“Yes. Go do what you need to, my boy. We will meet you there,” his dad agreed. “Aubrey, you want to ride with us?”
“No, thank you,” I answered. “I should probably check in with Lucy to see if they want to join us and will head over with Luka when he’s ready.”
If the looks on his parents’ faces were any indication, I didn’t think they were fooled much by our story, but they let us get away with it. Luka and I headed to the elevators and rushed to the room as fast as we possibly could.
“Do you think they believed us?” I asked, giggling because I knew that the answer was no.
“God, no,” Luka replied, chuckling with me. “But it doesn’t really matter to me as long as I get some time with you right now.”
He practically dragged me to the room in his rush to get there. We both stripped out of our clothes right as the door shut behind us.
“I need you,” I whimpered as Luka pushed me against the wall.
“Thank fuck, because you’re about to get me. Hard and fast,” he promised as his fingers thrust inside me without any warning.
“Oh God,” I mewled as I felt them stretch me.
Luka twisted his hand back and forth, his fingers stroking my inner walls while his thumb circled my clit. “Hold on,” he commanded as he lifted me up, gripping my ass with his big hands.
His cock found my entrance and he surged inside with a deep stroke. I wrapped my legs around his waist, hooked my arms around his shoulders, and held on the way he’d asked. Each thrust of Luka’s hips drove my back into the wall. There wasn’t anything for me to do except hold on and enjoy the ride.
“Harder,” I groaned in his ear, and I felt Luka’s hands clench against my ass.
“Yes,” he hissed out and shoved me harder against the wall on his next thrust.
I could tell he was close, and I wanted to send him over the edge—and me along with him. I moved one of my hands down his body, holding his shoulders tighter with the other. I lightly scraped his skin as I reached his abs, my hand getting trapped between us each time he slammed into me. I fisted the base of his cock for a few strokes and then fingered my clit.
“Need to come,” I pleaded with him. “So badly.”
“Then do it,” he urged. “Come for me. Now.”
I flicked my clit on each of his thrusts and felt my body tightening. I needed him deeper to get there, so I moved my hand around to grab his ass and dug my nails in, knowing that he loved the feeling.
“Oh God!” I screamed as it hit me hard and fast. “Fuck, Luka. Come with me too.”
Luka surged to the hilt, filling me deep inside as his cock began to twitch and spurt. His climax lengthened my own, and I hung on to him for dear life as wave after wave of pleasure hit me. We stood there, panting against each other, my legs and arms wrapped around him and my body pressed against the wall while we both tried to recover.
“A quickie against the wall, huh?” I gasped when I was finally able to catch my breath.
“Hell yeah,” Luka sighed. “Best damn way to celebrate my win that I could think of.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said as I let go and he placed me gently on my feet. Walking past him on wobbly legs to grab the clothes I’d thrown on the floor, I slapped his ass. “Get a move on or we’re going to be late meeting your parents and they’re going to know exactly why we disappeared like that.”
“Like they don’t already,” he joked.
The game hadn’t started until seven thirty, so by the time we met his parents at the bar, it was pretty late. Lucy, Alex, and his parents had decided to join us as well as Jason with his family. Luka’s parents had managed to get a table so we could sit down, and his dad had ordered bottle service to celebrate. Vodka, of course.
It didn’t take us long to polish off a couple of bottles, doing several rounds of shots. Luka’s dad insisted that each one begin with a toast.
“Each of us must toast. It is tradition,” he’d insisted.
With the group we had surrounding us, that meant there was a lot of drinking to be done. Most of the toasts were very short. Some of them were very touching as each family celebrated the team’s big win. But it was Luka’s toast that truly touched my heart.
“Mama, Papa, Aubrey. Thank you for all being here this weekend. It wouldn’t have meant nearly as much without having the people I love near,” Luka began. “It’s been a great year. I’m going to graduate soon. I have an amazing girlfriend. And now my team just won the Frozen Four—something I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a little boy. I feel like I have the world at my feet and anything can happen.”
We all tapped our glasses together and quickly drank our shots. Once we were done, Luka’s father beamed across the table at his son, clearly proud of all he had accomplished.
“Now the only thing left is for you to find a job.”
“Geez, Papa,” Luka sighed. “Let me enjoy this for a moment, okay?”
“And give me grandbabies,” his mom teased him with a sly look my way.
“Enough!” Luka barked out. “I’ll do my best to get a job lined up by graduation, but don’t expect babies any time soon.”
Epilogue
Aubrey
Today was graduation day. Time for me to leave my college years behind and head into the real world—or so my dad liked to say. Luka had talked to him about a job at the bank, and my dad convinced had him that he really could use his help, so Luka had accepted his offer. Little did my dad know, that meant the plan now was for us to move in together and work together. I didn’t think he’d thought about that part of it, and we hadn’t told him yet.
My parents had invited everyone over to my house for a cookout to celebrate our graduation. I looked around at the crowd and was happy to see so many people I loved. Lexi and her dad were here, just as they had been for any major celebration since we were little. Drake and his family joined us as well since he and Lexi were practically inseparable. My oldest brothers and their wives were here, and Jackson and Kaylie were due to arrive any minute. Luka’s family had joined us as well, so I’d finally gotten to meet all his siblings.
“Hey, baby sis,” Jackson whispered in my ear.
“Jackson!” I shrieked as I gave him a huge hug. “Where’s Kaylie?”
“She’s in the house, resting from the trip,” he answered.
“Well, let’s go inside so I can say hello, silly,” I teased. I pulled his arm and dragged him towards the house until he stopped just inside the door.
“We actually have a surprise,” Jackson told me.
“A graduation surprise?” I asked.
Jackson shook his head. “Not exactly.”
“So what is it then?”
“We already told mom and dad, but I wanted you to be the next to know,” he started. “Kaylie’s pregnant.”
Holy shit, that’s not what I expected him to say. “Ohmigod!” I shrieked. “I’m going to be an aunt! Where is she? I can’t wait to tell her how excited I am.”
“She’s up in my room, but you also need to know this means we are moving back to town. I talked to dad about working at the bank, and I want to make sure you know that I’m not trying to step on your toes with this. I know you stepped up when I decided to move to New York, and Dad said you’re doing a great job. There’s plenty of room for both of us. I just want to do what’s best for Kaylie and the baby.”
“God, Jackson. Don’t worry about that. We’ll figure it all out later. It will be a little weird working with my dad, my brother, and my boyfriend, but I’m sure I’ll survive,” I assured him. “But you have to promise to be nice to Luka. No pulling any big brother crap in the workplace. Save that for after hours, okay?”
“Not sure I can agree to that, Aubrey,” Jackson replied. “The dude is sleeping with my baby sister.”
As we laughed together, it dawned on me that this was going to change Kaylie’s world in more ways than one. “If you move back to town, what about Kaylie’s dancing?”
/> “The show she was in just closed its doors a couple of weeks ago, so the timing is good for her to make the move. Dance will always be a part of her life. She loves it so much, so I’m trying to talk her into opening a studio here so she can teach,” he explained.
“Lucky for you, I know a bank that would probably give you a loan for that,” I teased.
Jackson laughed at my joke. “That you do. Although the head honcho may be a little pissed at me.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Because Kaylie and I decided we don’t want a big wedding. She wants simple, and I want my ring on her finger as soon as possible. I don’t think Dad will care so much, but Mom is not going to be happy that we don’t want the traditional wedding and reception thing,” he said.
I thought about our family vacations to Mexico over the years and inspiration struck. “Beach wedding,” I whispered.
“What?” Jackson asked.
“Remember when I was in fifth grade and you were going into middle school and we took that trip down to Ixtapa?” I asked. Jackson nodded his head, so I continued. “And we watched from our patio as a couple got married on the beach. The sun was setting and it was so romantic.”
Jackson’s eyes lit up at the idea. “Best of both worlds. Kaylie and I can get married at the beach and she can have her first vacation with us as a family. Fucking brilliant idea, Aubrey.”
“And the parents won’t be mad at you because they will absolutely love it,” I said, pointing out the obvious. “Plus, it will make a great post-graduation trip for Luka and me so you can get to know him better.”
“Aubrey, the last thing I want to do is get to know your boyfriend better during what would technically be my honeymoon,” Jackson disagreed.
“Honeymoon?” my dad said as he joined us.
I listened as Jackson talked to our dad about my idea for him and Kaylie to get married in Mexico before he went upstairs to check on Kaylie. It was probably going to be awhile before they came back down because he now needed to convince her that this was a great idea since my mom walked up in the middle of the conversation. There was no way out of it now.
“I hope you know that, even though we’re happy about the baby and Kaylie and Jackson’s coming back, your mom and I are just as excited about your graduation,” my dad told me.
“I know, Daddy. But you have to admit this changes things a little, and I should talk to Luka about what he wants too. He knew how much I wanted to be here to help you, but now Jackson will be able to do that,” I explained.
Luka joined us, and I filled him in on everything I’d just learned. When we’d talked about what to do after graduation, he’d struggled with the decision we’d made. He’d only agreed because he knew how much it meant to me. Now that the situation was different, I owed it to him to consider other options.
“Well, sir,” Luka said. “If Jackson being here means that Aubrey can be more flexible about where we live, I’d like her to at least consider Chicago since that’s where my family is. I’m not saying that’s what we’ll decide is best for both of us. Just that I want to have a serious conversation about it. Later. When we’re alone.”
“Did I hear you say Chicago?” Luka’s dad said from behind me.
Luka sighed before turning around to face his dad. “Yes, Papa. I want Aubrey to think about us coming back since she doesn’t need to stay here now that her brother is home to help her dad at the bank. I know it’s a change of plans since we both had jobs lined up here, but—”
“Luka,” his dad barked out to interrupt him. “You both come to Chicago. We will figure it out.”
My parents both glared at us, but I knew they’d agree with whatever decision I made—just like they had when all my brothers graduated. Luka and I had lots of different options and families who would support us no matter what we decided. We could stay here and work at my dad’s bank or go to Chicago to find new jobs to be near his family. Although we’d started the day with one plan for our future that now might change, we knew one thing for certain. Whatever we did, we’d do it together.
Hit the Wall Bonus Scenes
Yes, I know… these are for an earlier book, but they fit into the timeline here so I didn’t want to spoil anything by putting them after Hit the Wall.
Happy News
Kaylie
The last year had been a whirlwind of activity: graduating from college, getting offers from dance companies in two major cities, moving halfway across the country, dancing on stage in front of huge audiences. I didn’t know what I would have done if Jackson hadn’t decided to come to New York with me. He’d found an amazing apartment for us and handled all the details so I could focus on making sure I was in the best condition possible before I started with the dance company whose offer I’d accepted. Then the hard work started—grueling practices and extra classes so I would be good enough to fulfill my dream of dancing in a professional show.
Jackson never complained about my long hours, how tired I sometimes was, or my having taken a job so far away from his family just so I could I have this opportunity. Instead, he gave me what I had been so desperately missing since my parents died: unconditional love and support. Which was why I felt like a complete bitch since I’d been so moody lately. The show had closed last week and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. Was I going to be offered another part in a different show? Or was my dream was over?
I was struggling with all the changes, and it was starting to show. I wasn’t sleeping well no matter how tired I felt. My stomach felt like it was in knots all the time, so I was barely eating. And the irritability! I was driving myself nuts worrying about what would happen next and taking Jackson along for the ride to crazy-town.
Jackson rolled over and wrapped an arm around me. Even in his sleep, he liked to keep me close. Sighing deeply, I tried to shake off the blues and enjoy this moment of peaceful quiet. I was incredibly lucky to have him in my life and needed to keep my focus on the chance I had to show him how much he meant to me while I had free time instead of obsessing about what would happen with my dance career.
As I ran my fingers through his hair, I noticed that it was a little longer than usual. Since it was Saturday and I had him all to myself this weekend, maybe I could convince him to get a trim. Although the just-fucked, tousled style fit him, it wasn’t what they expected him to look like at the bank where he worked.
“You’re up early, sweetheart,” Jackson rasped. The sound of his voice first thing in the morning sent shivers up my spine. “Couldn’t sleep again?”
“I got a couple more hours than I have the last few nights,” I reassured him.
“Must have done a better job wearing you out last night,” he murmured before kissing my neck.
I couldn’t control the giggles that erupted at the idea of his deciding he needed to try harder to exhaust me with sex. The man was a machine.
“I think I might have passed out this time. I can barely keep up with you.”
“You can always let me do all the work,” he offered. “You know I’ll make it good for you.”
“Always,” I sighed. I definitely didn’t have any complaints there.
“How about I make you breakfast in bed this morning?” he asked. “Let you rest a little bit longer?”
The thought of food made my stomach flip, but I was determined to make this a good weekend and not do anything that would give Jackson any more reason to worry about me than he already was.
“Sounds great.”
He gave me a quick kiss before hopping out of bed and heading into the bathroom. Closing my eyes, I turned onto my stomach in the hope that it would make me feel better by the time he had breakfast ready. I listened to him whistle while he was washing his hands, and then his footsteps faded away as he walked into the kitchen.
Pretty soon, the sounds of cabinet doors opening and closing and pots and pans clanging filled our apartment. Jackson threw himself into everything he did, and past experience told
me that the kitchen would be a wreck by the time he was done.
Before long, the smell of cooking bacon filtered into the bedroom, and my stomach heaved. Rolling out of bed, I ran for the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before I started puking. By the time I was dry-heaving, tears were running down my face and I felt shaky.
“Kaylie?” Jackson called from the hallway.
“In here,” I answered weakly.
He came running into the bathroom and looked so concerned when he saw me on the floor. “Oh, sweetheart. You don’t look so good.”
“That’s because I feel like shit,” I muttered.
“C’mon,” he said as he pulled me to my feet. Then he helped me to the sink. “I’ll grab some clothes for you while you wash up, and then I’m taking you to the urgent care clinic. You haven’t been well for more than a week.”
“It’s just nerves,” I argued feebly.
Jackson ignored my protest as he marched into the bedroom to dig through the dresser and grab a pair of my yoga pants and a top. He brought them over to me and then put on his own clothes, and I knew by the determined look on his face that it wasn’t worth arguing. I was going to the clinic whether I wanted to or not—even if he had to carry me down and toss me into a cab.
When we made it in to see the doctor, I was feeling better. My stomach had settled, and I was actually kind of hungry. I was still a little shaky and definitely cranky, but I had definitely improved.
“I understand from the nurse that you’ve been having problems with sleeping, moodiness, and your stomach?” he asked as he looked at my chart on the computer. “And you’ve had the symptoms for about a week?”
“Yes,” Jackson answered for me. “She wasn’t just nauseated this morning. I found her dry-heaving in the bathroom while I was making her breakfast in bed.”
The Blythe College Complete Series Box Set Page 58
