Holding On To Heaven (Allendale Four 2)

“It’s just this test and then the race tonight. I’ve got a lot on the line.”

“You do and you’re handling it really well.”

He chuckled. “You think? Because I don’t feel like I’m under control at all.”

I ran my hands down his neck, feeling the tight cords of muscle. “Turn around,” I told him. He raised an eyebrow but spun the chair with his feet. Starting with his head I massaged and rubbed his scalp, working my hands down to his neck. I felt the sharp line of his jaw, the hard muscles of his shoulders. It took a minute, but slowly, inch by inch, he began to relax.

“I read this article once about how the Olympians deal with pre-competition stress,” I told him, taking a peek at his face.

His eyes were closed but he replied with a soft, “Yeah?”

“There were a lot of different theories. Some coaches were super strict—like no one was allowed out past midnight. No fraternization with the other sex. Complete and utter focus on the games until their event was over.”

“Sounds reasonable. My coach is always giving us techniques for focus. He’s big into meditation.”

I had a feeling my massage was barely making a dent. My hands were small compared to Anderson’s broad shoulders but I kept working anyway, kneading with my thumbs and knuckles. “Then there were the others that channeled their energy elsewhere, hoping to take off the edge. Like having sex before a big event.”

He stilled and the tension returned, although not the bone-deep kind, this was more of an attentiveness. “Did that work?” he asked, slowly.

“I think it probably varies on a case-by-case basis,” I replied, appealing to his nerdy side. “They cited lack of sleep and focus to be the biggest negatives.”

Anderson spun, facing me and catching me by the waist to pull me between his long legs. His green eyes were hooded and intense. I bent over and kissed him, continuing my desire to ease the tension from him.

“You’re awfully distracting,” he said, brushing my hair over my shoulder. His eyes flicked down to the V of my shirt. “I don’t feel like this was what we agreed on for a study date, Ms. Reeves.”

I smirked. “I’m happy to get back to business, Mr. Thompson. Let me go get your study guide.” I turned to go to my backpack but his fingers dipped under the waistband of my shorts and he tugged me back.

“Not so fast. You can’t actually bring up pre-event sex and then walk away.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I c

an’t? You were the one worried about being distracted.”

He pinned me with a hard, heated look. “You’ve been distracting me since middle school, Heaven. If you were going to be the downfall to my success, I’d be back in Allendale lifeguarding and going to the community college instead of here.”

I dropped my hands to his shoulders and trailed them down his chest. I felt the hard muscles and the points of his erect nipples. I knew his body and exactly what he needed to settle down.

He stiffened again when my fingers lowered to his red and black sweat pants. His name was etched over the school symbol on his hip. “Hey,” I told him. “Just relax.”

His jaw tensed. “Easier said than done, with you teasing me like this.”

I pushed at his waistband and kissed him long and leisurely. “Lift up.”

“Heaven.”

“What?”

“You really don’t have to—” Guilt mixed with hunger flashed in his eyes.

“It’s okay to let me do this for you. Remember? We talked about this.” Old habits died hard with my guys. Protective to the bone. “You’re not over-protecting me anymore. You’re not babying me.”

He touched my chin. “I don’t ever want you to feel uncomfortable, to feel demeaned or something.”

I licked my lips, refusing to cave to his ridiculous notions. “Anderson, it’s empowering to know I have this kind of effect on you.” I blushed admitting it, but I was also determined. “When you suggest that it’s anything different, it takes away a little bit of my choice. If I want to suck your cock it’s okay, got it?”

A weird noise came from his chest but he stopped stalling, lifting his ass of the seat. I moved quickly, scared he’d change his mind, and lowered his pants, pulling them off his bare, sexy feet. His manhood bobbed between us, bouncing with unbridled excitement. To know I did that to him made me proud and I licked my lips.

Every moment was a new one with these guys. Every encounter something bold and exciting. I knelt between his knees, feeling his hand weave in the hair at the base of my neck. His grip was a little tighter than I expected, rougher than I expected, and I fought back a smile. I reached for him and our eyes met, burning with the connection that had always been so strong between us.