“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were following me?”

I jumped about an inch or two off the ground and my water bottle almost slipped from my fingers. After following the direction of the voice, something moved near a tree. I walked off the trail to see the familiar silhouette of Blake Clemons. He was so concealed by large overhanging branches that I could hardly see his face. But then I stepped into his view and felt my lips turning up into a smile. He always had that effect on me. Just his mere presence made me smile. Even in jogging shorts and a t-shirt and with beads of sweat rolling off his arms, he stilled looked hot as hell.

I blushed and looked down at my sneakers. “I really wasn’t following you, but now that I’m here…what are you doing out here? The jogging trail is that way.” I pointed. “You’re gonna get lost.”

The band director had ordered everyone to take the main trail on a morning run which was supposed to serve as the warm-up before we began practice. Coincidentally, the entire football team was also out on the trail running laps. It was that time of the year. Summer break. Soon, my last year of school would begin, football and band season would arrive, and I’d be faced with making my decision about whether I wanted to take a year off after graduation or immediately enroll in college.

Blake took a swig of his water before taking a long look at me, staring at me with a playful spark in his eye.

“Needed a break from all the action, so I went off the trail,” he replied.

“You’re not supposed to be out this way,” I teased.

“Neither are you.”

“Why weren’t you at the school fundraiser event?” I asked. “Most of your team members were there washing cars.”

“Had to help my parents move some stuff around in the restaurant.” He looked sad when he said it, so I suspected working for the family business wasn’t all that fun.

“You were handling real business then, weren’t you?” I teased. “The rest of us were just pretending to.”

He grinned. “Look who’s talking. The girl whose father can buy the whole town if he wanted to.”

I swatted his chest. “That is so not true.”

“Mm-hmm.” He nodded. “I know about your father. He’s quite the investor.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s the only way he knows how to make money. We all need money, right?”

“Are you going to follow in his footsteps?” Blake asked.

“Of course not. But I’ve been thinking about doing photography, but whenever I tell people that, they never take me seriously.”

“Do what you want. Life’s short.”

“I know. It’s just that my mom and dad have these ambitious goals for me. My brother just started dating the girl whose father owns that big country club north of the interstate. If they get hitched soon, that’ll be a really big deal in this city. Now, the spotlight’s on me and I think they almost expect me to marry some rich sugar daddy or something.”

I meant the last part as a joke, but Blake blurted, “Well, that’s harsh.”

I sighed. “Not exactly a sugar daddy, but someone who’s…”

“Rich. Well-off. High net worth. I get it,” Blake added. “So, tell me the real reason you followed me out here.”

I sighed and leaned against the tree next to him. “I needed a break too. The director was yapping about sloppy formations and we have a new color guard co-captain and she gets on my last nerves.”

“Why don’t you just quit?” he suggested.

“Because I don’t quit. It’s my senior year. I can deal with her for one more season, I guess.”

“Well, you do have a choice. It’s not like you have to remain in the band. Me, on the other hand, football may be my only ticket out of this town. I’m already two years behind everyone else courtesy of my parents keeping me out of school when I was little.”

“The fact that you got held back twice in grade school hasn’t seemed to stop you though. I heard you had scouts calling you already. That’s awesome,” I exclaimed.

He shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.”

“I have no doubt you’ll get that call one day. And then you’ll leave me all alone in this little drab town.”

There was a long silence and then he said, “Who said I was going to leave you here?”

I chuckled. “What? Do you really think I can hitch a ride with you once they hand you that full ride scholarship? That’s not how it works.”

He didn’t respond, so I said, “I mean, I wasn’t saying that I wouldn’t go with you, but I know how much this means to you. I wouldn’t want to come between you and an opportunity. I’d never do that.”

“Are the rumors true?” He had changed the subject again just like that, but that wasn’t unlike Blake.

“Rumors?”

“You know what I’m talking about.” He pushed himself off the tree and positioned himself to stand in front of me. He was a good nine inches taller than me and he towered over me, but none of it intimidated me. His height had always been a plus for me. The way he took me in his big arms whenever we were having sex made me feel secure even when he took me over the edge and I felt like I was falling.

I frowned. “Yes, it’s true.”

“What happened?”

“Look, I don’t want to talk about that or about him. It’s over. I broke up with him. He’s just so freaking immature.”

Blake snorted. “I could’ve told you he was immature. But nobody listens to me, right?”

“I guess that debate team stuff got to his head. All he wants to do is argue. I wish I had listened. I mean, you’re the only friend I trust.”

“Friend?” He threw me another teasing grin.

“Really, really, good friend.”

“If that’s what you want to call it.” He closed the gap between us. “Now that you’re single, that means I don’t have to wait around anymore. Huh?”

He bent down to kiss my neck. I placed my hand on his chest and rested the other on his forearm, pulling him closer to me. He didn’t seem to mind that I was peppered with sweat. I didn’t mind that he was practically drenched either. I needed his touch and his arms around me. I didn’t care where we were at. I needed him so much.

“Brooklyn?” he murmured against my throat.

I sucked in a breath. “Yes.”

He pulled apart from me for a moment and looked down into my eyes. “I…”

“What is it?”

He took a step back, but before any air could come between us, I stepped into his embrace again. “Don’t…please.” I raised myself on my tiptoes and took his mouth. He returned the kiss, and soon, my back was pressed against the thick tree branch.

“What did you want to tell me?” I asked, between kisses.

“Never mind. I want you. I need you too.”

His kisses began to overpower me, and I loved every moment of it. I lifted the tail end of his shirt and raked my fingers down his defined torso. One minute, my feet were planted solidly on the ground, and in the next minute, he picked me up.

I wrapped my legs eagerly around his waist and a groan erupted from deep within his throat.

“Do you know how bad I’ve wanted you? How many weeks I waited for you to realize that these preppy-ass guys won’t make you happy?” he demanded.

I nodded. “But, you do, Blake. You make me happy.”

He nipped my collarbone, and I gasped. His fingers were between my thighs and he slid my shorts to the side and found my creamy center. “Only I can make you wet like this. Say it.”

“Only you can me wet. Please, Blake. I didn’t give myself to him. I promise—”

“Shhh,” he demanded. “Let me fix this. Let me give you what you want.”

“Here?” I asked.

In reply, he pushed me against the trunk of the tree and pushed his jogging pants down a bit and then rocked himself up into my pussy. He placed his lips to my ear and whispered, “Let’s see how fast I can make you come before someone sees us. How shocking would that be if anyone found out this poor guy from the wrong side of the tracks was fucking little miss rich Brooklyn Bridges? I know you’re a screamer, so you better keep quiet before your band mates find out.”

I could feel my juices dampening the seat of my panties as he worked my shorts to the side. My insides clamped down on his fingers the moment he slipped them inside me to test my readiness.

“I’m so glad you brought this pussy to me, Brooklyn. You won’t be sorry you did,” he said.

“Make me come, Blake,” I begged. “Do it here. Now.”

“This is so indecent, you know that, right?” I felt his lips spread into a grin against the column of my neck.

“I don’t care. Fuck me.” I rotated my hips, coaxing his erection closer to me.

“Yes, right there,” Blake moaned and grabbed my hips as he seated his cock head against my pussy lips. I felt the seam of my panties rip as he stretched them aside with his hand to accommodate his wide girth. “You’re always so wet for me, Brooklyn.”

I bit back a scream when he drove into me and began pumping rhythmically. I had never allowed anyone but Blake to enter me raw, without protection. He knew I was on the pill and we both insisted on it being this way between us. His heavy ruler-length cock felt hot and full inside of me. I could barely catch my breath as he impaled me over and over again.

“Oh God, Blake.” I bit my lip and leaned my forehead against his shoulder as he thrust into me with abandon. This was sweet agony, not knowing when Blake would allow me to come as he set a spine-tingling, slow pace. Surprisingly enough, my climax built up fast, and when the wave hit me, he fucked me hard right through it. He wasn’t too far behind me, spilling into me like a fountain.

Only when we were both shivering and floating down from a cloud of ecstasy did I un-claw his back. I didn’t even know I was holding on so tightly.

I slid down his legs and straightened out my shorts.

“That was quite a warmup, wasn’t it?” he joked.

I chuckled. “Yes. Best warm-up ever.”

I could hear some whistles in the distance. It was either his coach calling the players back on the field or my band director calling his students back to the huddle. Neither of us gave two fucks about going back, and for a moment, we just stood there, staring at each other.

Blake pushed some strands of sweaty hair from my forehead, and then said, “No matter what, Brooklyn, you can always come to me when you need to talk. I’ll always be your friend, if that’s the way you need it to be.”

I smiled. “We talk, but we end up having sex when we’re together.”

He grinned. “Would you have it any other way?”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“So, let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Yes. To have the most stress-free senior year as possible.”

I leaned in and pressed my lips to his to solidify the deal. If only I could keep up my end of the bargain. Something I hadn’t told Blake was that both of my parents were getting on my last nerves too, trying to convince me to carry on traditions that I never believed in…