling who it was.
“Hello?”
“Baby, it’s me. Are you heading to your next class?”
“Yes,” I closed my eyes and lied to him.
“We need to talk. I think I know what’s wrong, and I want you to know that we’ll handle it together, as a couple.”
“Jax, I-.”
“You’re pregnant aren’t you?”
It took me a second to respond, not because I was looking to lie again, but because I was in the bathroom to clean off the mess from sleeping with his brother, again. This had to end. Pretending to be happy was taking a toll on my mental health. “I’m not pregnant.”
“Holy shit, that’s such a fucking relief. For the whole morning I thought my life was over.”
This annoyed me. For someone that claimed to love me so unconditionally he wasn’t willing to change anything about his life. “Are you serious right now?”
“What do you mean? I can’t make it in football and have a kid at home.”
“Oh, let me guess, you’d rather make a dozen of them with random sluts while you’re on the road? Isn’t that how it works? You don’t want a burden at home when you can live it up everywhere else?”
“Woman, you’re talking crazy. I ain’t ready for a kid. It’s as simple as that.”
“Well, if you’re going to stick it in, you need to be prepared for the consequences.”
“You’re really not making sense.”
There was a legitimate reason for it. Suddenly my eyes were open to the person I’d spent so much time loving. How could I have been so blind to all of his flaws? Had I really been that naïve?
“I’m going to class. I’m not getting into this with you today.”
“I love you, baby. Don’t be mad.”
>
I hung up without saying anything, because at this point I couldn’t even lie to him.
Jake knew something was wrong the moment I sauntered back in class. He gave me a quick once over. “Your face is red and I’m pretty sure steam is coming out of your ears. Either you’re becoming a cartoon character, or something pissed you off.”
“Don’t joke right now. I’m on my last nerve.”
“You were gone for ten minutes. What happened?” His concern was kind, and I appreciated that he knew me so well. For so long I’d been wrong about Jake. It had become my life’s mission to break his shell and make us friends again. I couldn’t have known that it was all a ploy to keep me at bay because he was in love with me. “Jax happened. He called.”
“His phone worked?”
I shook my head. “No, it was a weird number. It doesn’t even matter. He’s such an asshole sometimes. I know you don’t want to hear about it, but I feel so angry that we didn’t discuss certain things before we had sex.”
“Are you talking about us or you and him?”
I shoved him and smiled. “We talk too much before sex. That’s why we keep having it.” I waited for him to smile before continuing. “He just made it clear that if I were to be pregnant it would be a huge mistake that he didn’t want to happen. It doesn’t matter, because I’m not pregnant. It’s just the fact that I’ve been sleeping with someone who puts himself before everyone else. I suppose his goals are important, and I can grasp that, but it still hurts.”
“There you go again.” He looked away.
I quickly took his hand, catching his attention. People were walking in so I had to speak softly. “I’m mad at myself. I’m angry because I know for a fact that you have the same probability of being drafted next year, yet you wouldn’t have acted the same way he did.”
Jake brought my hand up and kissed it before anyone could notice. “Everything happens for a reason, Reese.” He winked at me before dropping my hand.
My bad mood was replaced with a content smile as class started.
Jake Mitchell Page 15