Page 29

Brooke

The November Drop launched the week before Thanksgiving. I had the Huntington U football team model thrifted NFL jerseys and other merchandise. It had sold out overnight on their game day.

So Grant and I are celebrating by watching a movie surrounded by blankets, as tonight the figure skating team had a competition until tomorrow, so we were alone.

Getting time to have this fun we agonised over was more difficult than we both thought.

Aside from his away games, we spent most of our free time with the group, and even though Cami and the others hadn't caught on, we didn't want to risk it.

I was enjoying getting to know him one-on-one and not having the pressure of a relationship.

The guys have one more home game before the break on Wednesday, and we're heading to Cami's family for Thanksgiving with Adam. Gunnar's parents were coming into town with Sasha, and Bear had offered to join them for dinner.

"I feel like a child of divorce," Grant mumbles, texting Gunnar back, confirming he was still heading to Cami's. "I can't tell if he wants me to join them or just wants to rile Cami up."

"Bit of both," I say, leaning forward for the remote and pausing the movie. "What's he saying?"

"He said Adam or I should join him, as Cami will have two of us and he will have one." He shakes his head, and I laugh before seeing he's serious and not laughing with me.

"Are we sure Adam hasn't got his phone?" It didn't sound like Gunnar, but Cami and him had been a little weird around each other recently.

"I would argue that's plausible, but Adam texted me from a frat party earlier, and with Sasha here, there's no way Gunnar is at a frat party."

"Maybe Cami's finally driven him crazy." I sigh, leaning back on my elbows and catching Grant's attention enough that he tosses his phone and leans over me, brushing his hands up my sides. I put my arms around his neck, moving my knees to either side of him.

"Hm, crazy?" He nuzzles my neck, and I sigh as he nibbles my skin. "You drive me crazy."

He blows a raspberry, and I can't help but giggle and push on his chest. "That is so cheesy!" he laughs falling back as I kick my feet at him. "Never say that again."

"Can't make any promises .” he puts his hands behind his head and cockily grins over at me. I lean over and tickle his side. Something I've discovered is his weakness. This guy hates being tickled.

"Stop, stop," he wheezes, grabbing my hands and pinning me back to where I was. "No more cheese, I won't eat cheese again."

"You promise?" I pout up at him. "Because I will tickle you to death if I have to."

"You're evil." He grins down at me. "I like it." Glaring at him, he holds his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean that to be cheesy." He moves his hands to my sides and squeezes. "I take it back."

I decide to throw him a bone and wrap my legs around him again, and he gets the idea quickly, leaning in, pressing his mouth to mine. It's so easy to get caught up with him. He makes my whole body vibrate with excitement. I've never had this connection with someone before, and I can't get enough.

I roll my hips up into his, and he groans as he pushes back against me, slipping his tongue into my mouth, deepening our kiss. He moves one hand from my hip up and under my sweatshirt and finds I'm not wearing a bra when his hand brushes up my bare breast.

"That's one less piece of clothing I have to take off you," he growls into my neck, and I moan, arching my back in pleasure as he pinches my nipple, and I roll my hips up into him again.

Pounding on the door echoes through the apartment. Making us jump, and Grant groans, removing his hands from under my sweatshirt and wrapping them around me, pressing his face into my neck.

"You don't even know who it is." I laugh, putting a hand to my chest, trying to calm my heart down. He gets up and makes himself presentable.

"I do, and you should, too." He drags himself over to the door. "It's dumb and dumber."

I shift on the sofa to make it look like we were just watching a movie, nothing more.

"Brookie, why was the door locked?" Adam whines as soon as Grant opens the door and flounces into the apartment, with Bear behind him. "We were out there for ages." He flops onto the sofa dramatically and puts his head on my lap as Bear walks into the kitchen, immediately opening the refrigerator.

Grant glares at them from the entranceway as he closes the door, and I smile cheekily at him, knowing he's annoyed by the interruption.

"Well, you know how Grant gets about keeping the door locked because of predators," I answer Adam and stroke his hair sympathetically. He's had a terrible night.

"But Grant was in here with you," Bear calls over with his head still in the fridge.

"Well, boys, you can be a six-three hockey player and still fear predators, and we shouldn't judge him for that." I put my hand over my heart, saying sweetly, looking at Grant, who's catching a beer from Bear.

"Ha, ha," he says with a straight face. "I thought you two were at a party?"

"Don't." Adam puts his arm over his eyes dramatically. "I don't want to talk about it."

"He's upset because Sasha cockblocked him." Bear sits down, passing me a cooler. Even though I wasn't drinking, I didn't mind starting. We are in college, after all. "We came back to the apartment, and Adam brought a girl with him, even though I told him it was a bad idea."

“Always got to be the golden boy, huh?" Adam sticks his tongue out towards Bear, who returns it "Boys", I warn, like they are my kids who are about to be put in time out.

"Don't upset your mother, kids," Grant says before taking a sip from his beer, and I grin over at him. We had similar thoughts.

Sorry, mom and dad," Bear mutters, sitting on the floor. "I'm surprised you guys didn't hear her."

"The movie was loud," I say quickly, and Adam moves his arm.

"What were you watching?"

" Legally Blonde ," I say as Grant says, " Scream ."

We both look at each other, raising our eyebrows at our slip-up. Adam narrows his eyes.

"We watched Legally Blonde," I say slowly as my brain catches up. "And then we watched Scream, which is why I locked the door; I didn't feel safe having it unlocked."

"Makes sense, but the killer in Scream was already in the house at the end of the movie." Bear shrugs, and we all turn to Grant.

"I would not have killed Brooke," Grant bursts out, and Adam lifts his legs further away from Grant and scoots closer to me.

"Bear and I can take him, Brookie, you've got to run," Adam whispers loudly, and Grant throws a pillow at him.

"So, back to Sasha yelling at you," I probe, sitting back more comfortably now that I didn't have Adam's head in my lap; without Cami here to gossip with, I've been a little deprived.

"I can take her outbursts, but the girl I was with got scared off and then she kicked Bear and I out when we tried to play Mario Kart, saying she and Gunnar were going to watch a movie."

"Seriously? She kicked you guys out of your own apartment?" Grant moves to stand up.' I'm assuming he intends to go over there and tell her off.

"Don't worry about it," Bear stops him, grabbing one blanket and throwing another at Adam, where it lands on his head, and he battles with it, trying to untangle himself. "Sleepover at Brookies sounds way more fun."

Grant and I look at each other while Adam and Bear try to pick a movie, and our one promising night together is now a sleepover with the boys.

I'm lying in bed trying to fall asleep after leaving the guys in the living room.

After all that teasing between Grant and me earlier, nothing happened because the boys interrupted us, and now I'm feeling frustrated.

Just as I'm wondering whether they would hear my vibrator from here, I hear a faint knock at my door, and I turn toward it as Grant slips in and I smile.

“I told them I couldn't sleep on the floor, and I was going to crash in Cami’s room”, he whispers, slipping under the covers, and I move to make room.

“She will murder you”, I gasp as he reaches for me, and I move my legs to straddle him, and he groans.

“It'll be worth it,” he says, wrapping his hand around my ponytail and pulling me down to hover above his lips. He whispers, “I’ll die a happy man.”

I close the distance and kiss him greedily. He tugs on my hair, making me moan into his mouth as he grinds his hips up into me.

“You’ve got to be quiet, baby,” he murmurs against my neck, sucking at my pulse point. I nod, breathing heavily as his hands slide across my ass and slip under my sleep shorts, finding me already wet.

He groans.

I slide my hands up and down his bare chest, grinding against his fingers. I need more. My fingers move to the waistband of his sweatpants, and he helps me push them down.

“Condoms are in the drawer,” I gasp as he pushes another finger inside me.

He nods, withdrawing his fingers and reaching for the drawer. He pulls one out, rolls it on, and tugs me over him. I lower myself slowly, trying to adjust to his size.

I moan as quietly as I can.

His hands trail up my sides, teasing my breasts, and I begin moving, rolling my hips, whimpering at how big he is.

He sits up, kisses me deeply, and slides his tongue over mine as he thrusts up into me.

“I’m not going to last long baby, all that teasing earlier got me worked up” he groans when I bite and suck on his bottom lip.

“I’m close already,” I gasp as he circles his hips perfectly.

“Thank God.” He flips us, thrusting hard, making the bed squeak. We both freeze, my heart pounding. I really don’t want Adam and Bear hearing us.

Just then, the loudest snore I’ve ever heard rips through the apartment so loud it sounds like the culprit is in the room with us.

I look at Grant. He shrugs... and thrusts fully into me again.

The angle is perfect. I explode, covering my mouth to muffle my scream.

Grant’s not far behind. He buries his face in my neck, groaning against my skin as he pulses inside me.

The room goes quiet except for our heavy breathing until another snore echoes out.

I can’t help it, I burst out laughing, pressing a hand against Grant’s chest as I try to catch my breath and get him off me.

“Not the sound I want to hear after mind-blowing sex,” he laughs, tossing an arm over his eyes.

“Mind-blowing?” I giggle, watching him get up to dispose of the condom.

“I said what I said,” he shrugs, winking as he pulls on his sweatpants. “I’ll be right back.”

I nod, reaching for my sleep shorts. My top never made it off. I sink into the pillows.

I’m asleep before he even makes it back,because he’s right.

It was mind-blowing.