Stick Your Landing (All In #3)

25. Zach

25

Zach

“This was such a good idea,” Finley says, using her hand to cover a mouthful of fries.

She sits across from me on the couch in my gaming room, fast food on a tray between us. Because we went wild in the drive-thru, there’s enough to feed four people.

I swallow a chicken nugget. “This was your idea.”

She points at me, mouth still covered. “Exactly!”

I like that we’re messy in the same way. Volk had a fit every time he caught me eating anything in his house, especially in my room. Kennedy was a bit more relaxed—something Volk probably hates, but he’d gladly clean up her mess every day for the rest of his life to keep her. I’d learn to clean up my act, my mess, and anything Finley desires to keep her too.

“So you, uh, want to watch a movie?” I ask, flipping on the TV.

She sits up taller, turning toward the screen as I scroll through Netflix. Finley picks up the tray with the remaining food and carries it to my desk. I’m momentarily frozen, watching her move so comfortably around my apartment, wearing black leggings and a thin green tank top that looks incredible with her bright blond hair. She tips her head back while sipping her drink, the long column of her neck on full display.

Finley catches me watching and grins. She comes to me in a flash, dropping one leg to either side of my body, straddling me. “A movie sounds good,” she replies breathlessly.

My cock instantly hardens, and I freeze. Finley suggested fast food and hanging out somewhere relaxing. I brought her to my apartment because the Harris house is full of people we’re hiding our relationship from. I don’t want her to think I set up this entire evening to get in her pants, that sex with her is my end goal.

She sits back on her heels, her weight resting on my thighs. “I’m sorry,” she says, tucking strands of hair behind one ear. “I thought it was code.”

“No… I, um… I didn’t expect—” I sigh, thrusting a hand through my hair. Finley’s arms cross over her chest, and my stomach sinks. Can I—for once—say the right words? “Do you want it to be code?”

Finley abruptly stands, her hands still covering her chest. “I’m an idiot. I assumed—”

“I’m not going to talk in code with you,” I cut in, standing and taking her hands in mine. “It’s not me.”

Her gaze bounces to our entwined hands, then back to my face. “I like that about you, Zach.” The tip of her tongue darts out to wet her lips, a brief flash of pink. She lets out a deep sigh. “I’m so out of my depth here. I’ve never had a… normal relationship.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing either,” I admit. “I’m not what people expect from professional athletes. I’m kind of an idiot, sometimes in a way people laugh at, but a lot of the time, they sigh in disappointment. I don’t have experience , because I’ve spent my entire life chasing a dream. And I almost always say the wrong thing.”

Finley’s hands land on my shoulders and push me gently back on the couch. “I like what you say.”

She drops back into my lap. I inhale sharply at the contact.

“Yeah? Then I hope you like this.” I mold my hands to her hips, kneading the skin with my fingertips. “I want you so badly, I look forward to waking up at the crack of dawn to see your smile. So badly, I’m desperate to be around you. So badly, I’m painfully hard and barely holding it together.”

“You are the highlight of my day,” she whispers before placing her lips on mine.

There’s no hesitation in this kiss. It’s the kind of kiss that communicates we both know exactly where this is going. I follow her cues, my lips gliding between Finley’s at her quickened pace, tasting her cherry soda. I grip her biceps and guide her off me and onto her back. The vision of her underneath me—hair spread across my blue couch, lips pink and swollen—undoes me. It wrecks me because nothing else will ever compare to the sight.

I lower myself, covering her body with mine, melting into her. My lips worship her neck, sucking softly every place I touch as I move to her collarbone, her chest, until I reach her stomach, lifting her tank top to give me access to her skin. My lips land above her navel, pressing a kiss there before lifting her tank top above her head.

Her hands are on each side of my head, gently tugging my hair toward her. “Not there.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh come on , it’s not like you can’t tell.”

I rise off her, thinking I did what I always do and messed up. But her legs dart up to wrap around my waist and keep me in place. I guess there’s relief in that, but my mind whirs with possibilities about what’s bothering her.

“It’s not that dark in here. I know you can see the lines on my stomach. My weight fluctuated a lot when I was younger, and it left me with a permanent gift.”

My eyebrows draw together. “I promise I didn’t notice. I’m still pinching myself you’re here with me.”

Finley’s breath stutters. My hands land on hers still gripping my head, gently guiding them away. My head ducks to study her stomach. Faint white lines pucker the skin around her navel. This is why she’s self-conscious? A couple of scars?

I don’t need to understand the reason, only that she thought I’d be put off by it.

“Okay, I want to make something clear.” My lips drop to her abdomen again, planting featherlight kisses along the lines bothering her. “You are the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” I kiss her skin again, lips lingering for a beat. “Every part of you is beautiful. Your bright blue eyes.” Kiss. “Your soft mouth.” Kiss. “Your legs.” My fingers trace her thighs, and she shudders, eyes closing, staggered breath escaping her lips. “I love your strength, it’s so fucking sexy.”

“You never say the right words?” Her voice is strangled as I kiss my way down her body, savoring this moment I never thought I’d have. “You might need to…” She moans when I take a nipple in my mouth, kissing it the way I did her lips, nice and slow and teasing. “Reassess… that.”

I move down her body, my tongue tracing a line over one of the marks on her skin. “I especially love this part of you right here, because I’m seeing you . And all I want to do is keep looking. To see more.”

She sucks in a breath, her hand reaching for mine, telling me everything she’s not saying.

“There’s something you should know,” she says suddenly.

I look at her face, but she’s not making eye contact.

“I don’t want you to think it’s your fault...”

Her sentence hangs in the air, making me sweat.

“If I don’t finish. It’s hard for me because of my medication. I don’t want you to think it’s you.”

Her medication? She’s never mentioned it before but she’s saying it in an offhand way suggesting she trusts me.

“You don’t need to worry about it,” I say hurriedly.

Finley nervously bites her lip.

I want her to know I’m always here for her. “Do you… want to tell me more? About your medication.”

“Not today.” She reaches for me, and I take her hands in mine. “I don’t want to stop.”

“Okay. I’m here whenever you do want to talk.”

“I know.”

My hand traces her cheek. “I’m not coming unless you are, Finley. And for the record, if I don’t, it’s okay. We can watch a movie, and this night will be everything I want. Because I’m with you.” I kneel in front of her. “Tell me what you need.”

Her eyes flutter shut. “Zach, I don’t want to waste your time.”

“As if a night between your legs isn’t the best way to spend my time.”

Her eyes open to meet mine, and my stomach explodes with feelings.

“Fuck,” she groans, dragging her arm over her forehead. “Why do you have to be so—”

“Annoyingly persistent?”

“Fucking hot.”

Her admission stuns me. Finley Harris thinks of me the way I do her. I’m not sure how many times I’ll need confirmation of it. I manage to whisper, “Yeah?”

Her head bobs. “I can’t remember the last time I was this turned-on.”

I roll her leggings down until she’s left only in black lace. I trace my fingers up the inside of her thigh until I reach the lingerie, ease it down her legs, and discard it on the floor. Finley opens her legs wide, displaying impressive flexibility.

“I am not fucking worthy,” I mutter.

She watches me study her, curious and hungry. The white noise in my mind makes it difficult to process anything, and I focus solely on Finley, gleaming and gorgeous before me. Her chest heaves the closer I move to her center. I need to taste her, to watch her come apart, to hear her moan my name.

“I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you, but I’m not wasting a single moment you give me. I’m taking my time, High-flyer.”

My tongue presses her clit, working back and forth as my fingers slide in and out of her until Finley’s sighs become pants. My mouth slides down, my tongue replacing my fingers. I groan, overwhelmed by her sweet taste, her strong tug of my hair, the sound of her panting breath.

My finger circles at the apex of her thighs, the place she told me she needed me most the first time we fooled around. Finley writhes above me, her hands gripping my hair, moaning hard . My cock throbs in time to her moans, desperate for release.

I’m cataloging everything I learn about Finley Harris in service to my most important priority—making her happy.

“Fuck, Finley.” I sigh against her skin.

Her hands drift to my cheeks. “I’m ready for you.”

“Not yet, High-flyer, okay?”

She nods, and my fingers resume working her, alternating pressure and direction, never letting her adjust. Her mouth pops open, eyes clamp shut, hands dig into the cushion.

This image of her sears into my brain, and I know it’s a memory I’ll return to when I’m by myself. I’m spellbound, out of my mind, acting on pure instinct, unable to form a coherent thought.

“I’m taking too long,” Finley sighs in frustration.

Those words draw me back. “No, you’re not.”

“Zach,” Finley tries to interrupt, but I refuse to entertain the idea that she’s not perfect, that she’s not everything I want.

“Finley, listen.”

I rise and climb over her, my knees and an elbow bearing my weight. My fingers slowly trace back and forth along her cheek. Her vulnerable gaze guts me. I hate whoever put these shitty ideas in her head and those who did nothing to dispel them.

“I’m so fucking into this. You have no idea. So please, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to get back to my new favorite place.”

Finley catches me off guard, pushing up from the couch to capture my mouth. My arms loop around her neck, supporting it as I roll to my side, pulling her with me. We don’t break the connection, lips sliding, all while Finley squirms closer. The fruity coconut scent of her shampoo consumes my senses. It’s the backdrop to so many of my favorite moments—the first night we met, car rides to the gym, movie marathons on the couch, the first time Finley let me into her bed.

My hand dips between her legs, greedily moving in and out of her, desperate to make her come apart.

Finley sighs against my lips, a strained exasperated sound. “Zach.”

Her lips trail down my chin, my neck, igniting me with her slow descent. Her hips roll into mine in languid movements, testing my stamina to the point of pain.

I won’t last. I won’t last. I won’t—

“Finley,” I murmur, but she’s too focused on her task to register her name.

She reaches for the hem of my shirt, pulling it up my body. My hands cover hers, finally grabbing her attention. Her wide eyes stare at me expectantly. I ease her onto her back, to our original positions. She deserves someone to take care of her. To spend as much time as she needs to finish.

“If you need a toy, tell me, all right?”

I ease my shirt off, sending it to the ground as Finley bites her lip and watches me undress. My belt goes next, the clank of metal echoing in the room as I undo it. I slide my jeans down my legs until I’m left in heavily tented boxer briefs.

“I promise, all I want is for you to feel good.”

Her gaze roams my chest and abdomen, before lingering on my crotch. Her eyes drop to my thighs before snapping back to my face. No tinge of embarrassment shows on her features, only a gleam in her eye and a teasing smile on her lips.

“I want to come on your tongue, Zach,” Finley says, and fuck if that doesn’t do it for me. I want to feel her come against my mouth too. Her handing her trust to me turns me on more. Then my words finally register with her. “Wait—you have toys?”

I shrug, flashing a cheeky smile. “It seemed like you enjoy them.” I didn’t want to be unprepared if the moment ever presented itself. “At least it’s something I heard once. Or twice .”

“Oh, so you’re an authority on what I want—”

Her words cut off when my mouth lands on her pussy. This time, my tongue takes her without hesitation, licking through her center, pressing hard against her clit. I keep it there, rocking the sensitive nerves, while my fingers ease inside her, moving slowly until I find the spot that has Finley’s hips bucking off the couch. What I lack in experience, I make up for in attention, memorizing the way Finley reacts to each movement.

“ Ohmygod ,” Finley cries. Her hands land in my hair, her thighs squeezing my head, trying to keep me in place, as if I’d go anywhere.

“Zach. Zach. Zach,” Finley whimpers, her words breathier with each pant.

She’s barely holding on, sweat collecting on her skin, legs quaking on my shoulders. I love seeing her wrung out. And I can’t wait for her tense body to collapse. Because of me .

My tongue swirls around her clit once more before I suck it into my mouth, my fingers teasing the spot she likes. I secure her hips with my free hand as they try to buck off the couch.

“ Zach ,” she moans. “Oh God, oh God… I’m—”

Finley’s hips thrust against my mouth once, twice, and then she comes undone. Her moans ratchet higher as she rides out her orgasm, and I stay with her the entire time, wringing out every last drop of pleasure. Once her moans quiet to satisfied sighs, I pull back on my heels.

She slings an arm over her eyes, taking in steadying breaths, her heart rate beginning to normalize. Her hair’s an absolute mess from thrashing against the couch.

I’m so unworthy of her, but I can’t think of anyone who would be. At least I can guarantee I’ll treat her the way I know she deserves.

My hand instinctively falls to my dick, rubbing over my boxer briefs, needing friction to relieve the ache. I’ve never been this turned-on. I’m surprised I didn’t unload while face-first in her pussy. Finley might’ve taken that as a compliment, but if I finish while she lays motionless, I doubt she’ll ever want to see me again. I ease onto my feet, ready to take care of myself in another room before I combust and send her running for the door.

“Where are you going?” Finley bolts up, resting on her elbows.

She’s so beautiful with her hair askance, cheeks flushed pink, pupils wide. I suck in a breath, knowing I need to say something, but my mind goes blank as I stare at her. Finley’s entire body is on display for me, pert breasts, muscular thighs, toned stomach, bare pussy. My balls tighten painfully, I'm unable to keep my eyes off her, even though it’s undoing me.

“Zach?” Finley whispers.

When I look back at her, she’s got her arms crossed over her chest like she’s self-conscious. She thinks I’m trying to sneak away from her.

“Sorry, I’m out of my depth here.” I suck in a breath. “You’re so fucking perfect, and I want you so badly. But I don’t want to rush you. I need to be somewhere you’re not so I don’t lose it in here.”

The worried lines on her face melt away, leaving behind the grin I adore. “You’re so cute when you ramble.”

I scoff. “I’m not. I’m—”

“And you’re fucking hot on your knees.” Finley pats the space on the couch beside her. “Come here.”

My anxiety dissolves instantly when she wets her lips. She wastes no time, swinging one leg over my lap to straddle me once I’m seated. I hiss when her hot center meets my crotch, and she swivels her hips back and forth.

“You’re such a good listener,” she murmurs.

“Finley.” My tone is all warning. I’m about one second from ruining this moment if she doesn't stop writhing on top of me.

“You have condoms, right?” She smirks, fingers toying with the hair at the nape of my neck. “Maybe in the same place as your sex toys?”

“Jeans,” I croak.

Finley leaps off my lap and bends over in front of me to snag my jeans off the ground, giving me a view of her spectacularly sculpted ass, a preview of what it’d look like to take her from behind. Fucking unbelievable .

“You think so?”

Shit, I must’ve said it out loud.

She holds out a condom, her smirk still firmly in place. At least she’s amused by the way I’m embarrassingly gone for her. “Put that on, please.”

I follow her instructions. “Finley, I’m not going to last long.”

She twirls the remaining condoms folded together like an accordion. “Good thing we have a lot of these then.”

Her knees are back on either side of me. She gazes at my cock, still hovering above me. She bites her lip, a nervous tick, shocking given how in-control she’s been about our sexual relationship from the start.

She finally whispers, “I haven’t done this in a long time.”

The vulnerability in her voice pinches my heart. It sounds like a warning, like she’s saying this to head off any concern I might have. For her to think she could disappoint me is laughable. I treasure every single moment with her.

“Do you want to stop?”

“ No . Definitely not.” She lets out a self-conscious chuckle. “I just, um, thought you should know.”

“You’re in control here, Finley. I can promise you, I will like whatever you do. Don’t worry about it, all right?”

“How do you know?”

I push her golden hair behind her shoulders. “Because I’m in love with you.”

The words have been rattling around in my mind for weeks. The first time I thought them while watching her do a complicated flip off the balance beam, I tried to ignore them. It was too soon. Sharing every thought in my mind has been a recipe for disaster. I often spew words before I think through the consequences of what I’ve said. Like right now.

“ Shit , I shouldn’t have—”

Her fingers press my mouth, stopping me from finishing the sentence. “I’m glad you said it.”

She’s not saying it back, but she’s not running away. I heave a sigh of relief that quickly turns into a hiss when Finley grips my cock and lowers herself onto me. We both gasp as she sinks, taking all of me. The slowness with which she moves has me hanging on by a thread, but I’d never rush her. I grit my teeth, working to keep myself together until I’m fully inside her.

“You feel fucking incredible,” I whisper.

She tilts her head. “I haven’t even moved.”

“Trust me, I’ve noticed,” I rasp through a chuckle. A bead of sweat forms on my brow from the effort of not moving her myself. But tonight is on her terms. “You move when you want, High-flyer.”

My mouth drops to her breast, sucking a nipple while Finley rocks, using my shoulders for leverage. I groan against her skin, utterly gone for this woman and how much I love her.

“I knew you’d feel this good .” Her head falls back while she continues to ride me.

I kiss the long column of her neck, sucking lightly, even though somewhere in the far reaches of my mind, I know how dangerous it would be to mark her before anyone knows about us.

Finley does nothing to stop me, only picks up her pace. “You come whenever you want,” she murmurs in my ear. “Don’t hold back for me.”

I tip her chin so she meets my gaze. “I want you to feel good, High-flyer.”

“Did you not hear me before? Because in case you weren’t aware, the moaning sound means I enjoy—”

My lips silence her, and she sends our languid pace into a frenzy. Finley’s hips move quicker, matching the sloppy movements of her lips. It’s like the morning in her bedroom all over again, when she said she needed me to keep kissing her. I need it too, desperate to get as close to her as possible. We’re fused, her breasts to my chest, my tongue in her mouth, her pussy around my dick, and it’s not enough.

No amount of Finley Harris will ever be enough.

“Zach,” Finley gasps in surprise. “I might come again.”

My hands land on her lower back, pulling her toward me with each thrust of her hips, trying to get her there. Her body shakes in mine. She needs this desperately, and I want to give it to her. I fucking need her to fall apart on my cock.

“Right there,” she moans. “Don’t move.”

I stop, letting her use me the way she needs. She’s all choppy movements, grinding against me while I concentrate with a force I usually reserve only for hockey. Her mouth finds mine again, sucking my bottom lip before she rakes her teeth against it. I don’t know if I can hold on any longer…

“Oh God.” Finley’s orgasm slams into her, and she cries out, her moans crescendoing in a call of my name.

Finley keeps moving as she comes down from her high. My hands grip her hips harder, moving them faster, the tingle at the base of my spine building. Fuck, she’s so beautiful giving herself over to me like this. It doesn’t take long for my body to combust, my nerves catching fire, vision going black at the edges. I collapse backward on the couch, Finley falling with me. She rests her head on my chest, where my heart beats at a speed likely to concern a cardiologist.

“Are you okay?” Finley murmurs. “Your heart is pounding a million miles a minute.”

“Is it?” I quip. “Haven’t noticed.”

It might be my shortest response ever to a question. Finley fucked the words out of me.

Her head settles against me. We lay like this for a long time—Finley listening to my heartbeat, my cock inside her, basking in the aftershocks of her orgasm. The world goes silent around us. It’s rare for me to be still unless I’m sleeping, but I’m content. I could be content like this forever, I think.

Eventually, she shifts, gracefully easing off me. “I should…” She gestures over her shoulder with one hand.

“Right, me too.” I sit up.

Before she gets too far, I sink my hand into her hair, bringing her mouth to mine again. She kisses me back slowly, tongue slipping inside once before she pulls away.

“Do you have any notes?”

My question harkens back to the first time we hooked up, when Finley asked me to grade her skills. Like with most other jokes, there’s truth beneath the surface. I’m not oblivious; I know she enjoyed herself, but I’m greedy and insecure. I want her confirmation.

“Oh, you want a grade?” She snatches my shirt off the ground and slips it over her head. It’s automatic, like we’ve done this thousands of times already. She places her hands on her hips. “I happen to remember you finding it weird when I asked.”

I shake my head. “Not weird at all, but I felt robbed of not getting to ask you. So what do you say?”

Finley settles her hands on my shoulders, shifting her weight forward to whisper beside my ear. “ More .”