by Len Webster
His dirty talk always turned her on.
She had been embarrassed the first time, but he kissed away her worries and made her promise never to be embarrassed by him talking dirty to her as he went down on her.
Landon’s finger ran from entrance to top and then circled the very spot that caused her to let out a moan.
“Oh, God, Landon.”
He chuckled. “Alex, baby, my roommates will hear you.”
She knew she should be quiet, but she shook her head. “More, Landon. I need more.”
To her disappointment, he pulled his hand from her panties, and she groaned in annoyance.
“Not fair,” she whined as she got on her elbows.
He reached forward and grasped her panties, pulling them down with no fight from her. Once he removed them from around her ankles, he threw them on the floor and pulled off his boxers. Then Landon grasped her ankle and pulled her on her back, and a giggle escaped her as he covered her with his naked body.
Alex reached for his shirt she wore, but he shook his head. “Keep my shirt on while I make love to you.”
“You’re such a romantic,” she teased.
His hand dipped between them and wrapped around his hardness. Alex peeked down to watch him stroke himself once, then she glanced back up at him. “I’ll be even more romantic after.”
Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his lips down to hers. She kissed him deep. She kissed him with her unwavering love. She kissed him with every appreciation she had for him.
“Make love to me,” she whispered, and she felt him smile against her lips as his blunt tip pressed at her entrance. Alex held her breath as he flexed his hips and entered her, causing a low moan to slip past her lips.
“Fuck,” he cursed as he inched farther inside until he was to the hilt. Landon pressed his forehead to hers as she watched him close his eyes and get lost in their connection. “God, Alex, it’s always so … good.”
She unwound her arms from around his neck and threaded her fingers through his hair. She widened her legs, feeling him even deeper inside her. Landon opened his eyes and stared into hers.
“Happy Birthday, Landon Carmichael,” she uttered breathlessly at the love in his light blues.
His chest heaved against her breasts as his hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her skin. “You. I can’t believe I get to make love to you. After everything, I can’t believe your heart chose me.”
Tears threatened but she blinked them away as she swept his messy hair back. Alex took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Then she pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. “I love you, Landon. My heart chose you because I love you.”
He kissed her once before his palm slid down her cheek to rest against her chest, feeling her heart beat against his hand. “I love you, too, Alex.”
After they had dressed, Landon declared that today was the best birthday of his life after Alex woke him up for morning sex in his bed, and then they shared slow shower sex. Thankfully, they hadn’t used all the hot water. He had washed her hair and her body, but Landon had only let her wash his chest before he pulled away and put an end to their intimate shower. Alex got out and dressed as he finished up.
“You know,” Landon’s roommate and teammate, Chase Anderson, said as she and Landon entered the kitchen. He was hunched over reading a newspaper as he set his spoon back in his cereal bowl. Chase set the paper down and looked at them. “It would help …”
Landon squeezed her hand. “What would help?” he asked as he led her to the barstool. He released her hand and pulled a barstool out for her.
Smiling, she sat down on it and watched as Landon walked around the counter and headed to the fridge.
“Morning, Alex,” Chase greeted with a smile. As one of the tallest players in college basketball, he was a lot taller than her boyfriend. Chase was beautiful with his blond hair and hazel eyes. His only flaw, as he would say, was his nose. He had broken it when he’d tried to slam dunk a basketball from a trampoline and had over projected the trajectory, resulting in his slightly bent nose.
“Good morning, Chase,” Alex greeted.
“Happy Birthday, Lan,” Chase said as he picked up his bowl.
Landon pulled the fridge door open and removed the orange juice from the side compartment and closed it. “Thanks, man. So what was this about helping?”
Chase set the bowl in the sink, spun around, and leaned against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. He cleared his throat and glanced at Landon and then at Alex. “It would help if you two would tone down the sex. Yes, if I wasn’t going through the longest dry spell of my life, this wouldn’t be a problem. And honestly, Lan, I don’t think you’d like to know that I can hear Alex moan and beg for you to fuck her harder. And you most definitely don’t need to know what her moans do to me. So it would help if you both had your epic sex when I’m not in the apartment or in Alex’s dorm room. She has one of those, remember?
“Between you and Walt, I have the sound of sex coming through both my bedroom walls. So yeah, it would help if your girlfriend wasn’t so hot and she didn’t sound like a fucking goddess in bed. And it would be amazing if you both took it to her dorm room once in a while. But this rant is pointless because I don’t really want my captain to be pissed off with me. So fuck like bunnies.”
Her eyes were wide in shock and embarrassment as her jaw dropped. Alex felt hot. Her cheeks no doubt sported a blush. She knew that Landon’s roommates heard them. Hell, she’d heard her boyfriend’s other roommate have a threesome with two seniors a few weeks ago. It was awkward the morning after when Alex woke up for an early class to find the girls tiptoeing out of Walt’s bedroom. It was even more awkward when Walt asked Alex to drive them back to campus since Landon’s apartment was a ten-minute drive from Duke. Alex hadn’t wanted to, but it was raining that day, and Landon was too sick to drive her back. So Alex and the girls drove back to Duke in Landon’s car. To her surprise, the two girls were nice and thanked her for the ride. Then they had begged her not to tell anyone about their time with Walt. To this day, Alex had never whispered a word to anyone other than her roommate and best friend, Savannah Peters.
Landon set the carton on the counter and glanced over at her. “Chase, apologize to my girlfriend for the way you just spoke of her. I know she’s hot, but she’s a lot more than that. I’m sorry we were a little loud, but you shouldn’t embarrass Alex for being with me, okay? Also, you can’t talk. When Alex first started staying over, she had to see you naked in our kitchen because you couldn’t stop bringing that sophomore over. And how about the time Alex let you and your ex-girl have loud breakup sex while she was studying for her quantum physics test?”
“You’re right,” Chase said with a sigh. “Sorry, Alex. I guess I’m just jealous because nothing I’ve ever had sounds like what Landon has with you. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I wear headphones the next time I hear anything even remotely close to you two being intimate.”
Her lips spread into a small yet still embarrassed smile. She appreciated his apology, but she had overstayed her welcome. “It’s okay, Chase. I’m so sorry that I didn’t—that we didn’t—take your feelings into account. You’re right. I don’t live here and should respect you and Walt more. I promise, I won’t be here as often as I have been.”
“Alex,” Landon said, shaking his head. “This is my apartment, and I’ll have my girlfriend over as much as she wants.”
“Landon,” she countered with a more serious tone than him.
He turned and faced her, the annoyance flashing in his bright blues. “Don’t listen to Chase.”
“Don’t listen to me,” Chase agreed.
AJ rolled her eyes as she leaned closer, her hands pressing on the counter and her eyes remaining on Landon. “Yes, but this isn’t my apartment. I am your girlfriend, but I shouldn’t intrude on the place y
ou share with the guys. This is their apartment, too. Plus, I think Sav misses me.”
“You spent all of freshman year with Sav.”
“That’s because you didn’t move off campus until your senior year. And I honestly cannot do any more run-ins with the people Walt sleeps with. It’s getting harder to look him and them in the eye when I’ve heard them. So why don’t I just stay over a few days a week instead of all the time?”
Landon spun around and pointed at Chase. “What have you done?”
Chase raised his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think our talk would turn out like this.” He faced her. “Alex, please, stay here. Forever. Do you think I can honestly put up with a pissed-off Landon Carmichael for the rest of his senior year?”
Sighing, Alex leaped off the barstool, went around the counter, and took hold of her boyfriend’s hand to spin him so his anger was directed at her instead of his teammate. Then she let go of his hand and cupped his jaw. “You even said it yourself, you miss being in a dorm room together. You can come stay with me for a few days a week. We’ll split our time.”
“But …”
She batted her lashes at him. “Please, Landon. Plus, I miss hanging out with Sav. She misses you, too.”
“Fine,” he said, exasperated. “Just for a trial basis. If I hate it, you’re coming back here. Got it?”
Alex smiled as she got on her toes and pressed her lips against his in a victorious kiss. “I got it, Connecticut.”
Landon pulled back and shook his head. “How did I go from the best morning birthday sex of my life to losing my girlfriend in my apartment because my roommate can’t get laid?”
“Happy Birthday, Lan,” Chase said with a laugh as he headed to his bedroom, leaving them alone in the large kitchen.
Feeling her phone vibrate in her jeans, Alex stepped away from Landon and pulled out her phone to see that her mother had messaged her. Alex unlocked her phone and read it.
Mum: Alexandra, your father and I just landed. We’re taking a taxi to the hotel. We have Landon’s present with us. We can’t wait to see you both for dinner tonight. Also, Kyle had us bring you this season’s jersey.
“It’s my mum,” Alex said as she glanced up.
“Do we need to pick them up at the airport?”
She shook her head and slipped her phone back into her pocket, opting to text her mother after she took Landon to his first birthday surprise. Alex wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling.
Landon Carmichael was perfect.
He loved her.
He was in love with her.
He loved her parents.
Her parents loved him.
And most importantly, she loved him.
She was so in love with him.
“Nope. Come on. Forget the orange juice. We have to stop by Chino’s because Sav has your birthday present. Then we have to go somewhere.” She pressed a chaste kiss on his lips and pulled away.
Alex spun around and exited the kitchen, making her way down the hall to where her shoes were. Once she had slipped her sandals on, she picked up her handbag from the hallway table and turned for the door.
“Massachusetts!” Landon called out, causing her to turn around to find him stalking toward her.
She tilted her head in confusion at the determination in his eyes. Landon closed the space between them in a matter of seconds, then he grasped her jaw in his palms and crashed his lips to hers, causing her to gasp in surprise. He pushed her against the apartment’s front door, kissing her with the urgency she felt as her hands latched onto his hips.
“I love you,” he murmured against her mouth.
Breathless, she managed to say, “I love you, too,” between kisses.
His lips moved and kissed the corner of her mouth. “I love that you try to keep the peace with my teammates.”
When he pressed a kiss against her cheek, Alex dug her fingers into his waist in approval. “Oh?”
He nodded and then pressed his lips to her forehead and pulled back. “I fucking love you, Massachusetts.”
That.
His declaration.
Her heart went insane with love.
Beating in ways it hadn’t before.
Landon Carmichael loved her like no other.
And that was the truest statement ever known to man.
A soft smile stretched across her face as she said, “You’re such a romantic … and I love you, too.”
52 Te
tellurium
AJ
Freshmen year of college
It was strange how quiet her family home was.
AJ had been at college for almost two months, and it was strange to wake up and have the sun filtering into her childhood bedroom. She was so used to hearing her roommate, Savannah, complain that it was early or that the dorm across the hall had their music turned up too loud.
Not this time.
All she heard was silence.
AJ hadn’t realized how much she missed home until she was back in Brookline. Back with her parents watching Kyle’s game in the living room and eating popcorn. It had been too late to make it to the game with all the traffic, so AJ watched it from home. After the Red Sox won, she had texted Kyle to congratulate him, promising to make tonight’s game against the Cleveland Indians.
It was a game she wouldn’t miss.
AJ hadn’t been to Fenway in a long time. After the article about her and Kyle had published, she put some distance between her and the Red Sox. The fans hadn’t changed—they still supported her and understood why Little Miss Red Sox didn’t show her face around Fenway over the summer.
AJ brushed her hair over her shoulder and swiped her keys from the hallway table. She probably wouldn’t need them, but she didn’t want to be locked out. She woke up early to make sure she didn’t wake her parents. Last night, her father had gone to bed first, leaving AJ and her mother to talk. But there wasn’t much talking when it came to Evan. Instead, her mother wanted to know about college and Savannah. She didn’t even ask about Landon Carmichael.
AJ felt terrible that she never messaged him back.
But her time and attention were Evan Gilmore’s.
Her best friend.
The boy she loved.
The boy who flew from California to find her.
The boy who drove them from Duke to Brookline.
The very boy she had given her virginity to.
The thought had her pausing at the front door.
She had given Evan her virginity.
AJ had no regrets.
But ever since she had walked Evan to his house yesterday, she had this sickening feeling in her stomach and her temples throbbed.
Uncertainty latched onto her chest, making her question their future. Evan asked her to wait for him and said the four words that ensured she would.
Eight protons.
Eight neutrons.
Before she went back home, she’d given him her new number and promised to see him in the morning when they had breakfast with her parents.
But AJ wanted to see him before then.
To talk further about what waiting for him meant.
What it meant for them and their future together.
Were they exclusive?
Would they consider themselves more than best friends?
She couldn’t go back to Duke and not have assurance.
And that was what she was doing at six in the morning as she unlocked the front door, twisted the door handle, and pulled it open.
AJ stepped out into the cool morning, thankful she had worn jeans and a thick navy sweater to keep her warm. Closing the door behind her, she breathed in the Brookline air and smiled to herself. Durham, North Carolina, was beautiful. But something about being home was perfect. The air, the people, the natu
re, and the atmosphere. No matter where she went or would ever go, Brookline, Massachusetts, would always be home.
Crossing her arms over her chest, AJ walked down the few steps, turned, and made her way across the drive to Evan’s house. She climbed his porch steps and stopped at his front door, inhaling a deep breath as she pressed the doorbell. She wasn’t sure if he was awake. She should have messaged him last night to let him know to expect her. She hated the fact she was essentially sneaking around to be with him, but she didn’t want to get her parents’ hopes up.
AJ had no idea where she stood with Evan.
Over two thousand seven hundred miles separated them.
She needed them to work out.
She’d wanted to be Evan’s for so long, but he had let her down.
Now that she was finally his, and he loved her, she couldn’t imagine or comprehend the distance and silence between them.
AJ pressed her lips tightly together as she waited. Moments later, she heard the dead bolt unlock and the door opened, revealing an already dressed Evan Gilmore.
He smiled as he reached out, grasped her arm, and pulled it free from her chest. “Get in here,” he said, and she went willingly with a smile. Once she was inside and she’d kicked the door closed, he dropped her arm and cupped her face in his palms. “God, I missed you.”
Her heart melted at the softness in his brown eyes and in his voice.
Her attempt to fall out of love with him at Duke was a failure.
She still loved him.
“I missed you, too,” she said as her hands settled on his hips.
His smile stretched farther as his forehead pressed to hers. “Waking up without you … It wasn’t the same, Alexandra.”
“I know,” she agreed as she pulled back and hoped he could see the truth in her eyes.
Evan brought her face closer to his, inching his lips to hers. “Are your parents awake?”
Her pulse quickened at the desire in his voice, and she shook her head. “No.”
“Are you still sore?” he asked gently.
