We enter mine and Connor’s hotel room in silence. Connor sits down on the edge of his bed and Tracey-Ann perches on mine. Connor looks at the curtains and Tracey-Ann plays with a piece of thread on her shirt.
There’s too much space between us. It’s not right.
I clap my hands together. They both jump.
“It’s our last night in Philadelphia,” I say. “Are we going to sit around or party?”
Connor lights up. “I kind of like playing Quaker meeting.”
Just like that, he’s back. Nothing holds Connor down for long. It’s the best thing about him.
Tracey-Ann just glumly looks at me.
“What?” I question.
“I’m happy for you.”
“You don’t look happy.”
She smiles, but it’s obviously forced. I walk across the room, sit on the bed next to her, and pull her into my lap. This time I get a genuine smile.
“You’re going to do great,” she says. “Really, Kade. I’m happy for you.”
She kisses me deep and slow. I can taste the honesty there.
“You know,” Connor drawls. “It won’t be too bad.”
We look over at him. “What’s that?”
“Working at the garage.” He lays on his side and rests his head in his hand. “To hell with law school.”
“You’d probably get into it,” Tracey-Ann points out. “You’ve done great at Tennessee.”
His face wrinkles. “Naw, I don’t want to get into it. Look at me. Do I look like a lawyer?”
“You look too honest,” I say.
He dramatically points in my direction. “Thank you. I rest my case. Law school is my mom's plan for me. Football is mine." He rolls onto his back and looks up at the ceiling. "Working in the garage won't be too bad. I'll get to use my hands. I hate sitting around all day… Man, I'm glad to be out of school."
Tracey-Ann and I look at each other. The relief in her eyes glows. Connor’s going to be fine.
I rub my thumb in small circles around Tracey-Ann’s lower back. “Are you excited to get back to Tennessee?”
“Hell no. You’re not going to be there.” Her head droops. “Neither one of you will be there.”
The heaviness of the situation presses down on us. I lift Tracey-Ann’s chin and have her look at me. “You’re going to have a great senior year.”
She swallows. “I know.”
My insides twist all around. Leaving tomorrow morning will be the hardest thing I’ll have ever done. I’ve opened myself up to the woman in front of me. I’ve given her my full self, including the ugly side.
And she’s still here. She still cares for me.
I’m the luckiest bastard in the world.
“I’m going to visit you,” I promise her. “Connor and I both will.”
“Right,” Connor agrees.
I pull her tighter against my chest. "You're ours, Tracey-Ann. Nothing will change that. I love you.”
I’ve never said the words before. Not to a single human being. A smile stretches across Tracey-Ann’s face. Her hands press against my shoulders.
“I love you, too. You guys are...” She chomps down on her lip. Her eyes get red and teary. She shakes her head and sniffs. “I don’t know how to say it. There are no words.”
“We get it,” Connor gently says. He gets off his bed and comes to sit next to us. “Don’t worry.”
He brushes some hair away from her forehead. She leans across me and kisses him.
Her mouth breaks from his and trails over to mine. Her sweet taste takes me over. I run my tongue across hers and nip at her bottom lip.
Tracey-Ann relaxes in my arms and lays her weight against my chest. Moans of pleasure leave her and travel into my mouth. I hug her tighter and stand up.
I turn around and lay her on the corner of the bed. Connor starts taking her shoes and pants off. I fold up her shirt and pull it over her head. One of her bra straps has already slipped off a shoulder. I get on my knees, grasp the other strap with my teeth, and pull it down.
Connor takes her hips and guides her to the center of the bed. He lays down next to her and pulls her in for a kiss. I settle behind her and undo her bra. It pops off and falls onto the mattress.
Connor and Tracey-Ann kiss while I run my hands over her shoulders and back. I find her panties and slip my fingers under the hem.
I work my hand between her ass cheeks and find her silky slit. She’s soaking wet and ready to be taken by us. I tease her folds and she pushes her butt against me. It grinds against my crotch and makes my dick spark with need.
Since I don’t know what day I’m going to see Tracey-Ann again, I plan on making the best of this session. I’m not letting her go until she’s raw and begging me and Connor to stop touching her.
I slide a finger into her channel. Her muscles clench around it and suck it in. Connor squeezes her hips and tits as he kisses her.
Tracey-Ann rocks back and forth against us, alternating grinding against my crotch and Connor’s. I pull my finger out of Tracey-Ann and take off my pants. My dick rubs eagerly against her plush ass. My mouth waters at the sight of all the meat for the taking.
I wind up my hand and smack my palm against a cheek. Tracey-Ann jerks from the slap. I spank her again and she cries out. I alternate spanking her ass cheeks. Each strike makes her skin redder. Her skin flames and rises up. I run my fingers against the inside of her thigh and catch some of the wetness running down them.
I press my mouth against Tracey-Ann’s ear and nip at her lobe. “You like getting spanked.”
“Uh-huh,” she replies in between labored breaths.
Connor cups her breasts with each hand. Tracey-Ann buries her face in his shoulder, lips nuzzling his muscles.
Taking an ass cheek in each hand, I stretch them wide. Two perfect holes expose themselves to me. My cock eagerly jerks in their direction.
I guide my length towards Tracey-Ann’s pussy and slip inside her. She’s smooth as butter, soft, and warm. I hold onto her hips and unleash myself. Connor holds her top leg up while I fuck her. She slides against my cock, her perfect body trembling in ecstasy.
Connor’s free hand leaves her chest and presses against her clit. He forcefully rubs it. The added pleasure makes Tracey-Ann shake her head in ecstasy. She yells out our names and reaches frantically for us. One of her hands grasps Connor’s shoulder and the other one finds my thigh.
Her pussy squeezes around me with a vice grip. She’s getting closer to release. I speed up and pummel into her. She explodes and screams with her orgasm.
The sound of Tracey-Ann’s pleasure makes my vision swim. I pull out of her and hop off the bed.
“Put those perfect lips on my cock,” I tell her.
She gets onto shaky knees and crawls her way across the bed. Connor frees himself of his clothes and follows her.
“On your back,” I tell Tracey-Ann. “Head hanging over.”
She lays with her head at the very edge of the bed. I push closer and guide my dick between her lips. She opens her mouth wider to allow better access. I hiss in pleasure as my dick vanishes in her gullet.
Tracey-Ann moves her head up and down and I thrust the best I can. The view is amazing. With her tits pointing up at me and her legs spread wide, she’s completely exposed. Pure ecstasy trickles through my dick and into my toes.
Connor pushes her thighs open and settles between them. He enters her with a smooth thrust. Tracey-Ann gurgles around my cock. Connor rears back and pounds into her. Each thrust sends her mouth further up my dick.
I gnaw on my lip to keep myself from yelling out loud.
“God, Tracey-Ann,” I tell her. It’s all I can get out. The pleasure warps my head. I grab some of her hair and ball it into a fist.
Her choked noises of pleasure surround my cock. Connor takes her knees and lifts them up high. He drives into her at a new angle. She screams against my balls.
Her orgasm shakes her and gives her even more vigor. She s
lurps at my dick. I burst. Cum shoots out of me and into her throat. She takes the base of my dick and pumps my length. Every drop of liquid leaves me and disappears into her mouth.
Connor shoots out a curse and quickly pulls out of Tracey-Ann. He shoots his load on the bed next to her and falls back on his haunches.
I gingerly pull myself out of Tracey-Ann’s mouth. Her lips are red and her cheeks nearly as bright. I sit on the bed next to her and pull her into my lap. Her nose brushes mine and her lips give me a quick peck.
Connor pulls the blankets back and gets under them.
I lift Tracey-Ann up and set her in the sheets. Connor pulls her close to his chest. She snuggles down against him, safe and secure.
And fully ours.
My chest burns.
I get under the covers next to Tracey-Ann. She walks her fingers across my chest and up to my jaw line. I swallow hard.
“Tomorrow everything will be different,” she says.
“No,” I fiercely answer. “Nothing has to change.”
She sharply exhales. “Everything changes, Kade. That’s just life.”
I don’t know what to say. She’s got me there.
Connor buries his mouth in the top of her hair and looks over at me. There’s too much going on in his eyes for me to get a good reading. He looks away and grabs the remote from the bedside table.
He flicks through channels and he and Tracey-Ann discuss what to watch. At least I think they do. I can’t understand most of the words they say. My head is buzzing.
I crawl out of bed and go into the bathroom to take a shower. I make the water hot as it will go. It sears my aching muscles and calms me down.
Kind of.
A familiar sensation pumps in my veins. I know it way too well and it’s not a good one.
It’s not right for me to be mad at anyone else. I’m the one who’s leaving tomorrow.
Rationalizing does no good. A quiet fury still gnaws at the edges of my mind. Connor told Tracey-Ann the thing you’re supposed to in this situation. He let her know our future is up to her.
But I don’t want there to be any questions left. There should be no decisions to be made. I turned myself inside out to get Tracey-Ann. She can’t just relax for a month and then leave.
I'll do anything it takes to keep her. I'll fly back to Knoxville every chance I get. I'll rent her a place in Dallas if that's what she wants. It can be somewhere she can escape to on her own. With my new pro paycheck, I'll be able to afford it.
It still might not be enough.
I kill the shower and climb out. I don’t bother to grab a towel. I walk to the sink and lean over it. My hands clutch its marbled edges.
This is my payment for success.
I get it. It’s up to me and me alone to go forward. Tracey-Ann will be fine. Heck, she might stop thinking about me altogether come a few months.
Every muscle in my body tightens up. My fingers itch with the need to punch something.
I have to get out of here.
I throw open the door to the bedroom and storm across the floor. Tracey-Ann and Connor are cuddled up where I left them. They look like the perfect, happy couple.
My stomach twists at the lie.
“I’m going swimming,” I snap.
I start to unlock the door. Laughter makes me freeze. I spin on my heel and glare at the bed.
“What?” I demand.
Tracey-Ann presses her fingers against her mouth. Connor stares at me like I’ve gone insane. “Dude,” he says. “You’re naked.”
I glance down at my nude body. Shit.
Leaving the door, I tear open my suitcase and find my bathing suit. Tracey-Ann and Connor silently watch me pull it on. I don’t look at them as I leave the room.
The downstairs indoor pool is empty. Windows stretch above it, ominous and dark. The only sound is the barely audible lapping of water against the sides of the pool.
I go right to the deep end and dive in. My hands slice the water and I slip under. I curve towards the bottom like a bullet. My fingertips brush against the rough floor and I slip up towards the surface.
I break the top layer with a gasp. Tracey-Ann is still on my mind. She’ll never go away. Not even her moving to God-knows-where and not talking to me and Connor again will get her off my mind. Her absence will make the ache in me worse.
I do laps as fast as I can. The muscles along my side body stretch and threaten to snap. Still, I push on. I count the laps in my head, lose track, and start again.
“Kade!”
I stop swimming and shake the water from my eyes. It’s Tracey-Ann. She stands at the edge of the steps to the pool, a red bikini on. Connor hovers behind her in his own bathing suit.
I tread water and stare at them. Neither one of them makes a move to get into the pool.
“What’s the issue?” Connor asks.
I hate him for even asking.
“The issue is this,” I spit out. “You and I are going to Dallas and Tracey-Ann is staying in Knoxville.”
Tracey-Ann looks down. “I’m going to visit you, Kade.”
“Yeah, but for how long?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean what happens with you graduating? How are we going to be together? Come on, Tracey-Ann. You’re not really staying in Knoxville. Anyone who can get out of that town does.”
Tracey-Ann twists her hands together. I watch her. Connor does the same.
“What will happen?” he quietly questions. “I’ll move for you, Tracey-Ann. I’ll go where I need to, but Kade will be in Dallas.”
Tracey-Ann lifts her face. Her chin quivers.
Suddenly, I see clearly what’s happening. Connor was right. I can make all sorts of demands of Tracy-Ann, but in the end she’s going to do whatever she’s going to do.
Even if that means she’s going to walk away from us eventually.
I’m being split in two. It’s the most painful thing I’ve ever been through.
Tracey-Ann locks her eyes on mine. Two tears slide down her cheeks. She takes a couple steps down the stairs. The water kisses her calves. Bending down, she slides in and swims towards me.
She stops a few strokes away. Our hands make gentle slapping noises as we keep ourselves afloat.
“I’ve been thinking about it,” she says. “And I love you guys.”
I nod. “We’ve established that. We love you, too. I’ve worked for you, Tracey-Ann. I...”
She cuts me off. “I’m going where you’re going. Wherever that is. I don’t care if it’s Dallas or some tiny town in Canada.”
“It’s not going to be Canada,” Connor points out from his spot next to the pool.
She purses her lips. “I’m just saying...”
“Oh, okay.”
I scowl at Connor. He’s not taking this conversation half as seriously as he needs to be.
Tracey-Ann swims closer to me. “The point is that I’ve made my decision. I can get any number of jobs. I can teach at a studio or help out at a community theater. I’m yours. I’m moving to Dallas. The second I graduate, I’m there. I promise.”
I take in her honest expression. “You can’t do it if you don’t really want to,” I warn her. “Because that kind of decision is just going to backfire.”
“I really want to.” She clears the last few feet between us and bumps up against me. I take hold of her waist. “I do,” she whispers. Her sweet breath presses against my mouth.
I believe her. What she’s saying is true. She wants to be with Connor and me.
“We’re going to make things work out,” I tell her. “No matter what happens. If we need to move for you someday that’s what we’ll do.”
Tracey-Ann wraps her arms around my neck and presses her forehead against mine. “One decision at a time.”
“One decision at a time,” I agree.
I push my lips against hers. She gives against my touch, melting and becoming part of me. I run my tongue across her teeth and against the r
oof of her mouth. Nothing exists but her.
“Cannonball!”
I look over Tracey-Ann’s shoulder just in time to see Connor flying through the air. He wraps his arms around his knees and hits the pool with a bang. Water flies in every direction.
Tracey-Ann shrieks and huddles against me. “Connor!”
His head breaks the water. He grins and swims to us.
I splash some water on his face. "Meathead."
“Beefcake.”
Tracey-Ann’s eyebrows scrunch together. “Are you guys insulting each other or talking about dinner?”
30
Connor
One Year Later
“Stop messing with your tie,” Kade barks.
I ignore him and loosen it some more.
He goes on. “Didn’t your mom teach you how to act in public?”
“Hey now. Leave my mother out of this.”
He quiets down and the graduation ceremony begins. It’s just like the one we had last year. I scan the crowd and look for familiar faces. A kid named Jace I had a couple classes with waves at me and I nod back.
The key speaker gets up. It’s some guy who wrote a book or something. I don’t know. It’s hard to pay attention. I’m just ready to see Tracey-Ann. If it weren’t for her Kade and I would probably have never set foot in Tennessee again.
I lean my head close to Kade’s. “Are you going to give Tracey-Ann the update?”
He purses his lips. “Relax.”
I can’t. This should be one of the happiest days of Tracey-Ann’s life. She has no clue that she’s about to be hit with big news that could change everything.
The speaker finishes up and the dean gets on the stage to speak. The long line of graduates begins. I crane my neck and look for Tracey-Ann. It's no use. From the back, everyone looks the same in their caps and gowns.
Tracey-Ann’s dorm mate Lily takes the stage. She accepts her diploma and waves at a few people. As she nears the end of the stage she catches my eye and gives me a wink.
I tap my fingers against my folding chair in anticipation. Dozens more people take the stage and get their diplomas.
Finally, it's Tracey-Ann's turn. She climbs the steps and walks across the stage with a giant grin. Maybe it's the happiness exuding from her, but she looks happier than she ever has. She accepts a handshake and her diploma and exits the stage.
Two Jocks Next Door: A Bad Boy MFM Romance Page 17
