Chapter 12

Drew

The air is cold, and my muscles immediately seize up as I open the door as wide as I can.

Operation ‘Stop thinking about Bella’ Take-Two must commence.

I glance over my shoulder and take one look at the reason that I’d rather die of hypothermia than spend another minute in the house.

Bella has flagrantly sprawled herself across my sofa again. Her broken leg is hitched on the back of the pillows, and her mouth is gaped open in what can only be described as a haughty display of dominance.

She’s taken over everything. My time off. My house. My mind. I can’t get away from her. Worse still, I don’t know if I want to.

Shaking my head, I wash away those thoughts and start to run. Okay, more like jog, through the thick snow, careful to avoid the black ice. I count my steps to keep my mind occupied and watch the air billowing in front of me with every breath I take.

She kissed me.

Or did I kiss her?

All I know is that it was unplanned and too steamy to resist. However, knowing Bella as well as I do, I know this will be another thing we won’t discuss. Just like when she watched me in the gym or when I saw her naked. Bella avoids any kind of confrontation, and apparently, I’m the biggest one of all.

Even the loud crunching of the snow can’t stop me from thinking about how her fingers curled around my neck or how soft and pliable her lips were. It was like all those high school dreams came back with a vengeance. I spent the better part of my senior year wondering what Bella Summers looked like naked, safe in the knowledge that I’d never find out.

But then the mistletoe happened, and she was straight up shoving her tongue down my throat. I was so shocked by the move I froze. It felt like I was my thirteen-year-old self again, kissing for the first time, and I didn’t know where to put my hands, let alone how to make it good for her. When I could finally engage my brain, Bella had already pushed me off her, looking at me like I’d killed her cat, and then stumbled away like a frightened deer.

Did she want it? Or was that all an act?

The girl is harder to read than a Dr. Seuss book, and I’m dyslexic.

I keep reminding myself that she was the one who pushed and pushed and pushed until I finally gave in. She wanted it, even if she’s too embarrassed to admit it now. But this is something we can’t avoid talking about. That kiss was way too big to ignore.

With no scarf or hat, the cold air bites at my face. I can hardly feel my ears, and I think the hair on the back of my neck is freezing off. I couldn’t bring myself to open the closet for fear of waking up the beast in Bella. Girl can get nasty when she wants to, and I wasn’t about to be the person to wake her up out of that pretzel-like position.

How does Bella do it? How does she kiss someone like that and then act as though nothing happened? To sleep so obnoxiously, as though she wasn’t thinking about the kiss, is outrageous.

Did she think I was getting up at five a.m. every day for my health? That during my winter break, I’d want to train mindlessly until my brain was too tired to think before she woke up?

Bella is maddening. I knew something was off about her the first day I met her, but I assumed it was because she was delirious from the ball I threw at her head. It took me three years and a lot of snark to realize it wasn’t. Since then, I’ve spent years avoiding her crazy, and it’s been good, but now that it’s front and center in my house, I can’t take it.

She’s everywhere, taunting me like a Sonic cheeseburger on game day, only there’s no way to avoid her.

Snow sticks to my lashes, and I can see my house in the distance. Sighing, I clench my fists and shove them in the pockets of my letterman jacket. Another thing I should have picked up on my way out was an actual winter coat. Not this flimsy thing.

My fingers are turning blue, but I can only think about how Bella will still be in my house, sleeping as aggressively as she was when I left.

Marching to the house, I’m more determined than ever to speak to Bella. I will not let her brush me off or avoid this any longer. She kissed me. I liked it, and I’m pretty sure she liked it too. So, what now? That’s what she’s going to have to tell me.

All I need to do is sit on the couch, wake her up, and force her to listen. She’ll make some excuse about needing to brush the morning breath away, but bad breath be damned. I will not let her leave that couch until I’ve said my piece.

It will go something like this, ‘Bella, I’ve wanted to tell you somethi-’

My words are cut short when I hear the small mewls of what I think is an injured animal. I briskly walk to the noise and realize it’s not a dying fox but the little blonde terror that has been occupying my home for the last week and my mind for the last few years.

Bella has one hand in the air, waving at me like an overeager Deal or No Deal girl, trying to convince me to open her box. Wobbling on the spot, I immediately spur into action, running as fast and as carefully as possible to get to her. If she slips and gets another injury, I’ll never forgive myself. Neither will Coach.

“Bella,” I grumble. “Are you insane?” She’s standing outside on my porch in the same pair of basketball shorts and shirt from last night. Only now, her nipples are very much poking out from the cold. “It’s minus four degrees, and you’re not wearing clothes.”

I rip my jacket off when I get to her and look around the block. There’s still a dusky hue in the air, and most people are sleeping, so I highly doubt anyone else just got the eyeful of Bella I did.

“I could say the same thing about you,” she replies curtly, barely acknowledging me as I lift her back into the house. “You look like you’re dressed for a run in a heatwave.” She looks down at my matching basketball shorts, leggings, and shirt and raises a disapproving brow. “What the hell were you doing out there at five a.m.?! You could have been eaten by a black bear or something.”

“Aw, were you worried about me, Belly?”

She’s so flustered she hasn’t noticed that I’ve walked her back into the house, straight through the living room, and into my bedroom. “I’ve already told you. Don’t call me Belly,” she warns, as though her words can hurt me. “Wait, what are you doing?” Then it finally sinks in. I ignore her question, kick open the bathroom door, and set her on the countertop.

Noticing the red, painful welts across her arms, I sit on the edge of my bathtub, turn on the hot water, and fill it with those bubbles she seemed to like last time.

“Drew,” she whines.

I finally throw her a look over my shoulder, and yeah, those blue lips tell me she’s definitely still cold. “You must be freezing.” I drop my gaze to her very erect nipples, but she is so annoyed with me that the implication goes over her head. “I’m guessing you’ve got nothing under those shorts, either.”

Thankfully, I’m still cold, so there’s less blood rushing to my dick than there would be at the sight of her nipples and slightly parted legs. Steam fills the room, and I can feel my muscles relaxing, which can only mean one thing: I need to get her in this bath and leave before an awkwardly painful boner comes out to play.

The bath is taking too long, so I use the time to walk past her and grab the largest, thickest shirt from my dresser. I drop it on her lap before checking the bath temperature. “Is this for me?” she asks, leaning against the foggy mirror.

I try my best to look at anything but her nipples poking through that stupidly thin top, but it’s no use. They’re there, calling out to me, and I can’t help myself. I still can’t believe she was standing outside in the snow with just that on.

“Of course it is. Your father would have a heart attack if he found out I let you walk outside and freeze to death,” I lie. It’s never just been about getting in trouble with her father; it’s because I liked the idea of her living longer than today.

She places my clean shirt next to her and looks at me with wide blue eyes. “You want me to go in there?” She tips her chin to the now-filled tub, and I nod. Then, she wets her lips and says, “I’m not going in there unless you come with me.”

Silence.

That’s all there is between us while I replay her words and try to comprehend what the heck she just said. I blink a few times before trying to answer her, but I can’t get anything out except an almighty dumb sounding, “What?”

This is all a dream, right? I must have collapsed in the snow earlier, and my brain is living out my fantasies before I slowly freeze to death. She’s still looking at me like that’s a perfectly reasonable request and she scoots forward, ready to hop off the vanity.

My protective instincts come out, and I rush to her. They always do when I’m around Bella, especially since she has a history of being way less graceful than a koala. When I place my hands against her hips, she delicately touches my arm and digs her fingers into my biceps. “You were outside running for an hour, Drew. You’re barely wearing anything, and your skin is blue. You feel like an ice block.”

Heat radiates from where her thumb rubs against my shoulder, and I shake my head. “No. I’ll take a shower after you.” As much as my sixteen-year-old self is kicking me in the crotch for this, I can’t say yes. I straighten my shoulders, and my body feels more tense than usual. I’m firm on my decision, but when she strokes her hand up and down my arm, the words feel a little less convincing.

“Please come in the bath with me.” There’s a hand squeeze, and I close my eyes. Why is she hellbent on torturing me? “I’ll need your help again getting in and out with this boot on, anyway. It might just be easier for us if you’re in there with me from the start.”

I guess she has a point, but I have no idea how we ended up here. We were down each other’s throats only a few days ago, to potentially taking a bath together after kissing in the laundry room. It’s too much for this pea-brained athlete, and I can’t think straight.

I grab the towel on the side and turn around to offer it to her. Bella looks down at the black fabric and gives me a small, comforting smile. “Thanks,” she mumbles.

“No problem.”

I guide her to the bathtub and help her perch against the side before checking the temperature. “Seems to be just about right for you. Scorching hot.”

“Do you think I like it hot?” All I hear when she speaks are innuendos, and I shake my hand dry with a gulp. “Or is it because you think I’m the devil?”

“Uh, no. I.” She’s making me flustered, a characteristic that’s only ever come out with her, but then she grabs my cheeks with both hands and forces me to face her.

“Relax, Drew. I was joking.” Her sympathetic eyes and soft smile are new to me. Strangely, I like it. I like her. Always have.

Staring at me with parted lips, she shucks her shorts off and watches my expression. I can’t turn away, and it’s not because I want a show. It’s because I know she’ll probably do something stupid like fall in the tub and drown if I’m not watching. I can see her fingers toying with the edges of her shirt in my periphery, and her lips lift on one side in a challenge.

Then she does it.

She lifts her top over her head and throws it in the corner before pushing her shoulders back and staring at me. I think my brain is short-circuiting because Bella is sitting on top of the bathtub in nothing but a little black, lacy thong. At least, I think it’s a thong. I only let my eyes venture down that path for the split-second her shirt covered her face. I immediately snapped them back to her eyes; they haven’t moved since.

“You okay, Drew?” she asks, completely unbothered by her lack of clothing. I’ve always thought of Bella as a ballsy and confident girl when she wanted something, but I never really quite understood how it would feel to be on the receiving end of it.

“I’m fine.” My mouth is barely working properly, but my coyness doesn’t make her hesitate. She pushes her panties off and lifts her good leg over the lip of the tub with a raised brow.

“Are you going to help me in or not?”

I stand, staring at the wet floor tile because I refuse to look anywhere near Bella’s hot, naked body. Last time I saw her by accident, but this time, she’s offering herself up on a platter, and I’m unsure how to respond.

Somehow, I manage to look her in the eyes without seeing anything and walk toward her. Still staring, she crosses her legs, and a small smirk grows on her face because I think she likes that I’m hesitating. Bella’s a control freak like that.

I switch my brain off when I slip my hand under her knees and rest her against my chest. I need to think about things like ice-cold showers, and my teammates' hairy asses to stop from getting a boner. Slowly, I dip her down into the water, taking my time because she can’t have another injury. As the bubbles surround her naked body, I hold her leg up, keeping the cast dry, and place the boot on the edge of the tub.

Taking a step back, I admire her as she watches my every move. Damn. Even with that snot-colored cast, she looks hot in the tub.

“Where are you going?” She innocently asks as I walk to the door. “You can’t leave me here.” I halt but focus on the sheets in my bedroom because if I turn and look at her, I’ll be tempted to do things I shouldn’t.

A sloshing noise follows her movement, and I cringe, hoping she’s not getting that cast wet. “I wanted to give you some privacy,” I grit out, standing on the threshold.

“Why? It’s not like you haven’t seen it all before. And you’re wet from putting me in here. You might as well join.”

“I’m good,” I quip. I’m determined to leave Bella there before I let her see my boner.

“Come on, D. I’ll need help to get out of here, anyway.”

I bite down on my tongue and close my eyes. She’s making rational thinking awfully hard, and when I look over my shoulder, all my resolve drifts away, sinking into the bubbles. Bella is in the tub, with her leg up high and her fingers dragging across the rim, watching me with a hooded glare. I’m not sure if many people would find a neon green cast attractive, but apparently, I do. It’s almost giving me the same vibes as her wearing my jersey.

“Please, Drew. Help me.”

“Sure.” Much like the words rolling off my tongue, my legs move with their own volition. I’m in a pair of board shorts and back in the bathroom with a grinning Bella before I can change my mind.

Bella’s smile grows when she sees me at the door, and she shuffles her body forward so there is enough space for me. Well, I guess she thinks that’s enough space. I’m a big guy, and I know in this position there will be some skin-to-skin contact.

“You joining?” Her eyebrow arches in question, and I raise my shoulders, taking a deep breath.

Now or never.

I take a few more steps toward a beaming Bella and carefully step into the hot bath. The minute my big toe penetrates the water, I know this is a bad idea, but I keep going, letting my whole foot enter and then step in with my other foot.

Bella squeezes her shoulders together, giving me space to spread my thighs on either side of her, and when they are snuggly resting next to her, she relaxes her naked back onto my body. Dipping her chin, she rests her head against my chest, and I’m left gripping the sides of the bath, tortured by the scent of her strawberry shampoo.

With her eyes closed, she lets out a soft moan, tilting her head to the side as though I’m pleasuring her. She’s acting like it’s a perfectly normal occurrence for us to be nearly naked in a tub together.

Rocking her head from side to side, a warm feeling grows in my chest.

Fuck. This feels so good.

Her hands brush against mine, causing my skin to goosebump, and I thank god I had the sense to put my board shorts on. The restrictive netting gives me just a little ounce of dignity and hopefully holds back my growing erection.

“How are you doing back there?” I can hear the humor in her voice. I’m glad one of us is finding this whole situation funny.

“I’m fine,” I retort.

Her delicate fingers emerge from the water, and she plucks a soap bar from the side dish before turning her face in my direction. Her nose tickles my chin, and I swear she nuzzles it. “Could you help?”

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

I gulp. What the hell are we doing, and is this some kind of sick prison guard game where she makes me drop the soap?

“Huh?”

Smooth move, Drew. Smooth.

“Well, I can’t get to my back with my cast over the tub. I need your help.”

I groan, ready to finally say no to this girl, but then she lifts herself ever so slightly so that I can see the tiniest hint of her ass cheeks. Well, that little thought of rebellion lasted all of two seconds.

“If you insist.” I take the bar and slowly rub it against her smooth back.

I shake my head, trying not to laugh, but seriously, what the fuck am I doing? I feel like I want to hurl, much like I did the night I lost my virginity. Only this time, I should know what I’m doing.

Bella tilts her head and moans, low and sexy. I shuffle back, trying to discreetly cover my boner, but sadly, she follows me down, rubbing her perfectly peachy ass against my crotch.

I don’t know how far she wants to take this. Like I’ve said before, Bella is the queen of giving me mixed signals, but she’s naked with me trapped in a tub. If I try to escape, she’ll probably slip on the water and break her other leg.

Focusing on her back, I draw the soap up, hitting every ridge in her spine. She arches her back when I get to her shoulder, and suddenly drops her hand on top of mine.

Her fingers squeeze my hand, and I immediately feel like I’ve done something wrong. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Holding my hand a little tighter, she guides it over her shoulder to her collarbone, and lets me rub the soap in there.

She’s not finished, though.

Moving my hand farther, she goes down. Down. Down. Farther still.

All the way down until our hands sit at the very top of her breast.

She breathes deeply, forcing our hands to glide across her soft flesh. When the soap and my thumb brush over the top of her nipple, she drops her head back and closes her eyes. Her nose grazes against my neck, and I could have sworn she left a kiss there.

Bella drops her hand, and the soap slips out of mine simultaneously, which only means one thing:

I’m cupping Bella’s warm boob while I lie semi-naked in the tub with her.

How the fuck did I get here?

“That feels so good, Drew.” She moans in a husky voice. “Keep touching me.”

My hand hasn’t moved, but she’s writhing underneath it as I feel the soft pebble of her nipple, causing all kinds of discomfort in my shorts. I’m still hesitant.

“Please, Drew,” she says after a couple more moments of hesitance. I’ve got Bella begging now, and she’s pegged me to the tub. So what else is there to do?

I guess I just have to go for it.

Feeling the weight of her breast in my hand, I dip a little lower, hovering over her nipple and brush my thumb against the hard peak. This time more intentionally than before.

She snakes her hands around my hips from behind and dips her thumbs into my board shorts. Biting my lip, I try my best not to buck against her, but she makes that impossible when she pulls my board shorts down, brazenly freeing my cock.

I’m hard already, and she lets out a little mewl of excitement when she feels it rub against the skin of her ass.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I warn, breathing in sharply. She ignores me. Moaning and grinding against me like I’m a pole, and she’s working for cash incentives.

“Why not? You feel so good. I want this.”

“You sure about that?”

“More sure than I am that you’ll get drafted as the number one pick.”

I stopped listening after the first two words, too focused on squeezing her breast and rolling her nipple with my fingers.

She lifts her chest so my hand smooths over her stomach, and my pinkie finger plays with her belly button. Her hips move faster, and my hand starts to slip, but I stop it when it reaches the top of her pelvis.

“Don’t stop.” It’s another command from Bella, and I willingly listen.

Taking my time, I let my fingers drift to the top of her center, and without hesitation, I circle my finger across her skin, eliciting a small, gentle whimper from her. Even in the water, I can feel her wetness coating my fingers, and I love it. I love everything about what we’re doing. Her heavy breathing pushes me forward, and she moves her ass in line with my cock so I’m essentially jerking off between her cheeks.

It’s everything.

And nothing I ever expected from her.

Her body slowly rocks against my hand, and I dip my palm lower until my fingers are at her entrance. Pushing one finger in, I smile when she cries out in pleasure. “Do you like that?” My voice is gruff because, to be honest, breathing is a little tough right now.

Bella seems to have trouble with words too, and answers with a nod and a serene smile. “I love it. It feels so good.”

Taking a chance, I push another finger inside her, drawing small circles around her clit with my thumb.

My cock pulses against her ass, and I know I don’t have long, but I can’t come first. I never come first. It’s a rule of mine. Listening to her moans, I move to a quick rhythm that renders her breathless, hoping it will be enough to get her as close as I am, and we can at least come together.

Bella grinds against my hand, creating more friction between her body and my cock. We’re not having sex, but this is the most turned-on I’ve ever been with a girl. I don’t know if it’s because we’re doing something so beyond what I normally do or if it’s because it’s Bella I’m doing these things with. The prom queen who was too busy dating my best friend, so she didn’t look at me twice in high school is now all over me in college.

“I’m coming, Drew.”

“Come all over my fingers like I know you want to, B.” I continue my assault against her clit, rubbing faster whenever I feel her body involuntarily jolt. She gasps, and I feel her pussy tighten around my fingers. Her hips buck, greedily pushing my fingers farther in, and that movement is enough to get me there too.

Pushing my palm down, she pulses against me. I close my eyes and let the pleasure take over as I come against her back. Although it’s not gentlemanly, I don’t stop myself. I can’t. It feels too good.

We’re both taking what we want from each other. What we need, and neither one of us is willing to stop.

The come down takes longer than I expected, but when the dots have finally cleared from my vision, I open my eyes to an equally satiated Bella, collapsed on top of me.

Breathing heavily, I gently kiss her shoulder. My fingers are still inside her, and my cum is probably on her back. I can’t say for certain if it has mixed into the bath water. We should probably get out of here, but I can’t seem to help myself.

She lies lifeless on my stomach, and I think I've rendered her speechless for the first time since I’ve known her. A feat that makes me prouder than it should.

The water starts to cool, and even though we’re technically clean, sitting in my semen is more than a little disgusting. “That was unexpected,” I husk into her ear.

“But amazing,” she breathes out.

Smiling, I squeeze her shoulders, moving behind her a little. “It was pretty good, wasn’t it?”

Her hand drops on top of mine, and she squeezes back. “Think we might need another bath tomorrow.”

“Think you might be right.” Did Bella and I just heal the enemy rift between us? We certainly made our relationship a hell of a lot more complicated. We should have talked about things before jumping into a bath together.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here. We’re turning into prunes.” I try to lighten the mood because the implications of what we did weigh heavy on me.

“Afraid of shriveling?” she asks lightheartedly. “Don’t worry, D. You’re packing enough D for the entire football team even shriveled.” She nuzzles her nose against the sensitive skin across my neck, so I start to move, knowing that if I don’t, we aren’t going to leave this tub without another round.

She moves out of my way, and as I get out of the bath, I cover myself before sitting on the ledge. I hold my hands out to her with an open towel in a move that repeats what we did yesterday, but this time, I don’t close my eyes as I watch her climb into my arms. She stumbles a little, but I’m there to hold her. Besides, even clambering, she looks beautiful as she makes her way out of the suds, and I see her body for what it is. Curved and toned, I have all these ideas about the things I’d like to do to her, but know we need to talk before I try.

Everything feels right when she sits on my lap, and I wrap the large towel around her slender shoulders.

She doesn’t protest when I pick her up, just lets out a little squeal as I carry her into my room. Placing her on the bed, I say, “Let me get you something to wear.”

Heading to the dresser, I pull out two shirts and two pairs of shorts. A set for Bella, and one for me.

As I hand her the clothes, I almost feel disappointed because I can see it in her face. She’s gone from serenely satiated to concerned in a matter of seconds.

Her forehead is so furrowed, her eyebrows look connected, and she’s chewing her bottom lip like she’s starving.

Great.

She’s already regretting it. I shouldn’t be surprised with her track record. She’s only had one serious boyfriend, and although Bella would like me to believe she has a different guy every week, I know the truth. I know her.

She’s not used to this, and she’s already regretting it. She’s already regretting me.

“What’s wrong, beautiful?”

Placing my hand under her chin, I raise it and pull her bottom lip from under her teeth with a pop. Her eyes search mine, hoping I’ll answer the question without her telling me, but sadly, I’m not a mind reader.

“Come on, B. Say something.”

I keep a straight face, but inside, I prepare myself for the worst. She’s going to tell me this was a mistake and that we can never talk about it again.

“Was it me?” she asks. Her voice is laced with hesitation, matched with the fact that she can’t look me in the eyes.

“Was what you?”

“Was I the girl in high school?” She spits it out like it has been on her mind since I first teased her with the facts of our high school days. Tilting my head, I study her. She’s fiddling with her hands and still gnawing at her bottom lip.

It’s then I realize that Bella Summers will literally be the death of me.

Hot and Cold. Hard and Sweet.

I can’t figure this girl out; yet, for some reason, I keep trying.

And I know I won’t stop. I can’t. I see her. The vulnerable girl who just wants to be loved under her cocky exterior. I see the courage it took to genuinely ask that question, and I know this is her way of opening up to me, even if I have no idea what she’s talking about.

She takes a shaky breath, building herself up again to speak. “The girl you can’t get over from high school. Is it me?” Now it’s my turn to look confused because I have no idea what she’s talking about. “When I was playing on your Xbox, I spoke to Jacob. He thought I was you.” Her cheeks bloom red at the admission, but I let her continue. “He told me you couldn’t get over a girl from high school. I thought it was Sabrina or something, but after…” She trails off with a wave of her hand, expecting me to know where she is going with the sentence. When I only answer her with a raised brow, she finishes, “Everything that just happened. I don’t want to sound conceited, but I think it might be me.”

Smirking, I say, “Sorry to be the one to tell you this, B. But you sound conceited.”

“Am I right, though?”

How the hell am I supposed to answer that without sounding painfully pathetic?

“Even though I’m an ass to you and treat you like crap every chance I get. It’s me, isn’t it?”

I nod and turn back to the dresser because answering that question seems redundant now. She sees through me, and I see through her. There’s no point denying that I’m into her since I just finished fingering her in the bathtub. Although, I guess if anyone asked, I could say I was just helping her relieve an itch from the inside.

Believable.

Instead of answering, I throw on a pair of shorts and a shirt and toss the towel to the side. Bella pushes herself off the bed, and I hear her hobble toward me. It’s clunky and loud, and I’ve no doubt that she’s going to fall over, but I don’t look. I just don’t know what to say. “Turn around, Drew,” she commands, and finally, I do as she says. When she gets close enough, she cups my cheeks in her hands, pushing herself onto the tiptoes of one of her feet.

She plants a gentle, tentative kiss on my lips as though she’s testing a theory, but somehow, she seems to have forgotten that I’m already a willing participant.

Our lips linger for a few seconds until she presses down, kissing me again. This time, a little harder. I still don’t move, letting her take the lead. She needs to initiate this. Not me.

She kisses me again.

And again.

Her kisses turn feverish in a desperate attempt to get me to move.

She’s hobbling against me, and when I hear little mewls of pain coming from her, I decide to pick her up and carry her to the bed.

Dropping her onto the sheets, Bella takes no time to unhook her towel and pull it apart.

Towering over her, I greedily admire her toned body. Curvy in all the right places with just enough muscle tone to know that she’s an athlete.

Flicking my gaze to the apex of her thick thighs, I lick my lips because I’d gladly spend the rest of my life between them if she let me…And it paid enough to warrant a happy lifestyle.

“What are you looking at?” she asks, daringly.

“I’m trying to memorize every mole and freckle on your body.” I’d gotten about halfway through, thanks to my photographic memory.

“Why?”

“Confession time? I know there’s going to come a moment when you’re going to come to your senses and tell me this needs to stop between us. I want to remember every last inch of you before that happens.”

“I’m not going to ask you to stop.” She leans back on her elbows. “I have a confession, too.” Her knees rock slowly, and with her chin dipped, she licks her lips. “I’ve always liked you, Drew. Even when I hated you, and man, did I hate you, I’ve always wanted you, too.”

That’s enough for me. I’m on top of her, kissing the shit out of her before she can take another breath. Her back arches into me, and I clasp onto her thigh, loving the feel of our intertwined bodies.

Bella bites down on my bottom lip, and when she releases it, the smallest grin pulls across her face before our eyes connect.

Digging her sharp nails into my back, she says, “You’re just so fucking hot and infuriating at the same time.”

Wrapping her good leg around my waist, she pushes our pelvises together, and I see the surprise on her face when she feels just how hard my cock is. “Already ready for round two?” she teases, and I growl, unable to talk. Shoving her down onto the bed to lie on top of her, I let her feel just how hard I am for her.

“I want you so bad.” Bella slides her hands under my shorts and drags the fabric down, freeing my hard cock so that it’s resting against the warm skin of her thigh.

“Then let’s do this.” I’m so close to her pussy that I’m already at her entrance when she shifts her hips.

Reluctantly, I pull away. “Wait. Let me get a condom.” She nods, watching me as I take my shirt off and reach to the side table to pluck a foil packet.

Bella snatches the condom out of my hand and rips it open with her teeth. Taking control, she drops her lithe hand between us and rolls the rubber down my dick, and I watch, enjoying the feeling of her hands all over me.

Wrapping her fingers around my base, she squeezes, forcing me to breathe sharply, because I can feel how much she wants this.

“Slow down, B,” I say, putting my hand gently on hers. “I want to enjoy this.”

Her cheeks and chest start to blotch, and she almost looks nervous as I look down on her. An emotion I’ve never seen on Bella’s face before.

I slowly close my eyes because I can already feel my balls tightening just from having her in front of me. This moment has been a forbidden fantasy of mine since I was sixteen, and now it’s coming true.

I throw my head back as she tentatively moves her hand, and I thrust my cock into it just so she knows that she’s doing everything I want her to.

“Drew,” she whispers so quietly, I hardly hear it over my groans.

“Yes?” It’s one of the hardest words I’ve ever had to get out.

“I want you to fuck me.”

She wants to be the death of me. That’s the only explanation.

I don’t answer; instead, I drop my body so my arms are caging her in and kiss her neck, gently nibbling and biting as I go.

“Did you hear me?” she whispers straight into my ear. Her back arches as she tries to get more friction between us.

“I heard you.” Her hand quickens its pace, and I’m almost losing all sense.

“Then what’s your answer?”

“How am I supposed to say no to that?”

“You aren’t.” Her nails scrape against my balls, and that’s it. I need some air before I come all over her hand like some inexperienced teenager.

I pull my body up, resting on my haunches as I try to get more blood to my brain and think through this whole thing and its implications.

Bella, seemingly annoyed with this, pouts her bottom lip out and scoots down the bed so her center is right next to my cock.

With a mischievous grin on her face, she starts to rub herself up and down my shaft, coating me in her wetness.

Up and down.

Down and up.

Not only am I covered in her arousal, but I’m the reason for it. I want her so bad, but there’s a little voice in my head that sounds so much like her father, it makes me hesitate.

“What’s wrong?” She stops gyrating her hips and looks pissed since I didn’t immediately grant her wish.

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just, uh.”

“Oh, no. You’re getting cold feet, aren’t you?”

“I wish that were it,” I mutter.

“Then what is it?”

“Your dad will kill me.”

She looks less than convinced of my excuse. “Didn’t seem to bother you a second ago when your cock was between my ass cheeks.”

Grimacing, I throw my head back and close my eyes. Did she have to remind me? “That’s because the bath salts went to my head,” I lie. Nothing went to my head because everything was going straight to my dick.

“Let’s get back in the bath then. Guarantee this will make us both feel better.” She’s so confident in herself; it makes me want to see just what she can do.

Focus on football, Son.

Her dad’s voice and the fact he treats me like his son float through my mind. Unfortunately for him, my mind is far, far, far, away from football right now.

Coach’s daughter, on the other hand, is front and center.

Tired of waiting for my conscience to decide, Bella takes matters into her own hands. She wraps her nimble fingers around my cock and strokes me lightly.

“I like this.” She smirks, licking her lips. She’s toying with me, and I’m so close to breaking it’s unreal.

When she swipes my tip with her tongue, I growl.

Her lips curve in the corners as she kisses the top, taking more of me in her mouth with every passing breath.

She looks good like this, and I want to feel just how hot I’m making her.

“Screw it,” I grumble, taking my cock out of her mouth and dropping my body on top of hers. She squeals with excitement, and I kiss her with fevered passion. Throwing her head back, Bella clutches at my shoulders, opening her legs wider, so I can sit snugly between them.

I’m at her center, and I don’t wait. We both want this, and I’m tired of waiting. I push into her faster than I should have because she’s so damn tight.

She gasps, pulling at the bedsheets as she writhes around my cock. I stay still, giving her time to adjust. Bella’s body is tight and wonderful, and everything I didn’t know I needed. When she seems more comfortable, I push in a little farther, but the second I’m met with the tiniest of resistance, I stop, continuing with the shallow thrusts until she’s ready for more.

“Don’t stop.” She moans, lifting her hips to pull me farther in. When I hit the resistance this time, she makes sure I pass it without waiting.

She cries out, but I can tell it’s with pleasure, not pain.

Being inside her is everything.

She is everything.

Fully inside her now, I cover Bella with my body, kissing her deeply and owning every part of her. I want her to feel how much I’ve been thinking about this moment since we were sixteen, and she wore that damn pink bikini to Jimmy Johnson’s birthday party.

Bella scrapes her nails down my back as I pick up my pace. “I could live in your pussy, B. It’s so tight.”

She just smiles, too lost in the moment to add to it, but I don’t care. I just dip my hand down between us and toy with her clit, knowing that I’m close, but again, I want her to enjoy this as much as me.

She gasps, and I feel her clench a little. “What are you doing?” Her eyes connect with mine, and there’s a closeness there I’ve never felt with anyone else.

“Making sure you enjoy it, too.”

A small, coy smile forms on her lips but is quickly replaced by her mouth slacking in pleasure. Kissing her jawline, I drag my lips down her neck and bite at the sensitive flesh of her collarbone. I know she’s close from her short breaths, which makes me work harder.

“I’m…”

It’s all she gets out before crying out in pleasure as her body squeezes me tight. It’s enough to set me off, and my body slows as I come inside her.

Dropping my weight completely onto her, I feel her kiss my shoulder. No words are exchanged because there’s nothing left to say.

I don’t want this moment to end, but we’re both sweaty and exhausted, and even though it’s only ten a.m., I know we’ll need a nap to recover.

That, or at least a ten-minute break before I try to initiate round two.

How the hell did this happen?

Lying on the sofa, under Bella’s comforter, I can’t help but smile. Despite the cast causing possible logistical issues, we’ve managed to have sex on almost every piece of furniture downstairs we could find, and it’s only four in the afternoon.

The atmosphere seems different. Lighter maybe? It’s like all that awkward sexual tension has finally dispersed, and we can just be Drew and Bella. Whatever that is.

Humming in the kitchen, Bella’s making me that lasagna she promised. It smells delicious, albeit slightly like it might be burning.. It could taste like a donkey’s turd, and I wouldn’t care because all I care about is the content smile on her face as she wipes her hands on Jacob’s apron.

Merry Christmas to me.

As I push the white comforter off, I say, “You know, sleeping on the sofa can’t be comfortable.” She glances up for a split second with a little smile as she mixes the honey butter. “You need to get a good night’s sleep, which can only be in a bed. It only makes sense for you to sleep in my room.”

I feel almost bashful, inviting her into my bed because although we may have just spent the last few hours getting to know each other better, I still feel like her acceptance isn’t a given. When it comes to Bella, I’m never completely sure what she’s thinking, and everything is earned.

She wets her lips and then bites down on the bottom one. It’s sexy as hell, but I anxiously wait for her answer. “I think you might be right.”

My shoulders relax, and I purse my lips on a smile. “Great. I guess I’ll just move this in there.” I grab the handle of her suitcase and roll it into my room while she makes me something to eat. Even though I know the dinner will probably taste like coal, there’s a warm feeling in my chest because she’s doing it for me. Bella Summers doesn’t do anything for anyone, so I should take this as a compliment.

While she sings off-tune, I stroll back to my room, getting it ready for tonight.

Strangely, this whole thing feels awfully domestic, but I’m here for it.

Bella and Drew. Together. As anything but enemies.

I think I could get used to it.