Page 36 of The Surprise Play (Nolan U Football #3)

ELIZABETH

I’ve already got my computer set up with the student portal page by the time Wily gets to me. I am so excited, my insides are buzzing. And it’s not just because I get to see him again. It’s because he got an A-, and I am so proud of him.

A grade like that for Wily is huge, and I want him to know that we need to celebrate the shit out it.

I giggle at myself, giddy and bubbling as I wait for him.

The second he knocks on my door, I swing it open and jump up to my tiptoes, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“I’m so proud of you!” I squeal, hoping I’m not deafening him, but come on! He got an A-!

Wrapping his arms around me, he plucks me off my feet and carries me into the room, closing the door behind us.

I giggle, leaning back when my toes touch the ground again and reaching up to hold his face. Gazing up at those beautiful blue eyes, I say it one more time because I am bursting. “I am seriously soooo proud of you. You did it, Coyote.”

My grin must be beaming. I feel like I’m sparkling right now, and it’s all because of him.

He smiles back at me, and for a second, I wonder if he’s gonna kiss me, but then he swallows and lets me go, taking a step back.

“Should we look at the essay?” His voice is deep and lacking the gentle warmth I basked in last night.

He’s still happy to see me… to be here.

But something’s off.

I worry my lip and nod, those giddy bubbles popping in record time. Shuffling to my laptop, I wake up the screen again and nudge it toward him.

“You’ll need to enter your username and password.”

He leans past me, his bulky body so big… so touchable.

I resist the urge, curling my fingers into my sweater sleeves and trying not to sniff his freshly washed hair or the deodorant he must have sprayed on after practice.

Why does he have to smell so good… and be so big and beautiful and right here?

“Okay.” He pulls the stool around from the side of my desk and takes a seat, glancing up at me with an expectant look. “You gonna sit?”

“Yeah.” I plunk into my chair and focus on the screen in front of him, too afraid to look at his face.

He’s not saying anything. He’s not touching me.

And all those familiar fears start rising to the surface again.

He was just being nice to me until he passed. Now that he got a good grade from Pilscher, he doesn’t need me anymore. He was just using me to pass that paper, and he’ll?—

Stop it. He’s still got the rest of the semester to get through.

And Wily’s not like that. He’s kind, remember?

I steal a quick side glance at his profile. His eyebrows are scrunched together, his jaw clenched tight as I pull up his paper for us to go through.

It must kill Professor Pilscher, but school policy is that every assignment and grade has to be uploaded to the student portal, which means that his “I only mark paper” stance must be a pain in the ass to deal with when it comes to grading.

He probably gets an assistant to scan the papers into the portal.

I squint at the screen, enlarging it so we can read his comments in the margins.

“Oh, that’s good,” I murmur, pointing at his praise for paragraph one.

Wily nods, then points at the screen when I scan down to paragraph two. “What does he mean there?”

I explain the comment, telling Wily I understand the criticism and where he could have improved.

He nods, all serious, and my insides continue to deflate.

What happened to the sweet smiles from last night? Why isn’t he touching me, looking at me like he wants to kiss me?

Forcing my eyes back to the screen, I scan down a little farther until we get to the final comments.

“You really did well,” I murmur as I finish reading them .

Staring down at my hands, I pinch the top of my index finger and fight the sudden rush of tears.

What are you doing?

Don’t you dare cry!

Not until after her leaves!

“Satch,” Wily whispers, and I tense, refusing to look at him. “I’m so grateful for all your help.”

“Yeah, that’s okay.” I nod, swallowing the thickening in my throat as I wait for the last night was a mistake speech .

“I should give you a bonus for being such a great tutor.”

“No.” I shake my head and force out a dry laugh. “You don’t have to do that.”

He goes quiet beside me, and after a few painful beats, I have to look over and check on him. This is killing me!

The second I turn, I wish I hadn’t.

He’s staring at me with this expression I can’t decipher. He looks almost pained, and I don’t know what that means.

Crap. He needs to leave. I can’t do this.

Clearing my throat, I lean to the other side of my chair and force a brave smile. “Well, I guess you’ve got places to be. Unless you need my help with your upcoming test.” I can’t help a sigh as I look back down in my lap and mumble, “Or another assignment.”

He doesn’t say anything, and I wince.

Yeah. This is it.

Here comes the speech.

He’ll be nice about it. I’m sure he will. And he’ll probably have some really valid reason for not wanting date number two. Is it because I’m a virgin? Am I too innocent for him?

That seemed to be an issue last night.

Maybe he doesn’t want to be with someone he can’t sleep with right away.

And if that’s the case, then I don’t want him anyway. He might be hot, and the things he said to me last night were spine-tingling and all, but if he’s only in it for sex, then this isn’t something I want to pursue.

Even though the thought of it ending is killing me.

And even though the idea that I won’t ever get to sleep with him is surprisingly crushing.

Seriously, what is wrong with me?

I look up again, drinking in his face, those flickering eyebrows, that ticking in his jaw.

Should I give him an easy out?

He’s too nice to want to hurt me.

Closing my eyes, I softly whisper, “It’s okay, Wily. You don’t have to say anything. Just go. I know I’m not the kind of person you usually go out with, and I get it. You’ve had some time to reflect, and you’ve realized that?—”

His large hand covers my fidgeting digits.

I glance up again, and now he’s the one drinking me in.

“I need you to help me graduate,” he rasps.

“I know.” I give him a tight smile. “And I will.”

He shakes his head. “How?”

I tip my head in confusion. “Well… just how we have been. Unless you need me to adapt my style to suit your needs better or?—”

“No, I mean, how am I supposed to concentrate on anything when you smell so good and you’re so kind and you make me feel so…

and you’re sitting here looking so…” His lips start to curl up at the corners.

“All I can think about is kissing you, and I don’t know how I’m gonna be able to learn anything or concentrate on anything else but you. ”

I go still, my lips parting as surprise whips through me like a tornado.

I don’t even have time to react before he’s cupping the back of my head and pulling me close.

Our lips crash together in a hot, hungry kiss, and I grab his hoodie, curling my fingers into it as his tongue lashes against mine.

He groans as we deepen the kiss even more, his hand running up my leg and gripping my hip. He nudges me forward and I follow his lead, climbing into his lap and nearly toppling over on that little stool.

I yelp, grabbing his shoulder as we tip sideways.

He laughs, pulling us both to our feet. I gaze up at him, all out of breath and lost for words. He’s staring back at me, his face flickering once more with doubt before he shakes his head and lunges for my lips again.

I can’t resist him, reaching up and fisting the back of his hair as I dive into this heated kiss.

This one’s different from last night.

It’s not the slow, soft touch as he taught me how to kiss. It doesn’t match the dancing snowflakes that glided down around us.

This kiss is hot and frenetic, and… I’m loving it!

Letting out a whimper, I reach up even higher on my toes, trying to get as close to him as I can. He’s so tall and I’m too short and? —

He scoops his arm around my waist again, plucking me off the floor and spinning to sit on the edge of my bed.

I stand between his legs, our mouths aligned more easily, and change the angle of the kiss.

He feels so good!

Like, so good!

My heart is thrumming, my body pulsing with a hot new beat I’ve never felt before. Areas of my body that I’ve never really noticed are singing, waking up from a lifelong slumber and asking to join the party.

My nipples are buzzing.

In between my legs feels funny—this weighted kind of yearning that’s new and tantalizing.

I whimper again, gripping the back of his hair as his hands curve around my waist, then sail over my butt, giving my cheeks a squeeze.

Gasping into his mouth, I try to swipe my tongue along his again, but he pulls back, checking my face. “Is that okay?”

I nod.

“Are you sure?”

I nod again, frantically. “I like it,” I manage to whisper, then give him a nervous frown. “As long as you like it.”

“Satch.” He laughs my name, his mouth rising into a stunning smile. “I like it.” And then his mouth is on mine again, his hands squeezing my ass while his tongue demolishes me with heady swipes and licks that are addictive.

His hands keep exploring, moving from my butt cheeks to my hips, then up my back. He pulls me closer, squishing our bodies together, and when his hands glide back down, his thumbs skimming the sides of my breasts, my knees start to buckle.

He catches me, hauling me back up and pulling me against him.

Resting his chin on my shoulder, he holds me tight, catching his breath, and all I can do is wrap my arms around him and hold on as well.

Inching my body forward until I’m flush against him, my eyes bulge as I feel the hard shaft pressing into my abdomen.

Holy shit, is that…?

I swallow, this wondrous smile forming before I can stop it.

Part of me wants to pull back and have a look at it, but I’m too nervous.

He’s hard.

For me.

Our kissing gave him an erection, and… and what do I do now?

“Satch,” he whispers, and for a second, I tense, waiting for him to tell me that kissing me is great and all, but he can’t do this. “How?”

I lean back, needing to see his face and understand what he’s trying to say.

“How am I supposed to resist you?” he clarifies, looking sweetly worried.

It’s impossible not to smile as I cup his face. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to resist you either.”

This doesn’t make him feel better.

If anything, he looks more worried. “You’re the best tutor I’ve ever had. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Why would you lose me? ”

“Because I need to be able to study around you?—”

“Wily.” I cup his face with both hands now, forcing him to look me in the eye. It’s a lot easier when he’s sitting and I can stand in front him. We’re finally eye to eye, and I tell it to him straight. “You’re not some horny animal who can’t control himself.”

He winces like maybe that’s not true.

I laugh and shake my head. “Okay, fine. I’m not some horny animal who can’t control herself. We’ll just set boundaries and then enjoy the rewards.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like…” I tip my head as I come up with a quick strategy. “Okay, how about this? No kissing before or during a study session.”

He nods.

“No touching. We sit adjacent to each other, not right beside each other, and then once the study session is over, we can make out as much as we like.”

His lips twitch, and he skims his finger up my arm. “So, you mean, if I work hard, you’ll reward me?” Curving his hand around, he brushes his knuckles lightly down the curve of my breast.

I shiver and let out a soft laugh. “Or you’ll reward me for being such a good tutor.”

“You are a good tutor.” His hand curves around my waist and he pulls me close, murmuring against my lips, “You’re the best tutor I’ve ever had.”

“And you’re my favorite student,” I whisper back before claiming his tongue once more.