27. Chapter 27

S ex without a condom?

I've never had unprotected sex. Although I've only ever slept with one other person, but still. As scary as it is to suggest, I trust Crew. Wholeheartedly.

Crew's eyes widen as his face morphs with some kind of emotion. "Are you sure?"

I nod. "Just this once. I need your cock inside of me." I wiggle my ass in the air and watch his eyes track the movement. He growls, physically growls, like some kind of jungle cat.

His hand finds his erection as he begins stroking his shaft up and down as he walks closer. "Where do you want me?"

I feel him tap his cock on my ass before running it over my crack. The head of him taps against my tight hole. "Want me here?"

A thrill courses through me as heat coils in my belly, a mixture of nerves and arousal. Nibbling my lip, I stare up at him.

"Not tonight, baby," he murmurs. Crew slides lower through my slit as he positions himself at my entrance. Between the shower water and my arousal, I'm dripping wet. Throbbing and swollen. Needy.

With one hand gripping my hip, his tip prods at my entrance. Very slowly, he pushes himself deeper. Inch by inch until he's fully seated inside me. Pausing, he lets my body adjust to his size. With this new position and the angle, I feel full. Blissfully full .

Crew's hips begin to move as he slowly starts thrusting inside me. His movements are calculated as he glides in and out. Every time he gets close to slipping out of me, my pussy clenches around him. The feeling of having sex with no barrier feels better than I expected.

"It feels so good," I pant.

The hand that is not gripping my hip trails up my spine before he wraps my long strands around his fist. With a slight tug, he begins rocking faster.

"You take me so well, Bret," he grunts. "I'm not going to last long. Not without a condom. Touch yourself, Rebel."

Removing my hand from the ledge, I trust Crew to hold me up by his grip on my hair and hip. Spreading my palm across my boob, I palm and squeeze the flesh, using my thumb and palm to pinch my nipple. A strand of pleasure shoots straight to my clit.

I bring my hand between my legs. Slowly, I rub the pads of my fingers and work my sensitive bundle of nerves, begging for a release.

"That's it, Rebel. Make yourself come." His hand tightens around my hip to the point where I think bruises will form as a delicious pain fuels my impending orgasm. Crew's thrusts take on an erratic pace as he pistons his cock deep inside me. Each time he thrusts deeper inside me, he hits that sweet spot deep inside me, taking both of us closer and closer to the edge.

Leaning forward, I press up on my tiptoes as I grind back against him. My fingers rub harder as Crew pulls my hair and pinches my nipple. The pleasure building in my core is unbearable. With each thrust, the orgasm coils in my belly before igniting my entire being.

Shock waves pulse throughout as I quake with release. In the next moment, Crew's hips rock faster before he pulls out of me. I watch over my shoulder as he jacks himself off as warm ropes of cum land on my back .

Our chests heave as we stare at each other, trying to catch our breath.

"You're perfect." Crew cups water in his hands and rinses his release down the drain.

Knuckles rapping against the door have both of us wide-eyed, and panic shows on our faces. Tyler's voice calls through the door. "Yo, Riggs, we're going to The Eagles Nest for wings. JP is working tonight. Are you in?"

"Ye-yeah, man," he stutters his response. I'm surprised the sound of heartbeats can't be heard.

"Have you seen Bret? I saw her Jeep in the parking lot."

Shit, shit, shit.

An awkward silence falls over the room as we stare at each other, both of us trying to figure out how to avoid this mess. Looking up at Crew, I place my first two fingers down and move them back and forth.

"Fingering?" I smack his chest.

Bending one finger at the knuckle, I move it in front of the other and then repeat with the second finger.

"Walking?" I nod.

"Riggs? You hear me?" The knob jiggles and my heart drops to my stomach. He cannot come in here. Did we lock the door?

"I think she went for a walk!" Crew yells the words in a panicked rush.

"Cool, I'm going to go change my clothes. Can you fill her in if she gets back before I'm done?"

"Yeah, man."

We wait with bated breath to make sure the coast is clear. The shower water has long since cooled off. Crew twists the handle to the off position before sliding open the curtain. He reaches for our towels, and I wrap the fluffy cotton around my body.

We both step out onto the rug and Crew creeps over to the door. I reach down, gather all my dirty laundry, and toss it in the closet laundry basket. Twisting the knob, Crew peeks his head out.

"Coast is clear."

I rush past him, kissing his cheek quickly, and run into my room. Quietly closing the door, I rest my back against the wood and take a deep breath. That was way too close.

But damn was it worth it.

As I'm walking into the apartment late Wednesday afternoon, I'm met with total silence. The guys are all on campus for classes before their weekly required study session. I'm home early since my last class of the day was canceled due to the professor being sick.

Tossing my keys onto the entryway table, I walk into the kitchen. Needing an energy kick, I reach inside the fridge for a Coke. My phone vibrating in my pocket startles me. Sliding it out, I find a text from Chloe waiting for me.

Chloe: Hey, girl! I hope you had a great day! Would you want to hang out tonight?

I'm caught off guard by her text. It's not that we don't get along or anything like that, it's that Chloe doesn't typically text just me outside of the group chat, although the chat has been quieter than usual.

Me: Hey! Yeah, I just got home for the day. Where would you like to meet?

Chloe: I'll come to you with dinner! Do you like subs?

Me: Love them. I'm a chicken, bacon, and ranch kind of girl.

Chloe: You've got it! See you shortly!

I no sooner lock the screen, and it vibrates in my hand.

"Hello, my favorite mother."

"Hello, my favorite daughter." We both chuckle at our typical greeting. "How's my girl?"

Leaning against the counter, I rest my hand on the top. "I'm doing good. Staying super busy."

"I figured. You must be since I rarely hear from you."

"Yeah, I've had a lot on my plate."

She tsks. "I thought for sure I'd see you more now that you live in the same city as your parents."

"Mom," I grumble, not ready to get into the lousy child guilt. "I see you at home football games."

"Uh-huh. Don't worry, your father keeps me in the loop."

"Oh, is he now? Does he have spies around campus?" I ask the question and secretly hope he hasn't spied on me. Crew and I don't flaunt our relationship on campus, but there have been longing glances and lingering touches. I can't help myself when he's around.

"He has. He said you're playing basketball again. I'd love to watch. I miss watching you run up and down the court."

Sticking my finger underneath the tab, I pop the opening on the can of Coke. "Bret Addison, are you drinking?"

"Yes, your underage daughter is going to tie one on with her mother on the phone. "

"I'm not naive enough to think that you don't go out and party. I know you're out there living it up."

"Nobody says ‘living it up.'" I laugh.

"YO-YO?"

"Please just stop." I shake my head. "It's YOLO for you only live once, and again, no one says that. I'm just drinking a Coke."

"Oh, honey, I wish you'd stop drinking that. Soda is so bad for you."

Bringing the can to my lips, I take a long pull as the dark, fizzy liquid slides down my throat. "Am I supposed to stop smoking too?"

She gasps. "You're not smoking, are you?"

"No, Mom."

I can picture my mom standing in her pristine kitchen, the phone resting on her shoulder, hands in soapy dishwater, her face flustered from my antics. "Anyway, did you hear that your father and I were asked to be on a reality show? Apparently, a network wants to film a behind-the-scenes glimpse at life in football families across the country, and your father was the top choice."

"That sounds terrible. Please tell me you said no."

It's her turn to chuckle. "Of course, we did as if we'd have cameras filming our every movement. There's no way."

"Thank god."

"Besides, I don't want to have to worry about cameras watching me change or, god forbid, when it's Tuesday night, and your father and I crack open a bottle of wine, lower the lights, curl up on the couch…"

I gag. "Stop, please don't go any further than that."

The laugh she lets lose vibrates through the earpiece. "Your mom has jokes, too, sweetheart."

"Remind me not to sit on the couch," I grumble, pressing off the counter and carrying the can of Coke with me to my room. Light filters in from the windows, illuminating my room. The white walls feel extra bright. I can't wait until I have my own space and I can paint the walls to darken my cave. Moving closer to the bed, I go to plop down on my mattress when a brown oversized envelope halts my movement. Sitting on my pillow, I see ‘Rebel' scrawled in Crew's scratchy handwriting. A smile plays on my lips.

Mom's voice brings me back to our call. "Bret, sweetie, did you hear me?"

"Sorry, Mom."

"It's okay. I was just talking about Thanksgiving prep. Are you coming home this year? What about your roommates? They come every year."

"Yes, Mom, the four of us will be there."

"Aw, honey, that makes me so happy."

A knock on the door draws my attention away from my mom, who is rambling about the menu and how many pounds of potatoes she has to order. Considering how many men will be at the house, it's ungodly.

Leaving my room, I head to the front door, where I look through the peephole. Chloe stands on the other side, wearing a purple dress and holding a plastic bag. Turning the lock, I open the door.

"Hey!" Chloe greets.

"Hey, come on in." I step aside, welcoming her inside as I shut the door behind us. "Mom, my friend came over for dinner. Can I call you later?"

"Of course. I'm holding you to that returned phone call."

"Yes, Mom." Rolling my eyes, I shake my head.

"Love you, honey."

"Love you, too, Mom." Ending the call, I let out a long exhale.

I love my mother, I really do, but the constant contact can get overwhelming. Even though I haven't actually taken the time to call her, she sends many text messages. Grant says she does the same to him. I told Dad she needed a hobby away from us kids and her role as a coach's wife. She needs to find something that makes her happy so she can focus on that.

Chloe is standing by the dinner table, pulling out packages of subs. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were on the phone."

Shaking off her apology, I go to sit next to her. "Don't apologize. Thanks for grabbing dinner. As excited as I am to have you over, I'm slightly surprised."

"Yeah, I might have an ulterior motive." Chloe scrunches her nose as her cheeks pinken.

Quirking my brow, I pull out a chair, sit down, and start unwrapping my sub. "I knew it."

"I promise I want to hang out with you. We haven't had a chance to spend one-on-one time together. I mean, dancing at the bar doesn't count."

We both dig into our subs—mine a toasted chicken, bacon, ranch on Italian and Chloe a toasted meatball sub on Italian. I groan as the perfectly seasoned chicken hits my tongue. There's just something about a Cbr that makes my stomach happy.

"This is so good," Chloe mumbles around a mouthful.

I nod my head in agreement. Silence falls over the table as we both spend the next few minutes devouring our subs. I must have been starving because I inhaled this sandwich as if I were one of the guys.

Wiping her face with a napkin, Chloe breaks the silence first. "So, have you met anyone on campus?"

"Met anyone? I've met lots of people."

She wiggles her brows. "No, like, met someone ."

My face heats as I glance down at the remainder of my sub. Only the end of the bread remains. I'm so tired of sneaking around. Keeping secrets will be my death, and after last night's close call, we are bound to get caught.

We are so close to the season being over. Just a few more weeks, and I can admit to the world that I am Crew Riggsby's girlfriend. Then I will have to deal with the repercussions of keeping our relationship a secret from my dad and overprotective brother.

"Oh, um, I'm not really looking for anything right now. I declared this year the year of Bret."

She eyes me skeptically. "Uh-huh."

I shrug, gathering our wrappers and shoving them into the plastic bag to throw away later. We both move from the table to the couch. I take the end where I bring my legs up to sit cross-legged on the section in Crew's spot. Chloe moves to the corner spot, where she tucks her legs underneath her and adjusts her dress to avoid flashing the goods.

"Speaking of guys, thanks to your book and your constant need to mention my so-called reverse harem fantasy, I had the most embarrassing thing happen to me."

Leaning forward, Chloe's eyes shine as excitement crosses her face. "Oh my gosh, please tell me you propositioned your roommates."

"No." I shake my head. "The other night JP had a study session, and Crew, Tyler, and I watched a movie in Crew's bed. Well, I fell asleep between them and had the most erotic dream with both of them."

"Oh my gosh." Chloe chortles, her gleeful laugh erupting around us. "How was it?"

"I mean." I shrug, wiggling my eyebrows.

"That's the best thing anyone has told me in a long time."

"Oh, and then my brother walked in on the three of us in bed."

Tears pour down her face as she clutches her stomach from laughing so hard. Chloe wipes her face as I shake my head. The whole situation could have been avoided if she wasn't planting reverse harem seeds in my brain. Silence falls over the room as Chloe fights to pull herself together.

"Are you good at keeping secrets?" I snort, choking on my spit, and start spluttering everywhere. Chloe stares at me with shock written all over her face. "You okay, girl?"

Patting my chest, I nod. "Ye-yeah, I'm good at keeping secrets."

Chloe continues to eye me wearily. "Okay, perfect. I need your help with something."

"What's up?"

"You know that we host family dinners on Sundays…"

"Yes, Chlo, I have been at every Sunday dinner since I moved here."

She reaches for her phone before scooting closer to me. "Well, I was thinking about throwing Brynn and Quinton a surprise baby shower next Sunday. Q has a bye week, and he's flying in for the weekend, so it's perfect."

"Aw," I gush. "That's such a cute idea. I know I'm a newbie, but having a friend who's having a baby is really cool."

"You say that because you don't have to live with her. Brynn Wilder is the strongest girl I know, and right now, she cries about everything. She's a hormonal mess." She snickers as I cringe. "After she announced the birth control malfunction, I made Cody go back to using condoms because I was super paranoid the pill wouldn't work. He had to talk me off the ledge by promising me that if I ever go on any medication, he'll wear a condom, but not until then."

"Not ready for kids?"

Horror flashes across her face. "Oh no, I don't even know if kids are in my future. Cody and I both have struggled with shitty parents—my mom and his dad—and it makes me nervous to have kids. I refuse to have unprotected sex. "

I nod, my thoughts trailing back to last night. Last night, when Crew and I had unprotected sex. We were caught up in the moment, and I was so desperate for him that I didn't want him to stop. It's probably the most irresponsible thing I've ever done—dread pools in my stomach at realizing how stupid I was. Based on my cycle, I should be in the all-clear, but accidents happen. And much like Chloe, I am so not ready for babies. Hell, Crew and I can't even be in public. How would I announce that I'm pregnant? My palms are sweaty, and my chest squeezes.

"You okay over there?" Chloe's voice pulls me back into the present.

"Totally, I just pictured being in Brynn's shoes, and my anxiety skyrocketed," I tell her.

Chloe scrolls on her phone before passing it over to me. I stare at the screen and take in the perfectly curated secret Pinterest board. Scrolling through the images, I absorb the color scheme of creams, tans, greens, and oranges. Table decorations of baby booties, eucalyptus runners, neutral baby onesies, and vases of baby's breath. Games, food, and photo backdrop ideas.

"Holy shit, this is amazing," I gush as I continue to scroll. "What do you need my help for? I think you've got this planned."

She blushes, almost embarrassed at how organized she is. "I was wondering if I could ship things to your apartment and if you wouldn't mind helping me set up?"

"Are you going to have it at the house?"

She nods.

"How are you going to get Q and Brynn away?"

"That's the tricky part. The two hide away in her room whenever Q visits, barely coming up for air. I talked to Macy, and she said that she and Gregg would come up with something. "

For the next hour, the two of us scroll through our phones, searching for decorations and baby items we can order that will arrive in time. A reality show Chloe is addicted to is playing in the background as our soundtrack for the night. Everything about this moment feels like a dream come true. Warm fuzzies flutter in my stomach to be a part of a family. This CTU group has different personalities, but they all share one thing—their love for each other.