Chapter 5 #2
He shrugs a broad shoulder like it was no biggie.
“It wasn’t hard, until she hit her rebellious teenage phase and that…
” he chuckles awkwardly. “Yeah, that was tough. I was hard on her a lot of times, for her own good, and I hope she realizes that. I never meant to be an overbearing presence in her life or to take our dad’s place, but I became fearful of losing Michaela the same way I lost them, so I was quite strict.
I don’t blame her for dipping out of this house the moment she turned eighteen. ”
And yet Thane stuck around, almost haunted and chained by the memories of their past. I wondered if he stayed here, not only because he didn’t want to leave the one place that reminded him of his parents, but because he felt like he had no choice?
He feels guilty and this house is his own figurative prison to depict all that he’s lost.
It breaks my heart just to think about it.
“For what it’s worth, I think Michaela knows you meant well.
She realizes the sacrifices you made for her and she’s grateful, even if she hasn’t found the right words to tell you.
” His gaze flies to mine, surprised, and there’s so much hope in there that something inside of me flares.
I add, “You’re a good brother, Thane, and I’m sure you were a good son too.
I saw your family pictures and the way your parents looked at you.
They adored you. I don’t think they resented you chasing your dreams—maybe they were just lonely without you—and they definitely wanted the best for you and Michaela.
If they were alive right now, I’m sure they’d be very proud of you both. ”
Thane’s green eyes are bright with emotions.
Goodness gracious, he’s so handsome.
On the field, he’s a force to be reckoned with, an imposing figure barking orders at his players, a god waiting to be obeyed.
In the darkness of the night, illuminated by a shard of moonlight passing through the solarium windows, he’s otherworldly, grander than anything my dreams could have concocted.
And I want to touch him. Want to remember what it’s like to trace the black ink running from his arms to his chest. Want to feel the ridges of his abs.
Want to feel the hardness of his thighs under my ass. Want to feel his lips against mine.
“Thank you, Marlow,” he rasps. “For your kind words.”
I smile and squeeze our joined hands, my heart leaping in my chest. “You’re welcome. If you get the chance, talk to Michaela. She’ll like to hear what’s on your mind and I have a feeling she’ll want to share the things that are on hers. It’ll be good for you both.”
I don’t need to outright say that Michaela regrets leaving the way she did or that she misses him. He senses it and it’s best he hears it directly from my best friend than myself.
Thane’s response is to bring our joined hands to his mouth and press a tender kiss on my knuckles.
I gasp under my breath, almost inaudibly. The touch of his lips sears me from top to bottom. The well of my desire for this man grows deeper.
I swallow and to diffuse the tension, ask, “What did you do after college, when you decided to no longer pursue a professional career in football?”
Thane’s hungry expression doesn’t dissolve, but he still answers me.
“I worked some odd jobs for a while to keep myself occupied until an old buddy of mine called me up saying your college desperately needed a football coach and I stepped up to the position. It worked out in the end. I got to stay in the city, take care of Michaela, and devote the rest of my time to my passion, but in a different way. It’s rewarding helping young athletes accomplish their dreams. I see myself in a lot of them. ”
“And a lot of your players have gone pro, right?”
He gives me a rare half-grin that I love and want to remember for years to come. “Keeping tabs on me, little cheerleader?”
Little cheerleader. I swallow. Fuck, I want to hear him call me that when we get down and dirty. Want him to command me with that title and show him what a good girl I can be.
“Yes.”
Feeling emboldened, I uncross my knees until my outer thighs touch his inner ones.
He sucks in a small breath that I catch.
He’s so affected by me. Just like I’m so affected by him.
My thumbs rub half-circles on the back of his tattooed hands.
One of them has flowers running from his pointer to thumb and I can’t help but think that the roses would like such a pretty necklace around my throat.
“What do you do on nights that you can’t sleep? ”
“Burn as much energy as I can until I pass out.”
My cheeks burn. I almost tell him I can think of a few ways for us to burn energy.
Thane lets go of my hands and drops them on my knees, squeezing. Arousal pools in my panties. “I usually work out.” Work out sounds filthy coming out of his mouth. “Otherwise, I take a sleeping pill. But tonight, I’m not in the mood for either.”
His voice drops to a delicious husk.
I lick my bottom lip. His green eyes follow the motion. “Then what do you want to do, Coach Thane?”
His lids lower the slightest bit, a hunting look entering his gaze. “What did I tell you about calling me Coach Thane?”
“I think you secretly like me calling you Coach Thane,” I whisper.
“I like a lot of things about you, little cheerleader.” His hands snake higher up my thighs and my breath catches in my throat. “But none that I should say out loud.”
The tension in the air is so thick, it can be sliced clean with a knife. My pulse batters faster. We’re so close. Close enough that if I lean another handful of inches, our mouths can stamp together. And I want that. God, I want to taste his mouth and hear his groans.
In the coyest voice I can muster, I say, “I’m game to hear them, Coach Thane.”
His fingers dig into my skin like he’s physically stopping himself from taking me. Right here. Right now. “Fuck, I don’t know what to do with this version of you, baby.”
The new term of endearment makes my heart skip a beat. “T-This version of me?”
He nods tersely. “The one in my solarium, talking to me, looking all soft and approachable, so different from the polished version of you on the field. Before today, I’ve only ever seen you during games and practices, in your cheer uniform, appearing like an angel with a halo over her head while you go about your routines. ”
His words pour over me like honey, thick and sweet. “Do you watch me often on the field?”
“All the time,” he grits out, palms coasting until they reach my hips, underneath my babydoll.
His fingers toy with the strings of my thong.
“I should be focused on my players, yet I can’t help myself from staring in your direction.
You captivate me, Marlow. You always have from the second I spotted you this past homecoming. ”
I’m still reeling from the realization that this man watches me, wants me, is captivated by me, when I end up confessing, “I saw you for the first time freshman year and you captivated me too. When I’m on the field, I can barely concentrate on anything else but you.
Everything about you draws me in. I…I’ve wanted you for three years.
” Thane’s gone rigid, observing me with an unnamed emotion.
Tentatively, I raise my hands to cup his jaw.
A shudder of pure need passes through him, making his muscles ripple, his body come alive.
“It’s clear now that you want me too. I think you know what to do with this version of me, but you won’t let yourself take it that far. ”
His breathing is low, almost laboured. “You’re my sister’s best friend—her roommate. You’re a student at the college. I can’t.”
“If I were just another woman interested in you, with no strings attached, what would you do?”
“Marlow…” His eyes screw shut for a split second. “I told you I wouldn’t say those things out loud.”
“And I told you I want to hear them.” I boldly let our lips brush, pleading, “Please. Just for tonight, Coach Thane?”
I see the exact moment his control snaps like a taut elastic band, a dark cloud passing through his gaze. “Fuck. You win, little cheerleader. You. Fucking. Win.”
With a defeated groan, Thane tilts his head and fuses his lips to mine in a hard kiss.