Quarterback's Secret Baby(18)

"What?! Why not?"

"Because I have a huge fucking hard-on and I'm wearing sweatpants, that's why not."

I covered my mouth, stifling a giggle, but not because what Kaden had said was funny. I just didn't know how else to react to the matter-of-fact way he'd just told me he was hard. It was shocking. It was also exciting.

"Come on, Mr. Barlow. Back inside." Mr. Ward barked as he got to where Kaden was still sitting on the grass. "You too, missy. Don't you have class? I'm willing to let this slide because it's the first time I've seen you involved in any of these...shenanigans, Natasha. But don't let me catch you again."

"Thank you, Mr. Ward." I said, trying to distract the vice-principal from the fact that Kaden was still refusing to get up. It didn't work.

"Barlow! Back inside! Now!"

Kaden looked at Mr. Ward, shrugged, and got up. "OK sir, if you say so."

It could not have been more obvious. I saw Mr. Ward notice and turn his head away in disgust. As for me, I couldn't take my eyes off the obvious, thrilling bulge in Kaden's sweatpants. He looked at Mr. Ward and gave him a 'what can you do?' look.

The vice-principal rolled his eyes. "Jesus, Barlow. Really? Right. You stay out here until you've cooled off. And you, Natasha, come on, let's go."

I allowed myself to be led back into school by Mr. Ward, but not before bending down to retrieve the container of cornbread and stuff it in my backpack. It tasted bad, but Kaden had made it for me and that meant it was important.

An hour later, in math class, a text from Kaden arrived.

"Sorry about that. Didn't know bad cornbread had such an effect on me. Meet me after last class?"

My head was spinning too much to text anything except a smiley back to him. For the entire rest of the class I thought about Kaden Barlow. And as soon as the bell rang I made my way to my locker, where I knew he'd be waiting, doing everything I could not to break into a run. Everything inside me was in a kind of sweet, hot turmoil.

And he was there, waiting for me, leaning against the wall and smiling. Did he know what he was doing to me? Did he know what that smile did? What those massive, muscled shoulders did?

"Hey, Kaden," I said, trying to make it not-completely-obvious how desperate I was to see him.

Five minutes later we were in his SUV, all over each other. He didn't have to tell me how much he wanted me. I didn't even have to look down to see it. I could feel it in the way he was kissing me, something demanding and hungry and completely male.

"Kaden," I gasped as we paused for a second. "I - I have to tell you something."

His hand was on my thigh, right up at the top. Less than an inch away from where it felt like all the neediness inside me was concentrated.

"Yeah?" He asked, his voice gruff and slow. "What is it, Tasha?"

I waited a few seconds, trying to calm down. I wanted to go with it. Every cell in my body was screaming at me to just let go, but there was another part of me that sensed how close I was - and how deep the consequences could be if I let it happen.

"I'm-" I started, unable to meet Kaden's gaze. "I'm, uh, ha ha, sorry, this is kind of embarrassing."

He squeezed my thigh and lifted one of my hands to his mouth to kiss my fingertips. "I think I know what you're going to say, Tasha. It's OK. Most of us are still virgins, you know."

So he did know what I'd been about to say. I looked up quickly, hoping against hope that I was interpreting what he said correctly. "What?" I asked. "You're a-"

"No," he replied, shaking his head a little ruefully. "No, not me. Just - you know, a lot of people."

"Ugh!" I groaned leaning back against the seat as images of Kaden with others girls took over my head.

"What?" He teased. "Did you think I was? None of the football players are virgins, Tasha. It's not, uh, it's not really possible."

I turned and looked out the window. Students were still trickling out of the school and the sun was still high in the sky. High school would be over in less than six weeks. Then a short summer. Then...what? The thought of that - the fact that in just over three months Kaden would leave Little Falls and that if everything everyone said about him came true, he would never come back - sobered me right out of my lust-drunk haze.

"I guess you're right," I said, still looking out the window. "You must have girls throwing themselves at you all the time. It's going to get even worse when you go to college isn't it?"

I heard him sigh and felt the SUV move as he shifted himself in his seat. "I don't know, Tasha. I don't know what's going to happen. Maybe I'll get injured. Or maybe it'll turn out that I suck."

"I'm not talking about football." I told him.