Unbearable (the TORQUED trilogy Book 2) (23 page)

Tyler leans forward, his hands on my ass, body slumping against mine as he thrusts his hips into my movements. Moaning, one hand moves from my ass to fist my hair in his hand, and I grab onto his hips, driving him into my mouth as hard as he wants to go. He comes again, just as strong as the first one, hunched over and clinging to me. My mouth fills with the warmth of him a second later, his dick pulsing inside of me. “Fuck… Raven.” His words fall away just as quickly as they’re spoken. Quickly I peek up at him and his head is thrown back, his muscles flexing and contracting with each heavy breath.

Sadly, there’s a twinge of pain in my chest that this might be all I give Tyler. A release. He doesn’t give me the forever I so desperately want, but I give what I can and what he needs.

What does he give me?

“I DON’T KNOW about this,” Tyler says as we’re walking out of my dorm room, swarms of Oregon Duck fans doing the same. He doesn’t like crowds. Never has.

“It’ll be fun.” I loop my arm in his, walking with him to my car.

Tyler laughs before ducking his head a bit to get in my car. “Oh yeah, sure.” His blue eyes flash with humor. “I can’t believe you convinced me to go to a college football game.”

Something swells between us, warm and unfamiliar. The very thought of knowing he’s going to the game for me makes me emotional.

Tyler clears his throat, noticing the change. “So do I get to take you back to my place after this?”

“You want to?” I raise an eyebrow in surprise.

“I’m pretty sure you know I do,” he says, kissing me briefly again.

I don’t know what to say so I go with, “Let’s just get through the game.”

I can’t wait for after the game now!

TYLER AND I make it to the game and by the second quarter I’m convinced I need to take him to every game with me from now on. Between his constant dirty words whispered in my ear to the heckling he gives the refs on the sidelines, it’s extremely entertaining.

I also don’t miss the way every girl in the student section, bundled up in their Ducks hoodies, stare openly at Tyler and his arm around me.

Be jealous girls. Be extremely fucking jealous because he’s mine. Kinda. Sorta. Maybe not really but still, he’s here with me.

Tyler gets up to go to the bathroom and I move to stand near the rail. The games getting good, the score tied up at this point and Oregon has the ball on the twenty-yard line.

When Tyler returns, he’s smiling and holds up a piece of paper. “That chick gave me her number.” He gives a nod to one of the girls in the student section who had been watching him. She’s blonde and reminds me of the girl Holden had been with.

“Really?” Who the hell has the balls to give a guy a number when he’s clearly with someone?

He nods. “Yeah. When I walked by she stuck it in my pocket.”

That’s bold. Taking the paper out of his hand, I wad it up and then throw it at the girl hitting her in the back of the head. It’s paper. It’s not like it makes an impact but she must notice it hit her hair and turns around to glare.

I wave and then grab Tyler by the front of his shirt and draw his lips to mine. I give this kiss intention, meaning, and Tyler does too. I know he does when his arms wrap around my waist and he draws me into his warmth. There’s hundreds of people all around us in that moment but I only know what he’s giving me. The thrill that shoots through me when his tongue meets mine causes my knees to weaken as I sink into the taste of him.

I know then I’ll never tire of kissing Tyler. He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met so naturally kissing him would be an entirely different experience, right? He has this way about his kisses that shake you, take away every other thought you have except for his lips and tongue on yours. I feel it in my spine, between my legs and I know he feels it too when he makes almost a growling sound in his throat and deepens the kiss despite the world around us.

Cheering around us, a touchdown scored, brings me back and I pull away from him. Tyler’s body shifts as he makes a sound I know means he’s smiling.

My cheeks heat. I’m almost embarrassed I just did that. “What?”

His long fingers trace idle patterns along my back, his eyes on mine. “I’m not complaining, but what was that about?”

“I have no idea. I guess I have a jealous side when it comes to average looking blondes.”

Tyler utters a short laugh. Slowly, his hand eases from my back along the dip in my side and he squeezes, once. “Well, you won’t hear me complaining.”

I guess not.

What the hell is wrong with me?

TYLER AND I are intently watching the game, the final five minutes of the third quarter approaching when I notice Holden walking toward us. Last year I remember cheering for him from this very spot. Now I just want to hurl his body over the rail. “Wow, did hell freeze over? What brought you to a game?” he asks, smiling at me as if I should be happy to see him.

“Thought I’d get in the team spirit,” I tell him, huddling into my coat. It’s fucking cold today and I wish like hell Tyler would wrap his arm around me again, but he doesn’t. We’re standing near the rail, the team just below us along with about a hundred other college students chanting “Go Ducks!” at the tops of their lungs.

It’s hard to hear much else but I do hear when Holden talks to Tyler.

“You don’t have anything better to do today?” Holden asks him. I can already tell he’s had way too much to drink. Holden isn’t exactly the best drunk, but neither is Tyler, who’s holding a beer in his hand too.

Tyler’s brow lifts a little and it seems he’s struggling not to punch Holden. He then moves his eyes back to the game, leaning into the rail, closes his eyes, giving his head a sharp shake. “Yeah, well, someone’s gotta watch out for Raven since you can’t,” he says to Holden; the lines around his mouth are tight. His eyes shift to mine and stay there.

Crap
.

Holden becomes defensive, scowling at me, and then Tyler. “Who the fuck do you think you are accusing me of not looking out for her?” he asks, stepping toward Tyler with a new confidence. I’m in between them, and then suddenly I’m not. I’m pushed aside by the two of them, maybe intentionally.

Tyler laughs softly setting his beer down on the ground. Standing, he runs his hand through his hair, and I know where this is heading. His jaw twitches, and he doesn’t back down to Holden. I’ve never seen him back down to anyone, not even Red. “If you were looking out for her, why did I get a call to pick her up at one in the morning because you fucking got her drunk and left her?” There’s an arrogant edge to his voice, relatively civil despite the murderous expression he’s holding onto.

Oh God, I know where this is going. Shit.

Holden lets out a disbelieving laugh, looking at me with his next comment. “Dude, I get it. It’s cool. I know what it’s like to have her moan your name while your dick’s in her mouth.”

How is that possible if your mouth is full of dick?

I give Holden a what the fuck look but then I watch Tyler.

Tyler freezes when the words hit him. His jaw twitches, unstable breaths attempt to calm himself down, but there’s no use. Not now. His stare sweeps to Holden.

Tyler lunges for him at the comment and it becomes a frenzy of fists and elbows and I’m not even sure who’s hitting who at one point.

“Tyler!” I shout, pushing him back away from Holden though I know it’s stupid to wedge myself between two men throwing punches. “Knock it off. Stop!” I scream at the two of them when a security guard gets in between them.

Tyler and my stares meet for a split second, a fiery angry look I’ve never seen before flashing in his. Stepping around me, his glare returns to Holden. “Don’t you ever fucking talk about her like that again!” And then he’s right back in Holden’s face.

Holden shoves back, hard. “Fuck you! She was my girlfriend for four fucking years!”

People begin to stare, their eyes wide in disbelief when Tyler hits Holden again, this time landing a right hook on his jaw that makes me cringe with the sound it makes.

Given we’re in the middle of the stadium, they’re pushed apart by security guards and we’re told to leave, along with Holden, but pushed different directions.

Wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand, Tyler’s eyes meet mine but there’s no emotion, at least none I can make out.

I still haven’t caught my breath once we’re in the parking lot and Tyler’s stalking through, no mind to anyone around him. He’s bumping into people, his intent on getting away from the stadium, maybe even me.

He doesn’t speak to me the entire way back to my dorm.

When we’re in the car just outside my dorm, he finally talks to me and I kinda wish he wouldn’t have.

He’s looking at me with a hardened face and vacant eyes. “I didn’t want this. This is exactly the fucking drama I didn’t want. I got enough shit in my life.”

My pulse races, pounding in my ears with each word. “I didn’t know Holden was going to be there.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he says immediately. “I’ve got no place in my life for this shit. I’m twenty-six. I don’t need this.”

I’m never more aware of my age than I am right now. My eyes squeeze shut and I know he sees the pain those words give me before I deny him the sight. “Why are you always reminding me of your age? I don’t want this shit either but welcome to my life.” I flip my hand up and then flop it down on the steering wheel. Still sitting in the parking lot, there’s drops of water hitting the windshield now. “I’m so sorry being in my life is so unbearable for you.”

He swallows heavily, his eyes full of hurt. “Have you been with him? Since we started… have you been with Holden?”

I’m surprised he’s asked and I’m not sure how to answer it. Moments pass, and he presses again. “
Have
you?”

“I can’t believe you’d even ask me that. I told you earlier this morning I haven’t been with anyone.”

His eyes pierce through the car, steady on mine. The heavy thudding in my ears drowns out the rain hitting the top of my car, each pop more distinct than the last and fogging up my windows. “Just answer the question. Are you fucking him?”

“I’m
not
and I just… I can’t believe you’d ask that,
Tyler
.”

“Kinda like
you
doubting me with Berkley?”

My mind scrambles to provide some sort of justification to the words, but it won’t do anything. It won’t mean anything. He’s made it pretty clear to me.