The Toughest Play

20. Rogan

CHAPTER 20

ROGAN

“ W here are we sleeping tonight?” she asks, sauntering into the kitchen, wearing a tank top and a pair of Silverbacks boxers.

I let out a wolf whistle, letting her know how sexy I think she is. Her pebbled nipples poke through the white material, making my mouth water.

“In the big bed. I put the air mattress away.”

“I get to see where the magic happens,” she jokes.

“The only magic that’s happened in that bed is between me and my hand.”

“How is that possible?”

“I’ve never brought anyone home. This is my space.”

“And yet, here I am.”

Grasping her wrist, I tug her into my arms. “I think we’ve already established you’re special. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. As far as I’m concerned, you can move in tomorrow if you’d like.”

She reaches up, cupping my cheek in one of her hands. “That’s sweet of you to say, but that would be crazy. I think we both need our own spaces. I want to complement your life, not take it over.”

“Would you like something to drink before we go to bed?” I ask.

“No, thanks. I just brushed my teeth.”

“You can get in bed and I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.” I press a kiss to the top of her head. She spins around to walk away. I slap her ass and it makes a satisfying sound.

“Ouch,” she cries out, glaring at me.

“It was right there, looking so perfectly heart-shaped. I couldn’t resist.”

“My ass is my biggest insecurity,” she confesses.

“Why? It’s sexy as fuck. I’d eat my dinner off your ass every night if you let me.”

She laughs. “Gross.”

“I’m dead serious. I guess I’ll have to show you as soon as I lock up.”

“I may already be asleep,” she throws out as she leaves the kitchen. I stand there, staring after her with a smile on my face, and then I get busy making sure the doors are locked and everything is shut off.

All the lights except the one on my nightstand are off, and Autumn is under the covers when I enter my bedroom. I head into the bathroom and brush my teeth. I strip off everything but my boxer briefs and walk back into the bedroom. Sliding under the comforter, I reach out for Autumn and draw her closer. “I need you in my arms.”

“That seems to be my favorite place to be now.”

“Good.” I tighten my hold on her and she wiggles back into me. Her ass repeatedly rubs my cock. “I see what you’re doing and I’m all for it.”

“It was an accident, I swear.” She giggles.

I wrap my leg over her hip, embracing her with every part of my body I can. “I think you want another orgasm.” I bury my face in her neck and growl.

She laughs. “And I like the way you think.”

I roll her to her stomach and yank her boxers down her legs, tossing them aside. She opens her legs as I move over to kneel between them. At first, I don’t lay a finger on her. I’m overcome by what I see. “Christ, you have the perfect ass.”

“Yeah, if massive means perfect,” she says. I slap her ass with a resounding crack. “Ouch. What was that for?”

“For insulting yourself and me.”

“How did I insult you?”

“When I told you your ass is perfect, I fucking meant it. I don’t know what your hangup with it is, but you need to get over it or you’re going to be wearing my handprint on a regular basis.” My finger traces over the one currently on her right cheek. I love the way it looks against her fair, unblemished skin. Cupping her ass in my hands, I squeeze the soft flesh and reverently husk, “Fuck.” My palms glide over her smooth skin as I map out and memorize every inch of her backside.

“I love your hands on me,” she whispers.

“Me too. I could do this all night.” I knead and massage lower, hitting the back of her thighs, focusing on one leg at a time. Then I work my way back up to her ass, trailing a fingertip along the crease down the middle. Bending down, I press biting kisses across each cheek. Autumn grinds into the bed, and my lips curve. Her clit must be aching and needy by now. I flip her over and bury my face between her thighs. She lets out a squeal of surprise that turns into a moan at the first swipe of my tongue. Spreading her open with my thumbs, I lick every inch of her slick pussy and swallow down the delectable taste of her. I run my tongue up to her clit, swirling all around it, avoiding direct contact until she’s thrusting her hips toward my mouth. Only then do I suck it between my lips and slide two fingers into her pussy.

“Yes!” she cries out.

I hook my fingers and then pulse them into her G-spot while my mouth and tongue echo the same motion on the bundle of nerves, and I don’t relent until she goes off, her legs quivering as the taste of her orgasm floods my tongue. Falling to my back on the bed beside her, I lift her up and settle her pussy right on my face. She makes a sound of protest but my hands grip her hips tighter, holding her down on my mouth as I lick away all the traces of her orgasm.

“I want a turn,” she says, making my cock drip more pre-cum.

“Spin around. I want you sitting on my face at the same time.”

“Will that work?”

“Yeah. You haven’t done this before?”

“No.”

I love knowing her first time will be with me.

“What are you waiting for? Spin around. You’re going to love this.” She shifts her position until her pussy is right above my mouth but she’s facing the opposite direction. “Now, smother me with that sweet pussy.”

She tries to carefully lower down, but I’m not having any of that. I wrap my arms around her thighs, clamping down on them. She notices my determination and relents, grinding her pussy over my entire face. “Oh God.” She sighs.

Her hands hook inside the waistband on my boxers. I raise my hips to help her. She shoves them down to my calves, and I kick them free. I’m not prepared when her soft hand encircles the base of my cock. I gasp, my tongue stuttering in its rhythm. She gently explores my length with her fingertips and then leans forward, taking me in her mouth without warning. A guttural noise escapes me as the tip of her tongue swirls around the head.

Her hand and mouth working together, twisting up and down my shaft, have me ready to explode and she’s barely begun. I don’t want to come in her mouth; I want to be buried deep inside her tight heat.

I lift her from my face. “Ride me.”

She’s quick to shift around and straddle my hips. She rubs the tip of my cock back and forth through her wet slit before positioning me at her opening. And then she starts to lower down on me. Oh fuck. She feels even better than I imagined as she slowly works me inside her tight channel.

“That’s it. Look at you, taking my cock so well.” When I’m buried to the hilt, we both let out a satisfied groan. “Move those sexy hips of yours and ride me.”

She immediately responds, grinding down into me and rocking her hips until my eyes are rolling back in my head. I grip on to her, pulling her down on my cock as I thrust upward over and over until my hips jerk through the final strokes as I come. My orgasm slams into me so powerfully, my vision blurs. For a moment, I’m sure I’m about to pass out. I manage to stay conscious, but I’m drained of all energy as Autumn lies on my chest. My hands leisurely stroking her back, I try to savor everything about this moment. The weight of her on top of me. Her skin, so soft beneath my fingertips. The pink flush on her chest and cheeks leftover from her own orgasm. Everything about what we just did was incredible.

“That was fun,” she says.

“Yes, and phenomenal.”

“We didn’t get around to discussing birth control beforehand, but you don’t need to worry. I’m all set.”

“I wasn’t worried at all. If I put a baby in your belly, all it would do is move our timeline up a little.”

She rolls her eyes. “How can you be so sure about us so soon?”

“Are you saying you’re not?”

“No, we fit well together in every way.” She smiles. “But it’s all so new. I’m hesitant to get my hopes up.”

“I’m sure enough for both of us. My gut is never wrong.”

“I hope you’re right. But for now, I’m going to keep being the one-day-at-a-time person I am. If we’re still together in a year, you can say I told you so.”

I laugh. “Oh, I’ll say it for sure.”

“I’m sure you will.”

“As the youngest in my family, being right has always been one of my favorite things.”

“Poor baby, did you get teased by your siblings?”

“Yep. I still do. I can’t wait for you to meet Niall and Maeve. They’re going to love you.”

“I hope they do. When do I get to meet them?”

“They’re coming for the season opener. It would be amazing if I got to play in that game.”

“Keep doing what you’re doing, because it’s working. I’ve never seen such focused determination in someone as I have with you. If you won me over, surely you can win the starting position.”

I grin. “Good point.”

The air is thick with the smell of grass and sweat as we stand around eating the catered lunch under the long white tent. I see Autumn and her coworkers sitting on the bleachers across the field. She’s on her phone, no doubt posting on social media. I smile at how focused she is, lost in her own little world. I want to run over there and kiss her senseless, but since I can’t, I settle for taking another bite of my sandwich.

“This is so good,” Cooper mumbles around a mouthful of a buffalo chicken wrap.

“It is. Have you tried the mozzarella sticks?” I kiss my fingers. “Perfectly crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside.”

“I’ve been eating healthy since camp started and I didn’t realize how much my mood improves just from ingesting some extra fat and carbs,” Griffin says.

“It’s hard to tell the difference. You’re always grumpy,” Cooper declares, and Griffin shrugs.

“My mood’s been fine, but my stomach is saying ‘hallelujah’ right now,” I add.

“Your mood’s only good because of a certain redhead.” I narrow my eyes at Cooper and shake my head. I don’t want to discuss her with anyone else. But he doesn’t catch on and asks, “How’s that going anyway?”

“O’Rourke, you got a girlfriend we don’t know about? You know there are no secrets on this team.” Griffin’s deep, booming voice carries, and I wince.

“No comment,” I reply.

“If you do, don’t lose your focus on the game. You’ve been playing lights out,” he adds.

“I won’t. If anything, she helps me keep it.”

“So there is a girlfriend.” Griffin smirks.

“Yeah, and she’s amazing.”

“She’s too good for him, that’s for sure,” Cooper says, laughing.

“I can’t argue with that. I think she only agreed because I wore her down.”

Brett strides toward me. Just fucking great. “Did I hear Griffin say you have a girlfriend?” he asks.

“I don’t know, did you?” Why should I answer him when it’s none of his business. He and I aren’t friendly.

His smile is tight. “Who’s the unlucky girl?” When I don’t answer, he aims a pointed glance at Cooper.

“Just a cute little redhead,” he says, trying to answer him without betraying my confidence. Unfortunately, we haven’t discussed the history between Brett and Autumn.

Brett’s eyebrows lower, his expression darkening as his gaze swings to me. “Autumn?” And as the saying goes, the jig is up. There’s no sense in denying it. I’m not afraid of him, nor do I care the least about what he thinks.

I place my plate down on the table and nod. “Yes.”

“ My Autumn?” he sneers.

“No. Not yours. She’s not some fucking possession to own.”

He steps closer, invading my space. “Must suck to always be the backup. On the field. With your girl.”

I laugh. “Tell yourself that if it makes you feel better.”

“She doesn’t want you. You’re just a rebound.”

“That’s not what she told me when I made her come,” I taunt, ready for whatever he’s about to throw my way.

He shoves me hard in the chest. I stagger back, my heart racing. The chatter around us fades out as they sense the tension in the air. I drag a breath in through my nostrils, trying to rein in my anger when all I want to do is slam my fist in his face. He shoves me again but I’m expecting it. I brace myself and push back at him. I can tell he wasn’t expecting that.

Our teammates close in around us just as Brett takes a swing at me. I duck out of the way and the punch misses me. Seeing red, I lunge forward, ready to rip his goddamn head off. We lock up, grappling for the upper hand. I sweep his feet from under him and slam him to the ground. I’m about to draw back my fist when I’m lifted off him and to my feet. “Let me go,” I shout, trying to shake off the hold.

“Settle down.” I recognize the voice as belonging to Thor. He squeezes my shoulder and leans in closer. “He’s not worth it.”

I glance at Brett, who’s now being held back by one of our linemen. He sends me a dark glare, making me wish Thor hadn’t pulled me off before I got that punch off.

Coach Chubb steps into the middle of the circle. “What the fuck is going on here?”

“Nothing important,” Brett says.

“You’re goddamn right it’s not important. Are you here to play football, Barlow, or to fight with your teammates?”

“To play football,” he answers.

“Are you performing so well that you have time to waste on bullshit?” He directs this question at Brett too.

“No, Coach.”

And then he turns, setting his angry hazel eyes on me. Oh shit.

“What about you, O’Rourke? Are you here to fight or to play football?”

“To play football, sir.”

“Do you have time to waste on bullshit?”

“No, sir.”

“Everyone get back to eating your lunch. And you two dumbasses, I want to see you in my office in thirty. In the meantime, stay the hell away from each other.”

“Yes, sir,” I reply.

Brett adds a mumbled “yes,” and storms off like a sulking kid who didn’t get his way. I watch Coach walk off before I glance over to where Autumn was sitting earlier. She’s still there, but her focus is no longer directed at her phone. It’s on me and she looks worried. I give her a quick wave and a smile to dispel her concerns.

I don’t speak to my teammates at first. Adrenaline is coursing through my veins with nowhere to go. I flex my fingers, clenching and unclenching my fists. I’m still angry at Brett, and at myself for allowing him to bait me. I should’ve ignored him, and I would have if he hadn’t mentioned Autumn. She’s the line in the sand when it comes to him, and he crossed over it. I won’t allow that, consequences be damned. I’m no longer just fighting to be starting quarterback, I’m fighting for a future with Autumn. And I have the determination to see both to fruition.

“You okay, man?” Cooper asks.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“I’m sorry if I said something I shouldn’t have.”

“No, it’s not your fault. I never told you Autumn and Brett went to college together and had a relationship for five years.”

“Oh damn.”

“They broke up two years ago, though.”

“Jesus. Dude needs to get a grip.”

“Yeah, he does. But she’s pretty fucking special, so even though he’s an asshole, I guess I can’t blame him for still being hung up on her.”

“Good luck when you talk to Coach.” He pats my shoulder. “Lord knows you’re gonna need it.”

“Yeah. I’m not looking forward to the ass chewing I’m about to receive.”

“You better get to it before you’re late.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“I’ll pray for you,” he calls out as I walk away.

Coach Chubb is working on his computer when notices me in the doorway. “Get in here and sit down.”

“Yes, sir,” I say, sitting on one of the chairs in front of his desk.

“We’ll get started once Barlow gets here.” His attention returns to his computer screen, and I sit there in silence. My thoughts are all over the place. I’m thinking about Autumn and how she might be feeling. Is she mad at me for what happened? I didn’t fuck him up like I wanted to. It’s not like I can forget he’s one of my teammates, no matter how much I’d like to. The team is everything. We’re taught that from the moment we sign the contract, and we never stop hearing it.

Brett knocks on the doorjamb.

“Get in here and sit down,” Coach orders. Brett takes the seat next to mine. “What the hell happened with you two?”

“It was a misunderstanding,” Brett says.

“About?” Coach prods.

“Something personal,” I say. I don’t really want Coach knowing more than he needs to.

“There’s no such thing as too personal when you bring your shit on the field and act like a couple of undisciplined assholes. What were you fighting about?”

“He’s dating my ex-girlfriend,” Brett shares.

Coach looks at me. “Did you break them up?”

“No. They haven’t been together for two years.”

Coach glances at Brett with what can only be pity. “Barlow, get a grip. You’ve had two years to get back together with this woman and you haven’t. Move the fuck on. And you.” His gaze leaps to me. “You’re playing better than ever and you’re starting a relationship now ? I don’t like to get involved in your lives off the field but I want you to make solid choices. Ones that are best for your futures.”

“With all due respect, Coach, I think being with Autumn makes me a more well-rounded man. I’m now happy on and off the field, and thinking about my career in new ways. I never thought about getting married or having kids before. And now I am. I want to be with the Silverbacks for as long as possible.”

“I don’t want to hear about or see any more problems with the two of you, or there will be disciplinary action taken. Capice?”

I nod. “Yes, sir.”

“Yes, Coach,” Brett answers after me.

“Get out of here.”

I’m out of my seat in a flash. “Thank you, Coach,” I say before I leave his office. As I head down the hallway, I feel relieved to have that over and done with. But I can’t help but worry the scuffle between Brett and me may hurt my chances of becoming the starting quarterback.