“Whatever happens next between us, promise me you’ll never ever refer to me as a means to an end.”
“You’re not a means to an end, Giles. You’re endgame.”
If I wasn’t already head over heels in love with Jason Ford, those three little words would have spun my world.
“Endgame? Sounds… serious?”
“Oh it is.” He pecked the end of my nose. “Dead serious.”
“I’m not entirely sure I understand exactly what it means, you might have to break it down for me.” I fought a grin.
“It means you’re mine.”
“I’m yours, okay, I think I can get on board with that.” Warmth spread through me. He said the words as if they were the simplest thing in the entire world. And I loved it.
I loved him.
I had for a while now. I’d just been too scared to admit it.
“Anything else?” I lowered my head, looking up at him through my lashes, acting coy.
“Yeah, I think it means come game day, there’s only one number you’ll be wearing.” He captured my lips in a bruising kiss. “Mine.”
The next time I woke was to my alarm and a very hard, very warm chest. I untangled myself from Jason’s embrace and reached behind me, desperately trying to locate my cell to make the noise stop.
“What the—”
“Sorry,” I whispered, “Alarm.”
“Shit,” he bolted upright and quickly sank back down, groaning in pain. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“I’m glad you did.” Pushing my bed hair out of my face, I smiled at the sight of Jason sprawled out in my bed. At some point in the night, he’d taken off his jeans and jersey and climbed back in beside me, sliding his bare legs against mine.
It had been heaven.
“How long do we have before your parents surface?”
“Not long.” I’d had the foresight to set my alarm thirty minutes earlier than usual so he could sneak out before they got up.
“Come here.” He hooked his arm around my neck and pulled me down to him, his lips finding mine in a clumsy kiss.
“Ew, morning breath,” I complained.
“You think I give a shit about that? Lips, now,” he growled the words, fixing his mouth over mine, making a show of pushing his tongue deep into my mouth and tangling it with my own. My tummy clenched; a delicious ache spreading through me.
“How long did you say we have again?” Jason rolled onto his side, sliding my leg over his hip and rocking his erection into me.
“Not long enough.” A soft moan spilled from my lips as he continued grinding against me. “Oh God, that feels…”
“Fuck, I need to stop. I need to—” A knock at my bedroom door had us both freezing.
“Morning, baby, are you awake?”
“Uh, yeah, Mom,” I croaked, barely able to form words as Jason pressed into me again, a smug smirk gracing his bruised face.
“I’ll make coffee. See you down there.”
I waited a second to make sure she had left and then swatted Jason’s chest. “You’re so bad,” I scolded, but his expression was twisted with pain. “Crap, I’m sorry. Where does it hurt?”
“Everywhere, but nowhere as bad as here.” He grabbed my hand and closed it around his rock-hard dick.
“Jason!”
“You’re telling me if I do this,” he slipped his fingers inside my panties, “I’m not going to find you wet?”
“Oh God…” I pressed my lips together as he rubbed back and forth, sliding through my wetness. “We can’t…” I moaned, lost in sensation.
“For once, I’m inclined to agree.” His fingers disappeared and my eyes fluttered open, only to find him sucking them clean. “Later.” Promise burned in his eyes as he leaned in, kissing me. Swirling his tongue around mine, letting me taste myself on his lips.
“How will you sneak out?” He could barely sit up, let alone execute a stealthy escape plan.
“Who said anything about sneaking out? Moms love me, remember?” My eyes widened to saucers and his face broke out in a wide grin. “Gotcha.”
“Haha, now go, before my dad wakes up.”
Jason climbed out of bed and grabbed his clothes.
“Your ribs,” I blanched at the huge purple bruise painted along his side.
“It’s nothing,” he played it down, but I saw how carefully he pulled on his jersey and hoodie, pain behind his eyes with every movement. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what happened when we got to school, but Jason had already slipped into the hall. He glanced back, his eyes saying all the things we were yet to say.
Things I never thought we’d get to say.
And I knew in that second, this time it wasn’t a game or some cruel prank.
It was real.
Jason Ford, Rixon’s golden boy of football, was mine.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Jason
“Are you sure about this?” Cam asked me as we made our way into school. Everyone was looking; kids, teachers, even the few parents doing the morning drop off. I knew what they saw.
Jason Ford.
Star football player.
Cocky arrogant troublemaker.
People usually turned a blind eye. Usually excused my antics as ‘boys being boys’. But not this time.
This time, people had gotten hurt.
I’d gotten hurt.
But they didn’t know the truth. They didn’t know I’d done what I’d done out of a need to protect Felicity. To stand up for the girl who consumed my every waking thought.
They didn’t know at all.
As far as I was concerned, it could stay that way. I hadn’t fought Thatcher for glory or in the name of the Raiders reputation, or even my own. I’d done it because when it came down to it, I was just a guy who loved a girl and refused to let some fucktard like Lewis Thatcher ruin her because of his beef with me.
I spotted her first. She was talking to Hailee and Mya near their locker bank, ignoring the rumble of whispers and gossip flying up and down the hallway.
“So did the two of you talk about what happens now?” Cam asked me as we slowly approached them.
“Nope.” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her to answer him. Felicity was wearing boy jeans, slung low on her hips, a slither of skin on display where her shirt didn’t quite meet the waistband. It was baggy around her midriff, tight over her chest, and hung off one shoulder. Her long brown locks were swept over one shoulder, her face void of makeup, her expression animated as she talked to her friends.
“So what’s the pla—”
But I was already gone. Cutting through the stream of kids. Hailee noticed me first, her lips breaking into a wide grin. Mya was next, smugness dancing in her eyes, as if she knew this was a forgone conclusion. I gave zero fucks about their reactions though. The only girl I cared about still hadn’t noticed me as I moved up behind her. Sliding my hands around her eyes, I leaned in and whispered, “Guess who?”
“Hmm, Asher?” She chuckled as I spun her in my arms and glared at her.