Page 2 of Heartless Summer (Claremont Cougars)

HUNTER

“ M mm, baby. I want you so damn much,” I growl between kisses. My hand slips beneath her T-shirt before drifting upward until it can cup her breast.

When I squeeze the softness, my cock stiffens until it feels like steel.

Even though we’ve been together for years and having sex for a while, touching her—playing with her curvy little body—never gets old.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever get enough of this girl.

She’s like an addiction pumping through my veins.

I don’t think it’s possible to love anyone as much as I love Skye Sinclair. She’s all I think about. My fucking world revolves around her, and it’s difficult to imagine a time when that won’t be the case.

Her back bows as she arches into my palm. As soon as a throaty whimper escapes from her, I swallow down the sound. I want every single cry that leaves her mouth. No one will ever get to hear them but me.

There have been so many lazy summer afternoons spent lying on a blanket at the beach while dreaming of a future together.

We do the same when she’s wrapped up in my arms at night after I’ve snuck through her bedroom window.

Once I make love to her, we talk about attending Claremont where I’ll play football.

Either junior or senior year, I’ll enter the draft and hopefully get picked up by a professional team.

Then we can get hitched. A couple years down the road, we’ll have two or three kids and live happily ever after.

Maybe I’m too young to already have my life planned out, but when you find the right person, what’s the point of waiting?

Then my brother, Mason, can stop working at the garage. He can go back to school and finish up his degree.

I owe him.

Big time.

But I can’t think about that right now. Not when Skye is in my arms. Not when we’re making out on the couch in the living room and I’m five minutes away from tearing off the tiny shorts she’s wearing and driving deep inside her tight heat.

The fact that she’s going away next week fucking kills me. How am I going to make it through the next couple of months without seeing her gorgeous face every day? Or touching her?

I can’t think of a time when we’ve been separated for longer than a week.

“I wish you weren’t leaving,” I groan against her lips.

A breathy sigh escapes from her before she whispers, “I know. I shouldn’t have let my mom talk me into it.”

Skye’s mother lives in Wisconsin and found her a job working at a nearby camp so they can spend time together. It’s a long fucking way from North Carolina. I can’t just hop in a car and visit for the weekend.

The thought nearly cracks my heart in two.

“Tell her you changed your mind,” I ground out, squeezing her breast again before yanking the lacy cup down so I can touch her naked flesh.

She moans as I toy with her pebbled nipple.

“I can’t do that.”

“Sure, you can.” Am I being unfair, playing with her sweet body, all the while trying to talk her into doing what I want?

Probably.

At this point, I don’t give a damn. I want Skye here with me—where she belongs. That’s all that matters.

“Hunter…” Her voice turns thick with need before trailing off.

“I can’t stand the thought of us being apart for so long.”

“I know.” Some of the arousal fades from her bright green eyes as they fill with sorrow. “I’m sorry. I feel like I’ve ruined our summer.”

Fuck.

I suck in a deep breath before steadily releasing it as guilt slices through me. “You don’t have anything to apologize for,” I grumble, feeling like an asshole. As much as I want to keep this girl all to myself, that’s not possible.

Just as I crawl on top of her, the front door opens before being slammed shut.

We jump apart like the guilty teenagers we still are as my brother stalks into the room before grinding to a halt.

He stares at us with narrowed eyes before grunting out a barely discernable hello and continuing to the kitchen.

A dull red stain floods Skye’s cheeks as she hastily straightens her clothing and smooths her long blonde hair. I grab a pillow from the other side of the couch and strategically place it over my boner before lounging against the cushions.

“I didn’t think you’d be home until five,” I throw out casually.

“Unfortunately for you, I was able to finish up early and take off for the day.” He glances at me from the tiny kitchen at the back of the house as he grabs the handle of the fridge and yanks it open.

There’s a rattle of bottles as he rummages around inside.

“Didn’t realize I needed to give you a heads up before I walked in the door. ”

“It would have been nice,” I holler back, giving Skye a wink to help lighten the thick tension now permeating the air.

My brother shoots me a glare before pulling out a beer and popping off the top. He lifts the glass container to his lips before taking a long swig.

Once he’s downed half the golden liquid, he says, “Maybe you should screw your girlfriend in your room from now on instead of the living room. How about that?”

“Jeez, Mase,” I mutter with a scowl. “What died and crawled up your ass?” When Skye shifts away from me, I wrap an arm around her shoulders before tugging her closer. It’s ridiculous that I feel the strange need to protect her from him.

He grunts before swinging away.

“Maybe I should take off,” Skye says in a small voice that only I can hear.

“No, it’s fine. He’s just in a bad mood from working all day.” My arm tightens around her, making escape impossible.

When her teeth scrape against her plump lower lip, my gaze drops to the movement, and even though my brother is stomping around in the next room, my dick turns rock hard. I’m so focused on her mouth that I barely hear the landline ring in the kitchen. A few seconds later, Mason fills the doorway.

“Coach wants to talk with you.”

Unable to resist, I drag Skye to me before pressing a kiss against her. “I’ll be right back. Don’t you dare go anywhere.”

“All right.”

“For fuck’s sake,” my brother mumbles. “Let’s go. He’s not gonna wait forever.”

I rise to my feet and shoot Mason another dark look before grabbing the phone from him. Instead of taking the call in the living room so he can hear what’s being said, I stalk into my bedroom and slam the door shut behind me.

Without my football scholarship, I wouldn’t have the money to attend college.

We live on a shoestring budget and are barely scrimping by as it is.

Even with Mason busting his ass, sometimes working sixty hours a week, there’s no way he could afford to pay for tuition on top of everything else.

The money Claremont is giving me has been a blessing.

Trust me, I’m grateful for everything my brother has done so I can play ball. I can’t imagine where I’d be without him. I probably wouldn’t have gotten recruited by a top Division I school with almost a full ride and a real shot at making it to the pros.

So, yeah…I have a lot of love for my brother.

But I fucking hate the way he treats Skye.

The funny thing is that it wasn’t always this way.

There used to be a time when Skye, Mason, whatever girl he was seeing, and I would go out on double dates.

He’d joke around with her like she was a little sister, and we had fun together. All that changed a couple of years ago.

Mason changed.

He became bitter.

He’s dropped plenty of comments about me being too focused on her when I should be concentrating all my energies on football. Does he really think I don’t understand that making it to the NFL is what will finally give us our financial freedom?

I’m doing everything in my power to make it happen. I realize the sacrifices he’s made and I’m working as hard as I can to do my fair share around here. The guy needs to chill out. Skye hasn’t gotten in the way of anything. She makes me more determined to achieve everything I possibly can.

Once alone in my bedroom, I place the phone to my ear. “Hey, Coach. How you doing?”

A gravelly voice rumbles over the line. The guy sounds like he’s smoked Marb Reds his entire life. “I’m good. Looking forward to getting you boys here for training camp.”

I nod, torn between wanting to go and being away from Skye for so long. “Looking forward to getting there.”

“I think we’re going to have a competitive team this year. Should be a good season.”

“I hope so. I’d love to get a Championship ring my freshman year.”

“I think it’s possible with the talent on the roster and plenty of hard work.” There’s a pause. “I just wanted to let you know that I was able to scrounge up a little more money. It should be enough to cover your books for both semesters.”

Wow. Even though tuition along with room and board will be paid for by my scholarship, I was still concerned about how I would pay for the rest. Five or six hundred dollars a semester isn’t a big deal for most families, but it is for us. It’s one less expense to worry about.

“Thanks, Coach. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I know how difficult everything’s been with your parents gone.” He clears his throat. “It was a real shame when Mason stopped playing ball. The guy had so much heart when it came to the game. I’ll do whatever I can to help lighten his load.”

It’s been two years since Mom and Dad died in a boating accident.

Their deaths wreaked havoc throughout our lives, altering everything.

There was a small insurance policy that helped bury them, but it wasn’t nearly enough to live off.

Even though Mason was supposed to start his junior year at Claremont, he ended up dropping out and getting a job.

He’s been busting his ass to keep our heads above water ever since.

Thick emotion swells inside my chest as I turn and stare out the small window that faces the tiny scrap of backyard. “Thanks, Coach. We both appreciate it.”

“No problem, son. See you in a week.”

“Yup. See you then.”

After disconnecting, I clench the phone tightly in my hand. If there’d been any lingering doubts filling my mind that I didn’t make the right choice for college, Coach Andrews has laid them all to rest. I haven’t even stepped foot on campus and he’s already taking care of me.

I know that has everything to do with Mason and the soft spot he has for him. Every so often, they get together to shoot the shit. Coach has been trying to convince him to sign on as part of his staff. Since Mason makes good money at the garage, he always declines the offer.

It's yet another sacrifice my brother has made for me. The guy loves football and would enjoy the opportunity to coach. Instead, he’s stuck in a garage, fixing cars ten hours a day. He doesn’t hate it, but it’s not how he saw his future unfolding.

It takes a few seconds to shake myself out of the thorny thoughts I’ve become tangled in.

Even though I was pissed at Mason when I stalked into my bedroom, thinking about everything he’s given up is enough to have my anger draining away.

He’ll be relieved to know that Coach has ponied up more money.

As I return to the main living area, I realize my brother has settled in the recliner across from Skye.

He’s leaning forward with his elbows propped up on his knees and his hands clasped tightly in front of him.

There’s a serious expression filling his face.

Her gaze flickers to me before nervously darting away.

What the fuck?

That’s all it takes for my anger to roar back to life.

Why the hell can’t he just leave her alone?

This girl makes me happy, and for some reason, he’s set on ruining it.

Mason’s attention fastens on me as he shoots to his feet. “What did Coach want?”

Instead of telling him the good news, I snap, “Nothing.”

He narrows his eyes and cocks his head. “Are you telling me he didn’t have anything to say?”

“That’s right.” Dismissing him, I stare at my girlfriend. The way she refuses to meet my gaze pisses me off even more. “Come on, Skye. Let’s get out of here.”

She springs up from the couch before beelining to the front door without another glance in Mason’s direction. It’s like she can’t get away from him fast enough.

My hands clench at my sides. I swear to fucking god, if he said or did anything to upset her, I’ll rip him a new one.

See if I don’t.