Emory: If I open this, is something going to jump out at me?
Knox: Nah, babe. It’s a good one. No jockstrap. No peanut snakes.
The phone rings in my hand and I answer it immediately, letting the phone open to FaceTime so I get to see my beautiful girlfriend.
“Hey you,” I say, leaning back on my headboard. I just finished a vigorous weightlifting session so my muscles feel like mush. But when Emory looks at the phone, tears streaming down her eyes, I nearly bolt out of bed. “Em, what’s wrong?”
She holds up my shirt I sent her and brings it close to her nose. I was trying to think of something else to send her, something a little more meaningful and then it hit me the other day. I grabbed one of my Brentwood baseball T-shirts, sprayed some cologne on it—because why the hell not—and then packaged it up for my girl with a sleeve of Oreos. You can never have enough of those.
The tension in my shoulders eases as I realize she’s crying happy tears, not sad ones. “You okay?” I ask, just wanting to make sure. When she shakes her head, that tension reappears. “What’s wrong?”
She wipes a tear away, one I wish I could wipe away myself. “I miss you.”
Don’t smile; she won’t appreciate that.
I know she likes me, but I’ve wondered if my feelings for her eclipse what she feels for me. Maybe that’s true, but right now, it almost feels like it’s equal. Hell, her admission makes me want to puff out my chest like a proud goddamn peacock. Understandably, Em was reticent and careful, but now she’s opening up to me.
“I miss you too, Em.”
“Ugh, this is stupid. I shouldn’t be crying.” She wipes under her eyes again and holds my T-shirt close to her. “But this means a lot to me, Knox. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. If I knew I’d get this kind of reaction, I would have sent you a shirt way earlier. Only one and a half more weeks, babe.”
“I know. I’ve been counting down the days. I’ve enjoyed time with family, but spending New Year’s without you is going to suck. My mom’s excited to play games and have appetizers, and all I want to do is be in your arms and make out with you all night.”
“Hell.” I pull on the back of my neck. “That would have been nice. Think I could have gotten some boob action too?”
“Most definitely. I probably would have hand-fed you Oreos too.”
I point at the phone. “Don’t you dare fucking tease me. That’s a fantasy of mine.”
“What is?” She laughs, that beautiful curve of her lips returning.
“You topless, wearing that black G-string, hair curled and falling over your shoulders, a sleeve of Oreos in your hand, waiting to pop one in my mouth.”
“You have really strange fantasies.”
“How is that strange? I think that’s pretty average. If I said I wanted you to wear an alien mask while wielding a sword and putting Oreos in my mouth, now that would be strange.”
“I guess so.” She sighs and leans into her pillow, rolling on her side and propping the phone up. I do the same so it’s as if we’re lying next to each other in bed.
“Do you have any fantasies?” I wiggle my eyebrows.
A sly smile crosses over her face. “Doing it in the locker room.”
“Really?” My nose crinkles and brow furrows. No way. She’s showed her distaste for the locker room ever since I’ve known her. “You’re a liar.”
“I am. Plus, if we did it in there, doesn’t that mean we’d have to be attached at the hip for life?”
“That’s the general rule. Do it in the locker room, get married.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think I can make that kind of commitment. Not when I’m second best to Oreos.”
That makes me laugh. “Sorry, babe, but facts are facts. Oreos will always be my number-one girl.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
EMORY
“I can’t thank you enough,” I say to Dottie while glancing in the mirror one last time. “Seriously, I owe you big time.”
She waves me off. “You owe me nothing. This is what friends are for.”
I flew back to Brentwood a couple days early. I told my parents it’s because my internship required my assistance before the student population came back, but when they both looked at each other with that knowing gleam in their eyes, I knew I was caught. I wanted to see my boyfriend, and I couldn’t wait any longer.
But since I’m flying out early, the dorms aren’t open, meaning Dottie got us a hotel room thanks to her dad. She was more than happy to help when I called her, and we flew back together as well, giving us some girl time.
“Are you finally going to do it?” Dottie asks, rubbing her hands together while sitting cross-legged on the king-sized bed we shared last night.
“No. I mean . . . I don’t think so, unless he cracks and breaks the bet.”
“Ugh.” She flops backward onto the plush, white pillows. “You and that stupid bet. Seriously, get over it.”
“It’s not just about the bet. It’s almost become the craziest form of foreplay. I’ve done things with Knox I’ve never done before. We’ve gotten each other off in ways I didn’t think were possible.”
“Like what?” Dottie asks, doubtful.
My face heats up thinking about the things we did over the phone, the things he said to me in his deep, low voice so his mom didn’t hear. Or what we did before we parted for Christmas break. God, just thinking about how he felt sliding up and down my clit has me shifting in place with a distant ache.
“Just . . . things.”
“Like . . . hand jobs? You’ve done that before.”
“I don’t want to get into detail, Dottie. It’s embarrassing to talk about.” I lean forward and reapply my lip gloss.
“Why, because you two have been at it like two horny teenagers scared to get pregnant?”
“Pretty much.” I pop my lips and then fluff my hair one more time. “Do you think he’ll be excited?”
“Uh, are you kidding me?” She motions to me. “I think the minute he sees you he’s going to come in his pants. Especially after the conversation I overheard last night. He has a dirty mouth.”
“I know.” I smile, feeling incredibly lucky. “Okay, I’m off.”
“And he has no idea you’re here?”
I secure my purse with a package of Oreos inside over my shoulder. “Nope, he thinks I’m still in California.”
“He is seriously going to lose it. I wish I was a fly on the wall when he sees you.”
“I’m glad you’re not, because you would probably see some naked body parts.” I blow her a kiss goodbye and then meet up with my Uber driver at the entrance of the hotel. I’m only a few blocks away but given the frigid temperatures, I wasn’t about to walk to the loft. Carson met up with me last night and gave me a key to the loft. The boys reported back to school a few days early, so they’re at batting practice right now, giving me the perfect opportunity to surprise him.
I check the time on my phone. I’ll have just enough time to get into his room and get ready before he shows up.
Carson has been sending me text updates, and they’re done with showers and on their way home with pizza.
I could eat some pizza right about now, after I maul my guy first.
In minutes, I’m dropped off at the loft and make my way to the third floor. The door sticks a little when I try to open it—it’s one of those giant slide doors—but I get myself in and go straight to the room with the yellow door.
For a second, I pause, a wave of anxiety hitting as memories of when I walked in on Neil with another girl. Him pounding into her from behind, on the bed we’d shared. My stomach churns and instead of pushing through the door, I lean my ear toward the wood, trying to listen in, see if I hear anything.
What am I doing?
To think of such a thing is shameful.
That was Neil. Bastard. This is Knox. Devoted. He’s different in every way possible. He’s attentive, caring, thoughtful, and commit
ted. To me.
He would never cheat on me.
Taking a deep breath, I open his door and am immediately hit with a wave of comfort. Bed unmade, clothes on the floor, an empty cereal bowl on his desk, and his signature scent permeates the decent-sized room. I can’t hold back the smile on my lips. This is my man. God, I’ve missed him.
Because I’m a nice girlfriend, I toss his clothes in the hamper—why he couldn’t do that, I have no idea—I straighten out the sheets of his bed, and I carry the empty bowl to the kitchen sink just as I hear the voices of the guys coming up the stairs.
Eep!
I quickly make my way to his room, shut the door, and strip down to his fantasy.
Hair curled, check.
Topless, check.
Black G-string, check.
Package of Oreos . . . weirdly check.
Laughter approaches the door and I steel myself. Kneeling tall on his bed, I hold the Oreos in one hand and put the other hand on my hip while I stick out my chest.
I hope to God Knox is the only one who comes through that door.
“I’ll just throw my backpack in my room,” Knox says as he opens the door.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach, my nerves getting to me so much I almost feel like throwing up. That’s until I see him walk through the threshold of his room. Head tilted down at first, I get to take him in from his black sweatpants, to his tight-fitting long-sleeved shirt and backward baseball hat.
I’ve missed him so freaking much.
He sets his backpack down and goes to leave the room, which gives me panic, so I clear my throat, causing him to snap his head up quickly. For a second, he blinks a few times as if he doesn’t believe what he sees.
“Holy. Shit.”
I’m about to say surprise when a female voice comes up behind Knox. “Knox, baby, I’m going to put my stuff in your room too.”
In slow motion, the door pushes open more and a very attractive woman steps into his room. Long blonde hair, petite frame . . .
Fuck. No. No.
I quickly throw my arm over my breasts and sink into the mattress just as Knox says, “Mom, get out.”
Mom?
Oh.
My.
God.
And then, as clear as day, I see the same eyes I’ve loved staring into over the last month over FaceTime.
“Huh?” she says, looking at me. Shocked, she stumbles back, hitting the wall and then covers her eyes. “Oh goodness, my apologies. Excuse me.” She shuffles out of the room and shuts the door, leaving me so humiliated.
On the verge of tears from the emotional rollercoaster my heart just took, I flip over on the bed and bury my head in the pillow, barely able to comprehend what just happened.
Knox’s mom, his apparent best friend, just saw me topless and in a G-string on her son’s bed . . . holding out a package of fucking Oreo cookies.
Oh.
My.
God.
Kill me now.
My face burns in embarrassment, and tears sting my eyes as I try to erase that entire scene out of my head.
And the worst part? I thought he was cheating on me . . . For that split second, my heart sank to the wood floor, leaving me breathless with a crack in my barely healed heart.
Tears fall and I hold back a sob that wants to escape. He wasn’t cheating on me, he wasn’t . . .
But her voice, God, that was the worst few seconds of my life. Knox, baby . . .
The mattress dips and Knox’s hand slides up my thigh to my bare backside. He leaves his palm on my ass as he leans down and presses a kiss where his hand is rubbing. From there, his lips press a hot and seductively wet trail up my back, to my shoulders, and then to my neck where he pushes my hair to the side for better access.
“Babe.” He rolls me over, revealing my naked upper half and my fallen tears. His eyes soften as he wipes at my cheeks. “Em, it’s okay.”
“I’m so humiliated.” I drape my arm over my eyes as my tears flow, unable to stop myself from crying now. This is not . . . this is so horribly not what I wanted.
His warm body lies next to mine as his arm falls across me, pulling me into his chest. He removes my arm from my face and turns my chin so I’m forced to look him in his beautiful eyes. It only makes me cry more.
“Baby.” He chuckles, pressing kisses across my eyes and cheeks. “Don’t cry, it’s okay. My mom doesn’t care.”
“It isn’t just that.” I take a deep breath. “For a second, when I heard your mom’s voice, I thought you were bringing someone back to your room with you.”
“Em.” He sighs and pulls me in tighter. “You know you’re all I want.”
“I know, and it was a split second, but that second hit me harder than I was expecting. It was as if everything that was right in my world was just stolen from me.”
“I can see how that would be upsetting, but Em, you’re all I want . . . ever.” He kisses my forehead then my eyes again and travels his lips down to mine, where he’s soft and sweet, inaudibly communicating how much he truly likes me.
With every press of his lips against mine, the dark cloud that started to steal my happiness begins to disappear until my head feels clear again, and my hand snakes up past the hem of his shirt. Muscle contracts under my touch as he groans against my mouth.
“Babe,” he whispers. “You can’t touch me like that, not with my mom on the other side of that door.”
“I missed you, Knox.”
“Fuck, I missed you too.” His tongue brushes against mine before he pulls away and cups my cheek. “I missed you so goddamn much, and I seriously can’t believe you’re here . . . in that. You’re so fucking hot.”
I glance down, still slightly embarrassed. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Mission accomplished. I fucking got hard as stone seeing you when I walked in. Shit, babe, I had a boner in front of my mom.”
I stifle a laugh against his shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me she was here with you?”
“She surprised me last minute, coming back with me. She’s here for two weeks. Rented an Airbnb in the building across from ours. She loves watching the exhibitions.”
“Looks like you’re the guy to surprise.”
“I loved your surprise way more.” His hand falls between our bodies where he cups my breast in his hand, his thumb passing over my nipple, hardening it to a tight peak from the callouses on his rough hands.
“God, Knox.” My head floats back. “I want you so bad right now it’s ridiculous.”
“And you choose to tell me that with all my boys and my mom in the living room, waiting to have pizza together?”
“I know, I’m sorry.” I prop my body up and his eyes immediately fixate on my breasts.
“Shit,” he mutters right before pushing me back down on the bed where he spreads my legs and lowers his hand down past my G-string to find me already wet. “Christ, babe. You’re so wet.”
“Want you, Knox.” Encouraged to return the favor, I reach my hand into his waistband and grip the base of his cock. He hisses harshly between his teeth as his head drops forward. He sits back and pushes his pants and briefs down over his ass, giving me better access and then returns his hand to my clit where his thumb circles the little nub.
“You have to be quiet, Em. I love when you moan my name, but you have to be really fucking quiet.”
I nod. “I can do . . . oh God.”
“Emory,” he chastises, his hand stilling. “I’m dead fucking serious. Quiet.”
I seal my lips together and nod again. But Jesus, what he’s doing feels so good and when he moves two fingers inside me, I nearly gasp loud enough for his neighbors to hear.
“Damn it, Em. I’m going to stop.”
I shake my head and smooth my hand over his cock and up to the head where my thumb passes over the top. “No, please,” I whisper. “I’ll be good. I promise.”
“Oh-kay,” he chokes out when my thumb rubs the underside of the head of h
is cock. “Oh fuck,” he groans quietly into my ear. “Shit, babe, I’m not going to last long.”
“Me neither,” I gasp as he makes small circles over my clit. “Oh, right there. Yes, Knox.” I can barely hear my own voice, I’m hoping from being so quiet, and not from the pounding of my heart.
“I’m there, Em,” he says on a grunt, his release lethal to my ears, shooting off my own.
My back arches, my clit pulses against his thumb, and my hips rotate against the pressure of his hand.
“Fuck,” I whisper, pulling on the back of his neck while riding out my pleasure, floating down slowly until I’m completely spent.
Breathing heavily, we both look at each other, casually touch one another, running a finger over a cheek, a thumb down the back. Our smiles stretch across our faces as a silent exchange passes between us; we’re together again.
“I’m so goddamn happy you’re back.” He places a kiss on my nose. “Thank you for the best surprise ever.”
“You’re welcome. Now if you can help me out of your bedroom window so I don’t have to face your mom, that would be great.”
“Stop, she’s going to love you. Get dressed, it’s time you meet her.”
“I hope she didn’t see any of my girly bits.”
“Nah, you covered up fast.” With one last kiss, he hops off the bed and we both clean up and get dressed. Looks like I’m about to take the next step in this relationship: meeting the mom.
Chapter Twenty-Five
KNOX
Holy shit, my girl is here. Walking in and seeing her on my bed in . . . well, virtually wearing nothing, there are no words to adequately describe that feeling. Apart from undeniably hot. Stunning. Horny. But it was seeing the necklace around her neck, the one I gave her, hanging close to her heart . . . my girl. She said she hadn’t taken it off, and maybe I’m a proud ass, but I liked it. Topless except for the gift of my heart.
And as we walk out to the living room with fingers laced together, I still can’t believe she did this. Took an opportunity to be here waiting for me. I loaned Emory some of my clothes, a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt that is entirely too big on her, but it’s better than just a G-string. Which I would have been fine with, but given that she’s going to be eating pizza with my mom and teammates, I’d prefer her covered up, despite how perfect her ass is.
The Locker Room Page 20
