Personal Foul Page 14

  “What don’t you understand, Jessa? I’m a fucking college football player. Bitches throw their pussy at me, and I want to have a taste of it all. You being there, enjoying it too, that’s a fucking dream come true,” he chuckles.

  “But me being with other guys? You want that, too? Maybe I can understand you wanting another woman and me, but I can’t understand that.”

  Trent sinks his teeth into his bottom lip. “Babe, you’d never get it, not in a million years, so I won’t bother explaining it. Just know that me picking out a guy for you, and watching him fuck you, it’s going to be so goddamn hot,” he chuckles as he takes a step back. “Now my parents are here, so be good,” he grunts.

  I step to the side and give Margie and Jim the fakest smile I can muster as they begin to walk toward me. They each give me a big hug and ask me how I’m doing, how school is, and if I like working here. To my surprise, I answer them without bursting into tears. Then I guide them toward a table and take their drink order. I inform them that as soon as their food is ready I’ll take my break and sit with them while they eat.

  “You better eat too, Jessa. You’re starting to look too thin. I know my boy is like his dad and enjoys some meat on his woman’s bones,” Margie says with a wink.

  Glancing at Trent, he gives me a cocky smirk and shakes his head. “Jessa looks great, mom. I like her smaller. Don’t try and fatten her up any,” he states.

  Margie narrows her eyes on him for a split second before she orders a sweet tea. Jim orders his favorite beer and Trent asks for a coke. I hurry to the bar and gather their items. “You okay?” my manager asks as his hand wraps around my wrist to stop me from filling up a cup with ice.

  “I hope I will be,” I whisper. He nods.

  “You’re a good kid, Jessa. A damn fine worker; but darlin’, I’m afraid your personal life is a mess,” he mutters.

  I let my teeth sink into my bottom lip and I jerk my head in a nod. “It really is, at least right now. I have to fix it.”

  “Get to fixin’ it, darlin’. You’re far too pretty of a girl to look so goddamn miserable,” he grunts, releasing me.

  I give him a shaky smile and finish filling the glasses of tea and soda before I grab Jim’s beer. I then hurry back to their table, dropping them off before I finish my rounds.

  I catch the tail end of their conversation as I arrive to the table next to them to deliver their meals, and it has my stomach dropping. “You’ll never find a girl who will stick by you like Jessa has,” Margie states.

  “She’ll never leave, mom. Don’t worry about that,” he laughs.

  He sounds almost evil, or maybe that’s just the way I’m beginning to see him. Trent has always been extremely selfish, but he’s never intentionally said and done things to hurt me. He’s never acted as though he had the right to whore me out, not like he is now.

  As I make my way to check on my other tables, my mind is spinning. Maybe he has always acted this way and I’ve chosen to ignore it. Maybe all of this time he’s just been waiting to force me to join in on his fantasies and he’s never found other participants. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out before I go back to Trent’s table to take their orders.

  Cole: I’m going to kiss every square inch of your body when you’re officially mine.

  I wish I were with you right now. Sunday can’t come soon enough.

  Shoving my phone in my apron pocket, I make my way back to Trent’s table and take their orders. Turning them into the kitchen, I take another deep breath. Keith brushes past me, his hand skimming my lower back and causing me to shiver in disgust.

  “I’m going to make you scream, Jessa. Just wait,” he chuckles against my ear.

  I fight the bile from rising in my throat. Luckily, he doesn’t do or say anything else as he walks into the employee area, most likely to grab his shit and leave for the night—hopefully, anyway.

  “Order up,” the cook calls out.

  I hurry to the counter, grabbing onto the plates as I reluctantly hurry toward Trent’s table. I set their food down before I sit next to Trent. His hand quickly wraps around the top of my thigh and gives me a rough squeeze. I try to hide my whimper of pain at his action.

  “How are your classes going?” Margie asks me.

  We spend the next thirty minutes talking about school and football. Its then that I find out that Trent is starting in the game tomorrow night. I act surprised, and even give him a big fake smile with the delivered news. He boasts to his parents about how good he is, how he’s the best player on the team, and he won’t even finish college before he’s drafted into the NFL.

  I listen to all of the bullshit spilling from his lips and try my hardest not to roll my eyes at him. I don’t doubt that he’s good, but carrying the entire team and being better than the players that have been there for four years? I highly doubt even an ounce of that is true.

  “Then you can quit school too, Jessa. You’ll be a famous wife. Oh, maybe you’ll be on one of those Housewives shows?” Margie says, squealing with excitement.

  My eyes bug out of my head. I don’t respond to her, not wanting to get into a conversation about how I’ll never quit school for Trent. I excuse myself and stand. Telling them that after my class tomorrow, I’ll show them around campus and we’ll go to lunch.

  Margie waves her hand in a goodbye fashion, and I walk over to my other tables. All new people have arrived, and I busy myself gathering their drink orders. I slip into the hallway and lean my head against the wall, letting out an exhale.

  “You don’t owe us anything, Jessa, especially not staying with someone you don’t love,” Jim’s voice states, causing my body to jerk and my eyes to pop open.

  “Jim,” I whisper, unsure of what else to say.

  He clears his throat and reaches for my hand, taking it in his big warm one. “Do you know why we took you in?” he asks, his eyes almost sad. I shake my head, trying to swallow the knot that has suddenly formed in my throat.

  “We took you in, Jessa, because you were the sweetest girl in all of Grant. We watched you grow up from kindergarten. We knew who your mother was and we were happy when you and Trent started going together. But, Jessa, Trent is not the reason we took you on.

  “We took you on because we knew you deserved better than the hand you were dealt. We knew that we may not have been able to offer you much in the way of material things, but we could offer you a stable home, a roof over your head, and love. Margie and I love you like one of our own, and that will not change if you aren’t with Trent.

  “Margie wants you with him because she loves you, and she knows you’d always be good to him. Not because it’s your duty; not because you owe him or us a damn thing, because you don’t. What I want for you is to be happy, Jessa. You haven’t ever been blissfully happy, and I want that for you, just like I want it for Trent.”

  I open my mouth to say something, but he only shakes his head and walks away from me. He doesn’t give me a chance to respond, and by the time I gather myself together, the three of them are no longer at their table.

  I collect the money they left and take it to the register to cash them out. My eyes sting with wetness when I see that my own boyfriend left me a fifteen-cent tip. I know it’s his money because it’s all crumpled up. Jim keeps his money in a clip, and Margie never has cash on her. That fucking prick. Though I should be glad he didn’t stiff the bill altogether; seems like something he would do.

  Working the rest of my shift goes by in a complete blur. I can’t get what Jim said off of my mind. Then there’s Cole, who is always at the forefront of my thoughts, too. Jim’s assurance that they didn’t take me in just because of Trent makes me feel funny. It makes me feel wanted. Other than when I’m with Cole, I’ve never felt that way before.

  By the time I drag myself home, I’m both physically and mentally exhausted. Ines is asleep in her bed when I walk into the room, and I’m glad that she’s not awake. I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve talked to
her, but I’ve also been happy to just be in my own head about everything happening.

  Once I’m dressed for bed and I climb between my sheets, I pull out my phone to check my messages. There is nothing from Trent, and I’m not surprised in the least. There’s nothing in response to my last text to Cole either, and that does surprise me.

  I bite my bottom lip and contemplate calling him, but I decide against it. He’s probably asleep in bed. He has a long day tomorrow with the Huskers’ first game of the season, I’m sure.

  Falling asleep doesn’t come easily, even though I’m exhausted. Instead, I toss and turn all night long, thinking about everything swirling around inside of me.

  My feelings are overwhelming.

  Margie wanting me with Trent.

  Jim telling me, essentially, that he knows Trent doesn’t make me happy and to go and be with someone who does make me happy—blissfully so.

  Then there’s Trent, who has never said he loves me, who wants to use me, and has appetites that I can’t and won’t fulfill for him.

  And finally, Cole, the man my body aches for. The man who is slowly owning my heart, piece by piece. He’s what I want, but I don’t want to make a stupid decision. I don’t want to possibly ruin my relationship with the Keller’s and have my relationship with Cole blow up in my face.

  “You think too fucking loud, Jessa,” Ines announces groggily.

  “What on earth?” I ask as I turn to face her, my eyes trying to focus on her in the dark.

  I watch as her body sits up and I copy her to do the same, folding my hands in my lap and looking down at my fingers.

  “Tell me what’s going on?” she demands.

  “Cole asked me to leave Trent, and I’m going to,” I admit aloud.

  It makes my heart race—no—slam against my chest as though its fighting to leave my body.

  “Why are you leaving all of a sudden?” she asks. It doesn’t sound accusatory, more curious than anything else.

  I lean back against the wall, stretching my legs out in front of me so that my feet dangle off of the side of the bed. I don’t know if it’s all of a sudden, or maybe instead, more like finally. “Remember how I told you that Trent has some appetites that I’m not comfortable with? Well, he doesn’t care about my level of comfort, and it’s just not something I can be all right with, ever. His parents are here and Jim, his dad, he came up to me alone and he talked to me. He told me the real reason he and Margie took me in. It had nothing to do with Trent; it was because they wanted to give me a stable life, because they’ve always cared for me,” I say. The words, they fill me with a sense of happiness and peace, just saying them to somebody else.

  “Wow. So all this time Trent’s been manipulating you and guilting you, and it was never even about him,” she whispers.

  “He wants to be with other people, other girls, and he doesn’t care if I’m there or not. He also wants to set up meetings for me to be with other men, while he is there. I didn’t ask details on what his role would be. I can’t do it, though,” I admit as I scrunch my nose up.

  “Jessa,” she whispers.

  “You know? I get it. I really do. I understand that people like that, but it’s not for me, and he doesn’t care how I feel. That’s not love, and I don’t love him, either.”

  “But you love Cole?” she asks.

  I chew on the inside of my cheek and think about her words. It doesn’t take long for me to find my conclusion. “I don’t. I don’t love him because I don’t know him well enough, but I really like him. I like him more than I’ve ever liked anybody in my life. To me, that’s worth at least giving us a try.”

  “Good. I’m glad you finally see that you’re worth more than what you’ve been accepting from Trent.”

  We don’t say anything else. We just sit in the dark, and I watch out the window as the sun rises on a new dawn.

  Today is a new day.

  I’m one step closer to searching for my own happiness.

  The thought of finally being Cole’s has me smiling to myself.

  I can’t wait.

  COLE

  GAME DAY.

  My head should be in the game, and yet it isn’t. All I can think about is Jessa. I want her, in my bed and at my side. I want her ass in the stands for me, not him. I want her beneath me, on top of me, around me every possible fucking second of everyday. I can’t help but wonder if it will really happen, or if she’ll stay with him.

  I walk out onto the game field, toward the fifty-yard line. The stands are empty, but in a few hours, they’ll be filled with screaming fans, students and parents. Their eyes will be on the players and on me. The only person I care who watches is Jessa.

  Last night, I didn’t sleep, which is why I’m standing out here at five in the morning. If I were outside, there would be dew on the ground. Since this is a domed stadium, it’s dry and ready for play.

  The phone in my pocket buzzes, and I grab it, looking down to see that it’s Jessa. She’s calling instead of her normal text, and I quickly swipe my finger to answer.

  “Hey, baby,” I murmur.

  “Can I see you?” she asks, sounding odd.

  I immediately tell her where I am, and she says she’ll be here soon before hanging up. I shove my phone back in my pocket as I turn around and watch the only entrance that I know is open. She calls me when she can’t find her way in, and I give her instructions on where to go. Once she’s inside of the dome, it doesn’t take her long to arrive.

  I let out an exhale at the sight of her as she rushes toward me. She’s wearing her long hair up in some kind of knot at the top of her head, a cream, long sleeve sweater that’s hanging off one shoulder, along with a pair of torn up jeans. She’s never looked prettier. However, the dark circles under her eyes tell me that she’s exhausted.

  “Baby,” I mutter as I close the distance between us once she’s just a few feet away.

  Her lips crash against mine, and I pick her up slightly before she wraps her long legs around my waist. I taste her, taste her desperation, and I meet that with my own. It’s only been one full day since I’ve had her, and yet it feels like it’s been months. I walk us away from the middle of the field and toward the entrance to the underground tunnels, knowing that even if someone came into the arena, they wouldn’t see us in this dark corner.

  Setting her feet down, I quickly unbutton and unzip her jeans before I shove my hand into her panties and slip two fingers inside of her wet pussy.

  “Cole,” she whimpers against my lips. I unbutton my own jeans with my free hand and push them down, along with my boxers, past my hips.

  “Get out of these jeans, baby,” I growl against her lips.

  “Cole, I-It’s daytime,” she whispers.

  I smile at her, fuck she’s sweet. “Nobody can see us here. I wouldn’t let anybody see you, not ever.”

  With an exhale, she shimmies out of her jeans and panties. Then she wraps her arms around my shoulders and lifts herself up. Wrapping her legs around me again, I groan at the contact of her wet pussy grazing my cock. I thrust inside of her with one quick pump of my hips.

  “Oh, god,” she moans as her head falls against the concrete wall.

  Wrapping my hands around her hips, I press against her as I slide almost completely out of her and then slam inside of her warm, waiting pussy. Her fingers dig into my shoulders as I take her, my eyes focused on the way my cock glistens as it disappears in and out of her body.

  “Look at me,” she whispers.

  I lift my gaze from our connection to meet her eyes with my own. I slow down my thrusts as I get lost inside of her light brown eyes. I move one of my hands from her hip to wrap around the side of her neck as I slowly pump in and out of her, making sure she feels every fucking inch of me.

  “You feel so good, Cole.”

  I can tell she wants to tell me more, or something else, but she doesn’t. I don’t push her, my thumb tracing her lips as I continue to take her body. I can feel her pussy flut
ter around me as she climbs higher toward her release.

  One touch of my thumb against her clit will send her over the edge, but I don’t want to do that quite yet. I want to be connected to her for as long as possible, feel her tight, wet pussy, around me for eternity. I want to fucking memorize this.

  “Come on, Jessa. Work for it, baby,” I grind out through a clenched jaw.

  I watch as her lips tremble and she moves her hips as much as she can from her position against the wall. I keep one hand on the side of her neck and the other on her hip as I slowly fuck her. Sweat gathers across my forehead, and I feel my back tingle as my balls draw up, ready to empty inside of her tight cunt.

  “Jessa, baby you need to come,” I growl.

  I lean forward and nip her bottom lip with my teeth before I press my mouth against hers and I fuck her with my tongue. I grind my pelvis against her clit on my downward stroke, and that’s all it takes.

  Her limbs tighten around me just as her cunt does the same to my dick, and I swallow her cries as she comes. I buck in and out of her a few more times before my climax spills inside of her, and she swallows my low moans.

  “Fuck,” I groan as I press my forehead against hers, my cock still buried inside of her, where it belongs.

  “One more day,” I murmur with my eyes closed.

  I wait a beat, and when she doesn’t respond, I lift my head and look at her. She looks worried, frightened even, and it causes my heartrate to increase. I refuse to move away from her, choosing to stay inside of her and as close as possible to find out exactly what’s going through her gorgeous mind.

  “Talk to me,” I demand.

  JESSA

  I OPEN MY mouth to talk to him, to tell him all of the irrational thoughts that are spinning around inside of my head, but I don’t. I press my mouth to his, tasting his lips one more time. I never want this to end. This moment, though hurried, was perfect.