Love Is In the Air Volume 1

by Susan Stoker

  And why didn’t I tell Nicki about my secret feelings that time?

  She was dating some other guy.

  Why didn’t I tell her the time before that?

  I was dating some other girl.

  The timing never worked out, and it almost didn’t this weekend, either. But she’s newly single. I’m not seeing anyone. I’m not even interested in anyone aside from her...and I haven’t been, not really and truly, possibly ever. I’ve tried writing it off as a crush, but after the way my chest lit up in her mere presence last night, I think it’s time to acknowledge the truth.

  I’ve known this girl for four years, and I’ve been in love with her for three and a half.

  She’s nineteen now. I’m twenty-one. There’s nothing illegal anymore.

  And it’s more than a crush.

  I’ve always felt like crushes are for people you don’t really know. They can develop into more or less once you have a real conversation, and Nicki and I have had those over the years. There were late nights in high school when she and Ellie had sleepovers, or after school when she came over to do homework with my sister.

  We haven’t had as many since I headed off to college, but when we get a chance to see each other at the holidays—it’s never small talk with her. It’s always something deeper, and that’s something I haven’t found with girls my own age who only want to hang out with me because of my place on the field.

  I’m going to tell her tonight.

  I’m going to tell her tonight.

  I’m going to tell her tonight.

  I really am going to tell her tonight.

  If I can wait that long.

  I’m up before either of the women, and the room is quiet as I pick up my phone and scroll through the headlines on my various sports apps just like I do every morning. Nicki is sleeping literally right above me, and all I can think about is how I want her closer. I want her body physically on top of mine rather than the six feet or so that it’s currently resting above me. She’s so close, yet so far.

  When my phone vibrates with a text while it’s in my hand, I nearly drop it. And when I see who it’s from, I can’t help the smile that forms on my lips. I procured her number a few years ago when I was trying to surprise my sister for her birthday.

  Nicki: Good morning.

  Me: Good morning. How’d you know I’m awake?

  She leans over the side of her bed and our eyes meet. She chuckles softly and my chest aches at her beauty. She just woke up literally moments ago, and she’s as gorgeous as I’ve ever seen her.

  Nicki: I could hear you tapping around on your phone. It sounded like angry scrolling.

  Me: Hope I didn’t wake you. That’s just my big fingers.

  Big fingers that want to touch every centimeter of your body.

  Nicki: You didn’t wake me. I don’t think I ever fell asleep.

  Me: Sorry. Was it my snoring?

  Nicki: No. You weren’t snoring. My mind was just wandering all over the place.

  Me: Want to talk about it? Or...text about it, I guess?

  Her answer doesn’t come right away, but I can hear her softly tapping out a message on her phone in the quiet stillness of the room. I can’t help but wonder how many times she types and backspaces and retypes before her message comes through.

  Nicki: I want to ask you a question but I’m nervous about your answer and I sort of feel like asking via text is less embarrassing than face to face.

  Me: We’ve known each other a long time. You can ask me anything.

  This one also takes a while to come through, and those familiar nerves I get around this girl clatter around again.

  When the text comes through, I’m surprised at the candid nature of her question.

  Nicki: Did you almost kiss me last night?

  Okay, Nolan. This is your chance.

  I’m going to tell her tonight...nope, looks like I’m going to tell her right now.

  Me: Last night, last month, that one time when you were fifteen. Yeah, I almost kissed you. More than once.

  It’s my turn to feel a little embarrassed by my admission, but I’ve learned something in the last four years playing football at the collegiate level. Playing safe gets you safe results. Taking risks, calculated or not...that’s what unlocks the big wins.

  I see Nicki’s face again as she leans over the side of her bed, and our eyes meet in a conversation of their own. It’s the way my parents have silent conversations across the room, the way my buddy Eric looks across the room at his girl, the way anybody who’s ever been in love can have those meaningful moments without words.

  And it’s in that moment that I know I don’t have anything to fear when it comes to spilling my real feelings to Nicki. I glance over at my sister’s bed. She’s still fast asleep, her breathing even.

  “I wish I could kiss you right now,” I whisper into the quiet room.

  The most beautiful smile widens her lips, and I know without a doubt that before this day is over, I’ll feel those lips moving under mine. I’ll know what it’s like to have her fresh smell of mint filling my nose as I taste her for the first time. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll get the chance to let my fingers dance along every sweet and gorgeous crevice of her body.

  “I’ve wanted you to kiss me since the day I met you,” she whispers back.

  I raise a brow. “Then get your cute little ass down here so I can make your dreams come true.”

  She giggles out loud then slaps a hand over her mouth as we both glance over at my sister.

  It’s too late. The giggle seems to have awakened the beast...er, I mean, my sister, as that little cock-blocker stirs over on her bed.

  “Later,” I mouth to Nicki, who nods as our eyes do one more of those little tangos, and then she moves back onto her pillow and I do the same as my sister wakes up.

  “So obviously I’m going to need every single detail about this Trevor kiss,” Nicki says once we’ve placed our brunch orders at a nearby restaurant. My sister hardly ever goes out to eat, mostly because our parents are paying for her meal plan in the dorms, but whenever I come visit, it’s tradition to head out to brunch. As far as I can recall, Nicki has always come with, a breath of minty fresh air every single time.

  I order pretty much the meatiest platter on the menu while Nicki and Ellie settle for pancakes and eggs.

  “I’m good on those details,” I interject, and both ladies laugh.

  “She’s been working on this for like a year,” Nicki says. “Let her bask in the glory of the long game.”

  I laugh at how short a year sounds when I compare it to four in my own mind. “Okay, then. How was it, Ellie? Is he your Prince Charming? Your happy ending?” I think twice about that last one. “Wait. I don’t want to know if you gave him a happy ending. That’s way too much information.”

  My sister is forever going on about finding her Prince Charming. Between her notebooks filled with pink, glittery stickers and her penchant for fairy tales, she’s the epitome of the Disney Princess who deserves her happy ending someday. But, like, the real kind, not the sexual one. I don’t want to know about that.

  Now Nicki, on the other hand...I’ll take any happy endings she’s willing to dish out. Sexual or otherwise.

  I realize they’re nineteen and young, and I’m only twenty-one, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the future as I get ready to graduate and move into the next phase of my life. It’s hard not to think about that stuff, and as exciting as having women in every city calling my name sounds, that’s not the life I want.

  I know what I want. I think I’ve always known it, too. I’ve wanted to play football professionally since I was ten, and I worked my ass off to make it happen.

  I’ve wanted Nicki Blair by my side since I was seventeen...and I’m going to work my ass off to make that happen, too.

  Ellie’s eyes widen a little on a chuckle. “Josh!” she berates playfully. She clears her throat and rolls her eyes. “I don’t know if he�
��s prince or frog material just yet. It was one slightly drunken but very steamy kiss one night after over a year of knowing each other. But all signs point to prince.”

  My eyes flick to Nicki’s lips as I think about a slightly drunken, steamy kiss with her.

  My dick tries to poke his way into my internal dialogue, and I force my thoughts to getting smashed by a defender. Some guys think of baseball while others think of apple pie to tame the beast, but for me, it’s football. Obviously, considering it’s my entire life and has been since I was six and will be until the day I retire...with any luck, anyway.

  Our server drops off some coffee and juice, and I drink down half the orange juice in one long gulp. “So what’s the plan for the rest of the day? You got more plans to see Prince Trevor?”

  It’s my not-so-subtle way of figuring out how to get Nicki alone. And speaking of Nicki, my eyes edge over to hers while my sister obliviously chatters on. She’s looking at me, too. A heated moment passes between us.

  “Maybe at another party tonight, but since my big oaf of a brother is visiting, this afternoon is out.”

  I turn toward Ellie and raise a brow. “Oaf?”

  She lifts a shoulder. “I thought it was nicer than ogre.”

  “Did you just compare me to Shrek?” I glance over at Nicki, who’s watching our exchange with a playful gleam in her eye.

  “You have, like, the biggest hands I’ve ever seen and you’re six foot five,” my sister tells me. “You’re basically a monster.”

  “I think I might’ve preferred ogre to monster,” I admit. “And just to prove I’m not a monster, please don’t let me stand in your way of seeing Prince Charming. I’m happy to find something to entertain myself.” My eyes flick to Nicki again, and a little color stains her pretty cheeks. “In fact, I have a big paper due Monday that I haven’t even started, so if you want some Trevor time this afternoon, I can work on that.”

  “That’s the most boring thing I’ve ever heard. You come to visit your sister for the weekend and you’re going to hang in my room working on a paper?” Ellie asks.

  I shrug. “I’m just being the gentleman who’s opening time for you to chase your man.”

  And opening up my chance at a moment alone with Nicki. I refrain from mentioning the ulterior motive.

  Ellie twists her lips. She pauses, and then she shakes her head. “No. Forget it. I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “It’s fine, Elle,” I say, shortening her name to make myself sound even more sincere. “Really, I don’t mind. I’m tired after a long week anyway. Workouts have been grueling ever since Coach hooked me up with a former pro player to get me league ready.”

  She sighs. “Are you sure?”

  I glance at Nicki. A small smile plays at her lips as I answer my sister. “I’m sure.”

  4

  “I just got a text and he said I should meet him at his house,” Ellie says once we’re back at her and Nicki’s room. She looks frantically through her closet. “What do I wear? What the hell are you supposed to wear to an impromptu afternoon date at someone’s house? Is this even a date? Like, is he going to kiss me again? Or are we going to get naked? Do I need sexy underwear?”

  “Brother still in the room,” I remind her, and Nicki giggles at the two of us before she takes charge in the sexiest way I may have ever seen.

  “You,” Nicki says, pointing to me. “Get your laptop out, put your earbuds in, and get started on your paper. You don’t need to hear our conversation right now. And you,” she says, pointing to Ellie while I do as I’m told. “Take a deep breath.”

  Ellie freezes and breathes in deeply.

  “Good.” Nicki nods, and then she grabs Ellie’s hands. “Oh my God, you’re going to Trevor’s for an afternoon date!” They allow a moment of a girly freak out dance, and I can’t help my chuckle. Then Nicki says, “Wear your lucky pink sweater and jeans. Keep it casual.” I slip my earbuds in, so I have no idea what they say next, but I really do get to work on my paper as I sit at Ellie’s desk.

  A half hour later, Ellie yanks an earbud out of my ear. “Text me if you need anything, okay? Otherwise I’ll be back by dinner.”

  I hold up both hands. “Don’t rush on my account. If you’re not back and I’m hungry, I have a car. I can find a place to eat.”

  She tosses her arms around my neck. “Thank you,” she says, and she bounds toward the door. I slide my other earbud out the moment the door clicks shut behind her, and Nicki glances over at me, her cheeks pink and her lips parted and her chest moving up and down with each breath she takes.

  I close my laptop and stand. I gaze across the room at her. “I think we have a conversation from this morning to finish.”

  She clears her throat but doesn’t answer, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because words elude her or if there’s some other reason. But I know I didn’t misread the situation. She told me she wanted me to kiss her...and now I’m going to.

  “I like you, Nicki,” I say softly. I take a step toward her, and she takes a step back.

  “I like you, too,” she murmurs. The door is mere inches behind her, and she moves until she’s against it with each step I take—not because I’m a menacing threat, but like she wants to prolong this chase between us.

  Once this happens, everything changes.

  “I’ve liked you a long time, and as hard as I try to get you out of my head, I haven’t been able to.” Another step.

  Her eyes soften in surprise. “The feeling’s mutual.”

  Another step. She’s out of room and I’m out of patience.

  I’ve been waiting a long, long time for this moment. My heart races erratically in my chest. It’s more nerve racking than taking the field even though she told me she wants this, too.

  I finally reach her, and she looks up at me as I stand within inches of her. She’s tall at five foot eight, but I still tower over her with nine inches on her. And I’ve got another nine inches waiting for her somewhere else if she wants it.

  Her blue eyes are clear and a little anxious, too, and I want to know what’s on her mind. I tuck some hair behind her ear like I did last night. “What are you thinking?” I murmur.

  She blinks rapidly a few times, like she’s scared to tell me, but then she blurts it out. “I’ve just wanted this for so long that I can’t believe it’s really about to happen. What if it doesn’t work out? What if it feels like I’m kissing a friend? Will it make things weird with Ellie?”

  “Is that a risk you’re willing to take?” My voice is low and raspy, a sexual sort of deep that I didn’t even know I had the power to do.

  She doesn’t answer with words. Instead, she loops her arms around my neck and pulls me down to her, and our lips brush together with the sweetest, most tender touch at first.

  It doesn’t feel like I’m kissing a friend.

  It feels like I’m kissing the only woman I’ll ever kiss again.

  I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her tightly against me as the tender brush of lips turns a little hotter, a little more urgent. Our mouths both firm as I open mine, my tongue moving out to tangle with hers. It starts slow, but the passion builds as the arms looped around my neck move to explore. Fingernails trace down my back and slip under my shirt, and the feel of her chilled hands on my warm back are at once rattling and calming.

  I break the kiss long enough to murmur, “Jesus Christ, your hands are cold.”

  She chuckles and moves them further up my back as our mouths meet back up again. I slip my hands under her shirt, too, and she stops kissing me long enough to pull off her shirt and toss it to the floor. She’s taking the lead, and I’m letting her move at the pace that’s comfortable for her—which is far faster than I would’ve taken it, but I am one hundred percent on board with it.

  She pulls my shirt off, too, and runs her hands along the ridges of my abdomen.

  We kiss some more, both of us without shirts, and I unsnap her bra and toss it to the ground. My hands have a
field day on her breasts, the perfect cupful in my palms, and then I lean down further to give my lips a taste. She moans and leans back against the door as I suck her nipple into my mouth, my tongue swirling around the tight tip, and then I let it go only to hoist her up. She wraps her legs around my midsection and I carry the two of us over to the futon, kissing between her breasts as I navigate my way through the small room.

  I lie her down then climb over the top of her, and we make out there for a minute or an hour. Time doesn’t matter when Nicki is in my arms. It becomes this inconsequential thing that passes way too quickly anyway.

  Her hands are warmer now, and they trail down to the buckle of my belt. I sit up a bit to let her have her way with me, and she opens my belt, flicks the button of my jeans, and lowers the zipper before reaching in.

  “Fuck,” I hiss as she strokes me, and then she reaches her other hand in and cups my balls. I’m about to lose it, but shooting off early wouldn’t be nearly as much fun as driving into her for the next hour.

  I move my hips back, and she lets go of me. I need a minute to recover, and while I do that, I slide my hand into the space between her skin and her jeans. I keep going further until I find the silky top of her panties, and I go lower until I slide a finger across her wet clit. I dip inside her, driving my finger in and out as I watch her face twist in pleasure. She snags her bottom lip between her teeth, moaning as she gives into the pleasure.

  “I want you,” she pants.

  That’s the signal. I give the lady what she wants.

  I pull her jeans down her legs along with her panties and toss them to the side.

  “There’s condoms in that little jewelry box on my dresser,” she murmurs, and I find one and shove my own jeans down just enough to release the beast. I roll it on in the space of about four seconds.

  I return and hover over her, my lips colliding again with hers, and she reaches down to guide me to her entrance. The fact that she’s so confident in her movements just makes her even more beautiful to me, and my chest tightens with emotion that this is actually happening.