Bex

The week blows by in a blur of practices, late night texts from Preston, and tons of homework. Preston was equally busy, with little time to talk. Our schedules are similar, which makes it easier to align our non-date nights. Like tonight.

“Are you sure this dress isn’t too short?” I ask Taylor, who leans over to check out my backside.

“Nope. Your ass looks perfect in this dress. Parker will definitely approve.”

I shake my head, laughing. “I’m sure he will.”

Taylor chose a short, tight bandage dress from her closest, paired with red heels. She even made me wear makeup. I feel so unlike myself in this outfit and layers of eyeshadow and mascara. I’m like Taylor’s very own Barbie doll. She knows I hate picking out clothes, so she offers to do it for me.

My mom was never around to teach me simple things like how to dress. She wasn’t even there when I got my period. I thought my dad was going to have a nervous breakdown when he had to deal with me crying on the bathroom floor, freaked out by womanhood. But we got through all the weird, awkward times. Taylor helped me through the rest.

“This must be the house.” Taylor points at the last house on Greek Row.

A crowd of people pour out from the old Victorian. Much like the house Preston shares with his teammates, it has high pillars, a long, covered porch, and several floors. Except the lawn at the Delta Sigma Phi house is littered with trash. Plastic cups, crushed beer cans, and even a lacy bra are on the lawn.

Interesting.

We walk past a group of drunk girls in short skirts and tight tops, clasping red Solo cups of beer.

“I saw Parker with the twins,” a tall blonde says to her friend, slurring her words. “I couldn’t get anywhere near him.”

My Parker? What twins? Fucking hookers.

I attempt to eavesdrop of their conversation as we stroll down the walkway to the house. My mind drifts to a thousand different places. I’m a little jealous when I think of Preston with another girl, let alone two of them. Friends shouldn’t be this jealous, even though we’re not technically friends.

I still haven’t given Preston an answer. I’m afraid to plunge head-first into this arrangement and lose myself and my heart in the process. I know from previous experience that hockey players, especially ones as hot as Preston Parker, are bad for me.

Once the line moves, I climb the stairs and come to a halt when I spot Preston on the porch. He leans back against the house, tipping a cup of beer to his mouth. His usual gang of guys surround him, with Jamie on his right. Shannon latches onto Jamie, as if she’s afraid to let him out of her sight.

Preston glances over at me. His entire face illuminates. He looks sexy in dark jeans and a fitted black tee that hugs his muscular frame.

I bite my bottom lip, and he notices. Laughing, he walks toward me. He hooks his arm around my back. I take in the scent of his delicious, manly scent. He’s intoxicating.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t show.”

“I said I would come.”

“Hey, Taylor,” he says, now acknowledging her. “You remember Drake, Trent, Tucker, Jamie, and Shannon.”

Oh, right. Those twins.

How stupid of me to think Preston invited me to a party where he was hooking up with other girls. I almost laugh when I realize my mistake.

At the mention of their names, his friends look over at Preston. They wave at Taylor and me, and we do the same in return.

“They’re with me,” Preston tells a blond-haired boy sitting on a bar stool by the door, taking money from people.

He acknowledges Taylor and me with a nod, and then hands Preston two plastic cups. A silent exchange passes between them.

Drake walks over to us and stands next to Taylor. “You were at The Sixth Floor last week, right?”

Taylor beams. “Yeah. I was in the dance competition with Bex and Shannon.”

“So, ladies, what can I get you?” Preston holds up the cups and Drake takes one of them from his hand.

“They have beer, vodka, rum shooters, and I think there was a little bit of Cuervo left the last time I was in the kitchen,” Drake says, his eyes fixed on Taylor.

“I’ll have a beer,” I tell Preston, who’s holding my cup.

“Same for me,” Taylor chimes.

“After you.” Preston holds out his hand for me to enter the house before him.

Drake and Taylor are behind us.

Preston startles me when his big hand lands on my bare shoulder. I move through the dense crowd, swept away by the electricity dancing along my skin, allowing the music and Preston to entrance me.

Once we reach the kitchen, Preston spins me around. He strokes the side of my face with his thumb, his blue eyes fixed on me. His dark shaggy hair falls onto his forehead, and I reach up to sweep it away. He smiles, and not one of his usual cocky smirks. A real smile that sets off every nerve ending in my body.

“To answer your question,” I say. “Yes.”

He hands the cups to the guy behind the bar to fill. “Yes to what?”

“What you asked me the other day in the cafeteria. I never gave you my answer.”

“You didn’t have to. I already knew what you would say by your reaction.”

I cock an eyebrow at him. “Is that so?”

He lifts our beers from the bar and thanks the bartender with a slight tip of his head. “You’re not the easiest person to read, Bex, but I’m getting used to your tells.” Preston hands a cup to me. “Drink up.”

“I don’t have any tells,” I shoot back.

He sips the foam from the top of his cup. “Yes, you do. You just don’t realize you’re doing it.”

I chug a good amount of my beer, telling myself I need to slow down. Coach Vaughn will not give me a break tomorrow if I show up hungover again.

“So, what do I do? Enlighten me, Parker.”

He smirks, running his fingers down my bare arm. “See these little bumps. Every time I touch you, the same thing happens.”

“Have you ever considered I might be cold?”

He laughs. “Nice try. It’s like ninety degrees in this house. You’re not cold.”

“I wouldn’t call goosebumps a tell. That’s ridiculous. Everyone gets them.”

“You’ve always responded to my touch. Even that day in the locker room.”

He’s right. No sense in denying it.

“I’m attracted to you. So what? That doesn’t mean anything. I bet most of the girls in this house would have the same reaction if you spoke to them, let alone touched them. You know you’re like a walking orgasm. It’s not news to you.”

He laughs, almost spitting out his beer. “I plan to give you a lot more of those.” I narrow my eyes at him and he adds, “Orgasms. Lots of them. I’d do anything to hear you moan my name again.”

“Wanna dance?” I have to change the subject before someone overhears our conversation.

He knows my dad would kill him, and yet Preston doesn’t seem to give a shit who hears him.

He licks the beer from his lips. “Any excuse to touch you.”

I smile, and it must be contagious because Preston does, too.

Looking over my shoulder for Taylor, I spot her in the corner of the room with Drake. His hip digs into hers, his arm is on the wall behind her head, caging her in, and their mouths are inches apart. They look cute together. But he’s such a player. All of the guys on the hockey team are, with the exception of a few who have long-term girlfriends.

I wish Taylor would stay away from Drake. But I’m not one to judge or offer advice when I can’t shake Preston. He’s on my skin, in my head, and slowly creeping into my heart. This is bad for both of us—especially me.

Slipping my fingers between his, I drag Preston into the living room to dance. We sift through the crowd and create a spot for ourselves by the stairs. He leans back against the railing, his strong grip on my hip as he pulls me into his chest. I rock my hips from side to side, swaying to the beat of the pop song. Preston lowers his head until I feel his breath on my neck. His tongue wets my skin, his teeth grazing along my sensitive flesh. I can’t believe he’s doing this in front of people.

Where’s my willpower when I need it? I should stop him, take a few seconds to get some air. Because I sure as hell need it around Preston.

“Let’s take this upstairs,” Preston whispers in my ear, his voice deep, smooth. His teeth nibble my earlobe, and I still in his arms.

I’m powerless. My mind rendered useless around him. His hand lingers on my hip and then slides up my stomach. His intoxicating scent fills my nostrils, and I close my eyes. Rubbing over his growing erection, I give him the answer he needs.

Preston clutches my wrist and leads me upstairs. We travel up another flight of steps. He seems like he knows the layout of the house, as if he’s looking for a particular room. At the end of the hall, he opens the door to what looks like a game room.

Couches line most of the space, several flat screen TV’s are on the wall. Gaming chairs are on the floor in front of the largest TV. Controllers and game consoles are scattered in front of a table. An old school Pac Man machine is in the corner of the room.

“What are we doing in here?”

Preston locks the door behind us. “I can’t wait another second.”

Before I can protest having sex in a frat house, Preston lifts me up by my ass, pushing my back into the wall. He cups the side of my face with his hand. Our mouths are so close the heat from his breath warms my lips. A sudden chill rolls down my arms, pointing my nipples. They’re painfully sore and begging for his mouth.

Preston doesn’t waist another second. He leans in and sucks on my bottom lip. His kisses are slow and deliberate, so sensual, before he invades my mouth with his tongue. Now, he’s more forceful, aggressive. The Preston Parker I can’t seem to deny.

I slide my hand from his neck to the back of his head to deepen the kiss. Because no amount of closeness is never enough when it comes to Preston. He growls into my mouth. I moan into his. It’s pure perfection, apart from the location. But I could care less. I’m so wet for him my juices are sliding down my inner thigh.

We stay this way for a while before he walks over to the couch with my legs around him. He lowers us to the couch, and I’m on top, straddling his thick, muscular thighs. I love his body, every inch of toned perfection.

He reaches behind me to unzip my dress and peels down the top. His eyes light up when he sees I’m not wearing a bra. Without hesitation, he grabs my breasts in his calloused hands and shoves his face between them.

I moan as he peppers my skin with kisses, and he grunts in response. He says he loves the sounds I make. Well, he’s ripping plenty of moans from my lips right now.

His thick cock pokes my thigh through his jeans. I want him inside me again so bad, my pussy clenches from the promise. Pushing up his shirt, I smooth my hand over his stomach. Once I get my hands on him, I can’t stop myself from touching every part of him.

He stops sucking on my nipples, long enough to sit back to allow me to pull his shirt over his head. Next, I work on the button of his jeans. Because I want these off, too, no clothing separating us.

I slide off his lap to step out of my dress and panties, leaving them on the floor by my feet. He raises his hips to remove his jeans and boxers, his eyes watching my every movement. My breath catches in my throat when his hard cock springs free. He’s so long and thick I’m salivating.

I drop to my knees, making room for myself between his legs, and wrap my hands around him, because he’s too big to fit in just one. He makes a hissing sound and closes his eyes for a split-second. Leaning forward, I stick out my tongue to make contact with his sensitive skin.

“Damn, Bex.” He fists my hair between his fingers. “I want to fuck your mouth.”

Staring up at him, I comply with his request, taking him inch by inch. He growls. Preston rocks his hips, greedy for more of my mouth. And I give it to him. Because I like seeing the carnal look in his eyes. Love listening to the sounds he makes. Most of all, I love being the one to do this to him.

When I feel his cock pulse in my mouth, he tells me to stop before he comes. And then he’s lifting me into his lap again, quickly rolling on a condom on before he slams into me.

“Preston,” I whimper as he stretches me out, filling me completely. My palms fall to his chest, my nails digging into his skin.

Preston does the same to my hips as he moves with me, controlling the rhythm. He glances down at his cock sliding in and out of my dripping wet pussy. And when his eyes meet mine once more, there’s a fire brewing behind them. One look from him ignites a deep-seated hunger inside me.

He doesn’t make his usual dirty comments. Not like last time. I’ve never seen him so focused, so determined.

“Preston,” I whisper, and he bites his lip. I say his name again and he grunts, dragging his teeth along his lip again. “Keep moaning my name.” He grips my ass cheeks with his hand and fucks me harder.

I do as he says, and he quickens the pace. A wave of cold flushes through my body, replaced by an intense heat that licks my skin. My hold on his cock tightens, and his eyes flicker with acknowledgment. He knows I’m about to come and rubs my clit, with a cocky smirk on his face, stealing an earth-shattering orgasm from me.

“Fuck, that was hot,” he whispers, pushing his cock deeper, still pressing his thumb to my clit. He makes slow, steady movements that cause my insides to clench. “Come for me again, Bex.”

It doesn’t take long before I’m screaming his name at the height of my climax, and Preston joins me.

Bex

I’m two weeks into my friends with benefits arrangement with Preston. Two of the best weeks of my life. I smile when a text message lights my screen and know I’m totally screwed. Because he has me already.

Preston: Someone misses you.

Bex: Look at you getting all mushy.

Preston: I was talking about my dick.

I laugh so loud I snort.

Bex: You’re an idiot. What are you doing?

Preston: Thinking about you.

Bex: Wanna study with me?

Preston: Is that code for sex? :)

Bex: No, silly. I’m in the library.

Preston: Mmm… library sex.

Bex: No way! Not happening. Too many people around.

Preston: That’s what makes it so much fun. Never stopped you before. Anyone could have walked in on us when I fucked you on my kitchen counter. You were purring in my ear. Begging for it.

My nipples harden from his dirty talk, making me all too aware of how much I wish study was code for sex.

Bex: You’re so bad, Parker.

Preston: You like it when I’m bad.

Bex: You got me there. Come to the library.

Preston: So we can be bad together.

Bex: So we can study.

Preston: Right. :) If you say so.

Bex: You coming or what?

Preston: I hope so *wink, wink*

Bex: Keep it in your pants, Parker.

Preston: That’s impossible to do around you. I’ll be there in 20.

Bex: I’ll be waiting.

Twenty minutes later, Preston strolls down the aisle toward my table, all muscle and swagger. Track pants hang low from his narrow hips, his T-shirt tight against his thick chest. Did he wear this on purpose?

Ugh, I’m dying over here.

My ovaries are going to explode, and it will be his fault. He looks good, too damn tempting.

I smile up at him as he pulls out a chair and sits next to me. His large frame fills up every inch of space around me. So does his manly scent. He smells like freshly dried laundry, his musky cologne, and sweat. By the looks of his forehead, he ran over here.

“Why are you out of breath?”

“It’s all you, girl.” He smirks. “You take my breath away.”

I laugh and then nudge him in the side with my elbow. “Yeah, right.”

“You kinda do. But that’s not the reason. I ran across campus to get in some cardio. I was also trying to dodge this chick I hooked up with last year. She’s a clinger.”

“Nice.” I shake my head. “This is the Preston Parker everyone knows.”

He leans in, so close our lips are almost touching. “I’d never run from you.”

“You say that now because this is new and still fun. I’m sure you’ll be running from me by the end of the year.”

I have to face the reality of the situation. No matter how good the sex, or how much I like him, we have no future. Our paths will never cross after graduation.

His smile fades. “You’re impossible, woman. Would you just go with the flow?” He presses his thumb to my temple. “Stop overthinking everything.”

Before I can answer, his lips are on mine, invading my mouth. Our tongues collide, and it’s like a silent war, with each of us pushing and pulling for domination over the other.

Someone clears their throat from a distance. I break away from Preston, sinking back in my chair. The librarian shoots a pointed stare in our direction. Using her hands, she motions for us to move our chairs apart. I scoot mine along the carpet, in desperate need of some distance from him.

“How come you’re all the way up here?”

I shrug. “No one ever comes up here. That’s why I like it. I can focus on my homework or study for a test. The dorms are too noisy.”

“I have the same problem at my house. Too many guys under one roof. It gets a little crowded.”

“I really have to study,” I confess. “I wasn’t joking about that part.”

He slides my open textbook along the desk toward him. “So, what are we studying?”

“Business ethics.”

“I thought you were a sports management major.”

“I am. We’re learning how to negotiate sports contracts and how to deal with the ethical obligations in those contracts.”

“Ahh, I see. Like the dickhead agents who lure prospective clients with cars.”

I steal the book back from him. “Exactly.”

“My mom can’t stand those kinds of agents.”

“I can’t either. They use dirty tactics to gain clients.”

“I would never sign with someone who did that.”

“Isn’t your mom going to manage your career?”

“I don’t know. My family is already so involved in my life I’m not sure if I want her micromanaging my career, too.”

“What about JP?”

Preston’s older brother, JP, works alongside his mom at DMG, Donoghue Management Group.

“Maybe,” he says. “We’ll see. I haven’t gotten that far yet. My mom assumes she’ll handle everything… because that’s what she does. I wouldn’t mind having someone outside our family.”

“No one else will ever have your back like family would.”

He moves his hand from the table to my thigh and squeezes it. “Yeah, you’re right.”

We sit in silence for a while, and I pretend to study, even though Preston is too distracting. His fingers skate along my thigh, his delicate touch too much for me to stand.

“Are you doing this on purpose so I’ll change my mind about library sex?”

The dimple in his cheek pops. “Is it working?”

“Yes.” My cheeks redden. “But I do need to study. For real. I have a test tomorrow that counts for twenty-five percent of my grade. Don’t you have practice or something else you can do?”

“Nah, I’d rather bother you.” He laughs. “I don’t have practice until tomorrow morning. I’m so ahead on my managerial accounting class that I finished all of my work in the lecture hall.”

“I’m sure you could find hundreds of things to do other than sit in a library.”

“Yeah. But you’re here. So, unless you plan on relocating to my bedroom, I’m staying here until you tell me to leave.”

“You can stay as long as you stop distracting me.”

“You’re an A student, Bex. I’m sure you’ll ace this class, whether I sit here with you or not.”

“You’re skating dangerously close to the line we were never supposed to cross,” I joke.

He cocks his head at me. “Oh, yeah. And how so?”

“We spend a lot of time together. Some would consider this dating with how much we hang out.”

“I don’t think so.” He scratches his jaw, thinking it over. “I’ve never taken you on a date. McDonald’s doesn’t count.”

I chuckle at his comment. “If you took me to McDonald’s for a date, we would not be dating anyway.”

He laughs, and then tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ve never liked being around another girl as much as I do you. You make it so easy, Bex.”

“And you make this very complicated for me.”

“How so?”

“Because you make me want to break the last rule. We’re so close to doing it, too. You know it as much as I do, don’t you?”

He nods. “I thought it would be easier to be friends with benefits. But I like you. A lot more than I thought I would.”

“Me, too,” I confess.

“You never told me what happened. What made your dad come up with these rules? Tell me, Bex. Please. I want to know everything there is to know about you.”

I bite my lip, nervous. “Only a handful of people know this story. Will you promise you won’t freak out if I tell you? And you can’t tell your friends.”

His expression darkens. “What happened to you?”

“Please, Preston. Promise me.”

He covers my hand on the table with his and nods. My entire body trembles from the fear taking over.

What will he think of me after I tell him?

Will he be able to look at me the same way?

He glances down at my trembling hand and grips it tighter. “It’s okay, Bex. I got you. It’s just me. You can tell me anything.” His tone indicates he’s telling the truth.

I can trust him, which is why I want to tell him. He should know why we can’t be together. Why my dad would kill him for being here with me.

“When I was in high school, my dad coached the ice hockey team. Kellan Lehane was his star player.”

His jaw clenches at the mention of Kellan. He knows him, played against him the first game of the season.

“Kellan was my dad’s favorite… just like you are now. I was shy, kept to myself. I had friends, but I wasn’t popular. Not like Kellan. Everyone loved him.”

Preston grips my hand. His anger shakes through me.

“We dated for a few months. My entire life changed when I met him. All of a sudden, everyone knew my name. I had all these new friends. He made me feel special, like I was the most important person in the world.” I hesitate with the next part, choking down the bile rising from my stomach. “Kellan was my first. I was so in love with him. Or at least I thought I was. It was more lust than anything.”

“Please don’t tell me he hurt you,” Preston whispers, his voice deep and serious. “I will fucking kill him if he did.”

A single tear falls from my cheek, and he wipes it away with his thumb. “Just let me finish. This is hard for me to tell you.”

“We all have a past,” he says. “It’s how we take those painful lessons and change our future that defines us.”

“I’m so afraid of how you’ll react and what this will means for us after you know the truth about my past. I don’t want all of this to go away.”

“It won’t,” he promises.

Sucking in a deep breath, I prepare myself for the rest of the story. I’ve tried to block it all out for years.

“He took my virginity. It was nice. So, don’t get any ideas. He didn’t rape me, but what he did afterward was… horrible.”

Preston hooks his arm around me, still shaking, and pulls me to him. I’m not sure who needs this hug most—him or me. He seems more on edge.

“It’s okay,” Preston says, softly against my ear. “You can tell me. I won’t let him hurt you.”

“He took pictures of me. I was naked in some of them. In my bra and panties in others. He said he would erase them from his phone. But he never did. Instead, he uploaded them to porn sites and social media.”

Preston grinds his teeth together, trying to hold it together. He looks like he’s about to Hulk Smash the desk into pieces. His eyes are watery, and I can see the pain in them. He really does care. That’s what makes our situation so complicated.

“My dad was able to get the pictures taken down from Instagram and the other sites because they violated child pornography laws. But some of the pictures are still out there on websites that don’t have to comply.”

“Why the fuck not?” he growls. “They shouldn’t be allowed to post your picture on a website without your consent. And you were a minor.”

“My dad tried. He sent complaints, talked to lawyers, and some of the sites refused to acknowledge our requests. The domains are registered in countries where there’s no jurisdiction. They can do whatever they want.”

Preston takes a deep breath, staring out the window. “I’ll find a way. Let me talk to my dad.”

“No,” I almost shout. “You can’t tell anyone, Preston. Please.”

“If there are naked pictures of my girl on the Internet, I have to do something about it.”

“I’m not your girl.”

He leans back in his chair, shoving his hands through his hair, tugging at the ends. “I’m not allowed to help you. So, what can I do? I have to do something. You shouldn’t have to live like this, knowing some pervert online is looking at you.”

“It’s not your responsibility, Preston. This is all my fault. I never should have allowed him to take the pictures.”

His face scrunches in anger… pain… sadness? It’s hard to get a read on his mood. He’s like a storm of emotions.

“This is not your fault, Bex. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I trusted the wrong person.” Another tear slides down my face. “I was so stupid.”

“No, you’re not.” He cradles me in his arms, his breath warming the top of my head. “I can’t believe Lehane did this to you. I’m going to kill him.”

“It’s not worth it.” I stroke his arm with my fingers. “Don’t do anything stupid for me.”

“I would do just about anything for you, Bex. That’s the problem.”

He has my heart. Regardless of the past, no one but Preston has the power to destroy it. My heart breaks, piece by piece, because I was never supposed to fall in love with him. He was never supposed to be mine.