Tears fill her beautiful eyes, and I feel my heart beating differently, as if it had chosen a new rhythm, in unison with Dixie's.
When she kisses me again, there's such tenderness in her gestures that I feel something melt inside me. Dixie has managed to break down all the protective walls I've built, and there were many.
But I've understood that I shouldn't fear her. And if there's one person on this planet who is capable of destroying me, Dixie is the one who knows how to rebuild me.
She ends our kiss. "Player, I..."
A knock on her door interrupts her. I help her stand up, and she calls out, "Come in!"
Liane appears in the doorway. She smiles at me. "Are you staying for the night?"
I'm speechless with surprise. The idea of sleeping with Dixie under her parents' roof has something forbidden about it, and also terribly exciting.
"The guest room is available," she specifies.
"He's staying," Dixie confirms.
Liane gives us one last smile before closing the door. I look at Dixie, one eyebrow raised. "Are you aware of what's going tohappen if I sleep in the same house as you?" She bites her lip while shaking her head, and I clarify, "I won't sleep anywhere but in your bed."
And I do exactly what I said later, after midnight when everyone else is asleep, I slip into Dixie's bedroom. She welcomes me between her sheets.
I take her in my arms and rediscover her scent, her warmth.
"I missed you," I whisper.
My confession earns me an even more intense kiss that leaves us breathless. Our movements are tender, marked by deliberate slowness. Dixie climbs on top of me, her hips resting on mine.
I stifle a groan, hissing, "We're not going to do this."
She silences my protest with another kiss, and when she rocks against me, I let myself be convinced.
My hands move to assault her ass, which I grip to better accompany her movements. She's not wearing underwear, and this discovery threatens to drive me crazy, but I maintain myself-control. Her breathing quickens when my fingers find her slit, she already soft and warm, and so wet.
I give her pleasure with my fingers, my mouth, everything except my erection, because I have no intention of moving away from her to get protection.
"Player!"
I sit up to silence her whisper with a kiss. She comes around my fingers, and I love the sensation of power it gives me. I'm responsible for the pleasure coursing through her, and I’m proud of that. She slides down onto my chest, her head buried in my neck. I slowly caress her back while she regains her senses.
When she kisses me, I feel I'm at the edge of an immense precipice, but I'm no longer afraid. I can jump as long as she's with me.
36
PLAYER
Our returnto campus is going very well. Every night, Dixie sneaks into my room and I make love to her. During the day, we share some classes together, but practices and OMU’s upcoming bowl game keeps us apart.
I still feel the rage boiling deep inside me, and I take it out on the field.
"Holy shit! You're killing it!" Emery exclaims as I just made a throw that made even J’Evon have to stretch out to catch it on a full sprint. "That month of suspension did you good!"
I clench my jaw around my mouthguard. Unfortunately, he has no idea what he's talking about. These past few weeks have been the most horrible of my life. And I don't say that lightly given what I've already been through.
I turn my attention back to our defense, which is prowling on the other side of the line. We’re only preparing for our bowl game, but it’s a big bowl, the most prestigious that OMU’s been to in years. As such, practice has gotten more intense, and guys are looking at taking each other’s heads off for this final shot to impress the scouts and maybe, just maybe, get themselves drafted, or at least invited to a pro camp.
Me? I feel like I've eaten a lion, like I could tear everything apart.
Coach Adams approaches me, tapping his clipboard. “You planning on trying to carve our D apart all week?”
