Page 44 of Off Sides

Great job, Jonah. He sounds totally freaked, and without thinking, I reach out and grab his hand. He jerks it away immediately, and my heart sinks—though, it was expected. I know there are too many people around to touch him, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt like a son of a bitch.

“Sorry,” he says, and I can see the remorse on his face.

I try to smile but kind of fail, feeling like an ass. “It’s okay. I just didn’t want you to run away.”

“I wasn’t,” he says, his shoulders slumped. “But I probably shouldn’t have just sprung that on you. I just wanted to um . . .” His voice gets quieter and quieter as he speaks.

“I want to. I just . . .” I grin. “You broke my brain a little. I was thinking of all the possibilities.” I waggle my eyebrows at him to lighten the mood, and he laughs.

He actually laughs.

That one sound is better than winning the game tonight.

“Yeah, I had those possibilities in my mind when I thought about it too.”

I smile at him. This is a big step. We’d be alone. Out in the middle of nowhere. Just us. We can do anything we want. “We should go to my house first, so I can pack some things and let Jenna and Micah know. Do you have a tent? Or are we sleeping in your truck?”

“I have a tent,” he says coyly. “And some sleeping bags.”

“Cool. Let’s go then.”

I can’t say Jenna is thrilled with the idea of us sleeping in a tent out at the lake, but she doesn’t really fight me on it too much. She even packs us s’mores fixings and hot cocoa in a thermos, along with a camping grill they’ve never used because my sister-in-law and brother are so not the outdoor types.

I think it was a wedding present.

I pack a quick back with a promise of keeping my phone on and charged before we drive out to the lake in ,just his truck this time. I know Jenna knows there’s more to us than just teammates, but I don’t think she’s told Micah.

I’m pretty sure he’s still clueless, and honestly, I’d like to keep it that way for now. Not that he’d object to me having a boyfriend. But said boyfriend being Calvin . . . The boy he worries about. My teammate on the team he just happens to be coaching.

Yeah, I don’t think he’d be too happy about it.

And right now, this thing with Calvin is just ours. No one else needs to know about it. It should make me a little sick being a secret, but it doesn’t. It’s not really the thrill of sneaking around that does it for me.

It’s—well, it’s giving this to Calvin. Giving him the time and patience he needs to figure out what he wants in life. To just be himself. And it’s giving me that chance too. We get the tent set up, along with two camping chairs and the nice little grill, allowing for the perfect campfire on this chilly night.

It’s starting to feel like fall, and I like it. We roast the marshmallows and make s’mores, not really saying much of anything, but we don’t need to. I bite into the delicious gooey treat, a moan bubbling up in my throat. When I look over at Calvin, I can see he hasn’t taken a bite yet and instead, watching me.

“Eat,” I say, nodding toward the s’more in his hand.

He takes a huge bite, making a mess. Chocolate and marshmallow cling to his lips. I don’t resist any more. Putting my s’more down and leaning in to lick his lips clean, tasting the sweetness. He tosses his, his fingers going to my hair. I’m going to have chocolate and marshmallow stuck in my hair for days, and I couldn’t give a fuck.

We head to the tent where we already laid out two sleeping bags, zipped together, flat on the ground, and strip as we kiss frantically.

I want to come. My dick is already aching, my balls tight and sore, begging for release, but this is the first time I can actually see him. Take my time with him. And I’m not going to waste it.

I watch him as he lowers his jeans and briefs, kicking them away. He’s crouched, the tent being just a little too short for him, but he’s magnificent in all his naked glory. His body is strong and powerful. His thick, dark leg hair going up to his muscular thighs.

I stare at him. My mouth dry as he looks at me shyly. “You’re not naked yet.”

I grin, looking down at my jeans, which are trying to strangle my erection. My eyes hone in on his dick. The guy is massive. Of course, his dick matches. I can’t hide my reaction as I stare at his hard cock, so heavy, it almost can’t stand fully and leaking at the tip of its purple head. Fuck. I want to taste him.

“I thought maybe we could try something different,” I say, licking my lips and still looking directly at his dick.

I can hear the gravel in is voice. “Only if it involves you being naked too.”

I grin and then look up at his face, seeing naked desire there. I nod. I did manage to get my shirt off, but I drop my hands to my jeans, unfastening them and pushing them off, along with my briefs. Allowing me to stand naked in front of him.

I feel his eyes trailing over every inch of me, goosebumps forming on my skin. Tingles of anticipation race down my spine as he approaches me. He cups my nape, pulling me into him and swallows my tongue, kissing me hard.