Page 5

FIVE

After the game, I couldn't find Rowan anywhere on the field, so I had to invite the entire band to the party. I thought it was a long shot, anticipating someone like Rowan would stay as far away from a party like this as possible. Luckily, I was wrong. Here she is, in my house so late at night, wearing a dress that makes her look incredible.

Jessica was being a bitch to her, but that gave me all the more reason to get Rowan alone. That was my original goal, after all. Even though Jessica might have had her own interest in mind, she did me a favor.

I close Talon and Merrit’s door behind us as I make my way to Merrit's dresser. Rowan doesn't say anything as I start digging through for something for her to wear. All I can think about is how she's been staring at me without a shirt on. I work hard on my body, and I know she's noticed that.

“You certainly looked taken aback when I took my shirt off out there,” I say, grabbing a shirt and a pair of jeans shorts from the drawer and approaching her. “I take it you like what you see?”

Her face turns red, and she looks away from me, embarrassed by calling her out. “No, you just made such a spectacle of it. I had no idea you were such an exhibitionist.”

“There's a lot you don't know about me,” I say, handing her the clothes. She takes them and stares at me expectantly for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

“Would you mind turning around or leaving the room so I can change?” She purses her lips, and I shake my head, forcing her to wrinkle her eyebrows in confusion.

“This is my house. I think you should be the one to turn around,” I say, backing up a couple of feet and folding my arms across my chest. “I don't take kindly to being told what to do.”

She stares at me for a moment, not quite understanding, and then she does what I say and turns around. I watch with my mouth hanging open, very eager to see what she does as she drops her cardigan to the ground and lifts the bottom of the little black dress. Underneath, she's wearing a pair of black panties that perfectly hug her curves. There's lace trim around the bottom, and I want to see more.

“You have a perfect ass,” I say before I think any better of it. Before I know it, she's pulling the bottom of her dress back down and spinning around with a furious look in her eyes.

“You're disgusting,” Rowan says, moving to take a quick step away, stumbling on the cardigan that's wrapped around her ankles.

She shrieks as she falls forward, her arms flailing in front of her as she starts crashing to the floor. I move quickly, taking a long stride toward her and holding my arms out to catch her before she falls. She lands in my arms, facing me as she breathes quickly from the fright.

Her eyes lock on mine, and I stare down at her, my heart thudding against my ribs. We linger here for a moment, our eyes studying one another as I hold her close, feeling her body tense against mine.

Without thinking and completely caught up in the moment, I bend over and kiss her. My mouth crashes against her, a heated frenzy overtaking me as her lips swish against mine, parting slightly to allow my tongue entry. I taste her, fueling my hunger with every sweep of my tongue in her mouth.

It feels incredible. I've never felt so invigorated kissing anyone before. I don't want this to end. I want to explore more of her. A yearning deep in my chest only seems to grow as her tongue entangles with mine.

I'm caught in a daze when she pushes me away, wiggling out of my arms and standing up beside me. She backs away and looks frazzled like she can't believe what just happened. I want to move closer to her, to take her in my arms again and kiss her until both of our lips are sore.

“That was a mistake,” Rowan says, rushing to the door, leaving her cardigan on the floor and still dressed in the alcohol-soaked clothes.

I don't waste a second following her out, not caring about the few people standing around the room watching the two of us. As soon as I catch up to her, I grab her arm and yank her into my room as we approach it. She doesn't pull away from me until the door is closed, and she turns to look at me in confusion.

“Why are you pushing me away?” I ask her, almost desperate to feel her lips on mine again. “You know I like you, and it's obvious you like me too.”

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, backing away from me. “How can you possibly know that? Just because you kissed me and I was caught up in the moment doesn't mean I'm fawning after you like everyone else.”

I scoff and shake my head, not understanding why it's so hard with her. “Why can't you just trust what you're feeling?”

“You don't know what I'm feeling!” Rowan shouts, flailing her hands at her side out of frustration. “You're just trying to rationalize this because you can't handle the fact that I'm not dropping my panties as soon as you walk into a room like every other girl you meet.”

“Do you really think that's why I feel like this?” I ask, walking closer to her and locking my eyes on her face, slowly lowering them to her lips. She doesn't back away as I get closer, and I know that's because she wants me there. “I'm not blind, Rowan. I've seen the way you've looked at me since we were partnered together. Hell, I've looked at you the same way. Why would you want to hold this back?”

“Because you and I don't work together,” she says, her tone filled with annoyance as if I am just not understanding something so obvious. “We're completely different people, and we will never understand each other. The only thing between us is this project, and honestly, you can just consider it done. I'll take care of it. Just stay away from me.”

“You don't really want that.” I shake my head and inch closer to her. She backs away for a moment, then stops with plenty of space still behind her to move. “You might not have wanted to be paired with me initially, but you like it now. You like me, and I know it. Stop fighting.”

“I could never like someone like you,” she spits at me like venom.

She doesn't know who I am. She doesn't know anything about me and refuses to even try. “And who am I exactly?”

Rowan shrugs and shakes her head almost as if she is disappointed. “You're just some jock who wants to use me.”

I shake my head and move closer, reaching my hand to touch her cheek. She backs away from me for a moment but leans into my touch shortly after. “You're wrong. Just let me prove that to you.”

I lean forward and press my lips against hers again, almost immediately being met with her willing mouth as she parts her lips for me. She moans as my tongue fills her mouth, swirling around hers and tasting every inch of available space. My desire grows, and I feel my cock hardening from the anticipation.

I don't know if I'll be able to take her right here, right now, but God, I want to. Her arms wrap around my neck, pulling me closer as my hands lower on her body, grabbing her waist and holding her close to me. She gasps when she feels my cock through my jeans, practically begging to be free.

“You drive me crazy,” I say, lowering my mouth to her neck and licking the delicate skin as she moans in my ear. I grip her butt in my hands as I hold her close and grind myself against her. I lift what little fabric covers her ass and feel it, squeezing it in my hands.

My bed is a foot away from us, so I back her up to it. She falls back, not letting go of me, so I’m immediately on top of her. I move my hand from her ass and grip her thigh, spreading her legs wide as I slowly move between them. She pulls her mouth away from me and looks down at her spread legs, biting her lip as my fingers slowly trail inward.

“Do you want me to touch your pussy?” I ask, nibbling on her earlobe as she nods her head eagerly. I move my hands closer and feel just how wet she is already through her little black panties. “That's so hot, Rowan.”

I trace my fingers along the indent of her slit, feeling just how her juices soak through the cotton. She moans when I graze her clit, pressing two fingers against it and massaging.

“Oh my God,” she moans, shivering against my touch.

I continue massaging her while she leans her head back, and her breath quickens as her legs spread wider. My cock throbs against my zipper, and I know what I'm about to do is only going to make it worse. I slip my hand inside her panties, feeling her wet mound against my palm. It's warm and wet, and my desire completely ignites my core.

“You're so fucking wet,” I say, turning her head to face me with my free hand, pressing my mouth hard against hers. I lower a finger to her entrance and delicately slide it inside, tasting the sounds of pleasure escaping her throat. Her pussy clenches around me as I continue moving, barely fitting my middle finger inside. “You're so fucking tight. You're going to feel so good around my cock.”

I pull my mouth away from her and look down at her body as my hand brings her closer to orgasm. My thumb brushes against her clit, and she whimpers from the pleasure, spreading her legs wider as I move my finger faster. She's practically writhing against the bed sheets as her pussy throbs. I stare at her, desperate to make her come, to hear her whimper and moan in the throes of pleasure.

The door to my room bursts open, and I pull my hand away from her quickly, pulling down the skirt of her dress to hide her body. Some drunken man I don't immediately recognize squints his eyes at the two of us and shakes his head as if he doesn't understand what's happening.

“Get the hell out of here!” I shout. He shakes his head again and closes the door behind him. Before I can turn back to Rowan and continue what we started, she's pushing my arm away and jumping out of the bed.

Her face is red, and it's spreading across her body from the embarrassment of being caught. “This was a huge mistake.”

I stand and try to sway her again, but she shoves my hand aside and runs to the door. “Rowan, this wasn't a mistake, and you know it.”

“This can't happen again,” she says, only lingering by the door for a moment before running out. I chase her, but she's already down the stairs and maneuvering through the crowd of people before I get to the door.

At the party, I don't spot her anywhere. I see a group of other band kids huddled in a corner and walk over to them. When I approach, their eyes are wide once again, and they almost look nervous.

“Did any of you see Rowan?”

They nod and point at the door. “She just left with her roommate.”

I force my way through the crowd to get to the door as quickly as I can. There’s a chance I can catch her before she leaves, and we can have a real conversation about this. I know she feels as intensely about me as I do her, so I'm not just letting her get away.

As soon as I step out on the lawn, my eyes scan the curb for any sign of a car with her in it. Finally, I see her and her roommate climbing into the back of an Uber and run to catch up to them. It takes off before I reach her, and I stand on the sidewalk watching the car drive away.