Never Say Never (Haven Harbor #3)

Chapter 20

TWENTY

brACE YOURSELF, DAISY. THIS IS GOING TO BE ROUGH

D aisy

I’m a mess for Tucker. It feels like the entire town has come out to watch tonight’s Division 2 national championship game. Tucker has his own cheering squad here: Me, Briar, Addy and Jonathan, my parents and Aunt Daisy and Uncle Mark.

I’m thankful that Uncle Mark showed up, even if he seems to be slightly annoyed with almost everything. The line-up to get in was too long, the tailgating too loud and the weather too cold. But he’s here, and that’s what matters. I know it will mean something to Tucker, and the truth is it means something to me too. I hate it when my uncle isn’t supportive of Tucker, but tonight I hope he’ll be proud. God, I hope he will see what everyone else does when they watch Tucker coach.

I’m wearing the jersey Tucker gave me, hoping it will bring some luck. I’m not sure what I’ll say if anyone asks me where I got it, but I’m hoping if I keep my jacket on all night, no one will see the number 20 and his name on the back.

The boys could use some luck right now. At halftime, the Outlaws are down by 14. We’re being outplayed and the Vikings look steady. My attention hasn’t swayed far from Tucker all night. He looks more focused than I have ever seen him. I notice the tight set of his jaw, the tension in his stance.

He also looks ridiculously handsome in his game gear: an Outlaws jacket over a black polo, the sleeves pushed up just enough to reveal a hint of his tattoos, and his team ball cap pulled low on his head. I can’t tear my eyes away from the intoxicating mixture of confidence and intense male energy. His jaw ticks, his blue eyes are laser focused. It’s enough to make my pulse race watching him do what he does best.

Tucker Collins, head coach for the Reed Point University Outlaws and the man I have secretly wanted for half of my life.

By the time the teams return to the field for the third quarter, my heart is in my stomach. I watch him with his head down make his way to the sidelines but as he gets there he stops suddenly and looks up, searching the crowd until his eyes lock on mine for a moment. I resist the urge to wave, but I hope he can see in my eyes how completely I believe in him. Tucker has worked so hard to get here today. I suck in a breath and silently pray for things to go his way tonight.

My prayer seems to be answered, because by some sort of a miracle, a quick pick six gets us back in the game and after a field goal conversion we’ve narrowed the Vikings’ lead to 7.

The Outlaws have come to life in the second part of this game, and the crowd senses it. I can barely hear myself think through the thunderous cheering and stomping of feet when within minutes left in the game, the Outlaws back up the Vikings to their own two-yard line. Our star defensive end blows by the left tackle and sacks their quarterback, Ubels, in the Vikings end zone.

Safety! The stadium goes wild. The Vikings look stunned.

The Outlaws get the ball back, and we’re down five with a little over one minute to go.

“We can’t lose.” I reach for Addy’s hand holding it in mine.

“It’s not over yet,” she says, her eyes glued to the field. “We still have time.”

When my eyes flicker up to the scoreboard, my heart slams against my chest. We are losing. Tuck is losing. I’m not sure how I’m going to survive these next few minutes.

My gaze drifts to Tucker, who pulls his headset down around the back of his neck as Jesse whispers something in his ear before Austin Davies takes his position, hands ready to receive the ball. Our center snaps the football into Davies’ hands, and he takes three steps back, searching the field for a receiver.

Davies launches the ball up high and it spirals perfectly until it lands safely into the hands of number 68.

The crowd erupts. There isn’t anyone in their seat.

Dallas, the Outlaws’ star wide receiver, bolts down the field, his arm hugging the ball close to his side as he weaves through players looking to take him down. He keeps going, every step taking him closer to the end zone, until he’s finally brutally tackled to the turf.

My gaze rips to the scoreboard. It’s first and ten, the ball is at the 19-yard line.

I watch Tucker huddle with Jesse. Then he calls a timeout with only six seconds left to go, the Outlaws still down by five.

Addy holds my hand a little tighter. I look down our row and see the anxiety I feel reflected in everyone’s faces. My mom rubs her palms together like she can barely stand it. Even Uncle Mark is on his feet, hands on his hips, completely dialed in.

“They’ve got this. I know they do,” Briar says, her hands on either side of her face.

I hope she’s right. I can barely breathe, silently saying a prayer for Tucker. I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted anything more in my life.

“This is too much,” I say quietly, my hands covering my face. “Shit. Come on. You’ve got this. Let’s go.”

As soon as the timeout runs out, all eyes are on Davies who is lined up in the shotgun but my eyes are glued to Tucker. My heart rate spikes. The man stands on the sideline, a look of steely confidence on his face. He’s here to win whatever the cost.

The Outlaws aren’t giving up. The ball is snapped into Davies’ hands. The crowd erupts. Time ticks down, second by second, and then his right arm rips back looking for a pocket. When he sees a window, he fires the rock with precision, sending it high toward the end zone where number 48 catches it before being tackled to the ground. And as hard as he was taken down, he gets right back up with the ball in his hands.

Touchdown.

I scream, jumping up and down with Addy and Briar, who wrap their arms around me in a bruising hug. My parents and Tucker’s family are jumping up and down as confetti rains down over us. Even Uncle Mark is cheering now, the look of pride on his face unmistakable.

Tucker throws his fist in the air in victory before being bear hugged by Jesse, then they’re both swarmed by coaching staff and players. The entire stadium goes haywire as fireworks go off in the sky, streamers shooting from canons onto the field.

The Outlaws win.

Tucker did it.

He won the Division 2 national championship game.

I watch on with a smile as a giant container of Gatorade is lifted and poured over Tucker’s head. He must be cold as hell, but he doesn’t show it. He just smiles and laughs, taking it like the champion he is.

Through the celebrating, Tucker’s eyes scan the crowd until they find mine, and the smile on his face says it all. He lifts his chin just a notch, dragging his hand through his wet hair before putting his hat on backwards, and my breath catches in my throat. Every cell in my body vibrates and there are tears in my eyes as I mouth the words, you did it.

I did it , he mouths back, nodding. And even though it’s now freezing out, warmth blooms through my body. He grins this boyish grin in one more sweeping glance that makes me want to argue that we’re not really in a real relationship, but I remind myself that isn’t the case. But that’s where it gets confusing because even though I’m not sure what the look means, I know it feels good; specifically, the look in his eyes that has my knees turning weak.

And even though our families are right here next to me, we don’t look away from each other. I stand here anyways, breaking one of the very rules I’d insisted on in the very beginning.

I flirt with him anyways.

Tucker

I peel my Gatorade-soaked clothes from my skin and step under the hot spray of water. The moment the water hits my skin, the tension in my muscles from the stress of tonight’s game begins to loosen. The knot that had taken up permanent residence between my shoulder blades over the last week starts to untangle. I sigh, stretching my neck from left to right, replaying the game in my mind. We won the motherfucking national championship! We fucking did it.

It feels amazing, like an out of body experience. We played our hearts out and took the win that we rightfully deserved.

I was so focused on the game, that I forgot my dad was in the stands. When I spotted him on his feet with a smile on his face after we were declared the champs, I was surprised. It still doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to seeing him at dinner tonight. I’m sure he’ll refuse to acknowledge the win, or he’ll find some way to make the night about him like he usually does. The saving grace, though, is that Daisy will be there and maybe, if I’m lucky, I can celebrate the win with her after dinner… in my bed.

I take another five minutes to wash the sticky blue drink out of my hair and off my skin, enjoying the quiet of the locker room around me. The guys and the rest of the coaching staff have left, off to celebrate the big win with their friends and families.

Only when the water begins to run cool do I turn the water off and I reach for my towel. I step out of the shower stall, towelling off my hair, when I stop in my tracks. Daisy. I wipe my eyes with the towel, wondering if I’m seeing things, but when she comes back into focus, I know I’m not dreaming.

“Congratulations.”

A smile spreads across her face, and like it’s contagious, my lips tip up too. She’s taken off her coat, so I get to see her in the jersey I bought her—the one with my name and birthdate on it. Fuck , why is that so hot? There is a green and gold ribbon in her hair, and I can think of ten different ways I could tie her up with that thing if she’d only let me. Something inside me tells me she would. It instantly turns me on seeing her in Outlaw gear, and my dick twitches behind the towel that is carelessly draped down the center of me.

God, she is so fucking sexy.

I stalk closer to her, bringing the towel behind my hips giving her a full view of my body before wrapping the towel around my waist. Even though she remains rooted in place, her eyes have catalogued my every movement. I can tell by the heat in them and the way she rolls her lips together that she likes what she sees.

“Is there anyone waiting on us in the hallway?”

She slowly shakes her head. “No. They all left.”

“Good.”

The way her eyes hold mine is enough to make me crazy. It sends a rush of heat barreling down my spine. I haven’t stopped thinking about when and where I could taste her again. When I’m a foot away from her, she takes two steps backwards until her back presses up against a locker.

Two heartbeats later and I’m caging her in against the metal, her face tipped up as she watches me. She’s waiting for me to make the first move. Happy to.

I lean in closer until I can feel her breath drift over my lips. I watch as her tongue darts out to moisten her lips, then I suck her bottom lip into my mouth. Her eyes close on a moan like the kiss means something to her.

“What if someone walks in?”

“They won’t,” I assure her.

“And if they do?”

“Daisy, I said goodbye to every player and every member of my coaching staff. No one is walking in here.”

When the tension is so thick I can’t stand it anymore, I slant my head and swipe my tongue over her lips. Daisy goes up on her toes, winds her arms around my neck and fuses her lips to mine. I deepen the kiss further, ready to take every scrap of clothing from this woman’s body and carry her to the first bench I can find.

Pushing my body flush against hers, I know she can feel every thick, hard inch of me pressed against her abdomen. That thought is confirmed when she gasps.

“Dais,” I breathe into her hair, hitching her leg up over my hip as I roll my hips into her core. Every cell in my body sparks to life as I nestle my now full-blown erection between the V of her thighs. “Need you.”

My hand slips down between her legs, putting pressure on her clit where she needs it most. Her head lolls to the side, mouth parted, eyes closed with breaths coming in short, even pants.

“Did you like watching me on the field, Dais?”

She reaches for the towel around my waist. It drops to the floor. “I wasn’t watching you. Don’t flatter yourself. This is just sex, remember?” Another gasp escapes her lungs when I grind my cock between her legs.

I don’t know why her defiant attitude turns me on so much, but it does. Unable to wait a second longer, my hands frantically undo the button on her jeans, then the zipper, before I tear her pants down her legs, taking her lace thong with them.

My cock is so hard that it’s aching, the tip swollen a purplish red hue. I suck in a breath, kissing her hard as my hand dips down to the apex of her thighs groaning when I dip a finger inside her, feeling how wet she is.

“You are soaked. Were you this wet when you were watching me tonight?”

“Shut up, Tuck, and fuck me before someone sees us. That is what you want, isn’t it?”

I chuckle at my little rebel, grinning against her neck, pushing inside her even deeper this time with two fingers. She whimpers in response, so I keep going, in and out, fucking her with my fingers.

She rides my hand, her body responding with the most perfect sounds.

“Goddamn, you look so pretty when you’re needy and desperate for it.” I keep her back pinned to the locker. “I know what will feel even better. I’ll give you my tongue before I give you my cock,” I say, dropping to my knees, my one hand shuttling my length, the other hoisting her leg up over my shoulder. Then I eat her like I’m a starved man, until she’s shaking, unable to stand. When I apply pressure to the bundle of nerves where she needs me, she cries out my name, looking for the relief that I know she needs. I feel her core spasm around my tongue, and I feel a shock of electricity shoot straight to my dick.

“That’s my fucking rebel,” I praise her. “Such a good girl for my cock.”

Then I’m sucking my fingers into my mouth, sucking herself off me. I lick them clean before immediately standing, hauling her sated body up into my arms. She wraps her legs around my waist, locking her heels behind my back, as I pin her against the cold, hard metal of the locker. “Brace yourself, Dais. This is going to be rough.”

Her hands grip my neck, her eyes pinned to mine, as I grab her ass in two handfuls, flexing my hips and sinking home. I fill her to the hilt. I’m balls deep. I rock my hips in and out in a punishing rhythm.

“Do you know how good you feel, Daisy?” I ask, wishing I had removed her T-shirt so I could suck on her perfect tits. “God, Dais, I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

Daisy lets out a moan, gripping my neck, as I fuck her hard and relentlessly. And when she falls apart in my arms, finding her second release, her entire body shudders, tightening around my cock.

I keep rocking my hips into her, until my balls tighten with the need to release. My cock pulses inside her warmth as I bury myself as deep as I can, her name falling from my lips. “You’re such a good girl for me. The best.”

Sparks burst behind my eyelids. I’m a live wire splintering apart. I ride out the most intense orgasm of my life, pouring myself into her, never wanting it to end. I continue to slowly pump into her heat until my cock is too sensitive, and I’m forced to pull out. When I do, my release leaks down her thigh and the caveman inside my brain wants to push it all back in with my fingers.

But then I remember where we are.

I help clean her up with a towel and then we both get dressed. Every bit of me feeling the urge to pull her into my chest, kiss her mouth, stroke her hair, but I don’t. It doesn’t mean my chest doesn’t ache from wanting to.