Second Down (Moving the Chains Book 2) (35 page)

We drive for awhile in silence, until I find a nice secluded spot. Pulling over onto the shoulder, I kill the engine and headlights.

Evie looks over at me expectantly, a shy smile playing on her lips. “Am I gonna relearn how to drive The Lady tonight?”

“Nope.” I push my seat as far back as it’ll go. “Come ‘ere.”

She only hesitates for a moment, pulling off her heels and abandoning them on the floor before climbing over the stick shift. Unsure of how to sit in my lap with her skirt inching up her thighs, I gently maneuver her until she’s straddling me. The blatant shock on her face is priceless.

Even though my heart is pounding in my chest, I’ve gotta pull off a cool, calm demeanor for her sake. This play is going to work. It has to.

“Hi,” I whisper softly, remembering her advice to just start with hello.

“Hi,” she returns.

I smile up at her. This gorgeous girl that’s all mine. “How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you. More importantly, how are
you
?” She raises a questioning eyebrow, shuffles a bit on my lap.

It’s obvious what she’s trying to do, but hell if I’m not as nervous as can be. My dick is low on the priority scale, right now. I have no idea what to do with my hands, even though her bare thighs are practically magnetic. If I move too fast and spook her, this will be all over before it has a chance to begin. Even though she says she wants more, her actions speak louder than her words. My Evie requires a gentle touch. Whether she admits it or not.

One part of me just wants to hurry up and get this over with. Test my theory. The other, more rational part of my brain knows these things can’t be rushed. It has to be as natural as can possibly be...for us.

“Can I ask you something?”

She tilts her head to the side, studying me for a moment. “Sure.”

“Why did you take so much money out of savings for the auction? It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, it’s just that I know how much you’ll need that in the fall.”

She sighs, closes her eyes briefly, then stares at a point over my shoulder. “I wasn’t just gonna throw you to the horny five year olds, Rob. I’ve got your back.”

I can’t resist the urge to touch her anymore, so I rub my hands up and down her arms. That’s safe enough. “I know you do. And thanks, honestly. Please let me pay you back, though. I had no idea it was gonna be that much.”

“Wow. Your mom was right. You have no idea what’s coming, do you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? And when were you talking to Ma?”

She graces me with a soft smile, then runs her fingers through my hair. “I stopped over one night, but you weren’t there. Your mom and I just hung out for a bit. She’s worried about you. How things are gonna go down next year. How you’re gonna handle it all.”

It takes a few minutes to register her words and form a response. With her gentle movements through my hair, I can’t even keep my eyes open, let alone think. “I know it’s gonna be tough, but I’ll manage.”

“It’s not the ball or the coursework, Rob. It’s everything else. The media hounding you lately, that bidding war last week. Those are just the tip of the iceberg. Your days of privacy and being left alone to do your thing are numbered.”

Relaxing further into her touch, I shrug. “I know. I’ll deal with it. I’m just glad you’re not gonna be there to get caught in the crossfire. I’m gonna miss you like crazy, Evie, but I’ll get through all that crap knowing you’re hundreds of miles away from it.”

Her hand stills in my hair. “I’m, um, not going to NYU in the fall.”

Spell broken. My eyes snap open to search her face. Not meeting my gaze, she’s chewing so furiously on her lower lip that I have to physically pry it from between her teeth with my finger. If anything is supposed to make her lips swollen tonight, it’s me.

“Evie, why? That’s your dream school.”

She glances down at me quickly, then averts her eyes again. “It’s just so expensive. My scholarships didn’t even cover half of the yearly tuition, which is already higher since I’m out of state. I don’t want to be saddled with that much debt just for undergrad. Especially knowing how expensive law school is gonna be, ya know? I’m not even getting offered the best loans since Mom makes just a little too much. Plus, it’s so far away. What if something happens at home, and they need me to come back? I wouldn’t be able to afford to fly and it’s a solid seven hour drive. I can’t have my car in New York, so that means someone has to drive up and get me, then drive all the way back.” She sighs, looking at me with a sad smile. “I made a list of pros and cons, and the cons won by a landslide.”

“Well, Evie, it’s April. You’ve gotta accept somewhere soon, before all the spots fill up. Did you make a list for every school that accepted you?”

Searching my face intently, her eyes move over me as she chews on her lip again. “I already accepted. I know where I’m going.”

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Where am I gonna be visiting every chance I get?”

Evie throws her head back and laughs. Several minutes that feel like an eternity later, she sobers, wiping tears from her eyes. “You’re not going to have any time for visiting, Rob. No matter where I go.”

“Hey, I will always make time for you.” To prove my point, I cup her beautiful face in my hands and bring her down to me for a gentle kiss.

She breaks our locked lips, but doesn’t pull away. “I’m going to State, Rob,” she mumbles against my mouth.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up,” I tug her back by the shoulders until I can see her entire face. “What did you just say?”

She rolls her eyes, trying to play the smartass, but I can plainly see how nervous she is. “I’m going to State.”

My first instinct is freaking ecstasy. No Evie withdrawals. Evie by my side. Evie nearly every day. If I room with Alex, he won’t mind if Evie sleeps with me every night. I don’t realize how long I’ve zoned out in Evieland, until the object of my fantasies clears her throat.

“Rob?” She questions hesitantly. “Are you mad? Cuz it’s not like we’ll see each other all the time. We’ll have different majors, and you’ll be busy with football, and it’s a really big campus…”

I finally have to place a hand over her mouth to stop her rushed tirade. “Why would I be mad?”

She shrugs her shoulders, so I remove my hand for her to explain. “Like I said, things are going to be really different, from now on. Kerri isn’t wrong. You’re already famous. It’s only going to get worse. I don’t want you to feel like you have to make time for me. Or feel torn if there’s other things you want to do, experience. I already feel like I drag you down. I’m not going to do that next year, Rob. I promise.”

All I can do is blink for a few moments. Her insecurity is rearing its ugly head, I know. Still, I can’t follow the words coming out of her mouth. If I can’t erase her doubts, now, how will I keep them away next year? I know it’s going to get worse. I do. Even though I was happy to keep Evie out of the limelight by not being on the same campus, the selfish part of me is fucking pumped that she’ll be along for the ride. I need my girl like I need air. My angel, my lucky charm, my everything.

Her unsure blue eyes gaze down at me. Sometimes it’s like she sees through to my very soul. All I want is to see hers, too. I want her to belong to me the same way I belong to her. Fully, freely, without doubt or reservation. I’m willing to do anything to make that happen.

Cupping her slender jaw in my hand, I trace my thumb along her soft lips. “Evie, I love you. More than words could ever prove. You are the only thing I can’t live without. I’ll never want to experience something without you. Hell, I’ll never want to experience something that isn’t you. And if I have to spend the rest of my life proving that to you, then I will.”

She doesn’t resist as I pull her down to me. Gently, I brush my lips across hers. Just the barest contact. Her eyes flutter closed on an exhale, and I breathe her in. All of her. The uniquely Evie scent of her skin, her almond shampoo, the faint trace of incense from this morning. The smell of her very breath makes my mouth water. I can’t explain it.

Needing more, I swipe my tongue along the seam of her mouth. She opens without hesitation, but she doesn’t take more than she gives. Never content for anything other than equality. Our tongues dance together flawlessly. We’ve been together long enough to know exactly what she wants from me like this. Mastering the art of kissing her hasn’t been without trial and error. Every time she whimpers into my mouth is worth every failed attempt before now.

When she pushes her fingers through my hair, it’s on. Any previous concern about where to put my hands flies out the window as I thread through her long brown curls, holding her face to mine. She finally pulls away to breathe, so I taste her slender neck, thoroughly licking and sucking over every exposed inch of skin. My favorite flavor.

She gasps and arches her back, pushing her perfect tits into my chest. She feels me. If everything goes right, we’re just getting started.

My chest is so tight it’s hard to breathe. My heart pounds a mile a minute. Surely she feels it. I won’t stop tasting her for anything. Starved for too long, she’s my feast. I plan on overindulging. As much as she’ll allow.

She slides her hands from my hair, down the sides of my neck. Smoothing them across my shoulders, she leaves a trail of heat in her wake. When I suck harder, she latches onto me with a fierce grip.

“I love you,” I mumble into her skin. Taking turns licking, sucking, and chanting at the base of her throat, along the edge of her shirt, up the column of her neck, at the oh so smooth skin just below her ear. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

And that’s the sweet spot, because she moans, grinding her hips down onto me.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

She slides her body along mine with more force, reminding me that she’s got the reins. I’m just along for the ride. Here to give her whatever she needs. As long as she’s in control, we’ll be ok. Holding my breath, I wait for my body to respond. Pray for it, really.

I don’t dare move my hands out of her hair. I don’t want to make the same mistakes I have in the past.

"Please, please. I don't want us to be broken, anymore. Just touch me," she pleads.

"Evie, you never have to beg." My voice cracks, and I close my eyes, willing the tears away. I bury my face into her neck, deeply inhaling her essence. I need to be a man, now. For her. “I’ll do anything you want. Tell me and it’s yours.”

“Just touch me,” she pants as she continues to ride me.

Disentangling my fingers from her curls, my hands make a beeline for the skin they’ve been itching to feel since she climbed on me. Starting at her knees and smoothing my way up her thighs, I feel her muscles working as she rocks into me over and over again. I don't want to grip her with too much force, but my fingers dig into the flesh at her hips on autopilot.

So intent on absorbing all of her with every one of my senses, I missed the point when I got rock hard. God, I've missed this feeling. Only she can fix me. Only Evie.

The sensations are overwhelming. My dick is pulsing for her. Jumping and rushing with blood each time she moves against me. The bite of my zipper is no match for the friction and pressure she’s providing. It’s just enough pain to make this real and keep my mind from going off the deep end. With only her panties and my dress pants between us, the fabric grows damp from her wetness. I did that. She’s wet for me. No one else.

I want to crush my mouth to hers, to hold her fiercely against me and whisper against her lips how much I love her, but I'm too far gone. It's been too long, and she's absolving me of any guilt by taking the lead. It feels so fucking good.

"Rob," she whispers, speeding up her movements.

She clutches my neck with her hands in a vice grip. I can feel it. I can feel the instant her muscles grow taut, her entire body ready to snap. Her rhythm changes. She drives herself harder down on me, slowing to a steady pulse. She’s coming on me. For me.

That’s all it takes to push me over the edge.

“Evie,” I breathe. Warn.

My eyes roll into the back of my head as the throbbing starts low in my stomach. It might have been months, but it’s like riding a bike. Impossible to forget the way this feels. The way it’s supposed to feel. Fire burns through my veins, my hands and feet tingle as the pressure builds. Until it blows.

All rational thought, any thought at all, gone. Primal instinct takes over. Clutching Evie tightly against me, I drive up into her once, twice. And explode.

I hold my breath, reveling in the absolute fucking bliss that rolls through me. With each pulse of my release, I thank God for making this woman just for me. It’s never felt like this.

Never felt so good. So perfect.

Coming back down from the high is almost painful. I’m panting, trying to catch my breath and slow my racing pulse. My dick aches. Probably from months of disuse.

Evie’s face is buried into my neck, her breathing ragged. She’s still clutching me like she’s never going to let go. “Rob, did you…?”

I nod my head against her. “Yeah,” I croak. I’m spent.

She sniffles into my neck.

Instantly, I release my death grip on her. Fuck. “Evie, I’m so sorry. God...did I hurt you?”