by Nana Malone
The first thing she did was wrap her arms around him tight. Holding him. Until, in his stunned state, he had no choice but to wrap his arms around her. The moment he did, tension eased out of his body, and he relaxed. God, it felt so good to hold her. “I missed you. What are you doing here?”
She blinked up at him, her dark eyes boring into his soul. “Dax called me. Said that you needed me. I came running.”
It was that simple. She'd heard he needed her, and came. “I'm really glad you're here.”
“Of course. Now tell me what you need.”
He opened his mouth, and found he had no idea what he needed. He needed this to be over. He needed his father to be okay. But Becker couldn't do anything about that. “I guess I just need you to hold me.”
“Good luck getting rid of me.”
There were a few coughs and murmurs. And when Gage lifted his head, he found his brothers and sister staring openly at him.
“Oh. I guess you guys want to meet my girlfriend.”
Dax just grinned. He came over and gave Becker a tight hug. “Good to see you again.”
“You too, Dax. And thank you for that letter of recommendation, it was much appreciated.”
Next was Asha, then Echo, with an extra-exuberant hug. Gage tried to keep the eye-rolling at his sister to a minimum. Fox, Bryce, Tami, and Aasha were introduced as well. His mother stood, and tried to speak, but Becker shook her head, shushing her. “It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Coulter. But you don't have to say anything to me now. Your brain space is occupied with something more important.”
Gage's mother just nodded and took her hand, giving it a tight squeeze before easing herself back down. Becker just sat next to her, rubbing her back. How the hell did she know what to do, when he had no idea? Or what to say?
His grandmother came over next. Becker introduced herself, and the three women sat together. Chatting quietly, praying, something. A whole hell of a lot more than he was doing. Gage was pretty sure his worrying wasn't helping his father any.
Behind him, Gage heard his grandfather grumble. “You think it's appropriate to have a girlfriend here?”
Gage sighed. The last thing he wanted was a scene with the old man. Not here, not now. His grandfather was grieving, and worried, and more inclined to lose his shit this way.
“Gramps, please, leave it alone. Becker came to support me.”
His grandfather harrumphed. “I swear, what is wrong with the lot of you? I gave you every advantage in life. Every chance to make the right choices, and the lot of you, all of you, choose wrong. I had high hopes for you. Hopes that didn't involve you getting caught up with some—”
Gage didn't let his grandfather finish. “Don't even attempt to go there, Gramps. It won't end well. Right now, we need to focus on Dad.”
Gage noticed that Dax had moved closer to him. As if to back him, if need be. From her position on the couch, Becker met his gaze. He mouthed the words, “I'm sorry.” She shook her head at him.
Excusing herself from his mother and grandmother, she stood, coming to stand right next to him and placed her hand in his. “Mr. Coulter, I'm so sorry to meet you at this difficult time. But nonetheless, it's nice to meet you.” She stuck out her hand to shake his, but Gramps, being Gramps, ignored her.
“Honestly, son. You don't know better than to get caught up with groupies? This one is very pretty, but you should be focusing on basketball. Not messing around with some girl.”
Gage ground his teeth, even as Becker squeezed his hand. “Gramps, for your information, Becker is not a groupie. She's actually my tutor.” He could feel all the eyeballs turn to him. His skin grew hot. It was too late to take it back now. “That's how I met her. I was having a hard time in school, no thanks to the pressure. And I was in danger of maybe never playing again if I couldn't get my shit together. With everything with Dad, the whole family turmoil…I wasn't able get it done. Becker was assigned to me.” He turned his gaze to her, his chest constricting, and she smiled up at him. “I'm only playing now because she's smarter than me, and more giving, and more honest. I only get to live up to the Coulter legacy because of this girl. So you need to treat her nicely.”
Becker smiled brightly. She didn't acknowledge the slight of her grandfather refusing to shake her hand. Instead she turned to address the lot of them. “I can only imagine what you guys are going through. I'm going to head to the cafeteria and get some coffee. What would everyone like?” She asked. Her voice held that injected note of false cheeriness. She was trying, which was far more than his grandfather was doing. God, he loved her. And that kind of depth of feeling didn't scare him in the least. Fuck, it made him feel strong. Which was better than he'd felt all day.
Asha accompanied Becker down to the cafeteria. Not a few minutes later, the doctor came out to speak with them.
“Thank you all for bearing with us.”
Gage tried to force his mind to focus on what the doctor was saying. But instead, his mind filtered out everything and searched for the dreaded words, the painful words. But they didn't come right away. Instead, he caught fragments.
“Resting comfortably… Side effects… New medication… Alternate treatment.” He frowned as he tried to piece it all together. What was going on? He swung his gaze over to his mother, who had her hand covering her mouth and was breathing rapidly. His grandmother still sat next to her; her head hung down, and she was muttering something quietly in Russian. He looked to his siblings for some assistance. What he read was their sagged bodies, their arms wrapped around each other. Quietly, Gage choked out the words. “So you're saying he's okay? He's going to be okay?”
The doctor nodded. “Yes. I know you all suffered a scary moment earlier today. And we will keep him for the next two days for observation, to make sure this is the right medication. He'll be all right. And if he continues to keep up his new lifestyle—low stress, eating right, making sure to get exercise—his condition is manageable. We've been treating it wrong. With this new medication, he should be feeling a lot better. And eventually, after some months, he should be able to return to work in a limited capacity.”
Gage shook. He was okay. He was gonna be—
Becker jogged back down the hallway. “I forgot my purse. I'll just—” She stopped short when she saw him. “Oh, God. Gage?”
Gage shook his head and ran to pick her up. “He's okay. He’s going to be okay. My dad is going be okay.”
Twenty-Six
“How is it exactly that your game has improved?” Becker hit another shot, and he watched as it easily swished inside the basket.
She grinned at him. “Well, I don't want to brag, but I saw this tutorial by Lebron Jones?”
Gage laughed. “I think you mean James.”
She scrunched her face, making her look sweet and young, and Gage wanted to kiss her. Actually, he wanted to do a whole lot more than kiss her. While the news yesterday had been good, the emotional toll the entire day had taken was draining.
His father was going to be okay. And Becker, she'd come for him when he needed her, she didn't ask questions, she'd just come. Oh, and the little fact that he loved her. He wasn't sure how to tell her yet, but he'd get there.
“James Jones?”
Gage could only shake his head. “How is it you don't know who Lebron James is?”
She tried for another jump, but this one missed wildly. Her footing was wrong. “I'm kidding, Coulter. I know who Lebron James it. I was being facetious.”
He laughed. “Oh, so someone feels like teasing?”
“You're not going to be all salty, are you?” She tried to knock the ball out of his hand, and he sidestepped her easily, dribbling between his legs. The motion was as simple and easy for him as breathing.
“You're going to have to try a lot harder than that.”
She stopped for a moment, laughing. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, I'm sure.” He laughed, too. “In case you haven't heard, I'm Gage Coulter. I'm killer with the defense
. But I’m also the best point guard Billings has seen in a decade.”
“And I can't distract you?”
“Nope.” He dribbled behind his back. And then sidestepped her again, when she lunged for him. “It takes a hell of a lot to—”
Gage dropped the ball and stared at her. She got him, all right. All it took was her stopping and lifting up her T-shirt, exposing her flat, toned stomach and lacy bra underneath. “Fuck.”
His cock swelled in his basketball shorts, and he instantly forgot all about the ball, striding right for Becker. She giggled, and tried to evade him. She was decently fast, but he was faster. She squealed when he snatched her up, and laughed, before he kissed her soundly.
Giggles and squeals soon turned to low moans. And then he wasn't able to think so well when her hips rocked over him. “Jesus, Becker.”
Basketball long forgotten, he carried her to the closest guesthouse. This was the smallest of the three guesthouses on the property. His grandparents had the large one near the house. This one acted more as a pool house, and changing area for the basketball and tennis courts, and the pool. But he knew none of his siblings would be coming down here anytime soon. Which was a good thing, because he had plans for Becker.
Heat spread through Becker's body, burning her flesh, until finally her skin felt like it sizzled. Unable to breathe through the smoky haze of lust he wove around them, Becker tried to take control of the kiss, and licked her way into his mouth. She rocked her hips into his. But with a strong hand on her hip, he stilled her movements, then changed the angle of the kiss so he was back in control.
Gently, Gage slid his hands down to her arms, and wound them around his neck. He mumbled something unintelligible against her lips, then pressed her flush against the door, while growling low in his throat. Becker smiled to herself, as she wove her fingers into his hair. At least she wasn't the only one feeling the heat.
Gage drew back and stroked a thumb over her cheek.
“You are so beautiful.”
Becker wanted to believe him. Believe that she was somehow special. But a tiny voice in her head reminded her to be careful. You are leaving. Enjoy him now.
Becker reached for his shorts, and Gage groaned. The roar of rushing blood in her skull drowned out all other noise. He was hers. For now, he was truly hers. She reached inside past his shorts, past his boxer briefs, and her hand closed around the heat of him.
He froze. She swallowed hard. Wow. She'd missed him. Ragged breaths tore out from his chest as she palmed him.
“Becker, Jesus,” he growled.
“Gage. I want you to make love to me.”
He seemed to hesitate a split second, and then muttered a curse. Lifting her, he carried her to the bed. One by one, he discarded articles of clothing. He never once took his eyes off her, watching her with the keen hunger of a starving hunter.
When he finally shed his jeans and boxers, Becker grinned. He was beautiful, and cocky enough to know it.
Gage yanked open the bedside drawer and grabbed a handful of condoms. He knew his brothers often brought girlfriends over, so he knew he’d find some there. He tossed most of them onto the bed before tearing one open and quickly sheathing himself.
Becker’s gaze flitted over at the strewn condoms, and she grinned. “Gage, will we be needing all of those?”
He didn't even crack a smile, just looked at her like he was trying to decide which part of her to devour first.
When he sank onto the bed and levered himself over her, Becker parted her thighs to give him room. His gaze was soft on hers, and he caressed her cheek with shaking hands. “Every last one.”
Dropping his forehead to hers, both of them groaned as he slid home. She let her eyes flutter closed, but he stopped her.
“No, Becks. Look at me.”
Oh, God. The combination of his dirty talk and his slow advance and retreat, and she was hovering somewhere near I'm-going-to-fucking-come and I-can-die-happy-now.
When he started to move, she did the one thing she never let herself do. She finally let go of the stress and the doubt.
“That’s it, Becks. That's it. Let go for me.”
Her release came on quick, stunning her, as the heat and bliss rushed from her spine to the center of her body. He'd just sunk to the hilt, when the tremors started from inside her thighs. The rolling waves of orgasm disoriented her, fogging her brain, making it impossible to command her muscles to do anything other than hold on tight to him.
“Jesus, Becker, you're so beautiful, so hot.” Gage kept making love to her, taking his time. No rush, as if she wasn't already coiled tight enough that she'd snap. As if he wasn't pulsing inside her. But his clenched jaw and furrowed brow told her he was working on holding back, waiting for her again.
“Come on, baby, I'm not going without you.”
Gage slid a hand between their bodies and found her clit. With a series of deft, sure, strokes, another wave of bliss bit into her.
The moment her walls clamped around his cock, threatening to hold him inside her forever, he started to come. He scooped his hand under her ass, holding her to him so tight she worried she wouldn't be able to breathe ever again.
Becker squelched a pang of guilt she felt, as they left the Coulters that day. She'd gotten to know the whole family and she really liked them. But she was worried about what would happen when she told Gage about the fellowship. Things with them were still so new.
She had a good idea of what he'd say. That she should absolutely take the fellowship. And given his schedule and lack of proximity, that they should probably break up. No college athlete wanted to be strapped to a girlfriend when there were long stretches of road trips. And worse, unlike most of the guys with their girlfriends, she wouldn't even be at Billings when he returned. Eventually, he'd get tired of it, and insist they date other people or something. She'd never see the family again. The two of them would drift apart. She would more than likely see him with some new girlfriend on campus during their sophomore year, and it would hurt.
She still had some time before she'd have to tell him. In the meantime, she just wanted to enjoy. Before she had to face reality.
As he merged her car onto the freeway, he turned to her. “Are you okay? You're quiet today.”
“Yeah, just thinking. I've got some work waiting for me when I get back.”
He grinned. “That's my star pupil.”
She laughed. “Hey, you have work to do, too.”
He groaned. “I'll try not to think about that until we're at least a little closer to L.A. As far as I'm concerned, I'm on a bit of a vacation.”
“You're right. Sometimes I can't get out of hyper-student mode.” She was quiet for a moment. “You're okay with telling them about needing a tutor?”
He sighed. “Yeah. It honestly turned out to not be that big of a deal. I was putting too much pressure myself to have everything right. Have everything together. To make Dad proud. I was making myself nuts over it, wanting them to see me a certain way, it was kinda dumb.”
“No, not dumb. It makes you human. I mean, we're two peas in a pod. I'm not exactly good at asking for help, either.” She turned her head, so that he couldn't see her expression. She didn't want to fight about the Daniel thing anymore. Neither of them had brought it up since that day, but she knew it was one of the things that they'd have to eventually address. But not now. Now, she wanted to enjoy being with him in their little cocoon, before they got back to campus. And, who was she kidding, she was trying to get her fill, before she didn't have him anymore. She reached her hand over and placed it on his thigh. Immediately, his gaze flicked to hers. Sharp. Focused.
“Careful now, you might give a guy ideas.”
Heat boomed low in her core. “Oh, yeah? What kind of ideas?” She asked, as she hitched up her skirt a little higher. His gaze flickered to her thigh. Then back to the road back to again. “Becker?”
She saw the confusion in his eyes. The wonder. The thing was, she didn't want to
spend the rest of her time with him being safe and holding back. She reached over to unzip his fly.
His hips lifted a little. “Becker? Becks? Baby, what are you doing?”
“I've always wanted to try a hummer.”
Becker reached over the console, and slid her hand over his thigh. Fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. His hips jerked involuntarily, and she smiled. She wasn't trying to be beguiling or attempting for sexy. But that look on her face—innocence and longing, completely unguarded—made him want to pull over to a rest stop and screw her in the car.
Becker undid his belt easily, and his button came next. All the while, she focused intently on her task. He wanted to watch, but he needed his eyes on the fucking road. A sign indicated a rest stop in three miles. He could hold on that far, right?
When she reached inside his boxers and her fingers wrapped around his cock, his vision blurred.
“A-am I doing this right?”
“Yes,” he ground out. “Just like—ahhh.”
She pulled him out and stroked him. Gage got more creative with his expletives as her thumb traced over the head of his cock.
His hips jerked again, and he groaned. “Becker. I…” What was he trying to say? His brain had had something on deck, but he couldn't remember it now.
She leaned over farther to tentatively lick the drop of pre-cum off his dick. Oh shit. He wasn't going to make it. The tingling took hold in his spine.
But maybe he would make it, because the sensation of her wrapping her lips over his broad tip, then using her tongue to lubricate her way as she slid farther down, taking more of him, was so close to heaven he never wanted it to stop. She pulled back with her mouth, then used her hand to slide down his cock, making his skin tighter and heightening the sensations. Fire. She'd doused him in kerosene and lit the spark.
In his peripheral vision, he saw the sign for the rest stop, and swerved to pull off. He slid into a parking spot far away from all the other cars. The windows were tinted, but like hell he wanted any nosy onlookers.
