Hoops and heartstrings, p.19
Hoops & Heartstrings, page 19
My lower back began to protest, but I had no intention of stopping. I drove into her, again and again, until I heard those magic words.
“Lex! Fuck! I’m coming!”
I didn’t immediately pull out. I continued to penetrate her with gentle, short strokes until I’d finally withdrawn.
Eva collapsed onto her stomach.
“Okay,” she breathed. “You’re ridiculously good at that.”
Her praise made me feel good. Smug.
“I’m not even going to ask how you got so good at that,” she continued.
I loosened the straps around my upper thighs just enough so I could slip them off. I wiggled out of the apparatus and dropped the entire thing to the floor. I cuddled closer to Eva, wanting nothing—no fake appendages—between us.
Eva rolled onto her back. She stretched and mewed like a kitten waking up from a long nap. “Damn. That was good, Lex.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Do you like it used on you?” She sounded curious, not like she was offering to reciprocate.
I absently traced invisible patterns on her forearm. “Nah. I’m not really into penetration.”
“You’re not?” Her voice lilted up with the question. “Why didn’t you say something before? In the locker room?”
I shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. “You seemed like you were having fun.”
“You should have said something. It’s not fun if you don’t feel good, too.” Eva looked me over. “Did something happen?”
I blinked when I realized what she was asking. “No. God, no. I’ve just never liked penetration. Not even when I masturbate.”
“Well, I obviously do,” she chuckled. “I hope you don’t think that’s weird, or like, less lesbian of me.”
“No. Not weird.” I licked my lips. “I really liked fucking you.”
It was unexpectedly refreshing to speak so openly about sex. There were no euphemisms for what we’d done or wondering what she was thinking or feeling.
“Good,” she decided. “‘Cause I’m gonna want more of that. You really strapped your girl down,” she praised.
I grinned and stretched my arms above my head. “Leg squats and Jesus, baby.”
“Have you ever had sex with a guy?” she asked.
“No. I think I kind of always knew I only liked girls.”
“Did you go to prom with a girl?”
“Prom?” I scoffed at the suggestion. “What about me says I wanted to go to prom?”
“Well, we all know you wear the hell out of a suit,” she slyly quipped.
“My high school was definitely not ready for that.” I nearly laughed at the thought. “I was happy to stay home.”
Eva made a small, unimpressed sound, like she didn’t quite believe me.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I shot back. “You’re the one who went back in the closet after high school.”
“Yeah, but I still went to my prom.”
“With a girl?” I pressed.
“With a girl,” she confirmed.
I was impressed. “Dang. Where are those photos?”
“Buried forever,” she smirked, “never to see the light of day.”
“I’m thinking I need to get chummy with the Honorable Virginia Montgomery,” I teased. “Now that I know these photos exist, I’m gonna be a girl on a mission.”
Eva snorted. “Maybe you can charm her with another mayonnaise salad.”
“Hey! Don’t offend the food of my people!” I dug my fingers into her side—tickling, prodding, joyful.
She tried to evade my busy fingers, but I noticed she didn’t move very far away. “I still can’t believe you said that to them.”
“I was nervous!” I defended myself. “You blindsided me with that fancy-ass party. I was promised a family barbecue.” A thought arrived in my brain. “Did they think we were dating? Like your cousin Kenny did?”
“No,” she dismissed. “I would have introduced you as my girlfriend. They’ve always been cool about that.”
I paused, letting her words settle in. If she was comfortable introducing someone to her family like that, what was holding her back from doing the same publicly? Our mutual nakedness, perhaps, gave me a courageous nudge.
“You could do a lot of good by publicly Coming Out.”
Eva exhaled. “I just want to play basketball.”
“You’re a public figure,” I pointed out. “Don’t you want to do something bigger with your platform?”
“So all of those internet trolls can tell me to shut up and dribble?” Her upper lip curled. “No thanks.”
“Who cares what some loser living in his mom’s basement says on the internet?”
I knew I was being hypocritical. I’d deactivated my social media for that very reason.
“Stop, okay? You’re not going to get me to change my mind.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the look on her face stopped me. “I just … I hate that you feel like you have to hide,” I said finally.
Her expression softened, but the resolve in her eyes remained. “I’m not hiding, Lex. I’m protecting myself.”
Protecting your image, I wanted to say. It surprised me that I could be naked in bed beside her and still feel such righteous anger. But Eva Montgomery had always found a way to wind me up.
“I’d like to go down on you now.” Her tone was matter-of-fact despite the subject change. “Unless you’d like to continue this conversation?”
“That’s not fair.” I was already maddeningly wet from fucking her. My arousal painted my inner thighs.
“I never claimed to fight fair,” she smirked.
My head fell back onto her pillows while she settled lower on the mattress, between my thighs. I closed my eyes when she swirled her tongue around my clit.
“I don’t know if I’ve gotten a girl off without penetration before,” she admitted, almost thinking aloud.
I lifted my head from the pillow and opened one eye. “Don’t think you’re up to the task?”
She growled, low in her throat. “Oh, you’re going to come, Lex Bennet.” Her hands fell to the tops of my thighs and she squeezed. “You’re gonna come so hard you’ll be feeling me between your thighs for days. It’s gonna be that deep, deep, delicious ache. I’m gonna lick that pussy so good,” she rasped, “you’ll wonder how you lived so long without my tongue.”
“Sheesh,” I gulped. “That-that’s a good start.”
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Eva swooped behind me where I sat at the kitchen island. She placed a discreet kiss near my temple. “I got you something.”
I hadn’t heard her come up behind me. My attention had been directed to my tablet as I watched footage of the Seattle team we were slated to play the next day. We had a flight later that afternoon, the first leg of an extended West Coast road trip that would have us playing games in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Phoenix before returning home.
Players typically preferred playing at home. You didn’t have to travel, you slept in your own bed, you got to warm up in your own facilities, and the fans were typically on your side. Despite all of these advantages, I couldn’t deny how much I looked forward to our away games. Some players paid extra to not have to share a hotel room with anyone else on the team, but I was perfectly content to have a roommate, especially when she was as sexy as mine.
I turned my head to follow Eva’s retreating form as she disappeared into her bedroom. “Oh, yeah?”
A text message from the woman herself scrolled across my tablet’s screen:
Pack some cute underwear.
Mathilde was in her own room, finishing packing for the road trip, which explained Eva’s need to text me.
I scrunched up my forehead. “For the game?” I called out.
Eva’s voice floated through her open bedroom door. “No, Bennet. For the hotel.”
I pulled open the heavy blackout drapes of our Seattle hotel room to inspect the view. The night sky was bright with the glittering lights of downtown skyscrapers. The iconic Space Needle glowed among the tall buildings. The outline of Mount Rainier was like a ghost in the distance.
Eva stepped behind me. Her arms went around my waist and she rested her chin on my shoulder. My eyes fluttered shut.
I wasn’t tired; I had slept for most of the flight with Eva beside me. The comforting but subtle press of her leg against mine was just enough touch to have me drifting off.
“This is nice,” she said.
“Mmhm,” I agreed.
I knew she probably meant the view, but I basked in her proximity.
“Did you pack cute underwear like I said?” she asked.
“Yeah. But I’m still not sure why.”
Eva gave me a light swat on my backside. “Go get changed and I’ll show you.”
I still had film to preview before tomorrow’s game, but Eva had other designs on my time.
I went to the bathroom to change out of the comfortable but fashion-forward clothes I’d worn on our charter plane from Boston. Apparently the airport tarmac was also a fashion runway. Our social media team had been working overtime to capture our fits as we boarded the private flight.
I switched out of the more utilitarian undergarments I’d worn on the plane in favor of a bra and underwear set that I wouldn’t mind being seen in. I inspected my reflection in the bathroom mirror. The heather gray Calvin Klein Modern Cotton bikini briefs hugged at my narrow hips and thighs. The matching unlined bralette was functional but still kind of sexy.
Eva’s approval hit my ears when I exited the bathroom. “Okay, girl. I see you.”
She sat in the center of one of the queen-sized beds. In my absence, she had also stripped down to her bra and underwear. The cotton jersey material of her boy shorts and scooped-neck bralette sculpted perfectly to her curves. The slate blue color brought out the cool, jewel undertones of her skin.
“Have you ever used a vibrator before?” she asked.
I took a few steps toward the bed, interested. “Nope, just the strap.”
Eva held up a small, yellow wand about half the size of a Hitachi Wand.
I was impressed. “You went through TSA with that?”
Eva smirked. “I’m sure they’ve seen much worse going through people’s luggage.”
She patted the empty space beside her on the bed. I was only so happy to scramble onto the mattress to join her.
Eva’s thumb activated a button on the hand-held vibrator. The sex toy purred in her hand.
“Not entirely discrete, is it?” I joked.
“Which is why I wanted to break out this baddie on the road,” she reasoned, “and not in the apartment.”
Eva set the buzzing toy against my skin. It was an innocent, trial touch to my thigh, but I could already anticipate how magical it was going feel against more sensitive skin.
“You really bought it for me?”
“Well, it’s not quite an actual gift,” she clarified. “I was hoping we could share. I know you’re not into penetration,” she continued, “so I thought this might be a nice alternative.”
Even if she hadn’t been stroking a vibrating sex toy along my inner thigh, my stomach would have lurched with butterflies.
“Th-that’s really thoughtful.”
Eva hummed. “You know me … just trying to be a good teammate.”
I leaned back a little, resting my weight on my arms. I became a curious but passive observer as she ran the buzzing wand up my abdomen and between my bra-encased breasts. She ghosted the vibrating toy across my covered nipples. A dull but pleasant buzzing sensation rattled over me as she coaxed my nipples awake.
We softly kissed, all lips and tongues. Eva continued to work the vibrator over my nipples, moving it in small, concentric circles. She dragged the vibrating toy down my abdomen and lower still to my underwear. I watched with a keen eye and bated breath as the vibrator traveled across the front panel of my underwear.
“This is a good look,” she complimented my undergarments. “Sporty but sexy.”
I barely heard her words.
Eva’s hand and the traveling vibrator deviated from its natural route; she bypassed my clit entirely. She slid the rounded head of the vibrating wand up and down my slit, pressing me through my underwear.
I exhaled heavily through my nose. My breathing became heavier and more labored the longer she traced a light path along the gusset of my underwear. The vibrator grazed my clit.
My head fell back. “Oh, that’s good.”
I stifled a complaint when Eva abandoned my sex entirely. She ran the vibrator along the cotton boundaries of my underwear.
“I wonder if they’re looking for a brand ambassador,” she mused. She leaned toward me until her mouth was only a breath away from my neck. “We should probably test this thing’s battery before reaching out, though.”
She spoke into my neck; her words were warm and full of promise.
I swallowed hard. “Good idea.”
I was proud of myself for not stuttering.
The vibrator returned to more intimate, sensitive places. I arched my hips off the bed, trying to achieve more contact, but Eva refused to place any real pressure on my clit with either her fingers or the buzzing wand.
I reached for her.
She intercepted my hand with hers and gently pushed me away. “Don’t worry about me, Lex. This is for you.”
She began tapping my clit through my underwear with the length of the vibrator. It provided more pressure, but it still wasn’t enough to get me off.
Eva maneuvered the vibrator with a soft but deft touch. She circled my clit before returning to my slit, pressing against me, but never slipping beneath the barrier of my underwear. Soon, a dark gray spot formed, my arousal soaking through the cotton. I bit down hard on my lower lip. I was in anguish—beautiful, torturous, pleasurable anguish.
I closed my eyes and focused on the places where her naked skin pressed against mine. I felt the vibrations all over—my inner thighs, the pit of my stomach, the soles of my feet.
A surprised but pleasured cry tumbled past my lips when I felt her tongue and teeth on my right nipple. She tongued me through my bralette and lightly scraped her teeth across the thin cotton material.
I felt her tongue on the shell of my ear. She flicked her tongue against me, and I imagined her licking me in other places.
“You should see yourself … legs spread wide for me. You can’t help yourself, grinding against me, greedy to come on my hand.”
“Oh, God,” I whimpered.
My whole body ached. I could feel the sweat in the small of my back and in the crook of my knees. I had unintentionally been tensing my muscles, as if that might will my body to orgasm.
“Are you close?”
“Uh huh,” I breathed.
The mattress sank as she moved closer. “Can I taste you, Lex? Can I taste that pretty little pussy?”
She pressed the vibrator firmly against my clit. My thighs began to twitch.
I slammed my eyes closed. “F-f-fuck.”
“Please, Lex.” She panted as if in pain. “I want you on my tongue.”
My orgasm came like a sharp, bright explosion. Warmth radiated from my core—pulsing, pulsing, pulsing. My clit throbbed. Everything throbbed.
“Oh my God,” I gasped. “I’m supposed to play a game tomorrow?”
Eva tossed the vibrator to the end of the bed and snuggled into my side. “Sweet dreams!”
She sounded particularly pleased with herself.
I closed my eyes and inhaled. The weight of her body against mine was giving me life like her simple presence could recharge my batteries.
“I’m gonna get you back,” I vowed. “As soon as I can feel my legs again.”
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Eva secured the hairband around the bottom of my braid. “All done.”
I sat on the floor of our Los Angeles hotel room while she perched behind me on the edge of the mattress. We’d arrived in the city the previous night, a late flight after playing in Seattle. We’d be staying in LA overnight again before catching an early morning flight to Phoenix to finish up our West Coast road trip.
We’d lost to Seattle, which wasn’t surprising. Jet lag from the cross-country flight had affected everyone’s performance, and Seattle was a tough opponent. I was optimistic, however, about our chances against a rebuilding Los Angeles team. The iconic gold and purple jerseys were a bit intimidating, but LA’s roster was young and still finding its identity.
I ran my fingers over the neat, tight plaits close to my scalp. “Perfect.”
Road games were a challenge. Athletes tended to be creatures of habit, obsessively superstitious about sticking to the same pregame routines. All of that was more easily thrown off by not being in your home stadium, not sleeping in your own bed, or not eating the same pregame meal.
Maybe you forgot your lucky socks at home and that messed up your game. Maybe the team charter bus got stuck in traffic and you had to rush through warmups. Or maybe the batteries died in your wireless headphones and you didn’t get to listen to your pregame playlist. Even my silly French braid was part of that ritual, but thankfully, I had Eva to help me with that before we left the team hotel.
I tilted my head back, and Eva leaned down for a quick, inverted kiss—a recent addition to my pregame routine.
Each game, I was earning more and more playing time. Erica was still starting over me, but Coach Spirit was increasingly quick to call my number to replace her. Erica still scowled and pouted each time she came out of the game, but that wasn’t my problem.
“Ready to go?” Eva asked.
I nodded. I knew by now that getting to the arena extra early was part of her pregame routine.
Rooming together during road trips had given me insight into her highly specialized routine. She always ordered the same breakfast before each game—scrambled eggs with spinach, whole grain toast, and a side of mixed berries. She put on her noise-canceling headphones before we even left the hotel, though I never knew what music she listened to. During pregame warmups, she avoided stepping on the sidelines or baseline, taking almost comically elongated steps to bypass them, like a child avoiding cracks on the sidewalk.
