Pinkie Promise (Carter Ridge Book 1)

Two and a half months later

I wake up to the feeling of something warm and soft snuggling up to my pecs.

Breathing out a quiet laugh, I squeeze my arm more firmly around Fallon’s shoulders, and then I slowly heave myself onto my side as she wraps her arms around the back of my neck.

My eyes fly open and I look down between us.

Hell, I didn’t drink a drop last night but I had somehow forgotten the fact that Fallon had gone to sleep topless.

My shoulders swell as I stare down at her breasts, the touch of her soft pink nipples making my cock thicken and throb.

“Baby,” I rasp quietly, the word coming out fifty octaves deeper than it should.

Fallon cuddles me tighter and I clear my throat. Hard.

If this were any other morning I wouldn’t be fighting the need to give it to her right now, but this isn’t any morning so I’m going to do the right thing and wait.

I keep one arm around her shoulders, holding her against me, and I cup my other palm around her cheek as I press a kiss to her forehead.

It’s grant allocation week, which means that I’ve been distracting the hell out of Fallon to try and ease her nerves.

At the start of the week we drove just outside of town so that I could take her shopping for the first time, and she picked out what she wanted to wear for last night’s Carter U Division I Sports Ceremony.

Can’t deny it, spoiling Fallon gets me going. Having her looking up at me with those big beautiful eyes as she showed me the dress that she wanted to try on, and then getting in that changing room with her as she modelled it for me was something that I never knew that I needed. I told her that the price didn’t matter because whatever she wanted I’d be able to cover and, if anything, it got me even more excited for when I start playing pro, because the second that I get that NHL cheque I know exactly what I’m going to be doing.

Namely, treating Fallon to everything she’s ever wanted.

She picked out a small sparkly lilac dress and a pair of matching heels, with sexy ribbon straps that she tied in little bows at the backs of her calves. And now that dress is strewn on the floor next to my suit as the morning light tries to breach the curtains of our soon-to-be bedroom at Larch Peak.

Fallon suddenly lets out a little gasp and I immediately know that she’s remembered what day today is. It’s the day that she’ll receive an email about whether or not her department has awarded her the Master’s grant.

I hold her more firmly against my chest, much to the distress of my rock-hard dick, and I kiss my way down her cheek hoping that she doesn’t start panicking too hard right now.

“Hunter,” she whimpers, trying to hide her face in my neck. She says it in that pained voice that has me knowing she’s stressing.

I’m aware that the only form of praise Fallon received until recently was the kind that she got through high grades and good report cards, so I know that whether or not she gets awarded with this grant is playing heavily on her sense of self worth right now.

It’s my job to remind her that the opinion of a couple of tutors isn’t worth jack shit in the scheme of things. There’s no telling why one tutor can give a student a particular grade but another tutor could give them the complete opposite, and it’s the same thing when it comes to grant allocation. With sports grants, it’s pretty surface level because your performance shows your skills, plain and simple. But for a grant in the Literature department? It’s subjective as all get out.

It’s like the author thing. There’s no end to the amount of stories you hear about authors being rejected from a hundred publishers, but then as soon as their book gets into the hands of the right readers they’re a New York Times bestseller.

Whether or not they give her this grant, I’m going to make sure that I help her achieve her goals. She wants to stay at Carter U for another year? Then she’s going to… even if I selfishly want her to get the grant and then tell me that she’d actually rather move straight to Larch Peak with me instead of doing a year of long distance.

I’ll admit it: in reality, that’s what I want. I want Fallon by my side for good.

I want to start my career at the NHL while Fallon gets to work on writing her book, even though she’s still a little shy about doing it.

But I can do one more year of back-and-forthing to Carter U’s campus, spending my weekends with Fallon before getting back to training or being on the road. I’ll make it work, no problem.

“You’ve got this, baby,” I murmur gruffly, grinding my forehead against hers. “Remember what I told you last night?”

Fallon bites into her lower lip and looks to the side with a contemplative expression, probably thinking less about what I said to her last night and more about what I did to her. Her eyes flash up to mine as the memories play behind her irises. Her cheeks get a little warmer as she smiles shyly against my chest.

I swallow hard, trying to stay focused.

“You deserve that grant and if the board has any sense, they’ll give it to you. But it doesn’t matter if they don’t, because if those assholes withhold your funding then I’ll finance you. You’re doing the Master’s regardless of the grant, so long as you still wanna do it, baby. I’ll give you that cash.”

Fallon squishes her body even harder against mine and my brain blanks out like a television in a thunderstorm. I immediately shove my body on top of hers and then we’re kissing in a hot hungry frenzy.

“I would never, ever, ever, ever ask that of you,” she pants breathlessly as I begin palming at her breasts. It’s taking every ounce of my self-control to not push inside of her right now.

“I know you wouldn’t,” I murmur, “but as soon as my paperwork is signed, I’m gonna be able to afford it. Your studies. This house. A little closet full of sexy lilac underwear.”

She breathes out a tinkling laugh and I fucking pre-come on her belly.

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” I choke out, sitting up on one elbow, grabbing a Kleenex from the nightstand, and using it to gently rub it off of her.

She’s still giggling as I toss the tissue to the floor so, even though my face is crimson, I smile back at her, at least relieved that I’m managing to distract her a little.

“You’d really get me a little closet just for my lilac panties?” she asks me teasingly.

I roll onto my back, tucking my hands behind my head. “Fallon, I’ll build you a closet just for your lilac panties.”

I remove one of my arms from its position against the pillow and I use it to hug Fallon against my side, knowing that I’m probably going to need to give her a bit of space right now while she checks her emails for the results.

“Want me to stay here?” I ask, rubbing my thumb into her shoulder. “Or do you want me to go downstairs and make you some breakfast while you… you know.”

I don’t want to mention the g-word – grant – anymore so I just tip my chin in the direction of her phone.

She climbs on top of me and gives me a little kiss. I palm her breasts in my hands and try not to groan too loudly.

“I need… five minutes,” she whispers, and I nod even though I’m barely breathing.

She slips off of me and I stay on my back, panting for a couple seconds, before pushing the sheets off and getting heavily to my feet. I can’t help but give myself a few tight pumps before shoving my legs back inside my suit pants, kissing Fallon on her cheek, and then exhaling shakily as I make my way down to the kitchen.

Five seconds later there’s a loud crash and pounding footsteps.

I’m immediately bounding up the stairs, meeting Fallon in the middle as she races her way down. There are tears running down her face so I scoop her up without hesitation, even though I don’t know yet if these are good tears or bad tears.

“Tell me, baby,” I say to her, rubbing at her waist while I manoeuvre us into the open plan living area. The curtains are still drawn from last night, and Fallon’s pretty lace thong is dangling off the arm of the sofa.

We may have only gotten naked when we hit the hay in our bedroom last night, but that doesn’t mean that we made it to the bedroom without going at it downstairs first.

I didn’t drink at the Sports Gala last night knowing that I was going to be driving late with Fallon so I’m remembering last night clear as day.

I’m pacing blindly as I gently bounce her against my chest, hoping that she’s been given the outcome that she wanted.

She managed to shrug on the shirt that I was wearing last night before tornadoing down the stairs just now so I slip my hand beneath the hem and caress her lower back.

“Hunter, I–I–” she begins, stuttering wildly as she tries to catch her breath. She fans one of her hands in front of her face and shakes her head, apologetic and embarrassed.

“Whatever happened, I’ve got you,” I remind her, putting on my game-day face so that she knows that she’s fully backed and supported.

She nods her head quickly and then, without further delay, she whispers, “I got it.”

“Baby,” I murmur happily, and she giggles as she bites her bottom lip, shaking her beautiful fluffy hair as if she almost feels guilty. “I’m so freaking proud of you, Fallon. My sexy little cheerleader.”

Fallon throws her head back, giggling uncontrollably, and then my mouth is on hers as we stumble through the living area.

“So – fuckin’ – proud,” I growl, as her fingers tangle up in my hair and I rip my shirt clean off her body.

She’s trying to shove my suit pants down my legs with her feet, and it makes me smirk against her mouth because she did the same thing last night.

And we both know what ended up happening there.

“You like it when I wear a suit, huh?” I murmur with a grin.

The reason why only Fallon’s panties are dangling off the couch? Because when we came in last night and I flicked on a lamp, we ended up slow-kissing on the sofa until suddenly we weren’t. Fallon’s dress was around her waist, my suit pants were shoved halfway down my quads, and then Fallon was on her belly as I mounted her from behind, fully clothed.

Gripping Fallon’s hips in my palms as I pumped her from the back in a suit wasn’t something that either of us knew that we’d be into, but now that I know she likes it I can’t wait to do it again. Even better if she’s wearing another pair of thousand dollar heels that I couldn’t stop myself buying for her.

Maybe having her do another year at college won’t be so bad if we can at least have our weekends spent like this.

Then, once she finally graduates, I’ll convince her to be my hot cheerleader live-in.

Is now the wrong time to talk to her about putting a rock on her finger?

Just as I slide my tongue inside her mouth Fallon makes a sweet little sound and whispers, “I love you so much.”

Oh God. I trip over the arm of the sofa, Fallon falls onto her back, and I rip open the top button on my pants as she giggles up at me.

“You can’t say that when I’m already excited, baby,” I pant. “I won’t be able to last.”

She gives me a naughty smile and says, “But you’re so good at making it up to me, over and over and over again.”

She’s got me there. I try to bite back my smirk as I pull the condoms out of my pants pocket. I keep one between my teeth as I toss the others onto the coffee table, and then I lower my body on top of Fallon’s, heat pulsing in my abdomen.

Fallon leans up and gently bites the other side of the wrapper, making my irises black out as I release my hold on it.

“Jesus Christ,” I murmur, as I gently pinch the foil between my fingers, easing it back so that Fallon can slowly tear it open. My chest pumps heavily as I slip the condom from her lips, discarding the wrapper on the floor and rolling the rubber down my length. I lean one arm over her head, gripping the sofa for extra leverage, before I knock her knees further apart and spank her heat with my rigid cock.

“I love you,” I grunt as I slowly slide it inside, groaning hard when she pulls me down so that she can reach me for kissing.

I kiss her back, slow and deep, wanting to take all of the time in the world with her.

It’s an early Friday morning but we’re going to treat it like a lazy Sunday.

She whimpers into my mouth so I roll my hips a little harder, telling her how much I love her with my body, a million promises in each kiss.

“You like that?” I ask, as I push both of her thighs up against the couch, feeling fucking feral over how deep this angle is.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she says quickly, her brow arching when I thrust it in to the hilt.

“Jesus,” I murmur, dropping my eyes from her beautiful face.

Her cheeks are flushed pink and her eyes are all sparkly, and it’s making it damn near impossible to not spurt my load already.

I look down at her body and my abdomen tightens, because Fallon’s soft bouncing breasts are going to make me blow.

“How’d you get to be so cute and sexy at the same time?” I grumble, releasing one of her thighs so that I can hook my forearm beneath her neck. Her throat arches back and I groan loudly as I lick her warm skin. “Perfect,” I murmur. “You’re so damn perfect. Little angel face with those big sexy tits.”

The heels of her feet dig into my shoulders as she moans, and I laugh against her throat, murmuring, “Fucking adorable.”

“You’re adorable,” she mumbles, and now I’m really laughing.

I sit up on my haunches, grip my hands around her waist, and then I shove her hard down on my dick, my chest doubling in size as I watch her take it.

“What’d you call me?” I ask, grinning victoriously when she laughs and shakes her head. “Huh? What’d you just call me, baby?”

To show her just how adorable her man can be, I pull out, roll her over, and then press my bodyweight into her back, slapping my dick against her pussy before thrusting hard back inside of her.

“I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean it!” she pants between her laughter, moaning when I slide my hands underneath her body and start massaging her breasts.

My body tenses as I accidentally shoot out another pump of pre-come and, high on the pleasure of release, I grunt against her neck, “I think it’s time to make that baby.”

She giggles and squirms, her body bouncing underneath mine. She looks back at me over her shoulder and warmth rips through my chest.

Prettiest fucking girl in the world.

“You have s-such beautiful eyes,” she whispers to me, and I suddenly jerk a little rough because that was the last thing that I imagined she would say right now.

I’m pounding her like an animal and she still manages to say the sweetest shit.

“Thanks,” I manage. “Our babies will have ’em too.”

“Hunter.”

I bury my face in her neck as I thrust us to the finish line, palming her soft tits with big eager hands.

“You gonna spend the summer being my girl?” I ask her breathlessly, kissing at her throat as she squirms beneath me.

“Yes,” she pants quickly, arching up to help me thrust.

“And when you’re back at college in the fall, you’ll let me come visit?”

“Yes,” she says again, releasing a whimper.

“And then, when you graduate, I’m gonna be all yours and you’re gonna be all mine.”

This time it isn’t a question, it’s a fact that I want to hear her affirm, and I kiss her as sweet as I can manage as my body swells with its impending release.

I press a peck to her little dimple and she laughs prettily, making me feel like the luckiest guy in the whole damn world.

“I’m gonna be all yours and you’re gonna be all mine,” she repeats, smiling as she entwines our pinkies and kisses me back. Her voice is a tiny happy whisper as she murmurs, “I promise.”