Pass Interference

by Natalie Brock

  “I like the way you think. Happy New Year, Philip.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Sara pulled the car into the Masons’ garage and turned off the motor. She opened the driver’s side door, stepped out of the car, and pressed the button on the wall that lowered the garage door. When she looked back at the car, she saw that the passenger side door was open, but Philip hadn’t gotten out.

  She fretted when she saw that he’d made no effort to get out of the car. “Philip? Are you okay?” She cautiously walked around to his side of the car. She bent forward to look inside. “Do you need help?”

  Philip looked in her direction and nodded. He had a funny look on his face, not what she expected. “What can I do for you?” she asked.

  He reached for her hand and pulled her closer. When she was close enough, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her inside. She let out a little yelp and instinctively placed her arms behind his neck for leverage. “What are you doing?” she asked, laughing.

  He held the back of her head and whispered, “This,” before kissing her. He wrapped an arm around her legs and made sure they were tucked fully inside the car. Once secure, he gripped the handle alongside the seat and slid it back to give him more leg room.

  Sara leaned away. “What are you doing? You’re making me dizzy. I feel like I’m on an amusement park ride,” she joked.

  “That’s good.” He chuckled, adding, “Because we’re about to have the ride of our lives.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh? And what did you have in mind?” She was about to ask if he’d done this before, when he kissed her again, this time far more deeply than the last kiss. Her eyes closed involuntarily and she relaxed in his arms. His hands glided down her bare shoulders, inching the sleeves of her off-the-shoulder blouse lower and lower until her strapless bra was fully exposed.

  She pulled away a little to see what he was doing. This wasn’t what she was expecting, but she didn’t question it. If he wanted to make out with her in the car, she was most definitely up for it. In fact, she was up for pretty much anything he wanted to do. He had yet to disappoint her, and she marveled at how he was never at a loss for new ways to turn her on.

  His eyelids were half closed as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cleavage. Sara tilted her head backward, enjoying the feel of his lips on her chest and his hands all over her bra. “Wait,” she said, pulling away a little.

  He looked at her quizzically and watched as Sara repositioned herself so she was straddling Philip. Her short skirt inched upward and settled around her hips.

  “Comfortable?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Not a bit—” she giggled “—but I’m working on it.” Inwardly she laughed at how awkward her new position was; her knees were halfway off the upholstery of the seat, pressing up against the interior wall of the car on one side and spilling onto the console near the gear shift on the other. But she decided she was willing to give up her creature comfort in exchange for the pleasures of the flesh.

  “Come here,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and capturing her lips again.

  “Philip, I want you to touch me,” she murmured against his mouth. He broke the kiss to look at her face and then down at her bra. In one motion, he unclasped her bra and released her breasts from their confines.

  Tossing the bra onto the driver’s seat, he said in a husky voice, “Told you I’d make it up to you for that missed midnight kiss.” Philip closed his mouth around one breast and fondled the other one in circles under his palm, sending convulsions through her body.

  “Ooooh.” Sara moaned with pleasure. Through her sexual haze, she could feel Philip’s erection straining against his slacks. While he was giving her breasts his full attention, she fumbled with his belt buckle. She opened his belt and slowly unzipped his pants, massaging him gently. He groaned and gripped the handle at the side of the chair again, this time adjusting the seat into a reclining position. He closed his eyes and allowed Sara to take control. “Oh baby. You are so close,” he whispered.

  She smiled and bit her lip, increasing the pressure and speed with which she stroked him. He grasped her hand to slow her down. “Not yet,” he told her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush on top of him. Her hair lightly brushed his face before he thrust his tongue into her mouth.

  Breaking the kiss, he arched his back, grinding his groin against hers. His erection was hard and swollen as it pressed against her sweet spot. The constant pressure was exquisite. She was hot and she was sweaty, and she was dying for release. She felt herself rushing toward orgasm, and she knew Philip well enough to know he was about to burst, too. He was breathing hard, repeating, “Baby, yes, do it.” Even through their clothes and without intercourse, they both came to orgasm.

  With her ear pressed to his chest, Sara could feel his heart beating so fast and so hard, it sounded like it was thumping inside her head. Or maybe it was her own heart that was pounding. Catching her breath, she murmured, “I can already tell this is going to be a great year.”

  »»•««

  Lying in Philip’s bed after the wild ride in the car, Sara leaned her chin on Philip’s stomach, staring up at him. He was rhythmically lifting strands of her hair between his fingers, a gentle gesture that felt so intimate and loving. She felt so content right now.

  “I know I’ve said this before, but I wish we could stay like this forever,” she mused. “I don’t ever want to leave.”

  “Me either, but the team has a game on the second.”

  “I know,” she said, rolling over and resting the back of her head on his chest. “I just don’t want things to change. Between us, I mean. I like the way they are right now.”

  He locked his arms around her. “They won’t change,” he said, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. “Not if we don’t let them.”

  Sara got goose bumps when he said that. She stroked his arm. “Philip, would you teach me about football?”

  “Hmmm. Well, how much do you know?”

  “The better question might be how little do I know.”

  “Have you ever been to a game?”

  “Um. No.”

  “Have you watched a game?”

  Sara was about to say no when she remembered all the time she’d spent in the library watching films. “I watched thirty-eight games!”

  Philip let out a laugh and tightened his hold on her. “So, did you understand it at all?”

  “Some of it. The basics anyway. I caught on after a while, but I was more focused on watching you than watching the game,” she admitted. “Let’s see. You score a touchdown, you get seven points.”

  “Six points,” he corrected. “You need to kick the extra point. How about we watch one of those recorded games together? I can explain it while we watch. I’ll get a chance to tutor you for a change.”

  “I’d love that.” She especially loved making plans with Philip and knowing they were going to be doing things together when they got back to campus. Plus, if she was going to be the girlfriend of a football player, she needed to understand the game better. She probably needed to understand her boyfriend better, too. “Philip? I owe you an apology.”

  “You do? What for?”

  Sara rolled back onto her stomach and rested her cheek on Philip’s torso. “For acting like a lunatic tonight. It was our first New Year’s and it was supposed to be special.”

  “Hey, I'd have felt the same way if I saw you kissing another guy.” He lightly brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “The truth is, tonight you reminded me of the way you were when we first met, all fiery and defensive.”

  Smiling, she lifted her head up to look at him. “Which Sara do you like better? Fiery Sara or kinder, gentler Sara?”

  He returned her smile. “Um. I think I’d better be careful how I answer.”

  “Yeah, you’d better,” she laughed as she answered.

  He looked into her eyes and got serious. “I like all of you, Sara, every pa
rt. But I'm most grateful to the Sara who let her defenses down long enough for me to fall in love with her.”

  Sara’s lips parted as Philip continued to hold her gaze. No one had ever spoken to her this way before or treated her the way Philip did—it felt like he put her on a pedestal, a place she never thought she’d be, and she wasn’t sure what made her worthy of the honor. Tears pooled in her eyes. “I’m grateful to her too,” she finally whispered.

  He pulled her into his arms and rolled her onto her back again. When he kissed her lips, she held him so tight, and she could feel how much he loved her. She had never felt loved before Philip. He was, without a doubt, the best thing that ever happened to her.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Sara helped Philip carry his things into his dorm room. He was mostly walking without the crutches, but he still had an obvious limp.

  She set his duffle bag on the floor and looked around his room. “Looks like everything is exactly the way we left it.”

  He reached out and grasped her arm, pulling her close to him. “Except that now everything’s different.”

  She smiled up at him and rested her forearms on his shoulders. “Oh? Why’s that?” she asked flirtatiously.

  “Because last time I was here, I didn’t have you. And now…” He leaned in and softly kissed her lips. “I do.”

  Smiling, she bit her lower lip. “I know. Everything feels kind of different now.”

  “I know something that would make you feel more comfortable here.”

  “You do?” she asked naively.

  Philip turned his head and glanced at the bed. Then he looked back at her. “We need to get you out of these clothes first,” he said as he began to fondle her blouse.

  “Ah. Yes, I think you’re right. We’d be a lot more comfortable if we weren’t wearing clothing,” she said, giggling.

  Philip kissed her lips as he walked her backward toward the bed and pushed her down on it. Wrapping her in his arms, he peppered her lips with kisses and pushed her blouse up. Sliding his hand up under her bra, he found her nipple and teased the very tip until it grew tall and firm. She moaned and briefly pushed him away, just long enough to pull her blouse off entirely and remove her bra. Lying underneath him again, his mouth closed over one breast while he palmed the other one in continuous circles for what seemed to be an exquisitely, excruciatingly long time.

  She tugged his sweatshirt out of his pants, and he broke contact with her to pull it over his head and carelessly toss it onto the floor. Standing up just long enough to roll off his shorts and take her skirt off, Philip returned to the bed and straddled Sara. He leaned closer to kiss her when felt her tense up. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Your knee. Can you…”

  Smiling, he cupped her chin. “It’s nice of you to worry about me. But don’t. We’re gonna find out in a minute how hard this is.”

  Sara laughed at the double meaning and put her arms around his shoulders, pulling him down and closing any gap between them. As the length of his body pressed upon her, he maneuvered his erection between her legs, rhythmically easing in and out while she locked her legs around his back, urging him to go deeper with each thrust. Placing his fingers over her most sensitive spot, he continued pumping faster and faster until she convulsed and cried out with pleasure.

  At long last, he pulled out and came before his exhausted body fell on top of her. His arms encircled her, and he held her close as they both worked to catch their breath.

  Sara reluctantly left the security of Philip’s arms and got out of bed. After watching her getting dressed for a few minutes, Philip threw back the covers, rose to his feet, and put his arms around her from behind. “You don’t need to leave,” he said.

  Smoothing her pullover shirt, she leaned her head back until it touched his cheek. “I just need to go back to my room. I’m kind of tired of wearing the same thing I wore when we drove down.”

  He stepped away from her to unzip his duffel. “Don’t forget your new clothes.” He handed her the folded blouse and skirt she had worn to the party the night before, along with a plastic shopping bag that held other assorted items she had acquired during her visit to Naples, including her citrus toiletries. Leaning near her ear, he spoke in a deep whisper, “But if you want my opinion, I like it best when you’re not wearing anything.”

  Sara briefly thought about smacking him playfully, but the truth was, she loved it when he said things like that, and she didn’t want to discourage it. So she touched his face. “I can come back if you want.”

  He held her hand against his cheek. “Oh, I want. The team is leaving in a few hours and I want to spend as much time together as we can.” He kissed her briefly and then leaned away. His smile disappeared and he got serious. “Sara, I want you to know that…”

  “Yes?” she asked expectantly.

  “I’m really glad you came with me to my parents’ house. And I’m glad you stayed.”

  “So am I,” she whispered. “I never expected…” Her voice trailed off and she looked downward.

  Lifting her chin with his finger, he forced her to look at him. “Never expected what?”

  “I never expected to feel the way I do…about you.”

  “I know what you mean. Sometimes the best things take you by surprise.”

  Sara nodded slowly. She smiled and they looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment. “I’d better go,” she finally said. As she turned away, he caught her hand.

  “You’re coming back.”

  “Definitely,” she said, returning to his side. She kissed his cheek. “We’re going to be apart for a whole twenty four hours after today, so I’ll be back soon.”

  About a minute after Sara left, there was a knock at the door. “Just a second,” Philip said as he quickly pulled on his shorts. He opened the door shirtless, expecting to see Sara again. “Hey baby,” he said, but instead of Sara, it was his teammate Carter along with Brittany, the cheerleader.

  “Hey baby yourself.” Carter gave Philip a quick guy hug, which Philip didn’t much appreciate. He retrieved his sweatshirt from the bedroom and pulled it on over his head before returning to the living room. Meanwhile, Brittany made herself comfortable on the sofa and focused on her cell phone.

  “Hey man, how was your Christmas and New Year’s?” Carter asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “Was that Mary I just saw? Don’t tell me she gave you an assignment over break!”

  “Her name isn’t Mary. It’s Sara,” Philip corrected, unrolling the bottom of his shirt to smooth it out. “Shouldn’t you be at practice?”

  “We had practice all morning.” Carter lightly slapped Philip’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “Hey. I heard you’re gonna be coming with us to South Florida for the game tomorrow. We’re leaving in a few hours.”

  “You heard, huh?” he asked sarcastically. “Who told you?”

  “Coach. Why?”

  “Nothing, just if you’d been in touch, you might have heard it from me.”

  Carter was taken aback. “You seem angry dude. What’s up?”

  Carter was the one guy on the team who had stood by Philip the longest. He’d done Philip a lot of favors, like driving him to physical therapy and doctor’s appointments, and Philip probably should be more grateful. But over the past month, Carter had abandoned Philip like everyone else. “Forget it.”

  “Done. So, you might be wondering why I brought Brittany here, right?” Carter commented, gesturing toward the blonde cheerleader. “She told me she wanted to hang with you, and I figured you’d been a lone wolf long enough.”

  The second Brittany heard her name, she got off the couch and walked toward Philip.

  Philip glanced at the girl. He knew Brittany well. She’d been a cheerleader with the team for a couple years, and she was popular with a lot of guys on the team. Sure, he flirted with her now and then, but he was maybe the only guy on the team who had never hooked up with her. It was obvious she spent a lot of time on her appear
ance, and even though she was pretty, petite, curvaceous, and buxom, Philip had no interest in her. “No offense Brittany, but this isn’t a good time.”

  “Well, I can make any time a good time. Let me show you,” she said suggestively, putting her arms around Philip’s neck and kissing him on the lips.

  He gently pushed her away. “Sorry, Brittany, but I’m seeing someone.”

  Carter’s head turned quickly toward his friend. “Seeing someone? Since when? Why wasn’t I informed?”

  “Like I said, if you were around more often, you’d already know.”

  Carter squinted at Philip. Without looking at her, he said, “Hey, Brit, mind waiting outside for me? I’ll be five minutes.”

  She shrugged. “Whatever.” With her hand on the doorknob, she looked over her shoulder at Philip. “Listen hon, if you change your mind, call me. Any time, night or day.” She blew Philip a kiss before walking outside.

  As soon as Brittany left, Carter asked, “Okay, dude, who’s the girl you’re seeing? Or were you just blowing her off?” he asked, pointing toward the door. “Are you really seeing someone?”

  “Yes I am. I’m seeing Sara.”

  “Yeah right,” Carter scoffed. “Come on man, tell me.” When Philip didn’t respond, Carter recoiled. “What the hell? This is a joke, right?”

  Philip eyed Carter with disdain. One wrong word, and Carter was in danger of getting blasted. “Why would it be a joke?”

  “Because…because Mary’s not your type. She’s not anyone’s type. You told me so yourself. Remember? She’s one of those angry militant girls who doesn’t like jocks or cheerleaders. She’s probably gay and…”

  Philip clenched his fist at his side, trying to keep his anger in check. “You better choose your words carefully, Carter,” he threatened.

  Carter leaned against the desk and seemed to be trying to process what he had just learned. “Oh! Oh, wait. This is about the bet, isn’t it? You decided to just do her after all, didn’t you?” Carter laughed. “So that means I owe you a hundred bucks.” He reached into his pocket for his wallet. “I can give you fifty now and owe you the rest.” Taking out a few bills, Carter shook his head. “I was worried there for a minute. You can certainly do better than dating a loser like Mary.”