The Marriage Pact (Viral Series)

by Mara White

  “Your mom?” Ryan didn’t know what to say. They’d talked a little about home but Jackie was slow when it came to opening up. He knew she was from rural Wisconsin, farm life—that coming to the U was, in and of itself, an adventure for her.

  Jackie just shook her head. It was all she had to do, he knew what she meant.

  “Aw, man, Jack. I’m sorry. Wish I hadn’t said anything.” He was kicking himself for being such an asshole. No wonder the holidays got her down.

  “It’s okay. It’s been a while.” She looked out the window.

  “You want to talk about it, maybe?” She shrugged and then looked up through her long lashes and burst her dazzling smile at him.

  “Okay, therapist.” She resumed eating her eggs. She’d doused them in hot sauce and salt and pepper. Ryan loved to watch her eat.

  “Or not,” he said. “You can get premade Thanksgiving meals from most grocery stores. I was trying to be helpful.”

  “I know, I grew up on that shit.”

  Even when she was feeling down, Jackie was still full of bright light. There was sadness there, obviously, but it didn’t dim her sense of adventure and fun that seemed, more than anything, to be the two tenets than ruled her life.

  She added ketchup and hot sauce to her potatoes.

  “Ready for the game on Monday, tough guy?”

  “Fuck yeah, I am!”

  Chapter 2

  Jackie

  Jackie Bowen was a free spirit. Always had been—at least that’s what her father repeatedly told her. Since the day you joined the world, you marched to the beat of your own drum. That was one way to put it. She didn’t always feel free. Not since her mom had passed away when she was fourteen. Cancer sucked. It sucked the life out of people and the surrounding family members. Her dad had sunk into a depression those first six months after her mother passed, leaving her to raise her little sisters, who were then eleven and thirteen, while also raising herself. It wasn’t a burden really. She adored her sisters but it was a lot of responsibility—the weight of which she felt even now, miles away at college.

  Jackie didn’t want to settle down. She’d finally gotten her first taste of freedom and she wanted to explore all aspects of it. It had been pure luck the day she’d met Ryan. Maybe had she met him under different circumstances, she would have allowed herself to fall for him. But as it was, she just couldn’t. Not now. She had too much riding on her degree, a family she knew would soon come to depend on her even more

  People were funny. No matter how much they each protested, and corrected, people always assumed they were dating. Probably because, to anyone else, it looked that way. They had sleepovers. They held hands when they walked around. They had developed a freakish bond over a fairly short period of time. So close they could read each other’s expressions, speak without words, and finish one another’s sentences. She dated, a loose definition for sleeping around and enjoying it. So did Ryan. Neither of them had ever mentioned that it bothered the other. And so far, that was all it was. Nor had either of them introduced a boyfriend or girlfriend to the other. It was all casual as fuck and that’s how they wanted it.

  She pulled her hair up, twisted it round and round into a messy bun and stabbed a pencil through to hold it. She loved Ryan. He made her feel beautiful without meaning to. He lifted her up, and elicited a comfort deep in her chest, a warmth that she hadn’t had since before her mom passed. Smiling, Jackie slung her backpack onto one shoulder, secured her headphones over her ears and headed to class.

  When she stepped out from the library it was dark. Streetlights cast shadows on the sidewalk and leaves crunched under her feet which were cold—although she’d never admit that because then she’d have to give her flip-flops a break. She was tired from a full day of classes, followed by hours of studying and didn’t have the energy to walk across the entire campus to the freshman dorms. She adjusted her backpack and swung left instead. In half the time it would have taken to get to her room, she was in front of Ryan’s dorm. She swiped her I.D. badge and yanked on the door when the light turned green. She trudged through the lobby area and up a flight of stairs, yawning the whole way. When she got to Ryan’s door she dropped her bag to the floor and dug through the smallest pocket for his key.

  It was illegal to copy the dorm keys but that hadn’t stopped them from doing it. The lights were off when she stepped inside and she could see his roommate’s lump of a body sprawled across his bed. Jackie toed off her flip-flops, coat, sweater and pants and quietly nestled her way into bed with Ryan. She nudged his arm and wiggled her back up to his chest. When she jabbed her feet between his legs he growled, which made her laugh.

  “Your feet suck,” he said through a yawn.

  “I know,” she whispered. Ryan slung his arm over her hip and pulled her close to him and all the delicious warmth he offered.

  “Late night studying?” he murmured into her hair.

  “Shh, I’m trying to sleep,” she chastised through a smile. He grunted but promptly fell silent. Jackie tossed her palm over his and closed her eyes.

  Ryan’s douchebag roommate didn’t know the meaning of quiet. He was up with the sun, which would have been irritating enough for a Saturday morning, but he also stomped around as he got ready for work, proceeding to slam the door shut when he left.

  “I will stab him,” she muttered under her breath. Ryan let out a laugh that made her insides all warm and fuzzy. She rolled onto her side so she could face him. One ripped arm was bent at the elbow and tucked behind his head, the other rested on his chest as he stared at the ceiling. Ryan had the longest lashes she had ever seen on a man. “Seriously. He’s sucks at Saturday’s.”

  “Someone needs her coffee,” he answered. He jabbed a finger into her side, making her jump and squeal. Jackie walked her index and middle finger up Ryan’s arm slowly.

  “Don’t do it,” he warned. She did it. She walked those two fingers right up to his neck and wiggled them all around. For such a massive guy, that one spot really sent him into giggling little girl territory. She’d never known a guy so ticklish. He thrashed and rolled so that she was pinned beneath him. With wide eyes, she held up her hands in surrender. For as much as Ryan was ticklish in one spot, Jackie was ticklish everywhere and he knew it. His face hovered over hers. Both their breath sounded ragged. For a moment, she thought he was about to kiss her but then one hand clutched at her side and the other jabbed her armpit. Jackie laughed so hard and so loud, she was sure she woke up at least three other rooms on his floor. Fighting him off, they crashed to the floor in a heap of tickling fingers and laughter. She’d start her day like this any time, given the choice.

  “Truce!” she shouted. Ryan stopped and sat himself up, leaning against the bed.

  She turned her head to him. They stared at each other silently. His hair was ridiculous first thing in the morning, she ran her fingers through it, from his forehead to his nape, to tame the beast down. His eyes crinkled. She loved that about him. When Ryan really smiled, his eyes crinkled at the corners.

  “Okay. Coffee?” he asked. Jackie nodded, as he helped her up off the floor. She felt like she could have slept for another hour or two and probably would have, if Ryan’s roommate didn’t wake up like a grownup. She tugged on a pair of Ryan’s sweat pants and jammed her feet into her flip-flops. When she looked up, Ryan was staring at her.

  He shook his head. ‘No. Nope. Not happening.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “Huh?”

  “It’s like forty degrees out right now and you don’t have freakin’ shoes.”

  Jackie looked down to her feet and back up at Ryan. “Uh, yeah I do.”

  “Get back in bed. I’ll go grab coffee.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I’m not. Get. Now,” he said and pointed to the bed. It wasn’t often that someone, anyone, else took care of her. She was used to being the one taking care of everyone. A shy smile crept over her face.

  “I am kinda tired stil
l.”

  “Then nap until I come back with caffeine.” Jackie crawled back into his bed after kicking off her flip-flops and pulled the covers up to her chin. She watched as Ryan pulled on a hoodie and left.

  Chapter 3

  Ryan

  The Badgers beat Michigan 21–7. Ryan had scored a touchdown right before halftime, so he was immediately lifted onto the shoulders of the rowdy State bar’s drunk party goers as soon as he stepped foot in the place. He’d been given more congratulatory shots than he could possibly drink within five minutes of arrival. Thing was, bartenders usually served the players for free after a win.

  Ashley from Kappa Kappa Gamma was all over him, too. The girl had money and looks, she wasn’t bad in the personality department either, depending on how much she drank.

  “Oh my God, you were amazing!” she said and threw her arms around his neck. Yup, she was drunk alright. Ashley and Ryan had hooked up a few times sophomore year; she was, as Ryan was pleased to discover, pretty adventurous in the sack.

  “Thanks!” he said and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned in to kiss his cheek and whispered what she wanted in his ear. Ryan could feel the reaction right between his legs. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but scan the crowd for Jackie. It was becoming an instinct. Make sure she was safe, having fun, that no assholes were mistreating her because he’d have to bash their heads in. And looking through the crowd and not seeing her, made his heart fall in his chest, almost like the night was ruined if she didn’t show up. He tried not to worry about it and enjoy himself. They drank enough rambunctious toasts that his shirt was covered in beer. Ashley had already stuck her tongue down his throat, so it seemed like it was shaping up to be a score. Score, win the game, get the girl, score. He figured he’d just follow the current. Going after Jackie was like swimming upstream. He’d chill. The fish were biting.

  “Walters!” his teammate Mike bellowed and wrapped his huge bicep around his head. Walters was his last name but they all referred to one another by nicknames, numbers on the back of their jerseys. “We creamed them tonight, bro!” Mike was wasted. They all were. Ashley was grinding on his thigh and he pushed back, sensing the heat between her legs. When warmed, denim becomes softer, almost resembles cotton. He thought he could actually feel her on his thigh. She tossed her long, blonde hair over her shoulder and was seriously creating friction on his left leg. Ice blue eyes gazed up at him with need. He loved it. On top of the world, Ryan was booze, girl and game high on life. He brushed his hand over the round curve of her ass and she stopped her private table dance to offer her mouth to him.

  “Lucky number eighteen!” he heard as Ashley’s tongue touched his.

  Only Jackie had that sexy scratch in her voice. He pulled back instinctively from the eager blonde. His adrenaline spiked, just from hearing Jack’s voice. He felt immediately guilty for making out with Ashley in public. For whatever reason, he didn’t want Jackie to see.

  Because it would hurt him to see her in the same situation.

  Jackie leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

  “Good game, Sport,” she said. Her hand roughed up his hair affectionately and grabbed his shoulder. “Looks like you’re busy, but I’d say you earned it.”

  “Thanks, Jack!” he said. It wasn’t a win until she congratulated him for it. She stayed close to his face and stuck out her chin. Ryan instinctively leaned down.

  “When you stick it in her, think of me,” Jackie whispered. Another shot of adrenaline that went straight to his dick. An invisible drum vibrated in his throat.

  She walked off then, beer clutched in one hand and her roommate Deanna, attached to her hip. Her hair was down tonight and it looked like she might have washed, dried and straightened it. She was wearing real shoes on her feet. Ryan couldn’t help but wonder if she’d spiffed up for him. Maybe it was just getting colder and she needed to cover her toes. He wanted to tell her so many things, that he’d stop with Ashley if it bothered her, that they could leave and go somewhere else, that he’d take her home for Thanksgiving and share his mom—it all sounded ridiculous. Jackie had made it clear, on numerous occasions, that Ryan was friend-zoned and she wasn’t in the market for a relationship.

  Thank God she’d brought it up on the first night he’d planned to kiss her. Maybe she could sense it. Maybe she wasn’t attracted to him. Leave it to him to get a permanent hard-on for the most unattainable girl on campus.

  “I feel like I just got here and I want to keep an open mind. Like a serious relationship would get in the way of my studying and I want to meet new people, don’t you? Like really savor this experience.” Ryan had nodded his head convincingly and agreed with everything she’d said. But he felt disappointed. To him, Jackie was perfect. He loved her little freckled nose with the tiniest bump in the bridge. Her brown to hazel eyes that were so damn expressive. Loved how she’d press her pen into her full lips every time she was thinking. Lilac scent that fell out of her messy buns that were sometimes fastened with a pencil.

  “No, I totally hear you. I go out with people, but I haven’t really “gone out” with anybody since I’ve been here. Casual is totally cool. You can keep your focus and hell, I got practice. Way better just to chill and—” God, he wanted himself to shut up.

  Ryan had never had difficulty in finding female companionship. He had all-American good looks, a healthy body. He knew women looked at him and admired what they were seeing. He’d been called, Tall, Dark and Handsome, by most of his mom’s friends for as long as he could remember. Ryan was 6’1’’ and had sculpted pecs and a six pack. A lot of girls at the U knew so because they’d seen it up close and personal. He always used protection and always tried to be upfront and kind about not looking for long-term commitment, just a hot hook-up. He wasn’t a preacher’s kid for nothing. The night when he’d planned on kissing her, there he was, for the first time, ever reevaluating his credo and considering asking her for something more serious. Jackie put the brakes on that one. Ryan had no choice but to save face and recover—try not to look at her the way he was starting to.

  She’d whispered, “Sport,” and his cock had jumped when she said it. He was reeling from her scent and the way she’d changed her appearance. Ashley, on the other hand, was pouting and attacking him with grabbing fingers.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here, Ryan. We can go to my place.”

  His hand, with a mind of its own, grabbed her ample ass ferociously. He leaned down and took her mouth, stroking his tongue deep and possessively, he bit her lips gently on the exit and pushed his hardness into her belly.

  “Wow!” Ashley said, rubbing her hands over his pecs. “Let’s go, Tiger.” She shook her ass in front of him, as she parted the crowd on their way to the street.

  He made short work of Ashley’s little top and teased her nipples through the black mesh of her bra. He rubbed the warm mound of her center through her jeans and Ashley slipped a hand, flat down his abdomen and grabbed his straining cock eagerly.

  “Oh fuck,” he whispered as he leaned his head back. She fell to her knees.

  Ashley took him in her mouth and swirled her tongue up and down his rock-solid length. Ryan reached down to toy with her pebbled nipples as he tried desperately to hold back from blowing his load in her mouth. He stroked in and out of her greedy mouth and grabbed a handful of her long hair. He knew Ashley’s hair was blonde, but it was Jackie’s brunette waves he pictured in his head. When Ashley finally pulled back and hesitated, he picked her up and roughly dropped her down on his twin bed. His appetite was such that he didn’t care if his roommate walked in. He was going to take Ashley hard and pretend she was Jackie. He couldn’t help himself, couldn’t stop and he honestly could not remember having ever felt so turned on.

  “Do you have a condom?” Ashley asked, almost begging in a breathless voice. He’d pulled off her jeans and was massaging her relentlessly between the legs. He could feel the slickness of her arousal through the cotton of her panties.
She ground down into his palm and squirmed, unhooking her bra with only one hand behind her back. When her breasts were fully exposed to him in their heavy paleness, tipped with pink, Ryan slipped two fingers past the crotch of her panties and plunged them into her hungry heat. Ashley groaned and almost screamed; she rode his hand like it was his cock. She pulled his forearms as hard as she could and he fell on top of her, breaking his fall so that he wouldn’t hurt her.

  “Oh my God, Ryan, fuck me!” she gasped. But he didn’t want to hurry. She guided his head to her breast and he sucked her nipple into his mouth and tortured it until she was moaning.

  “Condoms?” she asked, the look in her eye half frantic, half overcome with mad lust.

  He sucked in the other nipple and laved; with one hand, detached a condom from the roll in his nightstand. He sucked at her breast until she was gasping. His fingers fucked Ashley relentlessly, until her breathing became erratic and then he gave in and rolled it on.

  In his mind’s eye, underneath him was an open and willing Jackie. He wanted her to lose herself, to give everything up to him. He closed his eyes as he gently pushed inside the agonized Ashley’s wet heat. He stroked his ample length and girth in and out, until he could feel her muscles desperately clenching to keep him inside. Still, he envisioned Jackie, open and vulnerable and undone beneath him. He pounded Ashley, then, unleashing everything he had into her, pounding while she screamed in pleasure and abandon. He pumped into her until every last drop of cum had been squeezed out. He planted his face into the pillow and promptly passed out.

  When he opened his eyes Tuesday morning, he felt amazing, not hungover a bit. Ryan wrapped his arms around the warm body molded into his. His smile was genuine and he felt simultaneously invigorated and relaxed, down to the tips of his toes. He inhaled the scent in her hair and started when what came back was cigarette smoke.