[Love in the End Zone 01.0] Out of Bounds

by Jillian Quinn

  She leans in as if she’s about to reach up and kiss me before she slips from my grasp to sit on the bed. I follow her lead, the mattress sinking beneath my weight.

  Her naked body is too much of a distraction for me, so I focus on her face. But her lips make me think about how they would feel wrapped around my cock, which makes me hard again. Leaning back against the wall, I thread my fingers together and slide them behind my head.

  She’s beautiful, her smooth alabaster skin absolute perfection. With her perky tits and pussy on display as an offering just for me, I’m so goddamn hard I cannot think straight. But I find it impossible not to look at her.

  For a second, her eyes fall to her breasts. She peeks up at me and pulls her bottom lip down with her index finger. “Don’t you want me, Bash?” She coos, killing me with the seductive look in her eyes.

  “Of course, I do, but you need to rest.”

  I don’t miss the disappointment on her face, which makes me feel like the dickhead she assumes I still am. I’m trying to do right by her. If only she would see it that way.

  “Look,” I continue, “I want you more than I wanted The Heisman, but not under these circumstances. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you with your condition.”

  She blows out a gust of air, and her face twists in anger. “I don’t get it, Bash. You’ll fuck girls like Harper but not me?”

  “It has nothing to do with you or her,” I say, feeling like an asshole because she’s right. “It has to do with you being sick. I asked you to let me stay here with you this weekend for one reason. No matter how much I want you, I think we should wait until you’re feeling better.”

  She sighs but looks as though she understands, and points at a tall chest on the other end of the room. “Would you mind handing me a shirt from my top drawer and some underwear?”

  “Of course.” I slide off the bed and pull a Strickland University T-shirt from the drawer and a pair of black cotton panties.

  “Sit up, so I can help you get these on,” I command.

  Accepting my help, she allows me to slip the tee over her head. I pull her arms through the sleeves and tug it over her stomach, finding it even harder not to touch her again.

  Curling the soft cotton around her finger, she hikes it further and raises an eyebrow at me. “You forget the last part of my wardrobe.”

  I laugh at her comment and give her a hand. She tortures me, taking her good old time, as she raises her hips just enough to slide the panties on.

  Her hair brushes against my cheek when she leans back against the wall with me, the scent of her sweet shampoo filling my nostrils. She laces her fingers between mine and runs the pad of her thumb over my knuckles. “I hate that this feels right when I’m with you.”

  I slip my other hand through her hair and bring her closer to me. “There’s nothing wrong with that. We were always good together.”

  She lays her head on my chest and whispers, “I just don’t see how we can get past everything. But I appreciate you being here with me.”

  “You’re welcome.” I kiss her forehead. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You need to get better, so I can take you out.”

  She looks up at me, confused. “Take me where?”

  “On a proper date.”

  “You want to take me on a date?” I don’t miss the shock in her tone. “I know you feel bad about everything, but that’s not necessary.”

  “Why do you seem so surprised? You know how I feel about you. It’s not like I haven’t tried to tell you a thousand times. For some reason, you’re tolerating me, and I’d like to show you that I’m not a bad guy. Just let me help you. Okay?”

  She doesn’t speak for a few seconds, ignoring my comments. Why am I not surprised? Nothing is ever easy when it comes to Tori, and I doubt I’d want her this much if it weren't such a challenge. As always, she keeps me on my toes.

  After a long moment of silence, Tori peels herself from my arms. She scoots over just enough to give me some room and falls onto the stack of pillows at the head of the bed. Then, she peeks up at me, giving me the most adorable look. “Will you cuddle with me? I’m getting sleepy again, and you make a good snuggle buddy.”

  I plop my head down on the pillow next to her, and she reaches behind her back to find my hand, tugging until she has it wrapped around her stomach. With Tori in this position, dirty thoughts are running through my head. I fight the urge to palm her breast and kiss her neck. Instead, I curl up against her back, taking in the scent of her soap, as I close my hand over hers.

  “Sweet dreams, Tori,” I whisper.

  No response.

  Just like that she’s fast asleep and snoring in my arms. For the first time in years, everything feels right. This is my chance to make things right between us.

  A few hours later, Tori staggers into the living room in a T-shirt and panties. Even with bed head and one eye open, she still looks amazing. She stretches her arms above her head, exposing her bare stomach, and yawns. “What’s that smell?”

  She follows the scent of the Italian food I had delivered, assuming she would be starving by the time she’d woken up. I slept for twenty minutes if that. How could I sleep with her tight ass digging into my erection? I had to get up and release the tension from my body after she left me with the worst case of blue balls. Again.

  “I ordered your favorite, or at least what used to be your favorite.” I pull a chair out from the kitchen table, gesturing for her to sit, which she ignores.

  “Chicken cacciatore. Yum!” She hugs me for a second, just long enough for me to run my hand over her back before she peels her body from mine. “Thank you, Bash.”

  “I thought we could get a head start on our date. Obviously, I plan to take you somewhere nice, but this will have to do for tonight.”

  She giggles with delight. “I guess I was wrong about you after all, huh?”

  I nod. “You’ll see. Mark my words.”

  She holds her hand over her heart with her lips puckered into the cutest smile. “I can’t believe you did this for me and that you remembered.”

  “How could I forget? Your dad tried to make it for us that one time when I came over for dinner.”

  She laughs. “Yeah, but my dad can’t cook. Not like my mom used to, anyway.”

  “At least he tries. My dad can barely heat up mac and cheese without burning it.”

  “Your dad would just order food.”

  “I guess that’s where I get it from. I’m good at ordering from a menu,” I say, laughing.

  When I bend down, she kisses me on the lips. It’s just a peck, but it means so much more. She quivers at the slightest touch, my fingers traveling over her skin. I love the way she responds to me.

  Even though the food was warm when it got here, I’d been waiting a while for Tori to wake up. We chat about our classes until I finish heating up the chicken and pasta, acting as if no time has passed between us. Tori stands at my side in front of the small stove, with her hand in my jeans pocket. It’s as if we picked up where we had left off before she had found that girl in my bed. A girl I never even touched.

  This is my chance to set the record straight.

  After we sit down to eat, Tori lifts her fork and shoves the chicken into her mouth, as if she’s in a hurry.

  “Oh, my God. Whoever made this could give my mom a run for her money,” she says between bites.

  “My dad told me about this restaurant the last time he was in town. They have the best Italian food in the city.”

  She nods. “Ain’t that the truth? This is unbelievable. It’s like a party in my mouth.”

  Matching her pace, we finish our meal in record timing. I love that Tori isn’t one of those girls who picks over a salad, pretending to eat as she swirls her food in a circle on the plate. Harper does it every time I have the displeasure of sharing a meal with her.

  “Are you ready for dessert?” I ask, getting up to clear our plates from the table.

  She follows me t
o the sink and stands next to me as I wash the dishes. Without saying a word, she just watches me, waiting for me to hand them over for her to dry with the towel on the counter. We do this in complete silence. But it’s not the eerie, uncomfortable silence you get during a bad date. It’s the kind you have when you are comfortable enough around a person that there’s no need to exchange words.

  After we finish, I dry my hands and pull Tori close to my side. “I missed you,” I whisper. “I fucking miss you. Missed this.”

  Her lip trembles as she peeks up at me. “Then, why did you do the things you did, Bash? That’s the one thing I don’t understand. I trusted you. You were my first, the one and only guy I have ever been with, and you betrayed me.”

  Taking her face in my hands, I gaze into her big, blue eyes. “I never cheated on you, Tori. Never. Not with anyone. I meant every single thing I ever said to you.”

  “But…I found that girl. You were with her. She said you two were together.”

  “She lied,” I spit back, defensive. “I didn’t even know her name until after the whole thing blew up in my face.”

  “You don’t have to know a girl’s name before you have sex with her.” Her words sound painful on the tip of her tongue. “I’m sure you’ve done it plenty of times.”

  “Look, I’m not going to lie to you and say that I haven’t been with a lot of girls because I have had more than my share. But I did not have sex with the girl you found in my bed. I promise. Ask Clay or Finch. They will both tell you the truth.”

  “They are your friends. The two of them would kill for you. There’s no telling what most of the people on campus would do just to cover for their golden boy.”

  “Hey,” I say, stroking her cheek, “I am telling you the truth whether you want to hear it or not. I know how things must have looked to you. If I were you, I would’ve thought the same thing. But you have to believe me when I say that I never cheated on you.”

  “Walk me through that night then. Tell me everything that happened.”

  “Most of it is a blur. I was drunk. So were you. We all were. That night was crazy.”

  “Bash,” she says against my hand. “Please. Humor me. Tell me everything that happened in the exact order you remember. I need to hear it. If you do this for me, I will try to let it go so that we can move on. I would like to believe that we had something.”

  “We still have something,” I tell her. “I know you feel it, too.”

  “I know. That’s why I need to hear it. Just this once, and we can forget about it.”

  I let out a sigh of relief. For years, I have wanted to tell Tori everything about that night. She never gave me a chance.

  Moving my hand from her face, I slide my palm down her back, guiding her toward the table. “Sit down. This might be a long story.”

  She does as I instruct, and I sit next to her, scooting my chair along the tile, so I can hold her hand as I tell her everything I can recall from that night.

  “The team had just made the playoffs. I’d broken my record for rushing yards and was on a high like you would not believe.”

  Tori smiles. She was always proud of my accomplishments, even though she didn’t understand much about football. She squeezes my hand as if telling me to keep going.

  “We had that big party at the house to celebrate after the game. I’d never seen the house so packed. It was like a frat party on steroids. You were hanging out with your friends, dancing in the living room, and I was doing shots with Clay and Finch in the kitchen. We drank about half a bottle of tequila before I stumbled back into the living room to look for you. I couldn’t find you or any of your friends. I called and texted you a few times, but you didn’t answer me. The music in the house was so loud. There were people screaming in my ear when I tried to leave you a slurred voicemail that made no sense.”

  I take a second to compose myself before continuing with the last half of the story. This part gets complicated. So much of that night plays in my head like movie clips, though none of it vivid enough to piece together.

  “I looked through most of the rooms on the first floor of the house and found nothing but drunken idiots, who were trying to get me to drink more with them. When I couldn’t find you anywhere, I had given up and decided to check my bedroom. I’d just assumed you went back to your dorm. It was well after three in the morning, and I couldn’t see ten feet in front of me to go after you. The lights were dim when I walked into my room, just a single lamp in the corner turned on low, but it was still hard for me to see. I saw blonde hair fanned out on my pillow and a girl who I had thought was you wrapped in my blankets. She had her back turned to me so that I couldn’t see her face. It was dark, and I was drunk.”

  Tori wipes the corner of her eye, causing me to stop long enough to comfort her before I finish dredging up some of the worst memories of our lives. But this conversation needs to happen. Because it should have happened years ago.

  “I stripped down to my boxers, hopped into bed with the girl, and ran my hands down her arms and legs, but only because I thought she was you. When I leaned down to kiss her neck, she rolled onto her back before I could touch her and smiled up at me. I was in shock, paralyzed by the fear of you finding me with her. By the time I tried to get away from her and throw her out, you had burst into my bedroom. How could I explain what had happened? I thought she was you. We never kissed. We never had sex. I felt guilty about touching her at all, but again, I had no idea she wasn’t you. It was all a misunderstanding.”

  “But girls always sneak into your room. They knew that was okay because you’d allowed them. Or at least that was what I’d heard around campus after the rumors started.”

  I shake my head. “No, that was the first time a girl had climbed into my bed. Now, they do it all the time just to see if I will let them stay. Do you know how many girls I have had to throw out of my bed every week?”

  She rolls her eyes at me in disapproval. “Am I supposed to feel sorry for you, Bash?” The corner of her lip curls into an angry scowl. “Because I don’t. That’s just disgusting.”

  “I’m not saying this to get on your nerves just stating a fact.”

  “Well, you managed to do both,” she deadpans, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “C’mon, Tori. Don’t be like that. You wanted to hear the truth, and you got it. I’m not going to pretend that I’m a saint, but I sure as hell didn’t do anything with that girl. It took me a while to figure out who she was and what she was doing in my bed.”

  “Was she a cheerleader from another school?”

  “Yes.” I let out a puff of air, frustrated. “One of the guys on the other team set me up. He wanted to get to me. And he did. Earlier in the season, the same guy broke Clay’s arm with a bullshit sack, and even with Clay out of the game, we still made it into the playoffs. That asshole wanted to hurt the team and me, and in the process, he also hurt you. The plan had worked, because we lost to their team that year. Not having you in the stands to cheer for me and with all the drama that had gone on around campus had sucked the life out of my game.”

  “But you’re Sebastian Prince, football royalty and God’s gift to Strick U,” she says, with sarcasm in her tone. “You didn’t need me to win a game.”

  “Maybe, but you were always my lucky charm. Seeing you in my jersey and screaming my name in the stands made me play better. I kept searching for you and finding your seat empty. It wasn’t the same after you were gone. And I never had the opportunity to state my case. Every time I saw you on campus, you would walk the other way, drop classes, and change your phone number. I even showed up at your dorm until you made campus security throw me out. And then—”

  “Then, the rumors started,” she finishes, choking on her words. “You have no idea what it was like for me, Bash. People are so mean. I couldn’t even show my face without hearing whispers behind my back. I’d thought about switching schools, but I was on a scholarship and couldn’t afford to pay for another college. My dad
has no money, financial aid doesn’t pay enough for a school this prestigious, and I almost lost everything over that girl and the drama that comes with being your girlfriend.”

  “But you didn’t lose your scholarship, and you’re still on track to graduate on time.”

  She can never know that I am the reason she is still on campus. That’s the secret Harper knows. The secret I hope to keep until the end of the school year. Tori cannot find out about my intervention and the things I have done for her. When it comes to Tori, I have no problem throwing around my father’s money or my last name because I will do whatever it takes to make her happy. In her mind, I am the bad guy. And I don’t blame her. I have earned the reputation over the years. But she’s wrong about me. I think she sees that I’m not as bad as she had thought.

  She sighs. “I lucked out. If I had lost my scholarship and had to switch schools in the middle of all that drama, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me. Losing you destroyed me, wrecked me from the inside out.”

  “You never lost me, babe. I tried to get you back, explain my side of the story.”

  Her gaze lowers, zoning in on our hands intertwined. “I was in love with you, Bash. You were my world. Everything revolved around you.”

  I tip her chin up with my finger so that our eyes meet. “I never stopped loving you.”

  “You still do?” She asks, her voice sounding hopeful.

  I nod. “Still do.”

  With that, she lunges herself at me and wraps her legs around my back. I grab the back of her head and press my lips to her neck to taste her, lick every inch of her delicious body. As she pries her lips from mine, her fingers work at a feverish pace. Tori pops open the button on my jeans and then unzips them.

  She leans forward, tugging on the hem of my T-shirt as she moans in my ear, stopping to suck on it. “Take this off.”