Chapter Twenty-Nine Danny
Not gonna lie, scoring that touchdown in my first start had rocketed my attitude into the stratosphere. After Patty found me downfield on the post route, I could have sworn I was invincible. Then I’d looked up into the stands to see Taryn cheering her heart out for me, and I had no doubt I could conquer the world.
She’d handled the ridiculousness of party people invading my space better than I had. The only thing keeping me from clocking the moron who’d helped himself to my bedroom—and my bed—was the beautiful girl who’d haunted my dreams for years standing beside me with a bemused expression on her stunning face.
After cleaning up my bed, I locked my bedroom door, and we went back downstairs. We spent about an hour dancing with me sharing back slaps and fist bumps with teammates and some of the athletes from the other teams who lived on our street and partied with us after home wins. But my short night and cram-packed day caught up with me a bit before midnight. After taking a close look at me when we went into the kitchen for some water, Taryn pulled me outside, past the rowdy cornhole games going on in the back yard, and over to my car.
“Keys, please.” She held her hand out, and I fished them from my pocket, handing them to her without question.
I almost fell asleep on the short drive over to her place. She laughed and wrapped her arm around my waist as she guided my tired-ass self up the stairs to her apartment.
“You want something to eat?” she asked as she flipped on table lamps on her way to the kitchen.
“I could go for a snack.”
A minute later she’d set two generous slices of cold pumpkin pie on her dinette, along with forks and napkins.
“Sorry I don’t have whipped cream for this. Mom forgot to put some in with the rest of the leftovers.”
Shooting her a mock-disgusted look, I said, “How am I expected to enjoy this without whipped cream?” Not missing a beat, she went to snag my plate, and I clamped my hand over hers. “Don’t even think about it.”
Grinning, we sat down to eat pie, which had miraculous revival properties. By the time we’d rinsed the plates and put them in the dishwasher, I was wide-awake.
“Um, you want to watch a movie or something?” she asked.
Wrapping my arms around her, I held her between my body and the counter. “Or something.”
Nuzzling my nose along the side of hers, I asked, “May I stay with you?”
Tensing, she swallowed hard. “Um. Tonight isn’t a good night for starting shenanigans.” Her eyes slid away from mine, then they came back as color rode her cheeks. “Wrong time of the month.”
“Ah.” I nibbled along her jaw to the sweet spot behind her ear. “We can still have fun.”
She gasped as I lightly brushed my hand up the smooth skin of her side beneath her clothes.
“Sex is more than penetration, T.” My thumb found the underside of her curves, and a breathy “oh!” escaped her. “I loved seeing you in my hoodie at the game today. Especially when you showed off the back of it for the Jumbotron. Made me feel fifty feet tall.” I trailed kisses down the side of her neck. “But now I’d like to see you without it.”
She raised her arms over her head as I pushed her clothes up and off her body, dropping them over the back of one of the table chairs. Then I lifted her to sit on the countertop and traced the pads of my fingers along the edges of her plain beige bra. There was nothing plain about the pert nipples straining against the lace of it though. I rubbed my thumbs over them and smiled at the gasp and the accompanying arch of her back at my touch.
“You are so perfect.”
“Um...”
“May I?” I fingered the clasp of her bra. When she nodded, I said, “Words, T.”
A wispy “yes” gave me permission.
The scrap of lace landed somewhere as I covered her pretty breasts with my hands. She shifted on the countertop, and I leaned into the V of her legs. Holding her eyes, I asked, “Are the girls sensitive right now?”
“Y-yes.”
“Good.” Bending slightly, I caught a taut nipple in my mouth and flicked my tongue over it. She squirmed some more, each movement bringing her closer and closer to me. When I sucked her fully into my mouth, she let go with a loud, keening cry and arched her back even more. Her fingers plowed into my hair, alternately pulling it and pushing my face deeper into her flesh.
“Oh, Danny. Feels so good.”
I smiled against her skin before kissing my way over her chest to her other breast to give it the same attention. By the time I’d pulled back to check out my handiwork, she was writhing and whimpering and begging for more.
“Let’s go to bed,” I suggested.
With a nod, she wrapped her long legs around my waist. Her stunning electric-blue eyes were glazed over with lust, and I imagined my eyes held the same expression. I carried her the short distance to her bedroom and slowly lowered her to stand in front of me, making sure she rubbed herself all the way down my front.
When I went to undo the fly of her jeans, she clamped her hands on my wrists, stopping my progress. “I’m not playing you, Danny. My period started this morning.”
“I believe you, but it’s going to be a whole lot more fun kissing the bare skin of your legs than the denim of your jeans.”
She loosened her hold and slid the zipper down. Again she covered my hands when I tried to push the offending clothing off her body, doing the honors herself instead. Then she went to work on my clothes. My hoodie and my shirt hit the floor somewhere behind me. Next, she pushed my jeans down to my ankles. With my hands on her shoulders for balance, I stepped out of my pants.
Ghosting my knuckles down the front of her body, it was my turn to suck in a breath. “Fuck, T,” I whispered. “You are the most gorgeous girl in the world.”
“That’s how you make me feel,” she whispered back. “I used to dream about kissing you. I never thought I’d have the chance. Now I get to touch you too.”
Goose bumps pebbled my skin in the wake of her featherlight exploration of my pecs and abs. When she stopped short of where I was desperate to feel her soft hands, I let go of her shoulders and shoved my boxers to join my jeans on the floor.
“You can touch me anywhere and everywhere you please.” My voice sounded hoarse, desperate, in my ears.
Staring so deep into my eyes I thought she could see my soul, she stepped in close and wrapped both of her hands around my length. “You can touch me too.” Though her words were barely audible, I heard them and what she was really saying.
As she slowly jacked me, I measured and squeezed and plumped her breasts. When I rubbed my thumbs over her nipples, she increased her rhythm. When I tested her with little pinches and tweaks, her breathing became shallow, and she jacked me faster. With our eyes locked as we pleasured each other with our hands, I’d never felt more connected to another person in my life. The second that thought entered my head, the orgasm gathered at the base of my spine, and I dropped my hands to her hips, gripping her hard.
“Gonna come,” I gritted through clamped teeth, and then I blew all over the smooth skin of her belly.
She continued to jack me through it until I covered her hands with mine.
“Fuck, Taryn.” I dropped my forehead to rest on hers as both of us stared at where I’d marked her as mine.
As her breathing evened out, she said, “I see your point about sex being more than penetration.”
I huffed out a laugh. “You’re incredible, T. Abso-fucking-lutely incredible. I’m so fucking lucky.” Letting her go, I added, “Don’t move.”
A minute later I returned from the bathroom with a warm washcloth. Taking my time, I wiped away the evidence of my incredible luck from her belly.
Together we turned down the covers and crawled into bed beside each other. Though my feet hung over the end of the bed when I stretched out on it, I liked that the size of it meant no matter how we lay, we were touching each other.
Tucking her under my arm, I brushed a kiss over her temple and whispered, “Today has been a best day ever. Because of you.”
She cuddled in closer. “I—Good night, Danny.”
After last week’s game when both Taryn and I had sensed the shift in our relationship, I’d had trouble keeping my mind on all the other things demanding my attention. Coach had ratcheted up the intensity in practice as we prepared for the second round in the playoffs. The winding down of the semester meant quizzes and projects leading to finals. Plus, I needed a little extra for Christmas, so I’d picked up a couple more shifts at the tire shop. All of which meant I ran out of time to spend with my girl.
When Saturday morning rolled around, I wasn’t as rested as I had been when I’d spent the night before the game sleeping in Taryn’s bed. She’d texted that her family would be joining her for breakfast before the early-afternoon game, and everyone was super-excited to watch me play. It almost made up for the fact that, other than a five-minute call on Thanksgiving, the captain hadn’t checked in with me even once during the entire semester.
Then right as I was walking out the door of the house with my roommates to head to the facility, my phone buzzed a call. As I slid into the passenger seat of Finn’s truck, I picked up.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, Danny! I wanted to wish you good luck in your game today.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“You were magnificent last week. We watched the game on the Internet.”
I chuckled. “That’s cool. I’m glad you could catch it.”
“Your little brother is running around the house in your jersey and driving me nuts. He can’t wait for today’s game to start.”
“It means a lot that you’re watching.”
“I wish I could watch you in person.” She sounded genuinely down about missing it. “But at least we’ll see you at Christmas.”
“Yeah, Mom. Hey, we’re on our way in to get ready for the game. I’ll talk to you later if that’s okay.”
“Oh, sure, sure. I just wanted you to know how proud of you I am and how excited we all are to watch you play today. Love you, Danny.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
As I slid my phone back into my pocket, I caught Finn’s smirk. “What?”
“You got one too, huh?”
“A mom? Yeah. Like everyone else.” I chuckled.
“Nah. A mom who thinks you can’t play unless she reminds you how awesome you are on game day.” He wheeled his truck through the gates to the team parking lot and pulled into a spot beside Callahan’s pickup.
“It’s a new thing for us.” I shrugged. “But it’s nice.”
We slammed the doors to his truck simultaneously and headed into the facility.
“I gotta admit, I like the mom texts on game days. She sends them even when I’ve just had breakfast with her.” Finn grinned.
After we passed inspection with Coach Ainsworth, we hit the locker room and changed out of our dress clothes and into our uniforms for warmups. Since the arrival of snow midweek, we were going to need to warm up for sure. Hopefully, the Southern boys who’d come to play us would find the weather uncomfortable.
Though I’d come into the facility feeling a bit off, the conversation with my mom, Coach Ellis’s pep talk, and the usual adrenaline rush that always came with playing football combined to recharge my batteries when we ran through the tunnel and out onto the field. Of course, the first thing I did after I reached the bench was scan the student section for my girl. Seeing her in my hoodie standing with Zoe in the middle of the crowd revved me up. Yeah, it would be nice if the captain ever acknowledged my football skills, and I appreciated that my mom was following my play, but the one person who truly mattered was in the house to watch me do my thing.
Even in the cold and snow, those Southern boys gave us everything we could handle. But at the end of the day, “Wildcats eat Chanticleers,” as one of our fans’ signs proclaimed. Tarvi got most of the glory since it’s hard to pass when the ball feels like a slick rock, which meant I spent most of the game blocking. Still, I impressed the crowd with a couple of long catches that set Tarvi up for some easy rushes into the end zone, so it was all good.
Afterward, I met up with Taryn, Zoe, and the Hamilton family at a place downtown. When I arrived, they were already seated. I didn’t even think about it when I slid in beside Taryn, wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and kissed her cheek. It was only after I glanced away from her that I saw the entire table staring at us.
As one could expect, Tina broke the silence. “Not only have you two stopped pretending, but now you’re even public, huh?”
Taryn’s cheeks were a shade of pink I liked—probably too much. Pulling her closer to my side, I said, “Good things come to those who wait.” For good measure I brushed another kiss over her warm cheek.
“You two have been dancing around each other for a long time,” Mrs.Hamilton said with a twinkle in her eyes. “I’m glad you finally figured it out.”
Tally tilted her head and watched us as though she hadn’t quite made up her mind about mine and Taryn’s changed status. Zoe gave us her best campy grin, and Mr.Hamilton eyed my arm around my girl with a raised brow.
“Don’t worry, Mr.Hamilton. I know how lucky I am.”
His expression relaxed and he said, “Be good to her.”
“Jeez, you guys. Can we not make this a big deal?” Taryn’s exasperated tone cracked all of us up.
“That was another great game today,” Mr.Hamilton said as he tipped back a drink of his beer. “About time your coach gave you a chance to show your stuff.”
“Thank you. It’s good to be back playing football.”
The women at the table chimed in their congratulations on my play and the team’s win, and for the first time in my life, I felt like a true part of the family. When Taryn surreptitiously slipped her hand onto my thigh beneath the table—a light press telling me she was happy to see me, to be seen with me—feelings welled up inside of me. For the first time since I was a little kid I had people. This girl and her family were my people.
Since we were away from campus and the bars, we were able to sit at dinner for a couple of hours, talking and laughing. Other than when Mrs.Hamilton invited me for holiday dinners, I couldn’t remember enjoying a meal so much.
After we’d said our goodbyes, Taryn slid into the passenger seat of my car, and I smiled across the console. “I think meeting the parents went well, don’t you?”
With a growl she smacked my bicep. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“What?” I smirked. “Be happy to see you?”
She snorted. “All that PDA in front of my parents.”
“I refrained from PDA, but now that we’re alone...” I leaned across the console to hold her cheek in my hand as I caught her lips with mine.
For a second she stayed still. Then her hand was on my face as she relaxed into my touch.
“I’ve waited all week for this, T,” I whispered against her luscious mouth before I dove in, kissing her with all the fire I’d been saving up since the last night she’d let me share her bed. “The party is at Patterson’s place tonight. Wanna come over to my house and watch a movie or something?” I asked when at last I tore my lips from hers.
“I can’t spend the night, Danny.” Her mouth turned down. “I switched with Hailey so I could have today off to see you play, which means I work at six tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll take what I can get, babe.”
It was uncannily silent when we arrived at the house. Usually, at least one of my roommates was around. But after today’s win had punched our ticket for a date with the vaunted North Dakota Bison at their place next week, I wasn’t surprised they were all out celebrating.
When we walked into the living room, Taryn wrapped her arms around herself and looked around. I needed her to relax, so I grabbed the remote control from the coffee table and handed it to her.
“Find us something to watch while I round up some snacks.”
A ghost of a smile touched her pretty pouty mouth as she took the device from me and sat on the couch.
Leaving my girl with a mission, I scrounged around in the pantry until I found what I was looking for. I popped the bag of popcorn into the microwave and called out, “What do you want to drink?”
“Water is fine,” she called back.
I dumped the bag of popcorn into a bowl and returned to the living room with it and two bottles of water, setting the works on the table in front of us before parking my ass right next to her. “What are we watching?”
“I was in the mood for action-adventure,” she said. “ The Gentlemen sounded good. You okay with that?”
“Haven’t seen it.” At her incredulous stare, I said, “Military service. I didn’t go out much.” The opening scenes showed Matthew McConaughey in a bar, and I gave her a sage nod. “Should have known this movie stars your boy Matthew.”
“It’s a Guy Ritchie film. You’re going to love it.” She batted her lashes at me, forcing me to give in and grin back at her.
With the popcorn bowl in my lap and my arm wrapped around my girl, I settled down into the cushions to watch the show. We were only to the part where McConaughey’s character was setting up his tunnels for storing his illicit drugs when the front door opened and Callahan and Jamaica walked in.
“You’re back early. Was the party a bust?” I asked as they walked over beside the couch.
“After the week we’ve had, we’re ready for an early night,” Callahan said. “Whatcha watching?”
“Taryn’s celebrity crush McConaughey,” I said at the same time asTaryn said, “ The Gentlemen .”
Chuckling, Callahan said, “Got it.”
“We’re only about a third of the way in if you want to join us,” Taryn said. She’d paused the movie when the two of them showed up.
“Nah, thanks anyway. We’re headed up.” He slipped his arm around Jamaica’s waist and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Good night, you two.”
“Good night,” we said in unison.
“Nice to see you,” Jamaica said with a little wave before her boyfriend turned her toward the stairs.
It didn’t take a college degree to figure out how the two of them were celebrating our win this afternoon, which of course gave me ideas too. With the movie paused, I set the popcorn bowl on the table and held Taryn’s chin. Her gorgeous electric-blue eyes turned to liquid as I bent my head to hers. Capturing her lips, I forgot all about the movie. I slid my fingers into her hair and gave in to the need I’d had ever since I joined her and her family for dinner.
The hum in the back of her throat and her hand on my thigh gave me the green light to deepen the kiss—let her feel the longing I kept inside, waiting for her. Our tongues tagged and played together as she gave herself over to me. Nibbles and tiny bites ratcheted up my need, and then she was there, straddling my lap, her arms wrapped around my shoulders as she took over kissing me. She trailed kisses along my jaw to my ear. When she tugged on my earlobe with her teeth, my groans echoed around the room.
My hands on her hips, I guided her up and down my length as she toured the shell of my ear with her tongue, coming close to driving me out of my head. Then she whispered, “I dreamed of doing this with you, but I never believed it would happen. Each time you kiss me, it’s a small miracle.”
I gripped her ass and pulled her as tight to my body as the barrier of our clothes would allow. “I’m the lucky one, T. I never should have let that jackass bully me in high school. And I should have given you credit for making up your own mind when I went into the military.” I reached up and brushed a silky lock of dark brown hair from her face. “That stupidity nearly cost me this.”
For a second fear flashed in her eyes, but before I could ask, she cupped my face in her hands and said, “The past is in the rearview for a reason.” She mapped the contours of my face with her thumbs. “Now is what matters.”
The kiss started slow, easy, then she wrapped her arms around me again, pressing her luscious rack to my chest, and all I could do was feel. Those pillow-soft breasts pressed to me, her hot center slowly rubbing up and down my length, the perfect round globes of her ass filling my hands, and that mouth. Fuck . My girl kissed like it was her job, robbing me of thought, stealing all my air, and pleasuring me from the roots of my hair—which she kept tugging—to my knees where her ass landed on all the downstrokes.
Somewhere in all the kissing, my hands found their way underneath her sweater to explore the satin skin of her sides and her belly. When my thumbs grazed the undercurves of her tits, she moaned and increased her rhythm over me. Taking that as another green light, I pushed her sweater and her bra up, exposing her beauties to my eyes, then to my greedy lips.
I sucked one sweet bud deep inside my mouth, teasing it with my tongue, testing it with my teeth, then sucking hard. As she arched her back, silently asking for more, she plowed her fingers into my hair and held me to her. Kissing her was a revelation, but enjoying the perfect mouthfuls of her breasts was pure heaven.
Things had started to heat up enough for me to ask if she wanted to continue our fun in the privacy of my bedroom when the front door banged open. The sounds of my other two roommates staggering in from the party had Taryn yanking her clothes back over her body and scrambling off my lap. By the time Bax and Finn had kicked off their shoes at the front door and made it into the living room, T was smoothing her hair and pretending our evening had been nothing but innocent. Of course, if my roommates had eyes at all, they couldn’t help but notice Taryn’s kiss-swollen lips and the mess I’d made of her hair—and she of mine.
Luckily for my girl’s peace of mind, Bax and Finn were pretty much smashed, so their vision no doubt was suspect.
“Hey, Danny. You bailed on the party for popcorn and a movie?” Finn asked.
“Beats having to help you walk your sorry ass home.” I laughed.
“I walked Bax,” Finn said as he tripped on the carpet, windmilling his arms to remain upright.
“Sure, you did.” I shot T an amused glance and was happy to see her a touch more relaxed.
Bax was leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, a dopey grin on his face.
“You gonna be able to climb those stairs without falling and breaking your neck?” I asked.
“Probably not.” He sort of nodded in the direction of the couch. “Maybe you could let me have that.”
Taryn grabbed the remote and shut off the TV. “It’s time for me to go. I have to open the coffee shop in the morning, remember?”
Shit. In my Taryn-induced lust, I’d forgotten my girl had said we had to have an early night. “Sure. I’ll drive you home.”
Before we even had our coats on, Bax was passed out on the couch, and Finn was asleep in the recliner. Their hangovers were going to epic—and nothing less than they deserved with their sucky timing.
Then I remembered myself. Due to my roommates’ fortunate timing, I’d be driving my girlfriend back to her place at a reasonable time for someone who had to be at work at dark-thirty. It was selfish of me to ask her to stay out late when she had to work and we both had finals to study for.
Breaking the quiet of the drive over to her apartment, she said, “My parents like to get breakfast at the Coffee Kiosk on the Sundays I work following a game. If you’re around tomorrow morning, I’m sure they’d like to see you again before they head home.”
“Ooh, so it’s your parents who’d like to see me tomorrow,” I deadpanned.
She lightly backhanded my bicep. “I always like to see you. You know that.”
Grinning, I asked, “What time will they be at the coffee shop?” I pulled into the spot beside her car in front of her apartment. “I have film at ten.”
“They’ll probably be there at nine or so.”
“Then it’s a date.” I ran my fingers through her hair. “I’ll take any excuse to spend time with you.”