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- Baylor Barbee
Weeks pass us by in a blur after that night spent introducing Tyler to my father. Now the phone calls from my dad come more frequently, checking in on me and wishing Ty good luck in some sort of way. I’m happy to hear from him more, too. I’d missed him. I should’ve known he’d play a hard-ass toward Ty, but in the end, he’d be supportive of us. He’s been that way my entire life. I think being away from him made me forget that he only wants what’s best for me.
November’s fast approaching and with the seasons steadily changing, I’m a little sad that it may be too chilly to go swimming again out at the ranch. We had a great time together before, and I was hoping it’d become a regular occurrence, but traveling for football and classes has kept Ty and me both busy.
He made me promise that we’d go out to the ranch next weekend, and I can’t wait to have the country air against my skin again. I feel like I can just breathe out there. No one’s rushing to classes and spilling coffee everywhere or letting doors close on you because they’re in too much of a hurry to show some kindness.
Not only that but for Ty to be pressed up against me as well. We’ve been apart a lot lately, more so than we were in the beginning, and it’s taking a toll on us. I miss him—his smell, his smile, just having him near me. I want to be able to spend time with him every single day, but I know right now it’s just not possible and I have to make myself okay with that. Most days I’ll head over to the football field and do my homework in the stands so I can watch him practice and just be at the same place as him.
Thankfully, his teammate, Briggs, hasn’t attempted to speak to me again. I guess Tyler’s message was loud and clear that I’m off limits and I’m beyond grateful. I can’t believe he’s remained on the team for this long with all the evil stuff he’s pulled. I hope one day he gets caught and all those women affected receive some sort of justice. I’m glad Ty, JJ, and Chandler are keeping an eye on him. A creep like that deserves to go to jail.
“Thinking about Mr. Hot Pants again?” Brianne bumps me with her shoulder as we sit under our favorite tree on the campus lawn.
“When do I stop thinking about him?” Grinning, I pluck some grass and toss them at her.
“Ugh, I know, it’s gross.” She rolls her eyes and smiles. She’s enjoying this teasing me lately, way too much.
“Oh whatever, all I hear about from you is, ‘Kash this and Kash that.’ You have it bad too. Are you guys ever going to be a couple?” Kash seems like a decent guy; he’s full of talent and is very well spoken when he’s around. I think he comes from a wealthy family, but Brianne hasn’t mentioned anything that personal about him.
“Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t know what’s holding him back; we’re together all the time. He just takes things slow, I guess.” She shrugs. Slow isn’t normal for her so I know she has to be going nuts inside waiting for him to do something about it.
“As long as you’re happy, that’s what matters.”
“Right.” She nods, not as cheerful anymore, confirming my suspicions.
“Hey, it’ll happen. They have a full month of games left, then they’ll be home all the time, and I’m sure Kash will be ready for more. It’s probably too difficult to concentrate on so much going on when you’re the Captain of the football team. Mix it with classes and all this traveling; I bet he’s exhausted.”
“You know what? You’re probably right. I think they’re all a little nervous with the NFL watching so close right now. Kash and Ty want to be picked up in the draft this year along with most of the other guys, so I understand their focus. It’s just, well, it’s frustrating. I need to be patient because I like him.”
“I know, believe me. I miss Ty like crazy. They need our support and understanding right now.”
“What are you going to do if he goes to a team that’s far away?”
Shrugging, I bite my lip, worrying about losing him already. “I guess all I can do is just hope that he’ll ask me to go with him.”
“You’d leave with him? Really? It’s so soon, though.”
“Well, April’s still months away, so I think by then if he asked me, yes, I’d probably go with him.”
“Your dad would lose his mind.”
“I would’ve believed that before if I’d brought it up to him, but he’s met Tyler, and he knows that we care for each other a lot. I think as long as I was to finish out school wherever we went, then my dad would be okay with it.”
“You’re lucky; I don’t think Kash would ask me to go with him.” Tears begin to fill her eyes, and I pull her in for a side hug.
“You’re being a dramatic Debbie-downer. Give the guy a chance. I never thought Tyler would be the type of guy to be in a committed relationship, but he is. It was just timing and wanting it bad enough. You like Kash, so give him some time to make those decisions himself.”
“A few months ago if you’d have told me that you’d be giving me advice on my love life, I’d never have believed you.”
“Ugh, you can be such a snot sometimes,” I tease, making her smile again. “I have to get to class, but I’ll see you later?”
“You bet. See ya, woman.” She waves as I start the trek to my next class.
“Did you get the videos yet?” I question Chandler after our afternoon practice.
“Lila’s supposed to give them to me tonight and Haley in the morning.”
JJ lets out a relieved breath, muttering, “Thank God. It’s been three weeks since she said that she’d help. I’m sick of having to see Briggs every day when all I want to do is punch him in the nuts.”
“Me too and I can’t stand having him on the same field when Kadence is around. I swear if I see him look at her I’m going to go ballistic,” I grumble. And I’m also tired of seeing Chandler look so damn broken having to go between two women so we can get the help that we need to bust this scumbag once and for all. It’s taking a toll on Chan mentally, and I need him to be completely focused on the games, not this mess.
“I think we should go to the Dean first thing tomorrow with the videos, knock it out before Briggs has a chance to hurt anyone else.”
“I agree.” JJ nods.
“Sounds good. Should I text Nate to come with us too, or wait? He could be an outside witness for what happened at the ranch.”
“Let’s wait and see what the Dean wants to do. The girls don’t want to get law enforcement involved unless the school presses for it. They just want Briggs banned from campus and the whole thing to disappear.”
Shaking my head, I grumble, “That’s crazy. He can just go somewhere else and do it again to other women. He should be in jail. And he can still blackmail them not being on campus.”
“I get it, trust me,” Chandler agrees. “I think he should be locked away as well, but this is what Haley and Lila want. They don’t want their families or anyone else finding out about it. We need to respect their wishes since they’re the ones helping us out and have the actual proof.”
“That’s fine,” JJ interrupts, “but once he’s gone, I’m posting an anonymous message to the school paper. I won’t name any female names, but someone needs to let others know.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. A few of us should go on and post them so that way people will take notice and none of the victims will have their names blasted, besides Briggs.” JJ bumps my fist lightly, and our plan comes together. “All right, I’m out; I finally get to have dinner with Kay tonight.”
“Have fun, bro, Tell her to keep it down tonight; we’ll be trying to sleep.” JJ teases, and I flip him the bird. He loves giving me shit, especially in the locker room around the other guys.
“I’ll text you in the morning.” Chandler bumps my fist.
“All right sounds good, later,” I reply and nod to Niner and Kash as I head out.
After showering and catching up on some homework, I began chopping veggies and marinating meat for my dinner date with my Pretty. I checked online how to cut strawberries to look like small flowers, and I’ve been practicing to show off for her. My mom taught us all how to cook growing up, and I’ve never been so grateful than coming to college and being able to make more than sandwiches and using it in times like tonight.
I made sure all the guys would be gone for at least two hours this evening too, so that way we could have the house to ourselves and get some alone time. I’ve missed her, more than seems natural for a dude to miss a woman. I wish she were able to come with me out of town to my games, but it’s just not realistic financially or with her class load. One day it’ll happen, though. I’ll be in the NFL, and she’ll be able to go to every single game of mine if she wants.
The grill’s fired up and loaded with steaks and kabobs, the delicious aromas of prime beef filling the air when the doorbell chimes, signaling her arrival and upping my enthusiasm inside. Is it weird that I want to cook for her? It’s just another way that I can give her a piece of myself. Small touches count, and I want her to know just how special she is to me.
Opening the front door, she has me floored instantly in the sweet pink, baby doll style dress she’s rocking. How does she come up with these? First, the short-shorts paired with my jersey, and then there was the halter top and now this.
“No jeans and t-shirt tonight, huh?” Not that I mind one bit. I could stare at her all night long dolled up or not.
“I wanted to look nice for our date,” she replies shyly, shrugging her petite shoulders, with a soft blush staining her cheeks and chest as I glance at her from head to toe. She’s absolutely stunning and never stops surprising me with her outfit choices.
“Sweetheart, you surpass looking nice when you have on your glasses and comfy clothes. This right here is hotness overload. How do you expect me to be able to cook?” My finger tucks a stray lock of her peek-a-boo red hair behind her ear, and she laughs, rolling those gorgeous eyes of hers. Always a little spice to her and I love it.
“Well I can put on a pair of your sweatpants then until you’re finished because I’m starving and whatever you’re cooking back there smells awesome out here,” she chortles, smacking a loving kiss on my cheek as she comes inside.
“Hell no, you wear my clothes, and I’ll never get anything done except peeling them off of you.”
“Oh lord, you’re full of it tonight!” Her smile lights up, making me want to say whatever I can to keep it there.
Leading her out the sliding glass door to the little white patio table, I wrap an arm around her small waist. I can’t refrain myself from touching her again. “I’m just happy to see you.”
“Me too, I’ve missed you.”
“Same here, Pretty. I’m glad you’re here tonight.”
“Thank you for inviting me, now what are we eating? God, it smells delicious.”
“Steaks and some chicken kabobs.” Heading over to the grill, I flip the propane off and load up our plates.
“Mmm, my favorite.”
“And you’re my favorite.” Winking, I set her plate down and make her blush again.
“Being here,” she gestures to the house, landing on me. “It makes me miss you even more lately. Does that make sense at all?”
“Yes, because I feel the same way. It’ll calm down next month, though, I promise, and we can spend Christmas together at the ranch.”
“That would be amazing, but I’m supposed to visit my dad. He did say he wanted to start coming here more, so maybe I can talk him into spending Christmas in Alabama instead.”
“Good idea,” I agree, digging into my full plate of food. Not having her around me during the holidays would suck. Hopefully, she can work her magic on him.
I don’t know what it is about Tyler being in the kitchen, but it makes him unbelievably sexy, kind of like his tight football pants he wears. He rinses another plate and hands it to me to dry as we clean up our dinner dishes. After I wipe off the last dish and the cutting board, he dips his fingers into the water from the faucet and splashes me. He’s done it three times already, but this one was the biggest splash. I’ve ignored him thus far, but this one has me giving in.
Giggling, my hands quickly wind my towel up and lightly let it loose to pop him with it in the thigh.
“Ouch!” he yells, chuckling, then surprises me by pulling me to him. I know I didn’t hit him hard enough to actually hurt him, but it made a decent snap sound to make him jump, and that was pretty satisfying.
“You’re in trouble,” he growls, trying to sound scary, but it does the opposite. It makes him even sexier if that’s possible. Dropping down, he lifts me over his shoulder, taking off out of the kitchen and down the hall toward the bedrooms. Thank God the guys aren’t around with me being in this dress, my panties are on full display.
“Ah! Where are you taking me?”
“To show you what happens when you start giving me sass.” His southern drawl has me going, and I can’t help but let loose a loud giggle at his playful threat. I love it that he’s not scared to be silly with me.
Storming into his bedroom, a man on a mission, he locks his door and just when I expect him to toss me onto his bed, he does the unexpected. Tyler pulls me down over his chest, my body sliding against his until he gently lowers me onto his bed, laying his frame over mine.
Bringing his lips to my own, he softly sucks my lower lip into his mouth. It’s sweet with just the right amount of sultry to have my body humming inside for him. The flirting and laughing, then this sensual side of him is the perfect combination in a man.
“Pretty?” Whispering, he pulls away just enough so he can speak against my mouth.
“Yeah, Ty?” My voice mumbles, just as softly, while I gaze into those sparkly irises of his.
“I sure do love you.” His lips flutter over mine as they speak some of the most meaningful words I’ve ever heard. He’s close enough that I can feel his love for me, with his heart pounding against my breast with excitement. The silliness from before is replaced with tenderness as a happy tear trails down my cheek.
“I love you, too, Tyler Owens, so much.” He stares down at me as I respond, his eyes full of raw emotions so sincere that they have my stomach twisting in delightful spins.
At my admission, his fingers find my softness, rubbing delicious circles until my core is aching for him to make love to me. Pulling his lips between my teeth, I nibble and urge him on, wanting all of him.
“Can I have you?” He asks, sweetly rubbing his nose against mine.
“You already do. You have since the first time you helped me up. Please make love to me.” Gripping the sides of his shirt, my hands work to free his torso that’s fit for a Greek god.
“Is it all right if we leave the dress on? You’re incredibly stunning in it. I want to remember you like this—cheeks flushed, sexy dress, telling me that you love me.”
“Yes, of course.” I grin, happy he loves the outfit that I picked to wear especially for Tyler and knowing that this moment is just as special for him as it is for me.
Eagerly, he pulls my panties down my legs and kisses up my calves. Soft, delicate touches of his lips flutter up the insides of my thighs until they caress where I need him the most. His hands are rough against my skin as they stroke me. Words such as ‘perfect, amazing, and magnificent’ leave his mouth, making me feel truly beautiful inside and out—and loved. He never stops making me feel loved, even for a moment.
And that’s when I know that I want him forever...
