A/N: Mature content (sigh).

"Shit..." I cursed under my breath at the sight ahead of me. The way Harper walked up the sidewalks away from her dorm room gave me an entirely new meaning of the word 'thankful.'

My mouth dried as I thanked every God I'd ever heard or read about that blessed me with today's pleasant Southern California weather. The sunset colors that painted the sky weren't what I was thankful for, but I sure appreciated a temperature warm enough that I got a full view of Harper as she approached.

With soft clicks, she walked in a short, tight, black dress that hugged every curve and dip in her gorgeous body. Her breasts bounced with each step of the black high heels that elongated her already long and slender legs, her hips shifted with a natural, wavelike sway, and she carried herself with steadied shoulders and small chin lifted up high.

My mouth dried at how a few random strands of her long, straight blonde hair blew up from behind her shoulders. I rubbed one hand over my jaw to make sure it was still attached because, at this point, I had no idea. My tongue flicked out on its own and wet my dry lips.

When her eyes met mine, they sparkled the more I gaped at her like a lovesick -

No, not that again Jake. Bury that shit for later.

More than once over the past two weeks, I'd gotten dangerously close to blurting out my feelings to Harper. They felt stronger after sex, stongest when I held her afterwards, and had only got stronger the more I acknowledged them then locked them back down.

My tortured reality was I now thought about Harper when she wasn't here, even stupid shit like how excited I was when she texted me that she got an 87 on her latest exam to how I knew exactly where to take her on our date in two weeks. I still fucked her hard in celebration over her exam score, then gazed at the back of her head like a highschool crush.

Fuck, bad analogy. She was my high school crush.

With painful beats, my heart jackhammered in my chest like it wanted to spring out of my dress shirt as Harper closed the distance between us. Her eyes looked electric from the dark makeup she'd applied around them, all her freckles were covered, and her lips wore just a light, pale pink something that actually wasn't sticky when I leaned down and kissed her gently.

"You look..." My eyes appreciated the deep V-cut in her dress' neckline. From far away only a sliver of her skin flashed but I got a downward view straight between her breasts when she almost pressed against me. "Edible."

My hand met my forehead before she answered me.

What the fuck, Jake? Edible?

Harper never needed compliments, since her confidence radiated from within her. She still deserved them, so I corrected myself, "I mean, beautifully edible."

"Like a fruit basket arrangement?" Her nose crinkled adorably.

No, fuck, not that word Jake.

One of her hands swatted my chest as she leaned her head back. "Behave Jake," she warned me as I lowered my hand from my forehead. She dipped her chin down and her eyes flashed at me from under her thick, black-painted lashes. "Or even better, don't."

It's like she fucking reads my mind sometimes.

Before I assured her past the way my lips curled up at the ends, her eyes dragged over my black suit. She'd seen me wear it after the past few home games but my skin warmed at the appreciation that sparkled in her gaze.

"You look..." Her lips pressed into the pulse that throbbed in my neck, right under my jaw. She inhaled deeply, probably picking up my mix of body wash, deodorant, and aftershave, then teased out a similarly awkward compliment, "Cleaner."

The laugh that rose up in my throat turned into a cough, then a strangled choke when she added, "This I love."

My body froze at her words, before I realized she'd lifted her hands and ran them through my hair. I'd left it natural, with whatever soft curls and waves that formed after my shower. Tonight I'd shaved completely below my jawline but her eyes dropped down and inspected over the part I'd left for her. Her fingertips followed and danced down the line of my jaw, over the rough stubble she'd informed me that she also preferred after a recent round of sex.

Technically, she'd used the specific words, "Keep it so you can rub it over my lady bits the next time you eat me out," but the effect was the same. She'd similarly outlined my jaw with her fingertips and gazed softly up at me.

Message still received.

The knowing look in her eyes now was the only hint she offered that she appreciated I'd listened, but it was enough that my lips tugged into a grin. It widened as her eyes roamed over my black suit with interest, down to the pair of round, silver cufflinks that used to be Dad's.

Heat simmered in her eyes by the time they lifted to mine, which only further encouraged my heart's attempted escape from behind my chest walls. I rolled my lips together and pressed them tightly shut.

Lock it down, Jake.

I wasn't ignoring the truth of how I felt, just... setting it aside until my timing was better. Two games left in the regular season and playoff plans was the worst time for a personal blow up. I assumed I needed all my attention and efforts on our relationship once I told Harper how I felt and she reacted how I feared she did.

Swimming across the Pacific for Australia, cursing and flashing a middle finger at me with each stroke.

In slight progress, I had committed myself that once the season was over, I righted any wrongs of ambiguity between us. Harper already had me but if she wanted, I truly committed myself to her. To set myself up with the biggest advantage possible, I'd lined up the least stressful date options I knew of, with the hopes that my fake, exclusive girlfriend agreed to become my real, exclusive girlfriend.

Fuck, that sounds so fucked up.

Tonight though, I more than happily showed off my ridiculously hot assumed girlfriend and spent some much-needed downtime with the guys. Midterms this week had been stressful for all of the students at USC and we certainly weren't exempt. The house sat quiet, filled with sounds of just muffled music or conversations from study groups instead of our usual loud music, video games or movies, even parties. The tension was thick and we needed a relaxing night of team bonding.

Another reason to save all that feelings shit for once the season ends.

With that game plan in mind for tonight, I extended my elbow to Harper. "Let's go."

"A magician never reveals their tricks," Delilah teased at me with a smirk.

I'd asked her, more for Evan's sake than mine, how she'd gotten out of her handcuffs. In the past two weeks, the girl proved she was just as much, if not more, of a challenge than Harper. Delilah had even gone as far as escaped out his window, climbed onto the garage roof below, dropped her shoes into the back yard grass, then leapt down.

I'm grasping here for my slight advantage, but at least Harper uses the stairs.

"Neither do fuckgirls," Harper tossed out quietly, which brought out loud laughs in me, Delilah, and Evan.

Between Harper and Deliliah, who somehow Evan had convinced to be seen in public with him, I laughed so hard that my sides ached during the entire dinner. The four of us shared a table with Zach and Sophia. While they shared in the laughs, almost entirely at my and Evan's expense, the golden couple definitely sat tucked against each other and shared a few murmured side comments every time the conversation topic turned back to vulgar.

Most of my offensive team sat in tables clustered around ours, from Adonis, who brought his mom and eyed the crabcakes near the center of the table like they called his name, to Jackson's less than sly approach threading his hand up and down between Nevaeh's legs under the tablecloth. To no surprise, Griff had clustered the family-style plates around his table setting and, at one point, tucked the end of the tablecloth into his shirt collar like a giant bib. The entire seating area erupted in laughs when his Mom smacked him in the shoulder.

The bittersweet presence of the family members who surrounded the players, coaches, and staff reminded me how glad I was that Harper had come tonight. Griff might've been happily invested in just the food while he ignored his family but even Harper's roasts against my manhood, attitude, lack of game, then back to my manhood had me sitting back with appreciation she was in my corner.

Alone because her 'girls' sat elsewhere, Sophia sat quietly and well-behaved on her end of the table. After my talk with Harper about girl drama, I couldn't have been happier with how well she got along with Delilah. Neck-down, they reacted like mirror images whenever Sophia spoke up and mentioned future WAG events. Evan and I shared an amused look over the blonde and black-haired heads between us, at how similarly their shoulders tensed and heads shook faster than Evan's ass hauled on the field lately.

"More challenge for me, I guess," he teased Delilah at one point, which earned him her closest elbow rammed into his ribs.

I had no idea Harper and Delilah had even met before. Only Delilah was more surprised than me when we first arrived at how Harper squealed, pulled out the open chair next to her, and hugged her tightly. Evan leaned forwards from where he sat on his girl's other side and shot me raised eyebrows but I smiled and sat next to Harper's other side.

In just three weeks together, Deliliah had also outlasted any other girl I'd seen him with in four years. That was especially impressive after she shared how they'd 'met,' or at least Evan chased after and she'd given him a false number.

Her crimson-red lips parted in a satisfied smile at me. "So I gave him an ED help number."

"Did you call it," I shot at him, which earned me a scowl and raised up middle finger.

"Not even blocked numbers work on you mouth-breathers." Harper's eyes sparkled at me from over her water glass.

"Sure didn't." Evan turned my stomach with how hard he gazed at Delilah's profile, then threaded one of his hands in hers. More than once, he'd stared at her like none of the rest of us were here instead of the completely crowded room in the nearby Radisson's banquet hall.

Am I that obvious?

I stole a glance at Harper on my right, who wiped tears from her own eyes with the corner of her napkin at whatever Delilah's murmured response was before she yanked her hand away. Before I answered my own stupid internal question with an equally mushy display of affection, Harper leaned over, cupped her hand over her mouth, and whispered into Delilah's ear.

Evan and I watched as they actually giggled softly, eyes lit up, and Delilah nodded slightly.

"Excuse me." She stood up abruptly. "I need to go smudge my makeup."

Her blue eyes shifted to Evan, who nearly fell over from how fast he shot up from his chair. "And I need to go, uhh, help her."

My mouth dropped open at their forwardness, which I expected from Evan. On her own level, Delilah hadn't just beaten him to what I assumed was a lewd idea but led him away like a puppy that tripped on its own paws.

A warm, soft hand circled over mine and drew my attention down to my lap. With a tiny smirk, Harper raised her hand up my thigh, closer and closer to between my legs, which swelled my cock up like it expected a fucking handshake.

"Fuck," I cursed, intercepted her hand, and tossed an apologetic look at the stunned looks on Zach and Sophia's faces. "Excuse us."

Our chairs might've tipped over backwards in the process, I paid absolutely no attention to them as I practically yanked Harper out of the reception room. With no signs of anyone except hotel staff in the hallway outside the room, she tugged me into the closest bathroom.

"You planned this?" My mouth dropped open as she clicked the lock behind her, then tossed her purse on the counter next to the sink with a soft thud.

"Spur of the moment ring of fire decision," she admitted, fisted my shirt, and tugged me closer. My eyebrows drew together, which curled her lips upwards. "To let you guys wear our lipstick instead."

"Wear your... oh fuck," I groaned when I realized she didn't mean paint my own damn lips pink. "You sure?"

"Why are you even asking?" With her arms raised overhead, she tied her hair up into a messy bun and nodded. The certainty in her heated gaze shot right into my balls. My cock saluted her suggestion as she gently ran her tongue over the seam between her lips, served me a silent challenge with those heated, crystal-blue eyes, and nodded.

Good point. Why am I asking? Fuck yes.

Now completely choked by my tie and sweating bullets, I loosened the knot at the divot between my clavicle bones and removed my suit coat. With a slight bend over, I draped it onto the floor in between my feet, then rolled it over for her knees.

Her lips twitched slightly and amusement sparkled in her eyes. "Or we could fuck outside in the bushes next to Delilah and Evan while I leave lipstick-covered hickeys on your neck, if you want."

"No," I growled, wrapped my palm around the back of her head, and guided her downwards.

When she sank halfway down to the floor, I gripped her head tighter and stopped her descent. My heart thumped loudly in my ears as I leaned over and smashed my lips hard against hers. Her hands tightly gripped my elbows, probably for balance but I held her with the intensity of how much I -

Careful or you'll spit it right in her face.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you again," I mumbled and stared into those light blue eyes. My dumbfounded expression reflected back in her black pupils.

"Say that shit too much and I'll come to my senses... again," she warned me and dragged my pants and underwear down with her the rest of the way to the floor.

I hadn't realized she'd even unbuttoned my dress pants, but none of me cared by the time they puddled around my ankles. Even at half-mast, my cock twitched towards her as she took me right into her mouth. A deep burn kindled inside my gut, and the muscles and tendons in my arms tensed as I planted them into the wall behind where she knelt.

Tiny stars burst into my vision and a lightheadedness rushed through my brain as her lips and tongue sucked over me hard, almost greedily, like she'd thought about doing this long before she brought it up. My cock hardened while one of her hands stroked the bottom of my shaft. Hot aches throbbed up my shaft and the saliva she quickly built up in her mouth coated me like heated lubrication.

My body jolted when she reached her other hand down and rolled my balls around in her palm, which drew them up. An internal flush of heat and tension spread out from my groin. I groaned and grabbed her head in both my hands and bucked my now desperate, throbbing cock deeper in her mouth. My skin tingled like the hairs on my forearms and back of my neck raised up. Lines of excitement drew down my arms and legs until my fingers and even my toes buzzed.

From where Harper knelt on my coat, her lashes fell over her cheekbones with her eyes closed in determination. Her pink cheeks filled and hallowed as she took me deeper and I fucked her mouth. I slid one hand around to the back of her head and tugged her deeper. She moaned vibrations up my shaft when her head bobbed at my designated pace. On full entry, the tip of her nose pressed into my pelvis and a lone tear trailed over each of her cheeks. My eyes tracked how they glistened, then dipped out of view.

The hot wetness of her mouth, the firm texture of her palate and back of her throat rubbed over my head, and the suggestive, suctioned tugs from her swallows left me a gasping and groaning mess. My body twitched and jolted from where I loomed over her, weak-kneed and unraveled as she choked me hard. In less time than my ego admitted, I unloaded everything into her mouth and groaned with the relief and euphoric pleasure that surged through me.

My upper body sagged forwards, so I dropped my hands from her head and palmed the wall before I face planted into it. Sweat dotted my forehead and upper lip. Ragged breaths pitched my chest and I squeezed my eyes closed against the drowsy sensation that followed my letdown.

From the arousal that fogged over my brain, I was only vaguely aware that Harper still worked over my cock with her mouth. With soft tugs, her hand squeezed my shaft to empty and my cock tingled as she swallowed every drop. If that sight wasn't enough, her other hand was now threaded in between her legs and up her skirt.

Fuck, she's the best.

With a quick hinge in my hips, my hand wrapped around her wrist. "Nice try."

With one tug and my head still dizzy, I brought her up to standing. My hands found her waist, lifted her up onto the sink counter, then I was the one who sank to their knees. Since I assumed we were on borrowed time, I rolled her skirt up, then pushed her knees open wide.

Every muscle in my body groaned when I saw she wasn't wearing any underwear.

A sharp inhale cooled my burning lungs at the sight of her pale pink mound, wet even before I parted her folds. With no hesitation, I leaned forwards for her reciprocation. Her warmth and natural scent wrapped around my nose as I nuzzled in between her folds, then flicked my tongue out over her soaked entrance. With harder strokes than I normally started with, I plunged my tongue inside and coated it with her warm, tangy arousal.

Since her thighs trembled on either side of my head, I firmly clamped one of my hands on her upper thigh and dragged her hips one inch closer. I brought the other down to the top of her sensitive folds, which I thread into her clit and rubbed, rolled, and pinched it while my tongue worked over her entrance. My cock was more than satisfied but I groaned loudly when her hands clamped onto my head. I moaned and pressed my chin in tighter as her fingers threaded, tangled, and yanked on my hair.

Harper must have been worked up prior to us entering the bathroom because she hit her high quickly. With short, quick movements, her hips bucked into my tongue's thrusts. She threw her head back, released a strangled cry up to the ceiling, and her thighs trembled around my ears. A few loud groans later, she coated my tongue with more arousal and I swallowed hard. She grinded on my face a few more times, then patted the top of my head.

I raised my head back slightly and smiled at her flushed, almost exasperated state. Her chest, speckled with a pink flush, heaved and shoulders slumped but her eyes burned brightly down at me.

My heart flipped inside my chest when her hands cupped around my jaw and pulled me closer. Warm, soft, and lipstick-free, her lips brushed into my still-warm forehead.

Quivers shook my thighs as I stood up, wrapped my arms around her waist, and leaned my torso into her. Her legs wrapped around my waist, her heels dug into my lower back, and tugged me closer until my bare pelvis met hers. My damn pants and underwear were still down around my ankles but I wouldn't have cared if they laid on the bathroom floor because the tip of my cock threaded right in between her warm folds.

Even though I couldn't yet tell her my feelings, I kissed her slowly. I nudged open her mouth with my tongue, then gently moved it over hers, more in a moment of appreciation than foreplay build up. Her arms squeezed around my neck and we both gasped slightly when we broke off and gazed at each other.

"Harper -" I started when a loud pound vibrated the bathroom door.

"Jake?" Adonis' soft voice contrasted the loud smashes of his fist on the door. "I, uhh... had shellfish tonight, so..."

"We gotta go," I whispered as Harper giggled softly. Like our whole table and the one Adonis sat at, she'd heard when I warned Adonis earlier that crabcakes weren't friends with his stomach.

With my hand clasped around hers, I helped her down to standing. We quickly cleaned up and traded smirks at each other in the mirror while we unsuccessfully fixed our wrinkled clothes.

Grant shot me a raised eyebrow look with a slight pain in his eyes as we exited the bathroom and darted inside after us. Harper and I shared a silent look before we both broke into quiet laughs. Her hand threaded in mine, I walked her back to the dinner table, where neither of us had an appetite for the dessert.

For now. I'm getting her back for that stunt later.

Harper's nose wrinkled as I lifted her hand and pressed my lips against the soft skin on the back of it. But I for sure noticed the cute smile her lips pulled up into when I added, "I'm not done with you yet, Harper."

Not now, and not by a long shot.