Stadium of Lights: A Second Chance Sports Romance (29 page)

I
walked
out of the Arts and Sciences building feeling pretty proud of myself. I knew I had aced my last final. It wasn’t even a challenge. Straight A’s. I didn’t think I had it in me until Claire showed me.

The thought of her made something ache inside me. It had been so long since I saw her face, heard her voice. Her presence in my life was something I came to depend upon before I knew what was happening.

It had been over two weeks since I talked to Coach about her, and she was still just as strong of a presence in my heart as she ever was. His words haunted me, too. It wasn’t all about football. It was about building a life outside of football. Something for me, for once. I had never been able to have something just for me.

I didn’t blame my mom, not entirely. She was the kind of person who was afraid of a lot of things. Like always being poor. And working. The two didn’t go well together. I was her meal ticket. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t hate her for it.

I was an adult, in my senior year of college at the UM. I couldn’t blame my mom anymore and like Claire once told me, I needed to “man up.” I also needed a good woman at my side.

I needed Claire.

As I walked to the dorm, I knew I would be completely devastated if she had already left for winter break. Sure, I had her phone number, but what I had to say to her couldn’t be said over the phone. There was no guarantee she’d pick up, either. I had to do it in person.

If I had it in me to study my ass off and prove myself, then I could knock on her door. I held my breath and did just that. I then stepped back and waited.

I heard footsteps and a pause. Somebody looking out of the peephole. Was it Claire, or her roommate Jess?

The door opened, and as soon as I saw her brown hair, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hi.” Her voice was flat, toneless.

“Hi,” I replied.

We stood there, looking at each other.

“How are you?” I asked.

“Fine. Getting packed. You?”

“Good. Just finished my last final.”

“Great.” She leaned against the door, not about to make it easy for me. Why would she start then? She never had before. “So—why are you here?”

“Well, I’m glad I had caught you before you left.”

“Okay.”

“Can I come in, please? Just for a minute.”

“For what?”

“I want to say a few things. If you want me to go when I’m finished, I understand.”

She rolled her green eyes. “Whatever, Jake. Just for a minute. I’m kind of busy.” She opened the door fully so I could step inside.

One-half of the room was bare except for the posters on the wall. “Oh, Jess left already?”

“Yes, she finished her finals yesterday and left this morning.” Claire sat on her bed.

“Oh, that’s cool,” I replied, looking around the room.

“Well? What is it you have to say?”

“I have to apologize again,” I started.

“You really don’t have to. I’m over it.”

“I do. Because I wasn’t the man you needed me to be.”

She scrunched her face. “What are you talking about?”

“You needed me to defend you and protect you. I didn’t. I failed you. I don’t blame you for pushing me away because I failed. I’m sorry for that. You don’t know how sorry I am, Claire.”

She took a deep, hitching breath. “I guess.”

“I know you hate me right now, and I understand. I wish you would give me the chance to be the man you need me to be, though. I know I can. I know he’s in there. It just took him a minute to find his way out. But he’s there.”

She sighed. “I know he is. Zack found me. He backed up your story, about how you told him off after I left and how you guys almost got in a fight.”

“Wait. He did?”

“Yeah, at the local coffee shop.”

“Fuck, I told him not to do that. Where did he do it?”

“Does it matter?” She smiled softly. “I mean, really? He did it. That’s what important.”

“I didn’t want you to think I was trying to trick you. Zack came to me weeks ago, telling me he would do it. I told him not to.”

“Well, he did anyway. And—you can thank him for that.”

My eyes widened. I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Thank him?”

“Yes.” Her smile became bigger. “I didn’t think you’d want me anymore, after the things I said. I figured, oh, well. He has a million girls banging down his door and clawing their way to snag a football player. So, what does he want with me? Even after Zack found me, I didn’t go to you. I didn’t want to be played a fool again.”

“I would never think that about you,” I insisted.

“I would, though. And we’re our own worst critics, aren’t we?”

I could agree with that.

“You know, I love you.” The words came out before I could stop them, but once I heard them, they made perfect sense. They were what I needed to say because they were the truth.

Her eyes went wide. “What?”

“I love you, Claire.”

“You do? I mean—” she asked in shock.

“Yes. I do.” I went to her, touching her hair, her face. I had missed her so much. My hands almost ached to feel more of her.

“Wow. I didn’t see that coming.”

“I’m speaking from the heart. Fuck football or what anybody thinks. I want you, Claire. I love
you
.”

“I—I love you too, Jake.” Tears started rolling down her cheeks. “I’ve just been too afraid—”

“Too afraid to say how you really feel?”

“Yes,” she sobbed.

“Well, me too. But I’m no longer afraid, and I’m here to let you know that I’m in love with you.”

“I don’t even know what to—”

She couldn’t say anything else because I kissed her. I thought I might explode with happiness. There I was, thinking it would never happen. We would never be together again. I was so sure. Ready to give up hope.

Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer to her. She was as desperate to be with me as I was to be with her. It had been too long. I held her close, tightening my grip around her waist. She sighed. I had even missed the sound of her sigh.

I pulled away just far enough to strip down. She did the same, pulling clothes off, tossing them onto the floor. I watched her as each piece came off. Her body was just like I remembered it—the full tits, swaying a little as she moved, the round hips just perfect for me to grip when I took her. The firm, ripe ass and strong legs. I wanted them around my waist.

We fell onto her bed, but I realized I didn’t have a condom. “Shit. I’m not prepared.”

“Oh, hang on.” Claire got off the bed, fumbling through her bag. “Here.” She tossed me an entire box.

“What in the world!”

She laughed, and I didn’t bother asking why she had them. I only put one on and slid inside her without warning. I needed her that much. She welcomed me, urging me on, moving with me. Our bodies slapped together, then slammed as we both went harder and faster. The need was too much to hold back, and within minutes we shuddered together as we came.

“Wow,” she muttered, pushing messy hair off her forehead. “What the heck was that?”

“That was weeks and weeks without you. I’m usually not that quick you know?” I huffed, falling onto my side. She rolled onto her side, facing me.

“If I had known it would be that good after so long…”

“Don’t even,” I said, my voice flat.

“Just kidding,” she said. “I wouldn’t go through that again if you paid me. It was absolute hell without you.”

“Yeah?” I never thought she would go through it, too.

“I missed you every day, every minute. I figured I was so stupid for pushing you away, but I couldn’t let you back into my life. Not after everything that happened.”

“I’m so sorry about everything. I really am. My teammates all felt like shit afterward. They knew they were wrong.”

“It’s not just that,” she said, her eyes dropping away from mine. “It’s more than that. It has to do with when I was younger. I’m still hurting from it, even now. Not so much now as I was then—but when it all happened, at the frat house, the old memories came back.”

I stroked her hair, her arm. “What old stuff? You can tell me if you want to.”

“I want you to know, so you understand me better.”

Then she told me. I couldn’t believe she hadn’t done it before.

“That piece of shit!” I shouted, clenching my fists. “I swear if I was there I would have—”

“It’s okay, Jake. Shit happens.”

“I can’t believe that happened to you.” I pulled her to me. I wanted to kill all of them, every one of the kids who made her life hell back then. No wonder she flipped out like she did. It was like high school all over again to her. “I am so, so sorry you went through that. What about throwing a high school reunion party so I can kick some ass?”

She laughed. “I would say sure, but I have no desire to see any of those idiots again. But I love the offer. I love you.” She kissed my neck, and I bent my head to kiss her. I wanted to take all her pain away until there was nothing but happiness. It was what she deserved. If I was lucky enough, and she let me, it was what I would give her for the rest of my life.

The kiss went on and on until we both got a little breathless.

“You’re like a drug,” she muttered then gasped when she felt my hand running up her leg.

“So are you,” I said, nibbling her neck. “I can’t get enough of you. I have to make up for the time apart. Sorry.”

“You’re not sorry.”

I slid my hand against her clit. “Are you?”

She couldn’t speak, biting her lip and shaking her head.

“I didn’t think so.” I rolled onto my back. “Come here.”

She got to her knees, and then straddled me. “I don’t know about this,” she whispered, looking scared.

I remembered how inexperienced she still was.

“You’ll like it. Trust me.” I grinned up at her. “Just do what makes you feel good.” I put on another condom, glad she had the whole box.

“What about you?” She bit her lip.

“Unless it involves a cheese grater, it’ll make me feel good, too.”

She laughed, throwing her head back. I missed her laugh. God, I had missed everything about her.

She took my word for it then and raised herself until I was at her opening. I watched her face as she slid down my cock, her mouth opening in pleasure when she slid to the base.

“I knew you would like it,” I murmured. I forced myself to stay still so she could enjoy it the way she wanted to.

“Mmm-yeah.” Her voice was a deep, throaty growl. I twitched and throbbed inside her.

“Do what you want,” I said, holding her hips in my hands, digging my fingers into her. She felt so good on me, around me, under my hands.

She started rocking back and forth, taking it slow, feeling her way around. She closed her eyes, biting her lip. Her forehead creased like she was trying to figure something out. Finding out how she liked it. Taking her pleasure. It was the sexiest thing I had ever seen.

“Mmm…” She sighed, rolling her hips in circles.

I groaned, straining, holding back. I wanted so much to take her, hold her hips still while I fucked into her from behind. I wouldn’t let myself do it. It was her turn.

She found a rhythm she liked, and an angle. She leaned forward, grinding her clit against me as she moved up and down. Her tits swung back and forth, and I couldn’t help but take them in my hands and hold them, massaging them, pinching the nipples. I rolled them between my fingers, listening to her little gasps and moans when I did.

“Jake … yes…” Claire sat up, pushing her hair back then leaned backward with her hands on my knees.

“Oh, fuck,” I gasped, clenching my jaw to keep myself still. I watched her tits bounce, watched my cock disappear inside her as she moved.

“Touch yourself,” I ordered. “Try it for me.” Her clit was right there, begging to be touched.

She balanced on one hand and found her hard clit with the other.

“Oh my God!” she gasped, riding harder.

I held her hips steady as she bounced, while her hand flew over her clit. She tightened around me. I knew she was coming.

“Yes, baby. Come for me. Let me watch you come.”

She moaned desperately, throwing her head back as she clenched tighter and tighter. I held on as hard as I could, wanting to wait until she came.

When she did, it was like floodgates opening. She let out a loud, long cry, her body shaking from head to toe. I was so surprised, that I forgot how close I was to coming.

She sat up, still shaking then fell forward onto me. I held her while she recovered and the muscles inside her pussy stopped pulsing around me. Once that happened, I took her hips in my hands again.

“I needed this,” I whispered, raising and lowering her.

She whimpered in approval, and I went faster. My hips moved upward, driving into her as I slammed her onto me. It didn’t take long before I was grunting, panting, and she urged me on by whispering to me.

“Yes … Jake … fuck me…”

I had never heard her talk like that before, and she gave me that last little push I needed to send me over the edge.

I groaned when it was over, still shaking a little, and when she pushed herself up on her hands to look down at me, I saw she was grinning.

“Where did you learn to talk like that?” I asked.

“I had a good teacher.” She smirked.

We dozed on and off, wrapped in each other’s arms, forgetting that she had been packing before I got there and that I still needed to pack. Nothing else mattered that day.