Page 78 of First Down Promise

“I thought you said you were okay?” I ask against his chest.

“I am, just a little extra ice.” He releases me and cautiously removes the wrapping. When he finally gets to the ice pack, his skin is red and angry along his ribs. “Yeah, that’s going to bruise.”

“Oh God,” I groan.

“Hey, don’t worry about me. Nothing’s broken.” I sit on the foot of his bed while he puts the ice pack back in the small refrigerator. “What’d you tell Sadie?” he calls over his shoulder.

I rub my palms over my bare thighs below the edge of my shorts. “Uh, I told her about us.” Josh’s head snaps up. “She won’t tell anyone and promised to cover for me with Pete,” I add.

“If you trust her.” He strides back over to me and stands in front of me.

I part my knees, and he stands between them. “I have no reason not to.” He leans down to kiss me, but braces a hand against his side as he does. “Are you sure you’ll be okay for this?” I ask.

He pecks me on the lips. “I don’t get to spend many nights with my girl. Not letting some screaming ribs or a fucked back stop me.”

“Maybe you should lie down. Don’t want you to aggravate them.”

“Fine.”

Josh moves past me to lie down on his back, tucking a pillow against his bruised side. I stand at the foot of the bed and lower my shorts past my hips until they fall to the floor. Josh’s eyes sparkle as my fingertips trail to the hemline of my sweatshirt, and he sucks in a breath as I lift it past my chest. Standing naked in front of him, I put my hands on my hips and laugh to myself because the girl who went to his room in Milwaukee wouldn’t be able to do this.

“You’re so fucking cute,” he says with a hoarse voice just as my phone buzzes on the nightstand, stealing our attention. I throw my head back and groan because it has to be Pete.

Pete: Hey, did you pack that heating pad?

“One minute,” I tell Josh. He chuckles and adjusts himself over his briefs. I roll my eyes at my damn phone and type out a reply before texting Sadie.

Me: Yeah, but I have a headache. Sadie will bring it up.

Me: Hey, I told Pete I had a headache. Can you bring him the heating pad? It’s in my suitcase.

Sadie: No problem!

I set my phone face down on the nightstand. “Pete…” I say under my breath, and Josh nods. I move to his good side and run my palm over his clothed crotch. “Where were we?”

“Right about here…” He tilts my chin upward with his index finger and presses his lips to mine. I push him back so I can straddle his lap and grind over the bulge growing in his briefs. “Babe,” he groans.

“Babe,” I repeat with a smirk.

He kicks off the briefs, and I straddle him again. His hands press into the sides of my hips, and I lean down to kiss him. As our lips touch, I shift my hips to take him in. I gasp out into his mouth as his fingers press harder into my skin.

“Fuck,” he groans.

“I can handle it, Josh,” I tease.

It’s his turn to smirk now. “Oh, I know.”

He lets me stay on top, which is a testament to how much his side hurts because he usually likes the control. He slowly sits up a little further, so we’re more face-to-face like the second time we ever did this. As I lower myself onto him and rise, he brushes his thumb over my clit. It’s almost too much pressure, but I don’t want him to stop. My cheeks burn until I finally tip over the edge. I cry out, and Josh holds me still.

“Oh my God,” I pant.

“We both needed that,” Josh jokes. He slips out of me, but I gasp as he takes hold of himself and guides his half-hard cock back inside. “Fuck, that feels good.”

“Don’t worry, I took my pill today,” I half-joke.

“Good, ‘cause I’m not done with you yet tonight.”

The next morning, Josh wakes me up, but I stay molded to his warm side with my eyes closed. “Ab, we have flights,” he says.