12
Remy
I’m straddling Cole on the couch now, face buried deep in the warm crook of his neck, breathing him in like he’s the only thing keeping me tethered to the planet.
His hands have been rubbing slow, steady circles on my back for the past twenty minutes…
big palms sliding up and down my spine, like he’s trying to hold all my broken pieces together without saying a word.
After he stood up off the floor and aggressively shoved every last thing of Hannah’s back into that suitcase, he wheeled it straight out the door and left it in the hallway like trash waiting for pickup.
Then he came back, sat down, opened his arms, and said “C’mere.
” I didn’t even hesitate, just climbed into his lap and let him wrap me up.
My arms are looped around his neck, fingers playing absently with the short hairs at the nape, twisting and tugging in a mindless way that calms me.
I’ve finally stopped shaking, breathing steadier now, but I still can’t get over it.
I can’t believe what Hannah did… the lies and manipulation.
Who does that? Who comes back pretending everything’s fine just to try and trap someone into having a baby, then disappear again?
What if she had gotten pregnant… would she even have told me?
Would I have had a kid out there somewhere and never known?
I try to shove the thoughts away because I know, 100%, I didn’t come inside her, not once.
She might think I did, but I faked it. So, she can’t get pregnant from her time back here…
she can’t. But we still have no idea where she is.
If she’s not in class, where the hell is she hiding?
A friend’s dorm? Off campus somewhere? The uncertainty gnaws at me.
Cole yawns, deep and sleepy, and shifts under me, lifting his hips slightly to slouch down the couch more comfortably.
He takes me with him, my weight settling heavier against his chest. I close my eyes and melt into him.
I feel safe, cared for, and wanted. Not for some ulterior motive, not to trick me into anything, just wanted.
The feeling blooms warm and sudden in my chest, then lower, and before I can stop it, I’m hard.
Not horny-hard, just… safe-hard. My cock twitches against his stomach, insistent.
Cole freezes for half a second, like he’s not sure he felt it, then it happens again. He laughs, the sound vibrating through me. “Dude… are you seriously hard right now?”
I curl tighter into his chest, hiding my face in his neck like that’ll make it disappear. “I can’t control it…” I mumble, voice muffled against his skin. “You just make me feel safe… and wanted.”
He hums, content and pleased, and presses a soft kiss to the top of my head. “Good… but this is not the time to have sex.”
I laugh, shaky but real. “I know. It’ll probably go away… maybe.”
He laughs again, deeper, and the vibration makes me twitch harder. “Did you want to go to Jeb’s party later?”
I shrug, shoulders brushing his collarbones. “Sounds like fun. We could use it. But… I can’t get drunk knowing Hannah might try to come back here. Probably try to force herself on drunk me and keep trying.”
Cole inhales sharp, like the image physically hurts him. He squeezes me tighter. “Okay. I’ll think of an excuse. Jeb won’t hold a grudge.”
“Thanks.”
I feel bad, though. Like I’m keeping him from having a normal night. Stopping a nineteen-year-old from going to a college party because of my mess. I sit up properly, his hands slide from my back down to settle on my thighs, warm through my sweats.
“You should go,” I say quietly.
Cole blinks. “What? No.”
“Dude… I’m not stopping you from having a good night just to deal with my problems.”
He rolls his eyes, exaggerated, fond.
“That’s rude,” I mutter.
He inhales, like he’s thinking something over, then grabs the back of my head and pulls me down.
The kiss is sudden, overwhelming, mouth crashing into mine, tongue sweeping in deep.
I moan instantly, pressing closer, hands fisting in his hoodie.
He groans back, low and hungry, hands sliding down to grip my ass hard, pulling me tighter against him.
I start grinding, needy rolls of my hips, cock aching against his stomach.
He pulls back just enough to breathe, lips brushing mine. “We should stop. We’ve got shit to deal with first.”
I nod fast, panting. “I know. Sorry.”
Cole shakes his head, thumbs stroking my cheeks. “You don’t need to apologise for that. I just want the next time we have sex to be when you’re actually mine.”
I grin shy and hide my face in his neck again.
He laughs softly. “You’re adorable like this.”
“Shut up,” I mumble against his skin. “I’m still the best left tackle you’ve ever had.”
He laughs louder, deep, pleased. “Damn right you are.”
I can’t help it. My hips roll slowly, just once, testing the friction, chasing the warm drag of Cole’s hardness against mine through our clothes.
It feels too good, too right, like my body’s finally found home again after everything went to hell.
Cole doesn’t say a word. Doesn’t push me off.
Doesn’t even tense. So, I do it again, and again.
Slow, deliberate grinds, building that sweet pressure low in my gut.
“Fuck,” I whisper against his neck, voice wrecked.
Cole groans, rough, the sound vibrating straight through me. I know he’s hard too. I can feel it, thick, insistent, twitching every time I rock down. He wants to tell me to stop. I can feel the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers flex on my hips like he’s fighting himself.
Then he shoves me back, enough to break the rhythm.
I frown, mouth opening to apologise, “Sorry, I…” but the word dies when Cole’s hands move fast.
He hooks his fingers into the waistband of my sweats, yanks them down just enough to free me. My cock springs out and I moan sharp at the sudden air, the exposure.
Cole bites his lip hard, eyes dark and hungry. His big hand wraps around me instantly, warm, sure, stroking once from base to tip. I hiss, hips lifting off his lap like I’m chasing more, thighs trembling.
“Fuck,” he groans, staring at where his fist slides over me, slow and deliberate. “Look at this big dick…”
He frees himself next, quick tug on his own shorts, and lines us up.
One large hand wraps around both cocks, squeezing them together, stroking firm and steady.
The heat, the slick slide of skin on skin, the way his thumb swipes over both heads, it’s overwhelming.
I drop my forehead to his shoulder, panting, hips jerking into his grip.
Cole’s other hand slides up my back, under my shirt, holding me close. “So fucking pretty like this,” he mutters against my ear. “Grinding on me like you can’t get enough…”
I moan louder, broken and needy, grinding down harder into his fist. The friction is perfect… hot and relentless. Every stroke drags over that sensitive spot under the head, making my thighs shake. I’m close already, too close, balls tight, heat coiling low and fast.
Cole brings me back down into a kiss, deep, messy, tongue sweeping in like he’s claiming every sound I make. I moan into his mouth, hips stuttering.
“I’m so close,” I gasp against his lips.
He nods, forehead pressed to mine. “So am I, baby… fuck…”
Just as we’re about to tip over the edge, three loud knocks rap on the door. We freeze; both heads snapping toward the sound.
Hannah’s voice filters through, confused, a little whiny. “Remy? Babe? Why is my suitcase out here?”
We sigh in unison, long and defeated.
I grind once more, desperately, into Cole’s hand.
He hisses, biting his lip hard. “Fuck.”
But the moment’s gone. I’m already softening, embarrassment flooding in hot and fast. I tuck myself away quickly, cheeks burning, avoiding his eyes. Cole frowns, concerned.
I gesture weakly toward the door. “Proof she doesn’t make me hard.”
He grins, pleased, and smug as hell. “Good.”
Fuck… here we go.
We both stand up from the couch at the same time, the sudden movement making my legs feel unsteady.
I look at Cole, and my voice comes out small, almost pleading. “Can you stay with me?”
He smiles small, the kind that reaches his eyes, and reaches up to stroke my cheek with his thumb. “Of course, baby.”
I inhale sharp, chest tightening. “Fuck…”
Cole’s expression shifts, determined. “You know what? I’ll get the door.”
I nod fast, shaking again, nerves buzzing under my skin. “Cool. Okay. Yeah.”
He crosses the room, unlocks the chain, and pulls the door open. His face sours instantly, jaw tight, eyes narrowing, when he sees Hannah standing there in a new dress, hair done, makeup perfect; clearly thinking we’re still going to Jeb’s party tonight.
She steps inside, confused, glancing between us. “Babe… why is my suitcase outside?”
I hold my hand up, palm out, firm. “Don’t come near me.”
Hannah pales, eyes widening. “What?”
Cole closes the door behind her with a quiet click and moves to sit on the couch, closest to where I’m standing, for support. I resist the urge to crawl under his hoodie and let him handle this; I need to do it myself.
“Hannah,” I say, voice steady despite the tremor in my hands, “Rosa called. She told me you dropped out of college.”
Her eyes go wide, shock flashing, then she fiddles with her hands, laughing it off like it’s nothing. “What? No… she’s just… she’s foreign, so she must have got mixed up.”
Cole scoffs quietly from the couch, disbelieving.
I cross my arms. “Really? Rosa seemed to speak perfectly fine English to me.”
Hannah clears her throat, pout forming, classic manipulation, eyes big and shiny. “Okay… yes, she’s right.” She steps closer, hands reaching like she wants to touch me. “I just didn’t want you to be disappointed in me.”
I laugh, bitterly. “And the fact that your mom isn’t getting better? That this is a short trip before you leave again?”
She keeps coming, hands out. “I’m going to keep coming back. I’ll come as often as I can…”
“That’s close enough, Hannah.” I hold my palm out to stop her. “You’re never coming back here again.”
Her face crumples. “What?”
Then the tears start, big, dramatic, and heartbreaking if I hadn’t seen the truth. I’ve never seen this side of her: selfish, manipulative, and fake. The innocent act cracks wide open.
Cole’s voice cuts through from the couch, disgusted. “Jesus Christ, Hannah. What the fuck happened to you?”
She whips her head toward him. “What?”
He laughs, incredulous. “Hannah, we know. We know you’re trying to trick Remy into getting you pregnant. He found the fucking ovulation tests and your creepy notes.”
Her eyes go wide, shock and panic flashing. She stares at me. “Can we talk about this in private?”
Cole and I share a look, a silent agreement, neither of us is letting that happen.
“No,” I say. “Cole stays.”
She throws her hands up. “For fuck’s sake, Remy! You two are separate people… you do know that, right?!”
Her hands fly to her mouth, shocked at her own outburst, the mask slipping completely.
My eyebrows shoot up. “Wow.”
I move straight to Cole and sit on his knee without hesitation. He wraps his arms around my waist instantly, pulling me back against his chest like a shield.
Hannah swallows hard, frown deepening. She still doesn’t see it… the chemistry, the way we fit. She just thinks we’re, “constantly together.”
“Fine. Whatever.” She crosses her arms. “But listen… my mom isn’t going to live much longer and I… I wanted her to experience me being pregnant. Going to scans with me. Seeing her grandchild… even if only before they’re born.”
I scoff, disgusted at her. “You’re fucking deranged, Hannah. You’ve lost your mind. I’m really sorry about your mom, but you’re willing to trap me and throw my whole life off course, for a few weird pregnant months with her?”
Cole rests his forehead against my back, inhaling sharp, like he’s holding back his own anger.
Hannah steps closer. “Remy, listen…”
The way she says it, so condescending, so patronising, snaps something in me.
“Get the fuck out,” I say, voice low and final. “And leave the key.”
Her eyes go wide. “What?”
She doesn’t move.
Cole’s voice rumbles behind me, threatening. “I swear to God, Hannah, you better get your fucking manipulative lying ass out of here or so help me…”
He doesn’t finish, doesn’t need to.
She scoffs, like we’re the bad guys, and pulls her key out of her bag. Throws it onto the floor with a clatter. Then she turns, fake tears streaming, and slams the door behind her. Because she didn’t get her own selfish way.
I deflate, my whole body sagging back into Cole’s chest. He moves me gently so he can stand up, then crosses to the door. He opens it, peers out, and crosses his arms, eyes narrowed.
A minute later he closes it, locks the chain, deadbolt, everything. “Was just watching to make sure she actually left.”
I nod. My chest feels so heavy now… relief, grief, anger, everything mixing into something thick and suffocating. I run my hands down my face and exhale hard.
Cole turns the lights off. I frown, looking up. He drags me up by the hands and pulls me through to his room. Shuts the door behind us and starts pulling his clothes off… hoodie, tee, shorts… until he’s in boxers. Then he helps me out of mine, hands careful and steady.
He climbs into bed, holds the covers up, making room for me. I smile small and tired, and crawl in beside him. He hums low in his throat and wraps me up, arms around my waist, chest to my back, legs tangled. We don’t need to talk. His presence is enough… calming, skin warm, and safe.
“Let’s sleep for a while,” he murmurs against my hair.
I nod, because that sounds perfect.