by Ali Parker
“Yes. I’ve just been running from wanting him in my life for three years. No one really measures up, so it’s easy to keep everyone at a distance. I know he understands that.”
“Of course he does. Just go show him some love and he’ll melt. I’ve never seen him have such strong emotion toward anyone but his mother. He usually doesn’t care at all about women.”
“And I can see why.” I pointed to myself and let my head drop as I closed my eyes. “I just don’t want to start caring too much and lose him.”
“And what if that’s a lie you keep telling yourself?”
“I don’t know. Then I’ll never experience anything as great as he and I could be together.”
“Perhaps. You’re young, Emily. Get out there and give your heart to a great boy, like Jacob. See what happens. If it ends, then you try again. I’ll never give up looking for love.”
“No matter how many times it kicks you in the chest?” I had to know.
“That’s right. I would rather limp across the finish line bruised and beaten up by love than never experience the incredible high it provides when it’s good, when it’s right, when it’s real.”
I wasn’t sure I’d ever experienced that type of relationship, but hearing him talk about it left me wanting to.
“Thank you.” I reached out and squeezed his hand. “I want that feeling.”
“So does my boy, and he’s well worth the effort.”
“I think you’re right.” I walked toward the hall in search of him. He was angry with me and hurt by my stupid need to protect myself, but one person could make that right.
Me.
Chapter 20
Jacob
Fuck her for standing me up every night for the last week and then coming into work and acting like everything was fine. I had lain in bed wondering what I’d done wrong each night until I was blue in the face. The lack of sleep and strain I was feeling due to overexertion left me itching for a fight.
I prayed for her sake that she would be smart and steer clear of me for the rest of the night. She didn’t want what I was offering, and she didn’t have the courage to tell me, so she ignored me. Awesome.
“What time is your shift over?” She stopped beside me but didn’t touch me, which was a good thing.
“What do you care, Emily?” I turned to face her.
“Because I was hoping maybe we could go out and spend some time together.”
“It would actually be easier if you would stop dicking around with my heart and just tell me here that you’re not interested. You got a piece of ass from me, and that’s all you were after.” I waved my hands around, wishing I could rein in the drama king that had currently taken over my head. “You and every other bitch on this campus.”
“Hey.” She slapped me hard, pulling me back from my craziness far better than I expected. “Just because you’ve been hurt in the past doesn’t give you the right to assume I’m going to hurt you too.”
I rubbed my cheek and shook my head. “You’ve been hurting me all week. Being ignored isn’t exactly the best way to see if two people are compatible. At least not where I come from.”
“I fucked up, Jacob. I was trying to think through things, and I should have just been straightforward with you. I didn’t want a piece of ass last weekend. I wanted you.” She pressed her hand to my chest and glanced down as if ashamed. “I still do.”
“Then why are you running?” I pressed my fingers under her chin and studied her as she glanced up. The woman had the ability to steal my heart if she would try only a little. Part of me was glad she hadn’t, but a larger part needed her to so fucking badly. I wanted to belong to a good woman, to figure out who I was while she was tucked to my side, loving me through my shit as best she could.
I didn’t need perfection. I needed her.
“I don’t know. Don’t let me run again. Please.” She pressed up on her toes and brushed her lips against mine tentatively as if she were scared I would deny her.
I wrapped my arms around her and leaned down, consuming her mouth and drinking her in until she started to pant. The soft wetness of her tongue felt so good against mine, and I rocked against her before sliding my hands down to cup her ass and squeeze. I was such a pussy around her, but it was part of the deal. Lucas was a wimp around Aubrey and I had no doubt Jayce would be a wimp if he and Layla ever got together. Hell, he was a wimp already.
Layla.
I broke the kiss and took a quick breath. “Don’t let me forget I need to call Layla tonight. Fuck. It’s been a week since Lucas asked me to check on her.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Emily slipped her hands up the back of my shirt and ran her soft fingers along my spine, rubbing my aching muscles and lulling me into a calm I needed beyond anything else.
“I don’t know. He thinks someone is hitting her.” I leaned down and kissed Emily a few more times. “No more fucking with my heart. I don’t trust women as it is, Em. Remember that.”
“Okay. Just stop being pissy with me.” She slipped one of her hands into my jeans and squeezed my bare ass, grazing her nails over it. “Take me home with you tonight.”
“I’ve got practice, but you can come with me if you’re up for it. There’s a lot of guys that bring their girls.” I touched the side of her face and studied her. “I’m sorry for being an ass. I was hurt.”
“I know. I’m sorry for being scared. It was dumb.” Her lips lifted in a cocky smile. “So I’m your girl now?”
“Shit, I don’t know. Are you?” I moved my hands to her hips and stepped back. “I’m not interested in another one-night stand with you. We’re gonna try this dating thing out or we’re done. We can be friends if you want, but I want more. It might take me a while to get over that shit.”
“No. Let’s go on a date tonight and take things slow.”
“Does that mean no sex?” I groaned low in my chest.
“I just meant on the relationship part. The sex is a must.” She moved both of her hands to grip the front of my waistband. “You haven’t slept with anyone else this week, right?”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Really?”
“I know how much you enjoy sex.”
“As much as you do.” I leaned down and nipped at her perfect mouth. “Come on. Let’s get this afternoon over with so we can drive up to Mount Ida together. I’ll put on a show for you.”
“And I’ll do the same for you.” She turned and walked toward the walk-in freezer. “Tonight. In your bedroom.”
“How about now?” I spun around and followed after her as she yelped and ducked into the freezer.
I was still amazed by how fast she could turn my mood around as we drove up toward my soccer practice later that evening. The woman had power, and it was honestly a bit frightening.
“Have you talked to your mom or your sister this week?” I reached over and took her hand, bringing it to rest on my thigh. Us messing around a little all over my father’s pizza parlor had my cock nice and hard for no reason. We weren’t going to get any time together before I had to get on the field.
“No, but I talked with my Aunt Dara last night. She’s working on the paperwork now to take custody of Cally, which is the best thing that can happen. I guess I could move home, but I’m not sure I would be able to raise a teenage kid either.” She shrugged and moved closer on the old bench seat. “I did get all of my stuff out of Brody’s place last weekend and haven’t heard anything from him. I guess you handing him his ass a few times left him to where he didn’t want to mess with me again.”
“Good.” I released her hand and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “And what about paying for your cheerleading stuff? Is that still something you’re stressing over?”
“Heck yeah. It’s a thousand dollars. I’ll go over there soon and talk with Coach. I’m either going to have to get an extension and set up a payment plan, or quit.”
“You’re not quitting. You love cheerleading, right?”
&n
bsp; “Yeah, but sometimes, sacrifices have to be made, you know?”
I smiled and let my eyes run down her beautiful body. We would figure out how to cover the costs. Nobody had to give up what they loved over money. I needed to change the subject before I promised her the world. “I missed you this week. I didn’t wanna miss you, but I did.”
She laughed and brushed her hand down the inside of my thigh, rubbing my sac a few times and teasing me. “I missed you too. I’m such an idiot sometimes.”
“I’m an idiot all the time.” I kissed the side of her head and turned my attention back on the road.
“I should make it up to you.”
“No, you don’t—” I paused as she moved back and lay down in the seat, scooting close enough that her head was in my lap.
“Oh, you don’t want me to?” She reached for the top of my soccer shorts and tugged them down. My erection was poking out of the top of my underwear, which was nothing new. Seeing her eyes widen made it all that much more enjoyable though.
“Actually, as bad as my feelings were hurt, it would be a good idea for you to pay me back, but only if you’re up for it.” I brushed her hair back and pressed my teeth to my bottom lip as she moved closer and rolled her tongue over my head. “Shit.”
“Mmm, you taste good.” She sucked around the ribbed edge of my dick before leaning in further and tugging my underwear down.
I lifted my hips and groaned loudly as she took me in her mouth, working me slowly at first and then faster. I slid my fingers into her hair and helped her set a pace that would have me shaking in a matter of minutes. For a woman that didn’t get around much, she knew exactly what to do to please me.
The loud slurping sound filled with her soft whimpers pushed me toward explosion much faster than I wanted.
I reached down and slipped my hand into the back of her jeans, pushing in deep to move down the curve of her ass and sink my fingers into her tight wetness.
She moaned loudly and rolled her hips as she took good care of my cock.
“Oh fuck, baby.” I lifted my hips and pumped my fingers in and out of her as fast as I could. “I’m so close, Em. So fucking close.”
Her body found the epicenter of ecstasy first, and she jerked her hips forward, impaling herself on my fingers as she cried out loudly. The delicious contracting of her walls around my digits coupled with her panting in my lap left me right there with her.
“Drink me, Em.” I lifted my hips and continued to work her sweet pussy as she took every bit of me inside of her.
Stars danced in my vision as my whole body lit on fire with tingles of pleasure. I sank back in my seat as she tucked me back in my shorts and leaned up a little, kissing the side of my neck as I ran my fingers through her folds.
“Fuck this practice. Let’s go back to the frat house and scare everyone with how loud we can get.” I leaned down and kissed her, licking and sucking at her mouth as I tried to keep my eyes on the road. She arched her back and pressed herself back down onto my fingers, mewling in a way that had my heart racing.
“Why were we fighting earlier?” She reached back and pulled my hand from her panties. “Let’s not do that again.”
“It was your fault, remember?” I licked at my fingers and slipped them deep into my mouth as she moaned and moved back to a sitting position.
“You’re so naughty.”
“Only because of you.” I wiped my hand on my shirt and put my blinker on as we pulled up to the field. “Is it horrible that I’m going to spend the next two hours smelling my fingers?”
“You are not.” She popped me in the chest and moved back to her side of the truck.
I lifted my fingers to my face and breathed in deeply. “Fuck, that’s a turn on.”
“Yes, well, playing soccer with a massive erection like you get probably isn’t a great way to build up team spirit.”
“You think they’ll be jealous?”
“Of me or the size of your dick?”
“Both.” I glanced over at her and smiled. “Never in a million years did I think I would hear sweet, goodie-goodie Emily Campbell using such crude language.”
“Guess you bring out the worst in me.”
“Oh yeah? Sounds like a challenge I’m up for later tonight.”
“Baby, you’re up for it now.” She reached over and brushed her palm down my erection, gripping me tightly and smiling. “I’m going to fall in love with you, aren’t I?”
“That’s the plan.” I tugged her fingers from my lap and got out of the truck, feeling like a million dollars. Strange what the right balance of love and lust could do.
Now it was time to show off a little—just for my girl.
Chapter 21
Emily
The girls on the bench beside the soccer field looked like the kind of girls I usually tried to avoid, but in an effort to support Jacob a little better, I tried to mingle as much as they would let me. It would seem that they had been coming for the last week or so, and I was the newbie.
A blonde with a nose far too big for her pretty face turned around and tilted her head as if trying to decide if I were human. “What school are you from again?”
“I’m from Providence.”
“And who are you here with?” The brunette beside her turned and covered her eyes. The sun was setting. There wasn’t a reason to block her eyes from the setting sun.
I bit my tongue and decided to treat the group like I would my fellow cheerleaders—just one more group to placate.
“That guy right there with the ball.” I pointed to Jacob and let my eyes run over his body. His shorts were just above his knees and were tight enough for me to have a perfect view of his rear. My insides contracted at the thought of how good the rest of the night was going to feel pressed up against him. What the hell had I been running from?
Love. Brody was safe because there was no chance in hell I would ever truly give my heart to him, but Jacob was a different story. We had too much in common and both had far more to lose than we would be willing to discuss with each other. At least where we were in the relationship.
Relief ran through me as my memories from earlier that day buzzed through my mind. I’d almost messed everything up. All because of ignorant fear.
“Oh wow. Jacob Wright?” She glanced back at me, her tone quite a bit different now.
“Yeah.” I moved over to the edge of the stands as the coach called for a break and Jacob made a beeline for me.
He was covered in sweat and the thick muscles of his arms and legs were accentuated from exerting himself so much.
“Hey. You doing all right?” He pressed his hands to his knees and bent over next to me as he huffed and puffed.
“I sure am. It feels great out here.” I reached over and ran my fingers through his hair. “You want me to grab you something to drink?”
“Nah. We have water over there.” He stood up and leaned toward me, stealing a few kisses before he jogged back out toward the field.
“You guys just start going out?” The brunette lifted her eyebrow. They must have seen him with someone else or several someones. I couldn’t get upset with him for his wild ways in the past if he was ready to change them for me.
“Yeah. About a week ago, I guess.”
“Lucky girl. He’s super hot.” The blonde pressed her elbows to her knees and leaned forward. “We were all hoping he would be single by the end of the season.”
“Why the end of the season?” I glanced around as a couple other girls turned to look at me like I’d grown an extra head.
“We go on a trip for the weekend for the final tournament, and the girlfriends and sisters are the cheer squad.” She shrugged. “It’s tradition for the MVP of the game to choose a girl for the night.”
“Any girl?” I stiffened.
“Yeah, it doesn’t matter if she’s taken or not. Just a fun college tradition. We figured he was going to be MVP, but if he’s already got you, then there’s no fun to be had.”
“That’s right.” Another girl from the front turned around. “And you’re cute, so you might want to stay home.”
They chuckled, but I let it roll off my shoulders. Girls were bitches most days of the week, and I had been one more times than I could count.
“There’s no way.” I shrugged. “I would just refuse.”
“You can’t go on the trip unless you sign the forms.” The blonde turned back around. “Stop worrying. Your guy is going to be MVP. There’s nothing to get upset about.”
I started to let the little tit know that I wasn’t upset but decided the best defense was a good offense, and I closed my mouth.
A half an hour later, Jacob jogged back over with a smile on his face.
“You ready to go?”
“I sure am.” I got up and slipped my hand into his as we walked back to the truck. “What do you know about this tournament at the end of the season?”
“Not much. Why?” He glanced over at me before taking a long drink from a water bottle he had in his free hand.
“The girls were talking about how they played cheerleader for the event.” I released his hand and walked to my side of the truck.
He chuckled as we got in. “Did you tell them that you were head cheerleader for Providence?”
“No. They’ll figure that out on their own.” I buckled up. “They mentioned something about the MVP getting to pick a girl to sleep with at the end of the tournament.”
“Oh yeah. I heard about that. Don’t pay it much attention. I would assume most of the guys on the team are with someone, seeing how packed the stands are.”
“I would think so too, but from the way the girls were talking, it’s almost like a chance for the guys to sleep with another guy’s girl just because of the way things are set up. Like all of them seemed fine with it.”