Dinner with Rob’s teammates and their girlfriends is actually a good time. That is, until the upperclassmen show up. It’s obvious within the first few minutes of silent observation who the ringleader is. Jamal Blakewood has been the ruler of the State football universe for the past two years. Apparently, he’s not taking well to being dethroned. Maybe if the asshole was half as worried about his performance on the field as he is about making sure his teammates fear him, he might still have the starting position. That is obviously not how this guy works. He’s the type that gets off on raising himself up by stepping on other people’s backs…and crushing them.
It’s no secret State’s football program has been in trouble for more than a few seasons. Once a team that regularly received a Bowl bid in the glory days, State hasn’t seen a winning season in five years. The restructuring of the NCAA conferences, in the name of more money, landed State in the illustrious Big 20. They’ve been the laughingstock of the conference ever since. And now, with the advent of a quasi-playoff system, State’s credibility as a top-notch football school is basically non-existent.
Agents, the media, and football fans alike questioned Rob’s decision to sign here. With his skills and career projections, he could’ve gone anywhere. God knows far better programs pulled out all the stops to woo him. But, for some reason I’ll never understand, Rob allows his father to manipulate the puppet strings in his life, with the exception of me.
All these things have come together to create the perfect conditions for a serious power struggle on the State football team. Jamal may no longer be a starter, but he doesn’t strike me as stupid. His deep brown eyes are cold and calculating. Combined with his formidable six foot three frame that screams athletic power, it’s clear he’s a force to be reckoned with.
My first impressions of Jamal are only reinforced when Rob and Alex scoot closer to me like some sort of human fortress.
“Falls, up and at ‘em. Quarterbacks are sitting together tonight,” Jamal announces with authority.
The air crackles with unspoken resentment, but no one says a word. With a sigh and a nod in my direction, Rob signals we’ll be following orders.
As we make our way further back into the restaurant, I watch over my shoulder as the rest of the true freshman starters and their girlfriends are likewise split up by position to sit with their teammates.
Mike and Chelsie still haven’t made an appearance, but maybe that’s a good thing. For them, anyway.
Jamal stops in front of a booth that’s already occupied. With a quick raise of his eyebrows, the students abandon their food and scurry away without making direct eye contact.
“Ladies, take a seat.” Jamal gestures at us in a sweeping motion.
Rob silently asks for me to slide into the bench seat first, where I’ll be shielded on one side by a wall and on the other by him. He’s obviously making a play to keep me away from a perceived threat, so I obey without question. Another guy I vaguely know of and a girl I don’t sit on the bench beside Rob and me, leaving Jamal, another girl, and another guy on the opposite side of the table.
Once everyone is seated, Jamal makes introductions for the benefit of the girls at the table. “In case you didn’t know, I’m Jamal Blakewood, a senior here at State. This fella,” he nods his chin at the blond-haired, green-eyed model wannabe beside Rob, “is Nate Cranston. He’s a junior. This is his girl, Joelle.”
I lean past Rob’s broad body to check out the couple.
Joelle and Nate’s appearance lends me to think they could be brother and sister, which kind of freaks me out. Seriously, they look like twins. The idea of them kissing triggers my gag reflex. But hey, I’m being thrown a lot of new names and faces tonight, and I need some way to keep them all straight.
“This big guy here,” Jamal continues, “is Ryder Hawkins. He’s smart enough to let his dick roam free. He’s our redshirt.”
Ryder smirks, but the girl next to him quietly smolders. So, she’s not Ryder’s girlfriend. Which means she must be Jamal’s. She’s clearly unhappy with his preferred free-range dick comment.
Jamal never bothers to introduce the gorgeous woman to his left. Her dark skin, almond-shaped eyes, and athletic build call to mind stories of Amazonian tribes of alpha-females. But, Jamal’s attention is focused solely on the waitress who’s appeared at the end of the table and has her hand on his shoulder. The way the scantily-clad server caresses him suggests more than a platonic relationship.
“Sorry about the mess, Jamal. I’ll get a busser over here to clear it away,” she breathes. “You boys wanna put in your orders, or are you here for the VIP special?”
She winks at Jamal, but shifts her lusty gaze to each of the players sitting at the table, waiting to see who will take her up on the obvious offer.
Rob places a protective arm around my shoulders. “Actually, Lilah, we already put in our order with Yvette, if you could bring it here when it’s ready.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your latest flavor, Rob?” She scans me up and down, probably searching for any sign of weakness.
Rob doesn’t rise to the bait, simply replies with a terse. “This is my girlfriend, Eva.”
“Easy on my true freshman, Li.” Jamal laughs. “I’ll break him in when the time’s right.”
Lilah licks her lips and flicks her golden eyes over Rob once more. “I’ll be waiting. Now, what’ll you boys have tonight?”
As attention at the table is diverted toward everyone else placing their orders, Rob tightens his grip on me and leans down to whisper in my ear. “I’m sorry, honey. This is exactly what I was nervous about. Let’s just go. We’ll get dinner somewhere else.”
Under the table, I place my hand on his thigh and give him a reassuring squeeze. No way am I going to let Jamal think for even a second Rob doesn’t have my full support. I can handle this punk. And the jersey chaser waitresses.
“So, Joelle. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Eva. What’s your major?”
Joelle blinks her wide green eyes at me in surprise. “Oh, nice to make your acquaintance, Eva. I’m a poli sci major. Are you declaring this year or will you wait?”
“I’m going to wait.”
Rob leans back against the booth and loosens his hold on my shoulders, shooting me an equally surprised glance. He didn’t expect me to play nice, I guess.
“And what’s your intended major, Rob?” Joelle asks.
“Computer engineering.”
Nate laughs and stretches his arms up over his head. “We keep telling him he’s insane to take on a major with such a heavy course load, but the fucker doesn’t listen to anyone.”
The conversation stops when all eyes train on Jamal rising from his seat to follow Lilah as she walks away, swaying her hips seductively. The nameless woman who’s been left behind narrows her eyes briefly while she watches them before schooling her expression and turning back to those of us still seated at the table.
“I’m Tyesha Simmons, Jamal’s girlfriend. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Eva.”
Though her smile is warm and bright, something about Tyesha’s words puts my defenses on red-alert. I expect her to be familiar with the upperclassmen, but it’s apparent she already knows Rob and has been expecting me. She must’ve been around during camp for that to be the case.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Tyesha.” No way am I going to clue her in to my suspicions.
A harried skinny kid, wearing the quintessential hipster glasses and skinny jeans, comes to clear the table as the players talk shop, and Tyesha and Joelle exchange pleasantries.
When Jamal returns later with a satisfied smirk plastered on his face, Tyesha bats her eyelashes at him as if he didn’t just obviously receive service from another woman. Then, she turns her attention to me. “So, sweetie. Tell me everything about you. We’ll ignore the guys while they get excited about the season opener.”
I’m not about to mention excitement is the last word I would use to describe the tense mood at the table. Nor am I going to acknowledge the knowing look Joelle shoots Tyesha. This is beginning to feel less like a meet and greet, and more like a set up. I’m about to face my first test, courtesy of the Wives’ Club.
My assumption is only reinforced when the remainder of conversation between Tyesha and I seems more like an interrogation than getting to know one another. I answer her questions directly, neither withholding information, nor supplying more than she requests. The salad I ordered tastes like cardboard, especially with the smell of Rob’s wings next to me, but I chew and swallow like it’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. When Tyesha insists on exchanging phone numbers before we part ways, my fate is sealed.
By the time I open the door to my dorm room with Rob hot on my heels, I’m emotionally wrung out. I haven’t had to fake being interested and happy like that in so long, I’d forgotten how exhausting it is. If I thought returning to my assigned room would feel like finding refuge, that idea is thoroughly squashed by Mallory glaring at Rob as we enter.
“He can’t be in here.”
Sighing, I usher Rob over to my side of the room, where he takes a seat at my desk. “Mallory, this is my room, too. He’s my boyfriend and I haven’t seen him in weeks. We’re just going to hang out and catch up. Maybe if you tried to get to know us at all, you’d know we’re not a PDA kind of couple.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck if you’re a hardcore porn kind of couple. I don’t want him in here,” she retorts. “I’ll complain to the RA if I have to.”
A full-blown headache is pounding at my skull and I take a few calming breaths as I rub my forehead in frustration. This day is going downhill fast and it’s only my first on campus. How much worse will the rest of my freshman year be?
Rob’s voice soothes my frayed edges. “Just grab some stuff for tonight, baby. Let’s go upstairs.”
I turn toward my closet to fetch some essentials, but not before I spy the look of absolute victory on Mallory’s face.
Rob is almost as giddy as she is. He’s trying his damnedest to hide it by biting his lip and looking down. The silent shaking of his shoulders is a dead giveaway, though. He’s actually laughing at this ridiculous situation.
“A pleasure as always, Mallory.” He sends her a wink and a genuine smile as we flee my room for the safety of his.
Now that dusk has fallen, the hall on Rob’s floor is eerily empty, as is his dorm room. Alex must be out on the prowl. Maybe with the hostess from the restaurant. I didn’t miss their flirty little exchange earlier.
Dropping my things on Rob’s desk, I take in their room once again. My gaze lands on the bed we’ll be sharing for the foreseeable future. All dormitory mattresses are twins and I genuinely don’t see how Rob’s big body will comfortably fit in it alone, much less with me there, too. I’ll probably end up on the floor. Which is better than explaining my habitual closet sleeping arrangements, but still. What I wouldn’t give for a comfortable, fearless night of sleep.
Large, calloused hands running up and down my arms break my reverie. “There’s a guest bathroom across the hall. You can brush your teeth, take out your contacts, whatever in there. No shower though, honey. I’m sorry.”
He presses a soft kiss to my forehead as my eyelids slide closed. Trust Rob to understand exactly the kind of anxiety I’m facing this year. He truly is my best friend and closest confidante.
“Where do you think Alex went?”
“He texted me a while ago and said he was going out with some guys from our floor. He won’t be back until late.”
I take a step back and smirk up at him. “I guess with your early to bed, early to rise routine, you won’t be getting in too much bonding time with your neighbors, huh?”
“Actually, about half of our neighbors are on the team, so we spend enough time together. And we have tomorrow off. I can sleep in a little later in the morning.”
His hopeful expression and subtle innuendo launch a flight of butterflies in my chest. “I’m gonna go get ready for bed, then.”
Fifteen minutes later and my nighttime routine complete, I step out of the guest bathroom to find Rob leaning against the wall, waiting for me. “Don’t trust your own neighbors, Falls? Not even your teammates?”
“Hell to the no. Not until I’ve made it crystal clear you’re off-limits. I saw the way they were watching you earlier.” Rob leads me back to his room with a tight grip on my hand.
I shake my head and roll my eyes, but really I was looking for confirmation of the tension I witnessed tonight.
No sooner is the door locked than he turns to me with a wary expression. “I’m so sorry about dinner tonight, honey. I’m even sorrier Kory is an asshole.” His laughter is tight. “I do have something I want to show you, though.”
I wave off his theatrics. “I already saw, Rob. I can’t believe they made you do that.”
“That night wasn’t a total loss. At least I got the tattoo I always wanted.”
Before I can question what he means, he reaches behind his neck and tugs his shirt off in one fluid motion. There, resting above his heart and still looking red around the edges, is my name in Greek letters. A million thoughts war in my mind as I slowly approach him, but as my fingertips make contact with the symbols on his chest, the first one slips past my lips. “Rob, this is permanent. This is forever.”
His large hand presses my smaller one down on the fresh ink. “I know. That’s the point.”
Gazing up at him in wonder, my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. My brain misfires and goes offline. I can’t move, can’t breathe. Nothing.
A soft smile spreads across Rob’s handsome face. “You’re my forever, Evie. This tattoo only shows the world what’s already written on my heart. I told you I wanted something life changing, remember? That’s you. You changed my whole life.”
Still nothing. All I can do is blink up at him.
He tips his face to mine, pressing his soft lips to my own. “I want you.”
Swiping his tongue along my mouth, he pulls back. “I need you.”
He gains entrance then retreats. “I love you.”
The breath I’ve been holding rushes out of me and into him as his mouth descends upon mine again. He doesn’t pull back this time, simply cradles my head in his capable hands and takes what belongs to him. That would be me. For better or worse, I belong to this man.
I’m vaguely aware, amid my swirling thoughts, that he’s gently backing us toward the beds. I follow his movements mindlessly, lost in the way he’s kissing me. Silently, he shows me everything words could never express.
My legs hit something solid, and I break the kiss to sink down on the mattress. With Alex’s bunk on top, I have to crawl into Rob’s bed. I stretch out on my back, waiting for him to come to me. In his eagerness, the sound of his skull meeting the top frame echoes through the room. He covers my body with his and drops his head to my shoulder.
“Oh my God, Rob! Are you okay?” I rub the back of his poor, abused skull.
He lifts up to look at me with a goofy grin on his face. “Hey, I’m Rob Falls, starting quarterback for the State Miners. I might not play this weekend since I got into a fight with my bunk beds and lost. Chances are I’ll be riding the bench with a concussion. What about you, gorgeous? Come here often?”
We both break into a fit of laughter. The waitresses at Wing Dings only want him for his looks and football player status, but this is the Rob I love. This is the guy I fell for so many years ago.
His laughter dries up, and he’s on me again. One large hand wraps around the back of my neck to deepen our kiss. The other slides between the mattress and my lower back, pulling my body up to meet his. He’s holding his full weight from me with his elbows, but when he glides his athletic form along mine, the unmistakable feel of his hard length jolts me. I want to weep for joy at his obvious arousal, but there’s no time because his hungry mouth is roaming. Damp heat glides along my jaw sending my pulse racing. He sucks on my earlobe for only a moment before moving onto the sensitive skin just below. It’s all I can do not to pant and beg. Along my neck his tongue licks and tastes as I shift my head to grant him more room.
“Rob,” I moan. Holy God, this is so good. This is what it feels like for him not to hold back.
“Evie,” he pants in my ear. “Tell me this is okay. Tell me you want this, too. God, I’ve missed you.”
I wrap my legs around him to grant him my permission. Every time his hardness grinds along me, pleasure spikes through my veins like a drug. My fingers thread through the hair at the back of his head as he continues his movements.
“Baby, please. I need you so much. Tell me what I need to hear.”
It’s only with those words that I realize this isn’t foreplay. He’s still not willing to go any further than this, if he needs me to verbally reassure him. I tamp down the building sob in my throat and give him what he needs.
“I want you,” I whisper. “I need you. I love you.”
He releases a rush of air over my neck, sparking goosebumps in its wake. Clutching me to him, his movements pick up speed. I want to fight the ecstasy building in me, to prolong this for him, so he won’t give up when I’m done. I hold onto Rob for all I’m worth as bliss pounds through my body. Unable to hold my orgasm at bay, I let it wash over me. He’s so damn good at making me come.
He thrusts against me several more times. “Evie, I love you. God, do I love you.”
“Did you…?”
“No, but that’s okay. You obviously did, and that’s all that matters to me.” He shifts his weight to the side, but keeps me held closely against him as his chest rises and falls rapidly.
“How do you know I didn’t fake it?” It’s a horrible thing to say, but the words are already out there. I can’t tamp down my disappointment that he still can’t reach his own pleasure with me.
His sly grin eases my guilt and frustration. “Oh, I know. There’s no way you could fake that.” He glides his fingertip up and down my cheek with the gentlest caress. “I feel it in the way your body tenses, and your rhythm changes from frantic to smooth. And, you always whisper my name when it happens. I’m starting to think you’re a dream stealer.”
“A dream stealer?”
“Yep.” He pauses to kiss me. “That’s how it always was in my dreams. You whispering my name.”
Part of my brain gets hung up on his use of the past tense in reference to those dreams. But the other part delights that I’ve given him even a little bit of his previous fantasies.
“You really are my dream girl,” he whispers.
I can feel his heart pounding and his skin is damp with sweat. His familiar scent envelops me in safety, so I sink into it. I absently run my fingers through his silky hair as he nuzzles my temple with his nose. My eyelids grow heavy as my heart rate and breathing calm. All thoughts evaporate in this afterglow.
“Hey there, love of my life. Are you still awake?” He gathers me closer to him and tangles his fingers in my hair.
A yawn tears from my mouth. “Kind of.”
Rob’s laughter vibrates through my body. “Kind of? You’re just gonna go to sleep on me, huh?” His big hand leaves my hair to caress my face. “I missed you so much, Evie. Wake up and talk to me for a little bit.”
Soft kisses to my lips, cheeks, and eyelids are offered up as bribes.
“Okay, okay. I’m awake. How was camp? Tell me everything.”
His fingers are slowly trailing up and down my arm in a soothing motion. It’s like he can’t touch me enough. His sigh is heavy. “It was hard. Really hard.”
The tension among the team members I’ve met so far is unmistakable and weighs heavily on my mind. Rob’s got his work cut out for him. “How bad was the hazing, Rob? I mean, they made you get tatted. What else did they do?”
“I’d rather not tell you, honey.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Plausible deniability if the shit ever hits the fan.”
That answers my question almost as surely as if he’d directly listed the events. The hazing here is clearly out of control. And he doesn’t even know what’s still to come. Although, hopefully I can pull off the Wives’ Club initiation without Rob’s knowledge.
“I knew he was a horrible player, but I didn’t expect Jamal to be such an ass. He was a total douche to his girlfriend tonight.”
A harsh bark of laughter escapes his throat. “That guy is such an ass, you don’t even know. He’s more concerned with where his next blowjob is coming from than where he’s throwing the ball. You’d think getting released from the pressure of being the starting QB would be a relief for him.”
“I feel bad for Tyesha.”
“You two got kinda friendly tonight, huh?”
I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from spilling the beans. Shrugging my shoulders, it’s a fight to keep my expression innocent.
“Yeah, I have no idea why she puts up with that,” Rob continues, oblivious. “She lives in a house near the athletic complex, so she was around at camp. He cheats on her all the time and isn’t even subtle about it.” He smirks down at me then softly kisses my lips. “I guess not all women have the same level of self-respect you do.”
My laughter is a reflex. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
“I would,” he says surely. “Good thing for me, I respect you too much to ever act like that asshole.”
“You couldn’t be an asshole if you tried, Rob Falls. You and Jamal aren’t cut from the same cloth. It has nothing to do with respect.”
He seems to think this over. “I guess you’re right. I wouldn’t ever treat you that way because I love you too much.”
His smile is gentle, his eyes bright and blue as he brushes his knuckles down my cheek. I can’t help but snuggle further into his warm embrace. With my security blanket fully in place, I’ll sleep well for the first time in weeks. It’s easy for us both to fit on the tiny mattress when we’re plastered against each other like this.
“See?” he whispers into my hair as if he can read my thoughts. “I promised you no more closets and here you are. In our bed.”
My only answer is another yawn. It’s been a long day. As much as I want to catch up and find out all the new experiences he’s already had on campus, I can’t keep my eyes open.
Rob kisses my lips soundly. “Good night, my Evie.”
“Good night, my Rob.”