“Moore.”
Coach Lee bellowed out my name in the locker room after practice on Monday, not even glancing up from his clipboard as he rounded into his office.
“See me when you’re dressed.”
He disappeared inside his office then, shutting the door behind him and sliding into his chair.
Zeke arched a brow at me. “What’d you do?”
I swallowed to avoid answering that, even though I knew he was teasing. Because ever since Julep and I fucked in the supply closet of the hotel, I’d felt like I was wearing a neon blinking sign that said GUILTY in all caps.
I sniffed. “I don’t know, but I’m guessing I’m about to find out.”
My heart raced, throat tight as I attempted a swallow. I thought through that night — or rather, morning — wondering if I’d missed him, if he’d seen us somehow. But the more I tracked through the memory, the more I was certain he couldn’t have.
We might not have been the most careful, but I knew he hadn’t caught us.
My stomach still bottomed out, though, if not from Coach calling me into his office, then from the fact that I still had yet to hear from his daughter.
Julep had promised me we would talk when we got back, and yet, she’d avoided me like the fucking plague. I knew she was in her head. I knew she was solidifying all the reasons what happened between us couldn’t happen again.
I ached to stop that train of thought so badly I could barely stand it.
But I left her alone, let her be, if only because I respected her enough to know that when she wanted to talk — if she wanted to talk — she’d come to me.
It was excruciating, knowing she was right across the street and not being able to reach her. What was more excruciating was that now that I’d had her, now that we’d given in…
I couldn’t fathom going back to what we were before.
I wondered if she felt the same. I wondered if she’d fucked me right out of her system or if she burned for me the way I did for her.
“Ah, he’s going to clear you to play. That’s my bet,” Leo said, clapping my shoulder and snapping me back to the present. “And it’s about damn time. We need our cap on that field.”
I ran a towel over my damp hair from the shower, pulling on my joggers and hoodie. Once I was dressed, I made my way into Coach’s office with as steady of a heartbeat as I could manage.
Coach Lee glanced up at me when I swung through the door, and he just gestured to the seat across from him before getting back to whatever he was typing on his computer. When he was done, he sat back, steepling his fingers over the top of his stomach. He watched me for a long, weighted pause.
“I heard you went for an early morning swim at the hotel.”
My heart stopped beating, free-falling through my body as I stared at Coach and willed myself not to show an ounce of emotion.
“I did,” I answered carefully.
His eyes were hard on mine, his brow furrowed. “I also heard there was a girl with you.”
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I didn’t respond. I just swallowed, waiting to see what he’d say next. He said a girl, he didn’t say Julep. I held onto any fraction of hope that he didn’t know it was her.
He must have been friends with the older man who came to the pool, the one who saw us.
Coach blew out a breath, shaking his head. “Look, I was young once, too, okay? I know what it’s like to have… urges.”
I had to fight to keep the cringe off my face.
“But, when we travel as a team, you more than anyone else need to be setting the example for how everyone else should behave. Fucking a girl in the hotel pool at five in the morning is not the example I’m talking about.”
Relief spiraled through me, because by that sentence alone, I knew he didn’t know it was his daughter I had pinned against the edge of that pool.
“Yes, sir,” I said, hoping I looked like a dog with his tail between his legs. I didn’t even offer an argument or explanation. I wanted him to have the power, to feel like he was in full control.
Coach watched me a moment longer, then smirked, shaking his head as he leaned forward. “To be young again,” he said, then he smacked his hand on the desk. “You’re back in, Moore.”
I gaped at him. “Sir?”
“We’re putting you back in, full practice, starting tomorrow. And you’ll start this Saturday in the home game against Charlotte.”
I couldn’t hide my emotion any longer. A smile split my face, but before I could respond, Coach held up one thick finger and pointed it right at me.
“This is a probation period,” he warned. “If we see any signs of your shoulder injury flaring up, you’ll be out, and I don’t want any arguments over it.”
I nodded emphatically. “Yes, sir.”
“And I also don’t want any of that attitude you were throwing me at the beginning of the season,” he added. “Russo takes instruction. He learns quickly. And I hate to say it, son, but he’s shown he can step up and do the job in your absence.”
I couldn’t swallow down the knot in my throat.
“I know you’re a leader,” he continued. “And I like that about you, I do. The whole team looks to you, and that’s a sign of a good QB1.” He paused. “But that doesn’t mean you can override me as coach. There’s a level of respect I am due, and sometimes that means shutting up and doing what I tell you to do even if you think you know better. Understand?”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.” My voice was weaker this time.
“We did fine without you, and we can do it again,” he added, rubbing salt in the wound as he sat back. “So don’t push me.”
I sat there for a long moment, unsure of what to say, what to do.
“You’re dismissed,” he finally said. “Check in with the training staff in the morning to see what they want you working on before and after practices now that you’re full out.”
I cleared my throat, standing, and headed for the door. When my hand reached for the handle, Coach said, “And Moore?”
I turned.
“I’m not an idiot. I know you have feelings for Julep.”
Ice swam in my veins, but I managed to stay calm, to blink and neither confirm nor deny.
“Snuff them out now, son,” he warned. “Because if you think I won’t pull you off this team and blame your shoulder injury whether it’s acting up or not, you don’t know me at all.”
“Julep and I are just friends,” I said.
He set his jaw, giving me a pointed look. “And it better stay that way.”
Coach turned back to his computer, and I saw myself out, heart thumping in my ears as I did.
Julep
“God, I miss summer.”
Riley balanced her chin on the heel of her palm, eyes glossing where they stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the stadium cafeteria. It was sleeting, an ugly mix of snow and ice that I was not looking forward to driving in after my last class on campus.
“Not me,” Giana chimed in, cracking the top on her Mountain Dew. She opened her bag of Cheetos next, and I marveled at how someone as tiny as her could put away processed sugar and salt like that. “This is perfect reading weather. Just me, my book, maybe a crackling fireplace and some cozy socks.” She sighed happily, as if she could picture it all. “Heaven.”
“Where do I fit in this picture?” Clay teased, housing a bite of his chicken sandwich with a brow arched at her.
“You’re adding logs to the fire,” she said, as if it was obvious. “And then pulling me into your lap once you’re done. And then we’re there cuddling as we both read.”
“Clay, reading a book? That’s rich.” Leo snorted, and Clay smacked him upside the head with his napkin.
I smiled as they continued, but they no longer held my attention — because Holden had just taken the seat right next to Clay.
He sat down without looking at anyone in particular, his long legs straddling the bench before he turned toward the table fully. He wore dark gray joggers this time and a white hoodie, one that illustrated how ridiculously tan he was for this time of year. Days and days of working out in the sun were evidenced in the bronze glow of his face, his forearms where he’d shoved the sleeves of his hoodie up a bit. His jaw was set as he shrugged off his hood, his hair still damp from the showers.
He reached for his fork, and then his eyes shot up to mine.
A flash of that night at the pool struck me like lightning, the sound of his heavy breaths, the feel of his hands pinning me, of him burying himself inside me.
I tore my gaze away, looking down at my own plate as I reached for a French fry and popped it into my mouth. It was bland and hard to swallow with how dry my mouth was.
I didn’t even recognize myself anymore, not since Saturday night. I didn’t know the girl who’d danced with Holden Moore, who’d found him at the pool and — instead of turning around and going right back to her room — had stayed and watched him, instead.
Watched him, and then teased him, and then surrendered to him completely.
My cheeks flamed at the memory of his head between my legs, even more so at how I’d dropped to my knees and quite literally begged for him.
“What about you, Julep?”
I blinked, mouth hanging half open with another fry between my fingers. “What?”
Riley smirked. “Are you a crazy person who loves this weather like Giana and Zeke, or do you miss summer, too?”
I set the fry down, shrugging. “I don’t know, this isn’t so bad if you’re inside. I don’t necessarily want to be out driving in it later, though.”
“Ugh, driving in it is the worst,” Leo agreed.
“But I don’t much care for the heat of summer,” I admitted. “I think I like the spring the most, the in-between, when it’s warm but not hot, and the nights are still chilly, and you can enjoy the sunshine but not sweat your ass off.”
“That’s funny.”
All heads swung to Holden, who took a big gulp of his water without continuing.
“What’s funny?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I just would have pinned you as a summer girl,” he said, and his eyes zeroed in on me. “Since I know you love to swim so much.”
Flames licked along the skin of my neck, and when Holden’s mouth curled into a teasing grin, I tried my best to give him a warning glare without it being enough that anyone else would notice.
Giana turned to me, confused. “You swim, Julep?”
“Sometimes,” I lied, because if I said no, it’d just raise their suspicion more.
“That’s cool,” Riley said, smiling.
She carried on the conversation, talking about how her brother, Gavin, and she used to race each other to the swimming pool every summer. But I wasn’t listening anymore, I was staring at Holden, who just grinned right back at me as he cut a piece of his chicken breast and bit it off the end of his fork.
Clay narrowed his eyes at me first, then at Holden, and then I looked back down to my plate before he could try to put any other pieces together.
“I need to run,” I said suddenly. “I forgot about something JB needed me to work on.”
“Are we still on for studying on Sunday?” Giana asked as I stood.
“Yeah, sure,” I said without thinking, and then I bolted.
I knew he was following me before I even turned to confirm it, and I waited until I’d dumped my tray and swung into the hallway. Then, I glanced over my shoulder, and cut a hard left into the first room that was unlocked. It was primarily used for reviewing game film, and it was dark when Holden followed me inside.
I pulled the blinds closed as soon as he did and turned the lock.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hissed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I scoffed, folding my arms. I could only see a soft silhouette of him with the lone sliver of light beaming in-between the shade and the edge of the window.
“Are you trying to get us caught?”
“I’m trying to get you to talk to me. Like you promised.”
I clamped my mouth shut, ignoring the ache in my chest at his words. “Holden, we made a mistake.”
That word hung between us like a death sentence for a long, weighted pause.
“Is that what that was?” He tested the space between us, his hand just gently resting on my hip. He thumbed the skin there, and I closed my eyes before forcing myself to step back.
“Yes.”
“You sure about that?”
Once again, he stepped into me, this time both hands holding my waist as he backed me into the wall. I gasped at the feel of him pressing in on me, at the warmth of him invading my space. He pressed a light kiss to my neck, his mouth hovering there as he spoke again.
“Didn’t feel like a mistake to me.”
I wet my lips, dizzy from his touch. “Then you’re blind. Or an idiot. Or both.”
“We didn’t get caught.”
I sobered, pressing my hands to his chest and separating us. “And yet here we are, testing the possibility of that yet again.”
Holden’s breath was labored, just like that night at the pool, and even though I couldn’t see him clearly, I knew the fire that lived inside me was burning in his eyes, too.
“Look…” I said, huffing. “I… I had fun. We both did. But…” I shook my head. “I’ve only just earned my dad’s trust. I don’t want to ruin that. And you were just cleared to play again,” I reminded him, knowing that my father had left the training room earlier to go tell Holden he was in for the game on Saturday. “Do you really want to throw that all away?”
He didn’t answer me.
I sighed, taking a step toward him. I reached out until I could touch his face, aching when he leaned into my palm.
“We can’t, Holden.” I shook my head. “We just… can’t.”
“What if no one had to know?”
I almost laughed. “Someone will find out.”
“No, they won’t.”
“They will.”
“How?”
I shook my head, grappling with words. “Because,” I said, floundering. “They just will.”
“We’re smart,” he said, stepping into me with more confidence. He backed me into the wall again, knee sliding between my legs and jolting the memory of the pool right back to the surface of my mind. I inhaled a breath and held it when his lips brushed against mine. “We can keep it secret.”
“So, that’s what you want?” I asked, hating how my chest ached. “A secret?”
“I want you,” he shot back, and his hands pinned my hips then, palms roughly sliding up and over my rib cage. I let my eyes flutter shut when his thumbs brushed the bottom of my breasts. “And if quietly is the only way you’ll let me have you, I’ll take it.”
I swallowed, writhing under his touch as his palms slid up and cupped my breasts under my thin bralette. My nipples hardened of their own will, and I whimpered when Holden ran the pad of his thumb over where they peaked.
“I wasn’t so good at being quiet last time,” I breathed.
Holden grinned against my lips, his body sagging on a relieved breath at the tease like he’d won.
And maybe he had.
Maybe I wanted him to win this argument, to convince me we could do the impossible.
That I could have him, even if only behind closed doors.
“Let’s see if you can do better this time,” he husked.
Any argument I had left died on my lips when he covered them with his, kissing me hard and pressing me into the cold wall.
That connection was all I’d thought about since the last time I’d had it. I’d dreamed about his hands on me, about the way he tasted, about the groans he made when he touched me. But the fantasy was nowhere near the reality, nowhere near as potent or intoxicating. And now that I had him enveloping me again, I knew nothing could compare.
His hands found my ass, lifting, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He trailed his kisses down my neck as I arched into him, hands tangling in his hair.
Then, he was carrying me.
Blindly, he ping-ponged between desks and chairs, weaving through the dark until we were in the far corner of the room away from the door. I couldn’t see a thing back here, so I let out a little yelp of surprise when he lowered us both down to the ground.
“Shhh,” he teased against my lips, and then he kissed me, and trailed lower and lower, lips tasting my skin all the way down.
His fingertips slid under the band of my leggings and my thong at once, and I lifted my hips in time for him to peel them down over my hips. My heart raced as the cool air washed over me, as he tore them off one leg and then the other.
“Come here,” he husked, and then he was on his back, pulling me on top of him.
I reached for his joggers, but before I could strip him, he clamped his hands around my wrists.
“I didn’t get to finish tasting you,” he said, his voice low as he maneuvered lower underneath me. He released my wrists only to hike one thigh up and then the other, until I was straddling his shoulders, hovering just above his face. I felt the heat of his breath when he added, “Don’t make a sound.”
Holden wrapped his hands around the tops of my thighs, pulling me down until I sat on his mouth.
A gasp ripped from me at the first contact, but I cut it short, silencing myself as he flicked me with his tongue, testing the sensitivity. I was already so worked up just from the fact that I was half naked in a very public place, so much so that one lick had me ready to combust.
“So fucking sweet,” he whispered, and then he sucked my clit, swirling his tongue around it with that added pressure.
I saw stars, thrusting my hips forward in my desperation for more. Holden answered by grabbing my ass and helping me rock against his mouth. He stuck his tongue out and dragged my pussy over it, back and forth, the firm, wet warmth of him tasting every inch.
I didn’t know what to do with my hands, but I ached to have more contact, so I shoved my crop top and bralette up until I exposed my breasts to the cold air, too. My nipples pebbled beneath it, and I palmed myself, squeezing in sync with Holden’s grip on my ass.
“Fuck yeah, touch yourself while I eat this perfect pussy,” Holden breathed, and he targeted my clit again, tightening the tip of his tongue to circle it in quick bursts that made my legs quake around him. “I want you to come on my tongue.”
I whimpered, squeezing my eyes shut as my face grew hotter and hotter from the restraint of holding in the cries I so desperately wanted to release. I loved how filthy those words were, how easily he said them.
Holden Moore was all stoic leadership for everyone else.
But for me, he came undone.
My breath grew shallower, pulse ringing in my ears as I chased the explosion rumbling to life inside me. I rolled my hips so wildly I wondered if it hurt him, but he only gripped my ass tighter, holding me against his mouth and giving me all the pressure I needed to find release.
The rough Berber carpet dug into my knees, but I ground and ground against him until a tingle shot up from my toes. I shuttered around him, my orgasm as incinerating as a nuclear bomb when it caught.
I couldn’t help how hard I breathed, or the passionate cries that tore through my restraint. But Holden didn’t stop, didn’t try to quiet me — he just licked and sucked and held me against him as I rode out the longest orgasm of my life. It just kept going, kept rolling, and Holden lapped up every last drop of my release like it was the air he needed to breathe.
Slowly, the pleasure began to fade, and I noticed then how much I was trembling, how hard I’d been shaken when I collapsed. My hands flew forward, catching the floor above Holden’s head, and I could only see the tiniest hint of a smile through the darkness as he pressed a soft kiss to my clit that made me shiver again.
I panted out a laugh, shaking my head and hissing as I carefully maneuvered off him. My legs already ached, heart still racing hard in my chest.
“I suck at being quiet,” I whispered.
Holden let out a rumble of a laugh, pulling me into his chest and kissing my forehead. For a brief, beautiful moment, he held me like that, his hand running through my hair while mine drew circles on his chest.
It almost felt normal.
It almost felt like we were right where we belonged.
Then, he cleared his throat. “We should…”
“Yeah,” I said before he could finish, and I jumped off him, patting the ground until I found my panties and leggings. I stood, pulling them on one by one. “You go first. We had a training meeting in here this morning. I can pretend I left something behind.”
I’d just pulled my leggings up and righted my bralette when Holden’s hands found my hips.
I looked up just in time for him to kiss me.
I tasted myself on his tongue, and that sent a shock of desire rippling through me as I exhaled against his kiss.
“Go,” I urged, even though my hands had wound into his hair now, holding him to me.
He kissed me harder, deeper, every inch of him wrapping up every inch of me like he couldn’t get close enough even if he could meld together and make us one being.
Suddenly, the doorknob jostled.
We broke the kiss, both of us wide-eyed as we looked at the door.
“Shit, do you have your key, Hoover?”
The voice was muffled.
But I knew without question that it was my dad’s.
Holden sprang into action before I could even process that I needed to inhale so I didn’t pass out. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door, shoving me behind where it opened. He held a finger to his lips, eyes panicked as he looked from the door to me and back again. Then, he pulled his hood over his head and slunk down in the first desk he saw, resting his head on his arms.
He’d barely stopped moving when the door swung open.
I stopped breathing, holding my hand out to halt the door before it could slam into where I was pressed up against the wall hiding. Dad flicked on the light, and then he saw Holden and cursed, turning it back off.
“Is that Moore?” Coach Hoover whispered behind him, still in the hallway.
Dad nodded, and I prayed he wouldn’t move farther in, that he wouldn’t shut the door and find me standing behind it.
“He’s exhausted,” Hoover said, keeping his voice low. “They’ve been putting him through hell in the training room. And now full-out practice.”
“Let’s let him sleep,” Dad said, leading Hoover back out. “We can use the next room over.”
I willed myself not to breathe until the door clicked shut, and then I let out a relieved sigh, covering my chest where my heart galloped so hard and fast, I thought it was about to give out.
Holden waited a moment longer before he peeked over his shoulder at the door first, then at me.
He crooked a smile, waggling his brows as if to say, See? We got this.
Even as I shook my head and rolled my eyes, I felt myself smile, too.
That smile was a surrender.
And the games began.
