[Love in the End Zone 01.0] Out of Bounds

by Jillian Quinn

  Now, she’s winning, because I’m feeding into her plan. But I don’t care. I need to get out of this stadium and back to my dorm, so I can collect my thoughts and figure out my next move. Bash has been paying for me to attend this school. I still can’t get over the news. And there is no way in hell I am going to allow him to continue to foot the bill—even if that means graduating from another school.

  My family might be poor, but we are proud. And we don’t take handouts from anyone. A scholarship was one thing, but guilt money is another. I’m so pissed at Bash as I exit the stadium, seething mad and blind with rage. Jessica, Clay, and all of his teammates were all in on the secret. Even that bitch Harper. The betrayal. The lies. Where do we go from here? How can we make this work when our relationship was founded on secrets and lies?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Bash

  Tori pretended not to hear me as she walked out the stadium, her face twisted in anger and her cheeks red and blotchy. Fucking Harper. I should have known that she would only put up with my excuses for so long before she tried to hurt me. And by getting to me, she also hurt Tori.

  After Tori had left, my mojo was off. I felt sick to my stomach. Still, do. We won the game by a field goal when we should have won by a lot more. Everything was on track for the complete annihilation of the Cougars before my lucky charm had abandoned me. I fucked up. That much I already know.

  With Tori back in my life, I didn’t want to run the risk of fucking things up too soon by coming clean about the scholarship. It was my fault that Tori had missed so many classes, to begin with, so I felt as though it was right for me to make up for the scholarship she had lost.

  Once we finish up with our team meeting and shower, I call Tori. The phone rings a few times and then goes to voicemail. I dial her number six more times, all with the same result. She’s ignoring me. While I deserve it, she can’t shut me out this time. I need to tell her everything.

  Finch slaps his hand down on my shoulder as we exit the locker room. “You’ll get her back. Don’t worry, man.”

  “I wish I was as confident as you. You should have seen Tori’s face. She was devastated. I bet she hates me all over again.”

  “It’s not like you did something wrong. Stop being so hard on yourself and come party with us. We’re going over to Mickey’s for a drink.”

  “I’m not in the mood to sit in a bar tonight, and I have to go over to Tori’s dorm and smooth things over with her. If she’ll even let me in.”

  “I don’t see the issue.” He shoves his hand through his dark hair, his eyes shifting to a hot blonde busting out of a tight red tank top. “Tori was already getting a scholarship from the school. What difference does it make where the money comes from?”

  “It’s a pride thing with Tori. That’s why I never wanted her to know. I knew she would overreact and stop talking to me again.”

  A few of my teammates catch up to us by the time we reach Broad Street. I’m exhausted but still hopped up on adrenaline from the game, and in desperate need to see Tori. I cannot lose her again. And I don’t feel like spending any more time with these idiots. They will try to talk me into hooking up with some random chick, which is not going to happen.

  “I’ll catch you guys later,” I say, crossing the street at the light, going in the opposite direction.

  “Later, man,” Finch says. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks, I’ll need it.”

  My teammates wave and fall in line with Finch as they head toward the bar on the corner.

  After my feet land on the opposite side of the street, I pick up my pace, my light jog turning into more of a run. I was planning to celebrate this win with Tori. Now, I’m going to spend the night begging for her forgiveness. In a hurry, I fling open the door to the senior dormitory and take the stairs up to Tori’s suite.

  People I know try to stop me on my way, but I’m too focused on my mission to be deterred by anyone. When I find her door, I raise my hand to knock, shaking the wood in the process. Sometimes, I don’t realize my strength.

  “Go the fuck away,” I hear Tori yell from the other side.

  “C’mon, Queenie, don’t do this again. I need to talk to you. Just let me come inside.”

  “No!” She shouts, and this time, her voice sounds closer, as if she’s standing in front of the door, peeking through the hole at me.

  “Please, Tori, just let me explain everything to you. I’m sure Harper didn’t tell you everything. She was just trying to get under your skin.”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Bash. I need some time to process.”

  I place my palm on the door and lean closer, lowering voice because we are drawing the attention of those around me. “People are starting to stare at me,” I tell her, hoping it will work. “Just open the damn door, already.”

  “You love the attention.” I can practically see the smirk forming on her lips as she speaks. “So, let them stare at you.”

  “But you hate it, and everyone will hear what I have to say to you if you don’t open this door.”

  She grunts loud enough that I can hear her, and the door swings open. Standing in the entryway in my navy boxer shorts and a white tank top with no bra, Tori holds out her hand, indicating for me to come inside.

  As I move forward, she steps to the side, allowing me to come inside. She closes the door behind and locks it, and then leans her back against the wood, flashing an evil stare at me.

  “Just let me explain everything before you chop my head off, okay?”

  She folds her arms over her chest. “You can talk all you want, but I don’t want to hear it, Bash. As much as I hate Harper, maybe she did me a favor. I hate that you kept this secret from me and that everyone on your team, including Jessica, was in on it. I feel so stupid. So betrayed. How could you? You even had my best friend and roommate hide this from me.”

  “Don’t be mad at Jessica. She didn’t want you to leave school, and neither did I. That’s why I created the scholarship to replace the one you lost.”

  “Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get here, Bash? I know things come easy for you and the Prince name opens doors for you, but the Reynolds name does not. I had to bust my ass to make this dream a reality. And all you had to do was hand someone a check. How do you think that makes me feel? All my hard work down the fucking drain.”

  I move closer, hoping she won’t kick me in the nuts. Luckily, she doesn’t make any advances and stays in position.

  “Your hard work was not a waste because you earned those grades, whether I paid your tuition or the college did. The money part is irrelevant. All that matters is that you aced your classes, and now, you will graduate on time. This is all I ever wanted for you, babe. Can’t you see that? I didn’t want to take anything away from you. I wanted to give you a future; one I was hoping I would someday be a part of if you’ll still let me. I owed you this much. Don’t go doubting yourself over one tiny thing that has no bearing on everything you have achieved on your own.”

  “Bash,” she says and lifts her hands up to her face, sobbing into her palms. “I can’t believe you did this, and you didn’t tell me.”

  I move her hands from her face and kiss her skin. “I made up the scholarship because I was in love with you, Tori. And I’m even more in love with you now than before. I couldn’t stand to see you hurting so much. It was my fault that you lost your scholarship. It was my fault that you lost that sparkle in your eyes. Everything bad that happened to you was my fault, and I couldn’t stand to see you in pain.”

  Her tears slide down her cheeks. “Bash,” she chokes out, “I love you, too, but I can’t take money from you. I just can’t.”

  “Yes, you can and you will. Your tuition is paid until graduation. Books, food, whatever you need.”

  “I wish you could understand how this makes me feel.”

  “I know you’re proud and hate taking a dime from me, but can you forget where the money came from and focus on graduating with honors? I
want nothing more than to see you on that stage at graduation, wearing your honors sash and tassel, as you wave to your dad and me. I’m so proud of you, babe. You have no idea. Think of me as a silent investor in your future.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” she says, a soft moan escaping her lips as I continue to kiss my way from her hands up to her arms. “Bash, stop trying to control the situation. I will not let you distract me…”

  Her voice trails off the closer I get to her neck. Once I’m there, she leans her head to the side, giving me the go-ahead. “Don’t fight it, babe, just let it happen.”

  She does as I command, lowering her guard along with her inhibitions. She wants this as much as I do. Tori brushes her hair off her neck and looks up at me.

  I take her face in my hands, and her lips part for me. Slipping my tongue inside her mouth, I tug at her hair, as I deepen the kiss. Everything I have done was with one goal in mind. Tori. She has always been my end game. Losing Tori was the worst thing that ever happened to me, and if paying her tuition to keep her here was selfish, then, at least it was worth it.

  I carry Tori into the bedroom, and kick the door shut. At first, we crash into the wall with our lips stick locked. Moaning, she sucks on my bottom lip, before her tongue caresses mine once more. Our kisses are animalistic and hungry, full of the passion I crave.

  I set her on the floor, our eyes trained on one another. She lifts her shirt over her head and throws it on the floor, exposing my breasts. My palm falls to her back, pulling her closer, as I lean down to suck on her nipple. Feeling my way down her stomach, I slid the shorts over her hips along with her panties, and she steps out of them.

  Staring at her gorgeous body, I lick my lips and drop to the floor in front of her. Tiny bumps dot her skin as my hand slides up her inner thigh. As I lick the inseam of her thigh, I stare up at her, not wanting to take my eyes off my girl. She’s beautiful and tastes so fucking good. When I lick between her folds, Tori digs her fingers through my hair, holding my head in a vise. She moans even louder as I slip two fingers inside her wetness. It doesn’t take long before her body trembles, and she rocks her hips against my mouth and comes for me. I love the way her body responds to me.

  Licking her juices from my fingers and then my lips, I come to a standing and take off my shirt, followed by the rest of my clothes. She steps forward, pressing her breasts against my chest and hooks her leg around mine. I pick her up and kiss her until the backs of my legs hit the edge of the bed, and we fall back onto the mattress.

  I roll Tori onto her back and position myself between her legs. Fisting my cock, I rub the tip along her entrance, before I ease into her, giving Tori some time to adjust to my size.

  As I slide in and out of her, always careful not to hurt her, she gets used to me, and her face relaxes. She moans and hooks her legs around my back, digging her heels into my ass. I grip her hips and pick up the pace.

  “Bash,” she moans and rakes her nails down my arms, crying out with pleasure.

  “Come for me, babe” I whisper, as I dip down to kiss her on the lips.

  When her insides clench around me, her cheeks redden, and a brush of heat spreads down to her chest. She screams my name as an intense orgasm rocks through her body. She has come undone beneath me.

  I pump faster, the sweat trickling down my forehead with each thrust. With my orgasm brewing, I let out a guttural groan, and glance down at Tori. She has a look so sexy as she comes for me again, and I am right behind her.

  My body trembles one last time before I kiss her, slow and passionate. After I leave a trail of kisses along her neck and chest, I slide out of her and roll onto the mattress. She scoots closer and lays her head on my chest. I hook my arm around her and kiss her hair.

  “I love you, Tori. And I promise to show you how much I love you for the rest of my life.”

  “I love you, too, Bash,” she says out of breath. “But please don’t lie to me ever again. No more secrets. No more barriers.”

  I hold her so tight as if I’m afraid she will change her mind, and whisper, “I promise, babe. You’re my queen, now and always.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Seven months later

  Bash

  Standing with the rest our graduating class, I watch with pride as Tori walks up the stairs and onto the platform to receive her diploma. As much as she had wanted to suck up her pride and find other ways to graduate, she kept the scholarship I’d created for her. I know a small part of her would’ve liked to have quit school and found someplace cheaper, just so she could be independent, but that would’ve meant leaving me behind. And I wasn’t about to allow that to happen.

  I glance over at Tori’s father, a tall, balding man in his early fifties and smile. He doesn’t even know I’m over here, but his smile mirrors mine. Years ago, I had made him a promise that I would do anything I could to help Tori after putting her through hell. I vowed to take care of her, and when I let him down, I did everything in my power to make amends. He was content with the scholarship arrangement, though he has no idea I paid Tori’s tuition from my trust fund. He still believes my father has a charity that gives scholarships to the academically gifted.

  As Tori shakes the Dean’s hand and holds her diploma in the air, she grins at her dad first, before her eyes land on me. This moment is priceless, worth every cent. She walks across the stage and toward my section, before taking her place with the rest of the students in her honor’s society.

  It’s not long before they announce my name, and I make my way onto the stage to receive my diploma. Or the piece of paper that acts as one until the real thing comes in the mail. I find my parents in the crowd, and my dad moves his right arm back, as if he’s about to throw a football to me, and then pretends to release the imaginary ball. What a dork.

  I laugh at him and shake my head while raising my hand to wave to my mom.

  My dad is proud, and I’m just happy he was able to get away from work to be here. He’s missed so many important events in my life. Of all the days to miss, this would not be the one, especially since he knows my plans for after graduation, plans that involve Tori and the life we want to build together.

  After they finish the final speeches and the Dean announces the graduating class, we shuffle out of the auditorium, the crowd turning into a stampede. I find Tori, slip my fingers between hers, and drag her through the throng, not wanting to let her out of my sight.

  Our parents have the crowd working against them, so we wait for them on the lawn. Tori grips my gown and pulls me into her chest. I dip down to kiss her on the lips, wishing we were alone right now. We haven’t spent a day apart since I’d promised there would be no barriers between us, and I never want her to leave my sight.

  “Keep kissing me like that, and we’ll have to skip lunch with our parents,” she says once our lips separate.

  “Don’t worry, babe. I intend to keep you locked up for the rest of the weekend.”

  “You have the NFL Draft, so I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I’ll settle for being locked up for the night.”

  Just thinking about the draft makes me nervous. My dad swears that I’m a shoe-in, especially given his career with the organization, but I have my concerns. Not every great college player is selected the first time around. And, now that Tori scored herself a job at a financial firm downtown as an analyst, I’d like to stay in the area, which means the Philadelphia Eagles need to pick me.

  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that will happen because I don’t want Tori to feel obligated to leave her job before it even starts to follow me around the country. I know she would, and that’s why I’m hoping the draft goes as planned.

  Tori’s dad finds us first. She runs over to him and jumps into his arms. After she finishes her private conversation with her father, she takes her place at my side.

  He smacks a hand on my back and pulls me into a hug. “Nice to see you, son.”

  Joe has been calling me son for almost as long as I
have known him, and even more so now that I am making things with Tori official.

  “You too, Sir,” I say, shaking his hand.

  “Enough of that formal shit, Bash. Call me dad.”

  Tori chuckles and her laughter is contagious. “Sure thing, Dad,” I choke out.

  My mom and dad come up to Joe, and they exchange pleasantries. We’d introduced our parents a few months ago at a dinner my dad hosted. Being a massive football fan, Joe jumped at the chance to meet my father and some of his friends. He was in his glory and loving every second of it.

  Now, our fathers are good friends, which worked out, seeing as we will all be one big happy family someday. They even talk on the phone a few times a month. Despite being surrounded by so many football lovers, Tori still hates the sport. But she never misses a game. My girl cheers her ass off, pretending as if she knows what’s going on. I joke with her that she just likes my uniform.

  “So, today is the day,” my father says, not referring to graduation.

  My mother kisses me on each cheek and then pinches them, embarrassing me in front of a lawn full of people. “My baby,” she says into my ear. “I’m so proud of you, Bash. And Tori is lovely. I’m so excited for you.”

  Tori cannot hear my mom. She’s too busy talking to our dads to notice. Mom slips a black ring box into my hand and closes my fingers over it. “Be good to her. This ring has been in our family for over two hundred years. It’s good luck, you know.”

  I smile and kiss my mom on the cheek, pulling her into a hug. “Thanks, Mom.”

  After our bodies separate, I nod at Tori’s father, who already knew that I’d wanted to propose to Tori after graduation. I would have done it midway through the school year, but her dad would only give me his blessing if I could promise Tori was not pregnant and would graduate with honors. I satisfied both obligations.