Personal Foul

by Hayley Faiman

  “I’m sorry I was a dick to you, Robin,” I admit.

  No bullshit, no pretending. I was a dick to her and I didn’t care.

  She lifts her chin. “I saw that report. I kept waiting to hear more, but there’s been nothing,” she admits on a whisper.

  “Yeah, and there won’t be either, unless I do something to change that,” I explain.

  Robin’s mouth falls open slightly, and then she nods. I watch as she presses a few buttons on her computer and then leaves me standing at the desk while she walks somewhere else behind a door. A few minutes later, she comes back with a manila envelope. Holding it out to me, she doesn’t let go as I grasp onto it.

  Our eyes meet and then she speaks. “I heard you started dating a student. A freshman,” she whispers. I nod, not sure I want to say anything about Jessa to her. “I hope she’s what you’ve been looking for, Cole. Also, Patrick is a way bigger dick than you. Nail his fucking balls to the wall.”

  I chuckle at her words as she releases the envelope. “This won’t blow back on you, Robin. Thank you,” I murmur.

  “Your girl, she’s what you’ve been looking for?” she asks before I can turn away from her.

  I lift my chin slightly before I speak. “She is. I didn’t think I’d ever settle down; I didn’t think I would ever find someone. I’d given up looking. She came outta nowhere.”

  “I’m glad you’re happy,” she whispers.

  I open my mouth to speak, but she waves her hand in a gesture for me to leave. I take my cue and walk out of the lab, feeling like fucking shit.

  I text John to meet me at my office in five minutes. He confirms, and then I hurry to Jessa’s class, knowing that it’s almost over. Once I’m in front of her classroom door, I grin as she steps out, her eyes on me and a wide smile on her face. This woman is everything to me.

  “Hey,” she breathes, rising to her toes and pressing her lips to mine. I grunt my greeting as I wrap a hand around her waist.

  “Hey, baby. John and I have a meeting in my office, but I don’t want you walking around alone, so you have to join.”

  She shrugs, wrapping her arm around my waist as we walk to my office. “I’m sure it’ll bore me to tears. I’ll focus on boring homework instead,” she grins.

  John is standing next to my locked door, and his brow lifts when he sees both of us walking up together. “Jessa knows what’s going on,” I announce.

  “Cole,” he says in a warning tone.

  Shaking my head, I look over to him. “I had to tell her about Keller, for safety reasons. Then that bitch of a mother came by. Jessa knows we’re taking care of shit. You won’t say anything to anyone will you, baby?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

  “Never,” she states as she walks past me and straight to the sofa.

  “See,” I grin, causing John to roll his eyes.

  John and I spend the next hour talking about our plan. Now that we have these documents, we can finally put this plan into motion.

  I smile, my eyes meeting Jessa’s across the room, and I notice that she’s looking right at me, a mixture of pride and fear on her face. Then her smile slowly forms. I love you, she mouths from across the room. My lips twitch as I turn back to John to grin.

  “Let’s take care of this shit,” he grunts.

  “Fuck yeah,” I chime in.

  JESSA

  COLE DOESN’T SAY anything else about his grand plan as he walks me home a couple hours later. I don’t bother asking him anything about it. It seems solid to me, like something that is dangerous, but in a way where it’s unavoidable to be ignored by the administration.

  He’s going to send the report from the lab, proving that several players tested positive, to the opposing team’s coaching staff before the game this weekend.

  University of Oregon will have the report before the end of the day tomorrow, and they also sent a copy to the media. I think they’ve done a good job of covering their bases, but this is a big deal, and it could completely blow up in their faces.

  I can tell that both John and Cole are worried. I don’t know how John is dealing with it, but Cole has been a little distant. I’m trying to be patient and understanding, though I’m scared out of my mind for what’s going to happen in the next few days.

  “I’ll be home after dinner. Late practice tonight,” he murmurs as his lips brush mine.

  Standing in the doorway, I watch him walk away from me, then I turn and close the door, locking it and letting out a frustrated sigh. I wish it were all over with already. Whatever’s going to happen, I just wish it would.

  I don’t like having to sit around in wait, waiting for the damn hammer to drop. Then there’s Trent. He hasn’t made any extra moves toward ruining my life since he sent my mother here to be a pain in the ass. I’m convinced he’s not finished messing with my life yet. No way. He’s too petty and competitive to just let anything go.

  Making my way to the refrigerator I grab the pitcher of purified water and pour myself a glass. Once the cool liquid passes my lips, I immediately frown. There is something off about it. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it doesn’t taste quite right.

  I dump the rest of the contents of my glass, and the pitcher down the sink. Then I clean it with hot soapy water, before I refill it, thinking that maybe it just wasn’t cleaned as well as it should have been last time.

  JESSA

  THE DOORBELL RINGS, and I sit straight up, my heart beating against my chest as I try to take in my surroundings. I was fast asleep on the couch, and now I’m awake. After eating a little something, I felt really tired and I had a slight headache so I decided to lay down on the couch for a bit.

  My eyes dart around, and the bell rings again. Slowly, cautiously, I creep toward the front door and look through the peephole. Luckily, it’s dark inside so they can’t see me as I look out at the people who are standing on the front porch.

  “Cole Bronson, open the door for your mother, you hear me?” a woman shouts.

  I gasp. She’s standing on the porch, her light brown hair and pale green eyes staring right at the door, as though she can see me through the hole, her hands on her hips. She’s around my height, curvy, and younger looking than I’d expected.

  “Cole, c’mon, stop being a jerk and open the door. I have to pee,” another female voice calls.

  My eye shifts, and I see a younger version of Cole standing right next to his mother, except her hair is dark, gleaming and long. Her same, pale green eyes look right toward the door.

  “Think you could not scream the neighborhood down, tellin’ everyone your damn business,” a gruff voice calls out.

  My eyes widen. The man who walks up behind the women is tall like Cole, his hair dark and neatly cut. He’s also muscular and looks exactly like Cole, but with dark hair and black eyes.

  I turn the handle and take in a breath as I open the door. I can’t keep them on the porch all night. I don’t know what time it is, but it’s dark out there.

  “Who are you?” the younger girl asks, her eyes narrowed on me.

  “Hi, I’m Jessa,” I squeak.

  The man’s eyebrows lift and he grins, looking exactly like his son. “He told me he met someone,” he announces. “Never in my life imagined a pretty little thing like you.”

  I blink at his words as he gives me a wink. They shuffle past me, his mom not saying a word, and his sister disappearing to the downstairs bathroom.

  “Umm, Cole’s not home. He’s still at work,” I announce. “Can I get you guys anything to drink?”

  “I’m Cole Senior, everybody calls me Marshall though. This is Loretta, Cole’s mom, and the mouthy thirty-year-old is Cole’s little sister, Caitlyn,” the father introduces.

  “Sorry, I just—you being here is a surprise,” Loretta states with a jerk.

  It’s then that I realize Cole hasn’t told his parents about me living with him, or maybe much about me at all. Caitlyn comes back into the room, and we’re all staring at each other. Mar
shall is grinning wide, Loretta is just kind of stoic, and Caitlyn has her eyes narrowed on me in disgust when Cole walks through the door.

  “What in the fuck?” Cole announces.

  My eyes fly to him, and I open my mouth to say something. What, I’m not sure, but then his mother speaks.

  “Watch that mouth of yours, Cole,” she snaps.

  His brow furrows, and then his head swings to his father. “You couldn’t call me and tell me the Bronson women were coming in on a tear?”

  He chuckles, sounding so much like his son that it makes my belly flip, just like it does every time Cole chuckles. “Sorry son, they wanted to surprise you. Your mama was convinced something was up with you. I’d told her you met a woman,” he shrugs.

  “Cole didn’t meet a woman. He met a girl,” his sister sneers.

  “Cait, watch yourself,” Marshall states in a warning tone that has even me straightening my spine.

  Cole closes the distance between us, his eyes full of fury, and his nostrils flaring. He slips his hand around my waist and tugs me into his side.

  “Jessa is my woman, Caitlyn. You disrespect her in our home again, and you won’t be welcome.”

  “Our home?” his mother whispers, sounding shocked.

  “Yeah. Jessa moved in with me a few weeks ago,” he grins.

  Cole’s mother takes a step back, and his father wraps his arm around her shoulders to steady her. He looks between us, and something works behind his eyes, something I can’t quite pinpoint. Then his smile gets wider and wider. “Look how happy he is, Loretta,” he murmurs. I suck in a breath at his words, and Loretta lifts her chin to look between us.

  “You’re happy,” she states.

  “Very,” Cole’s voice rumbles.

  “Well,” she sighs. “At least she isn’t that terrible Brittany girl.”

  Cole’s body starts to shake until his laughter makes it outside of his body. I watch as both Marshall and Loretta join in, and only then does my body sag against Cole’s in relaxation. Brittany really is awful. I can understand their relief, even if they don’t really know me yet.

  “How about some drinks?” Cole asks.

  “Beers all around,” Loretta sighs.

  “I’ll get them,” I murmur, pressing my hand to Cole’s chest. “Visit with your parents.”

  Cole wraps his fingers around the back of my neck. They squeeze gently before he drops his head and his lips touch mine. “Okay, baby,” he murmurs.

  I hurry to the kitchen, getting beers out of the fridge before going to the drawer for the opener and opening all four. I grab a bottle of water for myself, still a little leery about the filtered water pitcher, and hurry the drinks out to the living room. Then I excuse myself again and throw together some snacks.

  We don’t have a lot, as I haven’t been to the store this week yet, but I’m able to find sour cream, so I make dip. Then I grab some chips, veggie, and fruit trays that I’d bought for snacks when Cole works late, and pick them up to take to Cole’s family. I bring it all out and place them on the coffee table as the four of them chat. I only sit when Cole wraps his hands around my hips and pulls me down onto his thigh.

  “Cole,” I whisper.

  “Stop running around, baby,” he grunts.

  “So, Jessa, tell us about yourself, since obviously my son isn’t very forthcoming with information,” Loretta says, narrowing her eyes slightly on Cole before smiling at me.

  “Umm. Well, I’m from Grant, Nebraska, and I go to the university,” I murmur.

  “Mom’s trying to be gentle and dig, nicely. I’m not as nice,” Caitlyn states. Marshall growls her name from across the room. “How did you meet? How old are you?” she asks, lifting her brow.

  “Jessa came to my office to talk to me about her boyfriend’s position on the team, since I’d put him on probation,” Cole states. I gasp and turn to him, my eyes wide with shock. I can’t believe he just blurted it out like that, to his parents. “She’s eighteen and a freshman, if you need more information, Caitlyn.”

  “Oh, my,” Loretta whispers.

  “Fuck me,” Marshall mutters.

  “Eighteen? She could be your daughter,” Caitlyn cries.

  I can feel Cole’s heart racing from his chest, against my back. Then I feel his chest rumble before he speaks.

  “Caitlyn, you’re a thirty-year-old woman who lives at home with her parents, not because you can’t live out on your own, but because you’re fucking terrified to do so. You’re scared to take care of yourself, or to really live,” he announces.

  Caitlyn’s eyes widen and her mouth falls open. “Jessa is twenty-years younger than me, but if you give her half a chance, you’ll figure out really fucking quickly why I fell instantly for her, boyfriend of hers be damned. You stop being a judgmental fucking shrew, you could figure a lot of shit out about life. Now, question and answer time is over. You guys know where your rooms are. Leave this shit here. I’m going to bed.”

  I have no choice but to stand when Cole does. It’s either stand, or fall to my ass on the floor. Cole wraps his hand around my wrist and tugs me up the stairs, slamming our bedroom door behind him. Then he turns to me, his hands on his hips and his nostrils flaring, obviously pissed off—perhaps livid.

  “I’m so sorry, Cole,” I whisper.

  His eyes widen and a scowl appears on his mouth. “For what?”

  “I don’t want to cause problems.”

  Cole’s lips twitch in a grin, and he shakes his head. “Baby, you aren’t causing one fucking problem. I’m a thirty-eight-year-old man. I own my own home, pay my own bills, and can be with whatever woman I choose. That woman I choose to be with, that’s you, sweet baby,” he murmurs as he wraps his hands around my hips and pulls me against him.

  “They’re shocked, and definitely not happy,” I say.

  Cole lowers his head as his mouth brushes mine, then he keeps his lips against my mouth, before he speaks. “My dad is fucking thrilled, baby. My mom will get to know you and she’ll fucking love you. My sister is a bitch. I don’t give a fuck what she thinks,” he mutters before his tongue sneaks out and slips into my mouth.

  “We can’t,” I gasp when he lets me up for air, his hand squeezing my ass.

  COLE

  I IGNORE HER words, knowing what she’s thinking. This is my goddamn house, and if they don’t want to hear me fuck my woman, then the whole lot of them can go to a hotel. I don’t know why they’re here, anyway. I don’t give a fuck either, not really. I’m glad to see them, it’s been a while, and I’m glad they’re going to get to know Jessa, but this is still my house.

  “We can, and we will,” I murmur as I drag my lips down her neck.

  Unbuttoning her jeans, I shove them over her hips, my fingers finding her center over the top of her panties. Her legs shake as I run my fingers over the cotton fabric, pressing two against her clit. She whimpers as she spreads her thighs further apart.

  “That’s it,” I grunt, moving her panties over in the center as my finger sides over her wet heat. She’s wet too, so goddamn hot and wet.

  “Cole,” she whispers as her hips jerk in my hand.

  My other hand slips up her shirt, my fingers skimming her belly before I reach her bra, tugging a cup down to pinch her hard nipple between my fingers and tug. “Oh, honey,” she breathes.

  “On the bed. I want that gorgeous ass naked and in the air. Bury your face in a pillow, baby,” I whisper against her skin before I taste her.

  She nods on a jerk as I take a step back from her. I slip my fingers between my lips and taste her sweet pussy as she strips bare for me.

  I watch in rabid anticipation as she situates herself, just as I asked. I can tell she’s uncomfortable. My parents are right downstairs, and they’re awake. I can hear them milling around and talking.

  Crawling up behind her, I kiss the backs of her thighs before I squeeze her ass and spread her wide for me.

  “Cole,” she moans into the pillow.

  Licki
ng her entire slit, I swirl my tongue against her back entrance and she gasps, mumbling something I can’t understand. Then I settle my mouth against her cunt, my tongue focusing solely on her sweet clit.

  Wrapping my hands around her hips, I tug her back against my face and eat her as though she’s the only meal I’ve had in a year.

  It doesn’t take long for her to push against my face on her own, her hips circling. Her taste floods my mouth as she lets out a long groan against the pillow, her body stilling.

  I continue to eat her, until she becomes too sensitive, and then she tries to crawl away from me. My hands clamp around her hips to keep her still before I rise to my knees and push my cock deep inside of her tight pussy.

  “Goddamn,” I groan as I sink completely inside of her.

  Slipping my thumb into my mouth, I wet it and push it into the tight ring of Jessa’s ass. Her body melts back against me and she becomes completely boneless as I fuck her pussy with my cock, and her ass with my thumb.

  I slam inside of her; the sound of our skin slapping fills the room. It urges me on to fuck her harder and faster. The soft hitches of her breath come between each thrust of my hips, and I watch as she slips her hand between us. I let out a moan when I feel her fingertips brush my nuts.

  “Jessa, baby, you’re gonna need to come soon,” I mutter, my breathing coming in pants as my back tingles and my balls draw up.

  “I’m so close,” she whimpers.

  I watch as she buries her face in the pillow again, letting out a sobbing cry at the same time her cunt squeezes me and her ass clamps down around my thumb. Only then do I let go. I push inside of her and stay planted, coming deep in her body.

  My cock twitches and my fingers grip her skin, surely leaving bruises, but I don’t give a shit. My woman can wear bruises, as long as they’re from rough sex with me. “Honey,” she whispers turning her head to the side. I look down at her and lean over her body, my lips touching hers, my tongue snaking out to taste her.