“Sure.”
I lower my mouth to her ear and whisper, “Don’t worry, gorgeous. You can practice your moves on me.”
Kennedy
True to his word, Austin gives me free rein over his body once Enzo is gone. I waste no time stripping him of his white tee, although I leave his track pants on. After that crack about my robot driving skills, which were admittedly terrible, he’s due for a little punishment. Those pants aren’t coming off until I say so, and I intend to inflict plenty of sweet torture between now and then. We’re making out on the couch, and I’m lavishing kisses over his rock-solid pecs, teasing him with my tongue, when my phone rings.
“Let it go to voice mail.” Austin grinds his hips against mine. The hard swell of his erection teases my sweet spot through the thin fabric of my leggings. It’s a convincing argument, and I’m tempted to ignore the phone. Then I remember the robot.
I slide my hand between our bodies, grasping his cock in my hand. I give a gentle squeeze and drag my fingers up the length of his shaft. He makes a sound that’s half growl, half moan.
“You want me to ride your cock?” I ask, smiling sweetly.
“Fuck, yeah.”
“Sorry, babe. You’ll have to wait.” I give him another languid stroke. “That’s my mom’s ringtone. She’ll worry if I don’t answer.”
“Jesus, Kennedy.” He struggles to sit up with me on top of him. “You’re cruel.”
I pat his chest and reach for the phone. “What was that you were saying about my skill with a joystick?”
He rolls his eyes. “I take it all back. Just please don’t ever mention your mom when you’ve got your hand on my dick. No offense, but it’s a total boner killer.”
“Don’t make fun of my driving skills and I won’t.” I swipe to answer the call and slide off his lap, settling in next to him. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetie. What are you up to?”
“Not much. Just hanging out with Austin. He’s helping me with my stick handling.” His eyes nearly bug out of his head, and it’s all I can do not to laugh. “Apparently I didn’t play enough video games growing up, so he’s giving me pointers on using a joystick to maneuver the robot.”
“Sounds like fun,” she says, a cheerful note in her voice. “Tell him I said hello.”
Okay. I really need to meet this Joseph guy she’s dating, because that’s so not the reaction I was expecting. A horrific realization hits to me. Is she having sex with this guy? Is that why she’s so happy all the time?
Nopenopenope.
Don’t even go there. I’m thrilled Mom’s found someone she enjoys spending time with, but I am in no way prepared to think about her getting down and dirty with some internet dude.
Just. No.
“Speaking of which,” she says, putting an end to my speculation about her hopefully nonexistent sex life and dragging me back to the conversation at hand. Crap. What were we talking about anyway? “I wasn’t able to get Friday off, so I’ll have to miss the first day of the competition. But I’ll be there Saturday and Sunday, so I’ll get to see you compete and catch the Michigan game.”
My heart sinks. Should’ve known getting three days off would be impossible. “Coach was concerned about Enzo and me competing on game day.” I pause and lick my lips. They’re dry as bone. “So the contest runners agreed to move us to a Friday time slot.”
The line goes quiet. She’s probably beating herself up on the other end of the line. Which is ridiculous. Sure, she’s missed games and competitions over the years, but it couldn’t be helped. Priority one had to be keeping a roof over our heads and food on the table. Besides, I’m twenty-one freaking years old. Next year I’ll be on my own. I shouldn’t need my mother in the crowd, cheering me on.
But I do.
The idea of presenting in front of so many people scares the hell out of me. It doesn’t matter how many times I do it, it never gets any easier. The anxiety was so bad last year I thought I was going to pass out. And that was after Becca’s mom prescribed me anti-anxiety pills for the occasion.
Not that I can tell Mom any of that. She probably feels bad enough as it is.
“Don’t worry,” I say, forcing a half-hearted smile to my lips. “The awards ceremony is on Sunday, so you’ll get to see Enzo and me up onstage when we win. That’s the most important thing.”
She sighs, and I can practically hear the relief in her words. “Thank you for understanding, sweetie. You know I’d be there if I could. You’re going to do great.”
I nod before remembering she can’t see me. “Of course. We’ve been busting our butts.”
“All right, well, don’t let me keep you from your…what did you call it? Stick handling?”
I can’t help it. I laugh out loud. Because apparently I’m not as mature as I like to think. “Yeah. Stick handling.”
“Is Austin treating you well?” There’s the woman I know and love.
“The best,” I say truthfully. Any doubts I had about Austin being boyfriend material vanished when he scraped me up off the ground after dinner with my dad. If it weren’t for Austin’s support, I probably would’ve spent the week in bed eating Reese’s and crying into my pillow. The thing is, I know my dad is the one with a problem, not me, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
“Good. I look forward to meeting him when I come visit.”
“Meeting him?” I steal a glance at Austin. He doesn’t look overly concerned about the prospect, but of course, he’s faced worse. Or so he thinks. Maybe he’s forgotten about my mom’s threat to neuter him. Just as well, I guess. She’s using her no-nonsense voice, which means she’s not going to let this go.
“Of
