“Stop!” she squeals, “Stop, that tickles!” I don’t stop, of course, I’m enjoying the sound of her laughter too much. “Jax! Stop. Oh my God, I’m going to pee!” She’s laughing so hard that it’s difficult to make out her words, getting me to laugh right along with her.
“Did you just say you were going to pee?” I chuckle, finally letting up. “Sweetness, you never stop surprising me.”
Candi struggles to catch her breath. “Yes, I said I was going to pee if you kept tickling me. It’s only natural,” she says matter-of-factly. “But thank you for stopping. That would have been embarrassing.”
Pushing up on my elbows, I look at her flushed, smiling face, that dimple popping up on her cheek. “Because telling your boyfriend you’re going to pee on him isn’t?” I ask. I see the moment when she catches my words. We haven’t made anything official—I don’t feel like we need to—but I think my Sweetness might need it. Those big brown eyes of hers soften at me and they start to fill with unshed tears.
“Boyfriend?” she whispers, a lone tear falling down her cheek that she quickly wipes away.
“Did you doubt me, Sweetness? Of course, I want to be your boyfriend. More importantly, I want everyone to know thatyouaremygirlfriend. Is that okay with you?” Her chin quivers slightly and she nods her head. She looks so fucking beautiful it hurts.
“Yeah, I’m okay with that. More than okay, actually.” She tosses the book on the mattress next to her and leans down planting a kiss on my lips. Always hungry for her touch, I eagerly deepen it as I push myself upright so I can kiss her properly. Her hands grab either side of my face as she slowly lowers herself back down, her head resting on her pillows.
I love how bold she has become. The shy, timid girl who was terrified to kiss me is gone and in her place is a strong, confident woman who knows what she wants. Her tongue slips into my mouth and I stifle a groan when her hips start to rock against my quickly hardening erection. “Fuck, Sweetness. You feel so damn good,” I murmur against her lips.
“I’d be worried if I didn’t,” she quips, her hands traveling down my sides, her fingers hooking in the waist of my jeans. She hums when her fingers start to unbutton my pants and pulls the zipper down before she freezes.
The telltale click of the door is the only warning before Polly strides in speaking as if she was having a conversation with Candi the whole time. “So, I was thinking that on Sat—,” she pauses mid-sentences when she sees the two of us in a compromising position on the bed, Candi’s hands literally down my pants.
Candi panics, sitting up so quickly that she clashes our heads together, making me fall backward on the mattress, my pants unbuckled around my hips as my hands instinctively cradle my throbbing forehead. Candi lets out a pained groan as she struggles to get out of the bed, her legs unsteady as a newborn foal.
“Oh, hey Polly,” she hisses, “I was uh, just, um, looking for something.” She mimes looking for the invisible object on the floor, her hand resting on her forehead before bending over and picking up the make-believe item. “Right, here it is.”
Polly is standing in the half-open doorway watching the entire scene play out, her face a mixture of confusion and amusement. “I’m surprised you found it on the floor, because last I heard, Jaxon’s dick is in his pants.” Her head tilts to the side, her tone contemplative, “I thought it’d be bigger than that too.”
Too stunned to defend myself, Candi does her best to downplay the situation. She winces, rubbing her hand across her sore head, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
Polly steps into the room closing the door behind her, before she plops down on the loveseat, clearly enjoying the trainwreck happening right in front of her. “You doing alright there Jaxon? You look a little out of it,” Polly’s voice is teasing, a smile threatening to break out on her face.
Heaving myself up still clutching my pounding head, I groan. “I’m all good, Polly. I’d be better if you hadn’t walked in, I can guarantee that.”
Candi sits next to me on the bed, both of us nursing our wounds as Polly throws her head back, laughing at our predicament. “I’m sure you would!” She howls, hand smacking against the plush cushions as she laughs. “I’m so proud of you, Candi. Well done!”
Eventually, Polly stops laughing and lets us tend to our wounds as she sits on the loveseat and works on some homework with headphones in.
“I’m so sorry, Jax,” Candi whispers as she lays her head on my shoulder. We’re sitting on her bed, our backs resting against the wall, feet dangling over the edge. We’re both sporting small bruises on our foreheads, but other than that we’re fine. Linking our hands together, my head falls back against the wall with a dull thud. “I panicked like I always do. Are you sure you’re okay? I can get some ice from the cafe if you need it.”
She feels terrible about what happened, but aside from a little tenderness, I think I’ll survive. “I’m all good, Sweetness. I’m fine, I promise.” Turning, I kiss the top of her head. “How are you though? That was one helluva hit.”
She snorts, “The only thing that hurts is the fact that I pegged you in the face. Again! You might have to leave me for your safety, who knows what I’m going to hit you with next.”She’s trying to lighten the mood, but I can sense the emotions underneath.
Lifting her head with my hand, I look down at the girl who has caught all my attention, stroking the cheek that hides the dimple I love so much. “Sweetness, you’re going to have to do better than that to get me to leave.” Gently I bring my mouth to hers and kiss her soft lips. “Plus,” I smile, “I’m interested to see what you manage to throw at me next.”
Chapter Sixteen
Candi
The baseball stadium is packed as students and faculty from both schools file into the seating area. Haverford Baseball Field isn’t large by any means, but it’s a good size for a small-town college baseball field. The rose-red stadium chairs are jam-packed with people taking their seats as the players warm up on the field. I’ve already spotted Jaxon warming up at first base, and let me just say, God bless the man that created baseball pants.
Polly and I link arms as we push our way through the gathering crowd, heading toward a section marked off for Rosewood students. Her cheerleader friends are already there and are saving us some seats. The sun is blazing overhead and I’m thankful my boyfriend lent me one of his ballcaps.
It still feels so surreal that I, Candi Malone, perpetually single and awkward twenty-one-year-old have a super-hot baseball-playing boyfriend. I blush just thinking about it.
There had been an underlying feeling that leaving Liberty College for Rosewood was the best decision for me, and I’m beginning to think that Jaxon is the reason.
“Oh, there they are!” Polly points to the front row of the student section full of stunning cheerleaders with their flawless makeup and the emblem of Rosewood painted on their cheeks. Polly was invited to get ready for the game with them but decided to stick with me, so she missed out on the face paint.“Hey, girls!” She shouts as we reach the row where they’ve saved two seats in the middle of the aisle for us.
It's so close to the field that I could shout at Jaxon and he’d hear me. I want to, but I don’t, knowing that this game is important to him. We’d parted last night with a quick kiss at the bottom of Stone Hall’s front steps, his shoulders tense with the coming game.
