Page 23

Twenty Three

Hailey

We were putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher when Colt’s phone buzzed on the counter.

“Fuck, it’s my mom.” Colt groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

I glanced up, trying to keep my expression neutral, even as a knot tightened in my stomach. “Okay, so? Answer it. What’s the big deal?”

“She’s … gonna want to talk about us again,” he mumbled, his ears turning faintly red.

I grinned despite myself. “And?”

“And … I don’t know. It’s just … weird. She’s so excited all the time now, and it’s embarrassing.”

I chuckled. “She’s your mom, Colt. Take it as a win.”

He sighed, muttering something under his breath before swiping the screen and putting it on speaker.

“Hey, Mom. ”

“Hi, sweetheart! How’s everything going over there?”

“All good, same as always,” Colt said, his tone stiff but polite.

“Same as always, huh?” There was a teasing edge to her voice.

I raised an eyebrow at him, mouthing, She’s fishing .

He shot me a look before answering. “Yeah, same.”

“Really? Nothing new? Nothing exciting to share?” she pressed.

“Mom …” He groaned, glancing at me. “You know about me and Hailey. What else do you want?”

“Well, excuse me for trying to get a cute update!” she said, laughing. “Hailey, dear, are you there?”

“Yes, Alicia,” I said quickly, stepping in to save him.

“Oh, wonderful!” she exclaimed. “I just have to say, Hailey, we’re so thrilled about this. I’ve been hoping for years that Colt would finally—”

“Mom,” Colt cut in, his cheeks pink now, “let’s not make this a thing, okay?”

“It’s not a thing , honey. I’m just happy for you two! Anyway, your dad and I were talking, and we’d love to have you both come home for Thanksgiving. Hailey, your mom says she’s been missing you—”

I froze, keeping my face neutral as my heart raced. “That’s sweet of her,” I said in an even voice. “But, um, she’s been pretty busy lately.”

“Oh, I’m sure she has,” Mrs. Michaels said brightly. “But she sounded so excited when I mentioned you and Colt! I think it’s just a matter of time before she starts gushing as much as I am.”

I felt Colt glance at me, but I kept my gaze fixed on the counter. “Yeah … maybe. ”

Mrs. Michaels, oblivious, kept going. “Anyway, think about Thanksgiving, okay? It would mean so much to us. And Hailey, your mom said—”

“Mom,” Colt interrupted again, his voice firmer this time. “We haven’t even talked about next week yet. Can we just … slow down a little?”

She sighed dramatically. “Fine, fine. But don’t keep me waiting too long for an update, okay? Hailey, dear, don’t let him off the hook so easily!”

I forced a smile. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Michaels. I’ll keep him in line.”

“That’s my girl,” she said with a laugh. “All right, I’ll let you two get back to whatever you were doing. But don’t forget — Thanksgiving! Love you, honey!”

“Love you too, Mom,” Colt said, quickly ending the call. He let out a long breath, his shoulders slumping as he leaned against the counter.

“Sorry about that,” he said, his expression sheepish.

“Why are you apologizing?” I asked, keeping my tone light. “Your mom’s sweet. She just wants to see you happy.”

He huffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah, but she doesn’t know how to chill. It’s like she’s been waiting her whole life for this or something.”

“Well,” I teased, nudging him with my shoulder, “can you blame her? You’re a catch, Colt Michaels.”

He snorted, ducking his head, his blush deepening. “Yeah, okay.”

I laughed, though the tension in my chest remained. It wasn’t his fault my parents didn’t see things the same way. He didn’t know how much of an uphill battle this might become, and I wasn’t ready to ruin the moment by telling him .

Instead, I reached for his hand, lacing my fingers through his. “Relax. This is completely new territory for both of us, we’ll just tackle everything together.”

He barked out a laugh. “Tackle? Was that an intentional play on words?”

“Nah. Just bad luck.” I laughed, flipping my hair over one shoulder and leaning against the counter.

His eyes darkened as he raked his gaze over me, positively devouring me and making me abandon all thoughts of matchmaking moms and visits home.

He crept closer until he was positioned right in front of me, towering over me, almost swallowing up my smaller form as he stroked my cheek with the rough pad of his thumb.

***

The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible. Cheering in college was a completely different experience than cheering in high school — duh, I know. I was lucky I got a spot on the team my freshman year. We were at halftime, our team down by a touchdown, but the crowd at a home game was always wild.

My leg went up in the air on a high kick as I got into formation for the halftime performance with the others, and we did our best to entertain the crowd.

We had reached the last part of our choreography, and the final sequence still made me nervous. It had never caused me any problems, but I was still terrified of fucking it up. In front of such a big audience, that would be a nightmare. Not to mention, Colt was here, even though the team was still in the locker room.

As focused as I could be, I counted the beats in my head so as not to miss my cue, hit it a millisecond late, but not so late that the crowd would notice, and jumped into the splits, landing on the floor. All that stretching had paid off.

We smiled, cheered, and waved our pom-poms. I got back up as gracefully as I could, just in time to see Colt and his team emerge from the tunnel. We cheered them on, and when I caught Colt’s eye, I gave him my biggest smile and yelled, “Go get ’em!”

He had his helmet in his hand, so I was able to see his cheeks turning a little red, but he winked at me before lowering his gaze. I would wager he wanted his hair to fall over his eyes to hide behind it, but I’d put a stop to that. As it turned out, there wasn’t much Colt wouldn’t do for me, especially when I was enticing him with sexual favors. I’d been tired of him hiding all the time, and he’d needed a decent haircut. A sloppy BJ later, my boyfriend was no longer sporting a shaggy head of hair, but a slightly longer faded faux-hawk that looked amazing on him.

Colt’s friends walked past me, all giving me a quick nod or smile, and even Hunter gave his chin a tiny twitch — that was a lot as far as he was concerned. Unfortunately, my gaze also met Nico’s — stupid fucker — who sneered at me, his cold eyes mocking.

We lined up on the sidelines, where we spent the next quarter doing stunts to keep the crowd happy. Conveniently, it also gave me a front-row seat to ogle Colt.

The team was in position, Colt was on the field, which meant the opposing offense had the ball. He was lined up, crouched down, fingertips dug into the turf.

I had watched him so closely in high school that I knew his plays practically as well as I knew my choreography. Of course, he had a new playbook here, so I wasn’t up to old form, but I could guess, and I’d often been right.

It looked like they were lined up for a stunt play. The ball was snapped, and … I was right. Colt crashed inside, his target the gap between the offensive tackle and the guard. At the same time, the defensive tackle looped from the outside to where Colt was no longer covering and attacked the edge. One of the linebackers, whom I didn’t know, blitzed up the middle.

The entire opposing offensive line was confused, gaps opened up, and Colt got his chance. With one mighty leap, he pounced on their quarterback and knocked him to the ground. A collective “Ooooh” went through the crowd as the QB hit the turf, flattened by Colt’s massive frame.

As the two scrambled to their feet, I yelled as loud as I could. “Hell yeah, Colt! Keep it up!”

There was no sign he heard me, he was wearing his helmet and the crowd was deafening, but I’d still scream my head off for him. Whether he heard it or not, he deserved the cheers and all the hype more than anyone else.

The defense, including Colt, left the field to make room for our offense.

Our quarterback had enough time in the pocket to throw a deep pass to Knox, who got it close to the end zone. Two snaps later, we scored another touchdown to tie the game.

The fourth quarter began, and Colt took the field with the rest of the defense. Despite everyone’s best efforts, the score was still tied, so if we wanted to win, the best plan was to get their offense off the field as quickly as possible.

My squad and I performed stunts and lifts on the sideline, encouraging the crowd to chant. Being one of the lightest and smallest members of the team meant I was a flyer. My bases lifted me into the air, so I balanced on one leg, then bent the other and extended my arms in a V.

The controlled step-down worked just as smoothly as in practice, so I had no problem getting my feet back on the ground.

I had missed the first down, but Colt and his boys seemed to have been successful since we were on the second down. The center snapped the ball, and the quarterback fired a pass to an open receiver before Colt or anyone on defense could get to him, then the receiver took off.

Instead of running straight ahead, he ran at an angle, apparently seeing no possibility of a straight path. I didn’t realize what was happening until it was almost too late. The opposing receiver tumbled out of bounds, people jumped out of the way, and I almost got hit myself.

Shocked, I looked down at the figure lying at my feet, not sure if I should help him up, or if I even could if I wanted to, but before I knew it, the guy jumped back to his feet.

Unsurprisingly, he towered over me by more than a head, and beamed a brilliant-white smile.

“Sorry, shorty, wasn’t on purpose. Good thing I didn’t knock you down like those idiots.” He pointed behind him with his thumb and walked back toward the field. “See you later, hopefully.”

I stared after him, speechless — college football was fucking crazy.

My eyes met Colt’s, who had taken more than one step in my direction. Hunter had a firm grip on his arm and was arguing with him. The look Colt was giving the guy who almost flattened me was murderous.

I tried not to let myself get distracted by what had happened. A smoldering look from Colt before they lined up again sent a swarm of butterflies fluttering in my stomach. God, I loved it when he was all intense and aggressive like that. It was a side of him he displayed almost exclusively on the field, a side I loved to catch glimpses of, because it meant his calm and collected mask had slipped and he’d lost control for once.

Before taking his usual stance, Colt lifted his head and yelled something at Hunter, which I was pretty sure had never happened before.

The ball was snapped, and in a flurry of movement, Colt and Hunter switched positions in the blink of an eye. Colt’s movements were more energetic than usual. I’d never seen him run so fast, and he headed straight for the guy who almost bowled me over. Oh, shit.

Colt’s cleats sank into the turf, he dug deep, brought his upper body into submission, and hit the receiver with such force I winced. That couldn’t have felt pretty.

Colt got up as if nothing had happened, but it took the other guy a few seconds to get to his feet. Our football coach was losing his absolute mind on the sideline. I could hear him yelling furiously, and his face was about ten different shades of red. Guess that hadn’t been the play he’d called.

Colt shot another look in my direction, glowing with heat, unconcerned about his coach’s reprimands. Heat spread through me like wildfire. Did him taking out a guy so easily just because he’d almost run me over turn me on? Or maybe it was the smoldering looks he had sent my way during the play? Hard to tell.

The opposing receiver didn’t play the rest of the game, but Colt recorded another sack and two more tackles. As the clock wound down, he turned instantly to scan the sideline, his expression one of grim determination.

When he spotted me, he strode toward me, but I was already on my way to him. He ripped his helmet off, got one glove off, then I threw myself at him. Effortlessly, he caught me with one arm. If he kept this up, I would fuck him right here on the field. My panties were already a sticky mess.

“I’m so proud of you! What an amazing game,” I whispered into his ear, burying my face in his neck while squeezing him tight. Not caring that his hot, sweaty skin stuck to mine or that his pads dug into my flesh in places.

His gloved fingers dug into my thighs, squeezing tightly as he supported me with just one arm. Show-off.

A grunt was all I got in return, then suddenly we were in motion.

“Um, Colt?” I asked softly but knew he heard me. “Are you going to let me down?”

No answer, he just took more long, purposeful strides that carried us past the chaos of the celebration going on around us, not a care in the world.

“Michaels! Yo, Michaels! Where you goin’?” came from behind us. I was pretty sure it was Knox, but he didn’t get an answer either.

We turned into the tunnel, but he still didn’t stop. He carried me around several corners, into the maze of corridors, then he stopped abruptly.

My feet were back on solid ground for a few seconds while he dropped his helmet and gloves on the floor, then he picked me up with both hands. Rough fingers slid under the skirt of my uniform, tightened, then my back hit a cold stone wall.

“This shit back there was almost like old times,” he growled as he pulled my head back by my hair, exposing my neck and biting down.

My hands clutched his jersey, and even though he hadn’t showered yet, he smelled so good. How was that possible?

“What do you mean, like old times?”

His strong fingers tightened their grip on the hair at the back of my head, using it to tilt my head before his lips crashed down on mine in a possessive, almost punishing kiss, our tongues tangling and teeth clashing. Pressing into him, I dug my nails into his pads, relishing his firm, assertive touch.

Breathing heavily, we pulled away from each other. Colt kept his head bowed, the tip of his nose almost touching mine as he stared deep into my eyes.

“Almost like old times, when I had to watch the other guys checking you out or talking about you in the locker room. Do you have any idea how much I hated that? How much I wanted to smash their faces in for some of the shit they’d say?” I gazed into his eyes, like an icy winter storm, and they were filled with a maelstrom of emotions.

His voice was deep and raspy, almost sinister, but not directed at me. His wrath was directed at others — I would simply be the outlet for it, it seemed. “But now I don’t have to stand there just listening and bottling it all up anymore. Now you’re mine.”

My breathing was rapid as I licked my lips and looked up at him. His thumb ran over my glossy lips, pulling my lower lip out, then releasing it to snap back.

“I had no idea you were always watching me so closely.”

“No? But you like me watching you now, don’t you?”

“Yes.” My voice was small, and a flush spread to my cheeks.

“I know exactly what you like, unlike these fuckers out there. They just think they do, but they don’t know you like I do, do they, baby?” He grabbed my jaw and squeezed lightly. “Open up for me, tongue out.”

My breathing was frantic, shallow, and my eyes went wide. I hesitated for a second, and he increased the pressure slightly. Without a second thought, I followed his commands.

His rough hand still held my face in its grip, his fingers digging lightly into the muscles as he leaned over me, holding me in place. Liquid hit my tongue, and I almost choked from shock, but he didn’t let go. His eyes drilled into mine as he said, “Swallow.”

Startled, I gaped at him and reflexively swallowed the saliva coating my tongue, my hands still clenched in the silky material of his damp jersey.

“Good girl.” The corner of Colt’s mouth pulled up slightly, and he was devilishly handsome in this moment, so much so it nearly drove me out of my mind. My eyes almost rolled into the back of my head when he praised me.

“You know what I think? I think you need a little reminder who you belong to.” He looked down, and I was rubbing my crotch against his body without even realizing I’d been doing it. My legs were spread so obscenely wide around his broad waist that my tight skirt had ridden up.

“Oh yeah, and how exactly are you going to do that … here ?” I asked, one eyebrow raised in challenge.

His face came close enough to mine that the tips of our noses brushed.

“Since this seems to be a recurring question, let me answer it once and for all. Yes, here . Everywhere, in fact. When I say it, I mean it ,” he growled, almost ferociously.

My breath caught in my chest at his intensity, his eyes scalding ice, his hot breath brushing across my face. Once again, he lowered me carefully to my feet, my knees slightly wobbly, and took a small step back. His fingers curled around his waistband as his eyes flickered up to me, and he said, “Off with these tiny shorts, and anything else in my way.”

Holy shit. I loved it when he was so assertive. My core clenched, and a tingling sensation ran deep in my lower belly. He would always get my blood pumping, rushing, roaring. I was embarrassingly wet, a fact he would notice all too soon.

With slightly trembling fingers, more from desire than nervousness, I slipped out of my spanks and thong.

Meanwhile, Colt had pulled his football pants and boxers down over his ass. His erection bobbed and twitched, jutting proudly from his body, the head shiny and dripping and veins decorating the thick shaft.

I tore my eyes away from his swollen cock and looked at his face still flushed from the game and strands of damp hair clinging to his forehead — so hot.

“You know, sometimes I feel like you were made just for me,” I blurted before I could stop myself. My cheeks flushed. Leave it to me to wait until everyone has their cocks and cunts out to talk about my feelings. Way to go, Hailey.

Colt’s eyebrows shot up for a moment, then his gaze heated to something so fiery, so smoldering I swore I could feel it burning into me. He bridged the distance between us, his rigid length pressing against my stomach, and before I knew it, I was back in his arms.

A hiss escaped me as my now heated flesh hit the cold wall again. His dick was trapped between us, gliding through the slippery folds, the tip hitting my clit on the way.

I moaned at the delicious sensation, and Colt closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling harshly. “And I know without a doubt that you’re perfect for me , Princess,” he rasped, and opened them again. His lips met mine in a quick, passionate kiss, his stubble scraping my skin, and his dick twitched against me. I clenched around the emptiness, craving to be filled.

“Gonna need your help for this one, baby. Grab your dick and put it where it belongs.”

He tilted his pelvis back, giving me enough room to reach between us and position it. With a slight push, he sank halfway into me, and I was so wet that he slid in effortlessly. A deep, rumbling groan vibrated through his chest, and his jaw hardened before he slid home.

It felt as if he had squeezed all the air out of my lungs as he stuffed me with his swollen cock.

Colt thrust once, twice, three times. “This will be a quick one.” He bit my neck, sucking and licking as I moaned with my head thrown back, any worries about anyone seeing us forgotten.

“Shit, look at you taking me so well. This cunt is mine, you’re mine . You’ll never belong to anyone else, and if any of these bastards even think they can have you, take you from me, I’ll fucking end them. Do you understand me?”

His thrusts were brutal, and he pounded into me with a ferocity that left me breathless and sent shivers up and down my body. There was this one spot he hit over and over again, which caused a delicious pressure to build in my core.

“Yessss,” I hissed, drunk with lust. “I’m all yours. Always yours.”

“That’s right. No one fucks my pussy, and you’ll never come for anyone else. Only I get to feel you strangling my cock.” He moaned. Our bodies made wet, slapping noises as they connected .

“Play with your clit, baby. I want you to come. I want to feel my pussy milking my balls dry.”

I obeyed, my head rolling from side to side as I played with the sensitive bundle of nerves. “Oh my god, Colt,” I whimpered.

“That’s it. Give it all to me. Every moan, every drop of your cum, all mine. You’re going to walk right out of here with your pussy stretched open by my cock and stuffed full of my cum.” A whimper escaped me as he sucked so hard on my neck that I was sure he’d left a mark.

“Goddamn. Who would have thought you’d have a mouth like that on you?” I got out. My free hand clawed into his neck, leaving crescent-shaped red marks in their wake. The way he had me pinned against the wall, I was completely at his mercy.

“Just for you, baby,” he rasped before speeding up again, and the ache became unbearable. Our eyes met, and something wild had taken over his face. “Open up for me,” he grunted.

I willingly opened my mouth for him for the second time, and he slowed down for exactly two thrusts to let the spit that had built up drip into my mouth. He waited until I had swallowed, a satisfied, crooked grin curving his lips, then resumed his onslaught.

Everything inside me tightened at his next thrust, my legs trembling, closing tighter around him, and my pussy clamped down on his cock. I let out an embarrassingly loud scream before biting into his neck to stifle my cries. “Oh my god!”

My body convulsed in his arms, and black spots danced in my vision as euphoria took hold of me.

With one last loud moan, he rammed into me and exploded. He pumped his load balls deep into me with shallow thrusts, and his dick twitched inside me.

His sweaty forehead rested against mine, our breaths mingling as we both gasped for air. All of a sudden, his eyes popped open with almost comical speed.

“Are you … oh damn, I should have asked that before! We fucked without a condom, are you, I mean, were you …”

I cut him off with a chuckle. “Calm down. I’m on birth control. Did you really just think of that?” He hadn’t noticed it until the second time he took me bareback. Not very smart of him, but luckily, it was with me and not with someone who would take advantage of the situation.

“I was, well, kind of … distracted , I guess?” He was still breathing heavily, his expression sheepish.

My hand emerged from between us, and he grabbed it, sucking the two fingers clean I’d had on my clit.

He slowly lowered me down, making sure I’d found my balance before releasing his grip. When I bent down to get my underwear, he grabbed my shoulder and said, “You’re not done yet.”

Gently but firmly, he pushed me down to my knees, his still half-hard cock covered in our cum right in front of my face. “Lick it clean.”

I didn’t hesitate for a second, eagerly licking the delicious combination off him, even letting my tongue wander down to his balls to lap up the juices that had dripped down. His cum trickled down my thighs, but I didn’t care. It was a sticky mess between my thighs anyway.

“Such a fucking good girl for me,” he grunted, taking another deep breath, and helped me to my feet. He pulled up his pants, then he dropped to his knees, grabbed my underwear and helped me pull them on while I held onto his broad shoulders.

For a moment, I froze from sheer emotion, the tenderness of his actions choking me, but then he looked up at me with a smug grin at the state of my pussy, and I rolled my eyes.

He let my spanks snap against my leg, then straightened back to his full height. “Come on. Coach is probably going to rip me a new one for pulling that shit on the field and just running off. Worth it, though.”

Shaking my head with a smile on my lips, I took his outstretched hand and let him pull me through the tunnels back to reality. Eventually, we went our separate ways when we came to where the corridors diverged.

After collecting my bag from the locker I’d put it in earlier, I pulled my phone out and scrolled through the notifications I’d missed during our little … adventure . Frowning, I looked down at my screen, my stomach in knots.

Dad: You have some explaining to do. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?

He could get all the way fucked as far as I was concerned. Pretty sure he had learned that Colt and I were officially a couple, and it didn’t fit into the plans he had for me. He could take himself and his fucking holier-than-thou attitude and enjoy a long walk off a short pier.

Colt had enough money to live up to his standards, but that simply wasn’t enough for my dad. We weren’t projecting the right image. Colt wasn’t a business dude he could cut new deals with or someone who posed for photos in fancy suits and cared about his image in our parents’ circles. In short, he wasn’t interested in anything that would provide my father with an advantage, so was therefore not suitable — period.

Good thing I couldn’t care less. I wouldn’t let my dad ruin this for me.