Chapter Four

Honey

My phone rings to the side.

"Not again," I groan into the satin sheets, rubbing my cheek against them because they smell of Zach. My body aches from all the positions took me in last night. The shower, the bedroom, the kitchen, the hallway. Zach and I certainly christened this place as his now, that's for sure.

I sink into the mattress, happy that there are no springs digging into my side. Why not move in with him? It sure would be nice to sleep with his warm body by my side instead of the dorms. However, the sheer amount of sex he seems to need may hinder that sleep, but I have no doubts Zach won't stop pestering me until I finally agree. Last night, he threatened to hold off one of my orgasms until I agreed to call this place home. Unfortunately for him, my body was already quaking with pleasure before he finished getting the question out.

"Who's calling you?" Zach asks from across the room, surprising me. How come I didn't feel him get out of bed like I normally do? Oh, that's right, we're in his house, not my dorm.

I peek out of the covers only to see my freshly showered, ready for the gym boyfriend brushing his teeth.

How did he even make the act of cleaning his teeth look sexy? Does my body just light up now at the mere sight of him because I'm so used to having sex with him?

With the toothbrush whirring in his mouth, he raises a brow, watching me questioningly. I feel myself blush and I clamp my legs shut because I was thinking about all the things I wanted to do with him again, and embarrassed that I got caught.

I shake my head, getting rid of all the naughty thoughts I have of Zach and reach over to my still ringing phone.

"It's just my dad."

Zach raises his finger and speaks with his mouth still filled with foam. "Hold on, I don't think I heard you correctly." He strolls back into the bathroom, spits out his toothpaste and finishes brushing his teeth.

While he's doing that, I decline the call, changing my phone to silent before placing it back on the bedside table and sinking into the sheets.

Zach comes out of the bathroom and looks at me with crossed brows. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the toothbrush. I thought you just said your dad was calling," he says in disbelief.

"I did."

"But I thought he wasn't speaking to you after you decided to date me instead of betrothing yourself to Jamie?"

"He isn't speaking to me."

He pauses for thought when I don't immediately come up with any more information. "Then why's he calling you?"

"I'd have to answer the phone to find out, and I'm not interested in giving him any kind of airtime at the moment."

Zach draws in a harsh breath, but he knows better than to get involved in my family drama. Refusing Jamie's proposal isn't the only reason I'm not talking to them. The other major factor is Tiff. I desperately want to help her and Ella but there's nothing I can do except refuse my father's calls until he convinces Jamie's parents to drop this stupid lawsuit.

Zach pulls the covers off me, revealing my naked body and I cower into the fetal position, doing my best to keep warm.

"Hey!"

He crawls behind me, his hands spreading across my ass before they skate over my stomach as he kisses my neck and pulls me into his warm, fully clothed body.

"Now, I'm not one to stand up for your father, but if he's trying to call you, then it must be important. That man doesn't do anything without a purpose. He still checks in on me to make sure I have a back-up plan in case this NFL thing doesn't work out."

Zach nips on my earlobe and chuckles. I reach behind me and sink my fingers into Zach's hair as I enjoy his taunting touch.

It just feels so good. Zach barely has to touch me and I'm like putty in his hands, my center tingling, ready for another round.

"Why? I thought he didn't want me to end up with you."

"He doesn't, but he wants to make sure you're still taken care of. See. He cares, it's just in his weird, too rich to have sense kind of way."

I groan and break away from Zach so I can turn in his arms and look at him. "If it were that important, I'm sure it wouldn't just be him trying to get a hold of me. I would have received countless calls from legal, my mom and my grandma." All the people that he knows I'll pick up the phone to. It's only my father that I'm holding out on because he's the only one that can change things for Tiff.

"You have a point," he says, kissing me on the lips before withdrawing his touch. I groan in disappointment and narrow my eyes at him. "And honestly, I don't care enough about his opinion to warrant too much pushing." He pats my ass before completely moving off the bed. "Now, go shower so I can buy you a coffee before I walk you to class."

Freshly showered with my bag slung across one arm, I open Zach's front door, only to nearly fall face first on his brand-new porch because there's something in my way. Luckily, I manage to brace myself against the door frame as I shoot my gaze down to see the offending object.

My brows cross as I take it in.

"What the?"

I gently tap the football, kicking it out of my way, but in doing that, it nudges a football next to it, which in turn hits another football. And the next, and the next. I follow the line of footballs, only to realize this pile is just the start. There are at least fifty footballs scattered across Zach's porch, none of which I have a memory of from yesterday when I came in.

I hear Zach's presence before feel his body behind me. "You ready to go?" he asks, his hands on my hips as though he's encouraging me to walk out the door.

Looking over my shoulder, I point down at the balls.

I point at the balls in surprise. "Um, where did all this come from?"

"What? Oh, the balls?"

"Yeah," I say, kicking another one out of my way and stepping forward so Zach could lock the door.

"Oh, uh, people leave them here with a post it notes requesting me to sign them. I have no idea how they found out where I live, but this is one of the main reasons I refuse to live on campus. Jacob and Drew, both said it was a nightmare."

"Seriously?" He nods. "So, do you sign them?"

He shrugs. "For the most part, but only because I know it's not going to last forever. I'm speaking to a guy about installing a fence with a camera before Tiff and Ella get here. I don't want any strangers walking up the house and looking in through the windows."

"Do you really think a fence is going to stop a stalker? And won't they just leave the footballs outside it?" I make my way through the sea of balls, kicking my way through them until I find the safety of the steps.

"Maybe, but since they aren't on my property, it will be easier to ignore." By the time I'm on the bottom step, Zach's arm is around my shoulder, and I lean into his touch.

"But what about your approachable persona? Don't you want people to still think you're the cool guy?"

"I don't care about being approachable if it puts any of my family in danger, and that family includes you." He's silent for a second because I knew he wants his words to sink in. "That's part of the reason I want you living here with me instead of in those dorms. At least then I know no one can hurt you when you're living here."

I side eye him. "No one is going to hurt me."

"You sure about that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, but some of those posts girls put on the internet about me are a little whacko. I'd hate to think something happened to you because of me."

I roll my eyes and shake my head. "You really think you're hot stuff, don't you?"

"Can't help it. My mom always told me I was the best kid she knew."

I elbow him in the ribs and wrap my arm around his waist. "You don't have to worry about me, Z. I'm making more friends now, and I can stick up for myself." My mind thinks back to Jenni and Cole, and although all we've had is lunch, I can only hope that will grow into a friendship with them. "Besides, the more people see you, the less of a novelty you'll become, and then we can go back to being normal because they'll care a lot less about you."

"Still. Doesn't make me stop caring about you, Honeycomb."

I fan myself mockingly. "Oh, you do make me swoon."

His fingers press into my side as he stops me in my tracks and pulls me close for a lingering kiss. "And you make me hard. So very hard."

"Come on, Z. Let's get those coffees."