The Goal (Off-Campus Book 4)

November

“Holy shit! This place is sick.”

I flush with pride at Logan’s exclamation. Weeks of hard work have led to this moment, but my backbreaking efforts are made all the more worthwhile as I witness my friends’ reactions.

And I’m so fucking touched that everyone showed up to be here for me tonight. Dean and Allie rode in on the train from New York, and Coach Jensen actually canceled an evening practice so that all my former Briar teammates could attend my big opening.

But the most important guests are my two girls. Jamie’s strapped to my chest in a BabyBjorn, wearing a custom-made pink onesie that reads “Tucker’s Bar” in gold glitter.

Sabrina is beside me, dressed a little less fancy in faded jeans and a tight green sweater. Her full tits are nearly pouring out of the deep V-neckline, and every time I glance her way my dick turns to granite. I almost wish she was still moaning about the baby weight she’s carrying and refusing to let me touch her, because even though she doesn’t have her pre-baby body back, I’m horny twenty-four/seven.

“Hitting the head,” Logan says. “BRB.”

As he disappears into the crowd, Garrett sweeps his gaze over the packed bar. “I can’t believe how well the renovations turned out,” he marvels.

I look around, trying to see the room through his eyes. After I’d completely restored the wood paneling and exposed beams, I went on a hunt for sports memorabilia to hang on the gleaming walls. This isn’t technically a sports bar, but hey, I’m a hockey player. I can’t not have framed photos of athletes in my bar.

And it helps to have friends in high places. Garrett got me signed jerseys from several of his new teammates—many of whom are here tonight. One of the chicks by the pool table wasted no time blasting it on social media, and within an hour of opening my doors, I had people lining up to get in, hoping to land an autograph or chat up the professional hockey players.

The groupies, however, have been surprisingly unobtrusive, letting Garrett’s teammates drink in peace without harassing them too much. I appreciate that, because the vibe I’m going for is “neighborhood bar.” A place where people can come after work (or hockey practice) and just relax. Somewhere that’s not too loud and not too rowdy.

So far, it’s exactly what I wanted it to be.

“Thanks for all your help,” I tell Garrett, who shrugs off my gratitude. He deserves it, though. He gave up way too many days off to come here and help me rip up flooring and gut the bathrooms.

“You too,” I say to Fitzy, who drove to Boston every weekend after I bought the bar, crashing on the floor of Jamie’s nursery and waking up at ungodly hours to help me out.

I hired people to do the jobs that my friends and I couldn’t do ourselves. Staffed the place too, since I have no interest in tending bar unless I have to; management is more my thing. Samira and Zeke, the two bartenders working tonight, are awesome. They already bicker like an old married couple and this is only their first night working here.

“It was fun,” Fitzy grunts before taking a sip of his Coors.

“Dude,” Dean says, coming up to slap Fitz on the shoulder. “That was a hell of a game last weekend. You guys crushed Yale.”

Fitzy frowns. “You saw it in New York? I didn’t realize it was televised.”

“Naah, someone was live-tweeting it. I was tracking his posts.”

So was I, actually. I’d wanted to drive out to Briar to watch it live, but Jamie had been fussy the night before, and Sabrina and I were wiped. The team’s kicking ass this season, though. Last year’s shitty record is all but forgotten now that Briar is on a five-game winning streak.

“Hunter scored a total beauty in the third,” Hollis says from his stool. “I almost came in my pants.”

“Don’t be crude in front of the baby,” I say immediately.

“Bro, you brought a baby to a bar. Go throw glass stones in your own house.” When everyone snickers, Hollis is visibly confused. “What?”

“That’s not the phrase,” Hannah says helpfully.

“Sure it is.”

“It’s really not.”

Hollis waves a hand. “You know nothing, Jon Snow.”

She sighs and wanders off to the booth where Allie, Hope, Carin and Grace are sitting. “You coming?” she asks Sabrina over her shoulder.

“Yup.” My woman glances at me. “Want me to take her?”

“No way,” Dean says instantly. “You can’t take her away from us! She’s barely spent any time with her uncles!” He plucks Jamie out of the BabyBjorn and snuggles her up against his chest. “Give your Uncle Dean a kiss, princess.”

Sabrina rolls her eyes as Dean presses our daughter’s mouth to his cheek and proceeds to make kissing noises as if she’s actually smacking him a good one.

“I’ll be over there with the normal people,” Sabrina says dryly, then heads for the girls’ booth.

My friends pass Jamie around amongst themselves until eventually she ends up in Fitzy’s arms. Since he’s wearing a T-shirt, his tattoos are fully visible, and for some reason they fascinate the baby. Every time he holds her, she stares wide-eyed at the tats and forms an O with her red rosebud mouth.

“Jesus, that’s one cute kid,” Garrett says, shaking his head.

Logan returns from the bathroom to hear Garrett’s remark. “Right? I swear, I was so fucking worried he’d end up with an ugly baby and then I’d have to fake it. Day before I met her, I was practicing ‘Awwwwww! She’s so cute!’ for an hour in the mirror.”

I flip him off.

“It’s true—ask Gracie. And relax, man. I didn’t have to lie, did I? She’s fucking precious.”

“Tuck’s got magic sperm,” Dean agrees.

Hollis snorts. “No, Tuck’s got a smokin’ hot baby mama. Genes, bro.”

“Speaking of the baby mama…” Dean cocks a brow at me.

I frown. “What about her?”

“You two officially together or what?”

“We live together,” is all I can think to say.

“Okay. But that doesn’t answer my question.”

My gaze strays across the room. Sabrina is laughing hysterically at something Hope just said. With her bottomless dark eyes and flawless face, she’s hands-down the hottest woman in this bar. I fucking ache for her. And yeah, I love her. So much it hurts.

But damned if I’m going to say it again after she totally brushed it off the night she delivered Jamie.

“We’re together,” I finally say. “Is it serious?” I shrug. “I want it to be. But I’m following her lead.”

Dean wears a troubled expression, but he doesn’t say anything more on the subject. Instead, he changes it completely, turning to grin at Fitzy. “Hey, I keep forgetting to text you, but I should probably give you a heads up about something.”

“A heads up about what?”

“Remember Summer?”

“What about it?”

Dean laughs. “Not it. Her. My sister Summer.”

I hide a grin when I see Fitzy narrow his eyes. It’s no secret that Summer Di Laurentis’s visit last winter had freaked him out. I wasn’t there to witness it, but apparently Dean’s incredibly forward sister had all but thrown herself at the big guy.

“What about her?”

“She’s transferring to Briar next semester.”

Fitzy’s face turns as white as Jamie’s spit-up. Which is pooling on the sleeve of his T-shirt. He hasn’t noticed it yet, and I’m hoping someone else points it out so I don’t have to.

“Why?” Fitzy is clearly speaking through clenched teeth.

Dean sighs. “She officially got kicked out of Brown. Or rather, politely asked to leave, as she likes to phrase it. But yeah, my dad is friends with the head of admissions at Briar, so he called in a favor. Summer will be there starting January.”

“Does she still want to see Fitzy’s dick?” Hollis pipes up.

The owner of said dick passes my baby back to me, then picks up his beer bottle and chugs the entire thing.

My grin surfaces. Poor guy. The ladies go wild for Colin Fitzgerald, but in all the years I’ve known him, he’s been incredibly selective about who he goes out with. I think deep down he’s as old-fashioned as I am.

“Tuck!” Zeke calls from behind the counter. “Got a quick question for you about this drink menu!”

I slide Jamie back into the Bjorn and gesture to my friends that I’ll be a minute. Then I dart off to take care of business. My business.

*

“Hey,” Sabrina says hours later, smiling at me as I stagger into our bedroom.

She’s lying in the middle of the bed with a textbook in her lap, a sight that doesn’t surprise me. Sabrina takes her studying any way she can get it, and the best times for her to do it are when Jamie’s asleep. Most nights, she’ll have her nose buried in a book long after I’ve fallen asleep.

The good thing is, now that the bar renovations are done and I’m officially open for business, I’ll be able to take care of Jamie during the day while Sabrina is in class, and then we’ll switch off—she’ll be on baby duty while I go downstairs to work. We don’t have the easiest schedules, but we’re doing our best. And shit’s been a lot easier since she moved in with me.

Well, easier and harder. I’m still not sure where we stand. We haven’t had sex in three months despite sleeping in the same bed. One of us is usually pacing the nursery with Jamie while the other catches up on much-needed sleep. She hasn’t told me she likes me, let alone loves me. Sometimes I think she does, but other times it feels like we’re just two people who happen to be raising a child together.

But the one thing I know about Sabrina—pushing her gets you the opposite result of what you’re hoping for. I get it, though. She’s been on her own all her life. Her dad bailed before she was even born. Her mom abandoned her. Her grandmother, as much as she claims to love her, always acts like she did Sabrina some huge favor by raising her.

Sabrina James isn’t used to people loving her. Sometimes I wonder if she even knows how to love someone back, but then I see her with our daughter, the way her face softens with love and adoration every time she looks at Jamie, and I know she’s capable of feeling deeply.

I just wish she’d feel deeply about me.

“Why do you look so serious?” she teases, setting aside her textbook. “You killed it tonight. You should be grinning from ear to ear.”

I undo my jeans and let them drop to the floor. “I’m grinning on the inside.” I tackle my plaid button-down next. “I’m too exhausted to move my facial muscles.”

“Really? That’s a damn shame, because I’m not tired at all.”

The mischievous note in her voice makes my body roar to life. Oh fuck. Please please please tell me she’s saying what I think she is.

“Jamie’s fast asleep in the other room,” she adds, waving the baby monitor around enticingly. “Lately she can go for a whole two hours before she starts screaming her lungs out…”

Two hours.

My dick springs up and tries to tunnel its way out of my boxer briefs.

Sabrina doesn’t miss my body’s response. Licking her lips, she reaches for the hem of her sweater and tugs it up and over her head.

“Darlin’,” I start hoarsely.

“Hmmm?”

“If this is some sick joke and you’re not planning on fucking me right now, I need you to tell me. My cock won’t be able to handle the disappointment.”

She bursts out laughing, then claps a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. Fortunately, the baby monitor stays quiet.

“Not a joke,” she assures me. Then she unclasps her bra, and holy hell, her tits are glorious. “I’ve wanted to jump you all night.”

I stalk toward her like a predator. “Yeah?”

“Mmm-hmmm. I’ve been thinking about this all day. And tonight, the thinking turned into obsessing. You have no idea how hot you are when you order your staff around.” She’s already wiggling out of her yoga pants and bikini underwear.

My breath stalls when I lay eyes on her pussy. It’s completely bare. Oh yeah, this isn’t a spur of the moment thing. She totally prepared for this.

I’m on top of her before she can blink, my mouth crushing down on hers in a kiss that leaves us both breathless. But as much as I love her mouth, that’s not what I want to be kissing right now.

Three months. It’s been three goddamn torturous months since I’ve had my tongue in paradise. I tear my mouth away and slide down the bed until my face is level with her pussy. Her very wet, very gorgeous pussy.

“Hold yourself open, babe. I haven’t eaten in a very long time and I’m hungry as fuck.”

Sabrina’s hands come down and spread her lips apart. I dive in and drag my tongue once from front to back, coating my taste buds with her. My already aching dick throbs with need. God, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed her.

“Tucker, please,” she begs.

My cock is so hard it might break in half, but I don’t care because my face is buried between my woman’s legs. Her heels dig into my shoulders, urging me on. Above me, she thrashes, making the sexiest noises ever.

Come on, baby. Come for me.

“Yes, ah, yes. Right there.” She cries out and then claps a hand over her mouth again.

We both freeze, waiting for a peep from next door. When nothing happens, I breathe a sigh of relief, reach for a pillow and throw it to her.

I grin devilishly. “As much as your sexy sounds drive me nuts, it’s probably best you scream into the pillow.”

She drops her head back, throws the pillow over her face and gives me the thumbs-up. Laughing, I reapply myself to the awesome task at hand, but as soon as my mouth is back on, my chuckles quickly die out.

Each taste of her makes me more ravenous. Her thighs tighten under my palms and her pussy vibrates against my tongue, signaling that she’s close. I suck harder. I lick faster. I bite and kiss and tongue her until she screams into her pillow and comes all over my face.

It’s fucking glorious.

Sitting up, I swipe a hand over my mouth. “Condom?” I ask.

She shoves the pillow aside. “I’m on the pill. Got the prescription at the last checkup.”

I grip my cock and run the tip along her wet core. Her breath hisses when the broad head breaches her entrance. It’s been a long time since I’ve been inside her, and despite the fact that she pushed a bowling ball out of her vagina, she’s still tight as fuck. The female body is a thing of magic.

As I slide inside, I can’t stop my own groan from escaping. It feels so damn good. When I’m fully seated, I stop. Her inner muscles pulse around me.

“Fuck, I wish I rubbed one out before the bar opened,” I grind out. “I’m going to shoot my wad in under ten seconds.”

“Please don’t. This feels so good.” Her tone is slightly surprised.

“You thought it would suck?” I pull her legs up around my shoulders so I can drill in deeper.

“I had a baby.”

“Your body is perfect.” I kiss a pretty ankle. “Any more perfect and I’d be dead. You’re still tight as hell, wet as heaven.”

She giggles. “Heaven is wet?”

I rotate my hips and we both moan. “My heaven is wet and hot and belongs to this babe called Sabrina.”

Smiling, she clenches around my dick.

“Stop it.” I gasp. “You want to come again, or do you want me to embarrass myself?”

She responds by squeezing me even tighter. I clamp my eyes shut and search for an ounce of control. Once the urge to come inside of her passes, I start moving at a slow and steady pace.

Her gaze clings to mine and I telegraph everything I feel, everything I can’t say, everything that’s in my heart for her.

You’re the only one for me.

My sun rises and sets on your smile.

My heart beats because yours does.

Her hips cant upward, welcoming every thrust.

“Hold on to me, babe.” Sweat beads on my forehead as I dig a knee into the mattress to drive into her harder, deeper.

She pulls me down until her tits rub against my chest with every plunge forward. “I’m close,” she whispers. “Kiss me. I want your tongue in my mouth when I come.”

Fucking hell.

My mouth crashes onto hers. Our tongues greedily tangle together. This is all I’m ever going to want. Her body beneath mine. Her taste on my lips. Her scent in my lungs.

She cries against my mouth as she comes. I swallow her cry of ecstasy and then allow my own orgasm to rip through me, slamming into her so hard that I’m probably going to leave bruises. After the pleasure finally subsides, I collapse next to her, barely managing to throw my body to the side so I don’t crush her.

“Give me about ten minutes and I’ll be good to go again,” I mumble into the mattress.

A soft hand strokes its way down my spine and cups my ass, sending shivers throughout my frame. My dick twitches with interest.

“Make that five.”

She laughs.

I flop onto my back and tuck an arm under her shoulders to pull her against me. “You’ve killed me, Sabrina. I’m dead.”

She runs a finger along my inner thigh. Predictably, my dick hardens. “If this is you dead, I’m a little afraid of how long our next round is going to last.”

“You might want to get a sandwich. I’m gonna keep you in bed for a long time.”

Her legs twine through mine as if she can’t handle even an inch of her being separated. Which is totally fine with me.

“Everything seems to be working,” she murmurs, her lips moving against the side of my chest. She sounds surprised again.

“Why wouldn’t it? We both want this to work, don’t we?”

I hold my breath as I wait for her answer. It’s as hard as I’ve pushed her lately and I half expect her to leap up and run for the door.

Instead, she inhales deeply. “Yeah, we do.”

“Does that mean I can stop looking for a different woman?”

“It means you have to stop,” she declares. Her delicate fingers dig possessively into my skin, and I grunt with pleasure.

“Good. I’ve already told a few women around here that I’m married.”

“Why?”

“Jamie’s a chick magnet. I’ve never had so many women hit on me.”

And then, as if I’d summoned her, my phone chirps to announce that Jamie’s crying in the other room.

“What’s that?” Sabrina sits up, wiping the hair out of her face.

“Fitzy set it up. There are monitors in the crib that send an alert to my phone to let us know if she stops moving or if she’s crying. I’ll install the app on your phone later.” I swing out of bed. “Stay here,” I tell her as she scrambles to her knees. “I’ll bring Jamie in.”

When I reach the door, I look back. Sabrina has positioned herself against the padded headboard, arranging the pillows around her sides as she gets ready to feed our baby. She lifts her head and smiles, looking like a fucking angel.

This isn’t how I planned my life to be, at least not this soon, but I wouldn’t give it up for all the gold in the world.

Heart in my throat, and feeling happier than any man has the right to feel, I go get our little girl.