Teach You to Love Me (Lindon U #4)

Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER TWENTY

Rachel

T he silky robe goes to my shins, blowing in the slight breeze that also tries picking up the cap secured by bobby pins to my waved hair. Brie drove all the way from her house early this morning just to doll me up like her own personal Barbie. It was obvious that the one-month-old Loreli, or Rory for short, had kept her up most of the night. But she still came, baggy eyes, tired yawns, and all.

I search the stands filled with people, wondering if the adrenaline I feel on the football field is what always coursed through the Dragons’ blood when they were on the turf. It’s a role reversal that makes me smile.

The last six years here have been a roller-coaster ride with ups and downs I didn’t know if I’d survive. Losing Mom had been the hardest part. Knowing she’s not here to see me get my degree for a second time…

God. It hurt.

It really, really hurt.

But it also makes me that much happier when I see the familiar faces in the crowd: Dad, Brie, Ryan, my favorite niece, Rory, and even Tatum. And two rows over is a sixth face that makes my heart do a little dance.

Matthew.

He came.

My chest swells with a fuzzy warmth that travels through each of my limbs. I swear I see him lift a hand as if he knows I’m watching him.

I start to lift my hand, too, but stop myself when my row is called.

It’s time.

My last moment at Lindon U.

I stand, eyes going to the sky.

“I wish you were here, Mom,” I whisper, smiling at the clouds roaming above me.

When it’s my turn, I hear a section of the stands cheering me on. Way more than from the people I counted before that were here for me.

That’s when I see them.

Bea from the bakery.

Caleb.

Daniel and his girlfriend Skylar.

Justin Brady, the former quarterback.

And at least three or four more standing beside them. They’re all in red Lindon U jerseys.

Dragons.

Here to support me.

But how did they…?

Then I see what Matt is wearing.

A Jersey with a double zero on it.

You’re part of the family , he’d told me once.

Emotion settles into the back of my throat.

I have both of my families here today.

And it’s a bittersweet feeling knowing I’m leaving my chosen one behind.

Matt points to his jersey, and I know he’s smiling. And I can’t help but smile back, even if he can’t see me.

*

Berlin folds a pair of jeans and sets them in my suitcase. “I can’t believe you’re leaving. Who is going to drink wine with me, help dye my hair, and go to sports games?”

I look at her lavender hair, which didn’t turn out nearly as bad as I worried it would when she pushed the box of dye in my hands last night.

“Olive,” I answer easily. “I heard you two yelling at the TV again last night. What were you watching?”

She tucks her legs under her. “The Rangers game. If you thought college hockey was violent, you should watch a pro game.”

I push past the sadness that has reddened my eyes since turning in my resignation this morning and smile at her. “You’re turning into a real fan, aren’t you? I heard some of the stuff you were shouting. Olive has been teaching you the proper terms.”

Berlin grabs another article from my bed and starts folding it. “Yes. No more calling the puck a hockey ball or telling her I think the players that they look hot in their costumes.”

I pause what I’m doing. “Costumes?”

She shrugs. “I only did it once…or three times. Whatever. They do look good in them though.”

I can’t help but laugh. “I’m glad you have Olive,” I tell her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “And I’m going to miss you. Thank you for helping me pack. I didn’t think I acquired this much stuff.”

She slides off the bed and walks over to where I’m tucking things into a box, picking up a picture of Brie and me. “Are you sure this is your only option?”

“It’s the option that makes sense.”

Turning, I wrap the frame in an old tee and carefully put it into the box with my other belongings. Dad hired a moving truck to come get my things and bring them back to Pennsylvania after I told them they didn’t need to come all this way to help me.

Sitting on the edge of my bed, I frown at the mess scattered everywhere. Boxes are stacked along the walls, clothes are thrown over different pieces of furniture, and fast-food containers, a la Berlin, are on every surface.

“Did you hear back from the high school?” she asks, leaning against the dresser.

Devon Central School, the very same district my mother used to work at, was excited about my interest in a substitution position but offered me a part-time guidance counselor position after learning about the work I did with the players on the football team. The online interview seemed to go well, especially when they told me they would be “honored to have somebody with the same spirit as Lorilei Holloway” back in their halls.

Until I could save up to find a better apartment nearby, I was willing to accept it and work my way up until a full-time position or something better suited for me in the future.

“They called me this morning,” I reply. “I start training in a few weeks but won’t start officially until after summer. It’ll give me some time to settle in.”

She genuinely looks happy for me. “I’m glad things are lining up for you, even if you’re ditching me.”

I smile at her. “You’ll be fine.”

The raspberry she blows out says otherwise.

A knock on the door has both of us turning in confusion. “Did you invite Olive over?”

Berlin shakes her head. “No. She’s hanging out with Skylar and Sky’s boyfriend, DJ, tonight. They’re at some book club discussing fairy porn or something.”

I walk to the door and peek out the curtain, staring wide-eyed at the person standing behind the glass. “Oh my God.”

“What?”

Opening up, I don’t get a word in edgewise before Matt walks in, grabs my face, and kisses me.

It’s the kind of kiss that can make you forget your name, family, and passwords. More importantly, it’s the kind of kiss that makes you forget your problems.

“Whoa, okay.” Berlin’s voice quickly has Matt backing up in startled surprise. “I’m no stranger to porn or anything, but it’s different when you know the people you’re watching. So before clothes start coming off, I’m going to get out of here.”

She squeezes my hand, grins at Matt, and then mouths, “ get it, girl ,” as she backs out my front door with both her thumbs up.

Matt’s hand goes back to my cheek, surprisingly unfazed by my neighbor. “Go out with me.”

I blink. “Matt, I—”

“You’re leaving,” he finishes. “I know.”

“That’s not what I was going to say,” I tell him, swallowing the heartbeat rising up my throat.

“Then what were you going to say?”

My heartbeat only increases, drumming wildly until it echoes in my ears. “I was going to say that I’m not working for Lindon anymore.”

Matt’s eyes flash. “And I’m not a student.”

I slowly shake my head. “Are you really going to apply for coaching positions in Pennsylvania?”

He dips his chin. “I already did.”

I stare wide-eyed. “What?”

“I got a job,” he tells me, his lips trailing up my jaw and to my ear. “At a college in Pennsylvania.”

He nips the lobe of my ear, causing a breath to whistle past my lips.

“Why Pennsylvania?”

His chuckle makes warm air caress my ear. “I think you and I both know the answer to that,” he murmurs, making goose bumps pebble my arms.

My hands go to his sides. “You’re going to move for me?” I whisper.

What was it I’d told my sister? That I’d know if it was love if someone was willing to pack up their life for me.

His mouth makes a path from my ear over my cheek and pecks the tip of my nose. Every single place those kisses go builds the fire throughout my veins. “You were right,” I tell him, his lips hovering over mine.

“About?”

My fingers curl into his shirt. “You didn’t need to teach me how to love you. It just…happened. Before I could even stop it. Before I ever had the chance to.”

I can’t describe the sound that comes from him, but suddenly he kicks the door closed with his foot and smashes his lips against mine. It’s hot and heated and needy as he guides me backward until I hit the wall. He pins me against it with his hips until I feel the hardness pressing against my softest spot, causing me to groan into his mouth.

His fingers thread through my hair, gripping from the scalp and pulling my head back to expose my neck.

Rolling his hips, I refrain from making the same noise he got from me the first time, no matter how good he feels against me. His fingers grip my hair tighter until there’s a blissful bite of pain as he guides us into the bedroom. He doesn’t let go until my knees are pressed against the edge of the mattress, where he forces me to sit.

“You’re going to watch me show you how much I love you,” he states, unwinding his hold on my hair and cupping my chin to lock our gazes. “If you look away for even a second, I’ll start over again until you’re begging me to stop.”

I swallow past the lump in my throat as I watch him sink to his knees. “Matt—”

He peels off my sweatpants and spreads my legs. “You’re going to watch quietly,” he cuts me off. “Starting now.”

My lips part to protest but are quickly silenced as he gets his first taste with no hesitation. One of my hands darts to the comforter beside me, fingers digging into the soft duvet, while the other finds his head and threads into his hair.

You’re going to watch me show you how much I love you.

I’m transfixed on how his face disappears between my thighs. He works me with his skillful lips and tongue, nipping and sucking and letting his fingers tease my entrance until a tingle of pleasure shoots down my spine and arches my butt from the bed.

He keeps going for what feels like forever, working ten times harder the more I try fighting off the impending orgasm that shakes my thighs positioned on either side of his head.

Matt wins.

Fingers gripping his hair as I detonate around him, I fall back onto the bed with a drawn-out moan. Sparks shoot down my legs as he works me through the quivers and quakes that wrack my body.

When I’m fully sated, I let out a long breath and stare at the ceiling. His fingers squeeze my inner thighs, catching my attention.

Rising from his knees, he grins with my arousal still on his mouth. “You looked away,” he informs me, those blue-gray eyes nearly coal black with a lust that makes me a little terrified. “You know what that means.”

Before I can ask, he’s ripping off my shirt until I’m completely bare in front of him. “Now you get to watch me do it all again.”

Little black dots burst in my eyes as he inserts two of his fingers inside me, hooking them to hit the perfect spot that crests yet another wave of pleasure through me.

Then he crawls up my body, his jeans and boxers long forgotten on the floor, and kisses me slowly, gently.

“Why?” I ask him, out of breath. I’m not even sure what I’m asking, but my brain is mush, and my body is completely in his control.

His lips go to one corner of my mouth, then the other, before ghosting over them fully and whispering, “Because I love you.”

My heart reacts to those words like it’s the first time I’m hearing them.

“And because I’m coming to Pennsylvania,” he answers, nudging himself inside me and swallowing my gasp with his mouth when he pushes in.

I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling away slightly and staring up at him. It’s hard to think straight when he fills me, hitching one of my legs over his hip.

“Matt—”

“Shh,” he coaxes, kissing me again. “We have plenty of time, baby.”

I moan into his mouth when he surges forward, following a rhythm that has my other leg mimicking the first to give him more access.

Our mouths battle it out as our bodies work together to create the blissful sensation that has us panting and sweaty.

He grabs my hair, pulling my head back to bite down on my neck. That’s all it takes before I arch up and let go of every single thing holding me back.

Shortly after, he follows until we’re nothing but tangled limbs on the bed.

It’s ten, or maybe thirty, minutes later when I finally find my voice. “Your family is here in Lindon.”

He hums, hugging me against his side and nuzzling his nose against the top of my head. “I guess that’s true, but my new job is in Pennsylvania.”

All I can do is gape at him.

Matt chuckles, tweaking my chin. “In the fall, I’ll be Penn State’s newest athletic adviser and be added on as an offensive coordinator after their current OC retires.”

All of this has me speechless. He did this for me? For us?

“Do you know what that means?” he asks, smiling when I slowly shake my head. “It means that we’re free, Rach. And there’s nothing anybody can do about it.”

“I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon, Matt.”

His hold on my chin tightens for only a moment before he pulls me back down to him. “I guess that means we’ll have to make our date count until I can join you in Pennsylvania this summer.”

He’s moving to a different state.

My home state.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” I press, hoping it’s a choice he won’t regret. “You love your mom and dad. Your friends are here.”

“You said it yourself,” he answers. “I thrive on the field. I’m meant to coach. By taking the position at Penn, I can still do that and help the players outside the turf. It won’t even matter if I finish my master’s program because I can still do what I love.”

He’s been on the fence about finishing his degree ever since he opted to enroll as a graduate student, but he’s already put in a lot of work. “I do believe you’re meant to be out there, but I’d hate for you to give up the work you’ve put in.”

Matt makes a thoughtful noise. “You don’t know why I enrolled, do you?”

My brows pinch. “You wanted a backup plan for the future. Something practical.”

He chuckles, clearly making me second-guess myself. “I wanted you. To be around you. Have reasons to see you. I could have walked away from undergrad and figured out what to do with my life, but then I wouldn’t be here.”

I can’t believe he stayed to be near me. “We couldn’t be together though.”

“Life is all about timing, Rach. Even if I chose to get a job and not bother with grad school, you wouldn’t have been ready for me. I know you wouldn’t have. You were still processing so much with your father and Tatum and your mom. I don’t think it would have mattered.”

As I’m about to argue, I stop myself. Because he’s right. My problems with my father and his girlfriend went beyond two people falling for each other at the worst time. It even went past their age difference. Those were factors, but not the reason why I would have held myself back.

I didn’t want to be a hypocrite or let somebody in just to watch them leave again, and I certainly didn’t want to have my heart broken.

So, sure. Maybe he has a point. Even if there weren’t policies and consequences between us, plenty of barriers were still in place that were nearly impossible to destroy.

“If friendship was all I could get, I was going to take it until you were ready,” he puts simply.

He’s too good for me.

“I told you before, Ruby Red. Our story isn’t over yet.”