Across the middle, p.8
Across the Middle, page 8
The Ferris wheel jolts, rocking our seats and causing us to break our lips apart. Our eyes open and lock on each other once again. My breath feels heavy as I stare at Will and see my desire reflected in his eyes.
I want this man with every breath in my body.
He slides his fingers through my hair, watching the movement in fascination before looking back at me.
Without another word, his lips slam against mine and his mouth owns me. This is something else. This kiss is heat, passion, need, and hunger. He growls low in his throat when I meet his intensity with my own.
Time stops.
The world disappears.
All that exists is the two of us, becoming one.
It is easily the most sexual encounter I’ve had that wasn’t actually sex. No man has ever owned me with a kiss like Will does.
I’m not sure how much time passes before our seats start rocking as the Ferris wheel begins moving again. I don’t really care either. All I care about is the man next to me. The man who is quickly embedding himself in my heart in a way no other has.
As terrifying as the thought is, especially with our history, I don’t want it to stop.
Jesus, take the wheel, because I’m about to hop in the back seat.
Seventeen
I grip my shaft as the hot water slides down my body, the image of Gina’s eyes on the Ferris wheel spurring me on. The familiar tingle signaling I’m close shoots down my spine. I tighten my grip and speed up my rhythm, fantasizing about what could’ve happened if we had taken our kiss further. The picture of Gina licking her lips with that hungry look in her eyes tips me over the edge, and I shoot my release against the shower wall.
Tension releases from my body like a waterfall, starting at my shoulders and making its way down my torso and finally my legs. I extend my arm and place my hand against the wall to catch myself from my overpowering release, a shiver going down my spine while my head hangs down under the showerhead.
Fuck, I needed that.
I’ve been fighting blue balls for days. I deserve a medal for dropping Gina off at her door with a kiss goodnight instead of fucking her against the wall like I wanted.
Fuck, that woman does something to me.
I park in front of Gina’s apartment and sprint up the stairs. I may be a little eager to see her. When she opens the door, my jaw drops.
“Goddamn. Way to make it hard on a guy.”
“That was the point,” she says with a sly smile, her eyes caressing my body as she takes in my loose muscle tank and basketball shorts. While she checks me over, I do my own perusal, fighting the urge to slide my hands and tongue across every inch of her gorgeous body. She’s wearing tight booty spandex shorts which show off her delectable ass and a loose tank top that leaves most of her midriff exposed. She looks fucking droolworthy.
I will not fuck this woman yet. I am strong enough to resist her.
God, please let me be strong enough.
With that final thought, I gesture to my car, words still stuck in my throat at how sexy she looks. She tosses me a knowing smile as she walks past me, clearly aware of how she’s torturing me.
“If this is payback for me not coming in after our date a couple of days ago, you win.”
She laughs.
We make small talk on the drive to Griffith Park. It’s the middle of the week, so it shouldn’t be too crowded. I don’t even bother coming here on weekends. I’d be hounded by tourists wanting a picture or autograph.
We pull into the parking lot, which is busy but not full, indicating we should be in the clear with the crowds.
I grab the backpack I packed with a blanket and our lunch. Gina grabs a couple of water bottles out of the back and puts them in the side pockets of the backpack and then we make our way in. The plan is to hike some of the trails and then have a picnic.
It’s still pretty warm for October, so it doesn’t take long for each of us to work up a sweat. After about a half hour of hiking, Gina stops for a drink of water. I’m about to sip my own when I see her drip some down her front and rub it in. The water mixed with the glistening sweat on her body makes my blood heat.
She catches me staring. “You know, it helps if you actually put the bottle to your lips.”
I stare at the bottle in my hand, realizing I’ve just been standing there with it suspended right in front of my mouth. “Oh, is that how it works? Damn, I’ve been doing it wrong all this time. How did I ever survive without you?”
She smirks. “Beats the hell out of me.”
“You’re very distracting, you know.”
“Am I?” She just winks at me. The minx. She knows exactly what she’s doing to me. “So, we’ve covered jobs and family. What should we discuss on today’s date? Exes?”
My stomach clenches. “No, I don’t think we’re at exes yet.”
For a moment, I question my decision to stop going to therapy. I’ve been doing so well, and my game has picked up, not to mention how well things have been going with Gina. Coach Denton has me starting again, so I didn’t feel it was necessary to keep going. But my reaction to Gina’s suggestion makes me wonder if maybe I quit prematurely.
I brush the thought aside. I’m fine. It’s fine. I’m just not ready to explain Candace to Gina. That’s all this is.
Really.
“So, if you don’t want to talk exes, then what secrets are you willing to reveal to me today?”
“Secrets, huh?”
“Yep,” she replies, popping the p.
“What kind of secrets do you want to know?” I’m a little worried she might ask about Candace. I don’t know if Paige has mentioned anything, but I know she knows a little bit about my past because Jack told me. I hold my breath waiting for Gina’s response.
“What’s the story with your dad?”
I exhale. Not my favorite topic, but it’s a whole hell of a lot safer than Candace.
“That’s a long story.”
“Seems we have a lot of time while we hike around.”
“Alright then.” I motion for us to keep moving while I talk. “My dad bailed on us when I was five. Just old enough to remember the dickhead.”
“Why’d he leave?”
“Because he was a selfish prick. He decided he wasn’t cut out to be a father, which he wasn’t wrong about, but leaving my mom to raise four kids by herself was a dick move.”
“God, I can’t even imagine how hard that was.”
“Yeah. Lainey and I tried to help my mom as much as we could. Becks and Elise were still too little to fully understand what was going on. It was hard for a long time. My mom had to get a second job just so we could make ends meet. It was rough.”
“Have you talked to your dad since he left?”
I nod. “Once. He reached out to me when I got drafted by the Wolves.”
“No way.”
“Yep. He just wanted his fifteen minutes of fame. He didn’t care about me. Fuck, he didn’t even ask about my mom or sisters. He just wanted in on my football fame. He wanted to be seen with me. He’s a real piece of work. I told him if he ever came near me or my family, I’d drag his name through the media and make sure his fifteen minutes of fame showed the true story of what a shithead he was. He was apparently dating a woman who was the CEO for a big cell phone company at the time and couldn’t risk losing his meal ticket, so he backed off.”
“What a cockroach.” Gina scoffs.
“Yep. That’s exactly what he is.”
She places her hand on my arm, stopping me. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Will.”
Her kindness and empathy weaken my knees. I’ve had to be the tough guy for so long, it feels nice to have someone worry about me. Someone who cares about me who isn’t related to me. Someone whose concern isn’t a manipulation.
“It made me a better person. I’d never be that kind of father.”
“I have no doubt.”
“So, now we’ve uncovered that lovely piece of history. Any skeletons in your closet?”
She looks up to the sky and purses her lips, thinking about it. “I shoplifted once.”
I was not expecting that. “What?”
“Yeah, it was technically an accident, but I’ve been banned from going into a JCPenney store ever again.”
“How do you accidentally shoplift?”
“I was there with a bunch of girlfriends in high school, and we were looking at the makeup selection and suddenly I heard a voice behind me ask how I was doing. When I turned around it was Jon Miller, who I’d had a crush on since the fourth grade. I about melted into the floor when I saw him. I mean, he was the cutest boy in our school, and I didn’t think he even knew who I was, but apparently, he did. He asked if I wanted to grab an Orange Julius in the food court, and I just nodded and started following him. It wasn’t until security stopped me that I realized I still had the lipstick I’d been looking at in my hand. I tried to explain, but apparently they have a really strict policy about theft.”
“How’d Jon take it?”
She covers her face. “Oh my God, it was so embarrassing. He totally bailed on me. He was there one second and then once security kept hassling me and asking me questions, he disappeared.”
“What a douchebag.”
She nods. “That’s when my crush officially ended. I always felt he should’ve stood up for me or at the very least hung around to see it was completely unintentional.” She shrugs. “Oh well, his loss.”
“Definitely his loss.”
She smiles at me.
“I would’ve fallen all over myself to get you to notice me in high school.”
She laughs at me. “You would not!”
“I would have. I can just picture how cute you were. I bet you were beautiful even then.”
Her cheeks deepen with a rosy blush. I brush my thumb across them, and her eyes close at the caress. I lean toward her and inhale her vanilla scent. There’s a glisten of sweat on her body, but you wouldn’t know it based on how she smells. I bend my head down to hers and drop a kiss on the top of her head.
When I pull away, she slowly opens her eyes and looks at me, her emotions written all over her face. It’s not as noticeable as it used to be, but I can still see a little bit of fear in her eyes that tells me she still doesn’t quite trust I’m going to stick around this time.
Seeing that firms up my resolve. I step back, knowing it’s still too soon to let us go all the way. We’re getting there, though.
Progress is still moving in the right direction, no matter how long it takes to get there.
The rest of our date is lighter. We eat our picnic, telling stories about how we were in high school and laughing at how dumb we were as kids. By the time I drop her back off at her apartment, I’m feeling lighter than air.
“You want to come in?” she asks.
“I don’t know that I should. You still don’t trust me yet.”
“I trust you.”
“Not all the way.”
She chews her bottom lip but doesn’t dispute it. I move closer to her, my thumb pulling on her lip until it pops free from her teeth.
“Don’t doubt for a second how desperate I am to have you, but when you give yourself to me, I want it to be completely. I want to know you trust that I’m not going anywhere.”
Her light brown eyes brighten at the sincerity in my voice. “Okay,” she whispers.
“Okay.”
I kiss her, letting her feel all my desire in my kiss, and then walk away, hoping she’ll trust me soon.
Eighteen
It’s been over three weeks since our first date, and I’m hornier than ever. I’ve masturbated a disturbing amount of times this week—to the point where I wore out the batteries on BOB. What’s even worse is the batteries died right before I was about to hit the big O. Talk about frustrating!
I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear and glance next to me at Will sitting in the driver’s seat. He’s been out of town for a game and then promotional meetings this past week. He said he was dying to see me but wasn’t sure he could manage anything too exciting. I suggested a movie, and now here we are.
My eyes take in his disheveled black hair that looks like he’s been running his hand through it. It’s distractingly sexy, but nowhere near as sexy as his eyes. His emerald-green gaze is mesmerizing, and every time he looks at me, I just want to get lost in his eyes.
His body is equally distracting, especially tonight. He’s wearing a fitted black T-shirt that hugs his biceps and hints at the abs he has hiding underneath. Or at least the abs I think are underneath. I tried to convince him to send me a topless pic when we were texting one night, but he refused on the grounds he’d want one in return and he didn’t think he could take seeing me topless.
It’s a relief to know he’s being tortured just as bad as I am.
Will parks the car and comes around to open my door—always the gentleman. He buys our tickets and then we stand in line at concessions.
“So, what’ll it be?” he asks, looking at the menu on the back wall.
“Well, popcorn, obviously.”
“Obviously,” he agrees.
“And Milk Duds.”
“Why Milk Duds?”
“Because you put them in the popcorn, and they get all warm and melty. It’s delicious. It’s the perfect salty sweet combo.”
“Huh, I’ve never heard of that.”
I grip his arm. “Are you serious right now?”
He shrugs. “Yeah. I mean, it’s usually a big deal if I get butter on the popcorn. I eat pretty clean so I can stay in shape during the season.”
“While that makes sense, it’s an absolute travesty you’ve never eaten the magic that is warm popcorn and Milk Duds. We are definitely remedying that tonight.”
He smiles at me. “If you insist.”
“I do.”
When we finally get our popcorn and Milk Duds, he watches me with amusement as I poor a handful in our giant bin of buttered popcorn.
“You don’t use the whole box?”
“I do, but if you pour it all in now, then you’ll end up eating all the Milk Duds before the popcorn is gone. This way, it’s spread out more evenly.”
“Uh-huh.”
Will probably thinks I’m nuts right now, but I don’t mess around when it comes to my movie popcorn and candy.
We find our seats in the back, and it’s not long before the lights go down and the previews start. I love the previews. I won’t even stay for a movie if I don’t get to see the previews. They’re part of the experience. It’s what makes seeing a movie in the theater stand out from just watching a movie at your house.
When the lights go out completely, I tip the popcorn to Will, offering him some. He takes a few kernels and pops them in his mouth. I shake the container insisting he take more. He chuckles at me and grabs a bigger handful. When I smile happily, he just shakes his head at me, a giant smile on his face.
I grab a few kernels and a Milk Dud and pop it in my mouth. The moan that comes out quietly is unintentional, but damn, this is delicious, and something I haven’t treated myself to in months. I glance at Will about to offer him more popcorn, but the words get lost in my throat at the expression on his face.
He leans toward me, moving his mouth to my ear to whisper, but instead of leaving distance, his lips graze against my ear, warm air blowing gently on my skin and causing goose bumps to pepper my neck and arms. “Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are?”
I turn my head, our eyes connecting. I want to reply, but I can’t think of anything except how good his lips look right now. He lets out a low growl and then grips the back of my neck and brings my mouth forcefully to his. The roughness of his touch and his tongue working against mine is so insanely hot I might actually combust in this movie theater.
He takes the bucket of popcorn and places it on the floor between us. My now empty hands search in the dim lighting for his legs. I want to feel him.
I’m desperate to feel him.
My fingers slide up the dark wash denim, and my breath whooshes out of my body when I feel his erection—a steel bar is more like it.
Holy moly.
When I put pressure into my touch, he lets out a low groan against my neck.
“Gina.”
It’s a plea—for me to stop or for me to keep going, I can’t tell. But I know what I want to do. Without waiting another second, I undo the button on his jeans and slide down the zipper. He tips his head back, his eyes closed and his breathing labored. I slide my hand under the band of his boxer briefs. My small hand barely touches the velvety steel of his erection before he lets out another groan and turns into me.
“Shh,” I whisper laugh.
“Fuck, Gina,” he breathes out.
Watching this giant powerhouse of a football player be completely defenseless against me is a huge turn-on. I can’t wait to see what he’s like when I get on my knees for him.
And I will definitely be getting on my knees for him. If women think giving a man blowjobs makes them weak, then they aren’t doing it right. Being on your knees in front of a man is when you ultimately have the most power over them. You have their greatest treasure in your hands and mouth. You own them.
I wrap my fingers around him, wishing I had bigger hands since my fingers don’t even touch my thumb due to his girth. I only get a few pumps before his breathing gets erratic and he shoves my hand away.
He whispers against my hair, “If you pump me one more time, I’m going to come, and there’s no way I can walk out of here with a cum spot on my pants.”
Disappointment seeps through me. “I want you to come.”
“I know. But not like this. Not where someone can snap a picture and make this very magical fucking moment something seedy and dirty,” he explains quietly.
Oh.
I hadn’t thought about that.
“Okay.”
I’m still disappointed but try to brush it off. I go to reach for the bucket of popcorn, but Will gently grabs my hand to stop me.
