Full Court Press (23 page)

She stood up onto her tiptoes to kiss him as his hand smoothed along the top edge of her thong. When his hand slipped down the front of the black fabric, she pulled her lips away reluctantly. “Beck...”

“What?” he murmured, stepping closer.

“We can’t get started again, we’d be late,” she said. He was so close that her lips brushed against his as she spoke.

He made a sound of disapproval and pushed his lips against hers roughly before stepping back.

She shook her head firmly to clear her thoughts and pulled her jeans on. She had to hop to pull them all the way up, causing her to bump into his chest. It was like bumping into a brick wall.

She leaned back into the car to grab her shirt and suddenly a hand was on her ass and his hips were leaning against hers. “You really shouldn’t be bending over in front of me like that then.”

She smiled. “Or what?”

“Or I’m gonna yank your jeans down and do you all over again.” He slid a hand around to the front of her jeans and slipped below the waistband.

She bit back a moan. “What’s stopping you?” she teased, pushing her ass higher, knowing he wouldn’t get started when they needed to be in class.

“Ahh ha.” He yanked her out of the car by her hips before flipping her around and pinning her against the SUV. “What, you think that because you were on top this time that you can taunt me or some shit?”

She could hear the humor in his voice, and she tried to keep a straight face. “Maybe.”

He shook his head slowly and ran his hands up her mostly bare torso. “If only we had a few more minutes, I would teach you a lesson.”

“Oh really?” she said.

“Really. You just wait, because next time...” He leaned down to speak in her ear and cup her ass tightly. “I’m going to make you beg for it.”

She got hot all over again but kept up the act, hoping to get some more out of him. “You can try.”

He pulled back and smiled. “I’m gonna do more than try, sweetheart. Besides, did you think I was kidding about the handcuffs?” He let go of her and opened his front passenger door to get into the glove box. He came back with a set of cuffs and she gulped.

Now why hadn’t they used those?

“Do these look fun to you?” he teased, holding them in front of her face.

She nodded.

“I thought so. I have some great ideas. Do you want to hear them?” he asked, leaning closer, resting the cold metal on her sternum.

She nodded again, fervently.

He smiled wickedly. “Too bad.”

“Ugh!” she said, pushing him back.

He laughed and tossed the handcuffs into the car. “Relax, just remind me and I’ll use them on you next time.”

“Whatever.” She pulled her shirt on. “You really shouldn’t feed my perverted tendencies, you know.”

“Oh shut up, don’t even go there.”

“It’s true!” she said, shutting the door as they made their way back to the school.

“It’s not perverted.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it would only be perverted if you were some weird nympho who’s addicted to it, which you are not. You get off without it, obviously.”

“So? I still want it.”

“You are not perverted. You are sexy. The end.”

She looked up at him. “You think I’m sexy?”

“Well, hello, I wouldn’t be banging you if you weren’t.”

“Oh, you mean I’m hot.”

He sighed and grabbed her arm, stopping them both so that he could look at her. “A lot of girls are hot, with little waists and big tits, but you have a trim athletic body with some muscles that I didn’t even know girls were allowed to have. That is sexy. You want to adventure into the world of light bondage, which takes confidence. That’s sexy too. You can go from being strapped down to riding me like a fucking bucking bronco or some shit, which is extremely sexy. You don’t wear ridiculous amounts of makeup. You’re hella fast and pretty good at basketball. You don’t ask questions when you know someone needs space. You can drive a stick. Casual sex is new to you but you’re coping with it like a pro, you don’t tell other people things that you know are private, you have this amazing body yet you’re so damn shy about it and you can get me off faster than I ever thought possible. That is all sexy.”

She blinked. “Oh, wow.”

“Oh yeah, and you wax with that landing strip, which is super sexy.”

“Beck!”

He shrugged. “I like ‘em smooth but not bare. Otherwise, I feel like I’m banging a plastic blow up doll or some shit.”

She blinked. “Oh, I see.”

“Yeah, now let’s go.” He started back into the school but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back around.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for the compliments.”

He shrugged her off and tried to look annoyed. “They weren’t compliments, just facts.”

“Well, thank you for the facts,” she countered.

He looked annoyed some more and pulled her the rest of the way into the school.

“Beck, do you want me to go through a list of things I find sexy about you like you did with me?”

“No, thank you.”

“Well, I could, because you aren’t an asshole.”

“We need to get to class, Carmondy.”

The warning bell went off and she had no choice but to rush inside after him to make it to class on time.

That evening, Carmondy stepped out of the bathroom after her shower in sweats and a T-shirt. Her hair was damp and she let it hang loose around her shoulders. The girls had wanted to come over after practice with pizza and a movie and throw her a little housewarming party.

She’d asked Beck if he wanted to come over too, so Andy wouldn’t be the only guy, but he’d said not just no, but ‘hell no’. It had upset her a little, but she could see how this really wouldn’t be his thing. She had just finished dressing when the doorbell rang. She opened to door to find Anderson and a group of five girls: Kendall, Torie, Sydney, Alli and a sophomore named Kiley.

“Hey, guys, come on in.”

Everyone crowded into the apartment. Alli was balancing five unbaked pizzas. “A little help here?”

Carmondy smiled and took the pizzas from her, setting them on the counter beside the stove. “Who’s gonna cook these suckers?”

“Kiley!” a chorus sounded.

The dark-haired girl came forward with a good-natured look. “Now I know why I was invited.”

Kendall smiled and nudged her. “Nooo, we invited you because you’re gonna be team captain next year. I’ll help, but for now just pre-heat the oven so Car can give us the tour.”

“All right, well...this is my apartment,” Carmondy said, spreading her arms. “Dining area, kitchen, empty bedroom and my bedroom.”

The girls all flocked to her bedroom, curious. Once everyone was inside, Kendall looked around. “Why does this look...like someone else’s bedroom that we know?”

“Er...I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kendall fixed her with a stare. “Oh really?” She picked the picture up off her bedside table. “I seem to remember giving this to someone very specific last year.” She looked around and pointed to the wall. “And the posters? I’ve seen those same exact ones somewhere else. And the bedspread?” She picked up the corner of the blanket Beck had brought her. “Also very familiar.”

“You spend a lot of time at Beck’s place, I see,” Carmondy teased.

“Har har, yeah right. But you admit it?”

She shrugged. “He brought some stuff over last night, no big deal.”

“He brought stuff over for you?”

“Yeah...it was a little weird actually...but anyway! Everyone out of my room, I thought we were going to pig out and watch a movie.”

“True dat!” Anderson said from the living room.

“When is that pizza gonna be ready? I’m starving.” Torie was the last one to come out of Car’s bedroom.

“I brought snacks,” Alli said. “That should hold us over until the pizza is ready. Do we want to give Car her stuff now or wait?”

“Now!” several of the girls said.

“Oh, you guys, you didn’t get me stuff, did you?” Carmondy frowned.

Kendall shrugged and pulled a bag from floor where she had set it. “It’s not everyday someone we know gets her own apartment.”

Car sighed and took the bag, moving to sit on the couch, everyone finding a seat around her. Anderson pulled an unsuspecting Kendall onto his lap, who slapped at his hand around her waist but didn’t make a move to get up.

“Kendall...do I have to open this?”

“Oh calm down, it’s nothing big. Just look in the bag.”

Carmondy opened the bag and pulled out a small box. It was a little over-the-door hoop and basketball set.

“Aww, it’s adorable! Thanks, Kendall.”

“No problem, everyone should have one of those.”

“Me next!” Anderson exclaimed, standing up with Kendall in his arms. She squeaked before Anderson set her back down.

He grabbed something off the table before coming back to her and planting a big kiss on her forehead. “There you go,” he said, putting the box in her lap.

“Oh, was the kiss my gift?” she teased.

“No, but it can be.” He leaned forward suggestively but she laughed and pushed him away.

She opened the outer box to find a smaller one sitting inside.

“You got me a shower radio?”

“Yep! So when you’re in the shower getting all naked and steamy, you can rock out and think about me!”

“Oh, wow. That’s really cool, Anderson. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. It’s actually a re-gift. I got it for Christmas last year from a cousin, but I already have one.”

“Okay,” she laughed. “Even better, I guess.”

“Our turn!” A few of the girls stood up and went to the table, coming back with something covered in a bag. They set it on the coffee table in front of her and pulled the bag off. “Ta da!”

“Aww.” Carmondy leaned forward. “It’s a fish.”

Torie nodded. “There are two, but one of them likes to hide in his little castle, see?”

Carmondy crouched down in front of the fish tank and saw one of the little orange fish in the castle that was sitting in the fake sand. “They’re so cute!”

“They won’t get much bigger and the tank has the filter and the oxygenator thingy so it’s all ready to go,” Alli said.

“Thanks, you guys,” Car said. “I’ve always wanted a pet.”

The oven made a beeping noise.

“Pizza!” Anderson exclaimed.

“No,” Kiley said. “The oven’s just done heating up.”

“That’s so lame,” Anderson whined.

Kendall pushed Anderson out of the way with a hand on his chest. “Like you need any more food. Come on, Kiley. Let’s see if we can fit two pizzas in there.” Kendall looked at Car. “Since Kiley was the last one we picked up, we raided her movie stash.” She nodded to the table. “Pick something to put in.”

The mattress from the spare bedroom was pulled out, and two girls sat on it while two other girls squeezed into the large armchairs. Anderson stretched out on the floor, and Kendall joined Carmondy on the couch. They chatted through most of the movie, especially Anderson, who kept hitting on the younger girl, trying to get her to join him on the floor.

“Come on, sweetheart. I’ll make it comfy for you.”

“No thanks,” Kiley insisted.

Carmondy was impressed. The girl was doing a good job of keeping him at bay.

“Why not? I’m all lonely down here.” He stretched out on his back, purposefully letting his shirt creep up and show his abs.

“I’m fine right here.”

“I know that you’re fine, but why don’t you come down here and be fine with me?”

“You’re not my type,” the girl said boldly, causing everyone to laugh.

“Lay off, Andy,” Kendall said. “She’s on the team. That makes her off limits.”

“You weren’t off limits last year,” he challenged.

“Biggest mistake of my life.”

“Aww, don’t be that way, baby. I’ll take you back for a one nighter. I know how lonely you must be.”

“Oh shut up, idiot.”

A little while later, the movie was over and it was late. All the pizzas had been cooked but only three had been eaten, leaving two uneaten ones in her fridge.

The girls said their goodnights and cleared out.

She turned back to her empty apartment with a smile. She really was starting to feel like she had friends, like she was part of a team.

The next morning, Carmondy skipped the turn off to the school and kept going. She waved at Anderson when she saw him outside his house, but kept driving until she reached Beck’s. He’d declined to come to her party last night, but she knew he still had some accounting work to get done and wanted to see if she could help him with it before they went to school.

An unfamiliar powder blue sports car was parked beside his BMW X5, and she assumed that it belonged to a girl. No self-respecting guy would drive a car like that.

As she got out of the Jeep and rounded the little car, the front door opened and a girl stepped out, attempting to smooth down her messed-up curls.

The girl noticed her and smirked. Her make-up was messed up and her clothes wrinkled. “You’re a little late, honey. I’ve taken care of him already.”

Carmondy cocked an eyebrow. Did she look like that after sex with Beck? She felt an odd feeling in her chest...jealousy? No, that couldn’t be it but she felt...hurt. Why had he called up some seemingly random girl? She had offered for him to come over but he had declined.

The girl made her way to her sports car and got in while Carmondy knocked on the front door. When there was no answer, she tried again, but there was still no answer. She tried the doorknob and found it unlocked so she stepped inside.

“Beck?” She heard some movements from the back so she went back to peer in his bedroom. He had music on. She caught a glimpse of his bare backside until he pulled a pair of boxers up, followed by jeans.

“Beck.”

He whipped around, his hair still damp from his shower. “Carmondy?”

“Yeah.”

He reached over and turned his stereo off. “What are you doing here?”

“I ran into your lady friend,” she said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder toward the front door. “She looked a little worse for the wear.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he snapped.