Because of you

by J. , Lea

  “Oh, hey, Ry. I can’t sleep. I keep thinking about tomorrow’s game against the Wolves.” I put my legs on the coffee table and lean back on the couch, taking a big gulp of water.

  “I know what you mean. It’ll be okay, we’ll take care of Ethan.”

  “I know, man, but I’m still a little worried. Someone always gets hurt because of him.” I squeeze my hands into fists, thinking about all the injuries Ethan caused me and my teammates.

  “Is Nikki coming to the game?” Nikki is Marc's newest girlfriend. He is so nuts about her he’s always with her, I barely see him anymore. Well, I’m no better. I spend most of my time with Aaliyah and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

  “Yeah, she said she’s coming. Jackson mentioned something about Addison offering to save her a seat. Is Aaliyah coming?” I shrug.

  “She said she doesn’t know yet. She wants to be there, but isn’t sure if she can get someone to replace her at work.” He nods.

  “How are things between you two? I heard some weird groans coming from your room at night. I take it she’s upstairs?” Putting my hand behind my neck, I nod.

  “She’s incredible. She is getting under my skin, and surprisingly I don’t mind.”

  “Ha, under your skin, yeah right. I think she already is there, judging from all the noises you two were making.” Grinning, I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow.

  “Shut up.” We’re still grinning.

  “Seriously, it took you long enough to see what everyone else already knew about her. That she doesn’t have secret intentions and that she’s a really nice girl.” I grab my head.

  “I know, I was a total jerk and I’m so happy she forgave me. Speaking of her, I have to get back, I don’t want to leave her by herself for too long.” As I get up from the couch, a paper ball I was crushing in my hands earlier hits me in the head.

  “You’re totally smitten, man.” I flash him a satisfied grin and return to my room. Yes, I’m definitely smitten. Aaliyah is lying in bed on her side, her long hair spread across the pillow. Every moment I’m not with her is lost, so I quickly get under the covers and hug her tightly. She moves her ass toward my hips, sighs and keeps sleeping.

  Chapter 15

  Aaliyah

  Oh, the feeling of waking up by Ryder’s side was incredible. His kisses woke me up from deep sleep and it was the best way to start the day. He let me use his shower while he was making us breakfast. All the time we spent together, he was kissing me. He has just accompanied me to the campus so I can get dressed and get my books I need for classes, then he went to practice, because this afternoon they have an important game. I can still feel the effects of our lovemaking between my legs. I’m a little sore, but it’s a feeling that cannot be compared with the one I was experiencing while he was inside me. I can’t wait to do it again. I giggle to myself, quickly put the books in my backpack, check if my hair is still in its place or if it’s disheveled, and leave for classes. Addison already had a class before me, so we agreed to meet by the lockers.

  “Oh, you’re here already?” I’m just putting the books I don’t need at the moment in the locker, and I turn around.

  “I just got here, shall we go to the classroom?” My phone beeps in my pocket. I quickly pull it out.

  Ryder: I miss you.

  A smile creeps on my face.

  Me: I miss you, too.

  I quickly put the phone away, before Addison starts interrogating me, but happiness still shines through on my face.

  “Sure. How was the date yesterday? I noticed you didn’t come home.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me. We sit down at a desk and put down our books, then I respond.

  “Oh, it was heavenly. Ryder is…” I close my eyes and think about him, “perfect, I don’t know what else to say, really.” When I open my eyes again, I see her wide gaze.

  “Oh my God, you had sex! I can see it all over your face. You totally went all the way with him.” A blush spreads across my cheeks, I bite my lip and nod. “Ha, I knew it, damn, I’m good. Well, I don’t want to know the details because he’s my brother, but anyways, how was it?” I sigh at the thought of yesterday evening.

  “Even better than I could ever imagine. I can’t believe the things he can do with his mouth and…” Addison raises her hands.

  “Stop, stop, cut it out, I don’t want to know what he can do with his mouth, eww!” She shudders, but smiles at me, and a silly grin is still etched across my face.

  After class we go to the cafeteria, where we buy sandwiches.

  “Jackson is waiting for me outside, I’ll be right back, okay?” Mouth full, I nod and sit at a table. Fifteen minutes later she still hasn’t returned, so I decide to go look for her. We’re going home together anyways. I open the big university door, the daylight blinding me for a second, even though it’s cloudy outside. I blink a couple of times for my eyes to adjust to the light, and my legs carry me to the park where Jackson and Addison usually meet. But I don’t get far when I’m suddenly paralyzed with fear as I see Addison and Caden talking. I run to them as quickly as I can and stand before Addison, looking at Caden who is laughing out loud.

  “What are you doing here? Leave my friends alone!” Addison gives me a questioning look.

  “Well, well, is that how you greet your uncle? Aren’t you happy to see me? He takes a drag on a cigarette and points his head to Addison. “We were just chatting, no big deal, right?” My eyes dart from Caden to Addison and back.

  “Aaliyah, you didn’t mention you have such a funny uncle.” I don’t respond, just shake my head.

  “Addison, wait in the car, do you understand?” She shrugs and nods, winking and waving at Caden as she leaves. “Leave…my…friends…alone!” I spit out, shaking on the inside. I can never tell what he’s up to.

  “Oooh, I’m so scared,” he says sarcastically, raising his hands in defense as he approaches me. “You’ve gotten feisty ever since you left home. Did …uh, what’s his name,” he puts his finger to his lips, pretending to think, “ah, Ryder, did he give you courage?”

  “Don’t drag him into this!” I yell.

  “Calm down, princess, I only want to make sure there isn’t a copy of the footage out there—we wouldn’t want me to end up in prison, huh?” I gather my courage and spit in his face. I notice his hand twitches and he makes a fist. I am certain he wanted to hit me, but there are too many people around for him to try anything.

  “I don’t have any more copies, I only had the original. Now, leave me alone, I don’t ever want to see you again!” I turn around, I want to get away from him as fast as possible.

  “We’ll see each other again soon, sweetheart,” I hear him call behind me, and I close my eyes, hoping that isn’t true.

  Ryder

  We are gathered in the locker room, waiting for one of the most important games of this season. The morning practice went well, so we don’t expect any major problems. Except for Ethan, of course. When he’s around, trouble always follows. I put on my other running shoe and double knot it, so it won’t come undone during the game.

  “Guys, are we ready to kick their asses?” Coach Collins yells as he steps into the locker room. A loud round of cheers, whistles and ‘let’s smash those bastards in’ erupts in the room, as we form a circle in the middle of the locker room to bump our fists. We raise them high in the air, shouting ‘Go, Tigers!’”

  The first half is in full swing, it is the second quarter and nobody is injured yet. We’re two points behind, but we’ll catch up. Jackson passes the ball and I drive across the middle, then slow down. I signal my guys to get open so I can pass the ball. Marc runs past me, so I pass it to him and set a screen for him, so Mark frees himself from his defender. Dribbling to the basket he scores and a personal foul on him is also called. We pat his ass enthusiastically and wait for his free throw. We tensely stand in our places as the referee passes Marc the ball. He bounces the ball twice and shoots, but he misses. Ethan laughs mockingly and bumps into his shoulder o
n purpose as he runs past him. Marc pushes him away, and I jump between them, dragging him away, so he doesn’t get charged with technical foul.

  “He’s not worth it, man, let’s kick his ass on the court.” He nods, his lips form in a straight line, his eyes trained on Ethan.

  “Fuck, I hate this guy. He really isn’t worth it, let’s go kick some asses!” We both run to our positions and the game continues. Noah has the ball now, but two players are blocking him. I use this opportunity to run past and Noah passes me the ball under the opponent player’s legs and I successfully catch it. I run to the basket, dribble past a Wolf defender that ran over to me to try to block me. I jump and the crowd goes wild as I score a two-pointer.

  “Yes!” I say enthusiastically, high-fiving my teammates. The game goes on and Jayden manages to score some difficult shots. He misses the last one, so I jump and grab the rebound. I run around the opponents and just as I want to make my way to the basket, Ethan crashes into me hard, so I fall to the floor. I immediately hear the referee’s whistle, and from the corner of my eye I see Aaliyah, standing up, hands over her mouth. She probably got scared when I fell. I wink at her to make her feel better, before I pick myself off the floor and notice she’s relieved when she sees I’m not hurt. I give Ethan an ugly look and walk past him. I don’t want to waste my time on him. When the first half is finally over, the scoreboard shows we have a three point lead. We gather around the Coach, who gives us some instructions. Kittens take over the middle of the court again and entertain the crowd.

  “Knight, Andrews, Alvarez, Brown and Brown, you’re playing in the third quarter.” He called the five of us who usually open the game: me, Noah, whose last name is Andrews, Marc Alvarez and the twins Jayden and Jarrod. “I expect a good game, like until now, but be more aggressive, get open more, so your teammates can pass you the ball.” He draws a few more plays on his board and wishes us luck.

  Aaliyah

  Ugh, it’s so hard to watch how Ethan is constantly picking on Ryder. I’m so glad everything was okay earlier, when he smashed into Ryder, and that he wasn’t hurt. My heart is beating hard, only five minutes until the end of the game. Wolves have the ball in their possession and they took a one point lead. Ethan passes the ball to one of his teammates, who dribbles past Noah and scores. Tigers’ fans start booing when the opposing team have the ball, trying to encourage the players not to lose hope. Addison is holding my hand tightly and we have our fingers crossed in hopes of Tigers winning the game. Nikki, who is sitting on the other side of me, is also nervous. The referee just called a personal foul against Jayden, so he gets to throw two free throws. He scores both. Only a minute left, and Wolves are still in the lead by one point, and the ball is in their possession. I can’t sit down from all the excitement and nerves, so I stand and loudly cheer for our Tigers. Wolves have managed to get through the defense and we’re slowly losing hope, because there’s only thirty seconds left. Ryder suddenly runs across the middle and surprises the opponent, when he steals the ball. As fast as he can, he runs toward the basket, and since there isn’t enough time to get under the basket, he stops in front of the three-point line, jumps and shoots. We all take a deep breath as we watch the ball fly through the air. There is absolute silence in the gymnasium as we’re all waiting to see where the ball will land.

  “Yeeeees!” we scream unanimously as the ball lands in the basket in the last second, which means we have won. Tigers are jumping around the court, and lift Ryder in the air. I proudly watch how happy he is to have beaten the opponents. He’s waving his hands high in the air and screaming with happiness. Our gazes meet, and he blows me a kiss. I wave back at him, my heart still beating hard from all the excitement.

  Finally, the shouting and cheering has calmed down and Tigers are sitting on a bench, drinking and chatting enthusiastically. Addison, Nikki and I are talking about what a thrilling game it was, when Addison softly nudges me and points to Ryder. Paris is standing next to him, hanging all over him. She’s running her hand down his hand and smiling at him seductively. Her gaze falls on me, and she licks her lips, then she hugs him and kisses his cheek.

  “Ugh, I hate her. Why is she still hitting on him, she knows we’re together.” Shaking my head, I run my fingers through my long hair.

  “Don’t worry, Ryder is not interested in her anymore. You can trust him—he’s completely devoted to you. He would never cheat on you, you mean too much to him.” Unconvinced, I wrap my hands around my hips and watch him.

  “Oh, I hope you’re right. Paris can be persuasive.”

  “Hey, baby,” I hear, then Ryder’s lips are on my neck as he approaches me from behind. I can’t hide the smile that always appears when he’s with me. I turn around, wrap my hands around his neck and give him a long and passionate kiss. “Mmm, what did I do to deserve this? Not that I mind, but I’d like to know, so I can do it again.” He winks and I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow.

  “No reason, you played well, so you deserve a reward.” He grabs me by the hips again and presses me to him tightly. He whispers in my ear.

  “A reward, huh? I have something else in mind. Right now, I’m picturing you in my bed, wrapped only in a sheet that I rip off you, and you’re lying in front of me, naked, waiting for me to devour you. Mmm, perfect.”

  “All that can be arranged,” I wink and watch his pupils dilate and his eyes turn from playful to lustful.

  “Hey, everybody, we’re leaving, have fun.” All I can manage is to smile at them and wave, giddy at the thought of being alone with Ryder.

  ~ * ~

  “Do you want to go to the masked ball with me?” he says, drawing circles with his fingers on my naked stomach. I look at him in thought and then turn to him.

  “Hmm, is that a charity event for all the basketball players, which the universities organize?”

  “Mm-hum,” he responds, his attention still focused on my body. I grab the blankets and pull them over my breasts, so he`ll look me in the eyes.

  “Hey, why did you do that, I was busy.” He raises an eyebrow at me.

  “When is the ball again?” I didn’t pay attention before, because I didn’t intend to go.

  “In two days.”

  “What? How can I find a mask in two days? And I should buy a dress, I don’t have any appropriate ones for such a big event. I don’t know, Ryder, at this moment I can’t affor-.” He puts two fingers on my lips.

  “Don’t worry about that, everything has been taken care of. Tomorrow at three, you have an appointment with Loren, where you can choose whichever dress you want. Just be careful—it has to be black or white, because it’s a black & white event. My treat.” I shake my head furiously. “I have something else for you.” He gets out of bed and while he’s digging through his pockets, I’m admiring his perfect body. His wide back and tight butt. I lick my lips in appreciation when he joins me on the bed again. “This is for you, I want you to wear it at the ball.” I’m looking at a medium-size blue box.

  “What is it?” I ask him, surprised.

  “Open it, I hope you like it.” I take a deep breath and open it. Putting a hand over my heart, I am astonished by what I see. My fingers touch a shiny bracelet he bought me. It is made of white gold and it has a heart clasp. Two hearts, combined into one. The smaller heart is attached to the big one and in the middle there is a beautiful diamond. “Thank you, but I can’t accept it. You know I don’t need anything from you.” I shove it back in his hands. He grabs me by the shoulders and turns us, so I’m lying on my back and he’s on top of me. He puts my hands over my head and starts kissing my neck.

  “I want you to go with me and I want you to have everything your heart desires. Everything is already arranged.”

  “But—,” this time his lips on mine cut me off.

  “I don’t want to hear it—just need to hear your cries of pleasure when you come.”

  “Oh, yes,” I moan as I feel his lips on my breast.

  “Can I ask you something?�
� I say when we’re still lying in bed, tired from our passionate lovemaking.

  “Of course, anything,” he responds.

  “Why did you think I was after your money? That I only hung out with Addison because of your money?” His lips form a straight line and he sighs.

  “Every girl I was with before you, turned out to be only interested in my money—well, except for Paris. She is rich, so it was easier to get involved with her. But I wasn’t exactly in love with any of them, so it didn’t bother me that much. But before Paris I dated this girl, Bonnie. I was really in love with her and I gave her everything she desired.” I feel a twinge of jealousy at his confession of love, but I don’t let him see it because I want to hear the rest of the story. “So, one day she met some movie star, I think he was about ten years her senior, and obviously he had more to offer, a bigger influence, I guess, so she left me for him. The break-up was very painful for me, and I promised to myself I will never let this happen again. She broke my heart. That’s why it was so easy to be with Paris. I guess I sometimes felt something more for her as friendship, but it definitely wasn’t love.” He puts his hand on my cheek and kisses me gently. “I knew, I knew in my heart that you were nothing like that, but my subconscious didn’t want me to get burned again. I am still sorry for the way I treated you.”

  “It’s okay, I understand your behavior better now. I’d probably react the same way if I were you. Don’t worry about it.” With a kiss I prove to him the past is already forgotten and that the present is what we have to be focused on. “Tell me about your parents. Addison mentioned they are divorced?”

  “Yes, it’s been a long time since the divorce, around seven years. They were together only four months before they got married in Vegas. They met at a conference. He was just taking over my grandfather’s business since grandfather was retiring, and she was a hostess there. They said it was love at first sight.” He rolls his eyes, grimacing. “Love at first sight, yeah right. My mom is like most women—she was attracted to his money. But still, she’s my mother, and she loves me. I’m actually surprised by the fact they stayed together so long. In the end, she got a nice sum of money out of their marriage. They both got married again and, as far as I know, they’re both happy and get along even better than before.” He shrugs. “We’re a family of wackos.” He kisses me.