Extra Credit: Three Ivy Years Novellas (The Ivy Years Book 6)

IN THE MORNING, I wake up alone.

Groggy and mildly head-achey, I get up to brush my teeth and drink cup after cup of water. When I’m finished, I stand in the upstairs hallway, listening to the sounds in the house. My father is gone to work already, and Mom’s podcasts are playing downstairs.

The door to my sister’s bedroom is shut, so I walk past it and go downstairs.

“There’s coffee,” Mom says. She’s seated at the kitchen table, a shopping list in front of her. “What should I make for dinner?”

“Steak?” I suggest hopefully. It’s a splurge.

“Sure,” she says immediately. “With mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli. And chocolate cake!” She looks up and smiles at me. “That would cheer anyone up, right?”

My heart turns to mush, because I know just what she’s up to. “Mom, John is okay.”

“I know,” she says, scribbling on her shopping list. “But I’m going to spoil him anyway. Someone should.” She caps her pen and stands up. “Any last requests? I’m heading to D&W.”

“I’m sure you thought of everything.”

“Want to come along?” she tries. “You could pick out a red wine that goes with steak.”

“Like I’d know which one goes with steak. I’ll shower instead.”

“Fine.” She kisses me on the cheek. “Back in a jif. I hope you’ll let John sleep.”

“Of course I will,” I assure her, pouring myself a cup of coffee.

The minute her car rolls down the driveway, I leave the cup on the counter and head back upstairs. I tiptoe toward my sister’s bedroom. Inside, Rikker is asleep, face down in Lori’s bed, his strong arms framing his mussed head.

That’s all the invitation I need. I lock the door and drop all my clothes on the rug, then slip into bed with him.

Having my boyfriend sleep over is all new territory. A year ago I would have burst into flames at the thought of getting naked at home with Rik. But now I’m kissing his bare back and running my hands through his messy hair.

Have I come a long way, or what?

He lets out a sleepy groan. But then his warm hand reaches up to skim my arm with happy fingers.

As I study long eyelashes pointing down at his handsome cheekbones, my heart breaks just a little more. This man’s mother can’t love him just the way he is? There is nobody more beautiful. She’s just insane.

There are moms all over the world struggling to help their violent sons, or drug-addicted sons. Or lazy ones. John Rikker is a hard-working, successful, handsome man. He’s a good friend, a loving grandson, and a generous lover. There is nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for him.

His eyelids flutter open. He squints up at me. “Everything okay?” he whispers.

My voice is low and husky. “So much better than okay. Mom just went to the grocery store.”

He gives me a sleepy smile, and his feet find mine under the covers. “We’re home alone, huh?”

“For thirty minutes, at least.”

“It’ll have to do,” he says with a lazy smile. “Just like high school, right?”

“Right.” We share a conspiratorial grin. There’s never been a more perfect moment than this one. We’re safe and together. That’s all I ever wanted. “You know what the most exciting moment of my life was?”

“No,” he whispers, brushing my pecs with his palm. “Tell me.”

“In the basement, sophomore year of high school…”

His smile grows wider, because we did a lot of surreptitious fooling around in the basement.

“…my mother left for a shift volunteering at the church supper.” I move closer and cup his face, my thumb stroking his cheekbone.

“That wasn’t the first time we fooled around,” he whispers.

“I know.” As if I could ever forget. Our first kiss was an accident, right in the middle of a wrestling match. Our second kisses happened when my mother went to the grocery store. “It was our third time.” I lean in and press a kiss to his lips. It’s mostly chaste, but slow. I want to really feel the slide of my lips over his warm ones.

“Why was the third time so exciting?” he asks, and we’re so close I can feel his breath on my skin.

“Because…” I let the back of my hand brush his bare chest, before sifting through his happy trail. “It’s the first time you ever put your hand down my pants.”

His eyes take on an amused glint as I tease his abs with my knuckles.

“I’m not kidding,” I whisper, tracing the skin just above the elastic on his briefs. “You slipped your hand…” I breach the elastic and slide my own hand slowly down, avoiding his dick, just touching his belly as it descends into his groin. “Right here. I was dying, wanting your touch so bad. Going out of my mind while you kissed me.”

Our lips meet again, and this time the kiss is hot and sweet. Our teeth click as we both lean in for more. His pubic hair tickles my fingertips. His moan is so quiet that I feel it more than I hear it.

“And then you took me in hand,” I say, finally wrapping my hand around his girth. The hot weight of him against my palm is everything. All these years later, I’m still amazed at how he makes me feel. “Just like this.” My thumb sweeps over his tip and he hisses, his head tipping back. “I nearly came on the spot. Nobody had ever touched me before. I wanted it so bad.”

Rikker reaches for me, finding lots of bare skin. “Can’t believe you’re naked right now,” he whispers against my lips. “Can we be quick?”

“We’ll be qui—” I can’t even finish the sentence because he wraps a hand around my cock, and I moan instead.

He pushes me onto my back, then climbs on top of me, kicking his underwear out of the way. Our mouths fuse for a kiss that’s deep and dirty. Skin to skin, we began to move, our dicks sliding together. The weight of his body on mine is delicious. “We never did this in your basement,” he whispers.

Unghh. “Woulda blown my poor little mind.”

Rikker smiles down at me, warmth in his eyes. His family is cruel, but that smile never dies. If I were ever as strong as Rikker, I’d be a worthy man.

He takes my mouth in another hungry kiss. I sink into the bed and spread my legs, letting him urge me closer to orgasm. Usually we try to make it last. But today—just like in high school—the need for stealth and a quick release wins out.

The bed thumps once against the wall as he picks up the pace. Rikker stretches out his arm and braces it against the wall, preventing a repeat of that sound. I’m caged beneath him, held in place by his arms and his muscular body.

My favorite place in the world.

Rik’s breathing quickens. I love that sound—proof that I have the same effect on him as he does on me. His lips track from my mouth to my ear. “Baby,” he says so softly that I only hear the “B” sounds.

I slap his hip, giving him a nudge. He makes room for my hand between our bodies. I wrap my hand around us both, as best I can. Rik is leaking for me. I slide my thumb through his slickness and feel all his muscles tense. He buries his face in my neck and shudders, erupting into my hand in hot bursts.

And…winning! My slick hand needs only a couple more strokes before I push my head back into the pillow and come hard.

Yesssss. Achievement unlocked.

Breathing hard, I lay back and smile up at my boyfriend. “Good morning.”

He kisses me on the nose. “We made a mess.”

“Totally worth it,” I whisper back. “Had to do what I can to save your shitty week.”

The next kiss I get is on the mouth, and it’s a good one. “It wasn’t so shitty.”

“Seriously?”

He shakes his head. “I’ve been dreading this trip. The conflict. Now I don’t have to anymore. And I found out my dad is a little more solid than I thought. Your high school teammates aren’t superturds. And you’re cute when you’re accidentally wasted. Your mom fed me cookies, just like old times. And then we fooled around. I’ve had worse weeks.”

“Superturds?”

He grins.

“I don’t know how you do it.”

“Do what?”

“Stay so fucking cheery. I’ve come a long way, but you’re in a whole different league.”

In answer, he leans down and licks my cheek. Now, there are hot moments in bed when that would be super sexy. But this is more like being slobbered on by a St. Bernard. I squirm, and he laughs. “Get up.”

“We’re sticky.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Let’s have a quick shower.” He sits up.

I swing my legs off the bed and open the door to Lori’s en suite bathroom. My parents actually gave my sister the master bedroom because she and I used to fight over her extraordinary use of the other bathroom. I hated her for it. It’s really handy right now, though.

“Come here. Time’s a wasting.” I pull the curtain back and turn on the water. As soon as it warms up, I hop in and wet my hair.

Rikker follows me. “You know that barely took the edge off.” He runs his hands all over my chest. “Any chance your parents are going out again tonight? To, say, a four-hour opera?”

I laugh, getting water up my nose. “Not likely. Mom is making you a steak dinner and chocolate cake.”

“Really?” Wordlessly, we switch sides of the shower so that he can have a turn under the water. “Did you tell her not to be so worried?” He puts his handsome face under the spray.

“Oh, I did. But I can’t control her. And who am I to say no to steak and cake?”

He puts a possessive hand on my ass and squeezes. “I guess this will have to wait.”

“Stop. I don’t want to spend the whole day trying to hide my boner.”

“I know exactly where I want to hide mine,” he says with a sigh.

And I laugh.