Relentless (Titans of Founder's Ridge Book 2)

by Nichole Greene

  “Obviously.” I give her the side eye for that.

  “I don’t know. I’m still pretty pissed about your performance in front of Oliver.”

  “He still taking you to the party?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then it’s all good,” I give her the smile I know she can’t resist. “I’ll bring the gummy bears.”

  “Mom said she was going into the city with Frank, so I guess it’s just us this weekend.”

  “Yeah, thank fuck. Can you elaborate on that shitshow at dinner last night?” I ask as I park in the garage.

  “That,” she sighs and looks over at me, “was just my mom being her nasty self. Don’t worry about it, I know how to let it go.”

  “She can’t restrict your diet like that.” I will be fucking damned if I watch Jennifer push Ivy into some sort of eating disorder. “You probably have to intake more calories during swim season than I do during football.”

  “I do.” She turns to face me. “I also know how to take care of myself. I’ve been doing it on my own for years. You don’t have to worry about this, I promise.”

  I look down at her and nod.

  “I’m going to do my calculus homework and shower. Then I’ll find you, sound good?”

  “Yeah, that works for me. So nerdy, homework on a Friday,” I tease.

  She tosses her middle finger over her shoulder as she starts up the stairs.

  I drop my bags on the couch in the living room and head back to the theater to get it ready for tonight. On my way through the kitchen I grab the gummy bears, a couple bags of microwave popcorn, and a few cookies that Babs baked earlier today.

  I flick the light on in the theater with my elbow when I walk in and then set the snacks on the coffee table. I turn the temperature down about four degrees, so it’ll be nice and chilly. Then I hide all but one blanket, so we’ll be forced to share, and she’ll have to cuddle with me. It’s pathetic but that’s pretty much how I am when it comes to Ivy, a pathetic pussy. I don’t care because tonight it’s just her and I. I plan to make the very most of every minute she’s here with me.

  I head back up to my room after setting my cuddle trap. I take my uniform off and do a few sets of push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and lunges like I always do when I don’t have practice or a game. When I finish the final set, I check my phone and see a few texts from Con and Griff discussing some shit happening with one of the asshole lacrosse players. I text that I’ll handle him tomorrow night after the party.

  I usually deal with keeping all the athletes in school in line, most respect me enough to automatically defer to me, but there’s always one or two who won’t fall in line. Con handles all the other idiots who step out of order. Then if our fists fail to convince them we unleash the real beast on them. Griff can find where you’ve hidden every skeleton and buried every lie. He is ruthless when he annihilates someone. A broken nose will heal. A shredded soul is much harder to mend.

  I plug my phone in and prepare to leave it there for the night before getting in the shower. I turn on the showerheads on for the full car wash experience. I have to make sure I’m squeaky clean and smelling good. I do a little manscaping, probably not as much as she’s used to being around swimmers all the time. That thought brings a little growl to my throat. I haven’t let myself think about her being with any other guys sexually until just now.

  It’s hypocritical of me considering what she walked out of her room to see Sunday morning but fuck if I don’t want to ram my fist into any guy’s face that has touched her. I try to think rationally about it, but nope, any guy who does more than kiss my girl is getting their ass beat.

  I dry myself off and grab my most indecent pair of gray sweatpants. They are crazy soft and leave nothing to the imagination, so I pull them on commando. I grab a Founders Prep football hoodie and pull it over my head. Right as I finish getting dressed, I hear a knock on my door.

  I pull it open and find Ives standing in the hall and looking cute as fuck in a little tank top and Yale pajama pants. She’s left her hair curly like I like it and smells so good I have to think about NBA stats not to pop a semi.

  “Hey,” she gives me a slow once over, “where are we watching the movie?”

  “Theater room. It’s down in the basement.”

  “There’s a basement?”

  “Yep,” I give her a follow-me head tilt. “I already put out snacks. What do you want to watch?”

  “Options?”

  “We have everything.” I lead her down the stairs off the kitchen. “Do you still like scary movies?”

  “Yeah, still my favorite.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell you the ones I haven’t seen, and you pick from them. That work?”

  We decide on a movie, and I make the popcorn while she divides the gummy bears. When I bring the bowl over, I notice the goosebumps all over her arms.

  “Cold?”

  “Yeah, it’s freezing down here,” she says rubbing her arms.

  The movement draws my eyes to her chest and as much as I don’t want to cover up the sight of her hardened nipples poking through her tank top, I do want her comfortable.

  “Do you want my hoodie?” I offer.

  “Sure, if you don’t mind.”

  I grip it by the back collar and pull it over my head with a cocksure grin. She swallows while she eye fucks my chest and abs. I make sure to keep everything tight while I sit down, taking up as much space as possible on the couch. Manspreading is the name of the game. She raises an eyebrow at me but sits down. We’ll have to be close to share snacks regardless.

  We settle in and start watching the movie. Most girls would be burrowed into my side by now, but Ives is enthralled by the violence and gore playing over the screen. I decide to lay my head in her lap because that’s the only way I’m getting any physical contact right now. After a few minutes, she relaxes into it and drops her hand across my chest and plays with my hair with the other hand. It feels so good I almost fall asleep, but I have part two of my plan to enact once the movie is over.

  I feel her gaze on me as soon as the credits start to roll. Her fingers haven’t stopped moving through my hair in at least forty minutes.

  “That feels so good, I don’t want to move.” I lay one of my hands over her hand resting on my chest and link our fingers.

  “Your hair is so soft. I didn’t even know I was doing it.” She smiles down at me. “It’s like petting a cat.”

  “There’s only one pussy in this room, and I definitely wouldn’t mind petting it.”

  Her breath hitches, but she gives no other sign of being interested. The air is thick with the tension bouncing between us. She wiggles her fingers out from mine and starts to slide out from under me on the couch. The absence of her body and touch from mine leaves me cold.

  “Want to go for a swim?” I offer knowing full well she never turns down nighttime swims.

  A second of indecision crosses her face, and I think that she might actually turn me down, but then a smile creeps across her face, and she nods.

  “I’ll go change into a suit and meet you outside,” she says over her shoulder as she leaves the room.

  I follow her out and up the stairs. When we get to our rooms, she pulls the sweatshirt over her head and tosses it at me. I wait until her door closes and then sniff it, inhaling that fruity scent that I love. I throw it on my bed by my pillow and grab a pair of swim shorts.

  When I get down to the pool, I start a fire in the fire pit and turn the jets on in the hot tub. She walks out of the house in a dark pink bikini with her hair piled up in a messy bun. I let my eyes roam over her lean and strong body. Her shoulders are perfectly toned from years of competitive swimming, and she even has slight definition of her abs. Her boobs are small but perky, less than a handful, but that doesn’t bother me. She wastes no time and jumps right into the water.

  I know what she’s doing as soon as she hits dead center of the deep end. She takes one big breath and lets herself sink down to the bot
tom. I give her a minute before I jump in after her. I wrap my arms around her waist like I did the night we met and push up off the bottom of the pool. When we break the surface, she spins in my arms.

  “You’re still as ungraceful in the water as you ever were,” she smiles and wraps an arm around my neck.

  “We can’t all be Olympic caliber swimmers,” I swim us over to where I can touch. She lets go of my neck and floats on her back with her legs still wrapped around me. The sight has my dick hardening against her. “Ives?”

  “Yeah?” she asks with her eyes still closed.

  “Did you ever think of me?”

  Her eyes fly open and she pulls herself up against me. “Of course I did. Every day, Levi.” Her eyes search mine. “Did you?”

  “So often,” I rasp. “This feels right, Ives. You in my arms like this.” I squeeze her thighs. “I know you feel it, too. I see it in your eyes.”

  “We can’t,” her eyes get glassy, “our parents…”

  “Who the fuck cares about Frank and Jennifer?” I shout. “It was you and I first.”

  My heart constricts when one lone tear makes its way down her cheek. I don’t want her to cry, but I want her. I want her to understand that whatever this is between us is the real fucking deal.

  “Give me one night.” I cup her cheek and run my thumb over her parted lips. “Give me tonight.”

  She barely opens her mouth to say yes when I crash my lips against hers. I have so much need for this girl. I want her so desperately that the kiss is my attempt to claim her. I’m not an idiot. I know our first time was not good for her. It was unplanned and clumsy, bumbling. She definitely didn’t even come close to having an orgasm. That changes tonight.

  I feel the moment when she fully gives in, and it just acts as an accelerant to my already burning desire for her. Her fingers thread through my hair as she clenches her thighs around my hips. I move one of my hands up her thigh and gently tug on the strings of her bikini bottoms, seeking permission to pull them off. She nods against me. Our lips lock together, and our tongues duel for dominance.

  I pull the strings off her bikini and toss the bottoms on the pool deck. She reaches behind her back and pulls the strings of her top off. I walk us to the edge of the pool and set her on the edge. For the first time since she gave me consent, I break our kiss and lean back to look at her. She tries to close her legs, a blush working its way down her body, but I push her knees open.

  “Don’t hide from me,” I command. I drag my gaze from her perfect, pink pussy up to her eyes and watch as they go half-lidded when I slip a finger inside her. She lets out the tiniest little gasp when I slide another finger inside and pump them in and out slowly. I kiss her again while I draw her pleasure out with my fingers. I run my lips along her jaw, nipping and licking a path down her neck and chest until I reach one of her rosy nipples. My tongue swirls around the pebbled tip before switching to the other side. She’s leaning back on one hand with the other hand griping the back of my head and holding it to her. Every moan and pant that comes out of her mouth is the most beautiful sound.

  I pull away and look back up at her. “Has anyone ever tasted your pussy?”

  “No,” if possible, her eyes grow even heavier, addled by pleasure, “I haven’t been with anyone except you.”

  That makes me pause and stand up straighter. “Really?” How is that possible, was our first time so bad that she was put off sex entirely?

  “Levi,” she lifts her hips off the ground, seeking contact, “don’t stop.”

  I lower myself between her legs and use my shoulders to keep them spread apart. I tease her with short, light licks, flicking my tongue gently over her clit. I increase pressure and swirl circles around it as I hook two fingers inside her drenched core.

  “Oh, fuck.” Her hips lift and she grinds against my face. “Levi, fuck.” Her voice rises in pitch as she comes apart on my tongue and fingers. I continue giving her lazy licks as she comes down from the orgasm, her body going bonelessly limp against me.

  7

  IVY

  I lay there, completely boneless and sated as the final tremors subside. When I look down at Levi, I see him wearing a smirk with a satisfied gleam in his eyes. He kisses the inside of both my thighs before lifting himself out of the pool. He leans over me and smiles before kissing me gently.

  “Relax while I turn everything off out here.”

  As if I could do anything else right now, I’m not sure if my legs will work yet. That orgasm had me seeing stars. I’ve never experienced anything like it, granted I’m the only who has ever made me come. But still, holy wow.

  I’m still laying there completely naked on the edge of the pool when I feel Levi reach down and lift me. He carries me into the house and up to his room. When I look at him questioningly, he arches an eyebrow at me.

  “You didn’t think we were done, did you?” When I don’t answer, he continues, “We’re going to take a shower, and then I’m going to fuck another orgasm or five out of you.”

  He walks into his bathroom and turns on all the showerheads before shucking off his swim shorts. He turns toward me, and I catch a glimpse of his dick. It jerks as his eyes travel up and down my body. He holds the glass shower door open for me, and as soon as I pass him, he follows me in. I turn and pull my hair down, letting the water run through it.

  He reaches behind me and grabs a bottle of shampoo; after squeezing some onto his palm, he starts working it through my hair. He helps me rinse it out and repeats the process with conditioner. Then he grabs body wash and works it between his palms into a rich lather. He runs his hands all over my body. It’s not in a sexual way, it’s much deeper, more caring and tender. He cleans me like he cherishes every touch, every second of our time together. I return the favor and do everything he did to me to him, enjoying the feel of his muscles and warm, slick skin under my hands.

  After we dry off, he leads me back to his bed. He pulls the covers down for us and lies down beside me after I crawl in. We’re facing each other and his hand rests on my hip.

  “Our first time sucked for you, didn’t it?” he asks.

  “Yeah, kind of,” I say softly, “I’ve never once regretted that it was you though.”

  “Me either. I’ve never regretted anything about that night, aside from it being the last time I spoke to you.” He stares into my eyes for a minute, and I drown in their inky depths. “I’d like to make that night up to right now, if you want.”

  I close the distance between us and kiss him. If we’re giving each other one night, then I’m all in for it. His hand travels from my hip up to ribs, and his thumb brushes the curve of my breast. I let my hands rove all over his body, committing how he feels to memory. When my hand wraps around his dick and pumps, he releases a sexy groan and rests his forehead against mine.

  I spend the rest of the night hyper-focused on cataloging every sound, every taste, every sensation of him moving within me. The way his lips feel against my skin as he marks every possible inch of me. The way he is so in tune with what my body wants and needs from him. He puts my pleasure first every step of the way, erasing the awkwardness of our first time and cementing a high standard for any future lovers.

  I start drifting off to sleep while Levi’s fingers run slowly up and down my spine.

  “Tell me a secret, something you’ve never told anyone,” Levi says quietly.

  “I love swimming, but I don’t want to compete at the level my dad wants me to,” the answer flies off my tongue before I even realize that’s what I’m going to say.

  Levi’s hand pauses for a second and then continues rubbing my back, “You know I can relate to that.”

  I remember the day that Frank took Levi’s first love, basketball, away from him. We had just gotten back to camp for our second summer at Foster’s.

  “Hey,” I say as I walk up behind Levi.

  He’s standing on the rocky shore of the lake, past the beach and dock, skipping rocks across the dark, g
lassy surface in the moonlight. The moon is almost full and reflecting off the lake and lighting a halo over Levi’s floppy blond hair. He turns, and his eyes are dark and sad.

  “Hi,” he manages a weak smile and wraps me in a tight hug.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask while I squeeze him back.

  “Dad called the coaches here today and said I have to focus on football. No more basketball even though it’s my favorite.” He turns away from me again and hunts for the perfect skipping rock.

  “That’s dumb. Parents suck.”

  “Football is stupid. I should just start throwing crappy passes and dropping snaps.” He sends the rock across the lake and then collapses onto a boulder. I have to suppress a smile because there is no way my competitive friend would purposefully suck at anything. “Sit with me.”

  I think about telling him to ask instead of order, but he’s so down I can’t say no. I sit beside him, and we stare out over the water for the rest of the night.

  “Your turn,” I say from where I’m tucked against him.

  “I don’t want to take over the bank. I want to teach and coach,” he admits.

  I pause for a bit, thinking about how unexpectedly awesome he’d be as a coach and teacher. He’s so warm and encouraging it actually makes perfect sense. “I can see that for you. You’d be a great teacher and coach. Do you know where you want to teach? What level?”

  “High school or college, coach high school or younger though. College coaching is too focused on money.” He sighs and rubs his hand over his face. “It doesn’t matter though, I’m the only heir to the bank in the family and that’s important.”

  He reminds me so much of how he was night by the lake. Defeated and resigned to a life he isn’t interested in. I have a feeling I’m one of the only people he lets see him like this, and it does crazy things to my heart. Reckless things.

  I run my fingertips over the dips and valleys of his abs while I remind myself that come tomorrow, we’re strictly stepsiblings. Maybe we can work our way back to being best friends. Now that I have him back in my life, I can’t imagine wanting him gone again. I feel lighter with him beside me, like his golden looks and persona illuminate the dark shadows that can creep in. He’s my torch in the night.