When We Met

by A. L. Jackson

  “I’ll have to prove it to you one of these days.”

  He smiled as he closed his door and started the car. The quiet intimate atmosphere was a bit awkward at first after the restaurant. I couldn’t help thinking about our kiss at the winery. A new wave of heat washed over me as the mental picture filled my head.

  By the time we pulled into my driveway and were standing outside my front door, I was torn over whether to invite him in or not. I wanted to spend more time with him, but I knew I should kiss him and send him on his way. I wasn’t the type who gave it up that quickly. If I had sex with him tonight, chances were he would move on to his next conquest, and I would feel like a total tramp.

  He pulled me close for a good-night kiss. His lips were warm and soft as they settled on mine. I couldn’t help moaning slightly as his tongue swept into my mouth. A cold blast of wind blew against us, but I barely noticed, not wanting the kiss to end.

  Dalton took matters into his own hands and pulled away. “You better get inside before you catch pneumonia. Can I see you tomorrow?”

  “I work until nine.”

  “That’s okay. We can grab a late dinner,” he said as another gust of wind whipped against us.

  “Okay,” I answered through chattering teeth as he leaned in to give me one last kiss. This time he pushed me against the door so his body was blocking the wind. The cold became an afterthought as I felt every hard inch of him pushed against me. I struggled against my shaky resolve not to ask him in.

  He pulled away. “Go inside. I’ll pick you up at Gruby’s tomorrow night.”

  My hand shook as I fumbled to get my key into the lock. He placed his hand on mine, steadying it as the key slid effortlessly into the lock.

  “What do you know? It slid right in,” he whispered into my ear. My knees nearly collapsed out from under me. He turned the doorknob and propelled me inside. I leaned against the door once I closed it, trying to catch my breath.

  “Holy hell, that was hot.”

  chapter ten

  Dalton

  Courtney was waiting for me when I pulled up in front of Gruby’s the next night. She opened the door of the restaurant and hurried to my car since the weather still sucked.

  “Hey,” I said, placing a long, lingering, heated kiss on her lips. It had been less than twenty-four hours since we were together, but she was all I could think about. The text messages we exchanged throughout the day didn’t help matters. Now that we’d gotten past our initial hiccup, our texting had taken on a sizzling quality. I had quite the vivid imagination and Courtney had it working overtime.

  Unfortunately my lack of concentration had carried over into basketball practice, earning me a chewing-out from Coach. That combined with a call from Dad had taken most of the wind from my sails. Having Court in my arms now made it all worth it. The feeling was foreign to me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d looked forward to any part of my day that didn’t involve basketball.

  “Hey yourself,” she greeted me, breathing in a rush when I finally pulled back.

  “I was thinking we could eat at this new steak restaurant I discovered a couple weeks ago.”

  “That sounds good. I’m starving.”

  “You don’t munch on food at work?”

  “Sometimes, but usually I don’t have time. How was your day?”

  “Okay,” I lied. I couldn’t muster up enough enthusiasm to sound convincing.

  “Why does your ‘okay’ sound anything but okay?”

  I smiled ruefully at her insightfulness but didn’t answer. Lacing my fingers through hers, I changed the subject by asking about her day. I could tell she knew what I was doing but went along with it anyway. I would deal with my problems later.

  Courtney seemed quite taken by the dim lighting and intimate feel of the restaurant. My hand found the small of her back as the waitress led us to a table in a secluded corner, adding to the ambience.

  We sat across from each other while the hostess placed menus in front of us. Reaching under the table to adjust my jeans, I found Courtney’s knee, making her gasp when I gave it a squeeze.

  “Uh, enjoy,” the hostess remarked, giving Courtney a sideways glance before walking away.

  “Nice, creep,” Courtney choked out as my hand slowly moved up past her knee.

  “Very nice,” I said. She reached under the table, squeezing my hand in a death grip.

  “Be good,” she murmured. “You don’t have to move it all the way off,” she added when I pulled my hand away. Courtney was cool as a cucumber, looking up to smile at the approaching waitress.

  The tone of her voice indicated she had enjoyed my hand on her leg as much as I did. Maybe she wanted to continue what we had started at the winery the day before. My body responded immediately, urging me to move closer if not for the damned table. When I decided I wanted more than a friendship with her, I had no idea it would be me struggling to keep a clear head.

  The entire meal felt like one long foreplay session. Courtney allowed my hand to remain on her thigh while she tortured me with the look in her eyes. Without saying a word she had me more turned on than I’d ever been in my life.

  “Is everything okay?” the waitress asked, bringing Courtney another Diet Coke.

  “What’s that?” I asked. Her question caught me off guard. For a second, it seemed like she had read my mind.

  “Is the steak cooked correctly?” She pointed to my plate. I hadn’t even noticed that I had barely touched my food.

  “Oh no. I mean, it’s fine. I just wasn’t as hungry as I thought. Can we get the check, though?”

  Courtney laughed at my expense, watching the waitress, who looked at us like we were drunk.

  Neither of us spoke as I drove away from the restaurant, but there was a clear sense of anticipation in the air.

  I didn’t help matters during the drive back to her house. My hand never stopped touching her. It seemed to have a mind of its own as my fingers stroked up and down her thigh. I had to bite back a groan when she instinctively parted her legs, giving me better access to her inner thigh. I almost ran off the road. By the time I pulled into her driveway behind Lucy, I was so turned on I was almost in pain.

  Courtney must have felt the same since we both practically jumped from the car at the same time. The porch light loomed in front of us.

  “You want to come in?” she asked with her hand on the door like she already knew the answer.

  “You sure?” It pained me to do so, but I gave her an out.

  She nodded with a finger to her lips. Taking her lead, I followed her to her bedroom, softly closing her door behind me. Her room was dark except for the moonlight streaming through the partially open curtains. It took my eyes a moment to adjust before I spotted Courtney standing next to her bed. She looked self-conscious, making me feel a little like an ass. I knew what a leap of faith it was for her to invite me in. Because of our past, she still seemed to be holding on to the notion that the two of us together would be a bad idea. She didn’t know how wrong she was about me, but I was on a mission to show her.

  Originally I’d planned to play it cool and take things slow, but I had never expected what happened at the vineyard, or to be standing here now for that matter. Every signal she was sending me said that she wanted this to happen.

  She stood nervously wrapping a lock of hair around her finger, waiting for me to make the first move. I closed the short distance between us without taking my eyes from hers. Without saying a word, I cupped her face and tilted it up toward me, moving slowly to ease her fears. Her lips parted with anticipation as I brought my mouth inches away from hers. She whimpered slightly. I smiled with satisfaction when she stood on her toes to close the distance between us. The moment my mouth met hers she knotted her hands in my hair. Her intent was clear. She wanted this as bad as me. Moving my hands to her waist, I lifted her off the floor as she wrapped her legs around me. I became instantly hard, rubbing against her thighs. She moaned as my hands found her ass
once again before I lowered her back to the floor.

  Without breaking eye contact, I reached for the hem of her sweater, lifting slowly as she raised her arms. The sweater slid effortlessly over her head and dropped to the floor. She reached forward and I watched as she seductively unclasped my jeans and then invited me to return the favor. Grasping her jeans and barely there panties together, I shimmied them down her hips until they rested at her feet. She kicked them off while she lifted my shirt as far as she could reach, and then planted a string of kisses along my abdomen, causing me to moan as I yanked the shirt over my head.

  Reaching a hand behind her back, she unclasped her bra, exposing her full spectacular breasts. I honestly didn’t remember taking my pants off after that, but somehow they ended up in a pile on the floor. A smile rose from her lips like she knew what I was thinking. Grabbing my hand, she guided me to her bed. That was the last time she led that night.

  The moment we hit the mattress, I took control, exploring every inch of her body with my hands and mouth, smiling with satisfaction when she arched her back after I tugged hard on her nipple with my mouth. My free hand moved between her thighs, where she was wet and ready. Her knees fell apart as my finger stroked her light hair before slipping inside the dampness. Her moan smothered into my shoulder as my tongue continued to swirl around her nipple, moving at the same pace as my finger buried deep inside her. Her hips moved against my hand. I knew I had her on the verge of climax, so I gently tugged on her nipple with my mouth to help her get there. She responded by moving her hips faster and burying her hands in my hair, pulling me tightly against her breast. Before she could finish, I left her tantalizing nipple and moved to her mouth. My tongue found hers and she whimpered with need before shuddering in my arms.

  She was still shaking when I rolled on a condom before entering her in one swift movement. I slid in easily, rocking against her as she worked to remain quiet so her roommates wouldn’t hear us. I wanted badly to prolong the moment, but all the foreplay wouldn’t allow me to stretch it out. I was ready to explode. After a few thrusts against her, I finished harder than I ever had. I collapsed, taking care not to crush her.

  Her eyes slid closed as she collected her breath. “Well, that was something.”

  “You can say that again,” I panted, resting my forehead against hers. “I feel like I just ran an hour of stair drills.”

  “I’ll take another something, please.” Her words made me laugh and did interesting things to our bodies that were still locked together.

  • • •

  I woke up early the next morning since I had practice. The way Courtney looked wrapped in the sheets, I was tempted to skip it and give us both a pleasant morning instead. Reluctantly I forced myself to leave. If I missed a practice, shit would really hit the fan.

  The last thing I needed was to give Dad another reason to ream my ass. I was still feeling the sting from being chewed out over the heart on my face.

  “This is your year, Dalton. Everything we worked for is within our grasp. No NBA team is going to take you seriously if you don’t stop dicking around.”

  “Don’t you mean everything I worked for?” I rarely spoke up when Dad was giving me shit, but after ten years of hearing it, I was pissed off.

  “You don’t think everything I’ve done for you has been work? All the practices, A.A.U. tournaments, staying on top of the coaches, making sure the recruiters knew about you. You think you’d be where you are if it wasn’t for me? I’ll be damned if you’re going to waste the talent we spent all these years building.”

  This was the extent of our conversations anymore. He was the reason Courtney and I had stopped being friends when we were twelve. He’d called me a fairy boy, because my best friend was a girl. He pulled me away from her and made sure all my spare time was spent on basketball. I thought once I got into Michigan he’d get off my ass once and for all. I should have known better. Now it was all about the NBA.

  That was still my dream regardless of Dad’s bullshit, but at times I hated it all. I could walk away, but what would that solve? That was why I enjoyed the junior summer clinics I had taught for the past few years. It drove him absolutely nuts that I would “waste my time,” as he would say, but it was how I stayed connected with what I truly enjoyed about playing basketball. For the kids I coached, it was still a game. Not the business it had become for me.

  With one last longing look at Courtney, who had fallen back to sleep, I crept from the house. The only thing keeping me going was that I’d be seeing her again later that night.

  As luck would have it, I didn’t get to see her again that night or the rest of the week. Our crazy schedules made meeting up damned near impossible. Between classes, her job, and basketball practice, I was becoming increasingly annoyed. I was tempted to duck out of practice, but Coach would send out a search party and then have my head. Especially since we had the conference tournament ahead of us. My concentration was a mess. All I wanted to do was be with Courtney. Instead I was at practice going through endless drills I could do in my sleep, and yet I also felt like I was letting the team down. They expected my leadership, and my focus was elsewhere.

  Courtney didn’t complain about our lack of time together nearly as much as I did. She reassured me that once the season ended, we’d have plenty of time to connect. In the meantime, we made do with endless text messages. I planned on hanging out at Gruby’s on Thursday night while she worked, but with more practices and team meetings, I just couldn’t find the time.

  Friday, I was on a charter bus for the two-hour drive to Indianapolis for the conference tournament. The only solace I found was in Courtney’s text messages.

  You’ve only been gone for an hour and I miss you already.

  Not half as much as I miss you.

  I wouldn’t bet on it.

  How was work?

  Slow tip day.

  That sucks.

  That’s all right. We’ll be busy for your game.

  U work too hard.

  Such is the life of a poor college student.

  If I was already playing in the NBA, U wouldn’t have to work another day. The text was intended as a joke, but as soon as I hit SEND, I regretted it. We’d only been together for a week. Knowing how skittish Courtney was, I figured a text like that could send her running for cover. I was in the process of typing that I was joking when she sent a reply.

  I’m sure you’ll have a whole harem of women to take care of by then. I better not quit my day job.

  Obviously she was kidding, but with all the pressure I’d been feeling, it annoyed me. For whatever reason, she still doubted that I could be exclusive. Our relationship was still new, but I wondered how long I would have to work to earn her trust. To make her realize that what I felt for her was special. Somehow I would have to show her. Mom always said actions spoke a thousand words or some bullshit like that. That definitely applied to me and Courtney. I changed the topic and we continued to text for another half hour until it was time for her to get ready for work.

  I didn’t get a chance to text her the next day since practice bled into some media obligations and then pregame preparations. The team hit the court and as I made my way through warm-up drills, I wondered if Courtney would be watching the game at Gruby’s.

  “Dalton,” a loud voice boomed behind me. I turned to see Dad standing near the bench. He clapped his hands, urging me to focus.

  “Come on, Dalton, this is your night,” Coach Riley yelled from under the basket.

  “I’m cool, Coach.” I launched toward the rim, spinning into a reverse dunk for good measure, which elicited a few cheers from the crowd.

  Maybe it was fate, or then again, it could have just been me dragging ass, but the first quarter of the game wasn’t my best effort. The second quarter wasn’t much better. I was laying up enough bricks to build a house. At halftime, I got my ass handed to me by Coach, who reminded me I wasn’t an NBA star yet and I’d better get to work. Collin shot me a kno
wing look but kept his mouth shut.

  The second half went much better as I stepped up my game. That was why I was so successful. I refused to lose. The team jumped on my shoulders as I drained four buckets in a row, pushing us past the opposing team we’d been trailing the entire night.

  In the end, the game came down to my final shot. For an instant, I was afraid it wouldn’t fall. The ball circled the outer edge of the rim, teasing me and the onlooking fans who waited on the edges of their seats. With one final rotation, the ball rolled inward through the net. The rest of the team erupted off the bench as the cheerleaders jumped up and down in celebration.

  The players clapped me on the back, waving towels in the air. Looking up in the stands, I could see Dad’s frown from where I stood.

  chapter eleven

  Courtney

  My stomach was in my throat the entire time I watched the game. Dalton was having an off night. My chest pinched uncomfortably each time he missed a shot. Watching the game surrounded by groaning fans made the experience even harder. I knew how important basketball was to Dalton and I found myself silently cheering him on. The second half of the game he seemed to come alive and they were able to pull ahead of the other team. The noise level in Gruby’s went up to a whole new level as the restaurant erupted with cheers with each basket. In the end, the last shot was up to Dalton. We all waited with bated breath as the ball slowly circled the rim before sliding through the net. Everyone in the restaurant roared with approval.

  Amanda gave me a crushing hug as she jumped up and down with excitement. My own happiness waned when I saw the dejected look on Dalton’s face on the big screen. He was being interviewed on the crowded court by the sideline reporter, but he didn’t look as happy as you would think he’d be. His shoulders slumped and his face was completely defeated as the camera showed him jogging off toward the locker room. It was obvious something was wrong.