On The Rebound (Steinbeck U #1) - L.A. Cotton Page 0,122

to give. And when he tried to pull away as his legs locked up and a string of cuss words fell from his lips, I kept my hand wrapped firmly around his root, swallowing down every last drop.

Pushing me down on the bed, Zach covered my body with his. “Do you have any idea how amazing you are? I want to experience everything with you, Calli. I want to teach you everything.” His eyes darkened with unwavering love.

“I want you,” I said, wriggling against him. He was already hard again.

A tremor rolled through me.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, and I nodded.

“I’m just a little nervous.”

It wasn’t our first time. It wasn’t even our second or third time. But it felt like the most important time.

The time where we left our past behind us and finally walked into the future.

Zach slipped his hand between our bodies and found my center, sliding two fingers inside me. My breath caught at the feel of him stretching me. He didn’t take his eyes off me as he worked me slowly at first. Every drag of his thumb over my clit, every press of his fingers, deeper, faster, he watched me. Even when my eyes grew heavy and my breath became rapid, he still watched.

“Eyes,” he murmured against my lips as I crashed over the edge. “I need your eyes.”

They locked on his as intense waves of pleasure rolled through me.

Zach didn’t wait, he guided himself inside of me in one smooth stroke.

“God,” I breathed. “It feels...”

“I know.” He kissed me, rocking into me with measured restraint. Sliding a hand underneath my thigh, he went deeper, fitting our bodies impossibly close. Close enough that I didn’t know where I ended, and he began.

Nothing else existed, only skin on skin and hearts beating. Zach loved my body until I was breathless, boneless and weak. He loved me until he’d imprinted himself on my soul and etched his name on my heart, replacing the lingering marks of the boy he used to be with the stamp of the man he’d become.

I was fourteen the first time I’d fallen in love with Zachary Messiah. A naïve girl with nothing but stars in her eyes and love in her heart.

I wasn’t that girl anymore.

I was older. Wiser. Worn down by the tragedies of life and made stronger by the pain. My heart was tarnished, pieced together with jagged edges and fading scars. But one thing remained the same.

My soul still recognized Zach as hers.

It always had...

It always would.

Five months later...

Calli

“Foul,” Zach yelled from beside me. I grabbed his arm, trying to wrangle him back into his seat.

“Babe, you’re making a scene.”

“A scene?” His brows knitted as his eyes slid to mine. “It’s clearly Elsa’s ball and they just—”

“Let it go,” I smothered a chuckle, shooting a saccharine smile at some of the other parents.

Zach had made quite a name for himself at Jasmine’s games. He was a little too passionate, but he just wanted to support her since her own parents couldn’t find the time to get behind her.

We tried to get to as many games as we could and when we couldn’t come, another volunteer from the center did. Everyone wanted to support Jasmine; being the first female player on her high school team was a pretty big deal. After finding out that Steinbeck High School didn’t have enough female players to form a team, Zach had personally petitioned the school board to let Jasmine try out for the boys’ team.

I was so proud of him, of them both. Jasmine had flourished under his guidance, shedding her quiet meek persona to become a quietly confident young woman. She still had a long way to go in terms of building friendships with her peers, but she was getting there. One step at a time.

“Oh, come on.” Zach shot up again, grumbling under his breath about the poor decision.

“Zach,” I scolded, trying to drag him back into his chair. “You promised.”

He flopped down with a defeated sigh. “They’re singling her out.”

“No one is singling her out.” I nuzzled his neck, kissing his jaw. “They’re just covering her because she’s that damn good.”

“Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” I felt the smirk in his words.

Everyone in Steinbeck and the surrounding towns knew about Zach Messiah and his protégé, Jasmine Moran. They had even made the local newspaper. Zach had spent hours with Jasmine working on her skills and conditioning. She’d even started helping him run a session down at Next Steps.