Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

" W hat's he doing here?" Mateo grumbles as we walk through campus toward the cheer gym.

We all turn and glare at Mateo. "Really?" I raise a brow.

"I don't mean it like that." He sighs. "Sorry, I just found out I'm not doing well in one of my classes. I only meant that he never comes to practices."

"He's here because we haven't seen each other all week." I lace my fingers through Trevor's. "If it wasn't for the competition coming up, I'd skip practice to see him."

"No skipping," Colt grumbles and I grin.

"Don't worry, baby. I'm not going anywhere."

"You know, what you all do is pretty damn impressive," Trevor says. "No way I'd be able to hold someone over my head."

"I'm sure you could," Lennox says. "Just gotta work out." He shows off his muscles and we all laugh.

"I work out, but I'm working towards tackling six-foot-tall men, not lifting them." Trevor grins.

"I mean, I do it," Mateo says with a shit-eating grin as he brings his gaze over to Lennox.

And my man blushes. Ugh, they are too cute.

"Fuck off." Lennox flips Mateo off.

"Any and all fucking must be done after practice," Colt says firmly as we reach the gym.

"Shoot." Donny grins. "There goes my idea of fucking Cherry on the cheer mats."

"Oh, there's an idea." I grin back.

"No!" Colt scolds, sending us all into another fit of laughter. It's fun to tease him when he's so wound up.

I'm the first one to step into the building. But as soon as I put my foot down, I jump back. "What the fuck?!" I look down at my wet foot, then at the floor. "Is that… Is that water?"

"Shit!" Colton hisses as he peeks inside. We stay outside as he goes in, stepping in the water. He comes back, eyes furious. "A fucking pipe burst. The whole place is flooded."

"I'll get maintenance on the phone," Mateo says, pulling his phone out.

"Let's go around back and shut the water off," Lennox tells Donny.

"Hey. What's going on?" Serenity asks as she walks toward us, Felicia and Fatima beside her.

"The whole building is flooded." I sigh, looking at Colt. "Do we just cancel practice?"

"No." He shakes his head. "We can't. We need every moment we can get. Missing practice time that we need to use to get this routine right puts us at risk of losing."

"Well, we can't practice in there." I sigh. "Is there anywhere else on campus we could use?"

Colt shrugs. "I don't know. Most of the gyms are booked up by other teams months in advance."

"We could do it out here," Felicia suggests.

Colt shoots her a look. "The dancing, yes, but we can't toss anyone into the damn air without any mats. That's risking a broken limb."

"Maintenance is on their way," Mateo fills us in after he gets off the phone.

Lennox and Donny join us, looking a little wet. "We managed to get the water off, but the whole place is flooded."

"Worst possible fucking time," Colt growls. "Fine. Fuck it. We can practice out on the lawn."

"Oh." Serenity pulls something out of her cheer bag. "I have a Bluetooth speaker we can hook up for the music."

"And I have an extra pair of shoes you can borrow, Rylee," Fatima says, pulling a pair out of her bag and handing them to me.

"Thanks." I smile. "I'm sure I could have survived, but having one wet foot and one dry feels really weird."

The girls laugh. We start heading toward the grass, but Colton doesn't move. He looks like he's fuming, and I hate seeing him like this.

"No need to go all cheerzilla on us," Mateo says. "There's nothing we can do about it, okay? Better to make the best out of a shitty situation than sit here pouting about it."

I shoot Mateo's back a glare as he walks off. I want to run up to him and slap him for being such a dick.

Colton's hands fist at his side, jaw clenched and nostrils flaring. "Hey, don't let him get to you. He's just in a shitty mood because of his bad grade."

"They don't get it," Trevor says, stepping up next to us. "Colton is in charge of a whole team of people. He's the one who makes everything work. He watches and observes, and then makes a play on what's going to get your team the gold. I understand, being in charge of a football team isn't easy shit. And with you guys going to Regionals soon, this practice time is crucial. I know they're trying to make the best out of the situation, but telling Colt to get over it is easier said than done."

My brows jump. This is the first time I've ever heard Trevor defend the guys. He's been civil, all of them trying to get along for my sake, but this… this makes me so damn happy.

I watch as Colton's shoulders relax.

"Thanks." He nods to Trevor. "It's really not that easy. Come on, let's go see if we can get anything done tonight."

"You know, until the gym is safe to practice in, I might be able to get you on the football field to practice. We have some spare mats too. But the only thing is, you would have to change the days of your practices."

"Really?" Colton looks surprised. "Yeah, man, that would be awesome. I'll make sure the team knows that the change of practice is mandatory. Thanks." Colton looks a hell of a lot happier as he takes off toward the others, the rest of the team stopping to be filled in as soon as they see him.

I turn to Trevor with a bright smile. "What's that look for?" he asks me, amusement dancing on his handsome face.

"It's for you. For being amazing. Look at you, getting along with my other boyfriends." I lean up on my tip-toes and wrap my arms around his neck.

"It's weird." he grumbles.

"Oh, hush." I tell him then kiss him. "Now come watch me dance."

His eyes light up. "Get moving." He slaps my ass. "I wanna see you shake it for me."

I toss my head back and laugh. These guys, there's never a dull moment.

"Alright. That's enough!" Colton shouts. I lean over and rest my hands on my knees, sucking in lungfuls of air. Sweat is pouring off me in waves, my whole body hurts, and I feel like I'm going to pass out. Colt worked us so much harder for the dance portion of the routine, to make up for not being able to do the stunts.

"Oh, thank fuck." Ursula drops to the ground. "I should have you arrested for attempted murder."

"Drama queen much," Serenity says, but she looks like she'll be the next one to go down.

Colton might have been in a better mood because of Trevor's offer, but that didn't tame theperfectionist team captain in him.

Coach came about five minutes after we started practice, and has been dealing with the disaster in the gym. I look over to see her walking toward us and I stand up straight.

"What's the verdict?" I ask her.

"Well, it was a busted pipe, alright." She sighs. "But, it didn't burst on its own."

"What do you mean?" Colton asks, moving to stand next to me.

"From what maintenance could see, it looks like one of the pipes was hit with something hard and heavy to make that kind of dent."

"You mean someone did this on purpose?" I ask, brows furrowing as I look from her to the guys.

"Looks like it. I'm not sure who or why, but I'll go meet with the Dean and see what we can do about cleaning the place up and getting it fixed. I don't know what we're going to do about practice in the meantime, but we can't keep having it here."

"Actually, Trevor said he might be able to work something out," Colton says, and the coach looks toward Trevor.

"Yeah?" she asks, and Trevor nods. "Come, walk with me, talk with me."

Trevor says goodbye and leaves me with the rest of my guys. "I think I might be able to find out who did this." Colton takes his phone out and pulls up an app.

"Dude, is that a security camera in the gym?" Donny asks. "Since when did we have those?"

"Since Rylee started going there alone at night." Colton shoots me a look and my eyes widen. I didn't tell any of them about that. Fuck. "I wanted to make sure she was safe while she did her own thing."

"I don't know if I should feel touched that you care so much, be freaked out you've been spying on me, or be turned on, knowing that you've been watching me," I mutter as he pulls up some more of the feed.

"Third one. We can have some fun if that's your kink." Donny chuckles.

I just roll my eyes and smile.

Colton presses play and we watch the screen. It only shows an empty gym. That is until someone makes their way inside the room. "Who's that?" Mateo asks.

"Not a guy. Too short and small," Lennox says.

They have a ladder with them. Pulling it into the center of the room, they set it up and start climbing up. "Holy shit, is that a crowbar?" Donny asks when the person pulls something from their side.

"Shut up and watch," Mateo mutters.

The person starts beating the shit out of the pipe. They go at it for a while until finally it explodes, sending water spraying everywhere.

"Shit." Donny chuckles, getting a slap from Lennox on the arm.

The pressure of the water sends the person tumbling off the ladder and onto the ground. They scramble to get up, and when they do, the hood of their sweatshirt has fallen down. "Can you zoom in?" I ask.

"On it." Colton zooms in on the person's face and hits pause.

"Fucking Missi!" I hiss, pure fucking rage filling me.

"I knew she was too damn quiet," Lennox hisses. "I bet the bitch was spending all this time scheming."

"Why would she fuck with the gym?" Donny asks.

"Because she's pissed she's not on the team," I tell him. "She could individually mess with someone, but they can be replaced, if needed. No, instead, she did this to fuck with our practice time, knowing we're so close to Regionals. Crazy bitch is trying to throw us off."

"I'm going to fucking kill her,"Colton growls.

"Not if I beat you to it," Lennox says.

"I'm never going to be rid of her, am I?" I sigh.

"How do you think I feel?" Lennox mutters.

"I'm sorry, baby." I wrap my arms around him.

"What are we going to do about her?" Donny asks.

"I don't fucking know, but we're not letting her get away with this shit. She wants to fuck with the team? This means fucking war," Colton says, chest heaving.

I don't know what her game is, but I don't want to play. Colton might wanna hit back, but it's only going to make her retaliate harder, and given that she's batshit crazy, it wouldn't be good. Not at all.

Leaving practice, I wait for the guys and Rylee. After the gym was vandalized, I don't feel comfortable letting Ry out of my sight. I don't care if the gym is fixed now or that there are cameras.

We all know it was Missi. Colt is still planning his revenge, but she's unstable, we don't know what she's going to pull next.

She's a fucking psycho.

"Hey, did you want to grab some pizza?" I ask the group, and they all nod, except Donny.

He's swaying on his feet and yawning.

"You guys have fun. I'm out," he mumbles, then walks off with his shoulders slumped and head down.

Rylee moves to go after him, but I put my hand on her arm, stopping her. She looks at me, and I know she's about to mouth off, so I lean down and kiss her to shut her up.

She shoves me away and I laugh, licking the taste of her from my lips.

"What the hell, Teo? I'm worried about him. Can't you see something isn't right?"

I nod and she puts her hands on her hips. Felicia, Ursula, and Serenity walk out of the gym and over to us.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Ren asks, and Rylee sighs.

"We're about to get some pizza if you want to come," Colt says.

"Ew, no thanks," Ursula mutters, then walks off with Felicia following.

I lean closer to Rylee, while Len and Colt talk to Serenity.

"I know something isn't right with Donny, but I also know that he needs space. The guys and I have been trying to get him to open up to us, but he just says he's fine."

"Then let me go to him. I miss my silly guy," she mutters, and I can see the shine of tears in her eyes.

Sighing, I pull her into a hug. "I have an idea. Come with me somewhere after dinner?"

She nods and snuggles into my chest. My cock perks up, so I try to think about naked walruses and shit to get it to behave.

Len walks over and hugs her tightly from behind, making her grunt. I wink at him over her head and he gives me a dirty smirk.

"Okay, let's grab some food," I grumble and Len laughs, shaking his head as he backs away.

God, I'm dealing with two brats, it seems.

Taking Rylee's hand, I lead her over to Len's vehicle. Opening the passenger seat door, I help her inside, then move to the driver's side.

Doesn't matter whose truck or car we are taking, I always drive.

"Aren't we just getting pizza at the place on campus?" Rylee asks and Colt scoffs.

"No, we always go to Maggio's by the mall. Only place to get a good slice," Len says, shooting her a wink as he moves over for Ren to sit in the back.

"Oh, they have awesome garlic knots. Can I invite Alex?" Serenity asks, and I nod.

"You can invite Trev too, if you want," I tell Rylee as I start the truck.

She gives me a smile and leans over to kiss my cheek before buckling her seat belt.

We chat about Regionals being in Vegas this year, and Ren says that Alex can't make it, so he can babysit Peaches.

I keep that information in mind for what we are doing later.

He may have his hands more full than he thinks.

"What are you smirking about?" Ry asks, reaching over to hold my hand. I placed it on her thigh, and I may not have reacted, but I noticed her little gasp of surprise and the way she squeezed her legs together at my touch.

"You'll see later," I say ominously, then turn my blinker on and wait until I have access to pull into the parking lot.

"Alex and Trev are carpooling, they will be here in five minutes," Ren says, hanging up the phone.

"Should we go inside and get a table or wait?" Ry asks me and I grunt.

"Doesn't matter to me. Parking lot isn't too busy, so we shouldn't need to reserve anything."

"It feels weird that Donny isn't here. He loves pizza."

Rylee takes out her phone and begins texting Donny. He doesn't reply and she frowns. I give her hand a squeeze and lean over to kiss her temple.

"He's probably asleep, babe. He hasn't been sleeping well, so leave him be. We will be sure to bring home leftovers. He loves cold pizza for breakfast."

Sighing, she puts her phone away, unbuckles, then opens the door. Len is standing outside and holds it open for her.

She gives him a quick kiss as Alex's car pulls into the spot beside us.

Ren runs over to him as soon as he's parked and gives him lots of kisses.

You would think they haven't seen each other in weeks at their display.

Trevor walks around to where Rylee is and gives her a kiss, but it's sweet, and I note the blush on her cheeks when he pulls away, rubbing his thumb along her bottom lip.

"Hey, guys," he says to us. I grunt while Len and Colt say hi. Leaving them to follow, I walk up to the doors and enter.

Maggio's was a place my father would take me to when I was little. His friend is the owner.

The hostess gives me a smile and leads me to the table we always claim.

"Your waitress will be with you shortly, and I'll tell Markus you're here," she says as Rylee takes the seat beside me.

"So, Rylee says you have a super secret mission planned for after. Are besties invited?" Alex asks and I shake my head.

"Not this time," I mumble, my gaze snapping up when I hear the kitchen doors open. I stand and smile when Markus heads our way.

"Damn, boy, every time I see you, you've grown another inch," he says, pulling me in for a quick hug.

I introduce him to Rylee, and she blushes when he takes her hand and kisses it.

Markus has been like a true uncle to me all these years. He stayed away from the gang life and fighting circuit.

"She's beautiful," he tells me quietly, looking over at Ry. "She reminds me of your mama. Sweet but has a fire in her that will burn you if you piss her off," he says with a chuckle, shaking his head.

I nod in agreement and he slaps my shoulder before addressing the table.

"Eat, drink, enjoy, it's on the house."

Shooting me a wink, he leaves us and heads back into the kitchen. I take my seat once more and Rylee leans in closer.

"I like him," she says and I nod.

"After my dad died, he kept me in line. Without him and my mama, I'd probably be dead."

"Well, this just got depressing," Alex says, and I roll my eyes as Serenity lovingly smacks his chest.

"So, what do you recommend?" Ry asks me, and I point to the calzones.

"They are the size of your head, and the homemade dough is awesome. I get sausage with ricotta, but you can choose whatever."

Nodding, she smiles and turns to talk to Len.

It doesn't take long for the waitress to get our order and bring the appetizers out.

Serenity was raving about their garlic knots, and Trevor got some stuffed ravioli. Looking around the table, I frown. I know he's having a rough go of it lately, but Donny really should be here.

I hope tonight goes well and it lifts his spirits.

"A puppy!" Rylee squeals, rushing down the aisle between the cages, most filled with dogs. I wish we could take them all, but there is one that I saw on their website that I think will be perfect for Donny.

"Donny said Peaches needed a friend, but we are not getting another fucking cat," I grumble, crossing my arms as Rylee rolls her eyes.

"You can cut the attitude, Sir. I know the truth now. Underneath all that muscle, scowls, and alphaholeness, you have a good heart."

Scoffing, I leave her to baby talk with an older dog while I walk down the row that holds the puppies.

I wouldn't mind taking an older one home, but Donny has always dreamed about having a Beagle, and they just so happen to have a litter here.

Stopping in front of the cage, I lean down and let the mom sniff me through the bars before opening the door.

Three little puppies come bouncing over to me, yapping and wagging their tails. Fuck, they are cute, but they're not the one I'm here for.

There is only one female, and because of potty training, and all that shit, I don't want a male.

Leah enters the room and walks over to me. Rylee has moved on and is now petting a golden retriever.

Seeing the love and joy on her face, I can picture our future. A big house with a yard, maybe some kids, but a shit load of animals.

I even see that dickhead, Trevor, there with us. Fuck, this girl has me pussy whipped.

"So, thank you for filling out all the forms online. That will make the process go a lot faster. I know you wish to take her home now, but it may have to be in the morning."

Leah bends down, scooping up the little girl and I scowl.

"No, I appreciate you staying late for us to come, but it has to be tonight. As I told you, our friend is in a rough mental state and he needs this."

Leah bites her lip and looks up into the corner where a camera is recording us.

"I will add a donation to the shelter on top of the adoption fee," I say quietly and her green eyes widen.

"Okay, but you may need to bring her back here if the vet has any objections to her leaving. She still needs a round of shots in a month as well."

I hold out my hand and she places the tiny puppy into my arms before shaking my hand.

"Oh, Teo, she's so sweet," Rylee says, joining us and petting the top of the puppy's head. "What should we name her?"

I shake my head. "Donny can do that, but we need to finish up here and then hit the pet store before they close," I mumble, handing the puppy to Rylee so I can stand.

Wiggling in her arms, she bathes Ry's face with kisses, and I can tell she's in love.

Waving goodbye to the other dogs, promising to come back and visit, Rylee leaves the room as Leah and I follow her.

Once all the paperwork is done for the donation and the background check has cleared, we walk out to the truck.

The guys went home with Alex and Trevor.

"Donny is going to fall head over heels for you. You are just precious," Rylee coos and the puppy whimpers.

Leah gave us a collar and leash, but we still need to buy essentials. Rylee holds her as I drive, and soon we are in the toy aisle, she lets her sniff every toy before choosing a few.

"Okay, we have puppy food, bowls, toys, a bed, and a blanket. Do we need anything else?"

"May want to get some puppy pads. Leah said she wasn't completely trained yet, and maybe some treats," Ry adds, pushing the cart down another aisle.

I watch her ass sway and order my dick to behave again. I don't know what it is, but doing something so domestic with her makes me want to wife her and breed her.

I've been hard as stone since the moment she asked me what color food bowl we should buy.

Holding up a few more items, I nod and she throws them into the cart, then we push it to the checkout.

I need to get her out of here before I cum in my pants. "You okay?" she asks, after I rush her out of the store and toss the shit we bought in the back.

I rip the tags off the dog bed and place the puppy inside it on the back seat, then spin Rylee and press her against the side of the truck.

It's dark and no one is around. As I'm gripping her throat, she looks up at me and licks her lips.

Pulling her flush against my body, she gasps, realizing how hard I am.

"Do you know how badly I want to bend you over and fuck you raw?" I growl, feeling her swallow under my palm.

Smirking, I move closer, teasing my lips with hers. "But, unlike your golden boy, I have a record, and can't afford to be arrested."

Rylee moans, and I can feel her trying to grind herself against my erection. Licking her lips, I kiss her hard until we are both panting.

Gripping my hair tight, Rylee holds my mouth to hers. "Fuck," she whispers.

Running my hand along her side, I dip into her shorts, finding her panties soaked.

"You want me, little brat?" I growl, pushing her panties to the side, rubbing my finger against her clit.

"Oh, God." She pants against my lips and I grin. Pulling away from her, I glance around, then take her hand and lead her to the driver's side.

"Take your shorts off and climb in."

"Teo!" She tries to argue, but I'm not in the mood. Spinning her, I bend her over the seat and smack her ass hard.

"Oh, fuck, did you just spank me?" she grumbles, and I laugh.

"Are you going to be a good girl and listen?"

"I am not driving home naked, Teo," she huffs. I lean over her so she can feel me grind into her ass, and I can whisper into her ear.

"I want to lick your pussy and have you cream on my fingers while you drive us back to campus."

"Wha… What?" she breathes. I continue to dry fuck her ass, and I'm about to say fuck the consequences when she nods, pushing herself off the seat with her arms.

Backing away, I wait until she pulls her shorts off and climbs into the driver's seat.

Moving the puppy behind her seat, I close the door and climb into the passenger's side.

"Start the engine," I order, smirking when I notice the tremble in her hand as she pushes the button.

"I don't know if I can do this, Teo," she mutters, looking at me, and the lust in her eyes has me leaning in to kiss her again.

Dipping my hand down, I rub her clit hard and fast until her legs are shaking.

When she's close, I pull away. She glares at me and I nod toward the steering wheel.

"Drive, Rylee."

"You are crazy!" she mumbles and I grin.

Once she's on the road heading back to campus, I move my seat all the way back and lean over.

"Get on the highway and turn the cruise control on." I wait until she listens. "Spread your thighs and don't crash," I order, before wiggling until her perfect pussy is in my face.

Sticking my tongue out, I lick her a few times, pissing her off. She's huffing and muttering under her breath.

"Teo, stop playing," she snaps. I laugh against her clit, letting her feel the vibrations. "Oh, my God," she moans.

Not giving her a moment's rest, I shove two fingers in to the knuckle, fucking her hard and fast until she's squirming and there is a puddle on the seat.

Sucking her clit and licking her slit, she explodes, gripping my hair tight, while keeping one hand on the wheel. Licking her clean, she whimpers and tries to move away.

"Stop. Oh, stop," she whines and I laugh.

Kissing her clit, I pull away and sit properly in my seat, sucking my fingers clean and licking my lips.

Pushing my shorts down, I grip my cock and pump it until I'm close, then cover the tip as I cum.

"Fuck," I groan, taking deep breaths.

"Feel better?" Rylee teases and I turn my head, facing her when I wink. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that?" she asks and I shrug, looking behind her seat to check on the puppy.

I'm not ready for her to know that she makes me weak while being domestic.

We get back to the house and I take the puppy into the yard so she can go to the bathroom.

The last two minutes, she's been whining and crying.

Once that's done, I grab some bags while Rylee puts her clothes back on. "Can you carry her and I'll get the bed?"

Nodding, she bends, scooping the puppy into her arms and walks inside.

"Oh, my God!" I hear squeals from inside and roll my eyes.

Walking in, I head right for the stairs to our apartment, leaving Ry to talk to the other girls.

Opening the door, I look around for Donny. It's quiet.

Setting the bags on the counter, I walk into the living room. Colt is on his laptop and looks up.

"Is he still asleep?"

"Yeah. He woke up shouting a few minutes ago. Len is with him. Did you do it?"

"Yeah, Rylee has her."

Standing, he places his laptop on the coffee table then leaves the apartment.

I move toward Donny's room and smile. Len is humming some song, calming him down. His nightmares are getting worse, and the only thing that seems to help is when Rylee sleeps with him.

"Hey, I have something in the living room for you, can you come out?" I ask, and Donny looks over at me. His eyes are red-rimmed and he looks exhausted.

"Yeah," he croaks, then clears his throat. "Did my Cherry bring me pie?" he asks with a smile and I laugh.

"Better."

Kicking the blankets off, Donny flies off the bed and runs into the living room. Len follows him and I give him a quick kiss. I keep waiting for a shout, or squeal, but there is silence.

Donny is sitting on the couch with the puppy in his arms and he's sniffling. Not crying, but on the verge. "So, what should we name her?" I ask him, taking a seat on the couch before pulling Rylee onto my lap.

She gives Donny a smile and rubs the puppy's head. He grins in return, and his eyes are the brightest we've seen in weeks. The puppy begins to lick his face and he laughs, hugging her tighter to his chest.

He looks at all of us, then sighs happily.

"I've always wanted a Beagle, and now Peaches will have a sister… I… Thank you, guys. I love her. Her name is Cobbler. It's perfect, right?"