PENALTY

by Jacob Chance

  “I want to believe he loves me as much as he says he does. I need him to be as broken up over our split as I am. At least then I’d know for sure I meant something to him.”

  “Aren’t we friends?” Raine asks, drawing me out of my inner pity party.

  “You know you’re my best friend. Why are you asking me this?”

  “Do you trust my opinion?” she questions.

  “Of course.”

  “Then what makes you think I’d encourage you to forgive him and work things out unless I believed in what a good guy he is? Do you think I’d deliberately push you into a situation knowing you’d get hurt?” Her voice rings with indignation.

  “No, never.”

  “Then trust me when I say he cares deeply for you.”

  I want to believe what Raine’s saying. I need to believe when Brady said he loved me, he meant it.

  Chapter Seventeen

  BRADY

  Today’s day eighteen without Harlow and it’s not getting any easier. I’m at a loss. What I should do?

  I promised her space and I’ve kept my word. I even stopped texting her after I saw her at the bar, thinking absence might be the best way to go. That idiotic theory fucking backfired in my face. She hasn’t reached out to me once. I’ve been lurking around the places I know she goes on campus and every time I’ve seen her this past week she’s turned her head the other way. If we don’t talk soon, I’m worried we’re going to reach the point of no return. I can’t lose this girl. She’s the most important person in my life. I’ve barely made it through the past couple weeks without her. I don’t know what I should do to get her back, but I’m going to figure something out soon. I can’t take much more of this painful ache in my chest. I never realized it was possible to miss someone this much.

  Nick and Zeke have both been on my case. They say I’ve been acting like a lovesick pussy. I don’t disagree with them, but I’m not going to give them any more ammo to use against me.

  In an effort to prove them wrong I’m currently standing in C’s pub downing shots in between beers. I’ve even been conversing. Although, the scowl that appears on my face so easily these days has been harder to control. I don’t have the energy to pretend I’m interested in hearing about what happened at the frat party last night. I’ve changed so much in the last few months and it’s all because of Harlow. She showed me there are more important things than partying and being popular.

  My eyes move over the crowd as I listen to the endless conversations around me droning on and on. I can’t wait to get out of here. I’d rather be at home, relaxing on my couch with the remote in one hand and a cold beer clasped in the other. Lifting the bottle to my lips I take a sip and my gaze wanders toward the entrance. Harlow walks in with Raine, the two of them progressing in my direction. I remind myself I was here first and resist the urge to give her space.

  She’s about ten steps away when she notices me. She hesitates for a second, but recovers fast as she keeps up with Raine. I study her, watching every move she makes. My eyes can’t get enough of her. I’m stocking up for however long it will be before I see her again.

  She touches Raine’s arm, leaning in close to talk and then she heads toward the back of the bar. I watch her until she disappears from my sight and drink back the rest of my beer. I want to talk to her. I know I shouldn’t, but she’s not giving me much choice. Slamming the empty bottle down on the bar, my feet begin to move before it even registers in my mind. I need to clear the air and this might be my only opportunity.

  It takes me a minute or two to get through the crowd and to the back hallway where the restrooms are located. When I do, I see fucking red. Cameron is caging Harlow in, back against the wall and both her hands clasped in one of his above her head.

  Her eyes are wide with fear. “Let me go,” she yells, her voice laced with panic. She struggles but he tightens his grip and shoves a finger in her face.

  “Shut up,” he yells. Enough is enough. I’m all done with this guy.

  I can’t control my anger and take two quick steps as if I’m exploding off the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball. My adrenaline is racing and my heart is pumping double-time. I raise my elbow up, prepared for contact. Harlow sees me coming - Cameron doesn’t.

  She turns her head to the side, closing her eyes as I run straight through him, blindsiding him with a forearm shiver to the temple. The extreme force of the impact knocks him horizontal and out of his loosely laced shoes, sending him head first into the back wall ten feet away.

  I stand over him, my chest puffing from my accelerated breathing and the adrenaline racing through me. Listening to him mumble incoherently, I watch as the blood starts to flow from the top of his head where it slammed into the wall. “Don’t stand on the tracks when the train is coming through, motherfucker.”

  After a few seconds, I’ve settled down and regained control of my anger. Turning around I walk away, leaving him on the floor and make my way over to Harlow. I grasp her hand, pulling her along behind me as I head for the back exit. Slamming through the door, I pull her outside. We’re alone in the alley behind C’s. Harlow catapults herself against my chest, arms wrapping tight around my waist.

  I cup the back of her head with one hand and rub her back with the other. “Are you okay?”

  She nods and mumbles “yes,” against my chest.

  “When I saw his hands on you, I lost it.” Shaking my head, I think about what a piece of shit he really is. “He’ll never bother you again.”

  She leans her chin on my chest and stares up, locking eyes with me. Hers are shiny with unshed tears and gratitude. “Thank you. I don’t know what he would have done if you hadn’t found us.” She shudders.

  Leaning down, I kiss her forehead. “It’s over now. He won’t touch you again.” Our eyes lock and I’m lost in the cloudy depths of gray. “I miss you so much, Harlow.”

  “I miss you too. I still love you,” she whispers.

  “What did you say?” I ask.

  “I still love you.” Her voice is louder and more confident this time.

  I cup her cheeks in my palms. “I love you, Harlow. I always will. Do you think we can get past everything and move forward?”

  She nods her head. “I want to.”

  “Can I take you back to my place so we can spend some time together?”

  “Please. I don’t want to be here any longer.”

  Cuddling on the couch with Harlow has me feeling like the luckiest guy in the world. She’s curled into my side, an arm wrapped across my stomach while I stroke my fingers over her long soft chocolate waves. “It’s so nice to have you here with me. I was afraid I’d never hold you in my arms again.”

  She looks up at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “I don’t ever want to be apart from you. I was so lonely. It was horrible.”

  Skimming the back of my fingers down her cheek, our gazes lock. “I may never let you out of my sight again,” I say with a smile. Though I’m joking, there may be some truth buried in those words. If I could be with her every minute of each day, I would be.

  We settle in for some more cuddling and watch some television. We’re in the middle of deciding if we should watch another show or go to bed when Zeke walks through the door with Claire.

  “Hey, guys. Where’s Nick?” I ask.

  Claire rolls her eyes. “He ended up leaving with some redhead,” Zeke says with a smirk.

  Harlow and I look at each other. “I hope it wasn’t Cindy,” she says, giggling.

  I chuckle. I had the same thought.

  Standing up, I hold my hand out to Harlow. “Come on, kitten. It’s been a crazy night. I’m going to tuck you in now.”

  She rises to her feet and I scoop her up, slinging her over my shoulder. “Brady,” she shrieks. I playfully slap her ass with the palm of my hand.

  “Goodnight guys,” I say to Zeke and Claire as I carry Harlow off to my room.

  Her skin is so soft under my fingertips as they trail
up and down her arm. Lying here with her sleeping on my bare chest is the second-best thing to happen to me tonight. Harlow saying she still loves me was the first. When she said those words, I thought I was imaging it.

  Warm lips lay kisses from one side of my chest to the other. I smile, keeping my eyes closed and enjoying the sensation of her soft mouth on me. Her hair teases along my skin as she moves lower, her lips now near the top of my boxer briefs.

  My cock has been hard since we got into bed an hour ago, but I didn’t want to start anything on our first night back together. Gripping her with an arm around her back I roll us until she’s under me. “What are you doing, beautiful?”

  “I was about to make you a very happy man,” she says, her eyes alight with mischief.

  “I’m already the happiest man in the world. I have you here in my arms where you belong.” I skim a soft kiss over her brow and another on the curve of her cheek.

  “Make love to me.”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice. Being inside you is my favorite place to be.” Kissing down her neck, my lips trail across her collarbone and down to wrap around one of her nipples. She moans at the contact. I slip inside her tight pussy after rolling on a condom and take my time. Keeping my strokes long and slow, each motion unhurried, I show the girl I plan on spending the rest of my life with, how much I love her. This is the way making love is meant to be. Each time is better than the last, our connection deeper than before.

  My hand moves up to her shoulder, guiding her over to lay on my chest, my cock slipping from inside her. My arms wrap around her torso. “I love you so much,” I whisper in her ear. “I’m never letting you go again.”

  “I don’t plan on going anywhere. I’m sorry I made you leave and didn’t try to work things out sooner,” she says, a remorseful expression on her face.

  “It’s all in the past. Let’s keep our focus aimed straight down the field toward the future.”

  She snorts. “Are you really comparing our relationship to a football field?”

  Over the course of the next few weeks Harlow and I are inseparable for the most part. The time we spent apart made us realize how deeply we love and need each other. The two of us have fallen into a routine of spending all our time together. I walk her to all her classes, we meet up for lunch and we cook dinner together at night. I’m sure at some point we might settle in and the need to be together won’t feel so urgent, but for now we have time to make up for.

  Harlow’s also been sleeping over each night. I love having her in my bed with me and on the rare night she’s not, I toss and turn.

  “Are you awake?” she asks, sitting up.

  “Yeah. What’s wrong, kitten?”

  “Nothing’s wrong. I’m about to make everything right for you.”

  She moves to her knees and climbs between my legs, pulling my boxers down, freeing my dick. My eyes snap open when her hand grips the base of my length and then fall closed again when she wraps her full wet lips around the tip. She slowly swallows me down. I groan and slide my fingers in her silky tresses. She moves up and down my solid cock at an agonizingly slow pace, drawing out my pleasure.

  “Give me your pussy,” I order. Her eyes lock with mine, my dick still buried inside her mouth. She’s so fucking sexy. “Swing that fine ass of yours around and sit on my face. I want to bury my tongue inside you right now.”

  She releases my cock, kneeling between my legs. “Take off your shirt,” I command, watching as she pulls my t-shirt over her head. She drops it to the floor. I crook my finger. “Lose the panties and give me your pussy.”

  She pushes them down, tugging them off, before swinging a leg over my chest and spinning around. My hands immediately grip her hips and tug her backward until her pussy lands on my mouth. She moans as my tongue sweeps through her slit and I join her when the flavor of her hits my taste buds. She’s fucking delicious.

  “Put your mouth on me,” I growl. Flicking her clit with my tongue, my fingers dig into the skin of her ass, holding her in place. She rocks against my tongue as my cock slips between her lips. She uses her hand and her mouth together, sucking, squeezing, licking and twisting until I’m going out of my mind. I try to focus on her pleasure and fight to regain control, but she’s practically wringing an orgasm out of my dick between her mouth and her fist. Tugging her clit between my lips, I gently suck on the swollen flesh while she grinds against my face. I suck harder and wiggle my tongue until she comes, calling out my name. It’s the best fucking sound in the world.

  She leans over, grabbing a condom from the nightstand drawer. Ripping it open and rolling it onto me in no time at all. She moves forward and guides my cock inside her hot tight pussy. We both groan as she takes me all the way to the hilt.

  “Fuck yes, ride my cock, kitten. Let me see those hips move.” My hands clasp her hips and help control her movements. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  Sitting up, I lay a trail of kisses across her shoulders. “I never want to be apart from you again,” I whisper against her ear.

  I can’t take my eyes off her ass as she sensually rocks up and down my cock until my orgasm hits me quick and hard. My hips jerk beneath her and I groan as her pussy squeezes every bit of my release out of me. I’ll never get enough of her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  HARLOW

  Four Months Later

  “Surprise,” I jump from the shock of about thirty people screaming at me when I walk in the door of Brady’s apartment. Placing my hand on my chest, I feel my heart racing. I take a deep breath and smile at Brady as he walks toward me.

  “Happy twenty-first birthday, kitten,” he whispers against my lips before he connects our mouths for a spine-tingling kiss. His hand slides down over the curve of my ass earning us some wolf whistles. He pulls his mouth from mine, smiling against my lips. “Now that I’m seeing you, I’m kicking myself for inviting everyone over. You look so sexy.” His lips move to the bottom of my ear, teasing along the edge. “I want you to myself,” he growls.

  I rub my hands over his chest. “There will be plenty of time for us to be alone.”

  “Where’s my girl?” Nick calls out from across the room.

  Brady scowls at him and I smile. Nick loves to mess with him.

  “Here I am,” I yell, earning a poke in the side from Brady. “Hey, that’s not nice.”

  “Neither is saying you’re his girl. I think you need twenty-one spankings to remind you who you belong to.” He pulls me in front of him, wrapping his arms tight around my waist. “You’re my girl and I’ll fight anyone I need to for you. I’m never giving you up.”

  My arms circle his neck and my fingers rake through the hair on the back of his head. “I don’t want anyone but you.”

  “Good, because you’re stuck with me.” His eyes stare intently at my face, carefully watching me.

  “What?” I question.

  “Will you move in with me? I want you with me every day.”

  “Are you serious?” I question.

  “Completely. You had to see this coming. We spend all our time together anyway. The only thing left to do is to make it official.”

  “Don’t ask me unless you know for sure that’s what you want.”

  “I don’t need to think about it anymore. It’s what I’ve wanted since the first night you slept in my bed.”

  “When I was drunk?”

  “Yep, I knew then I had to find a way to make you fall in love with me.” He nuzzles my nose with his. “My diabolical plan worked. You’re all mine, now.”

  One Month Later

  “I’m coming,” I shout as I hurry across the hardwood floors of our apartment. I finished moving in with Brady three weeks ago and I’ve never been happier. We now get to spend all our free time together.

  Nick was almost as excited about me joining them as Brady was. Now he has someone to watch all his sci-fi favorites with. I’ve even gotten him hooked on Battlestar Galactica.

  Raine found some guy who
wants the second bedroom in the apartment we were set to sign the lease for. I hope she knows what she’s doing. She said he’s hot and she’s hoping for some strings free sex as part of their roommate agreement.

  I don’t bother taking the time to look through the peephole, before pulling the door open as quickly as possible. I’m extremely surprised to find Cindy standing there. My mouth freezes open in an oh. Although I emailed her my new address so she could forward mail to me; I never expected her to be standing on my doorstep.

  She smiles at my discomfort. “Harlow, sorry to drop by unexpectedly, but I was in the neighborhood.”

  “Do you want to come in?” I ask, and then kick myself for having such good manners. She doesn’t deserve my kindness.

  “Yes please, I need to talk to you about something.”

  Stepping back, I allow room for her to pass by me before I close the door. I don’t ask her if she’d like a drink or if she wants to sit down. Why prolong this?

  “I have something for you,” she says, reaching inside her large purse. She pulls out a business size envelope addressed to me. I notice the return address is the law firm dad always used.

  Taking it from her, I tear open the flap and blink repeatedly at the check I just received. One-hundred-fifty thousand dollars. Frozen in place, I’m numb, staring at the rectangular piece of paper made out to me and worth such an ungodly amount of money. Also enclosed is a letter explaining how my dad wanted me to turn twenty-one before I gained access to this money. I guess that explains why I didn’t know of its existence until now.

  “Why did you bring this to me? Why not let his attorney deliver it?

  “I wanted to see your expression when you saw the check. Receiving that much money is life changing. There’s nothing better than the feeling of knowing you have access to all those funds.”