Slamming the car door, my bones are aching. After getting bitched at by Coach for missing three days of practice, he proceeded to put me through an extra round of grueling drills. There was a part of me that wanted to tell him where I was just to spite him, but I kept it to myself. If I had told him before, I missed practice, he wouldn’t be angry, especially since it’s off-season. Plus, personal stuff should be kept off the field and since I’m hoping to get drafted in two months, none of this will matter. Not even the classes I’ve been working my ass off to pass. If my NFL career only lasts a few years though, I want to be able to come back and finish my degree.
As I grab my books and gym bag out of the car, I walk to the door, feeling absolutely exhausted. I’ve never looked forward to getting back to my bed more than right now. Especially since I have a tiny hope that a little brunette might still be under my sheets, waiting for me. Preferably naked. In my sweatshirt if not.
All hope of that is lost when I hear Aiden, Jackson, and Matty screaming at the TV, playing some game on the Xbox. I doubt Reign would have the courage to stay in my bed with these idiots around. ‘You wanna play?’ Matty asks, leaning over the sofa.
‘Sure, let me just drop this stuff off upstairs.’ I gesture to my bag.
‘If you’re planning on checking if that girl is still in your room, she’s not. I checked.’ Aiden says, eyes not moving from the screen, face completely flat. Sometimes I wonder if he’s a psychopath. Matty smirks as he turns around. I ignore the comment because frankly, we’ve all heard him do much worse over the years. I knew Reign was loud last night, but I thought they were too busy post-it noting Lyss’s car to notice. Maybe it was round two that gave us away.
I threw my bag on my bed when I got to my room and instinctively checked her window. All the lights were off, probably because she’s still busy on campus. I can’t imagine a nursing degree is easy.
After, I headed back downstairs, sitting next to Jackson on the giant sofa as I watched my roommates play a simulated football game. The comfortable silence is broken when Matty asks, ‘Where’s Adam?’
Jackson shrugs, ‘Last I saw him, he was walking onto campus with Reign again.’ he says and my whole-body freezes. I remember he offered to walk her once, but I didn’t think they were close. My fists clench and I force myself to relax. It’s just a walk. That’s all it is. You were inside her last night, that’s got to count for something.
‘Has he hit that yet?’ Aiden asked, still refusing to remove his eyes from the TV, too focused on beating Matty for the fifth time today.
‘Was he going to?’ I ask, stupidly hoping no one notices the hesitation in my voice.
Matty pipes in this time, ‘He mentioned that he liked her. She’s hot. I guess he’s laying the groundwork.’
I knew it. He mentioned it when she first moved in, but it’s been over a month and he hasn’t said anything to me since. I should have said something then instead of waiting. Now, my best friend is trying to woo the girl I just slept with last night. Although, she has made it clear she’s not interested in being exclusive. If she was that concerned, I’m sure she would have said as much before putting my dick in her mouth and sucking harder than a vacuum. Maybe she wanted to keep her options open for Adam too? It’s not like I have a claim on her, and I have enough on my plate with Chloe and my mom. I don’t need or want a girlfriend. I don’t think. Unless it’s Reign…
‘You upset about that D?’ Aiden asks, finally pausing the game, making Matty and Jackson groan. I wish I could wipe that smirk off his face.
‘I was winning that,’ Matty grumbles, but Aiden keeps his eyes looking at me.
‘Why would I have an issue with it?’ I call Aiden’s bluff. The only thing he knows is I brought a girl home last night. That’s it.
Aiden’s grin grows wider. ‘Don’t you think it’s funny how none of us saw Devin bring the girl to his room?’ He asks Jackson and Matty, both of whom have lost interest in the conversation and are looking at their phones. ‘And how no one saw her leave. It’s almost like they had a different entry point into the house.’ He cocked an eyebrow. Shit. He’s smarter than I’ve ever given him credit for.
The front door opens, saving me from coming up with some lame-ass excuse and Adam walks through the door with his laptop in hand. ‘Hey guys,’ he says cheerfully. The stone in my stomach dissolves knowing he’s home and not with Reign. ‘I’m going to order a pizza tonight, do any of you want in?’
There’s a chant of ‘Yes!’ before we all settle back and watch some football. I spend the entire time analyzing everything Adam says to make sure he’s not thinking about Reign.
After an extortionate amount of pizza, I headed upstairs to my room, fully intending to write that business essay that I’ve been putting off for the last week. When I get there and see Reign’s light on though, I have different ideas. My lip curls just thinking about her and as much as I try to repress it, I can’t.
Her curtains are open, and I can clearly see her throwing a bag full of stuff on her bed before walking to her bathroom. As she shuts the door, I check my teeth and hair and then make my way to the railing, silently waiting for her to come back. If she wasn’t naked underneath me last night, this might be considered a creeper move. As I hear the crack of the door open, I watch her walk out of the bathroom. Her hair is in a loose bun and she’s got this tight white top on with tiny little pink shorts. To top it off she’s wearing long tube socks all the way to her knees. If she didn’t already have my attention, she’s got it now. I adjust my junk and check it’s all in place before I gently tap on her window. She jumps a little, but when she sees it’s me, her face softens and she glides over, opening the window.
‘Hey D, what’s up?’ She says sweetly leaning on the railing and I stop myself from looking at her squashed boobs against the metal.
‘Nothing, just wanted to see what you’re up to?’ Looking over her shoulder, I can tell she’s planning a night alone in her room. ‘Wine and popcorn? Are you having a movie night?’
‘Umm not exactly…’ She backs away and then her gaze flits down at the floor as though I’ve caught her in some sort of sordid act.
‘What are you doing then if you’ve got wine and popcorn?’ I ask with a hint of a smile. She’s squirming and I love watching her.
‘Just a tv show.’ She says casually but her cheeks are flustered like it’s some kind of dirty pleasure. I need to know what she’s watching now.
‘Can I join?’ I ask, giving her a slow smile and her lips purse. A little tuft of hair falls from her bun and I reach over the railing, putting it behind her ear. That move catches her off guard and she took a quick breath in. She turns to the room then back to me, contemplating whether or not to let me in. When her eyes meet mine, I give her a wink for good measure.
‘It’s probably not your type of show…’ She looks anywhere but me and scratches the top of her bun.
‘What kind of show is it?’ My eyes widen at the thought. Reign wouldn’t watch that, would she?! ‘Are you watching porn? Is that why you need the wine? A little Dutch courage?’ I tease and as if her face couldn’t get any more flushed, it does. I bark out a laugh because she’s as red as the wine she’s planning on drinking.
‘Clearly not, because that would be your kind of show.’ I shrug. She’s not wrong.
‘Ah, it can’t be that bad. Come on.’ I cock my eyebrows and hold onto the railing, hinting that I’m coming over. When she moves out of the way, I take that as my invitation and jump, stepping into her room with ease. She stares at my arms, still in the white shirt and gray sweatpants I put on this morning.
‘It’s rude to stare.’ I joke.
She shakes her head and looks back up at me. ‘I wasn’t staring at your muscles. I was staring at the glitter.’
‘Ah yes, I hear I’ve got you to thank for this,’ I say, pointing at the pink sheen on my biceps. ‘I should thank you. It’s had the ladies staring at my arms all day.’ She rolled her eyes at that comment. ‘Cute PJ’s by the way,’ I say as I sit down on her desk chair and take my shoes off. I don’t know the etiquette, but I figure it will be harder for her to kick me out once they’re off.
‘Thanks,’ she mumbles, drawing her legs closer together. I followed behind her as she shuffled over to the bed and takes a seat. She moves high up onto the purple comforter, a different one from the first night we spent together, and pats the spot next to her. Following her lead, I move up the bed, resting my back against the headboard and holding one of her pink fluffy pillows to my chest.
She leaned forward, grabbing a fuzzy white blanket from the foot of the bed and brought it over her body. ‘Do you want under?’ I know she means the blanket so I nod, pretending my filthy mind didn’t just take me to another place entirely. It’s a small blanket so while it covers her, it only barely skims my thighs.
‘What are we watching?’ I ask, grasping a handful of popcorn from in between us and shoving it in my mouth, fully expecting the buttery taste to melt in my mouth. Only, there’s a tangier taste to it. I think she’s melted cheese on top, making it that much more delicious. I make a b-line for another handful but she smacks it away so she can eat.
After she’s swallowed the popcorn, she looks over and gives me these wide, doe eyes. ‘Okay, you have to promise not to judge me before I tell you.’ Her gaze flicks down and she starts picking at some of the fuzz on her blanket, staring at it as though it has all the answers to her problems. She’s so cute when she’s embarrassed.
‘You’re actually watching porn, aren’t you?’ I cocked my eyebrow, stopping the corners of my mouth from lifting too much. If she wants to watch porn with me, who am I to deny her that pleasure?
‘Shh no,’ She smacks me playfully on the arm and I rub my bicep pretending it hurt. ‘Just promise you won’t judge.’ She repeats, still more focused on the blanket than my face.
‘Okay, I promise.’ Raising my hand showing my scout’s honor. I was never a scout, but she doesn’t have to know that.
‘The Bachelor.’
‘The Bachelor?” It takes me a moment to process. “It’s not the worst thing I guess.’ I was expecting something much more sinister but a bunch of hot chicks vying over one guy doesn’t seem that bad.
‘You don’t have to stay,’ I’m with Reign, in her bed, while we eat cheesy popcorn. As if I’m going to say no. ‘but if you do stay, you can’t judge me and you have to play my drinking game.’ Her eyes skittered over to the bottle of red. Normally, I would say no to drinking like this after the whole Chloe debacle, but tonight, I might just let loose. It’s only one bottle of wine. It’s not like we can get drunk on that. ‘Deal?’ She asked, pulling out her hand and I dutifully accept.
‘Hanging out with a pretty girl on a school night… Doesn’t sound too bad to me,’ I winked, and she giggles softly. ‘Now what’s this drinking game?’
‘The rules are simple. Rule one, anytime Chris Harrison says ‘dramatic’, you take a drink.’ she holds up the cheap bottle of wine she bought for herself. ‘Rule two, anytime a contestant cries, you drink twice. Rule three, anytime you hear someone say, ‘right reasons’, you drink. Finally, Rule four, when someone says ‘love’ or the bachelor kisses a contestant, you have to drink twice.’
Chuckling, I try to remember what she just said. ‘There are a lot of rules for a simple game.’ I point out and she shrugs, unfazed by my response. ‘Were you planning on playing this on your own?’ I know she’s in her room and she wasn’t planning on seeing anyone, but the idea of her getting drunk by herself has me feeling uneasy because it’s something Chloe would have done if my mom and I weren’t monitoring her.
‘Yes…’ She responds sheepishly. ‘I wasn’t expecting to be judged,’ She responds defensively.
‘I’m not judging.’ Okay, I am judging. I can’t help it.
‘Studying nursing is hard and before moving here, the only time I got to relax was Monday night with a glass of wine.’ My heart immediately sinks.
‘You’re right. I’m sorry.’ I can’t bring my own prejudices against her. She’s not Chloe. ‘How about we switch the rules up?’ I suggest.
‘What do you propose?’
‘You drink whenever Chris says drama or dramatic and a contestant cries. I drink when someone says the right reasons, love or there is a make-out session? That way the wine might last longer…’ At least this way, we can still play her game but I won’t feel quite so bad about how much we’re drinking.
‘Well, I originally thought it was just me watching so I assumed I would only need one bottle but If we run out, I’ll go down and get some more.’ She grabs the remote and leans against my arm. I motion to put it around her but she leans forward, grabs the wine, and puts it in between us. Unsubtle hint taken. ‘Have you watched the Bachelor before?’
‘No, but the concept is easy. Guy picks from a bunch of hot women right?’
‘Yes, but not just any guy, this guy is Shawn. He’s a Fireman from North Carolina and he had his heartbroken by Carly on The Bachelorette. His wife died 4 years ago and this was the first time he tried to date. He was ready to introduce her to his little boy but then Carly broke it off because she had stronger feelings for Ben.’ It sounds like she wants to date Shawn.
‘Why would you go on The Bachelorette after something like that happened to you?’
‘Because you might find your true love!’ I cock my eyebrow in disbelief. ‘Or you might end up the Bachelor and then you can pick from all the women. That’s why there’s always such talk about ‘right reasons’ on this show’ She laughs, and she stuffs some popcorn in her mouth. “Shawn is definitely here for the right reasons though.” She clarifies before I get any ideas.
‘Why do you watch it?’
‘Because it’s funny. There’s a lot of drama and I like being drawn in their ridiculous world for a couple of hours a week. It gets me out of my head.’
‘Well. thanks for letting me join you.’ I elbow her lightly, her gorgeous dark chocolate eyes look up at me and she licks her lips which moves my gaze down and reminds me of last time I touched them. Man, I want to kiss her again. I still haven’t had the talk with her. I’m still not sure if it’s appropriate to do it. Yes, we slept together last night, but we’ve had casual sex before. Maybe she is only looking for that.
‘Let’s wait and see, you might want to jump back to your room after the first ten minutes.’ That’s definitely not happening. I’m staying here as long as she’ll have me.
Unfortunately for Reign, this episode was particularly dramatic. Shawn left one of his girlfriends, his term not mine, in the desert because she was too busy bitching about one of his other girlfriends, it felt more like an episode of Sister Wives. The girlfriend he left in the desert cried, and they repeated that scene at least twenty times. That meant Reign downed over two-thirds of the bottle of wine by the time we’d watched the first half-hour of the show. Her little hiccups and giggles are a telltale sign she’s hammered. I’m not surprised; she’s like four foot nothing. She just drank her daily quota of liquid in alcoholic form. I knew this was a bad idea.
I watched her reach for the remote, pausing the TV and then turning to look at me. Slowly I turn to look at her and am met with a devilish smirk and this glint in her eyes I know can only mean trouble. ‘Devin…’ She whisper shouts, leaning closer to me.
‘Yeah?’ She brings her mouth next to my ear and does a drunken giggle. On any other girl, it would be annoying. On Reign, it’s cute.
‘I think we need more wine.’ She says as she fingers my chin, leading my face to hers. Our faces are only inches apart and I know what she wants me to do. Unfortunately, the wine on her breath reminds me she’s not in her right mind.
Holding the hand she’s placed against my face, I gently move it down to her side and leave it resting there. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, darlin”
She jumps off the bed with the speed of a mountain lion, ‘What do you mean, D? I think it’s the best idea I’ve had all night.’ Then she does that super sexy giggle hiccup thing again. I swear, she’s the only girl in the world that’s still hot when she’s drunk as a skunk. She skids out the door and I hold my breath waiting for the thud of her as she falls down the stairs. A few minutes later, she’s back with a bottle of white wine in her hand as she walks slowly towards the bed, giving me some half-lidded eyes. I’m not sure if she’s trying to be seductive or she’s genuinely having trouble walking at this point. It’s probably the latter but her eyes are darting across my body, telling me she wants something else.
Her eyes are trained on me as she reaches the end of the bed. Hauling her knees up, she starts crawling over, eyes focused on me the entire time. Well, it’s confirmed, she’s trying to seduce me, which wouldn’t take much on a normal day around her, but there’s no way I’m taking advantage of this situation.
The view of her cleavage as she crawls over isn’t helping matters and for some reason, I feel frozen on the spot in her bed. Probably because she plants her hands on either side of my hips, blocking me in as her chocolate eyes pierce through mine. I’m not going to deny that part of the reason I came over tonight was because I wanted to get in her pants, but doing it like this just feels wrong.
She dropped down next to me, picking up my arm and wrapping it firmly around her shoulders, resting her head on my chest. Grabbing the bottle of wine, she holds it close like it’s her firstborn child as she turns the show back on. This, I can deal with. I’m guessing she’ll fall asleep soon and I’ll sneak out before she can remember I was even here.
This episode is getting more ridiculous as it goes. I don’t push the fact that Chris Harrison said dramatic again because frankly, I don’t want her to drink anymore. Luckily, she seem to have missed it, too busy twirling her finger across my chest. I lie loudly, ‘Oh! Shawn said right reasons. I guess it’s my turn to swig.’ I say, taking the wine bottle out of her hands and pretending to take a drink. She pokes me hard and fails to notice me putting the bottle on the nightstand, out of her reach.
As Shawn makes another contestant cry, Reign’s hand travels up my chest, over the thin cotton of my shirt. I watch her hand carefully because I fully expect her to reach for the wine, but when she doesn’t and instead uses her long nails to lightly scratch at my pecs, I lose all focus.
Shit.
Now all I can think about is the last time she did that. When her tongue was down my throat and her other hand was in my pants. She glances up to look at me, fluttering her eyelashes with a small grin on her face.
Shit.
She knows what she’s doing.
‘Devin… Do you remember when I said that we should just be friends?’ She drapes her leg over mine, using her foot to rub my calves as her whole body is flush against my side. Is she really going to have the talk right now? I nod, unable to talk because she’s still drawing those damn circles on my chest. ‘I think I want more,’ she whispers. Really? We’re going to have this conversation now? When you’re drunk and won’t remember in the morning?!
‘More in what way?’ I ask, shifting uncomfortably underneath her. Trying to push her hand off but she keeps it there and gently grazes my nipple causing my dick to stir.
‘Whatever way you’ll have me.’ She admits and normally those words would have me hard as a stone. But right now. She’s so hammered, I can’t tell if she’s just horny and saying it. Either way, I know it’s off the table tonight. She’s biting her bottom lip and it’s taking all of my self-control not to bite it for her.
‘Maybe this is something we can discuss in the morning, darlin’. When you haven’t drunk so much.’ If I want to actually date her, which I think I do, I can’t be an asshole and take her tonight.
‘Fine.’ She pouts. ‘I’m tired of talking anyway.’ Before I can process anything she’s just said, she’s crashing her lips against mine, and without thinking, I react. I kiss her back; the feeling of her warm soft lips is what I’ve been craving all day. She winds her arms around my neck and moves herself across to straddle me. Her hot center rocking against mine as her tongue darts across my bottom lip making me growl. I place my hands on her hips as she starts grinding faster. Those tiny cotton shorts mean I can feel every inch of her against my sweatpants. My body starts reacting and I can feel myself hardening underneath her. She feels it too because she grinds harder down causing a moan to erupt through our kiss. I grab her hips tight and force her to stop.
‘What’s wrong?’ She asked, leaning her forehead against mine. ‘Don’t you want this?’ She tried to move her hips again, but my grip is too tight. I keep her in place.
‘We can’t do this right now, ‘ I say, taking in long slow breaths, doing everything I can to not give into the urge to kiss her back.
Her big bottom lip pouts out again. ‘But we did it last night.’ She says, and I groan at the memory. We did it last night when she was fully in control and not drunk over watching a guy hand out a bunch of roses.
‘Let’s talk about this in the morning, Reign,’ I whispered, gently kissing her cheek, hoping that would soften the blow.
‘What if I want to talk about it now?’ Her lips scorch my skin as she kissed down my neck. I may have loosened my grip on her hips for just a second, letting her grind against me again.
‘I don’t think it’s talking you want to do, darlin.’ I drawl out as she nips at my collar bone.
She lets out a little giggle as her hands venture up to my shirt, crinkling it to just below my armpits. ‘Did I tell you the first night I saw your chest, all I wanted to do was lick the lines?’ She bobs her head down and I know exactly what’s going to happen if I don’t stop her.
The minute her hot, wet tongue hits my belly button, I clasped her shoulders, hauling her up. ‘As much as I love hearing that, I still think we should discuss this in the morning.’ She finally glares at me, her eyes half-lidded and moans like a child but that final blow seems to have worked. ‘It’s been over an hour and I still don’t know who Shawn gives his roses to,’ I explain, and her eyes widen as if she’s just remembered she’s missing that.
‘Fine.’ She resumes her position lying on my chest and I put my arm back around her shoulders while she draws lazy circles on my pec again. That I can handle, her wet tongue skating across my chest? Nope. When Shawn narrows it down to his final ten, I say, ‘I can’t believe he’s still got so many. I could get rid of at least another five right now.’ I mutter, only to notice that Reign has fallen asleep on me. There’s a little puddle of drool right next to her lip and I wondered when she fell asleep. She’s been quiet for a while now.
Taking my time, I gently lift her off my chest and onto the pillow. She hardly stirs which is unsurprising and I pull her fuzzy blanket over her small frame. As I walked to the window, I noticed a little stack of post-it notes and decide to leave her another note. Before leaving, I filled a glass with water and put it next to the post-it note on her bedside table.
Just as I gripped the railing, her voice breaks the silence of the night, ‘Are you leaving?’ I don’t turn to look at her because I know if I do, I’ll go straight back and join her. The next time we do that, I want us to be officially dating, not just hooking up.
‘Because you need to rest, darlin’.’ I say over my shoulder, still staring at my room.
‘I’d rest better if you were here.’ There’s a hint of sadness in her voice which kills me.
‘Just knock on the window if you need me.’ There’s a momentary pause and I take the opportunity to glance over my shoulder. She’s already asleep. ‘Goodnight darlin” I whisper as I climb out of her room, into my own. Taking one final look at her, I smile. The thought that she might be thinking about me as much as I’m thinking about her makes me feel some kind of way. A way I haven’t felt since high school.
