by J. Nathan
“And?”
“And I’m hoping we’re going skinny dipping”
I laughed. “Is that something you’d like to do?”
He laughed. “You don’t ask a guy that. Of course I’d want you naked in a lake. Hell, I’d take you naked anywhere I can have you.”
When the words left his lips, it was as if electricity zapped around the cab of the truck, bouncing off the windows, dashboard, and seat, with us in the center. Caden’s eyes met mine. They were focused, narrowed, and sexy as hell. We were clearly in need of the same thing.
He slid his hand across the bench seat and grabbed mine, tugging me closer. I scooted over, feeling the heat of him everywhere. He leaned over and grasped my hips, lifting me so I straddled his lap. “That’s better.” My hands instinctively landed on his shoulders before slipping around his neck. He instantly buried his hands in my hair and pulled my mouth down to his. His kiss was anxious and forceful. His lips owned me. Hell, he owned me. Thanks to my sleeveless shirt, his hands moved over my bare shoulders and down my arms, slipping to the sides of my body and splaying at my hips, bracing me where I sat. Possessive and strong.
I didn’t want him to stop kissing me. He’d ignited something in me. All his words—all his apologies—came flooding back. Reassuring me. Calming me.
Was that what forgiveness felt like?
Unable to get close enough, I shamelessly ground against the bulge in his jeans. He groaned into my mouth as his hands slipped under my top, coasting gently up my back. I’d almost forgotten how strong his hands were. How possessive. His thumbs brushed my bra strap. “Is this okay?” he asked against my lips.
“You’d be smart to shut up before I change my mind.”
He wasted no time, unhooking my bra with the twist of his fingers. The straps slid down my shoulders but he didn’t remove my shirt. My body tingled with anticipation. His hands coasted up and down my bare back in long strokes leaving a path of heat in their wake. He dropped his mouth to my neck, trailing a path of open-mouthed kisses along my skin. “I can’t be responsible for my actions tonight,” he assured me as he continued to press kisses to the skin beneath my ear. “I couldn’t stop thinking about the way you threw that football. It was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Stop talking.”
Without warning, he threw open his door and jumped out of the truck with me clutched to his front. He stalked along the truck to the back and unhitched the tailgate. The metal creaked in the quiet night as it dropped open. He sat me on the edge. “There’s a blanket in the storage box.”
I scooted back toward the cab, keeping him in my sights as I reached into the box. I pulled out the blanket and spread the soft material out in the bed of the truck.
With a predatory look in his eyes, Caden reached behind his neck, pulling his shirt over his head.
My breath hitched as he stood before me shirtless. The hunger in his eyes was undeniable. Though it was warm outside, goosebumps rushed up my arms and legs as he climbed into the bed of the truck and crept toward me. “Do you have any idea how amazing you are?”
My eyes stayed on his. “Yes.”
His lips slid into a cocky smirk. “Of course you do.”
“It’s you who took so long to figure it out.”
“Is that right?”
I nodded.
His smile faded, though his eyes remained focused on mine. “I’m so damn sorry I hurt you. But I hope you know, I was hurting myself worse by staying away.”
I swallowed down the words I wanted to say. Because I earned this apology and all the others that came before.
“I was stupid and I promise I will never ever hurt you again.”
I nodded, my heart racing something fierce.
His hands reached for the hem of my shirt. “Now, I’m going to take your clothes off and I’m going to show you just how sorry I am.”
I shook my head, lifting my chin toward his jeans. “You first.”
He laughed as he dropped my shirt and reached for the button on his jeans, slipping it through the slot and tugging his jeans down and over his feet. “This shouldn’t be that impressive since you’ve already seen it. On second thought. Yes it should be.”
I laughed as he grabbed a condom from his wallet then tossed his jeans into the corner of the truck bed, leaving him in his black boxer briefs. I nodded to the boxers. “I don’t think you’re finished.”
He glanced up. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
“Has that line actually worked before?”
He shrugged in a way that told me it had. But he was there with me. Not Leslie or some other girl. Me. And—for the first time in weeks—I was so damn happy he was.
I grabbed hold of the hem of my shirt and peeled it up my skin, taking my loose bra with it. It wasn’t like Caden hadn’t seen me naked before. But knowing the darkness kept me somewhat concealed, I felt more comfortable stripping down. That—and his sharp intake of breath once my shirt cleared my head—did wonders for my ego.
“Are your parents gonna wonder where we are?” he asked.
“Are you seriously bringing up my parents right now?”
He smiled as he pushed off his boxers and lowered me onto my back on the blanket. He cradled my head with one hand and reached for his jeans, bunching them into a soft pile and placing them beneath my head as he covered me with his body. “You okay?”
“I am now.”
He snickered. “Yeah, but I need you out of these cutoffs. Just leave on the hot boots.”
I nodded, my belly a fluttery mess.
He rolled off of me and reached for my button. I didn’t bother waiting, lifting my butt and dragging my shorts and underwear down my legs myself. Caden tugged them over my cowboy boots which were apparently staying on. His eyes drifted over my body sending a shudder rocking through me. “You’re so hot.”
“Is that all I am?”
He rolled on the condom, then lay back on top of me, his weight on his arms and his eyes zoned in on mine. I could feel his erection against my belly and every part of me tingled with anticipation. “Oh, babe, you are every one of my dreams come to life.”
“Dreams change.”
He shook his head. “Not this one.”
I closed my eyes, the revelations of the day becoming far too much for me to bear any longer.
“Hey,” he said softly.
I opened my eyes, unable to hide the tears glazing them.
“Is this okay? The truck? Us out here?”
I nodded. “It’s perfect.”
He smiled before his lips dropped to mine and his tongue plunged inside my mouth, aggressive and deep. His hips began to move, his length pressed low against me. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him to me as he lowered his hips, running his length over the wetness he’d created. Was he teasing me or prolonging the moment? It didn’t matter. The moon was the only witness to us deep in the woods as he added pressure, pushing inside of me with one hard thrust. My back arched, my chest pushing into him as I groaned into the quiet night. His mouth captured my sounds as he sucked away at my tongue.
He kept a slow pace as he moved inside me, filling me and hitting the spots I yearned for him to hit. I bent my legs, cradling his hips, hoping to drive him even deeper. He moaned into my mouth, enjoying the easier access. I upped the ante, lifting my feet and crossing my boots behind his ass.
“You must be trying to kill me,” he growled against my lips as his hips drove hard and fast, pounding away at me.
I tried to take it all in. Caden on top of me—inside me. His smooth skin. The squeaking of the truck. The night air on my bare skin.
Caden’s lips dropped to my neck, his tongue tracing a path to my ear. His breathing was labored as he began sucking away at the sensitive skin there.
“Stay right there,” I urged.
“Not goin’ anywhere,” he ground out against my neck.
I dug my fingers into his ass, loving the feel of it clenching as
it moved back and forth. I craved the release only he could give me.
“I’ve missed being inside you.”
“Stop.”
His hips stopped moving.
I panicked. “No, not that.”
He grunted a laugh as his hips surged deeper.
My head pushed into the jeans behind my head, my neck arching. “Don’t you dare stop.”
Caden focused. His thrusts became harder, grinding deeper. He reached down between us, running the pad of his thumb over the spot that sent my eyes rolling into the back of my head and ripples igniting.
“Oh, God.”
“I’m right with you, Finlay.”
I closed my eyes, concentrating on the feel of him moving in and out of me, the building sensations as he circled with his thumb, the slapping of our skin, the motion of the truck, the musky scent of his hair, and his heavy breaths. Then, as if we hadn’t been apart, my insides shattered, tingling sensations flooding through every part of my body. I could hardly catch my breath as tiny tremors moved over me in an exhausting calm.
Caden continued his pursuit, thrusting a few more times before his body stilled and he groaned into my ear. I loved that sound. And the feel of him lowering down and relaxing on top of me, all sweaty and solid. There was something about having all of his weight on me. Something possessive and freeing. Something that told me he was mine.
“You know we’re doing that again, right?”
I laughed.
He pulled back, lifting his weight onto his forearms and staring down at me with a seriousness in his eyes. “I’m glad I didn’t meet you until this year,” he said.
“Why’s that?”
“I wouldn’t have been ready for you.”
“Oh no?”
He shook his head. “But I’m ready for you now.”
I smiled as he pressed his sweaty forehead to mine. And in that moment, I knew it was the truth.
Caden
“What are the odds you’ll win today?” Finlay asked from the passenger seat of my truck the following morning, her hot cowboy boots resting on the dashboard.
“If last night was any indication, things are definitely going my way,” I assured her.
She smiled. She was so damn cute—and those cowboy boots were killing me. Scratch that. Picturing her in them and only them the previous night was killing me and keeping me hard. Normally, not a huge problem, but I had a game to play.
Her eyes drifted out the window as we passed yet another sign for school. A stark reminder we’d be returning to reality.
The silence in the truck became deafening. Was she having regrets? “What are you thinking?”
“A girl’s allowed to have her secrets.”
I laughed, feeling relieved by her calm response. “I guess that’s fair.” And it was. Because I had a secret of my own.
I pulled the truck up in front of my house and killed the engine.
“I’ve got to get to the dorm to shower,” she said, obviously thinking I planned to kidnap her. If I didn’t have a game, I probably would have.
I beckoned her over with my finger. “You can take my truck when I’m done with you.”
She grinned as she scooted across the seat until her leg brushed mine.
I patted my hands on my lap, a request for her to straddle me like she had by the lake. She shook her head. I guess I didn’t blame her. People were walking all around and both of us were on the verge of being late to the field house. “Fine.”
She laughed. “You do realize you’re pouting, right?”
“Football players don’t pout,” I said.
“I don’t know about other football players, but you’re definitely pouting.”
I reached over and slipped my hand behind her head, tunneling my fingers through her hair and pulling her to me. My lips descended on hers, and I made damn sure not to release her until I was good and ready. It did nothing for the hard-on in my jeans, but I needed the reassurance that last night happened. That it changed everything between us. That it fixed what I’d broken. I tore my lips away, leaving her breathless and flushed. “Fuck that felt good.”
She laughed. “Go. You’ve got a game to win.”
“Trying to get rid of me already?”
She shoved at my arm, trying to give me a push, but it was gonna take a lot more than that to get me to leave her.
“You do realize I line danced for you, right?”
“That’s what you called it?” she teased.
I grabbed both of her arms and pulled her onto my lap, earning me an adorable squeal. I linked my arms around her back so she couldn’t escape. “This is exactly where I want you.”
“What is it with us and vehicles?” she asked, her pretty face moving closer to mine until her lips hovered a mere breath away.
I smiled. “I don’t think it’s vehicles. I just think it’s us. And I’d take you anywhere.”
Finlay pressed her lips to mine, and it was all the confirmation I needed to know that she liked my answer. And she should. It was the truth.
.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Finlay
I filled my bottles at the sink in the locker room. I could hear Coach giving the guys a pep talk in the other room before they headed out for some pre-game warmups prior to the stadium gates opening.
“Finlay?”
I glanced over my shoulder.
Yvette stood there with a clipboard in her hand. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
I smiled as visions of the previous night materialized.
“Thought so,” she said as she turned away.
“Hey.”
She stopped and glanced back over her shoulder.
“How about you and Grady?” I raised my brows quid pro quo.
She lifted a shoulder. “He’s not as bad as he seems.” With that, she turned and headed out to the field.
I stood there with my grin fixed in place. Maybe we weren’t the two most likely couples on campus, but for whatever reason, we worked.
A little while later, I finished up with my bottles and rolled my cart down toward the stadium. Some of the guys were on their way back to get their uniforms on while the stadium filled with fans. Caden passed me with a knowing grin, but kept walking with Forester who gave me the same knowing look. What had Caden told him?
On the sideline, I organized my bottles on the table behind the bench. I glanced up to the seats, shocked to find my parents sitting nearby. I’d given them tickets, but they said they wouldn’t be able to make it. They waved as soon as they spotted me. Sabrina sat beside them with Forester’s number painted on her cheek.
Had I missed something?
I lifted my chin at Sabrina who shrugged coyly. I knew he’d gotten her number the night at the bar—after threatening our dance partners—but she hadn’t mentioned he’d called. Oh. There was something there, and I couldn’t wait to find out what it was.
The stadium filled quickly, and by the time the opponents took the field to boos from the home crowd, the place had filled to capacity. Our theme song blared and the entire stadium shook as the team ran onto the field clad in crimson and white, jumping around trying to hype up the already overzealous crowd.
I stopped to admire the scene for the first time in a long while the stadium roared around me. My eyes searched for Caden amongst the players on the field. But I couldn’t find number twelve in all the madness.
It was then a shiver rolled up my spine and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
It couldn’t be.
I blinked several times as my eyes welled and I stood frozen to my spot. Dumbstruck. Terrified. Confused. It was as if it was happening in slow motion. Number sixteen jogged over to me on the sideline, stopping in front of me. He grabbed his helmet with both hands and, for a split second, I expected it to be Cole. Once the helmet cleared his head, Caden stood there in Cole’s jersey.
Tears spilled from my eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Cole’s
jersey deserved to be worn. He deserved to play.”
I dropped my head and my shoulders shook as silent sobs tore out of me.
Caden wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in Cole’s jersey. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m happy.” I pulled back enough to look up at him, meeting him with teary eyes. “I can’t believe you did this for Cole.”
He dropped his forehead to mine, his gaze never wavering. “I didn’t do it for Cole. I did it for you. I did it for Finlay.”
My entire being melted into him as I resisted the urge to slither down into a puddle of useless goo right there and then. But oh, how I wanted to. His sincerity—his grand gesture—absolutely floored me.
“I love you, Finlay. There’s not a thing in this world I wouldn’t do for you.”
I closed my eyes, absorbing his words. His actions. His love. I’d found the right guy for me. A guy who loved my brother. A guy who loved me. My eyes fluttered open, lifting to the crimson sky as the sun began to lower in the distance. Cole was watching. I just knew he had everything to do with Caden and me getting together. I just knew it. “Then get out there and win the game.”
He pressed his lips to mine. Everything about this kiss reassured me that this thing between us wasn’t just a fling. This was something real. Something with the potential to withstand anything that got thrown in our way.
The sound of applause around us pulled me out of the kiss a lot sooner than I was ready for. When my eyes flashed around, the team stood clapping with big dumb smiles on their faces. I couldn’t hide mine as I looked at all of them, the black paint under their eyes neatly lined for the time being. And for the first time, I saw true regret in their eyes. I guess the cat was out of the bag. I was Cole’s sister. And for once they were looking at me and not through me. They respected me and my being there. Even Grady applauded, lifting his hands to his mouth and howling.
He was such an idiot.
I shot a glance over my shoulder at the crowded seats behind us. Leslie stood with her friends watching the entire scene. Tears trailed down her cheeks. Had she finally realized she’d made a huge mistake in telling Caden about Cole? Or had it just hit her that Caden was never going back to her? He was mine. And that felt so good to finally admit.
