Breakaway (Beyond the Play, #2)(79)
He pulls his fingers out carefully, like with the tampon, and wipes them on the towel. The embarrassment rushes back when I see how messy I made him, but he shakes his head at my blush. “None of that. I came, you know that? Came in my pants like I’m fourteen again and watching porn on my phone under the covers.”
I choke on my laughter. “No fucking way.”
We clean up together; not for the first time, I’m grateful for the private bathroom. The cramps haven’t gone away entirely, but they’re less vicious than before. Cooper insists on carrying me from the bathroom back to bed. He settles me underneath the covers, turns on the heating pad, gives me the gummy bears and my water bottle, and finally climbs in beside me, balancing his laptop on his stomach.
“Something weird happened earlier,” he says as he queues up the comfort movie I requested, The Princess Bride. He’s never seen it, and I just know he’s going to get a kick out of Wallace Shawn’s character’s exclamations of ‘inconceivable!’
“Weird how?”
“Remember how I left my uncle that voicemail?”
“Yeah.”
“I think I saw him.”
I pause with a gummy bear halfway to my mouth. “What do you mean, you saw him? He didn’t call you back?”
“No, he hasn’t said anything, but he was sitting in the stands during practice. Left before I could get a closer look.” He shakes his head. “At least, I thought it was him. I don’t get why he’d just drop by suddenly without saying a word.”
“Maybe your dad knows he was there?”
He snorts. “Hell, if he does, he’s actively plotting how to get him back across the country.”
I cuddle against him, and he puts his arm around me. “I hope it is him. I know you miss him.”
He just nods, pressing play on the movie. “I’d rather have him around than my father, I’ll tell you that.”
47
COOPER
I check my phone for the time before sliding it into my pocket. Penny and I are both in the English building on Thursday afternoons, but my seminar ends half an hour before her creative writing class. Even though the end of January has been wet and miserable so far and I stepped in a puddle of half-melted ice earlier, I can’t stop smiling. As soon as she comes out of the building, I’m going to surprise her with a trip to the bookstore.
Maybe for other girls, you get her flowers or chocolate or trips to the spa. I know what my girl likes, though, and that’s books instead of flowers, gummy bears instead of chocolate, and semi-public orgasms instead of spa treatments.
Fuck, I’m grinning like an absolute asshole. I used to tease James about it, but now I get it. You have the girl you need in your life, and it feels like anything is possible. We’re deep into the season now, where every game counts just a little bit more, but I’m relaxed. Aside from the fact that UMass is ahead of us by a game and Dad and I haven’t spoken since Christmas, life is good. Penny’s my redheaded angel, and if not for the fact I know I wouldn’t want a relationship with anyone but her, I can’t believe I went almost twenty-one years before experiencing what it feels like to be able to call a girl mine.
She’s practically skipping on her way out of the building as she chats with a classmate, but as soon as she sees me, she runs into my arms and jumps. I catch her weight easily, making her laugh against my lips as she graces me with a kiss. She’s warm from being inside a toasty classroom for over an hour. I kiss her back for a couple of seconds before setting her down.
“What are you doing here?” she says. “Thought you had practice.”
“I’ve got about two hours before I need to be at the rink.” I clap a gloved hand atop her head. “Figured that’s enough time for the surprise I have planned.”
Her grin lights up her entire face. “A surprise?”
“You have the time?”
“For you, always.” She takes my hand as we start down the sidewalk. “What is it?”
“Don’t you know how surprises work?”
She keeps begging me for hints the whole walk over. One of the nice things about McKee is that Moorbridge is entwined with the campus, so you can hop around both without always needing to get in the car. We could have taken the bus; it’s chilly out, with piles of snow on either side of the sidewalk and ice melt crunching underneath our shoes, but it feels pleasant with her by my side.
She realizes I’m heading for Book Magic when we turn the corner onto Main Street, and she starts skipping for real, practically dragging me to the entrance. I stop her just before she runs inside, though, and say, “Here are the rules.”
She pouts, those big blue eyes fluttering. “Rules?”
“Well, one rule,” I amend. I’m going to enjoy the fuck out of this. “Whatever you want, I’m buying.”
A slow smile works its way over her face. “Whatever I want?”
“Anything.”
“Wow,” she breathes. “This is better than sex.”
“Well,” I say, “not better, but—”
“Bye!” She pushes open the door and runs inside before I can finish my sentence.
I follow, shaking my head, but I can’t stop smiling. She might think that a trip to the indie bookstore in town is better than getting down to business, but I’ll change her mind later. I’ve been dying to come on her tits again, and I know my dirty girl won’t say no to that.