The Freshman

by Monica Murphy

  I make her come like that every single time, and when she shudders and shakes beneath me, losing complete control, I feel like a superstar. Like I just caught a game winning touchdown.

  Other emotions are swirling within me. The complete relief that Hayden isn’t spilling our secrets to her dad’s girlfriend is downright overwhelming. Not that I ever really thought she was saying anything to Lauri, but there was that tiny, niggling chance she might’ve. I’ve known from the start she’s not a huge fan of Lauri’s, so it never made sense Hayden would tell her anything about us. Palmer could’ve, but I believe her little sister too. Her loyalty lies with Hayden, not Lauri.

  I guess my worry over Hayden is a result of witnessing my parents’ messed up marriage, and how distrusting they became of each other, especially near the end. They were always accusing each other of something. Cheating. Lying. Of course, I’d grow up skeptical. But I need to realize I’m not my parents.

  I’m just me. And Hayden is just Hayden. I can’t lump her in with everyone else who’s done me wrong.

  The spyware thing on her phone is mind-blowing. Haven’t confirmed it yet, but it’s the only theory that makes sense. I’ve never given that stuff much thought before. Guess my dad could keep tabs on me like that if he wanted to, but I don’t think he cares enough.

  On any other night, that would bother me. Sit with me and remind me that, yet again, the important people in my life abandon me, and it sucks.

  But not tonight. Not when I have a willing, gorgeous woman in my arms, kissing me as if her life depended on it. Hayden cares. She never brings up the ‘friends with benefits’ thing anymore. We haven’t come out and defined it, but we’re together. We’re a couple. She’s my girlfriend, just like Helena told my father. If she got anything right in this giant mess she’s created, it’s that.

  I push all thoughts of our families out of my mind and refocus on Hayden. Kissing her. Touching her. Savoring her. I slip my hand beneath her shirt, my fingers seeking the lacy edge of her bra. I cup her breast, her nipple pebbling beneath my palm and I tug at the hem of her shirt with my other hand, yanking it up.

  Breaking the kiss, I shift lower, running my mouth across her cleavage. Shoving the bra up, freeing her breasts. I lick and suck her nipples, and she squirms beneath me, her hands in my hair as she holds me to her chest.

  We shed our clothes quickly, eager to get naked. Hands everywhere, hers curve around the base of my cock, mine diving into the sticky hot wetness between her thighs. We touch and stroke, working each other into a frenzy.

  I feel more eager than usual to plunge inside her tonight. Maybe it was all the stress from my dad and Helena. My worry about Hayden. Hell, even witnessing the dramatic blow-up between Caleb and Gracie threw me a little. A little theatrical, but it was a day of reckoning, and I’m so fucking grateful that my night is ending with this girl in my arms.

  We roll over so she’s on top of me, and she grinds her pussy against my cock, making me groan. She’s nothing but wet, welcoming heat and I’m desperate to be inside her.

  Desperate.

  A shift of my hips and I slide inside with ease. She goes still and I open my eyes to find her staring at me.

  “You didn’t put on a condom,” she whispers.

  That’s why it feels so fucking good. I lift my hips some more, sending myself deeper, and I close my eyes against the sensations spreading through me. “Want me to get one?”

  She rocks against me, lifting up, sliding down my length. She shudders, her pussy clenching tight and, oh fuck, I could come quick if she keeps that up.

  “No,” she gasps when she does it again. “I’m on the pill.”

  “You’re the only girl I’ve been inside,” I remind her and she leans in, smiling against my mouth before she kisses me.

  “I don’t know why, but I seriously love that,” she murmurs.

  She’s been using the word love rather freely, though it doesn’t bother me. I’m not scared of a relationship with Hayden. I’m realizing what Sophie and I shared was kid stuff. I cared about her. I still do. I don’t wish her harm. But what we had was a sweet relationship that wasn’t meant to move beyond high school.

  Maybe I feel so much stronger about Hayden because she’s my first, but there’s just something about her. She’s a challenge. She’s fun. She’s intelligent. She has a plan for her life and she’s going to do it. She’s a spoiled rich girl and she knows it, but she wants more. She wants to teach and help children. She wants to change lives.

  Wonder if she knows she’s changed mine?

  “You feel good,” she whispers, burying her face against my neck and kissing me there while she rides me nice and steady.

  I grab hold of her hips as she rises up, guiding her movements. I open my eyes, not about to miss this show. Her hair hangs around her face as she smiles down at me, her breasts swaying, her hands braced on my chest. We move together, back and forth, and I grip her hips tighter, holding her still as I take over.

  A cry escapes her when I begin to thrust deep. I do it again and again, driving myself inside her, a selfish bastard as I chase after my orgasm. It builds and builds, my stomach muscles clenching tight, my balls drawing close to my body as I fuck her relentlessly. She keeps up the pace, matching my every thrust, until she fumbles, her torso stretching upwards, her muscles going tense.

  “Tony,” she chokes out, her expression changing, crumpling, her mouth hanging open, her eyes sliding closed when it hits.

  She’s overcome by her orgasm and I watch, in a trance as it rushes through her. She’s shaking. Trembling. Her hands curl into my chest, scratching my skin, but I don’t even feel it.

  I’m too caught up in her. Too caught up in us.

  Somehow, I never stop. I’m still moving. Thrusting. And when I come, a hoarse shout leaves me. Loud enough for everyone in the condo to hear, but I don’t care. I’m coming. It feels like I can’t stop coming. And when it’s finally over, I sink into the mattress, my body languid, as if my bones turned to liquid.

  She collapses on top of me, her hands moving across my chest in lazy circles, her breaths ragged. I can feel her heart racing and mine is keeping the same beat.

  I rest my hand on her back and slowly stroke. Up and down. Back and forth. I skim my short nails across her skin and she shivers, a soft huff of laughter breathes across my pec.

  “What got into you?” she asks after a few more beats of silence. “That was…”

  “Amazing?” I kiss the top of her head. “And you’re confused. I got into you.”

  “Right,” she says dryly, lifting her head so she can mock glare at me. “Seriously. That was…”

  “Amazing,” I repeat softly. I lean in and she lifts up at the same time, our mouths meeting in a light kiss. “Guess I should get pissed more often.”

  “Were you really pissed?”

  “Yeah. Sort of.”

  She settles her head on my chest once more. I can feel myself softening, but we’re still connected. “At me?”

  “No.” I shake my head. Squeeze her tight. “At Helena. At Lauri. Why are they interfering in our lives?”

  “Because they can,” she says bitterly. “They’ve got nothing else better to do.”

  “Helena is determined to make my father’s company hers. She doesn’t want me to have anything to do with it,” I say, my thoughts drifting—unfortunately—to Helena. And her motives.

  “Why? Is she really that passionate about it?”

  “More like she’s passionate about his money.” That’s the only thing I can think of.

  “And what about you?” Hayden asks.

  I don’t say anything for a moment and she glances up, our gazes connecting. “What about me?”

  “What do you want? Your father’s company? Do you want to run it someday?”

  I make a face. “I don’t even fully understand what he does. The only reason I’m majoring in business is because it’s the most general major I could find that could cover a lot of th
ings. He took it as me aspiring to join him at the helm one day.”

  “But that’s not what you want.” Hayden says.

  “I don’t know what I want. I’m only eighteen. Right now, I’m happy where I’m at. Going to school, playing football and being with you. Isn’t that enough? Why do I have to make a decision right now?” I sound like a miserable whiner, and I clamp my lips shut, annoyed with myself.

  “You’re right. You shouldn’t have to. You need to tell your stepmom to back the fuck off.” Hayden shifts upwards so her face is in my mine, dropping a lingering kiss on my lips. With the change in position, I slip completely out of her, come leaking and most likely creating a wet spot. I guess that’s an extra benefit to condoms—no wet spots.

  So fucking stupid, what Helena’s doing. “She threatened me, remember?”

  “Will you really be that upset if your father believes her lies and cuts you off? Will it really make a difference in your life?” Hayden asks.

  “No,” I say slowly, realizing that she’s right. “Our relationship is already pretty weak.”

  “Is it the money you’re worried about?”

  “I come into a trust that no one else can revoke or touch when I’m twenty-one. It’s mine. Most of it is money from my mother’s side of the family,” I explain.

  “So money isn’t a motivator either.” She kisses me again, and I cup the back of her head, keeping her there so I can kiss her some more. “She has nothing over you.”

  “You’re right,” I murmur against her lips, just before I tease them with my tongue. A thought hits me and I pull away so I can look into her eyes. “What about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “If Lauri tells your dad you’re with me? Will he be pissed?”

  Her eyes darken, and I know the answer before she says it. “Probably. But we can make it work.”

  “Can we? Do we want to?” I’m tense. I almost don’t want to hear her answer.

  But then again, I’m hanging on her every breath, waiting for every word that’ll come out of her mouth next.

  “Yes. I want it to work,” she says carefully. “What about you?”

  I grin. “I thought you said relationships were for pussies.”

  Her smile matches mine. “I did, but maybe that’s what we are. A couple of pussies.”

  “You think so?”

  “I know my pussy likes you,” she says, laughing.

  I grip her hard and flip her over so she’s the one lying on her back. “I know I really like your pussy too.”

  I can’t believe we’re having this conversation about her pussy right now. But it’s making me laugh. She makes me smile just thinking about her.

  Damn, I’ve got it bad for this girl.

  “So are you my boyfriend now?” she asks in a sing-song voice.

  “Is that what you want?” I gently thrust against her, my erection already returning and raring to go. Not a surprise. He makes frequent appearances where Hayden is concerned.

  She nods. Smiles. “I told myself I wouldn’t do this.”

  “Same.” I nod, thinking of our past discussions.

  “I thought people like us were suckers.” She strokes my shoulder. My chest.

  “We are.” I kiss her, my mouth lingering on hers. “Suckers for each other.”

  Truer words were never spoken.

  Twenty-Four

  Hayden

  It’s the day after the night Tony and I agreed we’re officially a couple and I’m walking on campus, enjoying the warm sun combined with the cold wind, grateful for the thick hoodie I’m wearing that wards off the chill. I feel like I’m in la la land. I don’t know how else to describe it, but it’s as if I’m in a Disney movie and there are birds chirping and squirrels running across the campus lawn, their gazes, their chatter only for me. Everyone I pass, I smile at them as if I’m Snow White or Cinderella, the prettiest girl about to go meet up with her Prince Charming.

  I always related most to Cinderella when I was little. Not because of the wicked stepmother and stepsisters or the fact that they treated Cinderella so poorly. More because she was blonde—like me—and I had a thing for that gorgeous blue gown she wore to the ball.

  In my eyes, that chick had it all. She got hers in the end—thanks to no one else but herself.

  I murmur a hello to a professor I had last year as we walk past each other, my mouth stretched in a too familiar grin. The professor nods, walking faster and I stifle a giggle. She probably thinks I’m crazed. I feel a little crazed.

  Is this what being in love is like? I’ve never experienced it before. Not really. There are crushes and falling hard for that cute boy who asked you to prom your junior year—actual experience. There’s the first high school boyfriend who took your virginity and swore his undying love afterward, and you agreed. Then you broke up a month later and moved on to another guy within a couple of months.

  Is that love? I’m not saying those feelings aren’t real or intense, and they’re based in love, but is it true, deep, I cannot live without this person love?

  Not what I experienced, no.

  With Tony, I can see myself living without him. But it doesn’t look very fun. More like it looks pretty lonely and hollow, and I’d be a moping mess if he broke up with me right now. I’m not sure what we have is love, but it’s close. We’re getting close.

  If we keep going down this path, we’re definitely going to be saying I love you to each other by next year. And next year isn’t that far away.

  I head toward the building where my next class is when I feel my phone ring in the back pocket of my jeans. I whip my phone out, not paying attention to whose name is flashing on the screen because I assume it’s either Tony or Gracie. They’re the only two people who call me on a regular basis.

  “You’re seeing Sorrento’s son when I told you to stay away from that asshole?”

  I come to an abrupt stop, absorbing the words just said to me. “Hello to you too, Father.”

  “Don’t be coy with me, Hayden. Lauri told me what’s going on. That you’re with that boy when I specifically told you to avoid him,” he growls. “What the fuck are you thinking?”

  “What the fuck are you thinking, calling me out of the blue and chewing me out like this?” I retort as I resume walking. A little brisker this time, anger fueling my steps.

  “Don’t you talk to me like that, young lady,” he says, and I can’t help it.

  I laugh.

  “Don’t pretend you care about what I’m doing unless it can somehow affect you and your bank account,” I tell him, and he goes quiet.

  Scary quiet.

  “You don’t think I care about what you’re doing?”

  “You never call me unless it’s something like this,” I say, my voice softening. I need to remember I’m dealing with a ticking time bomb when he’s mad like this. I don’t want him to explode. It takes a lot to make my father angry, and while I know I crossed a line by saying what I just did, I couldn’t help it.

  I’m a grown woman who can do and see whoever she wants.

  And funny how this call comes the day after Tony talked to Helena. Looks like the friends are comparing notes and stirring up trouble.

  “Sorrento and I are business rivals,” my father explains. “Can you imagine what will happen when companies we’re trying to do business with find out that our children are dating?”

  “Think of it as more of an opportunity. Hey, I know what you two should do—you should merge your companies. Instead of being two fighting rivals, come together and become a complete powerhouse,” I suggest.

  He scoffs. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “I don’t think it sounds like a bad idea at all,” I say, pausing outside the building where my class is. “I’m guessing you two have more in common than you think.”

  “Sorrento is an underhanded bastard who will rob and steal to get the deal,” my father says.

  I laugh. “You’re a poet
.”

  He sighs. I can tell his anger has diffused somewhat. Go me. “You’re exasperating.”

  “It’s your favorite quality of mine,” I tease. He chuckles. I turn serious. “Who told you Tony and I are seeing each other?”

  I don’t bother trying to hide it, though I’m not fully admitting it either. What’s the point? I know Tony’s father doesn’t know it’s me, that Helena is trying to hold that over Tony’s head. But fuck that. We’re adults. We can see who we want. Helena has no business trying to threaten Tony.

  “Lauri,” he admits. “She said Helena told her. Which is another issue I have. I don’t like that those two are still friends.”

  “You can’t tell Lauri who she can and cannot talk to. She’s not your child,” I remind him.

  “Looks like I can’t do that either.”

  “Because I’m not a child. I’m a grown woman.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “I have class in two minutes, Daddy. I have to go,” I tell him, glancing around as people rush past me, either exiting or entering the building.

  More like seven minutes till class, but he doesn’t need to know that.

  “So that’s all you have to say? You’re not going to deny that you’re seeing that kid?” he asks.

  A sigh escapes me and I lean against the wall. “What does it matter? I have no clue what you do at work, and Tony doesn’t know what his dad does either. We’re not trading business secrets. We could care less. We’re just hanging out and having fun together.”

  “That’s code for you two are a serious couple and you care about him,” my father says. “Be honest with me, Hayden. You don’t need to gloss over this situation.”

  Huh. Guess he has me figured out more than I thought.

  “It’s not that serious,” I say, raising my voice when he tries to talk over me. He goes quiet. “Tony and I, we have an understanding. Like I said, we’re having fun, but we both know it’s probably going nowhere.”