Page 14

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

BECKHAM

The whole way home, I keep her hand in mine. I don’t think I’ll ever let her go. I broke the seal, and now I want more of her. I’ve been patient with her, leaving her notes, special-ordering peonies, and buying more of those pink champagne macarons she likes. Trying to break down her walls and get her to trust me again. But there’s no fucking way she’s sleeping on that cot tonight. She’ll be sleeping in my bed. With me. I don’t even care if anything happens. I just want her with me, against me.

That kiss on the stairs … I couldn’t stop it. Her lips were just begging to be kissed. The little bow in her top lip, her puffy bottom lip—all mine. She tastes the same to me, like the strawberry lip gloss she’s worn since sixth grade.

“Beck, slow down. My legs aren’t as long as yours.” She’s teasing me—I can hear it in her voice.

“Sorry, I forget you fall behind. Just like when we raced as kids,” I say, then look at her and wink.

“Hey now, I got you a few times. But once your legs got longer than mine, it was tough to beat you. I still held my own though.”

It feels good to joke around with her about the past like this. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to be completely normal around each other. We need to talk about what happened between us in high school because she doesn’t know the full or true story. Despite the way I acted indifferently as a result of our breakup, I never really believed it was over between us. And I’m tired of waiting to claim what’s mine.

Turning the corner toward my house, I slow my pace. I glance down at her and see she’s still staring at our entwined hands.

“What are you thinkin’ ’bout, Char?”

“I … don’t really know. I guess I’m wondering what’s going on here. Beck, we haven’t really been on the best terms the last couple of years. This seems kind of out of the blue, or … I don’t know … I guess it’s a little confusing. My mind feels like it’s all over the place. But when you kissed me, it felt like nothing had changed at all.”

There is hesitancy in her voice, and I don’t like it. What happened was real. And she’s not wrong; it felt like everything was back in place.

I stop walking and turn to look at her. Grabbing her other hand in mine, I search her face, seeking confirmation in her words.

“Charlie, every time I’m near you, I want to kiss you. I want to touch you. Just because we haven’t been together in a long time doesn’t mean you aren’t still mine.”

I bend my head down toward her and kiss her forehead. When I pull back, her eyes are fixed on mine with tears threatening to spill over. I bring my hand up to her face and trace my thumb just under her eye, where one tear has fallen.

Not wanting to seem too eager, I gently tug her toward the house. When we reach the door, I pull out the keys from my pocket and unlock the door. As we walk in, Charlie pulls her hand out of mine and walks toward the living room.

“Not so fast.” With my hand on her hip, I guide her toward the kitchen and settle her against the kitchen counter.

I take a ziplock bag out of a nearby drawer and fill it with ice. When I’m done sealing the bag, I walk back to Charlie and stop in front of her.

Gently, I lift her arm and place the ice pack on her elbow.

She winces at the icy-cold feel. I hold it firm against her skin.

“Nothing cures a wound better than ice,” I state.

“Is that a metaphor or something?”

I laugh. “I guess it could be. You’ve been icing me for years. But, nah, this is what my physical therapist recommends for injuries. You ever do a cold plunge? Now, that really gets the immune system going.”

She smiles, and it warms my chest. “I think I’ll stick to the ice pack.”

We stay like this—me holding the bag to her arm and her letting me tend to her—for a few minutes before I remove the bag from her arm.

“Better?” I ask.

She nods lightly and moves her arm to test the range of motion. “Better.”

I step away and toss the bag of ice in the trash.

Charlie runs her hand along her cheek, takes a breath, and moves toward the refrigerator. “I’m gonna get a water. Do you want anything? Are you going to bed now, or do you want to watch a movie or something?” Her words are spoken quickly, like she’s nervous.

“Yeah,” I state evenly, “I’ll take a water. Why don’t we watch something in my room? I’m exhausted, and my ribs are hurting a little from the game today.”

I’m watching her to gauge her reaction to my suggestion. Her back is toward me now, so I can’t see her face, but she stills for a beat as she’s reaching into the fridge for the waters. Pulling two bottles from the fridge, she shuts the door with her hip.

Turning to face me, she walks over and hands me my bottle. We stand there for a minute, just staring at each other. I take a sip of my water. She takes hers as well. I watch her eyes as she opens and closes the cap of her bottle … three times.

She needs time to process how she feels. She needs control.

Lucky for her, she owns me and this moment.

Charlie reaches out her free hand and grabs mine, breaking the silence. “Well, we’d better get you to bed then.”

She walks us out of the kitchen and through the house with my hand still in hers.

When she opens the door to my room and looks back at me shyly, I give her a smile to break some of the tension.

“I’ll let you pick the movie. I’ll even watch one of your girlie movies.”

“Aww, aren’t you just the sweetest? You know which one I’m going to pick, don’t you?”

She lets go of my hand, walks over to her cot, and drops her bag from her shoulder. I notice that she winces a little when she does it.

“Does your arm still hurt? I can go grab you some more ice. I might get some for myself too. I think I need to wrap my left side for a little bit to numb some of the soreness there.”

“No, I’m good. It’s just a little stiff now, but it’ll be fine soon. I think I’ll get changed and wash my face and stuff while you’re doing that.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

I leave my room and go to the kitchen. While there is a part of me that feels like everything is the same or more so as it should be—us, together—I have a small amount of fear that she might try to push me away again. But one thing I’m sure of is that she kissed me back with full force. She won’t forget about our breakup, but she can’t ignore our bond and attraction to each other.

I grab one of the ice packs from the freezer and head back to my room. I walk in and go to the closet to get a towel to wrap the ice pack in. I already had an ice pack wrapped around me at the field, but I took it off before my shower. I don’t think I need to wrap it with plastic wrap again, but a towel around it will keep my skin from burning from the cold.

Walking over to my bed, I notice the door to the bathroom is slightly open. I drop my water, the ice pack and towel on the bed and see Charlie through the crack in the door. She’s bent over the sink, washing her face. She changed into a tiny pair of gray shorts and a white crop top.

Fuck me . I can see the bottom of her tits with the way she’s leaning.

I’m getting hard, just watching her, and my pants are starting to get tight. I pull my shirt over my head and throw it into the laundry basket near the closet. I palm my cock through my jeans before I unbutton them, then pull the zipper down. While I’m pushing my jeans down my legs, Charlie opens the door. Her head is down, but when she looks up, she sees me undressing and pauses. Her mouth drops open a little, and—I’m not gonna lie—it makes me feel pretty fucking good about the way I take care of my body. I mean, not that I have a choice with football, but still.

I’m down to my boxer briefs now, and there’s no hiding my hard-on. I palm my dick again and watch her eyes follow the track of my hand. I’m getting harder, the longer she looks, but I don’t want her to feel pressured to do anything. I really don’t care what happens, but she’s gonna be in my bed. I can’t watch her sleep on that cot for one more night. It’s been killing me to be so close to her, to smell her, to hear her little puffs of breath while she sleeps.

“Boss, eyes up here,” I tease, but also love that she can’t seem to break away from looking at my dick.

“Hmm, what? Oh.” She breaks her stare. “Oh my God, sorry. I didn’t realize you were changing. Do you want me to go back into the bathroom? Sorry …” She’s looking around the room now, at just about everything but me. “Just let me know when you’re done, and I’ll come back out.”

“Charlie, wait. It’s fine. I like that you’re looking at me.” I drop my voice to a low hum. “I want you to look at me.”

Closing the distance between us, I reach out my hand and brush some of the loose hair that’s fallen out of the bun thing on the top of her head and tuck it behind her ear. She’s glancing down at her feet, and I can see the blush in her cheeks now.

“Hey, it’s just us. We’re gonna get in bed.” With my index finger, I tilt her chin up to make sure she’s paying attention when I declare, “Together.”

Her lips part, and there’s a sharp inhale that makes her chest rise and press against mine.

I lean down until my lips are just above hers. “And, no, you’re not sleeping on that fucking cot tonight. Pick your movie while I go brush my teeth.” When I move around her, I glide my hands down her arms. “I’ll be right back.”

Clearing her throat, she says, “Okay, yeah, I’ll pick something out. Um …” She pauses and looks at the mattress. “I’ll take this side.”

Turning my head back to look at her, I say, “Yeah, you know I like to be closest to the door.”

Although she doesn’t know why I need to be closest to the door because I’ve never really told her anything about what my life was like before we met.

“Okay, I’ll just, uh, grab my pillows and get comfy, I guess.”

She’s not shy, but I can still tell when my girl is getting worked up, and she is.

I don’t reply, but I do smile, then shut the bathroom door. I take a piss—though it’s challenging with a hard-on—wash my hands, then brush my teeth. When I open the door, I see her lying in my bed—as she should be. She’s propped up with her back on her pillows behind her. She’s wearing a little smile on her face now though, and she seems less … anxious.

“I picked She’s All That , which you know is one of my all-time faves.”

I huff a laugh and nod. Pulling back the covers on my side of the bed, I sit on the edge and reach over to grab the ice pack and towel. I wrap the towel around the ice pack, then scoot back on the bed toward my pillows. “Here, can you hold this for a sec?”

Charlie takes the ice pack from me. “Ah! This is so cold. Why don’t you lie down and I can prop it where you need it?”

I nod and lie down while she scoots closer to me on the bed.

“Okay, roll over to your side a little so I can fit this under you.” She grabs her small pillow that she likes to hold while she sleeps and rests it on the other side of the ice pack. “There, that should hold it in place for a while. Oh shoot, I forgot my water bottle in the bathroom. Where did yours go?”

“Oh, right. Yeah, I put it on the bed with my ice pack, but it must have fallen off the bed. Can you grab it for me?”

“Yeah, I’ll get it. Don’t move.” She gets up from the bed, goes into the bathroom to get her bottle, then walks over to my side of the bed. “I don’t see it, so it must have rolled under the bed.”

When she bends over, I can see right down her shirt. It’s killing me not to touch her right now.

“Urgh, I can’t reach it. I need to try from a different angle.”

Now she’s turned so her back is to me, and she bends over again, putting her ass within reaching distance. I’m so very tempted. Charlie has the best ass.

“I got it!” she yells out, snapping me out of my ass haze.

“Thanks, Boss. Now get back in here so we can start the movie.”

“Okay, do you need anything else? I’m not hungry, but if you are, I’ll go grab something.”

“Lie down. I’m fine. I’m still full from dinner. Plus, I just brushed my teeth.”

Walking back to her side of the bed, she gives me a little smile and says, “Okay, are you ready for this ultimate ’90s classic?”

“You act like we haven’t watched this a hundred times. I’ll even tell you what happens,” I say, but she cuts off the rest of my words with her hand covering my mouth.

“No! Beckham Linson, you will not spoil anything. Yes, I know the words to this movie almost verbatim, but you will not ruin it for me.” She wears a little scowl on her face, but there is humor in her eyes.

Her hand is still over my mouth, so I lick her palm, which makes her squeal as she pulls her hand away.

“Beck! That’s so gross!” But she’s laughing.

My hand reaches out to touch her face, and I graze my fingers from her cheek to her lips. “Oh, come on, Boss. You used to like it when I licked you.”

Charlie grabs my forearm and quietly asks, “Beck, what are you doing?”

I let her pull my arm down, but I settle my hand on her knee. My thumb brushes her skin, and it makes goose bumps appear on her legs.

“What do you mean, Char? I’m not doing anything. Are you cold? Maybe we should get under the covers,” I say with a smirk.

“Okay, buddy, let’s just watch the movie.” She scoots back over to her side of the bed and fights with the comforter a bit because it got a little tangled when she was helping me with the ice pack.

The movie starts, and we both stare at the TV, but I can’t concentrate on anything but the feeling of having her next to me. She’s so close that I can smell her hair. Not gonna lie—seeing her shampoo and all the other girlie shit she has scattered around in my bathroom makes me happy. I don’t even care that she’s a little messy either. I like order. I like to be organized. I thrive on having a schedule. But Charlie, she’s more of a works-best-under-pressure and chaos kind of girl.

I love it.

I love her .

Still.

Under the covers, our hands are just inches apart. I can’t hold back anymore, so I extend my pinkie finger, looping it with hers. She doesn’t resist; she curls hers around mine too. We sit like that for what feels like an hour, but it’s probably just minutes. She keeps scooting further down the bed, so she’s not really leaning on her pillows anymore but lying down, which pushes the comforter below our joined hands.

“Hey, Beck?”

My gaze breaks from our hands and up to her face.

“Yeah, Boss?” I turn our hands and entwine our fingers, but I pull them together and apart, just feeling her skin brush against mine.

“Tell me about your favorite part of today.”

She’s turned on her side, facing me now, which makes holding hands a little awkward, but I’m not letting go until she does. And I love that she’s asking me about my favorite part of the day. When I asked her the other night, I didn’t mean to upset her, but it was just something I wanted to know. And being in the same room together, that close together, it just felt right in that moment.

“Hmm … I would say … obviously, our win. Seeing my dad and sister. But my favorite-est favorite is being here with you.” When I look up from our hands, I see she’s staring at my mouth.

“Beck, I …” She lets go of my hand and moves closer.

I want her to be closer, so I toss the small pillow that’s wedged against my ice pack to the floor behind her. “I’ll get it for you later,” I say as I pull the melting ice pack from my side.

I turn my body slightly to put the ice pack on the floor by my side of the bed and hiss. The bruising will fade in the next twenty-four hours, but it will be sore for a few days. I took some big hits today.

“Are you okay? Are you in pain?”

She starts to sit up, but I grab her arm, halting her movement.

“I’m fine. I’ve had worse injuries. Now, come here. I want you closer. We don’t have to do anything. I just want to hold you.”

I lie back down and pull her toward me. She rests her head on my shoulder and brushes her fingers over my chest. I watch her hand move over the tattoos—a horseshoe for luck and then the A that represents our high school mascot, Arrows, on my shoulders. Then the cross on my biceps, then down to my side, where I have a large eagle spreading its wings.

“You’ve gotten more ink since …” She leaves her words hanging, but I know she means since we were together because she’s seen me without my shirt on around the house. “What is this one for?” She traces the four-leaf clover that’s right over my heart.

She knows what it means to me, but I think she just wants to hear me say it.

“You know what it’s for, Char, but I’ll tell you anyway. When I was younger, I moved to this town and didn’t know anyone. This girl wearing baggy overalls and pigtails in her hair came barging over to our house. In her hand was a four-leaf clover. She gave it to me and said it would bring me luck. Now, see, being in a new town, it was a big change for me and my sister, so I needed a little luck. And when I took it from her hand, I just knew that she was my lucky charm and everything would be okay.”

I place my hand over hers on top of my four-leaf clover tattoo and hold it there for a beat. She tilts her head up to look at my face, and she smiles. This isn’t a shy smile; it’s a smile that tells me she’s coming back to me.

Breaking her gaze from mine, she lowers her head and kisses the tattoo and then lifts her lips to the spot between my neck and shoulder.

Fuck me .

My hand strokes her back lightly, but I move it into her hair, grabbing her messy bun and tugging it a little to bring her eyes back to mine.

“Come here. I need to taste those lips again.”

She rises up onto her elbow and leans over me, stopping right before our mouths can touch. The tip of her tongue peeks out, and she swipes it just at the center of her top lip. I’m letting her take the lead from here. I don’t want her to feel rushed. I need her to come to me.

“Beck, I don’t … I don’t know what we’re doing, but I don’t want to stop.”

“Then don’t.”

No sooner do the words leave my mouth than her lips are on mine.

This kiss is different from the one on the stairs earlier. This kiss is patient and unhurried. Almost like a test. She’s taking her time. The strokes of her tongue against mine are smooth, and she sucks on my tongue just a little, driving me crazy. My dick has been hard since we kissed on the stairs, and now it’s about to bust through my boxer briefs.

My grasp is still tight in her hair while my other hand plays with the loose neckline of her shirt. I pull it down a little and brush my fingers over the top of her breasts.

Her mouth is still open, and her lips brush against mine while she breathes out my name. “Beck, don’t stop touching me.”

“I’ll only stop when you do, Boss.”

She’s got one hand on my shoulder while the other drifts further down my abs. She toys with the waistband of my boxer briefs, right next to where my dick has popped out of the top. Slowly, she moves her fingers over to my dick and wraps them around me.

I pull in a breath as she rubs her thumb over the head of my cock, smearing the pre-cum. She pulls back from our kiss, lifts her thumb to her mouth, licks it, and then slides it further into her mouth, sucking.

Even when we were young, Charlie has never been shy about sex or our bodies. We experienced a lot of firsts together, but it was never awkward. It was just … us. She always takes what she wants, and that alone makes me close to blowing my load.

“Charlie, baby, come up here and let me taste you too.”

She pulls her thumb out of her mouth and shakes her head. Pushing herself up, she kneels and climbs over me. “Beck, I want this. I want you. I’ve been thinking about this since the night we went to the store. Before that, do you remember the last time we were together, alone, in your truck?”

She’s sitting up, but her hips are moving, rubbing my dick right where it wants to be. Her hands are on my abs, softly stroking, teasing. Her shorts are thin, and she’s definitely not wearing any underwear. She’s soaked through them, and my dick is gliding right between her center.

My hands are on her waist, and I move them up her sides, lifting her shirt. I play with her nipples, pinching the already-hard peaks.

“Yeah, Charlie, I do. Goddamn, you are so fucking beautiful. Tell me. Tell me what you remember.”

Pulling her hands from my stomach, she takes the hem of her shirt and yanks it off and tosses it to the floor.

“Beck, fuck. Pinch a little harder,” she says as she slides back and forth on my dick. “My mouth was on your cock, sucking, licking, tasting. You were leaning back against your door, and I was kneeling between your legs. My hands were wrapped around your cock, sliding up and down in rhythm with my mouth. I swirled my tongue around your head, and when I heard you inhale, I looked up. I will never forget the way you gazed down at me. You looked at me like I was a goddess. Like I was your everything. And I believed it. I was so turned on by the taste of you and the look you gave me. Then you told me you were coming, but I didn’t pull back. You came in my mouth, and I kept sucking and sliding my hands up and down your cock. I could feel you coming, and I swallowed it all. It was so fucking hot.”

“Fuck yes, baby.” I’m playing with her nipples while she rubs her core against my hardened shaft. “Are you going to come like this, or are you gonna come sit up here on my face like you did that night?” My hands are moving her hips, rocking her back and forth.

She shakes her head and places her hands on her breasts, squeezing. “No, I’m going to make you feel good. You’re sore, and I just want to take care of you. Will you let me take care of you, Beck?”

“Hell yes, but you have to promise me I’ll get to take care of you next time.”

Instead of pulling off my body, she drifts down my legs, bringing my boxers down with her hands. She lifts up and pulls my boxers off my legs, then starts crawling toward my dick.

“That’s it, baby. Crawl to me.”

My dick’s at full mast. Then she wraps her hands around me, and it makes me suck in a breath. It’s been years since I’ve had her like this.

She leans down and twirls her tongue around the head of my cock while moving her right hand up and down my shaft. With her left hand, she cradles my balls, tugging lightly. She’s licking me like a lollipop, and my eyes haven’t left her face once. I’m burning this into my memory because, damn … who needs the past when the present is so fucking sweet?

My hands go to her head, and I brush back the hair that’s fallen from her bun. With one hand, I grip her hair in one fist, and my other palm holds her face. I’m letting her set the pace, but it’s getting harder to hold myself back from pushing all the way into her mouth to gag her.

Like she can read my mind, she takes me all the way to the back of her throat and gags. Spit drips out of her mouth, making her hand glide easily along my shaft.

When she pulls her mouth off my dick, she looks up at me with a wicked smile. “Does that feel good? Your side … I’m not hurting you, am I?”

Fuck no, she’s not hurting me.

“Baby, the only way you’re hurting me is by not having those pretty lips wrapped around my cock. Twirl your tongue around the head like you were doing before.”

“Getting a little bossy, Beck? I think I like it.”

Her tongue touches the tip again, but instead of taking me in her mouth, she kisses and sucks down the length, and it drives me fucking crazy.

“Turn to the side and let me touch you too. I wanna find out just how wet you are for me.”

I pull the scrunchie from her bun, and her hair falls around her face. I gather it in one hand and tug lightly. While I’m still holding on to her hair, my head falls back when she takes me all the way into her mouth again. She moves her hand in tandem with her mouth. It’s not gonna take long for me to blow.

She shifts her body so she’s no longer between my legs, but on the side of me, never breaking her rhythm. I move her hair to my other hand so I can still see her face and slide my hand down her bare back and between her pussy. My fingers find her opening, and she’s soaked. My middle finger runs up and down her slit, and she starts to moan around my dick.

I lift my head and look down at her, and our eyes connect. Her pace slows just a little, and I wonder if she’s memorizing this moment like I am. Her eyes tear up, and saliva drips from her mouth, but this, right here … feels like something other than just sex.

This isn’t fooling around.

This is more.

And I’m not letting her take it back. We’re not going back to what we were the last couple of years.

Her pace quickens, and I match her with my finger sliding in and out of her pussy.

“You want more, Boss? Can I add another finger?”

She hums her approval, and I pull my middle finger out, then plunge my index and middle finger inside her tight hole. I feel her body start to spasm just a little, which brings me closer to my orgasm.

“Baby, I’m gonna come. If you want to pull back, you’d better do it now. You’ve had me so tightly strung. I’m not gonna last much longer.” I’m practically panting at this point, trying to hold on to the last bits of control I can manage.

She pulls her mouth off of me with a pop. “Then do it, Beck. Give me all of it. I’m so close. Keep fucking me with your fingers. Let’s come together.”

Goddamn, this girl.

She’s barely done talking before my balls tighten, and cum shoots down her throat. She moans, and I feel her pussy sucking my fingers in deeper as she starts to come.

Our eyes stay locked, making everything feel heightened. I can still feel her pussy pulsing around my fingers, like I’m sure she can feel my dick twitching inside her mouth.

Pulling her mouth off me, she has a soft smile on her face and says, “You can stop now. I’m so sensitive at this point that I don’t think I could wring out another orgasm if I tried.”

“Challenge accepted, baby,” I say, then flip her over onto her back.