Page 33

Jackson

For the first time in my life, I hesitated before stepping into my own apartment. Me. A 266-pound offensive lineman was quaking in my basketball shorts over my quarterback’s reaction. Ridiculous.

My pulse hammered as I crossed the threshold and took a quick scan of the room before shutting the door, my nerves easing a fraction when I spotted Thea curled up on the couch absorbed in some mindless reality show.

Then our eyes met. She smiled softly, and the tightness in my chest loosened. Every instinct told me to go to her, to scoop her in my arms, but I held back. I still didn’t know how that conversation with her brother had gone—only that I was allowed to come back.

“Jackson.” Her voice was quiet, but it wrapped around me like a hug.

“Thea, hey.” I dropped my bag by the door, thankful I didn’t have to use it and spend the night with Matty and Britt. I was home with Thea, exactly where I wanted to be.

“I knew it,” Tanner said, moving from the hallway to the kitchen. “I knew this would be weird.” He waved his hand in my direction. “Just go and see your girlfriend already. Let’s get this over with.”

“Hey, T,” I said, tipping my chin to Tanner before making my way over to Thea. Tanner rolled his eyes and walked out of the room, giving us some privacy. I sank down next to her, taking her hand gently as I inspected her shoulder. She’d taken her sling off and was wearing a plain white T-shirt, hiding the bruising I’d seen before. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m doing better,” she said softly. She didn’t sound upset, so that had to be a good sign.

“That’s great. And Tanner?” I flicked my gaze to the hallway he’d walked down and then back to my girlfriend.

She let out a hesitant laugh. “It went better than expected.” Relief loosened the tension in my chest. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. He’s still annoyed, but he’s happy for us. He didn’t yell at me or anything. He just … needs space.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Space? From us?”

She nodded. “He’s decided to move in with Aster and her family after the draft.”

“He’s leaving?”

She shrugged. “He kind of has to. He might not like to admit it, but moving to North Carolina now is smart since he’s pretty much guaranteed a spot on their team. It means he’ll be able to figure out all the logistics of living there before he has to start training with them.”

“I guess so.” It made perfect sense for him but left a glaringly obvious question hanging between us. “What does that mean for you and me?”

Thea tilted her head. “Well, you and I still have a year until we graduate, right?” I nodded. “I guess that means we’ll be roomies a little while longer.”

“Roomies?”

She nodded.

I bit back a smirk. “So … does that mean I’m going to be your live-in boyfriend?”

Her nose crinkled. “Why do you have to make it sound so creepy?”

I grinned, leaning in to brush a kiss against her lips. “Is that a yes or a no?”

She rolled her eyes; her smile giving her away. “Do you really think I’m going to say no after everything we’ve been through to be together? We’re basically Covey U’s version of Romeo and Juliet, for crying out loud.”

“Dramatic much, Pyro?”

Thea’s lips twitched, and my heart kicked up, but I couldn’t resist teasing her. She was just so cute.

“Well, you know me. I’ve always had a flair for the dramatics.”

Relief and happiness flooded through me, so I tugged her closer, pressing a kiss to her temple before resting my forehead against hers.

“Good. I love it.” My voice dropped to a murmur. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

Epilogue

Thea

A Year Later

I slowed as I stepped into the room, blinking at the setup before me. Jackson was moving around and adjusting giant photography lights like he was about to film a full-blown production in our bedroom.

“Jackson, what’s going on?” I scanned the room, confusion morphing into a realization that hit me like a ton of bricks. “You know when I said we were so good at sex we should set up a couple’s OnlyStans account and make bank, I was joking, right?”

He turned to face me, his eyes trailing over my outfit before a wide grin spread across his face.

Yes, I was wearing my fluffy purple onesie. Again. But I was cold, and after months of living together, it had grown on Jackson. So much so, he’d ask me to wear it during foreplay … and once while I went down on him.

I couldn’t even count the number of times and places we’d had sex in this apartment. One year living together gave us plenty of time to find new positions and ways to do things. That wasn’t all, though. Since opening myself up to Jackson, I’d learned so much more about him, and as we were finishing our final semester of college, I was excited over what that would bring.

“Relax, Pyro. I know that. Believe me, I’m not about to share your moves with anyone else.” Jackson tapped a finger to his temple, throwing me a flirty smile. “Those images are for me and me only.”

I pointed at the two lights, my brows raised. “Then why have you set up the ring lights?” I took in a sharp breath. “Oh no. Please don’t tell me you’re starting your own channel.”

His grin grew wider as he stepped toward me, and I raised my hands. “Look, you’re hot and I know you’d make a lot of money, I just don’t know. It would feel weird sharing you.”

When he got close enough, he clasped his hands in mine and kissed my knuckles. “You know you’re cute when you’re jealous. Don’t worry, I’m not selling myself for views. I leave the thirst traps for Liam.”

I hummed out, remembering the last one he did. “Mm-hm. You’re right. Those British flag speedos left little to the imagination.”

Jackson’s eyes flared with jealousy as he grabbed me by the hips, tickling my sides. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop checking out our co-host?”

“Someone needs to make sure the content is appropriate,” I said through giggles. “If I wasn’t looking through it, there’s no way we’d have been able to afford this apartment on our own.”

His fingers slowed. “I guess you’re right. I shouldn’t be too hard on that British beefcake. Sometimes even I can’t stop looking at them.”

I stepped out of Jackson’s reach, surveying the room once again. “You still haven’t explained the cameras,” I said, tapping the ring light.

“I had an idea.” My smile dropped. “Don’t give me that look.”

“What look?”

“The look that says you’ve already dismissed my idea before hearing it out.”

I crossed my arms, laughing. “Come on, Jackson. Last time you had an idea, I ended up introduced as the newest member of your gaming channel and tanking the views with all my complaints about the realism of Ride or Die.”

He held his hands out wide. “I fixed that, though, didn’t I?”

I pursed my lips since he had a point. I couldn’t complain about the 200,000 subscribers Jackson helped me to gain through doing reality TV reviews and gossip talk, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be part of any more of his games.

“So, back to my idea. You know how Tanner’s the talk of the NFL right now? When will they play him? Will he finally be QB1 this season? They can’t stop talking about it, and I think we should take advantage.”

Tanner’s rise in the NFL had been a slow burn, but from what I understood, that was by design. After drafting him, the Crossbills brought in a veteran quarterback, Jacob Miller, to mentor him and help with his development. A year had passed since Tanner signed his rookie contract, and aside from a handful of final-quarter appearances, he had barely seen the field. Now, people were starting to ask questions.

“Well, Liam and I thought it might be a cool idea to do a stream with his sister, also known as Thea’s Thoughts, playing him in the new NFL game Roughing the Passer.”

“Really? Me playing Tanner? Have you seen how beautiful they made him in that? I don’t think I can compete.”

“Believe me, Pyro. Your brother’s got that whole Thor thing going on, but you’re a goddess, and I still haven’t figured out why you’ve wasted your time with a baseball hat wearing idiot like me.”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring his compliments. We weren’t in bed. That was when I liked to hear about how much I rocked his world. “So that’s what you want to do for our Saturday night? Record me playing a video game?”

He looked at me as though I was being an idiot. “Um, I think you underestimate how insanely hot it is watching you play.”

I shook my head and glanced around the room, laughing when I saw the jersey draped over our bed. “Ah, let me guess. You want me to wear this too?”

“Yup.”

I picked the jersey up and turned it around, noting the name on the back.

I strolled over to the bed, and even though we still had separate rooms, I slept in his, only using mine as a closet and when I wanted time away from his gaming. “Uh, this isn’t my brother’s jersey, Baseball Cap. It’s yours.”

“You ever think that was on purpose?” he asked, his hands coming to my side as he kissed me on the cheek from behind. “The viewers are only going to see the front. It’s me that gets to enjoy the back.”

He nuzzled his nose against my cheek, making me giggle. “Okay, but we’re still in agreement that we aren’t setting up some kind of porn channel, right? I like playing and reviewing games with you, but I am in no way up for screwing you where people can watch.”

“Too bad. I think it’d be pretty hot.” Jackson kissed me on the cheek, turning me in his hold so I was now looking up at him. “But don’t worry. While the cameras are on, my hands will stay away. I can’t promise what will happen after, though.” He brought his hands down, squeezing my ass for emphasis.

“Alright, well, let me go and put this on, and then I’ll play.”

***

“Are you good at any game you play, Liam?” I asked, smirking as I took the game into my own hands and ran the Tanner character down the field, scoring the third touchdown for our team. No thanks to Liam. He’d been doing such a bad job managing the defensive line, I was surprised we were still in contention to win this.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I play rugby, not this bollocks.” His face popped up in the corner when he spoke, and he glared down the camera right at me. “I’m also not usually a defensive player. This is all new. I don’t know what any of these plays are, let alone the buttons I need to press to activate them.”

“I forgot you’re only here for your pretty face.” He was pretty. Not my type. He was a little too pretty, and he didn’t have enough pushback for me, if you asked me. No. Jackson was the only guy in the world who could match my energy, and I was more than okay with that.

“Pretty sure that’s the only reason Jackson roped you in today, babe. For your pretty face.”

“Liam.” Jackson’s voice hummed low in my ear, laced with warning, and damn, if it didn’t send a thrill straight through me.

What was it about having an overprotective boyfriend growling in your ear?

Oh, yeah, it was hot as hell.

The screen lit up with a touchdown, and the guys erupted in cheers. I clicked a few buttons, forcing Tanner into an awkward sprinkler celebration, surprised at how much movement they’d coded into his hair.

My eyes darted to Jackson, catching the way his eyes weren’t on the TV at all—but on me.

More specifically, my legs.

A slow smile tugged at my lips. He’d noticed. I might’ve decided to wear nothing underneath his jersey since it was so large it could pass as a dress. And when I said nothing. I meant nothing.

Watching myself on the screen, I sat up straighter, tugging at the ends of the jersey, making sure the move I was about to do was only visible to the man in the room. A risky move, but one I knew would pay off.

Jackson growled softly down the microphone as I opened my legs, giving him the full view.

“Did I hear something?” Liam asked, failing miserably at stopping the offensive line.

“No. That was just your players groaning at your dismal attempt at playing a real sport,” I said. If Liam kept playing this badly, we were cooked.

“Ouch, Pyro. You’re almost as cutting as your boyfriend.”

“Watch it. No one calls her Pyro but me.”

“Oh, and look at that, our subscribers just went up. Seems people like to hear you getting all possessive, J.”

He was right. The little follow count on our live stream kept ticking up. Hopefully, that would convert to followers.

I tapped my foot, watching Liam royally screw up again. “Did you really just let them pass fifty yards?”

“Alright. I’m not good at this game. Can we just go back to playing Ride or Die? I’m better at that.”

“Barely,” Jackson muttered, drawing my attention back to him. His gaze was flicking between my tapping toes and my open legs. I wondered how much he could really see from that angle.

To be a brat, I parted my legs a little wider so the fabric would ride up my thighs. A quick check to the screen only brought disappointment. Another touchdown. There was no we could win this. We were in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter and thirty-eight points down, thanks to Liam.

Another grumble from Jackson made me smile. I guessed he was getting a better view now.

“Is there something going on over there?” Liam asked, no longer focusing on the game since the other team was still celebrating their touchdown.

“No.” I threw a challenging glare to the camera, and Liam rolled his eyes, relaxing into his chair.

“Your turn, Thea,” Liam said, linking his hands on his stomach. He wasn’t watching the game anymore. He was watching me, and there was no doubt he knew what Jackson and I were getting up to. We’d done this too many times to count now.

The game changed to Tanner’s POV, and I was up. Playing for the last two minutes felt pointless. People were leaving the live, but we needed to do it for completeness. “Here we go.” I sighed, looking at Jackson with disdain. What a boring way to end this game.

Unless …

Maybe we could play a better one.

With a slight arch of my brow and the subtle tilt of my hips, Jackson understood exactly what I wanted. A slow, knowing smile spread across his face as he slid off his headset, pushed his chair back from the desk, and dropped to his knees—his gaze locked on mine the entire time.

The whistle blew, and I was supposed to be playing, but how could anyone concentrate when their boyfriend was getting on their hands and knees for them? Had I mentioned that yet? He’d planted his hands firmly on the floor and crawled to me. This giant, muscled man had one thing on his mind, and it was me. Oh, the thrill that sent straight to my core should’ve been criminal.

“Thea, are you concentrating?” Liam’s accent only excited me even more since I knew what was about to happen. I dragged my gaze away from Jackson, focusing back on the game. Tanner had the ball, and the second I saw one of the other players free, I sent the ball flying. I didn’t care where it landed. My attention was back on Jackson.

His mouth was on my knee, kissing away any tension this stupid game brought me. The game flew up the words ‘incomplete,’ which meant I’d have to throw another pass.

At least this time, Jackson’s hands were on my thighs, pressing them farther apart to make room for his broad frame. I glanced at the screen, relieved that the camera was zoomed in just enough to show only my face—Jackson remained out of sight. Exhaling shakily, I sank lower into the chair, silently urging him to stop teasing me.

We’d done this before, but never during a live stream.

Never while Liam’s irritated breathing crackled in my ear.

“What was that?” Liam said, but I chose to ignore him this time.

The game started up, and I brought my full attention to it again. This time I worked faster, passing the ball off and picking a play that meant I didn’t have to concentrate as hard.

Jackson flipped the jersey up, revealing my soaked center to him. “No panties? That’s a choice I can get behind,” he mumbled.

I squealed when Jackson’s tongue met my core.

“Okay, I definitely heard something that time. What’s going on over there?”

I stared straight into the camera lens, keeping my expression as neutral as possible as I casually said, “Nothing.”

At that exact moment, Jackson’s tongue slipped inside me.

A wave of pleasure shot through me, but I fought to keep my face unreadable, refusing to give anything away.

Typical Jackson—never one to take things slow.

The second he made up his mind, he acted.

“That doesn’t sound like nothing.” I would have replied if I had enough sense to speak, but Jackson took that at the first swipe of my clit. Gentle at first. When he realized I could still play the game, he sped up, and I took a sharp breath.

“Oh, no.” Liam’s face was filled with dread. “You’re not—” He sighed. “Not again.”

“Yes, again.” I might’ve been answering Liam’s question, but I was talking to Jackson. I rolled my hips forward, pushing my pussy into his face.

“So wet for me, Pyro,” Jackson said into my folds. He was kissing, biting, and nipping every single part of me.

“How many times do I have to tell you, if you’re going to do that, you could at least point the camera down?”

The controller nearly slipped from my hands as Jackson slowly pushed two fingers inside me. I bit my lip, gripping the controller tighter, my thumbs desperately trying to stay steady.

“You do know we’re still live?” Liam’s voice crackled through my headset with pure exasperation.

Jackson chuckled, the vibration sending a jolt through me. His hands gripped my thighs, and I jerked when he sucked in just the right place.

I’d missed my opportunity in the game and Tanner fell forward, opening him up to the defensive line. Two hits and we’d lost possession of the ball.

“That was absolute rubbish. You’re playing worse than me.”

“I told you I’m distracted.”

I pressed my knees against Jackson’s shoulders, trying to stifle the obscene sounds of my arousal.

But as if sensing exactly what I was doing, he doubled down—moving faster, dragging me even deeper into the pleasure.

“No kidding. Wish I could get distracted too.”

Jackson’s tongue slid up my center with a slow, sinful stroke, and I shuddered.

“Your turn, Liam,” I hummed, thankful for the reprieve in my own game play so I could focus on Jackson. He shook with silent laughter, so I slapped him on the shoulder with the controller in an attempt to shut him up.

Liam muttered something unintelligible but begrudgingly kept playing.

Jackson’s mouth was relentless, teasing and sucking in a perfect rhythm, my body tightening with every stroke. I focused all my attention on the screen, trying to tame down the ever-growing tension in my body. Liam was doing surprisingly well and somehow had managed to get the ball back.

“You’re turn,” Liam said.

“I—” I wanted to come back with a fancy retort, but all of my sense was stolen when Jackson sucked hard. “I need a second.”

“Better make this quick, Pyro. Wouldn’t want you to lose this game, right?” Jackson teased.

I shot him a glare, but he grinned, looking up as his tongue tickled my most sensitive parts.

“Thea. You’re up.”

I tilted my head back, sucking in a sharp breath before forcing my focus back on the screen. Right. I could do this. Win the game and get the orgasm.

How hard could it be?

But then Jackson curled his tongue in just the right way.

“Thea. You’re shaking,” Liam huffed.

I barely heard him. Heat coiled low in my belly, twisting tight. Too tight. Jackson edged forward, his fingers working faster. He knew. He knew exactly how close I was, and how I was barely holding it together. He hummed against my skin.

That was it.

I gasped, my head tipping forward, legs trembling around him as the orgasm crashed through me, wave after earth-shattering wave. The controller slipped out of my hand, and I heard booing from the game down my headset. I couldn’t do anything about it. Stars covered my vision, and for a moment, I struggled to breathe. Jackson held me through it, licking me through every pulse, every quiver until I was squirming from oversensitivity.

“Thea.” Liam’s voice pulled me out of that euphoric state, and I bolted up, looking back at the screen with surprise.

“Sorry. I dropped the controller.”

A wide grin stretched across his face. “I can see that. Luckily, no one else did.”

“Good to know.”

I kicked Jackson away, and he squeezed my thighs, laughing as he crawled back to his position behind the camera.

“Three minutes left. Do you think we can get a win out of this?” Jackson said.

“Oh, look who’s back. Where were you for all of five minutes, J?”

“Just got a little thirsty.” Jackson licked his lips, looking over at me.

“You know … I’m starting to feel left out here. It’s awfully lonely across the pond with you two flaunting your happiness. Maybe I need to find myself a gaming girlfriend.”

“She won’t be as good as mine,” Jackson said with a wink. “Come on, Pyro. Can you win this for us?”

“Of course.”

THE END