The Locker Room(40)

“Tell me about it. Every one of my teammates wanted to punch me in the nuts.” He kisses the side of my head. “Breakfast is on you, Ealson. I hope you’re ready to light up your dining hall card.”





Chapter Fifteen





EMORY





I’m gobsmacked.

Utterly gobsmacked.

Sitting across from me is a man who can take down a breakfast burrito the size of his head full of eggs, potatoes, refried beans, bacon, and fajita veggies in five minutes. I’m pretty sure he unhinged his jaw and slid the whole thing in, chewing occasionally.

He reaches across the table and starts picking at my fruit. “Okay, do you want to get down to business?” he asks, casually popping a piece of pineapple in his mouth.

I blink a few times.

“Now that you swallowed that burrito whole, you’re ready?”

He licks pineapple juice off his finger. “Did I impress you with my eating abilities, because there’s more where that came from.”

“You horrified me,” I say, still in a state of shock.

He chuckles and pulls out a pen and notebook. “You learn to eat fast when you have little time in between practices and classes.”

“Still . . . that thing was huge.”

“If you’re impressed with that, just wait until you see what else I can do with my mouth.” He winks, sending a wave of heat up the nape of my neck. I can only imagine.

Just what I need, to be turned on in the middle of the dining hall. Hello, fellow students, this is me, Emory Ealson, wet and ready for the man who can swallow a five-foot burrito whole.

I take a sip of my water, ignoring his innuendo, which only makes the cocky and confident man laugh to himself.

“Okay, let’s get these rules laid out so we can get to the good stuff.” He lifts his gaze to me. “You know, like kissing and all that shit.”

“How romantic.”

He points his pen at me. “Exactly. Very romantic.” Like an idiot, he clicks the pen, dots the tip on his tongue as if wetting the ink, and makes a dramatic wave of his arm to get to the paper. Seriously, what am I getting myself into? “Okay, rule number one.” He lifts a brow at me, looking super sexy as he says, “Friends forever and always.”

Shit, that look, his soft voice as he said those words . . . it strikes me hard in the chest, a feeling I wasn’t expecting right away. Yes, he might be very outgoing and personable like Neil, but there’s a softer side to him, one I can’t wait to explore more.

“Yes, friends forever.” I take a bite of my eggs and lean back in my chair, enjoying the view of Knox’s sly smile.

“Good.” He writes it down and then starts scribbling the second rule as he talks out loud. “Rule number two: lots and lots of oral. Pantloads, no boatloads of oral. More oral than anyone can ever imagine.” He actually writes that down. “Oral all the time. If there is a tongue and a pussy in the same room, they’re connecting.”

Jesus.

I shush him, moving my hand up and down to lower his voice. “Seriously, can you be a little less . . . proud?”

“No,” he answers, while finishing his sentence, and then he looks up at me. “I want everyone to know that the only person who’ll be between your legs is me.” He perks his head up and speaks louder. “Did you hear that, everyone? I’m the only one—”

I’m out of my seat in seconds and clasping my hand over his mouth before he can continue. “Oh my God, Knox, please, control yourself.”

He takes me by the wrist and spins me so I’m sitting on his lap, and of course . . . all eyes are on us. My back is to his chest and his arm is wrapped around my stomach, keeping me in place.

“You’re too much fucking fun.” He kisses the side of my neck and then goes back to writing. “Rule number three . . .” He pauses and then shakes me. “Go ahead, rule number three.”

“Keep things casual.”

“Hmm . . . not sure if I like that as a set rule. Can we make an addendum to that?”

Why is he so beyond adorable? I can’t take it. You’d never guess this larger-than-life, outgoing, and powerful man would be so . . . cute. And I’m not talking about the physical. His personality is cute, sweet, as if he grew up with five sisters and knows exactly how to treat women: with a smidge of teasing and a whole lot of caring.

“What kind of addendum?”

He moves his hand to under my sweatshirt and my camisole to my skin where he lightly strokes his thumb. It’s innocent, almost like he just needs to make that connection while we’re sitting together, but it’s lighting me up inside.

“Well, let’s say we’re casual and all, we accomplish all the oral and then you’re like, holy fuck, I can’t ever let this man go because he’s just so fantastic in bed. We should be allowed to make the switch from casual to more than friendship bracelets, you know?”

“Are you saying like . . . boyfriend, girlfriend?”

“Yeah, that’s the term I’m looking for.”

Curious, I ask, “Have you ever been in a relationship before, Knox?”

“Nope,” he answers nonchalantly and starts writing an addendum to rule number three. “But it can’t be too hard. You listen, you talk, you give and take, and of course . . .”