Ben
Leaning my head back against the headrest, I watch the landscape trundle by as we return to Nolan after our final preseason away game.
I’d been quietly nervous about this one.
It was the first with Coach Paxton, and after the way he’s been riding us at practices, I thought he was going to be a hard-ass courtside too.
I was expecting yelling and arguments with the ref.
But the man was cool and calm the entire time.
He brought us in for huddles, directed us like he actually knew what he was doing, and I don’t think we’ve ever played such a cohesive game before.
We only lost by four points, which is the closest we’ve ever gotten to beating the Beckham Bobcats.
Their school’s a four-hour bus ride away and we usually hate going, but spirits are pretty high on the way back.
I thought they might be low because we still lost, but the point is, we only just lost, and Coach Paxton was stoked.
In the locker room after the game, he was praising us like we’d just come top of the table.
“Such a great start to the season, boys.” He clapped his hands.
“I know it was a pregame, but the season officially kicks off next week, and this year, with play like I saw tonight…” He gave us a closed-mouth grin, his head bobbing.
“We won’t be coming last, that’s for sure.
” He started clapping again and then Sawyer whooped, and we were soon all cheering like idiots.
Maybe this new coach won’t be so bad.
I glance to my left, spotting Jimmy across the aisle.
He has his big headphones on and is frowning out the window like he’s trying to solve a complex math problem or something.
I watch him for a beat, wondering what he’s so worried about.
He played well tonight. Coach kept telling him not to hold back, and he let himself shine more than usual.
That’s probably why we did so well. I don’t understand why that’s a problem for him.
Shouldn’t he always be playing his best?
With moves like I saw tonight, he should be transferring out of here and going to a school with a better basketball program. The guy’s got skills.
I kind of wish I was close enough to him to pitch that idea.
You are. Just mention it. Or tell Mac and get him to do it.
I sit up and glance at the seats around me, spotting Mac diagonally behind me. He senses my gaze, his sharp eyes darting to meet mine. I give him a friendly smile and slump back down in my seat. Mac’s not gonna tell Jimmy to go.
And sure, I’d miss the guy if he left too.
Jimmy’s solid. Reliable. An awesome person to have in the house.
It’s not like I want him to leave; I’m just trying to think about his potential and how it’s probably wasted on a team of our caliber.
Unless he doesn’t want to play pro-ball.
Just because someone’s good at something doesn’t mean it’s their dream, right?
Maybe he wants to do other stuff with his life, like the rest of us.
Shit, we must be the only team in the competition who doesn’t have anyone gunning for the NBA, yet we all stay. I snicker and shake my head. We all come to practices, sweat it out, play the game. Because we can. Because it’s a damn privilege, even when we do come bottom of the standings.
Not this year. This year, you might even come middle.
My lips twitch with the idea just as my phone buzzes with a message from… my girlfriend.
A smile stretches over my face as I unlock my screen and read it.
Jolie: Hey. You said you’d be back by around 8, right? I hope it’s okay, but Charli let me in, and I’m upstairs in your room trying to study while I wait for you to get back.
Me: Trying to study?
Jolie: Well, it’s kind of impossible to study when you know your superhot boyfriend will be back soon. I think I’d rather just sit in your bed, fully naked and waiting for you.
Me: I’m okay with that.
I let out a soft snicker and add in a winking emoji and then the kissing face.
She sends back a love heart, and then I wait while she finds a GIF. It pops onto my screen, and I laugh at the cute blushing animation.
My leg starts bobbing as I imagine her slipping between my sheets wearing absolutely nothing.
Yep, I am definitely okay with that.
The bus can’t drive fast enough as I count down the minutes until we get back to Nolan.
As soon as we arrive, I rush off that thing and run to my car.
“Where’s the fucking fire, man?” Sawyer yells after me. “You not coming to Offside?”
“Nah, I’ve got… stuff to do at home.”
Cringe. That totally came out wrong.
Darian frowns at me like I’m weird. I really should tell them that I have a girlfriend and stop sneaking her out of the house without them knowing.
Sawyer knows, though. He’s giving me a secret smile, and I turn my back on it. I don’t want him to tell the guys about Jolie… because I should be the one to do it.
I don’t even know why I’ve kept her a secret.
I knew why I initially didn’t say anything—lessons in sex are weird, right?
But she’s my girl now, and I should be proudly introducing her to my roommates.
I guess I just want to protect her from guys like Mac who might make her feel small and unwelcome.
He can be a real asshole when he’s in a mood.
And Darian can be a little over the top, and Jimmy is so shy he can come across like a snob sometimes.
And with Jolie wanting to keep this a secret because of Caroline, it’s just been easier to sneak around.
But maybe I don’t want to do that anymore.
Racing home, I park in the driveway and nearly bump into Charli coming through the front door. She laughs at me.
“What?” I try to play dumb, then remember that she let Jolie in.
She wiggles her eyebrows and playfully whispers, “I like your girl, Benny Boy. She’s cool.” Her nod of approval means everything, and I’m pretty sure Jolie would die if she knew that Charli Gomez thought she was cool.
I can’t wait to tell her.
With a large grin, I take the rest of the stairs three at a time and am soon bursting through my door to find a very sexy woman lying in my bed with the most adorable smile.
“Damn.” I shake my head.
She giggles, tucking her hair behind her ears and patting the bed beside her. “Get naked, Mr. Evers.”
I start stripping, throwing my clothes on the floor and then diving toward her as soon as I’m bare. She lets out a squeal that soon turns into a moan when I kiss her from head to toe and make her come.
“Yes!” Her cries are loud and unrestrained, and if the guys were home, they’d definitely know I had a girl up here.
Yeah, it’s time. It’s definitely time.
“Can we try something?” Jolie asks, her voice still breathy as she recovers from her high.
I pop my eyes open. “What, baby?”
“I want to try sitting on you, but I’m not really sure if I’ll like it, but I want to try it just in case I do… or you do… or—”
“We do,” I finish for her, rolling onto my back. “We both have to like it, okay?” She bites her lip, and I softly assure her, “It’s okay if you don’t.”
She nods, still looking nervous as she reaches into my drawer and pulls out a condom.
I roll it on and then nestle her over my body, gently talking her through this and making sure she’s lined up before letting her sink onto me.
Fuuuuuck, it feels good, but I try to keep that thought to myself, just in case she’s not loving this.
Resting my hands on her hips, I guide her into a smooth rhythm, and she’s soon palming my chest and riding me with soft pants and moans.
“Is this okay?” she manages to whisper.
“More than.” I squeeze her hips. “You feel so good, baby.”
I love calling her that. I love that I’m allowed to now.
Sweet endearments keep popping out of my mouth as I test out pet names, but I keep coming back to “baby.” My mom is kind of obsessed with Elton John, and he’s got this song with a line about “baby’s got blue eyes” or something, and the riff is playing on repeat in my mind as I watch my woman ride me.
My baby’s got gray eyes, and they are so fucking beautiful.
Her glowing gaze hits me with a loved-up look, and I grip her hips a little tighter, basking in her light, losing all sense of time and reality as she works my cock into a frenzy.
Reaching for her boobs, I lightly cup them, rubbing my thumbs over her nipples until she’s panting again.
“Ben,” she breathes, her fingers curling into my chest as she slides a little lower, taking my full length inside her.
I’m starting to lose it. Her sweet pussy is undoing me, each stroke another step toward complete release.
An unchecked groan rises up my throat, and I squeeze her boobs before dropping my hands back to her hips and digging my fingers into her soft skin.
“Baby,” I moan, guiding her to pump a little faster.
She goes with me, her boobs bouncing when she picks up the pace, and I’m lost, I’m gone, I’m—
“Ahhh.” My cry is strangled as that white fire takes me out and I lift my hips, thrusting into her.
She sinks down onto me at the same time, a soft gasp coming out of her as I explode, every nerve ending fried.
Holy shit, this woman is amazing.
Grabbing her arms, I pull her down on top of me, cupping the back of her head and holding her close while my heart thunders, pounding throughout my body.
Pressing her lips against my neck, she squeezes her thighs on either side of me, then playfully teases, “I think you liked it.”
I laugh, skimming my fingers down her back. “Yeah, I liked it.” Resting my hands on her sweet ass, I ask, “Did you?”
She sits back up to look down at me, her lips pursing. “I think so? I mean, I’m glad we finished this way, but my back was starting to ache a little. I was about to tell you to roll me back over, but then you started coming.”
I frown, reaching for her lower back and starting to massage it. “You should have said. We could have rolled over.”
“You were having such a good time, and I didn’t want to disrupt that.” She smiles, stretching over me and boxing my head in with her arms. “I liked it, and I definitely want to try it again.”