Page 15 of The Scrum-Half (Lincoln Knights #3)

Matty

I could still taste Harper on my lips when I woke up at eight, the sweetness of his strawberry lip balm lingering like a ghost. If I closed my eyes, I could feel his weight on me, the press of his cock against my thigh, and smell the sweat and body spray clinging to his skin.

It should have concerned me how much I wanted him.

He was Jack’s nanny, my fucking employee , and completely off-limits.

Except my brain had decided to exercise free will and ignore the mental barrier I’d tried to put around Harper because it knew the guy who’d erected it was full of shit and wasn’t going to do a damn thing to stop it.

Sighing, I rolled over in bed and groaned into the pillow. Why the hell had my brain chosen him to crush on? There were so many other options.

Except there weren’t.

I’d always had a competence kink. There was just something obscenely hot about being around someone who knew what they were doing. It was part of what had always attracted me to Hannah.

“You’re a piece of shit,” I muttered to myself as I twisted my head to the side to stare at my bedroom door, wishing Harper would suddenly appear through it. We’d gone our separate ways after making out on the sofa for a while and I’d unashamedly jerked off in bed before I’d fallen asleep.

Thinking about Harper and the taste of his lips was making me hard again, my cock aching as I rocked my hips against the mattress, the fabric from my sleep shorts adding the perfect amount of friction.

It sent a burst of desperate pleasure rolling through me, enough to tease but not enough to get me off.

My fingers gripped the sheets tightly as I levered myself up slightly so I could grind down, humping the mattress like some desperate teenager.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this damn horny.

Or had someone specific to fantasise about.

I had no fucking clue what Harper would like in bed but last night he’d been happy to sprawl out across me and let me hold him, guiding my mouth to his so I could kiss him over and over until our lips were sore.

He’d been shyer than I’d expected, but that could have had something to do with the fact he was making out with his boss at half one in the morning.

Maybe he’d be more take-charge if the situation was different… or maybe he preferred to be taken care of. His whole job revolved around looking after young children and I doubted he switched off much, so maybe he liked letting someone else make the decisions for once.

I could do that. I’d happily spoil him rotten, taking him apart until he was crying and begging from overstimulation, coming dry in my hand and completely wrung out from pleasure.

If he wanted to top, I’d tell him exactly how to fuck me, not letting him come until I was ready, even if he was desperate.

And if he was the sort who preferred to take charge, I could still work with that. It might be nice not to have to think for once. I did enough of that every day.

Maybe he could do to me what I’d been fantasising about doing to him.

A moan ripped from my lips as my hips jerked, desperately chasing a high I couldn’t reach.

Not like this. I rolled over again, crashing into the middle of the mattress and shoving my shorts down with one hand.

I gasped as I wrapped my hand around my cock, smearing the small amount of precum across the skin as I began to pump my shaft.

My hips thrust up again, fucking my fist as visions of Harper riding me flooded my mind.

He’d look so good with his golden hair thrown back, hands on my stomach as he took what I gave him, face completely lost in pleasure.

“Mmm, fuuuck,” I said with a groan, my grip tightening as I thrust harder into my hand, imagining it was Harper’s perfect, pert arse.

It had been so fucking squeezable when I’d touched it last night and all I wanted was to spread him out and play with it.

I wanted to eat him out until he was begging and riding my tongue, cock red and dripping from all the teasing.

His hole would be so soft, I’d be able to push my tongue inside and fuck him with it.

Add my fingers and make him come on them.

Then I’d fuck him. Fill him up with my cum then spread myself out between his thighs so I could eat my release out of him.

Or perhaps I’d leave him full so it could drip out of him throughout the day, reminding him of me every time he moved.

His underwear would be filthy and soaked by the time I got home, but fuck, it would smell good.

Maybe I’d take it from him so I could jerk off into it or hold it to my face while he sucked me.

My fantasies were endless and I wanted all of them.

Harper’s name tripped off my tongue as I came, hot ropes of cum spilling across my fist. The release felt good but it wasn’t enough.

There was still an itch under my skin and the lingering taste of strawberries on my lips.

But it would have to do for now. I had to get up and shower before breakfast, stretch, and do the rest of my pre-game preparation.

There was no time for me to think about Harper or what might have happened if he’d walked in on me. My focus had to be on this afternoon and the game of rugby ahead of me, because if I wavered, even for second, it could be disastrous.

At best, I’d make bad decisions and the team would have to deal with the fallout. At worst, someone would get badly hurt because I hadn’t seen something coming.

While I might not have been lifting people up in the air or supporting the weight of the front row in the scrum, I was the captain and scrum-half, and I had a big say in the flow of play and how we approached our opponents.

Yes, my teammates were an incredibly talented group of men—many of them were better players than me—but it wasn’t about us as individuals.

It was about the way we played together, and if one of us was off, everyone else paid the price.

Being captain was a responsibility I took seriously and the day I stopped caring was the day I knew I’d be ready to retire.

I wiped my hand on the sheets before I heaved myself up and out of bed, stripping the bedding off to put in the wash before I forgot.

I forced myself to focus on the day ahead of me as I headed for my bathroom, but it was harder than I’d imagined to stop my mind from wandering.

Everything made me think of Harper, whether it was questions I had for him or fantasies about him and me in here together, sharing a shower or a bath.

By the time I finally got down to the kitchen, dirty sheets tucked under my arm, I was starting to feel irritated with myself. Was I really so lonely that one evening of kissing a cute boy had short-circuited my brain and made me unable to focus on anything else?

I wasn’t going to answer that, because the answer was definitely yes.

“Good morning,” Harper said, shooting me a brilliant smile from the other side of the kitchen and immediately evaporating my bad mood.

He was wearing a brightly coloured shirt with a rainbow-checked pattern and a pair of sunshine yellow shorts, his hair pulled up into a loose bun and his glasses resting on the end of his nose, holding a mug of something steaming in both hands.

All I wanted to do was walk straight over and wrap him in my arms, spinning him around for a kiss.

“Morning,” I said, lingering in the doorway, unable to take my eyes off him. “Sleep well?”

“Yes, thanks. Although I’m a little achy this morning, but that’s what I get for dancing my butt off in unsupportive shoes.”

I frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I have hypermobility in my knees, ankles, and hips, and every now and then my body likes to remind me that my joints are made of chewing gum.

” He saw me frowning and a sudden expression of worry clouded his smile.

“But don’t worry, it doesn’t affect my ability to do my job.

I make sure I do regular gentle strength training and physio-designed exercises to support my joints so I can carry children without hurting myself.

And I have insoles for virtually all of my shoes and knee supports if I need them. ”

“I’m not worried about that at all. I’m worried about you. Are you in any pain? Do you need to sit down?”

“A little pain, but not much. And nope, sitting down can sometimes make it worse, I’ve found. I stiffen up, like my joints have rusted.”

“Okay,” I said as I walked towards him, realising too late that I had my dirty sheets still under my arm. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be able to see where I’d smeared cum on them. “You’ll let me know if you need anything, though. Please.”

“I will. But you don’t need to worry. I’m fine.”

“I can’t do that. Worrying is one of my only personality traits.”

He chuckled, his beautiful smile reappearing. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“I would.” I held up the sheets. “Let me put these in the wash and I can make us some breakfast.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“Well, I’d like breakfast and I usually make a lot, so if you want something to eat, there will be plenty for you. I have a game today and that means I have to eat, so food is getting made either way.”

“In that case, yes, I’d love breakfast. But can I at least help you make it?” he asked. “I’m not sure what you usually have, but I do make very good banana pancakes.”

“Banana pancakes?” I asked as I strode through to the utility room to throw the sheets in the washing machine.

“Yeah, they’re super easy to make. And great with chocolate chips if we’ve got any. Although… can you have chocolate chips? I’m sorry, I’m not really familiar with your diet. Do you have a lot of restrictions?”

“It’s less restrictions and more making sure I fuel up properly.

So yes, I can have chocolate chips,” I said, putting the machine on and walking back into the kitchen.

Harper had opened a few cupboards and was pulling things out, and I realised how much I liked the fact he was comfortable here.

It felt like he belonged in this house, in this kitchen, with me.

And maybe I was being unrealistic, but I could see him being here for a long time.

I’d never thought that about someone else before.

In the past, it had always felt so awkward to share a space with nannies and ex-partners, even Hannah, who I’d known for years.

But things with Harper felt different and I couldn’t put my finger on why.

We’d just clicked on some sort of fundamental level I didn’t know how to explain.

Maybe it was because he’d called me out but also given me space to figure out my feelings and start to accept what I was going through.

“Good, because I found some,” Harper said, triumphantly producing a packet of chocolate chips from the back of one of the cupboards. He tilted his head curiously and frowned as he looked over at me. “What?”

“Nothing,” I said. “Just thinking how much I liked kissing you last night.”

Harper’s cheeks flushed slightly but there was a wicked glint in his eye that made my stomach twist. “Good, because I liked kissing you too. And I think we should do more of it.”

“So do I.” I closed the gap between us and put my hand on his waist to pull him against me, sighing as I finally got another taste of his strawberry lip balm.

Breakfast was going to take fucking forever to make. And for once, I didn’t give a shit.