Chapter Twenty-Four Danny
A fter we beat our rivals the Golden Bears and won the conference championship, it was on to the postseason—the goal of every team in the league. Despite the drama going on between that jersey chaser Tory Miller, Callahan, and Jamaica (his girlfriend), and despite the girl problems both Bax and Finn seemed to be having at the moment, football was going well. Other than confining our sex life to intense make-out sessions, things between me and T were going well too. Even with my whack schedule of practice, games, and shifts at the tire shop, I was carrying a solid A- average GPA. What I didn’t count on was missing Thanksgiving with the Hamiltons.
Starting with Thanksgiving my senior year of high school, and continuing to whenever I was home on leave, I spent holidays with Taryn and her family. The captain grumbled about me being ungrateful and not spending those days with him, but from the time I was eight, when he’d split with my mom and taken me with him, we’d never done anything special on holidays. We ate takeout and watched football on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I couldn’t remember finding even one Easter basket after we left my mom. Forget about the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. The captain expected his son to grow up a real man in the real world. It didn’t matter that at the time I was still a little kid.
Spending holidays with Taryn and her family showed me what I’d missed. My mouth watered at the thought of Mrs.Hamilton’s roasted turkey with all the sides: garlic mashed potatoes, sausage dressing, green beans and bacon swimming in cheese sauce, sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin pie with real whipped cream she demanded I whip as my contribution to dinner. Somewhere along the line, I’d learned some manners and always asked to bring something. When I was still in high school, I’d stop at the bakery and pick up homemade rolls. Since turning twenty-one, I arrived with a couple of bottles of good wine.
This year, I’d be joining the chow line with the rest of my teammates and watching the pros play on the big screen in the film room of the facility. With our first playoff game scheduled for the Saturday following Thanksgiving, we’d be practicing the day before, the morning of, and the day after the holiday in preparation for our opening shot at the national championship. While I definitely wanted to play in these big games, I wasn’t looking forward to spending the holiday away from my girl and her family—or to it being eerily similar to the holidays I’d spent in the Air Force when I didn’t have leave.
When I stopped by the Coffee Kiosk after finishing a shift at the tire shop on Tuesday afternoon, Taryn surprised me. Instead of her usual “hello, hottie” greeting when I walked in, she caught sight of me and blurted, “I took a shift for my boss. I’m working Saturday morning so I can make the game on Saturday afternoon.” A monster grin lit up her gorgeous face.
Leaning in close to where she stood at the register, I said, “You aren’t going to be home with your family for the weekend?”
With a shrug she shot me a coy look from beneath her brows. “I’m spending Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon with them. I’ll be back up here on Friday night.”
“Friday night, huh? When were you going to tell me?”
A customer walked in behind me, and I stepped to the side to let them order. While I watched Taryn make a pair of caramel lattes, I repeated my question.
“You were going to tell me this when?”
“Even though the Wildcats make the playoffs about every year, this is your first year with the team. I don’t want to interfere with your pregame preparations.” She finished making the drinks, set them on the counter, and called the person’s name. Catching the incredulous expression on my face, she set her fists on her hips and glared back at me. “I’m trying to be a supportive girlfriend here.”
“By not telling me you’re going to be in town on Friday night?”
“I’m going to be at the game on Saturday. Isn’t that what’s important?”
“Spending time with you is what’s important, T. What time will you be in town on Friday night?”
“Late. I’m going to the Christmas parade with my sisters—unless it snows. Then I’ll head back here right after it finishes.”
In my pocket, the alarm on my phone vibrated, telling me to head to practice. “Look, I stopped by to see if we could see each other tonight before you head home tomorrow. Mind if I come over after practice?”
She shifted her feet. “I have a paper to write.”
I grinned. “I’ll bring homework.”
As usual in the weeks since we’d admitted our feelings to each other, our Tuesday evening study session ended with me on top of T, making out on her couch. Since she tensed up anytime I mentioned getting naked together, I’d been taking it super-slow with her. But I’d also been letting her know I wanted her. I had no idea if it was the thought we wouldn’t be seeing each other for three days or that she wished as much as I did that we’d be spending the holiday together, but whatever the reason, when I tugged at her camisole—which left a lot less to my imagination than she maybe thought it did—she let me lift it off her.
In the low light of the lamp from the table beside the couch, I drank in the sight of her perfect round tits, their pert pink nipples absolutely begging for a kiss. Licking my lips, I bent down and pulled one into my mouth, teasing it with the tip of my tongue then sucking it deep. Her honeyed sweetness beat any dessert I’d ever enjoyed. From the way she arched her back, offering more of herself, and the whimpers and moans coming from the back of her throat, I had a pretty good idea my girl was all in with this escalation in our physical relationship.
Thank God.
I’d been dying for a taste for weeks.
Kissing my way across her chest, I gave her other breast some love and attention, licking, kissing, sucking her soft flesh until she was chanting my name louder than a stadium of twenty thousand fans.
“Shh, T. You’ll wake the neighbors,” I teased.
Weakly, she smacked her hands against my shoulders. “Then you shouldn’t be so good at this.”
“I’m good at something else too. May I show you?”
Keeping my eyes on her face, I put my mouth back on her nipple. As I’d hoped, she threw her head back against the cushion and sighed.
“Yes.”
Slowly, so as not to spook her, I slid my hand down the smooth skin of her belly and slipped my fingers under the waistband of her yoga pants, where I discovered to my surprise and delight—she wasn’t wearing panties. Carefully sliding my fingers through her curls, I worked my way to my prize. Keeping my eyes on her face, I ghosted the pad of my thumb over her clit. She squeezed her eyes closed and dug her fingers into my shoulders as a sigh slipped from her lips.
With that encouragement, I pushed one finger inside her dripping-wet pussy and grinned when she clamped down on me with her inner muscles. And oh, fuck , was she tight. Touching her like this was almost enough to send me straight over the edge. Then I got real busy sucking her pretty tits and playing the pad of my thumb over her clit while I pumped my finger inside her tight channel. The sounds she made as I pleasured her left me as hard as steel, yet as much as I needed relief, my focus stayed on my girl.
She plowed her hands into my hair, holding me to her chest as her hips bucked to the rhythm I set with my hand. Taryn had always been kind of an enigma to me—the bubbly, outgoing cheerleader and the quiet girl at the back of the class, the sardonic wit teasing me without mercy, and the shy girl-next-door who snuck glances when she thought I wasn’t looking. Occasionally, she offered glimpses of the fire I sensed burned deep inside of her, but the passion in her response to my touch blew my mind.
Her fingers tangled in my hair as her back bowed and her body went rigid as she screamed my name to the ceiling of her living room. The way her inner muscles clamped around my finger verified she was coming—hard. I kept pumping as the waves of pleasure washed through her. When at last her body relaxed, she reached down and wrapped her hand around my wrist, halting my movements. Because I couldn’t help myself, I gave her swollen nub a couple more pets before pulling my hand away from paradise.
The scent of her cum on my fingers was its own brand of aphrodisiac. “T, look at me,” I demanded.
When she opened those gorgeous electric-blue eyes, their depths darkened almost to black as I stared into them and licked her nectar from my fingers. Then she surprised me again. Pushing against my chest, she said, “Sit up.”
I was slow to move—mainly because the current state of my cock made moving painful—but she insisted.
“Come on, Danny. Sit up.”
Carefully disentangling myself from her long legs, I sat back against the cushions while she slid to her knees on the floor in front of me. Before I could figure out what she was up to, she had the fly of my jeans unbuttoned and was working on the zipper.
“T, what are you doing?”
“Taking my turn. Lift your hips,” she bossed.
“Taryn, you don’t have to—”
Her brows shot up. “You had your turn. Now you want to deny me mine?”
Shaking my head, I lifted my hips and she wasted no time tugging my jeans and boxers down my thighs. My cock sprung to attention, and when she saw me naked for the first time, her pretty mouth rounded into a perfect “O.”
“My, my.” She licked her lips and raised her hand to skim her fingers along my length.
“Taryn.” Her name came out on a strangled groan as sparks danced up and down my shaft where her fingers played. Then she leaned in and let her tongue follow the blazing trail, and my groans might have morphed into desperate sounds of need.
Fisting the cushions on either side of me, I did my damnedest to hold still and let her have her way with me. But holy fuck. This was Taryn, my dream girl, going down on me. When she wrapped her hand around the base and started licking and kissing the head of my dick, for a second my eyes rolled back in my head. Nothing in the world felt as good as T’s hot mouth wrapped around my cock. When she set a rhythm sucking and jacking me, my hands flew to her head. Gritting my teeth, I willed myself only to hang on, let her lead. As she tongued my length on the upstroke and hummed along it on the downstroke, I swear I saw stars.
At last my body took over, and I had to move, but my girl anticipated me and moved with me, increasing her speed until I had no choice but to let go. A kaleidoscope of color swirled around my brain as the orgasm barreled down my spine. I shouted her name as she swallowed me down, my voice hoarse to my ears. Only as she sat back and licked her swollen lips, her eyes glittering up at me, did I calm down slightly. Reaching out, I cupped her jaw and for a long minute stared in wonder at this incredibly generous woman. I should have known she’d be so giving, so ready to return my favors.
“Fuck, T. That was... I don’t have words, sweetheart.”
“Pretty damn fun from where I’m sitting.”
She grinned up at me, and I laughed. Then I slid my hands behind her back and scooped her onto my lap.
As I ran the pad of my finger along her collarbone, over her chest, and down to pet a pretty nipple, I casually remarked, “I like studying with you.” Watching her nipple harden beneath my touch, I said, “I mean, I’ve always enjoyed studying with you, but these new study breaks are the best.”
With a sigh she batted my hand away from her gorgeous body. Then, with a bit of gymnastics, she managed to snag her camisole. With a stern expression, she pulled it down over my hands, which had found their way to her pretty tits all on their own, pushing them off as she re-dressed herself.
“I need to finish writing my paper and pack for the weekend,” she said as she slid back off my lap.
“Are you kicking me out?” I tried to keep my tone light, but damn, I wasn’t ready to leave her.
“Nope. Only reminding you what you just said.” At my look of confusion, she clarified. “Study break is over.”
I stood and reluctantly pulled my boxers and jeans up. “Does that mean we can take another study break in a little while?” I asked hopefully.
Over her shoulder she glanced at the clock on the microwave, which read 11:00 p.m. and back at me. “I don’t think so—not with what I’ve yet to do tonight so I can be on the road tomorrow morning when Mom expects me to be.”
I pulled out my chair where my laptop rested on her dinette and sat down. “Wish I was going home with you.”
“You’re also dang happy to be playing in a college playoff game, yeah?” she said as she took her seat across from me.
A self-deprecating chuckle slipped out. “Definitely on my bucket list.”
“Along with having a shot at playing in the NFL.”
I blinked at her, shocked she remembered me talking about that particular dream.
Shrugging as though it were a done deal, she said, “Playoff games always draw pro scouts, so you need to be on it on Saturday afternoon.” Her lips tipped up in a sunshiny smile. “When they see what you do when you come off the bench, they’re going to be adding your number to their watch list.”
I cleared my throat. “Um, Coach told me in practice today that I’ll be starting on Saturday.”
Her chair screeched on the linoleum as she shoved it back from the table. “Daniel Thomas Chambers.” Her tone became more ominous on each enunciated syllable. “Exactly when were you going to tell me this?” Through narrowed eyes she glared at me. “You know my whole family will want to be at the game now.” Her hands dropped to her hips. “Only, I think it’s sold out.” How she could look so tough while still seated in her chair was a wonder.
Putting my hands up in surrender, I said again, “I only found out myself today, T. I wasn’t keeping it from you or your family.”
Her expression softened, and she stood and walked around the table to park her ass on my lap. Looping her arms around my neck, she leaned in and brushed a soft kiss over my lips. “This is congratulations. Don’t get any big ideas.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I whispered against her mouth before kissing her back.
Right as things started heating up again, she pulled away and let go with a long sigh. Didn’t take a genius to anticipate what was coming next.
“For sure I don’t want homework this weekend. Neither do you.” She swept a lock of my hair from my forehead, brushed one last soft kiss over my lips, and pushed herself off my lap.
I didn’t let her go easily, and she play-slapped my hands away when I tried to tug her back down before she stepped over to the fridge. She pulled out two cans of a veggie drink she liked and handed me one. I could have done better with a beer, but I guessed she was trying to look out for me.
For the next hour, we actually worked. When she tipped back in her chair and lifted her arms above her head, innocently showing off that gorgeous rack of hers, my day caught up to me too. My jaw popped when I yawned, and she giggled.
“Guess it’s time to call it a night. Did you finish?”
“Pretty close. You?”
She tapped a couple of keys on her laptop and closed the lid with a flourish. “Done!”
As she put away her books and laptop, she kept stealing glances at me doing the same. At last I said, “What?”
Ducking her head, her eyes skittered from me. Then she sucked in a long breath, let it out slowly, and said, “I’m not quite ready for more than what happened tonight.” Her eyes slid to the couch and back. “But it’s late, we’re both tired, and maybe you want to stay—”
I most definitely wanted to stay, but I didn’t want to crowd her. “I thought you still needed to pack.”
“I do.” She shrugged. “But I can do that quick in the morning.”
Shooting her a sly grin, I asked, “Will you let me borrow your toothbrush?”
Returning her own smirk, she teased, “Maybe.” Then she sobered. “The invitation is contingent on no shenanigans.”
“You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?” I asked as I headed toward her bedroom.
“Doing what?” Her tone was perplexed as she followed me.
“Testing my willpower.” I tugged my shirt over my head and draped it over the chair in the corner of the room.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Her look of genuine consternation would have cracked me right up if not for the fact I knew how my body was going to react to holding her close in her double bed.
“I’ll be good tonight, T. Promise. But it might wreck me.”
I shucked off my jeans and padded into her en-suite bathroom where I located her toothbrush. When she followed me into the space clearly meant for one at a time, she about wore me out in her camisole and a skimpy pair of sleep shorts.
“Hey!” she cried out when she caught sight of where her toothbrush was.
I spat and rinsed my mouth then stepped aside and handed the toothbrush to her. With a massive roll of her eyes, she conveyed her thoughts about my antics rather loudly. Chuckling, I watched her over her shoulder in the mirror as she cleaned her teeth. My hands found their way to her hips, and there was something intimately domestic about us together this way. A picture of us like this every night for the next fifty years flashed warmth through my chest.
She wrinkled her nose at my reflection and bent to rinse her mouth in the sink. Turning in my arms, she planted her hands on my chest and shot me a stern look. “No. Shenanigans.” Then she slipped out of my hold and returned to the bedroom.
Together, we turned down the blankets on the bed and climbed in as though we performed this ritual nightly.
“Testing me, T.”
“It’s not intentional.”
“I know.” Gathering her close, I forced myself to stop with a soft kiss. “Good night, Taryn.”
Resting her head on my shoulder, her hand on my chest, she murmured, “Good night, Danny.”