Fourth Down (Portland Pioneers 1)

“So eager,” he says.

“So horny,” I retort. “I’ve wanted you from the first time I saw you.”

“Me too.” Julius does everything he can to get his jeans off without me having to take my hand away from his shaft. I stroke, he fumbles, and then makes up for it by rubbing me between my legs.

“Oh . . .” I start to moan, but he stops what he’s doing. I look at him, wondering what happened.

He shakes his head slightly. “I want to feel you,” he tells me. I think I understand what he’s saying but am somewhat confused. Do I move? Do I stay? My hand is still pumping his shaft, and while I think I should stop, I don’t.

Julius reaches for his jeans, and the movement is awkward. I’m still on his lap, with his erect cock in my hand. I start to move away.

“Don’t move.”

“Okay.” It’s then that I realize he’s getting a condom. Julius is back in his earlier position, looking at me. I move my hand, and he slides the rubber over his erection. I stand and shimmy out of my panties, waiting for him.

He beckons me to come toward him. “I want to watch you,” he tells me as he helps guide me onto his lap. I grip him, not afraid to show him that I can take control. I don’t care if he’s some big-time football player. I know how to satisfy myself.

And that’s precisely what I do.

Julius and I lay on our sides. Our legs are intertwined, and his arms are wrapped around me. Visions of what took place on my couch replay in my mind. The firm grip he had on my hips, moving me up and down on his erection. His eyes closing, and the way he moaned and called out my name. Julius, angling his body just right to help give me the relief my body craved. The way he took control and flipped me onto my back and pounded into me because he could no longer wait to make me his. Us, looking deep into each other’s eyes while our bodies did what comes naturally.

I think that is what I’ll remember most about this moment. The two of us, lying on our sides, with my leg hitched over his hip. We were effortless, fitting together like our bodies had been designed for each other. Julius moved slowly, never taking his eyes off mine. He read me, knew exactly what I needed, and delivered. I have never had a more intense orgasm than I did with him in that moment.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks.

“Nothing and everything,” I tell him.

“Same. I can’t believe this happened.”

“What do you mean?”

He adjusts and pulls me a little closer. He’s starting to harden again, and my lady bits begin to cheer. “We started off so rocky. I never would’ve imagined us being like this. You’re so beautiful and smart, and I treated you so poorly.”

“I like to find the good in people,” I tell him. “I wanted to hate you, but I couldn’t. The universe put us in each other’s path for a reason.”

He flexes his hips toward mine. “Is this the reason?” he asks, and I laugh.

“I don’t know about that. But I do enjoy that particular reason.”

“Can I ask you a weird question?”

I nod.

He thinks for a moment and then finally asks. “Are you adventurous when it comes to sex?”

“Why do you want to tie me up?”

Julius smiles. “Not necessarily, but I’d like to know the rules, so to speak.”

I look at him questioningly.

“Like, if you’re in the kitchen, are you game for a quickie? Do you like sex in the shower? In the car? Or are you a ‘we have to plan to have sex’ type person?”

“No, I don’t think we have to plan. If the mood is right, it’s right. As far as the car—I haven’t done that since high school.”

His eyes go wide, and then he grins widely. “Naughty, Weather Girl.”

“You know, I used to hate it when you called me that. I thought it was disparaging and rude, but now when you say it . . . well,” I move closer, put my leg over his hip, grab his growing erection and rub it against me. “I really, really like it.”

Twenty-Six

Julius

It’s Tuesday, and I’m sitting in this tiny waiting room while waiting for my first therapy appointment. My phone rests in my hand, and the screen shows messages from Autumn, Elena, and a slew of other people. The only people I’ve spoken to in the last twenty-four hours have been my parents, my children, and a few of my teammates. I don’t know what I’m doing or what’s going on in my head, except I’m beyond confused about life right now.

The door opens, and a woman, no taller than five feet, smiles warmly at me and asks me to follow her. I stand, unfolding myself from the crouched position I put myself in, and follow her. If she’s intimidated by my size, she doesn’t show it. The door shuts behind me with a loud click that causes me to jump. In reality, it probably isn’t as bad as my mind is making it out to be.