by K. G. Reuss
He didn’t wait for me to answer. He released me and strode out.
This was definitely nuts. We fought too much, wanted different things.
OK. Maybe not entirely different things. Maybe going slow instead of jumping in the sack would be better. I already felt like I’d rushed things by having him between my legs so soon. It was out of character for me, a true testament to how fast Travis could win someone over with his killer smile and charming personality.
Returning the favor wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. In a weird way, I wanted to. A challenge to see if I could make the great Travis Owens shout out my name. The idea made me giddy.
I slipped on a pair of panties and a long t-shirt. Then I sauntered out to find him sitting on my bed, staring down at his phone. When I approached, he darkened the screen, but not before I saw Stephanie’s name. She’d texted him. But he hadn’t messaged her back.
It strengthened my resolve. A part of him wanted this with me. Wanted me. At least for now. And for reasons I was too smart or too stupid to analyze, I wanted this too.
I dropped to my knees in front of him and ran my hands up his jean-clad thighs.
He didn’t say a word to me, his eyes hungrily locked on mine. I sat up and positioned myself closer to him. When I mustered up the courage to tug on the button to his jeans, a tiny smile graced his lips.
“I want to go slow, Travis. But you’re right. We’ve already had sex. And last night you made me feel good. I want to make you feel good tonight.” His button popped open. “Will you teach me?”
“Yes,” he answered in a throaty whisper. “Come here.”
He reached out and pulled me up with no effort and laid me down beside him on my bed.
“Touch me,” he commanded softly.
I reached out with a shaking hand and rubbed his dick through his jeans.
“Fuck. Take it out. I want to feel you.”
He shifted his hips as I tugged his pants and boxers off and then tossed them to the floor. He removed his shirt himself. Gently, he took my hand in his and guided it back down to his hard length.
“Wrap your fingers around it.”
I did as he instructed, still amazed at how large he was. Saying it would only make his ego bigger, so I remained quiet.
“Rub me like this,” he said in a throaty voice, wrapping his hand around mine and helping me to move up and down along his thick, velvety length.
“Fuck. Just like that,” he breathed, closing his eyes.
I jerked him slowly, watching as his eyelids fluttered in response to my touch. He sought out my mouth and pressed his lips to mine as he thrust into my hand. His fingers tangled in my damp hair, his tongue dancing against mine.
If my hand made him feel that good, I really wanted to try my mouth. Breaking off our kiss, I moved down between his thighs. His stare locked on me, taking in my move with curious eyes.
“Fuck, Lex,” he moaned as I licked up his shaft.
My heart raced. I was doing it. I licked the pearl of saltiness off his bulging tip. His fingers twisted in my bed sheets as he raked in shaky breath after shaky breath.
“You’re fucking torturing me,” he groaned softly as I dragged my tongue up his shaft again, swirling over his tip. I did it again. And again.
“Please, baby,” he called out, his breathing ragged.
Baby. Travis called me baby. Travis calling me baby really sent my heart skipping beats in my chest. I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to hearing the word from his mouth.
This time when I swirled the head of his dick, I drew him into my mouth. He let out the sexiest groan, his knuckles white as he clung to the bed sheets. It made me feel empowered. I licked and sucked on him, taking him in until the head of his dick hit the back of my throat.
“You’re going to make me come,” he choked out, thrusting into me as I sucked. “Fuck, fuck. Lexy.” His fingers tangled in my hair as he thrust, and I sucked. “Just like that, baby. Just like that.”
A moment later, he let out a guttural groan as he gripped my hair. He exploded in my mouth amid his moans. I swallowed him down quickly as his body shuddered before he finally lay motionless.
I released him and wiped my mouth. Our eyes met.
“Come here,” he commanded in a whisper.
I moved up his body, and he pulled me tight against him.
He pressed his face into the crook of my neck. “That was incredible. The fucking best. I-I can’t even think straight.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Really. No bullshit. Amazing, honey pot. I might not ever divorce you,” he joked weakly, giving me a squeeze.
I smiled and snuggled up against him. “Liar.”
He let out a soft chuckle and planted a kiss on my forehead. My eyes began to feel heavy. He adjusted the blanket and put it over both of us.
“Can I stay the night?” he asked softly.
“Mhmm.” I nodded, feeling fuzzy.
He kissed my forehead again. “I’ll give you the romance you want, Alexis. For now. For as long as I can. It’s yours.”
He caressed my face for a moment. As much as I wanted to stay awake, I couldn’t fight the sleep any longer and drifted off, my heart light.
Forty-Six
Travis
“Party at the house!” Brandon called out, thumping me on the back as we ran into the locker room after the game we’d just barely won. I’d play a great game, but our opponent was tough, ranked sixth in the polls. More scouts came to watch. Even more were expected at the next game, which would be the last regular game of the sequence.
I’d been real fake married with Lexy for the almost a month now. Aside from kissing her, holding her, and making her call out to god with my head between her legs, we hadn’t progressed to sex.
And it didn’t bother me. Not really. I enjoyed her company when I could get it, even seeking her out between classes or just texting her to see how she was doing. I was still rude and crude, but not in an offensive way. We’d been each keeping a journal of our time together which we planned to use for our report.
I couldn’t count the number of times in the past month I’d gone to her place intending to work only to take her breathless to her bedroom. Sneaking around was fun and all, but I wanted more than just an amazing blow job. I had a plan to make it happen. Maybe it made me a dick, but I also knew we agreed to play the parts for practice. By my count, we only had a few weeks left before we ended our marriage. After they announced the Heisman winner. For reasons I refused to analyze, I wanted her to celebrate it with me if I got it and comfort me if I didn’t.
Walking out of the locker room at that moment, all I wanted was to see her. Spend more time with her. Everyone would be at the frat house for the party. Ava and Alex, who I knew had to be seeing one another, despite how sneaky they were trying to be, would be caught up in one another at the party. Lexy already said she wasn’t going.
“Have fun,” I called out to everyone as I slung my bag over my shoulder.
“Oh, come on!” Jay shouted. “Are you skipping another party?”
“Homework, boys. Got a Heisman to win.”
“Come on, man. One party. Let the homework go,” Alex called out.
“Can’t. Drink a beer for me.”
Mason winked at me as I pushed the door open and exited the locker room.
“Travis Owens!” a reporter shouted to me.
I paused, for the first time desperate to get away from the press just to see Lexy. I swallowed down whatever the hell the feeling was. I knew she’d been at the game. I’d seen her in the crowd wearing the jersey I gave her.
My good luck charm.
I played better knowing she was out there cheering for me. Not sure what that said about me, but I didn’t give a damn.
“Hi,” I greeted the reporter, putting on my best smile.
She grinned back at me, getting closer than necessary. She’d interviewed me before and had always been a bit more handsy than I liked giv
en my current situation. I vaguely remembered her name being Carrie.
“Another win under your belt. You guys have pretty much clinched a spot in the conference championship game. How does it feel?”
“Incredible,” I answered.
“I know your fans are rooting for you. On top of the incredible season you’re having, you’re a first round draft prospect as well as a Heisman hopeful. How are you handling everything?”
“You know, I just want to play the game. I’m having the time of my life doing it and giving the fans what they love. That’s what matters most. The rest are just the details.” I leaned down to speak into her mic.
“Speaking of details,” she said coyly. “Rumor has it you’ve gotten married. That’s a big detail to some of your adoring fans!”
I stared at the camera, speechless, not having been cornered on our marriage yet. It took me a minute to gather my thoughts.
“Uh, yeah. Yeah. I got married a couple of months ago.” My mouth went dry. I hadn’t told my parents. I was sure they were staring at the TV right then, surrounded by their friends who gathered every game day to watch the game, mouths wide open. My phone buzzed in my pocket. It had to be my mom. She wouldn’t care if I was giving an interview. She’d call anyway, demanding to know what the hell was going on.
“Congratulations! Who’s the lucky girl if I may ask?”
“Uh,” I chuckled nervously. “A very old friend of mine.”
“Aw, well, we wish you the best of luck in everything. You’re a crowd favorite!” She gave her last thoughts before signing off. I smiled at the camera and gave her a nod.
“Say, Travis, if your marriage doesn’t work out, or you’re feeling bored, come find me.” She slipped a card in the pocket of my jeans and gave me a wink. I was too stunned at her boldness to move. I simply watched as she walked away.
I shook it off finally and went out to my truck and got in. My phone buzzed once more, and I answered it.
“Travis, what is going on?” Mom demanded. “We just saw that interview. Did you really get married or is this a joke? I swear I’ll drive there—”
“Hey, Travis,” Dad called out, hushing Mom.
I was on speaker. Great.
“Hey, Mom. Dad.”
“Son, what’s going on? Your mother is going nuts here.”
“It’s nothing,” I answered.
“Travis, it’s something. You were wearing a ring in that interview!” Mom called out.
“Out with it, Travis,” Dad said.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes.
“Fine. Just, whatever you do, don’t tell Mark and Linda.”
“What? Mark and Linda? What do they have to do with it?” Mom asked.
“It’s Alexis,” I answered, my voice soft.
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment before Dad finally spoke. “Alexis Hale? Mark and Linda’s daughter?”
Our parents were naturally friends since I’d been friends with the twins for years. We had family BBQs together. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were at my parents’ house tonight to watch me and Alex play.
“They left, right?” I asked.
“Everyone did when your mother practically went crazy,” Dad said. “So you married Alexis Hale?”
“Yeah, but listen—”
Mom whooped loudly in the background. I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it for a moment. She continued to cheer as Dad laughed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, confused.
“I love Lexy! Oh, Travis. You have no idea how much I wished you two would fall in love! Linda and I have talked about it for years! I know you guys always teased one another, but we knew it was meant to be!”
“Mom. Mom!” I called out as she continued to cheer before sniffling.
“It’s complicated, OK?”
“What did you do?” Dad sighed. He knew me too well.
I cleared my throat. “You know how Lexy and I always challenge each other to do things?”
“Oh, Travis,” Dad groaned. Mom let out a squeak.
“We went to Vegas with our friends. We drank too much.”
“Travis, don’t you dare break my heart,” Mom said in a shaky voice.
“I challenged her to marry me. We’re partners on this marriage assignment for one of our classes.” I launched into the entire story, leaving out the bedroom details, and finishing with our planned divorce after the football season.
Mom sniffled in the background, and Dad sighed once more.
“No one knows we really did it. Not even Alex. He’ll kill me if he finds out. So please don’t tell anyone,” I finished lamely.
“Travis, you need to fix this,” Mom said, her voice shaking. “I love Lexy like a daughter. This is going to hurt her.”
“Mom, she’s already agreed to everything. We just don’t want anyone to know, OK?”
“Not OK!” Mom hissed. “You love her. You just don’t realize it yet. Make it work.”
“Mom,” I groaned.
“We won’t say anything, Travis. But for the love of god, don’t screw this up. We’re close to the Hales. Mark will come undone if you mess with his daughter.”
“I know. So will Alex,” I muttered.
“Well, give us a call later. I’m sure you have a party to run off to,” Dad continued. “I’ll go console your mom.”
“I’m sorry, guys,” I said.
“We love you,” Mom said, her voice husky. “Send Lexy and Alex our love.”
“Love you guys too.”
I hung up and stared down at my phone, feeling sick. Sighing, I dialed Lexy. She answered on the third ring.
“Hello? Travis?”
“Hey, sweetheart,” I greeted her, my heart thrumming quicker in my chest at the sound of her voice.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Something’s wrong.”
“I, uh, got outed in an interview for getting married. I didn’t say your name,” I rushed on. “But people officially know I’m married.”
“Travis,” she groaned. “Damnit.”
“It’ll be fine—”
“It won’t be fine! If you get drafted, then what? Oh my god. What if you get drafted before the project is over? What if it’s to, like, Maine or something? Do they even have a football team? How will I finish the project? How will we divorce—”
While I was on the phone with my parents, I’d already started driving to her house. I wheeled up in front of her apartment, slammed my truck into park, and rushed into her building.
She jerked the door open as soon as I knocked and dropped her phone onto the floor. It bounced and skittered away as I wrapped my arms around her.
“I won’t let you down,” I whispered. “Stop panicking about things, honey pot. I’d still write the damn project if I got drafted tomorrow, and no, Maine doesn’t have a team. But the draft isn’t something you even have to worry about. It isn’t held until late April. So everything between us will be dealt with by then. Besides, I’m still going to graduate and everything.”
She sniffed as she tightened her hold on me. My pulse thundered in my ears as a strange feeling settled over me.
I pulled away and stared down at her. “Why are you crying?” I murmured, thumbing her tears away.
“I-I don’t know,” she whispered back.
I lifted her into my arms. Her legs wrapped around my waist, sending my heart slamming against my chest. I kissed her as I walked us to her bedroom.
“I’m not leaving.” I nipped her bottom lip.
“When you get drafted—”
“Oh, Lexy,” I groaned, kissing her again.
She parted her lips for me as I delved inside, drinking her in.
“What?” she whispered against my lips.
She believed in me. Really believed in me. Even with all my stats and press, I hadn’t let myself really believe my dream of playing in the NFL might come true.
“You think I’ll get drafted? You said when—”
“Travis…” She kissed along my jaw.
I hummed happily against her as I placed her on her bed and hovered over her. She raked her nails through my hair, earning my growl of approval. Lexy knew how to touch me. It wasn’t just me teaching her what I liked. It was the things she did on her own that sent me spiraling to the edge of a place I wasn’t so sure I knew how to traverse. A place that terrified the shit out of me.
“What, sweetheart?”
“You will get drafted.” She cradled my face, placing a sweet kiss on my lips. “You’ll win awards and make everyone so proud of you.”
“And you?” I murmured, staring down at her, a strange swell of feelings blanketing my insides. “Will you be proud?”
She smiled up at me, her eyes sad. “Of course. I’ll be able to say I knew the great Travis Owens.”
“Knew?” I frowned down at her. “Know, Lexy. I’m not going to forget where I came from.”
She gave me that same, sad smile before urging me down for another kiss that made me ache as tingles cut through my defenses. She said so much in her kiss without saying a word.
She really thought I’d duck out and forget about them. Her. I’d never…The thought left me as her hand found its way beneath my sweatpants.
“What are you doing?” I asked, trying to reel in my hammering heart at how much her touch affected me.
“Forgetting all the shit except us,” she whispered in a thick voice, making my cock thicken in her hand.
“Us.” I kissed her, liking the way us sounded but knowing it was a place we’d never get to. I wasn’t the sort of guy who could make her happy. Not that she was hard to please, but I knew I’d only fuck it up. She didn’t deserve that. She needed someone who could focus on her. Not someone like me who’d leave for fucking football games. Not a guy like me who’d make her wonder if the blonde pressing up against me had taken me home after a televised game. It would wreck her. I wouldn’t do that to her. We had some time left before the end of the year. I’d make it count.
“Where’d you go?” she asked, sliding her hand up and down my cock.
“Nowhere. I’m right here,” I answered, kissing her lips before creating a trail to her neck. She let out a soft moan that spurred me on. I felt like I could say anything to her, so I did.
