Rebound (Pro-U Book 3) (14 page)

Chapter 26

Natasha

The fear in his eyes was palpable. I hated to see him clam up and the last thing I wanted to do was ruin our night, but I wanted him to feel the freedom I was getting close to feeling. And it was all due to him.

I took a few steps back up and extended my hand toward him. "I'm not going to let you go in here. I'll hold you tightly to me. You're going to love how good my skin will feel against yours."

"Baby, I'm serious. I've been fighting this for ten years. I'm not getting in that pool. You weren't there that day. You didn't see her, didn't hear them." His voice broke as he turned away from me and crossed his arms over his chest.

I walked up behind him and slid my arms around him, holding him tightly as I kissed his back.

"Then tell me about it, Micah. Take me there and let me share it with you. You've walked into my hell and helped me try to start walking out. Don't deny me that with you." I kissed him a few more times and pressed my forehead to his back, letting myself feel how terrified he was. I needed a deep relationship in my life, one where I could explore every part of myself in the comfort of someone who could really love me. I had no doubt that was him, but I wanted him to have no doubts either.

"She was seven. Long brown hair and warm brown eyes. She was kinda short for her age, but both of our parents are short. She'd just started cheerleading and bitched about it every day." He let out a soft chuckle that broke. "I should have been watching her."

"How old were you?" Tears filled my eyes and everything inside me wanted to wilt to the floor, but I knew what I was doing. The release I felt sharing my pain with him and finally letting someone inside my soul was healing. He needed me there no matter how much it hurt me to watch him suffer through it.

He wrapped his arms around himself, pressing my arms tighter around him. "I was twelve. The latest video game had just come out, and I was supposed to be watching her. She knew that we weren't allowed to go outside when Mom and Dad were gone, but I'd pissed her off. She wanted to show me her latest cheer and I didn't wanna see it. I can't even begin to tell you how terrified I was when I couldn't find her. I screamed her name as I ran all over the house... the yard... I screamed until I didn't have a voice. I had no clue she'd gotten into the pool." He sniffled. "I didn't even look. There was a code on the pool and she didn't know it. Or at least that's what they used to tell us. There wasn't a fucking code."

I moved around him and kept my arms wrapped tightly around him.

Large tears rolled down his cheeks as he watched me through what had to be a blurred gaze. "Mom and Dad came home and they found her. My mother dove into the pool, fuck, they both did. I ran out there, but it was too late. She'd probably been in the pool for a half hour at that point. My mother cradled her on the side of the pool as my dad ran into the house, knocking me over as he tried to get to the phone. I'll never forget the way she looked up at me, the scream that ripped from her lips as she came unglued. I turned and dropped to my knees, puking until I couldn't hold myself up anymore. They didn't speak to me for a little over a week, though my mother's accusation stung me every day since."

"Baby," I whispered and touched the side of his face. "It wasn't your fault."

"No?" He wiped his nose and closed his eyes. "Then whose was it?"

"It was an accident. It doesn't have to be someone's fault." I lifted to my toes and kissed him softly. He melted against me and leaned into the kiss, groaning low in his chest. We didn't need to get into the pool. He'd walked through most of it with me and I knew without a doubt that he'd open up the rest over time, just like I would about all my hurts.

"Come back to the house with me, Tasha. I don't wanna get in the water."

"I don't think you need to." I kissed him once more before pulling out of his hold and gathering up my clothes. I snuggled against his side as he wrapped his arm around me.

"I hate you," he whispered and squeezed my butt softly.

"Yep. I hate you too." I smiled up at him and lifted to my toes. "Now, take me back to your place and punish me good for that hate?"

His eyes widened a little as his expression softened. "All I had to do was shed a few tears to get into your panties? Why didn't you-"

"Don't even." I got in the truck and watched him walk around the front of the truck as my heart filled with adoration for him. I didn't need my mom or dad. I had him, which was more than enough.

*

I tried hard not to show him how fucking nervous I was as we walked up the stairs toward his bedroom. The guys downstairs teased both of us, but he told me to ignore the idiots and keep walking. I couldn't help but laugh a little at some of their jabs toward Micah. It would seem I was the first girl that had actually walked to his bedroom instead of being carried.

"And here I thought you were one of the last good ones left." I walked into his room and yelped as he grabbed my hand and pulled me backward. I found myself pressed to the door, his strong body holding mine in place as he leaned down and brushed his lips by my ear.

"I'm only a good guy when I need to be." He licked my ear and a shiver ran down my spine. I tried not to moan too loudly, but the thick press of his thigh between my legs felt good. Too good.

"Don't be good tonight," I whispered and lifted my hands toward the ceiling as he pulled my shirt over my head and leaned down to press his lips to the top of my breasts. His fingers pressed into the back of my thighs, and I stifled a scream as he pulled me up the door a little. I wrapped my legs around his waist and gave myself over to the carnality that was sure to come.

"Just hold on tight, Tasha. It's been a long fucking time for me." He rolled his hips, massaging me with the hard length of his cock.

"Just don't hold back." I ran my fingers down his back and pulled at his shirt. He moved up for a second, pulling it over his head, and moved back down to lick and suck at my breasts. I moaned loudly and pulled him in closer with my legs, wanting him buried deep inside of me.

He turned and walked us toward the bed as he gripped my ass tightly with one hand and worked on my bra with the other. I ran my fingers down his face and neck, kissing and sucking at his mouth as passion tore up the center of my stomach.

I groaned as my bra opened and he laid me back down on the bed.

"So hot, baby." He palmed my breasts and rocked against me.

"All yours." I reached up and grabbed the front of his waist band, pulling at it. "Take these off. I wanna see you."

The sexy smile that lifted his lips left my body flooding with wetness. He was sure to be the death of me. Something about me being the only person on the planet that got to see this side of him made me feel far more special than I probably should have.

He took a step back and I let my legs drop to the bed and moved up on my elbows to watch him undress. He turned in a slow circle, completely naked.

"Good?" He moved toward me and tugged my shorts and panties down my legs without unbuttoning them.

I chuckled. "So much better than good."

"Hold on to my neck." He crawled up on the bed and pulled me with him as I held on tightly. A soft whimper ripped from deep inside me as he laid down and pressed himself to the front of me. We fit together almost too well.

"I'm falling in love with you, Micah." I took a chance. I couldn't seem to help myself.

"Good." He shifted his hips and pressed into me a little as the world spun around us. I wanted the type of pleasure I knew he could provide and for the first time in forever, it was enough to keep my fears at bay. His strong fingers slid between my back and the bed, upward until he cupped the base of my head. "Let me know when you catch up to me. I'm done falling. I'll catch you though. Don't worry."

I lifted up and pressed my lips to his as he thrusted hard and drove into me. The sound of our collective groans was trapped in between our slow, deep kiss.

He took his time with me, sliding his thick body against mine, kissing me in ways that left me panting for air, driving into me until I was ready to buckle with pleasure.

"God, you feel good." He licked up the side of my neck. "You're close. I can feel your pussy swelling."

"Fuck," I cried out and jerked underneath him as my orgasm hit. Hearing him talk dirty, if even a little, was more than enough.

"Ride it, Tasha." He sucked my ear into his mouth and rolled his hips, never picking up his speed and still pulling me into the deepest pool of pleasure I'd ever experienced.

I inhaled loudly as I gripped him against me. The franticness inside of me was a complete opposite to the smooth, calm expression on his handsome face.

"So good," I whispered and closed my eyes as he continued to rock himself in and out of me. "Don't stop."

"Never, baby." He ran his nose along my jawline and licked at my mouth. "I am gonna have to get a condom soon though. You're everything I want in my life. It's hard as fuck to hold back from release with you beneath me."

"Get one." I cupped the side of his neck as he leaned down and kissed me thoroughly, his lower half never changing speed. I was edging toward orgasm again, but I figured he would go with me if I wasn't careful. "Get it now. I'm close again."

"Good." He nipped at my mouth and moved back, turning, and walked toward his nightstand.

I smiled at the sight of his ass tensing up as he rolled it on and turned to walk back toward me.

"Come here." I reached for him and wrapped my thighs back around him. "Let me finish it."

"Hell yeah." He rolled us over and gritted his teeth as I slid back down his cock, pressing myself up to take him in fully. "Oh shit. This isn't going to last nearly long enough."

"Hush." I smiled as he lifted his eyebrow at me and reached up to run his hands down my shoulders and around my hips. His tight grip on my ass already had me tingling inside. "It's not going to last long is it?"

"Nope." He sat up and wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me down for a long kiss as I gripped his shoulders and used my hold on him to lift off his body and impale myself back down over and over. "Faster. Fuck me fast."

I smiled and pressed my teeth against the front of his shoulder as I leaned into him and bobbed my ass in the air.

He groaned loudly as his fingers tightened on my flesh. The sexy sound of him losing himself threw me over the edge with him. I made sure to hold him tightly and moan my pleasure against his ear.

Chapter 27

Micah

"Tell me again how you talked me into this?" I slipped my hand into hers as we walked up toward her mother's front door.

"Sex." She winked at me and moved up to ring the doorbell.

"Sex we had last night, or the sex we're going to have tonight?"

"Both?" She glanced over her shoulder and stole another piece of my heart.

"I'm down. Anything you want." I moved up as her mother opened the door and stepped back. I tried hard not to stare at Professor McCraven, but it was hard as hell. It wasn't difficult to tell she was a beautiful woman, but her appearance made it tough to tell her age. She looked more like Tasha's grandmother than her mother.

"You guys are early." She moved toward the center of the house with that being her only greeting.

"Better early than late," Tasha called after her and moved toward the kitchen.

I took a deep breath and followed them, hoping like hell her father would be easier to talk to. I stopped at the edge of the kitchen as Tasha walked toward a mountain of a man and slipped into his arms. My mouth had to be hanging to my knees.

"Seriously?" I mumbled as they turned to face me. "Tasha. This is Jerald Kelly. Like
the
Jerald Kelly."

He chuckled and extended his hand. "Right now, I'm just her dad. Remember that."

I shook his hand and smiled. "Of course. Wow. I had no clue your dad was a legend."

"Don't give him a bigger head than he already has, please." Natasha's mother walked by and tugged at what had to be a wig.

"You're Micah Sanders. I'm not surprised Tasha is dating you. You're whooping ass at Providence. I caught a little bit of the highlights from your game last night. Great job." He tilted his head to the side and studied me. "How's the wrist?"

"You guys know each other?" Tasha glanced between the two of us.

"I'm a basketball coach for a Pro team, sweetie. I
know
everyone, seeing that I'm always looking for new players for the Celts." He turned and walked back toward the kitchen as Tasha wrapped her arms around my waist.

"You're drooling." She wiped my chin and laughed as I wiped it too.

"Am I really?"

"No, silly." She kissed me quickly and turned to walk back into the kitchen. I sat down at the barstool closest to me and tried not to stare too much. I'd been watching Jerald Kelly since I was a kid. His trophies were all over Providence from his college days, and his Pro career had been one of the longest in basketball history. Seeing him as a coach for the Celts was the ultimate, but having him as Tasha's dad?

I was fucking mind-blown. I pulled out my phone and texted Jacob, needing to unload that shit on someone. He texted me back that he already knew and I was an idiot for not knowing.

"So, Micah. What are your plans in a couple of years? You going to try for the NBA or you have some great degree you're hoping to use?" He walked over and set a beer down in front of me. "You drink?"

"Yeah, I do." I picked it up and hit my bottle against his before taking a quick sip. "I'm honestly not sure what the future looks like. I've always wanted to be in the NBA, but my Economics degree is something I enjoy the heck out of as well." I glanced over toward Tasha, who was watching me closely. "Part of it all hangs on what Tasha's gonna do too."

Her father glanced over his shoulder and back at me as a smile lifted his lips. "Good answer. I know a few guys in the NBA if that's the route you're hoping to go."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks a lot, sir."

"Just doing my part." He walked back into the kitchen with Tasha hot on his heels. I just sat there, staring after him, wondering what the hell else I didn't know about my new girlfriend. She was a bundle of surprises, and damn if I didn't love unwrapping each of them.

*

"What did you and your mom talk about after lunch?" I reached over and took Natasha's hand while we drove back toward campus.

"She just updated me on her treatments and how things were going." She shrugged and glanced down at our hands. "She apologized for all the shitty things she said to me when she was going through her hard time, and I nodded. I'm not sure I'm good with just accepting an apology because my dad seems to be back in her life. It's like she's not in need of a punching bag because things are going well. It's stupid."

"Well, just take things one day at a time. That seems like the best way to handle your relationship with her." I tugged at her hand. "Come closer."

She smiled and scooted beside me as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

"Did you mean what you said about the future? About figuring out what I'm going to do first before you make any plans?"

"Yep. I can see a lot of different possibilities, but all of them wouldn't make much sense without someone beside me that I could share all of it with." I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before turning my eyes back onto the road.

"I like that." She laid her head against my shoulder and snuggled up to my side.

"Good. Where to now? You wanna come back out to the house with me or what?"

"I'm actually in the mood for a nap. Drop me off at my dorm and I'll meet up with you later. Would that be all right?" She turned and leaned in, kissing the side of my face several times.

"Yep. I need to talk with Jacob anyway. We're going to come up with some new rules now that Darren's out of the house."

"Was he the one doing everything?"

"Yeah. I didn't tell you that?" I glanced over at her quickly.

"No. I guess with everything else going on you forgot."

"I guess." I released her and pulled up to the dorm. "Don't think I'm not going to come looking for you later."

"I'd be pissed if you didn't." She reached over and pulled me down for a long, hot kiss as we sat in the parking lot by her dorm building. "You sure you don't wanna come in for a nap."

"Define nap." I wagged my eyebrows at her and kissed her again. "Get outta here before I change my whole day around to suit you, woman."

"You were talking about changing your whole life." She moved toward the door and opened it before glancing back at me. "Thanks for coming with me today."

"Anything for you." I licked my lips and sat back as my heart skipped a beat in my chest.

She got out of the truck and blew me a kiss as she walked away. I watched her go until my phone buzzing pulled me from the moment.

Unknown number.

"This is Micah." I put the phone on speaker and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Hey, buddy. It's Coach Gamble."

My breath caught in my chest as anger burned through me. The basketball program was doing fine, but all of the players were hurting thanks to this bastard letting greed steal his attention.

"I have nothing to say to you," I barked out and reached for the button to drop the call. Wanting to hear his side of the story had been the original plan, but after several weeks of mulling it over, I didn’t give a shit what he had to say. Nothing could make up for him turning his back on us.

"Micah. Wait. Please."

I let out a slow exhale and turned onto the empty street that led through campus. "Make it quick. I'm honestly at a loss for words for what they're saying you've done. It's like none of us meant shit to you. All those fucking pep-talks where you acted like we mattered and-"

"My little girl has leukemia. I don't have the money to pay for the treatments and somewhere in the midst of all this bullshit, my wife forgot to fill out the paperwork for our insurance. We can't get it until next year and I didn't have a choice."

"There's always a choice," I whispered, not quite sure I believed my own lie.

"Maybe, but I made my choice, which was stupid and I'm suffering for it now. I won't keep you, but could you just explain it to the guys? They're not going to let me back on campus to talk to you guys."

"I'll think about it."

"Thanks, buddy." He dropped the call and I drove back to the house in silence. Was he telling the truth? Lying to cover up what he'd done? I didn't know, but something urged me to find out.

I got out of the truck and walked up the stairs to the house, ignoring the guys playing darts in the front yard and heading to the kitchen to find Jacob. He turned from the stove and lifted his eyebrow at me.

"What up? You look like shit."

"Right. Can you get someone else to cook that and come out back with me?" I moved to the fridge and pulled out a six-pack as he yelled for one of the other guys to take his place.

I walked out back and dropped down into a lawn chair before pulling out a beer and popping the top on it. He sat down next to me and grabbed the rest of the six-pack, taking a beer out and drinking half of it before turning to face me.

"Spill. What's going on?"

"How's Lucas?"

"Not good. Concussion. He was released from the hospital this morning, but he's going to be out for the next five to six games."

"And Aubrey?" I took another long drink and turned my face toward him.

"She left for Washington this morning. She's a hot mess, but you know how those two are together. I'm sure it will be fine, but here's to hoping." He lifted his beer toward me and I hit mine against it.

"So Coach Gamble was the one they're investigating for stealing all that money from the school. Did you know that shit? I signed something that could probably get me sued for talking about it, so keep it to yourself."

He nodded. "I heard about it. I can't imagine Gamble doing that, but stranger things have happened."

"He just called and said it was because his kid has cancer and his wife didn't re-up their insurance."

"Damn, that sucks." He ran his fingers down his face and closed his eyes. "I'm so glad we have a few years left before we gotta deal with shit like that."

"You have one year." I popped him in the chest, feeling better just getting some of my shit out. Maybe Tasha forcing me to spill about Lyndsay was a good thing. "You think it's true about his kid?"

"No clue." He opened his eyes and looked my way. "You don't?"

"I don't know." I took a long drink of my beer. "I'm still pissed over him leaving us for that shit."

"You're an idiot. I'd leave you too if my little girl was dying. There isn't much I wouldn't do for my family, you know?" He sat up and finished his beer before pitching the empty bottle into the yard. "What does it matter anyway?"

"Because if he is in need, then we should help him, but if he's lying, fuck him." I shrugged. "Right?"

"Yeah. Set up something with him and go find out the truth. You know you're going to anyway. The guy is one of your heroes."

"True." I finished my beer and reached for another one. "You think Aubrey is going to give up her dance scholarship and leave for Washington in December?"

"I would imagine so. She loves Lucas in a way that doesn't make sense. I hope Emily ends up worshiping me like that." He chuckled and stood up. "Kinda like Tasha does you."

"Yeah right. She wouldn't change her whole world for me."

"She already has, brother. She's come out of her shell and started to live again. That's not enough?"

"I guess you're right." I pulled out my phone and pulled up her number as he walked into the crowd of guys that would be under my watch in a year or so. I texted her in hopes that she was awake, but if she wasn't, I prayed that I wasn't the one to jack up her nap.

Me: I can't stop thinking about you.

Tasha: I'm sleeping.

I laughed out loud and ignored the looks I got. I'd blame it on love if they asked.

Me: No, you're not. I'm headed over there.

Tasha: Good, but just know that I'm still falling.

A smile lifted my lips.

Me: Good. Just know that I've already fallen. You gotta catch up, baby.

Tasha: I'm working on it. Come over and I'll take a break on that and work on you instead.

I got up and left the beer sitting in the grass. She didn't have to ask me twice. I was all hers and the proof was in the pudding.

Good guys did win the girl.

At least this one did.