Redemption (Cambria University #2)

by Sadie T. Williams

  “No, nothing like that. You know I’m always safe. Mac’s rule, whatever number.”

  “Five. It’s rule number five,” Rhodes offers.

  “I don’t know how you still know that, but whatever.” I wave my hand dismissively. “It’s Maisy, man. This whole thing has me twisted and I feel like I’m losing my grip. I don’t know what I’m doing here anymore. The lines are fucking blurred. This bet was a bad idea. I- I think I may have feelings.”

  He chuckles. “I know you have feelings. You’re not always a cold-hearted bastard. You love me,” he says.

  “Debatable,” I deadpan.

  “Bull. Shit. You love me and you know it. But, as far as Maisy goes. If you do then you need to decide if she’s something special or if she’s a bet. She can’t be both,” he says calmly. He isn’t taking this moment to expose the chink in my armor. This is why he’s my best friend. He knows when to razz and when to advise.

  “How do I know? I’ve never been in a relationship. I don’t even know if I’m still trying to win the bet or not! I’ve never talked to girls for this long without fucking them, and it’s never gotten this deep.”

  “That what she said,” he jokes, but stops when he sees the angry look on my face. Just when I was giving him a mental compliment, he has to shit on it. “What about your heart?” he asks.

  “What about it? I don’t have one.” I shrug.

  “You do, bro. I know you do. You may be an asshole on the daily to everyone in the world that doesn’t matter to you, but to those of us who do. We’re your world and you’d do anything for us. You’re loyal as fuck and when you’re in, you’re all in.”

  “ARGH!!!!” I scream and rake my hand through my hair. “I don’t like when she leaves, okay? There, I said it. I like being around her.”

  “That wasn’t so hard. I’ve been there.”

  “With Tori?” I ask.

  He doesn’t answer the Tori question, but says, “Being vulnerable is hard, and there’s always a chance you’re gonna get hurt.”

  “Was it worth it?”

  “One hundred percent. I’d do it all over again. I was young and I fucked it up,” he says. Now I know he isn’t talking about Tori. “I was so fucking happy till I wasn’t. If Maisy is it, man, don’t fuck it up.”

  “Thanks, bro.” I wish I had time to ask him more about who is talking about, but I’m out of time. We give a quick bro hug and I hop in my truck. I don’t know why I needed him to tell me what I already know, but it feels good to hear it.

  ✽✽✽

  I pull up to Stafford House and sprint from my truck. I knock and Roommate answers.

  “Hey, is Maisy here?”

  “Maybe,” she replies.

  “What? Either she is or she isn’t. How is she maybe here?” I snap. I’m annoyed and trying to reign in my assholeness before I say something to Roommate that I shouldn’t.

  “If you know my name, I’ll go get her,” she says with a smug look on her face. I drag my hands through my hair to calm myself down. Maisy wouldn’t want me to get pissed at her roommate, but I can’t help it. I’m so fucking on edge.

  “Your name is Roommate,” I reply with a big, brilliant smile and then continue, “If this is your lame attempt at getting me to acknowledge your existence, mission failed. Maisy, let’s go!” I shout through their room.

  “You’re a dick,” she retorts as her cocky grin turns into a frown. That seems to be all she ever says to me.

  “Duh. I think we’ve established this several times over the last few weeks. You seem to enjoy pointing it out and I’m starting to enjoy letting you.” Her face turns up into a smile at my admission that I remembered what she said at Gypsy Juice.

  Maisy appears in black yoga pants, a light pink t-shirt, a zip-up black hoodie and knock off Birkenstock sandals. She is absolutely stunning in anything she wears, but I love her casual look.

  “Spending too much time with the tree-hugging English fuckers.” I nod toward her feet in an attempt to joke… sort of.

  “Millie is right. You are a dick. Maybe I should stay here.” She raises her eyebrow and crosses her arms in challenge.

  “Millie? This is Roommate, Maisy,” I make light of an introduction, “Right, sweetheart?” I ask as I flash her my pearly white smile again and run my hand down her arm. Millie lets out a soft moan, which I’m sure she didn’t mean to, and melts immediately. She’s never seen the sweet side of me before. No one on this campus has except Maisy.

  “Blake,” she whispers, her face a bright shade of red. “Roommate is fine. I kind of like it.”

  “It’s our thing.” I smile and turn my attention to Maisy who is staring at me. Possibly in shock from the 180 I just pulled with Roommate. “Owl, I’m sorry I’m late. Coach wouldn’t shut up. Will you still come with me?”

  Maisy nods. I have butterflies in my stomach. I have a picnic in my truck, complete with checkered blanket, champagne, strawberries, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Don’t judge, they’re delicious.

  I’m taking Maisy to my favorite place. A place that I think she’ll love just as much as I do. But I’m also petrified at that idea, because then my special place will become her special place, or our special place.

  The lines between my feelings for Maisy and this fucking bet are unclear. I’m losing track of where I’m at with her. Rhodes’ reassurance is what got me here. I was going to back out and just take her out to dinner, but I want her to see this place. I want her to love it.

  I open the door to my truck for her and she thanks me. One thing I have noticed is that she’s always polite, appreciative of everything. Something completely different from the entitled girls I’ve known at Dayton and Cambria.

  “Where are we going?” she asks as her head bobs along with the music. A little Ed Sheeran to set the casual, comfortable mood. That English bloke can belt it.

  “Just relax, Owl.” I smile, reach over and place my hand on her thigh. Blood rushes to both of my heads from the contact with her body. We drive for about twenty minutes and I pull up to a rest area.

  “Let’s go, we’ve got a little walk.” I grab the picnic stuff and guide her skeptical ass through the woods. I can feel her tensing the longer we walk.

  “Donovan,” she finally speaks.

  “Two minutes,” I promise, grab her hand, interlock our fingers and kiss hers as my body flushes again from the contact. Just under two minutes we get to the clearing. My place.

  “This is it.” I pause. “My place.” There’s a small reservoir off the highway surrounded by large trees that hide it from the road. The bank is grassy and slopes down into the clear blue water. Everything is silent, except for nature. Peaceful. Private.

  “I found it one day when I left campus. The day my Grammy died. I needed to get away and I parked up there and just started walking. There’s a dam a couple miles north. When I need peace, I come here. I thought you would like it. It’s not the ocean, but it’s something,” I explain. Sometimes the anger that builds up inside of me needs a release other than hitting or fucking someone. No one knows this about me, and it’s why this place is important. It keeps me from going off the fucking rails somedays.

  Maisy stands next to me. Her hand still in mine, completely silent.

  “This—” she inhales and looks around— “is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

  “Second most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” I smile and stare at her. I knew she would appreciate this place. “Come on, I made dinner.” I’m pretty proud of myself. This is a new level of effort for me.

  “Can we please swim first? Before it gets too dark?” she asks as she stares at me through her thick lashes, her azure eyes cutting straight through to my heart and my cock.

  “Uh, well, I didn’t plan to swim. I thought the water may be too cold by now with the sun setting,” I reply as I lay out the blanket, open the champagne with a loud pop, and set out the sandwiches and strawberries.

/>   Maisy scans the picnic and places her hand over her heart. “Donovan, this is so fantastic. I can’t believe you did all this for me. But, can we swim, please?” she breathes. “I’ve missed the water.”

  She stares at me but doesn’t wait for my response. She removes her clothes and is standing in front of me in just a pale pink lace bra and panties before I can even answer her question.

  Holy. Fuck. Her small, round nipples are peeking out between the lace swirls. And when she pulls the rubber band from her hair and shakes out her hair, all the blood rushes from head to my dick. If this were a scene from a fucking rom-com movie, it would be in slow motion.

  I’m hard as a fucking rock right now. Her body is perfection. Bronze skin, tight abs, and lean muscles from her years of surfing. My restraint is waning. The urge to grab her and throw onto the bank, my hands rubbing all over her body, my cock penetrating her sweetness, is overwhelming. I inhale deeply and hold it in an attempt to slow my racing heart.

  “Come on.” She nods toward the water. Her eyes are bright and hopeful, sparkling against the lake background.

  I take off my shirt and she admires my chest, then shifts her gaze to my arms and stares at my tattoos. My left arm is a full sleeve. At my shoulder is a large moon reflecting over a lake surrounded by trees, similar to where we are right now. My elbow is covered in a compass with the arrow pointing due north, and a map of England, where the Blake and Huntington families immigrated from, is inked under the compass and wraps around my forearm. On my right shoulder is a large knight with his chest of armor wrapping around my upper arm and extending down to my elbow. Across my chest is a soaring bald eagle with his wings spread. The tats only feed into my image of an intimidating badass who men fear and chicks dig.

  “You can touch him.” I nod toward my eagle as her eyes dart away. Her cheeks turn rosy from embarrassment that I caught her staring at me. But her eyes raking over my body feels natural. She isn’t looking at me like I’m Donovan Blake, she’s just looking at me. She regains her composure and steps toward me, reaching out her tiny hands and placing them on my shoulders.

  “Do these all have a meaning?” she asks as she caresses both of my arms then runs her hand over the soaring eagle on my chest. Do not come in your pants. You’re not twelve anymore. Her touch is singing to my heart, my dick, and my soul. A rush of unfamiliar feelings fills me. I feel like a kid who just touched his first boob.

  “Kind of, but basically I just picked things I liked.” I shrug. “I mean I don’t have the Chinese symbol for prosperity or anything with a profound meaning.”

  “What about yours?” I ask. “What’s with the birds?” I reach out and rub my thumb over her collarbone. Her body stills and I can see goosebumps rise over her skin. Her body’s reaction to my touch mirrors mine. I want to throw her down on the picnic blanket and fuck her until she screams my name. I want to give her first orgasm. I want to taste her body. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Get it together.

  “They’re swallows. Legend says they save your soul if you drown.” She smiles and touches my hand touching her tattoo. This moment. I will never forget this moment. “Sometimes I feel like I’ve been drowning my whole life.”

  “That’s some heavy shit, Owl.”

  “Strip already. Let’s go,” she commands and changes the subject. There is more to Maisy’s story than her mom leaving when she was young. Hopefully, someday I’ll get it all.

  “Your wish is my command,” I smirk.

  I take my shorts off and King Richard is standing tall, contained only by my black boxer briefs. Her eyes slide down my chest, past my abs, to where my eight inches of manhood is saluting her. She stares, and stares, and stares, and I can see the heat from her body creeping up her neck while her nipples strain against her bra. Her gaze finally snaps back to my eyes when I make him twitch.

  “Okay, let’s – um, let’s get in.” She clears her throat. “The water. Come on,” she says as she turns to jump in, but not before glancing down one more time. I make my cock twitch once more just for good measure.

  We jump in off the shore and the water is glacial.

  “Holy shit! This is fucking freezing,” I complain. I guess this is one way to get rid of a hard-on. The water isn’t deep. When I stand up, it’s up to my shoulders. She, on the other hand, can’t touch. She’s treading water with ease though, completely at home in the water. It’s her natural place, and I can see that now. The water is over her head when she tries to stand though, and it makes me laugh.

  “It’s not that bad you big baby,” she laughs and splashes me. “I’ve surfed in worse.”

  “Yeah, you’re used to this shit. My white ass is fucking frigid. I’m going to die out here of hypothermia,” I chuckle. I grab her head and push her under the water. She pops back up and her eyes are blazing. She smiles a devilish grin and swims at me with a purpose.

  She pounces on my head in a failed attempt to dunk me under the water. For one, I can touch, and two, she’s about a hundred pounds lighter than I am. Her determination makes me laugh and I can’t ever remember having so much fun with a girl.

  She retreats and swims at me again. This time, I catch her as she pounces again and I hold her close to my body. I can feel the heat streaming off of her, even in the cold water. She stills for a second from our contact, but then wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. I can feel her erect nipples rubbing against my chest through her lacy bra. Cold water aside, King Richard has resurrected.

  “I’ll keep you warm,” she says and her sapphire eyes look deep into my emeralds. After a beat she speaks again.

  “Why are you sharing all of this with me, Donovan? Why are you letting me in?” she asks as she uses one hand to slick my hair back on my head. My cock twitches in appreciation of her touch.

  I remain silent. I don’t know how to answer that. Am I doing it to win a bet or am I really falling hard for her? I don’t fucking know anymore. I don’t want to be apart from her. I want to be with her. All. The. Time. I want to kiss her, touch her, claim her as my own, but I can’t say that, so I go with the next best thing.

  “I don’t know,” I answer. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. “I’ve never done this before.”

  Suddenly, Maisy leans forward and presses her lips to mine. It feels so good and she tastes as sweet as I imagined. I let out a deep groan. Her lips are soft and supple, and her signature coconut scent is wafting around us, even in the water. Her black hair is wet and slicked back, revealing her gorgeous long neck. She parts her lips slightly and I take advantage. I slip my tongue into her warm mouth and our tongues dance delicately around each other. Passion and desire. Every nerve in my body is singing because of her. I don’t kiss girls anymore as it is – no need – but I never want to stop kissing Maisy.

  Our movements are not forceful and I’m not in a hurry. The feelings rushing inside of me are almost overwhelming. I don’t know what I’m feeling exactly, but it’s addictive, and now that I’ve tasted her, I don’t think I want to stop it. A thin piece of lace and my boxers are the only thing separating my cock from claiming her in the water. I can feel her rub against me in rhythm with the motion of the water. My hands stroke her back under the water as I press her tighter to my chest. I’m pressing her so hard to my chest it feels like I’m trying to put her into my own body.

  I turn and carry her out of the water to the picnic blanket. She’s still clinging to my body. I kick the food off of it. Fuck it, I’ll buy her dinner later. I’ve never wanted something so much in my entire life.

  Suddenly, my conscience is speaking again. You really going to fuck her for the first time as part of bet? If I do, nothing will ever come of this. I need to decide what Maisy is to me before I do something I can’t take back.

  Chapter 21: Maisy

  I don’t know what came over me. I kissed Donovan Blake. In a freezing cold lake. Despite the temperature, my body feels like it’s engulfed in flames. Heat is rapidly rushing through me, I’m craving h
im like a fiend, and I can’t control myself. I knew this would happen the minute I locked onto his emerald eyes. Moth to a flame.

  What I didn’t expect was him to be so open with me though. He has a lot of layers underneath his tough exterior, and bad boys typically don’t let you peel those layers back. They don’t become vulnerable. He did, which only intensified my attraction and desire.

  Running my hands over his tattoos was so dang sexy. His calloused thumbs stroking my collarbone almost set me off. Thank goodness the water was freezing or I may have combusted. Locking my body around his was stupid, but it felt so good. So right. I kissed him before my brain could stop my body. I’ve never felt what I feel right now with anyone. The feelings aren’t just external lust, but something much deeper, something uncontrollable.

  His hands were stroking my skin in the water, his massive erection rubbing against my clit through my panties. I’m wet from the lake, but I’m soaking wet from his touch. If anyone can make me come, it’s going to be this guy.

  As Donovan kicks the picnic food off the blanket, I let out a laugh causing him to press his lips harder against mine. He’s hungry for me, feasting on me, just as I am with him.

  We’ve been fighting these feelings for too long, and now they’re pouring out of us. I can’t help but stroke his muscular back. The ripples running under my hands are exquisite. He is thick and masculine.

  But as rugged and rough as he appears, he’s gentle and attentive. He lays me down on the picnic blanket, swiftly and unapologetically removing my bra. He’s always telling people what do or taking what he wants without asking. He knows what he wants, and right now, in this moment, it’s me and I love it. Giving up control actually feels freeing.

  He pauses and stares in my eyes for a second before his gaze shifts to my chest. It feels like he’s imprinting my image into his mind.

  He smiles, leans down again and presses his lips back to mine. I feel his enormous hands slide up my sides and onto to my bare breasts, cupping both, one in each hand. He rolls my buds in between his fingers and the pleasure zings through my body and makes my abs clench. I arch my back to press my erect nipples further into his grasp. I can feel him grinding his stiff cock against my thigh.