Chapter 19

Bella

“Your form is really improving,” Caroline smiles, admiring my tentative jog on the treadmill. It’s at half my usual warm-up pace, and I can still feel pain radiating through my shin, but I’ve got to believe that it’s getting better every day. My cast has been off for over a month, and even though rehab is going slower than I’d like, things are marginally improving.

“Thanks,” I mumble. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll be able to actually jog.”

She gives me a tight smile while noting something down on her clipboard. “Yeah, I wouldn’t push your luck just yet. Plantar fasciitis from wearing a cast can get even worse if you don’t treat it cautiously. Are you wearing the circulation socks I recommended?”

I nod, subtly cranking up the treadmill pace by one because I’m a rebel like that.

“Yes, I’ve been wearing them every day under my jeans.”

“And what about when you sleep? It’s more important to wear them then.”

“Uh-huh.” Truthfully, I haven’t worn those stupid socks to bed since the day she gave them to me. Drew tried to convince me I looked sexy in them, but there was something weird about watching a man eat you out while your circulation socks were draped over his shoulders that didn’t work for me. It really brought me out of the moment at a time I really needed to be present.

After our first date watching a movie a town away, Drew held out on me. He told me it was because he wanted to take things slow, but I broke him pretty quickly. Only a few days after, I managed to get him into a healthy routine of sex at least twice a day, and I’ve never felt more invigorated, even if my foot can’t participate.

“Make sure you wear them, Bella,” she warns. “Your progress is slow, and if you ever want to make it back on the track team, you’ve got to compete with people who don’t have a heel as delicate as yours.”

“Sure thing,” I respond sarcastically, grabbing my water bottle and squeezing it hard. She doesn’t have to know that I’m pretending it’s her neck. My progress is slow because she won’t put the treadmill past three.

As if she can hear my thoughts, Caroline looks up from her clipboard sternly, but the aggression fades quickly when she looks at something behind me. A small, flirty smile spreads across her lips, and she waves.

“Woah, don’t tell me you’re interested in Edo now too?”

She breathes out a small laugh. “Not Edo. He’s not into girls, remember?”

I scrunch my brows, taking the opportunity to turn the treadmill up another point. It’s a little fast, but if I don’t keep increasing it, I won’t improve.

“Then who is it?” I glance over my shoulder, expecting to see one of the guys from the soccer team, but I nearly slip on my feet when I see who’s waving back.

Drew.

Of course. Of course, she’d be smiling at the guy I’m sleeping with. Who wouldn’t? He’s showing off his thighs of steel in these tiny red shorts today, which ride so high it almost looks like he’s wearing speedos. My thighs wouldn’t fit in those things, but he looks perfect and zings of arousal spark through my core just from looking at him.

“Are you staring at Drew McCallister?”

Her response is just a long, drawn-out moan, and when I turn back, she’s somehow lowered the treadmill while still throwing Drew a stellar smile.

“Yeah, do you know him?”

Pfft. Do I know him? I know every single inch of his body. I’ve traced every muscle and line with my tongue, and it’s me he wants. Me.

Possession burns in my bones.

“He’s one of the reasons I requested the football team for my work assignment. He and, uh, Jacob Miller.”

That admission is all it takes.

One of my feet clambers in front of the other, and I trip over myself while the treadmill’s running. The only saving grace is that Caroline insisted I wear the red emergency button, which halts the already dismally slow machine. I still fall forward, squealing like a potbelly pig as I grab the screen in front of me.

Clutching onto the TV for dear life, my face smushes against the glass, and I wonder how many people’s fingers have touched this screen. A worse thought then pops into my head. How many of those people didn’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom?

“Oh my gosh. Are you okay?” Caroline asks, but I’m still too embarrassed to look.

“I’m good.” I don’t sound it, and I definitely don’t feel it. My leg hurts, and my ego is bruised. Caroline bends down and starts manipulating my foot. “Ow. You’re making it worse.”

“Everything okay here?” I shut my eyes, feeling my insides melt like butter and my cheeks flush. Drew saw the whole thing and probably knows he’s the reason for the misstep. He has no need to come to the gym on campus, but he told me he did in hopes of seeing me. I’m sure it was just a line, but it worked. I gave him head while he was working out on the arm press machine that day. The stuff we do at five a.m. in his gym would make an avid porn star blush, but I enjoy our little routine.

Caroline giggles at Drew, but I still haven’t looked up at the guy I’m too afraid to admit is my secret boyfriend. Sure, we’ve been dating for several weeks now and screwing for longer, but to call him my boyfriend out loud sounds too official, too real, and too much like something I should be mentioning to my dad.

“I think she’ll survive,” Caroline says, slapping me on the back with an almighty thump. Does she think she can use me as bait? “Me, on the other hand, I might need mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after seeing you in those shorts.”

Yup, she thinks I’m her wing woman, and a line like that will work on a guy like Drew. I know she’s a student, but isn’t there some kind of law stopping her from dating her clients or anyone that enters the gym, for that matter?

Drew chuckles low and sexy, and I can feel the bile in my stomach rumbling, ready to upchuck at any minute. I want to move off the screen and slap the shit out of my trainer to prove a point. Drew is mine.

Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. MINE.

But I do nothing. Too chicken shit to admit my feelings when I know he’d gladly shout it from the rooftops if I gave him the go-ahead, but I won’t.

“I’m sure I can find someone to help you with that,” Drew replies smoothly. “My buddy Reese is looking for someone to help with his form.” Even when Drew’s rejecting a girl, he sounds hot.

A warm hand rests on my back, and it’s too big to be Caroline’s. “Bella”

His voice and the way he says my name does something to my body. It doesn’t matter what Drew does, I will always find him alarmingly attractive, and I’m not sure what that says about me.

Rolling my forehead off the machine, I give Drew a lazy smile, mainly because I’m worried that if I look at him with my full attention, I might do something unprecedented, like kiss the crap out of him, claiming him in front of everyone.

He tracks my face, checking for injury in all the wrong places, but I let him believe I’m hurt because I want his eyes only on me.

“I’m good.” A smile plays on Drew’s lips, and his brown eyes sparkle with mischief that I’m certain has something to do with how he had me on all-fours on the bench press this morning. He ate me out like I was an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and screwed me from behind. Drew’s an insatiable animal when it comes to sex, and I’m here for it. I’m just having a hard time admitting that I’m here for everything else too, and I don’t know why. I figure it has something to do with having to tell my dad that we’re dating which seems like a huge obstacle for me, because I’m concerned he’ll ban Drew from dating me.

“I told you. She’s good.” Caroline interrupts our moment and my naughty thoughts. I wonder how angry my dad would be if I fired her. She’s a good physio, and I guess my leg is progressing well, but can I handle not throttling her in the throat every time she gives Drew that demure smile? No, but I still can’t fire her because my dad would want an explanation, and telling him that I’m screwing the quarterback that she likes to flirt with isn’t a viable answer.

Drew glances over my shoulder and smiles. “Great. Well, if you need my help, Bella, I’ll be over on the leg press.” He emphasizes the last two words with a wink. Did Caroline see that? I hope not because I know he’s referring to how I rode him while he used that machine the other day.

Drew removes his hand from the small of my back, dragging it across my arm before walking back to a group of his teammates that I didn’t notice he walked in with.

“How the hell did you get Drew McCallister to look at you like that?” Caroline can’t hide the disappointment in her voice as she watches him walk away. I don’t blame her. His ass looks amazing in those shorts and pretty much anything else.

I answer with a mumble and the tiniest quirk of a smile on my lips because telling her anything other than the truth would be inappropriate, but I’m not about to expose our relationship to the whole campus.

Not just yet, at least.

“Can you keep going?” She looks down at her clipboard and then back to me. “We’ve got another ten minutes of this session, but if I need to go and work out some kinks in your leg, I’d rather do that.”

“I can certainly try to keep going.” Clutching the edges of the screen, I stretch my back out, refusing to let a little trip get the better of me. After all, Drew’s in the room, and I want to show him how far I’ve come.

Caroline turns the treadmill back on at a pace slower than a sloth, but I don’t protest because it gives me time to watch Drew in the mirror. I can’t keep my eyes off him when he bends his legs.

“I’m going to turn it up a little bit.” I barely acknowledge Caroline because I’m too caught up in the rippling of Drew’s thigh muscles.

I move my feet faster and turn back to Caroline. “That’s a little higher than usual, isn’t it?”

She smiles sweetly, masking her sadomasochism. “I’m just giving you what you asked for.”

Sweat starts to coat my brow, and just as I’m about to concede and ask her to slow down, my eyes connect with Drew’s in the mirror.

What the hell is she doing?

Brianna hovers over Drew, pushing her boobs in his face, and laughing as though he’s the funniest person in the world. He’s not that funny. She drops her chin, throwing a sexy smirk his way before slapping his chest with her fingers. My eye twitches to the point that I find it hard to see.

“Is that okay?” Caroline asks.

Brianna is leaning against the leg press machine, watching Drew. He’s told me he’s stopped calling her, so why’s she so persistent?

Then without warning, she grabs onto his thigh, and starts massaging it while he sits on the machine.

I can’t take it anymore. Does everyone and their mother want this guy? He brushes her hand off, but the move alone is enough to tick me off. I need to make sure Drew knows exactly who he’s with.

“You know what, my foot is actually hurting after all that. I think I might need to finish this session early.” I speak the words as though Drew can hear me and knows the plan that’s slowly brewing in my head.

“Of course. Make sure you ice your foot at least three times today.” Caroline’s back to her professional self, and I wonder if it’s because she’s also watching Brianna flirt with Drew and getting just as annoyed.

Sauntering out of the gym, I make sure Drew is watching me and add extra sass to my step, which probably makes me look more injured than hot, but at least it gets his attention. Before turning the corner, I give him a subtle wink, hinting that I want him to follow me.

I flick my hair over my shoulder, pushing my naked breasts out as I sit on the workout bench. My nipples tighten at the thrill of how dangerous this all is. The idea of sitting in the football team’s private weight room in nothing but a thong should have put me off entirely, but it only got me more excited. Bet my dad wasn’t expecting me to use the spare key he gave me for this.

After icing my foot for all of five minutes, I decided that I didn’t want to leave Drew too long with the likes of Brianna and Caroline, so I texted him and asked him to meet me here.

Adrenaline pumps through my veins because we could get in a lot of trouble if we’re caught, but I’m starting to think that might be part of Drew’s appeal.

Secretly dating my dad’s protégé, who’s on the team I’ve always been adamant that I hate.

It’s the boldest thing I’ve ever done, and I’m not mad about it.

When I hear the click of the door opening, my instinct is to cover myself, but I push through the nervousness and straighten my shoulders. I checked the schedule four times, and the only person that should be walking through that door is Drew.

“Bella.” My body vibrates with need when his warm voice hits my ears. “What the?” He stops at the door, staring at me as though he’s just seen a yeti.

“Did you lock the door?” I tip my chin, gesturing to the internal lock behind him.

“No.” It comes out as a stutter, and I love how cute it is that I can make him feel as hot as he makes me. I move around the seat, shaking my shoulders to draw his attention to just how hard my nipples are.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Go lock it.”

Still in those red shorts, he scurries into action, and I lick my lips, excited to pull them down soon.

Take that, Caroline and Brianna.

When he turns back from locking us in, I curl my finger in a come-hither motion and smile.

He takes his time walking to me, but I know he’s just as excited because I can clearly make out the outline of his erection.

By the time he’s walked over to me, his crotch is in my face. “Take your shirt off,” I command, and surprise laces his big brown eyes. Usually, when it comes to sex, Drew’s the one that’s in control, but today, I want to make it clear that he won’t be thinking about any other girl besides me.

With his rippling abs above, I thumb the top of his shorts, pulling them down past his muscular calves all the way to his feet.

His dick stands at attention, ready for me, and I lick my lips. “Bella.” Drew groans, throwing his chin up in frustration. He’s painfully hard and looks about two seconds away from jerking himself off.

Palming his shaven balls, I lick away the precum sitting at the tip of his cock and swallow the salty essence while watching his reaction.

“Bella,” he grinds again, holding my cheeks in his hands. “What the hell did I do to deserve this?”

My fingers slowly massage his balls until I feel them tighten. I answer by lying down on the workout bench, so my head is hanging off it, and my mouth is in direct line with his cock.

I can’t see his facial expression from this angle, but I’m sure he’s enjoying the view. Naked, save for a tiny thong, my body is laid out, a platter for his pleasure. It’s an angle we haven’t tried before, but one I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.

Drew backs his hips up, so his face is in view. He scans my body, licking his lips hungrily before grasping his cock. He nudges it closer to my mouth, and I tilt my head back, opening wide enough to take him in.

He wavers for a second, holding just far enough that I can’t clamp my lips around him, so I tickle his tip with my tongue. That’s enough for him. He slowly edges closer and when the warm skin of his dick touches my lips, I press my mouth down, pulling him in.

“This view.” He groans, his hands going to my breasts, playing with my nipples. All he can see now is his cock easing into my throat, and the rest of my naked body. He’s thick and wide and definitely more than a mouthful, but when he stops, because he thinks he’s given me enough, I grab the backs of his thighs and push him farther in until his balls are in my face, and I’m close to gagging.

“Geez, B.” Drew sighs, enjoying every moment.

After a few tentative thrusts, Drew gains more confidence and strokes his hands across my body, making the skin goosebump as he goes.

Down farther, his thick fingers graze across the top of my slit, making me hum in pleasure around him, and he grunts. So I do it again.

Taking both hands off me, he leans over the bench, dropping down until his body completely covers mine.

I squeal in pleasure as his tongue skirts across my clit, sending me through a delirious haze. It doesn’t matter how many times he does this; it's never enough.

Not wanting to get lost in my own pleasure, I work my head faster, moving his cock in and out with a little help from his thrusting. Drew lifts my thighs, pulling them up to give himself better access, and then he flattens his tongue, bringing it all the way down to my entrance.

My legs straighten, and my toes point in the air with every thrust of his tongue, because I have no other way of expelling the tingly feeling working its way through my body. I can’t express just how good it feels because my mouth is too full of his cock, but I’m hoping my hips thrusting in his face will be enough of an indicator that I fucking love it.

Drew grunts something, but his thighs act as earmuffs, making it hard to hear. He thrusts a little farther into my mouth, and I can feel his balls tightening. He’s going to come, and knowing him, he’s going to try to pull out.

Not on my watch.

With one hand, I hold his thigh in place, and with the other, I gently use my nails to scratch across his tightened balls.

“I’m coming.” I hear that loud and clear and smile when I taste the hot liquid squirting down my throat.

When I’ve finished swallowing him down, I pull him out of my mouth for some air, but Drew doesn’t let me stay like that for long. With his mouth still against my center, he laps, kisses, and eats me out until the most intense orgasm rips through my body.

I scream so loudly that I’m certain anyone walking outside this part of the building would have heard it, but I’m too lost in the feeling to really care.

With his mouth and fingers covered in my juices, Drew lets go of my thighs and drops down to the black mat beside the bench. “What the hell was that about?” he asks, staring at the ceiling as I look down at him.

“Just a little reminder to anyone trying to get into your tiny red shorts that you’re mine. I’m the only one who’s allowed a look at your crown jewels,” I say with an air of smugness.

There’s a pointed silence after my statement, and I sit up on my elbows to get a better look at him. Instead of smiling at the fact that I still have his taste in my mouth, he looks somber.

Drew narrows his eyes and studies me. “You did that because girls were flirting with me? Claiming me in private but not in public, again. You didn’t even dare to say something to Caroline while she outright flirted with me in front of you, but you’ll do this? Sneak into a private gym and give me a blow job. Is that all this is?”

“Well, that sucked the mood right out of the room,” I try and joke, but Drew doesn’t bite. “I thought we’d agreed that we were going to keep this thing between us a secret.”

“For a while. It’s been over a month now, B. Isn’t that enough time for you to get used to it? It’s starting to feel like you’re only in this for sex, and as much as I like sex, I want more.”

There’s a pause in the conversation while I think about how I feel. Still sitting on the bench, wet as a sailor from his mouth, my orgasm has well and truly been sobered.

He has a point.

I want more from him than just his dick, and not staking my claim on him means it’s open season, and Drew’s a prime buck. I can’t keep watching stupidly hot girls hit on him. I’ll end up throat-punching one of them and getting expelled.

“You’re right.”

“I am?” He chuckles in surprise. “Never thought I’d hear those words coming out of your mouth.” Putting his shorts on, he grabs his shirt and looks around the room. “How did you get in here without any clothes?

“Take me out to dinner,” I say without thinking. “Not somewhere out of town like our first date, but maybe The GOAT on campus or something.”

“I’m not taking you to dinner at a sports bar.”

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. “Then buy me a beer. Let’s go somewhere where people can see us. I want to show you off.”

When he finally finds my clothes stuffed in the corner, he looks up, a small smile playing on his lips. This is my olive branch, and he knows it.

“If you’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Then let’s do this.”