Page 24 of The Pass Protection
Chests heaving, we both collapse on the bed. Her legs tangle with mine as her black strands escape her messy bun. Turning my head, I stare at her flushed cheeks from the orgasms. But before I can pull her to my side, she’s sliding out of my bed as I roll over to my side to watch her. I know she needs to leave. We can’t get caught, but I hate watching her search my room for her shirt and panties in a rush to leave.
And I hate that our one time is over, and it had to be quiet and quick.
I take another glance at her perfect ass as she slides her panties up her legs. Too quickly, she’s dressed and ready to escape to her room. Leaning over me, she bends down and kisses me. It’s a softer kiss than the heated ones we shared earlier. This kiss isn’t welcoming. It’s almost like she’s saying goodbye.
Which I know she is.
We can’t do this again. That was our agreement.
Even though now that I’ve had her, I never want to let her go.
“Let’s roll!” JP yells from the kitchen.
I stumbled into my bedroom around three in the morning and fell blissfully asleep until my alarm went off at six. We need to be at the football facility by eight to catch the buses to the airport for our ten o’clock flight.
Even though I was going with the team, there was no way I was missing out on my morning routine. It’s the first time the guys and I have had to navigate the apartment together in the morning. Typically, someone sleeps in on the weekends or is off doing their own thing.
While doing my morning meditation this morning, I was surprised to have Tyler join me. He does his form of meditation before games and wanted to do a class together, so I welcomed him.
Crew and I spoke a few words. He’s mostly been avoiding me without making it obvious he’s avoiding me. It’s a weird vibe and not something I wanted to happen.
God, last night was incredible. I hate how much I’m drawn to this man when I promised myself I would not get involved with anyone. But no matter how often I tell myself to stay away from Crew Riggsby, his alluring personality draws me closer. And at the end of the day, I know he’s not like he-who-shall-not-be-named.
In fact, I’ve slowly started to forget about he-who-shall-not-be-named as I adjust to life at CTU. I’ll never fullylet my guard down because that’s when bad things happen, but slowly, I’m learning that having some fun is okay.
Speaking of fun, all of us are dying to know what the big surprise the coaching staff is keeping from the football team is. Whatever it is has to be big because my parents refuse to even tell Grant or me.
A knock sounds on my open doorway. “Baby girl, let’s get a move on. If we are late, you can explain it to your dad.”
“Baby girl? Really, JP?”
He shrugs.
Out of all the guys, JP is the one who never seems to be home. Between classes, practices, and the part-time job he picked up, JP seems to always be passing us as we are coming home for the night. I hope everything is okay with him. Tyler told me JP has younger siblings he helps support. I think it’s admirable, but I hope he isn’t burning himself out.
“Need help with your bags?”
“Nope, I’ve got it.” Slinging the duffel bag over my shoulder, I check out my appearance one last time.
The team is required to wear its team-issued sweat suits, which are CTU powder blue with a team football tee underneath. The joggers hug all their athletic legs tightly, and I can’t help but admire JP’s physique. As a defensive end, JP is tall at six feet five inches and two hundred fifty-plus pounds. And while he’s big, it’s all muscle. The man takes up most of my doorway.
Not wanting to stand out against the team, I opted for a pair of black leggings and a CTU T-shirt I cropped. My long hair is left down in loose beachy curls, and my makeup is done minimally, much like always.
“Uh, Bret,” JP muses as I’m grabbing my phone off my dresser.
“What’s up?”
“You choosing the hippie life and going barefoot?”
Glancing down, my white-socked feet stare up at me. Chuckling, I drop my duffel, and JP groans at the delay. Digging through my closet, I’m on the hunt for the red, white, and blue Nike Dunks I purchased for football games. I had them on when I first arrived at the apartment, and I’ve been meaning to organize my closet since I have an overwhelming amount of sneakers, but my shoe rack broke, and I haven’t ordered a new one.
A shadow falls over me followed by a low whistle. “Damn, girl. I thought Q and I had an excessive number of sneakers. You might have us beat.”
“What can I say? I’m a girl who loves a good sneaker.” The sound of a photo being taken has me glancing over my shoulder. “Did you just take a picture? And who has their sound on, Boomer?”
His booming laugh has me laughing. “Fuck,Boomer, now that’s some good shit. But yeah, I took a picture. Sending it in the group chat.”
It’s not long before two more people are piling into my room to check out my massive shoe collection. “Holy shit, it’s like Foot Locker threw up in your closet.”
