Roughing the Passer (Quarterback Sneak Book 2)

by Natalie Brock

  “I’d rather eat together.” She smiled sweetly at him. “But it’ll take a year to finish all this food.”

  He rose to his feet and closed the fridge. “Not once my team gets to it. I think they like me visiting my grandmother better than I do.”

  “You share it with your teammates?”

  “Sure. Like you said, no way I can eat all this food by myself.”

  Allison nodded. She looked at him for a long moment and he almost made a move. But he hesitated a moment too long. She turned around and walked away from the kitchenette toward the sleeping area of the one-room apartment. Tony’s bed was on the left side of the room, but she faced forward, looking toward the window a few feet in front of her. The sleeping area was dark except for the fluorescent glow from the kitchen and the light filtering in from the street through the Venetian blinds.

  Standing in the middle of the room, she nervously played with her bracelet. “Does your grandmother always send you home with that much food?”

  “Yeah, like I told you this morning, she could feed an army.”

  “Oh right. I forgot you already told me.”

  She was obviously nervous too, he realized. He came up behind her and instead of taking her in his arms like he wanted to, he put his hands in his pants pockets like an inexperienced teenager. He hadn’t felt this awkward around a girl since he was thirteen. Then again, he never felt this way about anyone before now. “So um thanks for your help. It would have taken me longer to put it all away by myself.” Lame Ramos, really lame.

  “No problem,” she muttered quietly, continuing to face away from him. Her head turned toward the bed for a moment. “I’ve um never been in your room before.”

  “I’m aware,” he said with a small laugh. “But, you’re here now.” He took his hands out of his pockets and squeezed her shoulders from behind. And now that you’re here, I’m never letting you go. He leaned closer to her ear. “I’m glad you came with me today.”

  She nodded. “Me too.” She reached for his right hand on her shoulder and drew it across her body, holding it against her chest. “Can you feel how fast my heart is racin’?”

  Sliding his left hand down the length of her arm, he captured her hand, threading their fingers together. He slowly brought it backward to his own chest. “Can you feel mine?”

  She nodded. “Our hearts are beatin’ to the same rhythm.”

  He released her hands and locked her in his arms from behind. He leaned in and let his cheek brush against hers. Her face was so soft and cool next to his. That scent of fresh ripe fruit was like a drug. He pressed his lips to her cheek and whispered, “You said you thought I didn’t want you. The truth is, I’ve never wanted anyone more.” He swallowed hard, waiting for a reaction.

  “Then show me,” she said quietly.

  He took a deep breath, instantly feeling his arousal grow at the sound of those three little words. God he wanted her so much. In his mind, he saw himself ripping her clothes off and ravaging every part of her body. He breathed hard and reminded himself to go slow, Ramos.

  He slid his hands back up her arms and turned her around to face him. He swallowed hard and gazed into her deep blue eyes and for a moment, that was enough. Those beautiful blue eyes were watery, welling up with the importance of this moment. He felt it too. Things would never be the same after tonight, and he never wanted them to be the same because he was in love with her.

  He held her face in his hands and leaned closer, capturing her lips with his. “Tony,” she whispered against his mouth. Her breath made him shiver with desire. Pulling her closer to his body he deepened the kiss. He leaned away and looked down at her top. Her chest rose and fell with anticipation as she waited for him to make the next move. His fingers followed his eyes, grasping the hem of her T-shirt and drawing it over her head before dropping it. She took his breath away.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said licking his lips.

  She turned around and pulled her ponytail to one side, silently telling him to unclasp her bra. He quickly complied and she let the bra fall to her feet. He pulled his own shirt over his head and pressed his chest to her bare back. He threaded his fingers through her hair and gently rolled the elastic hair band out of her hair and let it fall to the floor. He parted her long hair and held half in one hand and half in the other as he brought it over her shoulders to the front of her body. Slowly, he slid his fingertips down her strands until they reached her bare breasts. She sucked in some air when he skimmed her skin and she began to breathe harder as he palmed her breasts. Leaning over her shoulder to watch his actions, he cradled each breast and held them up, running his thumbs along the underside of her nipples as they began to stiffen from his stimulation.

  She rested her head against his chest and placed her hands on top of his to guide his fingertips over her nipples. He closed his eyes for a moment to concentrate on his sense of touch. Her breasts were so silky and firm and he marveled how perfectly they fit in the palms of his hands, how they reacted as he caressed them over and over.

  With every touch, she breathed harder between soft utterances of “ooh” and “yes.” She reached behind her and caressed the back of his neck. Turning only her head she urged him to kiss her and he did in an instant.

  She finally turned to face him without breaking the kiss and ran her hands up over his chest to his shoulders. She stood on her tiptoes to reach his lips and nearly lost her balance. Falling into him, he caught her in his arms and they laughed. That laugh was exactly what Tony needed to release any remaining anxiety. He swept her up and cradled her in his arms, gently placing her onto his bed. He kicked off his tennis shoes and pulled down his jeans while he watched her wriggle out of her capris. His body flushed at the sight of her completely unclothed. He threw a leg over the bed like he was mounting a horse and straddled her naked body.

  Still on his knees, he bent over her and kissed the crook of her neck, letting his lips glide downward until he captured her breast in his mouth. On instinct, his hand roamed over her other breast sweeping his thumb back and forth like a windshield wiper, before gently twisting her nipple and finishing with soft pinches. She squirmed under his touch and arched her back, her soft moan telling him she liked those moves.

  When he felt her take hold of his shaft and begin to massage its head, he released her breast with a soft pop. He breathed hard, pausing to look at her face before covering her mouth with his lips, and darting his tongue inside. His shaft pressed against her opening and he used it to stimulate her further. The action intensified his own longing, making it torture to hold back.

  Breaking contact for a moment, he opened the drawer of his nightstand and withdrew a condom. As he sheathed himself, he leaned over and licked her ear. In a deep voice, he promised, “Next time we’ll go slow.”

  She nodded and pulled him flush onto her body and scraped his back with her nails. “I can’t wait any more either, sugar,” she purred.

  He maneuvered his knees between her legs, spreading them apart with the outsides of his thighs. His tip teased her opening and she crossed her ankles behind his back, pulling his spine toward her. Her opening was moist and he penetrated easily, plunging in and out again and again, diving deeper with each thrust. “Allison,” he whispered repeatedly as he ravaged her face with kisses. He knew he wasn’t going to last long, so he arched his back and pressed two fingers over her most sensitive spot. She shivered beneath him—once, twice, three times. When he was sure she was satisfied, he let himself go.

  »»•««

  Tony stirred from sleep and felt his arm pinned under something. When he turned his head, he saw that something was Allison. She looked like a princess in one of those fairy tale movies his grandmother made him watch when he was little. Back then, he could never have imagined an angelic girl like Allison would want to be with a guy like him. He kissed her bare shoulder.

  When she opened her eyes and smiled at him, he cupped her chin. “I didn’t mean to wake you again.”
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  “I wasn’t really asleep,” she said, stretching out her body. “Do you want me to leave?”

  His eyes widened. “What? No. Why? Do you want to go?” He held his breath waiting for her answer.

  “No, no, I just didn’t wanna assume.”

  He curled his arm under her and pulled her closer. He never wanted her to leave. He kissed her softly. “I want you to stay with me, Allie,” he whispered.

  She rolled onto her side and looked into his eyes. “Can I tell you somethin’,” she asked, playing with his chest hair. “You surprised me.”

  “Uh oh.”

  “No, I mean that in a good way. You were so caring and considerate.” She stroked his scruff. “You’re so much more… I don’t know… sweet than I expected. You’re an amazin’ lover, Tony.”

  He took a deep breath and kissed her forehead. “If I am, it’s only because you bring it out of me.”

  “I’m being serious,” she insisted.

  “So am I.” He rolled closer and leaned over her. “I can blow you away again if you want,” he murmured in a low, sexy voice.

  Allison threw her head back and laughed. She lifted the sheet that covered the two of them. “Go for it.”

  Tony rolled on top of her and pressed his mouth to hers, letting the moisture of their lips mingle. He leaned away to look at her. “Can I tell you something?” When she nodded, he said, “You’re the best thing I ever waited for.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Sitting in lecture hall, it was impossible for Allison to hide the smile on her face. If she could have laid in his bed all day, that’s what she would have wanted to do. But Tony had practice and Allison had class, and life got in the way.

  Allison knew she probably looked like a happy idiot to anyone looking in her direction, but she didn’t much care. Last night was the most amazing night of her life. It was the first time she really made love. Her only sexual experience before last night was with her high school boyfriend, also known as a jackrabbit in heat. Every time they had sex, he was just going for the goal with barely any foreplay. He just looked for his opening, and as soon as he found it, he was in and out like he was going for a speed record or something. Now she knew what it was like to be with a real man, someone who put her needs first. If she had any doubts before last night, they were gone now. She was head over heels in love for real. She just hadn’t told the object of her affection how she feels about him.

  The two of them had a very emotional day yesterday, from visiting his grandmother and seeing the old neighborhood, to his reunion with Coach Samuels, to their fight in the SunMart parking lot, to the honest conversation about Tony’s past. At least the ten-thousand-pound elephant was dead. Everything was out in the open now, literally. It freed them to make love last night without any reservations.

  During the night, they slept off and on and talked in between—but not about their feelings. Allison’s mother always told her not to tell a man she loves him in the heat of passion, and not to trust a man who says it to her. “Everyone’s in love when they’re having sex,” her mother declared. Allison cringed when she thought about how openly her mother talked about sex. Some girls had mothers who never talked about it. Her mother talked about it too much. Why couldn’t Allison have a normal mother?

  Allison sighed. Her mother was full of parables and advice based on her idea of a perfect world. She wasn’t living in Allison’s shoes and she couldn’t possibly know how Allison felt. Making love to Tony solidified her feelings for him, but it wasn’t what made her fall in love. She fell in love with him long ago—she felt it deep inside when he asked her out on their first date amid a restaurant filled with tulips—and her feelings had only grown stronger ever since. How can you not love a man who compares you to fairy tale heroines?

  When she opened her eyes during the night, his head was propped on his palm. He stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty.”

  She rubbed her eyes and laughed. “What do you know about Sleepin’ Beauty?”

  “Too much.” He rolled onto his back and clasped his hands over his chest. “When I was about five, after my mother left, I used to ask Mamma where my mom was. Well, she made up this story about my mother living at the Princess Palace at Dream World in Orlando. I had like a million questions about the palace and instead of answering me, Mamma started renting cartoon movies of fairy tales to show me where my mother was.”

  “You’re kiddin’,” Allison said with a laugh.

  “No, true story.” He turned to face her. “I swear. When I asked my grandmother which character my mom was, she’d always point to whoever was in the cartoon at the time—Snow White, Cinderella, the mermaid.” When Allison’s expression showed skepticism, he frowned. “Hey, don’t look at me that way. I was a gullible little kid.”

  Allison chuckled. “Sorry, sugar. I would never have pictured you watchin’ fairy tale movies.”

  “I did. Not for nothing, I’d just sit on the floor in front of the TV hour after hour watching those movies.” He grew quiet for a minute. “I think I was seven when I finally realized my mother was never coming back.”

  Allison had been thinking it was a charming story until that last part. That’s when she realized it wasn’t charming at all. It was heartbreaking.

  Tony looked over at her. “Hey, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  No, making love with Tony wasn’t what made her fall in love with him at all. It merely signaled the end of that shy, awkward period and the beginning of something deeper, stronger. For her, it wasn’t just physical. It was emotional, too. Her mother would say girls always get emotional about sex, but guys never do. She wished she could turn off the mom channel that played in her head because it was filled with stupid propaganda.

  The professor’s voice cut into her thoughts, as he droned on about something or other. It didn’t take but a minute for Allison to refocus on last night and this morning. As tender and loving as Tony had been during round one didn’t prepare her for his more playful moves in the second and third round. Oooh. She tingled just thinking about it. She could hardly wait to find out what other moves he had.

  Even though she was dying to tell him she loved him, she really wanted him to say it first. “Let the boy make the first move.” Her mother’s words rang in her ears. She didn’t agree with her mother about very much, but she felt like she’d made so many first moves in their relationship so far. She knew that a lot of his reticence was a reaction to those accusations he lived with, and that’s why he went overboard not to appear too aggressive with her. But this one was huge. It seemed like Tony loved her too, but she needed to hear him say the words. She needed to know he felt the same way before she bared her soul.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The evening after their first night together, Tony texted Allison while she was at work, saying, “Spend the night?” Only three little words, but they meant everything to her. He didn’t want to just have sex and rush off like he told her he’d done with so many girls before. He wanted to make love, he wanted her to sleep by his side, and he wanted to wake up next to her in the morning, and the morning after that.

  Allison lay on her stomach in Tony’s bed, staring at the wall in front of her. With final cheer tryouts in the morning, her mind wouldn’t let her sleep. The fall semester had begun last week and she was feeling more than a little overwhelmed. On top of school, she’d spent the past few days practicing her heart out as cheer finals approached. Class. Practice. Waiting tables. Class. Practice. Waiting tables. The routine would have made her crazy if it weren’t for one thing—the man lying beside her every night for the past week. Having him in her life made everything else tolerable.

  Opening Day for college football was soon after cheer finals, so Tony had a similar schedule between school and football practice, making their nights together even more precious.

  Allison tossed and turned, envisioning every scenario that could go wrong. As a Psych major, she knew this was the abs
olute wrong way to think. She should be feeding her psyche with positive images—kittens, doves, baby chicks, images of Winged Victory, hearing her name announced as one of the three newest Barracuda girls. But those weren’t the images she saw. She dropped her head and buried her face in the pillow to block the negative messages. Her head popped up when she felt a hand rubbing her back.

  “You okay, babe?”

  She looked at Tony in the dark room, illuminated by streaks of moonlight filtering through the window blinds. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  He stretched his arms over his head and yawned. “S’okay. What’s going on?”

  Allison rolled onto her back. “I’m gonna fall on my ass.”

  “Huh?”

  “At cheer finals. I’m gonna blow it, I just know I will.”

  “Hey! What the hell happened to that positive spirit? You’re the optimist in the family, remember?”

  Allison chuckled. “Except when it comes to me.”

  “You’re not gonna fall on your ass, Allie.” He proclaimed it like it was a known fact. “I’ve seen you work your routine and you nailed it, babe. You’re gonna be great.”

  Sighing, she admitted, “I just don’t wanna embarrass myself is all. I know I’m gonna forget somethin’. A step. A jump. A turn. I’m not the best of the bunch.” She shook a finger at him. “And don’t say I am just because I’m your girlfriend. I have no illusions.”

  He gripped her finger. “Maybe not, but you have heart and sometimes that’s what makes the difference. Just like with athletes. You don’t always have to be the most talented to be the best, you know?”

  “I know what you’re sayin’ and I appreciate it and all, but I feel like I’m hopeless.” She pulled the sheet over her head.

  He pulled the sheet back down. “You’re not thinking about backing out, are you?”

  Peering up at him, she said, “Maybe,” in a small voice.