Page 71 of No Easy Catch
I fought a wave of nausea and tiptoed back into my room. Jeff had fallen asleep—which suited me well because I could get back to what I wanted. That was writing the damn article and avoiding lying to him about how much I knew. His coach had filled in the missing pieces and I had myself a full-blown piece that would showcase the illegal and shady transactions the athletics department had been doing for at least four years…I just couldn’t tell Jeff yet.
I didn’t have proof of the money but that was where Dean Sanders came in. He could trace the dollar amounts and provide me more details for my article. It would be easy to bask in the accomplishment that Jeff and I had uncovered more details regarding the activities than he had, but again, his focus was on the misuse of finances. I fired up my laptop near my desk and eyed the rough outline of how I’d framed the story. It wasn’tsalacious or for show. If anything, it was one of the driest pieces I’d ever written and it didn’t worry me.
It was enlightening to find excitement and motivation in a piece that was so out of my wheelhouse and the high of finally getting to write it almost outweighed the worry I had over Jeff.
He sighed in his sleep and my heart tightened in my chest. He looked awful with large bags under his eyes and a vacant expression. His teammates had tried cheering him up, assuring him the second drug test on Friday would show he was clean because they, too, assumed the results had been faked by the guys behind the scandal.
When he went on about his coaches framing him, it hurt to pretend I knew nothing, but it was what had to be done. I thought about curling up next to him and enjoying my time with him.
He rolled over and slowly opened his sleepy eyes. His voice was all husky and gruff when he asked, “You watching me sleep?”
Busted.“Maybe?”
“Join me.” He moved to the back of the bed and painted a perfect image with his messy hair, clear gray eyes and playful smirk. The smile was new and I shut the laptop to move into his inviting arms. His body heat comforted me when he wrapped his large arms around me, snuggling his nose into my neck. “Mm, you smell good.”
“Thank you,” I said, hating how the longer the lie went on, the more it physically affected my insides. “I didn’t wake you, did I? You were sleeping so peacefully.”
“You didn’t, but I wouldn’t have minded you waking me up.” He began kissing along my neck and bit down on my earlobe. Goosebumps broke out all over my arms and he giggled, all low and deep. “I love your body’s reaction to me.”
“She betrays any resolve I have.” I squirmed when he moved his hands up my shirt and caressed my bare skin. It felt so damn good. “Are-are you sure you shouldn’t be sleeping?”
“Amber,” he said in a very serious tone. “You’re about the only thing in my life right now that is good. I want to enjoy you and forget about the shitstorm we started.”
Pain began in the back of my throat at the tender way he looked at me. He meant those words and I forced myself to close my eyes to prevent tears leaking out.I’m protecting him. That’s why I’m not telling him.His lips parted and he looked like he was about to say something and I couldn’t handle hearing anything else. I gripped the back of his neck and brought his face down to mine, capturing his lips in the most passionate kiss I could. It was hard to try and apologize and show him I would do anything to protect him without words, but I gave it my all.
“Christ, Amber,” he moaned into my mouth and the soft touches turned harder, more possessive and animalistic. I ripped his shirt off and dragged my hands over his muscles, enjoying the way they felt in my hands. His frenzied pace matched mine when he pinched my pebbled nipples, bringing me to the desperate place where I lost all rational thoughts.
We scrambled to get each other naked, each using the other as an escape. I moaned when he used his tongue to cover every inch of my skin and let the feelings I bottled up explode when he slowed and held my gaze. “You’re amazing. I hope you know that.”
“You are, too,” I replied, hoping he didn’t hear the crack in my voice. It was too much—the way he took his time pleasuring me, the soft touches mixed with teasing that brought me over the edge and the controlled patience when he slid inside me. “Jeff.”
“I feel it, too,” he mumbled into my hair. There was nothing between our bodies. Our chests pressed tight against each other and every movement he made had my entire body trembling.This wasn’t an escape of lust. It was making love and it was unlike any other experience I had ever had in my life. Each look was precious, as though it could be the last, and each touch was like flames on my skin. Jeff was in no hurry and he thrust in and out, making sure I felt every inch of him as he brought his lips to mine. We found a rhythm we hadn’t had before and it was unparalleled. My eyes stung when he switched positions so he could move his fingers to my clit. The combined pressure of his cock and leisurely swirling thumb sparked the orgasm to start at my core, slowing spreading through my body and ending at my limbs. I trembled from the force of it but Jeff held me tighter and squeezed his hold on my hips. “Amber.”
His chest heaved when he too was brought to orgasm, but the difference this time was the way he watched me the entire time. It felt more intimate, more serious than anything before and I bit down on the side of my cheek to stop myself from saying something stupid. “Thank you,” he said before pressing a kiss on my forehead.
“Thank you?” I repeated, unsure why he’d said those words.
“Yes.” He laughed and pushed himself up on the bed. “Thank you for it all. The past couple of weeks have been a combination of awful, new, exciting, and it all brought me you. So thank you.”
My throat swelled and I couldn’t hide the tears in my eyes. His face softened and he cupped one side of my face. My bottom lip trembled the longer he gave me that sweet face. “Jeff… everything will work out for you. I know it.”
“It’s out of my control at this point.” He shrugged and it was then I noticed the lack of tension around his eyes.Maybe I can distract him with sex until everything unfolds.“I was thinking today…I’m glad it’s me and not my teammates. If I get benched half the season, it won’t affect my future like it would theirs.”
“You’re a good leader.” I pulled the sheet up and snuggled deeper into my bed, hating everything about the secret I kept. “Not very many people would say they were glad it’s them.”
“It’s the truth.” He cleaned up and put on his boxers before joining me in the bed. “This whole thing started when my buddy back home, Jaime Smith, didn’t get offered a spot on the team or financial help because these scammers took his spot. Look at it now. It blew up and if I can find the silver lining in all of this, it’s knowing my teammates aren’t affected.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder and wrapped an arm around him, squeezing. “You’re one of the best.”
He chuckled but stopped when my phone went off. I wasn’t late, about nine at night, but very few people actually called me. I stilled.If it’s his coach, I have no way of explaining.“I’ll uh, let it go to voicemail.”
Jeff frowned but let it go. I released a sigh of relief, but my phone rang again. This time, he reached over to the side table and handed it to me. “You should get it.”
“Why?”Shit. Shit. Shit!
“It’s your uncle.”
Oh god. Uncle Martin.Be chill. He doesn’t know what I know.“Shit. Okay, yeah. I should answer, huh?”
