Chapter 18

Drew

I should have been more shocked than I was to see someone gawking at me and waving like a creep from my backyard at six a.m., but when my eyes connected with Bella’s, I felt electricity. I could feel her presence before I looked up, and when I saw her face in the dark, all it did was make me hard. Who knows, maybe I’ve got a voyeur kink.

Taking my time to acknowledge her, I bring my treadmill to a slow, gentle stop because, after that shitshow at the gym she pulled, I figure making her wait isn’t such a bad thing.

I thought everything was over between us that day at Coach’s house. I was more than ready to move on and try my luck with someone interested in me, but turning Bella down only made her more persistent.

As I hop off the treadmill, I watch Bella’s ever-growing eyes as I stride to the door. Her jaw slacks and she must be freezing in just a sweatshirt and pants, but you’d hardly be able to tell because she’s staring at me with such intensity, my nipples go hard.

As I get closer, the St. Michael’s block letters on her sweatshirt come into view, and I hold back my smile because it’s mine. I wondered where that went. She can keep it; it looks better on her anyway.

Her tight leggings are stretched over her now cast-less feet, which is nice to see, considering the last time I saw her, she was tripping over gym equipment and my best friend.

Bella’s hand drops to her side when I grapple the door and push it. I let the door drift open in invitation but don’t say a thing because I want her to make the next move.

Bella’s body shifts from side to side, but she refuses to make a decision, so I help her along by taking a step back. It’s enough to make her follow me inside.

Turning away, I stay silent as I shut the door and make my way to the bench press because I can’t have her thinking I’m ready to jump her bones, no matter how true it is. Taking a seat on the bench press, I grab the fluffy towel draped across it and wipe my face down.

Bella’s standing on the other side of the room, still watching me like some creeper, twitching every now and again.

Might as well give her a show.

Wiping the towel across my chest, I flex my biceps and shake the sweat out of my hair. It’s not the first time I’ve seen her gawking at me in this room, but I want to see how far I can take it before she comes over to me.

It takes a few minutes to wipe myself dry, but Bella still makes no move to talk.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

She shuffles on her feet, noticeably wincing when she bounces on the side she hurt. “I, uh.” She shakes her head, looking uneasy, and I smile because I’m the reason she’s acting like this. Before winter break, she’d barely look at me since her nose was so high up in the air. But now she can’t stop, and I’m reveling in it. “I came to see you. Wanted to make sure you were okay since you haven’t responded to any of my messages.”

Ah, all those desperate messages I received last night. Gotta admit I was surprised at just how persistent she was, but I refused to give in since I wanted to speak to her in person.

“I think you’re the one who needs checking up on. Weren’t you last seen falling into Jacob’s arms?”

Bella lets out an awkward chuckle, taking a few tentative steps toward me. “I’m okay. No more foot injuries for me.”

I raise a brow before asking, “and Jacob?”

“I didn’t injure him, did I?” The worry makes her stand directly in front of me, toe to toe. “The guy has a chest as hard as Henry Cavill’s. It wasn’t exactly a soft landing. I presumed he’d be fine, but maybe I was wrong.” She’s babbling now, and usually, I’d find it cute, but she’s talking about my best friend’s chest, and I don’t like it.

Gently, I place my palm against her mouth, catching her by surprise. She immediately stops talking, her eyes widening, and I feel her tongue graze across my palm as she wets her lips, which makes my dick twitch. “You didn’t hurt Jacob.”

Removing my hand, she stays quiet, but her lips are puffy and pink. What I wouldn’t give to suck on the bottom one right now.

“Can I sit here?” She points to the space next to me, giving me an awkward smile, so I shuffle to the side.

“Yup.” I pop out and then rest my elbows on my knees. Looking at her through the mirror in front of me, I ask, “Why are you here, Bella?”

“I told you. I wanted to see you.”

“Could have seen me on campus.”

“Campus is complicated.” She sighs, running a hand through her messy ponytail. “You’re always surrounded by people.”

I know it’s not people she’s afraid of, but Bri. All Bri was doing was asking me about a football party, but Bella couldn’t handle it. The minute she saw her in the gym yesterday, she turned into a pile of goo and went all floppy on Jacob. I thought I’d like seeing her fall to pieces over me, to see her finally feel the things that I’ve been feeling for her for years, but all it did was make me want to go over and kiss the crap out of her to make it all go away.

And therein lies the problem with Bella.

She’s a walking red flag, but I keep coming back like a moth to a flame. Always lingering and wanting to get burned. “Still. Being surrounded by people doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to sneak into my backyard at six a.m. to talk. Firstly, it makes you look like a creeper, and secondly, I could have shot you dead if I thought you were a black bear.”

“You don’t have a gun, and I’m not big enough to be a black bear.” There’s a moment of silence between us as we stare at each other in the mirror.

“I’m going to ask one more time, B. What are you doing here? We’ve already talked, and talking gets us nowhere.”

“I missed you.” Her body deflates when she says those words, but my heart swells. She raises her hands and looks at me with defeat clear in her eyes. “I get it. I didn’t say or do the right things when I had the chance to, but I’m here now because I know that was a huge mistake. I thought getting over you would be easy after you rejected me at my dad’s. It’d only been a day of hot sex, after all, and I thought that maybe my dad interrupting us was a sign.”

“What makes you think it wasn’t?”

“The fact that I can’t get over you. You’re too big a part of my life, Drew. Whether you’re annoying the crap out of me because you’re sucking up to my dad or making me feel like the only person on earth, it’s always been you.”

She flicks her gaze down to her bitten nails before continuing, “my soul was nearly crushed when you said you’d moved on. I couldn't handle the idea that it wasn’t me you were chasing anymore, and that’s when it all hit me, deep in my stomach. I’d made the biggest mistake of my life but had no way to fix it. These last five weeks have only emphasized it. I’ve felt like I’ve been missing something. Like a little piece of myself has been chipped away, and I don’t want that piece to be lost forever.”

Her chest is heaving from emotion, and I don’t know what to say. I’ve felt exactly the same way for years but never expected to hear this coming from her. Bella’s face is flushed, and her brows curve with concern.

“Say something. Please.” As she sits next to me, knocking her knee against mine, I can see the doubt forming across her face.

Something about that look tugs at my heart.

So, I choose to wipe it off her face.

Holding her cheeks in my palms, I swallow her gasp with a kiss, pouring everything into it, and remind her just how great we feel together. We’re a mess of tongue and hands, biting then nipping, but everything about this feels right.

Clawing at her back, she scratches mine, painting it with her mark. It’s like touching her has opened something feral in me, and I can’t help but want more. As I pick her up, she squeals into our kiss, and I stand, walking our now connected bodies to the mirror.

Pressing her back against it, I kiss down her jaw and neck, tasting her salty skin. She ran here, so I want to soothe those aching muscles of hers.

“Oh, God.” Bella arches her back against the mirror when I nibble at her collarbone, and I take that as an opportunity to pull my sweatshirt off her.

Wearing this tiny little black cami underneath, I can’t keep my hands off her. I cup her breasts, feeling her already erect nipples, and I toy with them under my thumb. The fabric scratches against my palm as I tickle the skin of her collarbone with my tongue, eliciting a sharp gasp from her.

Bella’s body is perfect, her breaths are flawless. Everything about her has been made to turn me on, and she doesn’t even realize it.

Biting at the small strap of her top, I pull it down over her shoulder and follow the fabric with my tongue until I meet the arch of her breast. I squeeze her before replacing my hand with my lips, kissing and nibbling her nipples until I hear her perfect moan.

Delicious.

Everything about her makes me want to indulge.

I drop her legs to the floor to remove her sweats, but just as my hands reach the waistband, she lets out a small, painful mewl. “Everything okay?” I breathe against her lips.

She winces, pushing her face away, and hobbles a little. “Yeah, it’s just my foot hasn’t completely healed, and the run here didn’t exactly help that process along. It kind of hurts,” she admits.

I bring her thighs back around my waist and balance her between my body and the mirror. “Is this position better?”

Bella bites her bottom lip with a smile and nods, so I bend down and kiss her. Unfortunately, the slippery surface of the mirror makes focusing on what I want to do nearly impossible.

That’s when a bright yellow and black piece of equipment catches my eye in the mirror, and I grin.

“Do you trust me?” I ask, kissing her on the cheek and squeezing her hips. She nods with a little whimper as she slips down the mirror. “I think I’ve got a better idea.”

I grab her ass and bounce her body so it’s flush against mine. Kissing the valley between her breasts, I say, “hold on tight.” She wraps her arms around my neck, and I walk us toward the TRX straps. “Can you stand for just a second?” Bella drops her legs, and stands, leaning against one of our weight machines.

When I see she’s safely supported, I turn and get to work.

“What are you doing?” she asks as I pull the straps toward her.

“Take your pants off,” I order, and her eyes grow wide in surprise, but she complies. I growl when her toned, bronzed skin flashes before me. She’s only in a black thong, but I force myself to be patient. I want this to be good for her. Kneeling, I take her healing foot and pull the TRX strap. “Put your foot through here.”

She follows all my commands, and I’ve got to admit, I like a submissive Bella. It doesn’t happen often. Once her foot is through the strap, I drag it all the way up to her thigh. Then I adjust one of the buckles above her so her leg is resting at a ninety-degree angle.

Tapping the strap above her, I say, “Hold this with your hands.”

Another command followed.

Another reason why my dick is so freaking hard.

Once she’s in place and looks sturdy enough, I meet her questioning glance. “I don’t want you hurting yourself. In this position you can stand, and all the pressure will go onto the other foot.”

I adjust the strap one more time, making sure she’s secure. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” she says breathlessly. Her eyes roam my sweaty body, and I have the urge to stuff my hand down her panties just to feel how wet she is.

I move around her to take in this pretty sight because she looks like a goddess in just her rumpled black cami and thong. Too perfect for touching but too tempting not to. I sit one of my hands onto her hip and press my lips to hers, kissing her senseless. Running my other hand up her thigh, I swallow her shiver with a gentle kiss.

My hands are already at the lacy barrier of her panties, and I tickle the skin above, not daring to go underneath just yet.

“Please, Drew,” she begs so sweetly that all I can do is comply. Gently, I flick my finger underneath the fabric, tickling down until my hand covers her entire mound.

“Damn, B. Are you always this wet?” I ask, biting at her bottom lip.

“No,” she husks out, returning the favor by nipping at my lip with a teasing smirk. “Only for you.”

I roll my eyes and groan. Does she expect me to act like a normal guy when she says shit like that?

Letting the tip of my finger play against her center, I watch her close her eyes and bite down on her bottom lip. “You feel so good.”

She smiles at that, her cheeks flushing at the movement. Slowly, I push my index finger inside her, and her head falls back in satisfaction, which only tempts me to add another.

Knowing I can’t wait long to be inside her, I kiss the nape of her neck and ask, “Are you still on the pill?”

“Yeah.” Bella thrusts her hips against my fingers, working me, and I nibble at her skin before pushing my shorts down, leaving them pooled at my ankles.

“Good.”

Drawing her thigh down, I turn her around to face the mirror. “Open your eyes, B.”

She’s such a compliant little thing when she’s all tied up. With her eyes wide open, she takes in her position and me behind her. In one swift movement, I enter her, and she yelps at the sudden intrusion, gripping the ropes for support. I snake my hands around her ribs and hold onto her breast for balance.

Pushing into her hard with every thrust is like a drug. Feeling Bella’s warm heat tighten around me without barriers always feels good. Watching her wanton face in the mirror while I do it is even better.

“Keep. Going,” she grinds out, her smile growing wider the harder I push her. It’s hot as fuck knowing she’s enjoying it so much.

She closes her eyes, and I frown. I don’t like that.

“Keep those beautiful blue eyes of yours open, Bella.”

When she does, she gasps in surprise, and her gaze drops to her shaved pussy where she can just about make out my cock entering her from behind.

“You’re…Just…So…Big,” She pants out in uneven breaths.

“You can take it.”

I lift her ass up to get a better view and she leans her head onto my shoulder, letting me take control.

“Touch your clit,” I instruct.

Her mouth opens as though she wants to protest, but when she sees the fire burning behind my eyes, she doesn’t question it. She drops one of her hands from the strap and goes straight down to her center, letting her fingers dance across her pussy.

“Oh.” Yeah, she’s loving that, and I love watching her tease herself while I thrust into her tight little pussy.

Her body clenches around me. We’re both getting close, so instead of just holding her tits, I toy with her nipples, gently squeezing them between my fingers and pulling every now and again. Bella’s jaw slacks in surprise, and I lick the sweat on her neck, not stopping until I get to her earlobe and nibble.

“I want to watch you come undone, B. Come all over my cock.”

“Drew.” It’s all she gets out before she screams out in pleasure. Her body clenches, her hips thrust, and her wetness soaks me. It’s more than enough to make me come too.

Breathing heavy and sweaty as hell, we both stare at our slacked, naked bodies in the mirror. Still inside her, because I’m certain my cum will leak all over the gym floor if I try to get out, I pull the strap off her leg and guide her down to the floor.

Bella follows my lead as she recovers from her orgasm. I gently place her on all fours and give her hips a little squeeze before saying, “Stay like this for just a minute.” I gently pull out of her and grab my towel over the bench press so I can clean her up. Her spine curls at the caress, and I make sure to commit this moment to memory because I don’t think anything could be sexier than Bella like this. Under my control and willing to do anything.

Once I’ve finished cleaning both of us, I glance at the clock and see that it’s six thirty. Still too early for my roommates to be up but late enough that they might have woken up from Bella’s screaming. I move her panties back in place and find her sweatshirt and pants on the floor.

By the time I’ve brought them to her, Bella’s on her back, stretching with a satiated look across her face. Her hair’s a tangled mess, and her cheeks are flushed, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her happier.

Taking her ankles, I pull the pants up over her hips, bringing my body along with it. Lying above her, I can feel my cock twitch, ready for round two, and plant a small, soft kiss on her lips. Her hands grasp at my back, and I want to do this all over again, but the threat of one of my roommates walking in is becoming too real. So instead, I sit up, bringing her with me. Her legs are tangled around mine, and I offer her one more kiss. “Lift up.” I gesture to her arms, and she complies, so I can put the sweatshirt on. Disappointment runs thick through my blood as I cover up all of her perfect parts, but at least it’s my sweatshirt, with my last name covering them. Makes it easier for people to know she’s mine.

“Where are the guys?” she asks, suddenly aware of how this must look.

“They work out in the evenings and had a late night yesterday at the bar. They shouldn’t be down here for a while unless your screaming woke them up.”

She slaps my chest playfully before burying her face into it. “What can I say? That was incredible.”

I waffle my hand with hers and kiss the crown of her head. “Come on. We should get to my room before anyone finds us.”

Wrapping her legs around my waist, I carry her to the door and across the hall to my bedroom. Once inside, I gently place Bella on the bed, and she leans back into the pillows, looking right at home.

“Do you want to take a shower before you sleep?”

Bella grasps by cheeks, pulling me down so I can kiss her again. “Only if you join me.” She smiles with her eyes closed, ready for a well-deserved nap. Damn, why did we spend so much time hating each other these last few years when we could have been doing this all along.

But then there’s a little voice in the back of my head, nagging at me.

What exactly are we doing?

We haven’t talked about this ill-fated attraction between us. All we’ve done is have sex. A lot of it. In secret. What does Bella actually want from me because I know I want more from her, but expecting anything from Bella without explicitly asking for it would lead to trouble.

Moving away, I sit next to Bella and tug at the strands of my hair, trying to think about the best way to phrase this.

“What’s wrong?” Bella rubs my bicep and offers me a lazy smile when I turn to look at her.

“What is this?” It’s clumsy and ill-fated, but she doesn’t recoil in disgust from the question. She just tilts her head to study me.

“Sleeping?”

I chuckle hesitantly and point between us. “No. I mean, what is this ? What are we doing?”

“You and me?” I nod.

She sits up, resting her back against the headrest, and sighs. “I don’t know.” Great start, but did I expect anything else from Bella?

“Do you have any ideas on what you might want this to be?”

Her body visibly stiffens, and her jaw clamps shut for a second. “Umm…no.” I hold back my disappointment because her reaction is just as I suspected. She makes a grand gesture by coming here and telling me how she feels, but the minute she’s had sex, and there’s a whiff of the word commitment, she runs cold.

“So, is this all about sex for you? Finally found someone better than Jimmy Johnson?” I put the question out there because I need to know before I get in too deep. Who am I kidding? I might as well be swimming in the Pacific Ocean when it comes to my feelings for her. I’ve been swimming too deep for too long, and now my only option is to drown.

“What? No. Of course not.”

“Then what is this? You came here because you missed me, let me fuck you like you liked it, but you won’t acknowledge me publicly. You make no sense.” I push her because it feels like no one has ever questioned her before. I know for a fact she hasn’t had any long-term boyfriends, which hasn’t been helped by following her dad around like a puppy, but it doesn’t seem to be something she’s interested in either.

“It’s hard to acknowledge you when you have Brianna hanging off you all the time.”

I tilt my head with a smile. Always so jealous of a girl that holds nothing when compared to her. “Bella, do you like me?”

She cringes, swatting me in the chest. “What are we, sixteen? Do you like me?” She mocks me, using a deep, dumb voice. “Get over yourself.”

I scratch my chin and smile. “I’m just reading the situation, and all I know is that, apparently, you don’t hate me as much as I always thought you did, and you can’t seem to keep your hands to yourself when I’m around.”

“I already told you I haven’t hated you for a long time,” she replies meekly.

“Well, that’s good to know if we’re going to start dating.”

“Dating?” She whips her head up, confused.

“That usually comes before the sex, but since we’ve known each other for nearly ten years, I guess it’s okay that we switched it around,” I simply say because when it comes to topics of the heart with Bella, it’s better to be simple and direct. Anything more gives her too much to think about, and I want her raw, unfiltered response to the idea of dating me.

“You. Want. To. Date. Me?” See. Short, simple sentences because her brain is frying over this small question.

“Exclusively.”

“But why?”

I sigh and look at the door. I can hear the rumblings of my roommates, which means Bella will probably run scared like a cat again, so I need to get my point across quickly.

“Because I’m coming to the sad reality that my dick doesn’t want anyone else but you.” It’s an understatement and a fact I’ve known for a long time. It’s only been solidified by all this touching. She’s more to me, but I can’t admit too much because it will scare her away. Baby steps.

She swallows, and I let her digest my proposal. “But what will everyone think?”

I shrug. “What about them?” Their opinion is the last thing on my mind. “Doubt anyone will care.” I don’t have the heart to tell her that my teammates have already raised questions after I not so subtly followed her into her father’s basement and came back looking like someone had just trampled on my heart. She didn’t help those rumors when she fell over the equipment while looking at me yesterday, either.

“We can keep it between us to start if you’d prefer? Gives me some time to think about how I will break the news to your dad, too.”

Her face pales, and she scrubs her hand across her face. I probably should have left out her dad, but it’s a reality we’ll have to face since I’m not willing to give her up any time soon.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I forgot about that.”

She looks down, and I cup her cheeks, bringing her attention to me. “Don’t worry, B. I got this. I got you. I always have.”

I can feel her hands shaking when she places her palms over mine, and I so desperately want to be the person to calm her. Even though I’ve watched Bella and Coach’s relationship over the last decade, I still can’t figure out what’s going on with them. All I know is that she’s always had a stick in her ass over how much attention she gives football. I want to know more. I want to be there for her, but I know she’s got to trust me first.

“Are you sure?” Her eyebrows lift.

“About?”

“D-dating me?” The crack in her voice comes as a surprise. Can she really not see it?

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to make it official with you.”

Bella draws her lips into her mouth, and then rub my thumb across her cheek, wishing I could crack open her head and know all her thoughts. For a girl who had so much to say, she was being awfully quiet right now.

“If you don’t want to date me, I’d rather know now,” I say, trying to hold back showing any annoyance.

Her fingers move across the back of my hand. “No. It’s not that. It’s… It’s…” She closes her eyes and grumbles something incoherent. “It’s just I don’t get why you’d want to risk your relationship with my father and future football career for someone like me.”

“Someone like you?”

“Yeah. I’m mean. I can’t express myself. I don’t really like people.”

I cut her off with a kiss, tired of hearing her disparage herself. She jolts, but soon melts into my touch. When she’s calm enough, I pull away, leaning my forehead against hers.

“I see you, B.” That was all I needed to say for her to get it. “I get you more than anyone in this world.”

After a beat, she responds. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ve watched you from the sidelines for the last eight years. Now I’m asking you to let me take charge and lead us to victory.”

Bella lets out a low chuckle before rolling her eyes. Okay, I can admit that maybe a football reference wasn’t the wisest choice, but it’s how I feel.

“What do you say? Are you going to pass me the ball, B?”

“Okay,” she says quietly. I hear it, though. Even over the fireworks sounding off in my brain because she finally agreed to date me.

Act cool, Drew.

I tame down my smile before leaning in to kiss her again. She gladly accepts, and my brain is short-wiring over the fact that Bella Summers is dating me and it’s not a hostage situation.

I can’t help myself. Holding onto her side, I roll onto my back, taking her with me. Her body moves against mine, and I can feel my dick getting hard again.

Shit. We’re going to do it again, aren’t we.

Bella moans into my mouth, clawing at my sides, and I grab her hips, moving her body against my dick.

“Drew,” she wisps out. It’s hungry. It’s breathless. It’s everything.

“Do you have time for another round?” I ask. She skates her nose across mine before nodding her head.

Unfortunately, Jacob’s heavy footsteps upstairs interrupt the moment. Great. He’s up.

Biting her bottom lip, Bella gives me a sympathetic smile. “As much as I’d want to do that, I should probably get back to campus. Don’t want to be late for class.”

“Let me drive you back,” I offer, gently skating my fingers across her arm because I don’t want to lose the connection with her.

“It’s okay. I can walk.”

“Babe, you couldn’t even have sex without being strapped down. Let me drive you. We’ll walk around the back, so no one sees you. The sneaking around will be good practice for tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“When I take you out on our first official date.” I’ve been thinking about this moment for years and always wondered what it might feel like to take her out. Now that I have the opportunity, I’m not going to take it for granted.

Her lips curve. “Can’t wait.”