Swipe Me: A Friends-to-Lovers College Football Romance (Covey U Book 1)

‘Reign,’ Devin sighs, rubbing a hand down his face and I immediately feel guilty. ‘I’ve had a tough few days and I don’t want to argue with you. All I want to do is lie in my bed and try to get some sleep.’ His bloodshot eyes plead. What am I doing here?  Why am I acting like this? I must look crazy. We’re not even dating and here I am yelling at him for not telling me where he was. If that wasn’t bad enough, sitting in his room and silently crying to myself is surely grounds to get sectioned. I couldn’t help myself. Throughout everything, I’ve grown to care about him and when he disappeared without a word and didn’t respond to my messages, all these emotions and feelings started hurtling back. Back to the day I said goodbye to my parents thinking it was like any other and then I never saw them again. 

I back away, giving him space to roam his room. ‘I’m sorry, I was just…’ I can’t find the words to complete that sentence. I was just worried about you. I was just missing you. I was just thinking about all the ways I didn’t tell you I liked you more than I said at the beginning. And that’s what all this comes down to really. Is me finally admitting to myself that I do like Devin. I like him so much that when he was gone, I felt like he’d taken a little piece of me with him. As he sits down on the bed, he spreads his legs out and rests his elbows on his thighs, gazing back to me. The words get caught in my throat.

He must take pity on me standing there because he opens his arms, inviting me in. Any frustration or fear melts away when I wrap myself in his arms and perch on his thigh. He squeezes me tight, it’s like he needs the hug just as much as me. ‘You don’t have to explain anything to me,’ I say, burrowing into his shoulder.  ‘I’m sorry for getting in your face. I’m an idiot. I just…’ I pause, still not sure I can say it. After all, it’s probably not the right time to oust my inner most feelings. ‘I was just worried about you that’s all. I was so nervous when I hadn’t seen you around for a few days and when I finally asked Adam, he said he didn’t know where you were. I guess I just freaked out.’ I speak into his jacket, too embarrassed about admitting how worried I was when clearly, he’s fine.

He ran his hand through my hair and whispered, ‘It’s okay Reign, it’s sweet that you were scared and I’m sorry I didn’t text you or call you.’ His breath sends shivers down my spine. ‘I just really need some sleep though.’ His voice is hoarse and he backed away slightly so he could look me in the eyes. His hand still in my hair, our noses almost touch as he looks down at my lips then back up to my eyes. My breath hitches, hoping he’ll edge closer and kiss me, but he doesn’t. He just eases the tension by smoothing down a few more errant hairs.

I want him to get some sleep, but something about his expression makes me want to stay. ‘Would you like some company?’ I ask quietly and laugh when his eyes widen. Is he really all that surprised? Isn’t this where we’ve been leading the whole time? ‘Just so you know, you aren’t alone.’ I clarify and the deep grin on his face as he squeezes my hip is enough indication.

‘Sure, darlin,’ I can’t help but notice his accent is a little thicker than last time I saw him. ‘I would love some company.’ He smiles, gently kissing my cheek. He’s letting me comfort him and I want to be that person for him. As his lips drift away from my face, I can’t help thinking this just might be the turning point in our relationship. The night where we throw caution to the wind and finally admit how we really feel about each other.

I reluctantly move off his lap, ‘I’m just going to grab my PJs.’ I say, looking down at my worn-out denim jeans and Devin’s sweatshirt. He clutches my hand tighter, pulling me back to the space between his thighs and placing my hand on the crook of his neck.

He rests his head on my shoulder as his palms fall to my hips, gently stroking me. ‘Or you could just wear one of my shirts,’ He offers, his lips graze across my shoulder as he refuses to look at me.

Nodding my head, I hesitantly say, ‘Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.’ Have we just silently agreed to more? Letting go of me for just a second, he walks to his dresser, grabbing a white shirt and throwing it my way.

‘Do you want me to turn around?’ He offers as I stare down at his shirt, nervous because I don’t remember what underwear I put on this morning.

Awkwardly, I smile, ‘Nah, I guess you’ve seen it all before,’ It doesn’t stop me from turning around when I drag his sweatshirt off my body. The cold air of the room reminds me that I’ve only got a thin lace bralette on. I throw the shirt on and then quickly take my jeans off, noting that thankfully, I’m in a pair of respectable boy shorts.

Spinning back around, Devin’s got his back to me too and I watch intently as he pulls the shirt over his head in one swift movement. How do guys even do that?  Every single muscle in his back works as his arms move back down. I want to run my hands across them and feel them flex. Then I hear his zipper lower and my heart stops. He bends over and I gasp. His butt is just perfect.

He straightens up, looking down at his chest and then back to me. ‘Everything alright?’ He asks with a cocked eyebrow.

‘Yes, Yes. Sorry. Everything is fine.’ I squeak out as I watch his eyes flit to the bottom of the shirt, which grazes my upper thighs. Instinctively I pull the shirt down and that’s when I notice how very see through it is.

He saunters over to me, taking my hand as he pulls the covers of his bed back. He slides under and brings me with him. He rolls the covers back over us and as I relax down, resting my head on his chest, he wraps his arm around me as his hand absentmindedly plays with my hair. His brows furrow as he concentrates on something. ‘I’m always here for you D. I hope you know that.’ I whisper, holding back what I really want to say. Tell me everything. Let me make it better.

‘Thanks,’ he whispers back.

I take the hand resting on his chest and waffle mine with his, hoping this will show him exactly how I feel. His thumb draws circles around my palm as we lie there in each other’s arms. Devin takes a heavy breath. ‘Something happened this week.’ He starts, still looking at the ceiling and I keep my gaze focused on our connected hands, letting him talk. He tells me everything. About his sister, his dad leaving and him trying to scramble enough money together for rehab. How he brought his sister back with him and could barely handle the idea of leaving her there and how he hoped this would be the thing to work for her.

I don’t say a thing, just listen the whole time because it feels like Devin has a lot of things to say but no one to hear them. When he’s finished explaining everything, I can feel his heart rate slowing down and his breath becoming shallower. I raise our waffled hands to the place on his chest, just over his heart. ‘You’re one of the most resilient men I’ve ever met.’ I say then I hazard a chance and look up at his slightly glassy eyes. ‘Your mom and sister are lucky to have you.’ Because what else can I say? No amount of words will fix what’s on his plate and I hated how many people said ‘I’m sorry’ when they heard about my parents, as though it was something they did. Sometimes situations suck and it’s just the act of sharing what happened with another person that can make it easier to manage.

Unclasping our hands, I squeeze him tight, forcing my whole body against his side. He squeezes back as he gently kisses the top of my forehead and rests his hand on the small of my back where his shirt has ridden up. A small zing of electricity runs straight to my core. ‘Thanks for listening, Reign,’ He sighs, closing his eyes as his pinky finger lazily strokes the top of my lace boy shorts. There’s something between us, I know he can feel it.

Devin’s breath quickens as I raise my lips to his ear, ‘No problem, D,’ I whisper, lowering myself down to his neck and gently place a small kiss on his jaw. I kiss his jaw a few more times when he doesn’t object and finally, as if he can’t take it anymore, he clasps my chin, bringing my mouth to his. The kisses are slow, tortured, and lazy as his tongue slips into my mouth and I whimper in pleasure. This is finally it. I want him He wants me. It’s clear.

The hand on the small of my back sinks a little lower, covering the swell of my butt as he gives it a small squeeze, bringing me closer and making my core grind into his thigh. That’s all the indication I need to slink my hand under the covers, dragging it down to the bottom of his stomach, right next to the waistband of his boxers. Groaning, he asks between kisses. ‘Do you know what you’re doing to me?’ Giggling, I nuzzle further into his side, feeling the heat radiate off his chest.

A small gasp escaped my lips as he grasped my hips and dragged me over his body to straddle his waist. His soft velvety tongue still playing with mine as his hips moved deliciously over my core, grinding his hardness against me. I flicked my tongue across his lower lip and his fingers bit into my hips. Reaching down between us, I played with the elastic just above his waist. His eyes were glazed over, and I wanted to make sure he got a good night’s sleep after this.

My hands grazed the top of his thighs as I licked across his abdomen to the light dusting of hair just above his boxers. ‘I think I have a favor to return,’ I smile mischievously before leaving a trail of kisses down his body.

I teased him, watching his body tense with anticipation, and let my hands move further up with every moan he let out. I brushed my hand across the fabric that was between his cock and mine, his hips jerked, and he groaned, “Reign, please.”

His words were all the encouragement I needed. Gripping the side of his boxers, I yanked them down seeing his hard cock with a pearl of pre-cum already waiting for me. He hissed when I gripped the base of his cock, slowly smoothing my hand over him, moving it up and down, letting my thumb tease the tip whenever I pass it.

I lowered my mouth onto his length slowly, maintaining eye contact with him the entire time. When he reached the back of my throat, he threaded his fingers through my hair, holding me in place as his hips shift deeper into me. My cheeks hallowed as I sucked him and in and out.

When I got to the tip, I swirled my tongue around it, gripping the base of him hard, letting his groans of encouragement spur me on and take him back in my mouth, pushing him in further than before. He watches me with hazy eyes, heating me up in all the right places. I wanted to be touched to relieve some of the ache, but this was about him. ‘It’s too much,’ Is all I hear before he drags one of my legs over his shoulder and quickly pulled my boy shorts off. I’m, oh my God, I’m completely bare and sitting on him. 

Popping his cock out of my mouth, ‘What are you doing?’ I ask nervously, trying to squirm away from his roaming eyes. His grip on my thighs tightens, holding me firmly in place.

‘I need a distraction or I’m going to come too soon.’ He says, his hands wrapped around both thighs and I look between us, I can see he’s looking up at my pussy eagerly. I feel so self-conscious right now. He can literally see everything. Only my waxer has seen this side of me, and it all feels a little too exposed.

‘I’ve, um, never done this.’ I admit with flushed cheeks. I’ve never felt comfortable with the thought of sitting on a guy’s face before. The idea that my butt is right in their eye line is enough to put me off it.

The only thing I can see is the curve of Devin’s smile. ‘Well, then relax and enjoy the ride, darlin’.’ He says before he forces my core down to his lips, flicking and twirling my clit like his life depends on it. The euphoric feeling goes a long way to making me relax but I still can’t help my anxiety so I draw my mouth back to his cock, hoping that will distract me enough.

Gripping his cock, I slide my mouth up at down, moaning as his warm tongue enters me and his thumb flicks my clit. He thrusts up and muffles something in audible out, I’m riding his face so hard, I’m surprised he’s able to breathe let alone talk. His hips jerk and balls tighten. I know he’s close. That’s when I force him further down my throat. He groaned as hot salty liquid rushed down my throat. I did my best to swallow every last drop, surprising myself at how comfortable I found it.

The entire time, Devin didn’t let up on me, feasting on my pussy like it was his last meal. When I finished lapping up his come, he grabbed both of my hands, hauling me up so I’m literally sitting on his face. Dear Lord.

‘What are -‘

‘Ride me darlin,’ He interrupts, his tongue driving me wild as I carefully move against him. I gripped his chest as I moaned out his name breathlessly. When his tongue went inside me, I couldn’t hold back. I was coming. On. His. Face. Hard. The feeling was so intense, I tried to move away from his touch, but he wouldn’t let me. He held my thighs down, as I quivered around him, lapping up all my juices. No one had ever attended to me quite like that before.

When my climax subsided, I fell to the bed like a boneless ragdoll. I was so lost in my own world I barely noticed Devin lie on top of me, kissing my neck and nipping at my ear. ‘You’ll have to keep it down for round two.’ He whispered. ‘I’m sure the whole house heard that.’

All I focus on is, ‘Round two?’

‘You thought we were done?’ He laughs.

He groans into my ear when he feels me drag my nails up his back. ‘I thought you needed to sleep?’

‘You’ve just woke me up.’ He growled, as he led my hand to his already growing cock. Without another word, he slid into me and rocked my world again.

By the time morning came I was absolutely wrecked and in need of another few hours of sleep. As much as waking up in Devin’s sheets is quickly becoming one of my favorite past times, we didn’t exactly have a talk about what this was between us. We just got naked. It felt good to let go, but am I ready for the potential let down if he thinks we’re just bed buddies?

The last time I really let go and opened myself up to anyone was before my parents died. After, I just closed down, not wanting to get hurt again. I started to come out of it when I was in Louisiana and Ally was there, forcing me to be social and then I met Clay. It took him over a year to get me to open up enough to him to even let him take me on a date. But once he did, it felt like everything was starting to work out for me, that maybe letting people in wasn’t so bad.

And it wasn’t bad for a couple of years. I started to feel a little more like my old self every day and that maybe I could move forward. That is, until I came home to our apartment from a particularly tough day at LSU. I couldn’t believe my ears when I opened the door and heard the moans coming from our bedroom. My hands trembled against the knob as I twisted it open. Then, right in front of me, the world I thought I had created came crashing down. Clay was naked, ploughing into Ally who was on all fours. I wanted to throw up, but there was nothing in my stomach. Instead, my heart sank straight to my toes and slithered through the floorboards. I vowed to never feel like that again. I left the apartment and Louisiana in less than a week. Hardly had a plan, just knew I needed to get back home and face my demons. When I picked up my stuff, Clay was there, wanting to apologize, but I didn’t bother listening. It should have always been Ally for him. I was there by mistake, a glitch in the matrix that was there when I should have been here, my home. There’s a nagging feeling in my stomach as I question if I’ve set myself up for failure again by not defining things with Devin before riding hid face like a bull last night.

By the time I’d poked my head out of Devin’s sheets, he was nowhere to be seen. All that was left of him, besides his woody scent clinging to the sheets, was a small yellow note with his scribbles letting me know he had football practice and would be back by lunch. I took advantage of the fact that the whole house would be at practice and sunk into his silky sheets, savoring his scent, and getting lost in memories of his touch.

One thing’s for sure, it never felt like this with Clay. Devin makes me feel like I’m on fire and I find it hard to concentrate on anything except how to get him naked when he’s in the room. He makes me dizzy and I forget about everything except us. It feels different and I kind of like it.

When I finally decide to reluctantly pull myself out of Devin’s bed, I notice patches of pink glitter spewed out on the floor. I giggle thinking about him putting his sweats on, confused as to where the stuff is coming from. Padding across the room, I pick up my clothes strewn across the floor and put them on before doing my best to jump over the balcony.

The minute my feet hit the floor in my room, Lyss’ piercing screams penetrates my ears and I’m thankful I let myself sleep a little longer before coming back to this nuthouse. I shower and change before heading downstairs with my books for the day in hand. I was fully expecting to see Lyss having a meltdown in the kitchen but weirdly, she’s not in the house. The noise is coming from the front yard.

I finally find her standing outside flailing her arms dramatically as she screams, shaking her fists at the guys’ house. Laura is doing everything she can to calm her friend but Lyss is too riled up, stomping her feet, and yelling like one of those desperate housewives who just caught their husband cheating. It takes all of two seconds to register what’s got her so angry and then it takes all the strength I have inside me not to burst out laughing.

‘Oh, no. What’s happened?’ I manage to say mildly, hiding any hint of humor. It seems that the guys, or I should say, Aiden more specifically, has covered Lyss’ car in bright pink and yellow post-it notes, which in itself is annoying because imagine trying to remove them all. What’s worse though, is that the paper colors have been contoured in such a way that there’s a bright pink penis across the side of her car, and some boobs on the hood. Walking around the car, I get a better look of the butt in the back too. There’s an impressive amount of detail considering they probably had to do this in the middle of the night. Aiden must have drawn out a plan beforehand to be able to do it.

‘What do you think happened Reign?’ Lyss asks sarcastically. Her face is cherry red, she’s pissed. I guess if I had a car and someone did this, I’d be angry too, but stomping around like a toddler isn’t going to help the situation. ‘I hate you Aiden!’ She screams at the house again. It’s probably not the right time to mention that I think he’s at football practice with Devin. Laura stands next to her friend dutifully, eyes closed, rubbing her back. I honestly don’t know how she puts up with this on the regular.

After a few minutes of ranting and raging at the empty windows of the house next door, Lyss turns back to Laura and I, shoulder’s slumped. Her face is flustered and hair’s a mess. ‘I’m sorry guys. It’s just I can’t let him win.’ She says, shaking her head. Well, at least she’s regretful about her outburst.

‘What’s with you and Aiden?’ I ask, because to be frank, there are two households that have been brought into their weird rivalry and no one even know how all of this started.

‘Here we go…’ Laura grumbles, for the first time, turning away.

‘There’s nothing going on with us.’ Lyss stresses.

Hauling my bag further up my arm, I press on because I want to know what I’m fighting for. ‘I’m just curious how you both got to a point where you want to kill each other, and you don’t care about the collateral damage?’

‘They dated,’ Laura says flatly.

My mouth dropped and eyes widened. Wasn’t expecting that. ‘What?! When?’

Lyss clarifies, ‘We did not date.’ She starts to slowly remove the post-it notes, and I’d offer to help but after I hear her story, I’ve got to head to class or I’ll be late. ‘We went out once when we were Freshmen. Last year, Aiden kindly told me during that one outing that he would rather fornicate with a dead fish than me.’ She pulled off that last post-it note extra hard.

‘Ouch.’ I wince. ‘I don’t get it though. It’s clearly not true. He’s always trying to get your attention.’

‘The guy is a man whore. I don’t care about what he said or what he does anymore.’ Snorting. She obviously does, otherwise they wouldn’t be doing this to each other.

‘Are you sure about that?’ I questioned with a cocked eyebrow. She ignored me though, her eyes darting like crazy as though she’s already plotting and planning her next move. I can’t help but think if she put this much dedication into her college work, she would have already graduated.

Still working her way through the post-it boobs, she declares, ‘I’m going to come up with the perfect plan to get him this time.’ With that, I decide it’s probably best to head to my classes, instead of encouraging her crazy ass.

Just as I waved goodbye, Adam meets me on the sidewalk. Lyss is grumbling something, which I’m sure is directed at me fraternizing with the enemy again, but whatever. ‘Hey Reign. Are you walking to campus?’ He asked, noting the books in my hand. ‘Shall we walk together?’

Adam has this perfect preppy look down. It’s not even about what he wears because right now he’s in jeans and a t-shirt, but there’s something about the way his blonde hair waves across his forehead and the regalness behind those emerald green eyes that just shouts prep.

‘Aren’t you supposed to be training?’

‘I had to skip this one because of a class clash. I make up for it later in the week.’ He explains.

‘I’m going to get you Adam,’ Lyss shrieks and Adam just smiles, offering her a small wave as he chuckles.

‘I’m guessing she didn’t like the post-it notes?’ He asked with a little mischievous glint in his eyes.

I can’t help but smile broadly back as we start to walk to class. ‘Nope. She is apparently planning something even more spectacular.’

He shrugged. ‘It will be hard to top the glitter. That crap is still everywhere. I think she put it in Aiden’s shampoo. That guy’s hair has been glistening for days.’ He laughs. ‘And she got all over my boxers too. Did you know glitter itches?’

Blushing, I think back to that day. It was me who filled Adam’s drawers with glitter and roamed his room uninvited. I want to tell him and ask him who the people were in that picture, but I bite my tongue instead. I feel too guilty admitting I was the one snooping around his room.

‘Devin looked like a Magic Mike when he came down this morning, his biceps were glistening.’ He jokes. How I wish he woke me up for that. ‘I wish they’d get it over with and screw already.’ He says. Something about the way he said screwed feels weird. Like he’s too nice to use that word.

I cocked my eyebrow at him, ‘Did you know they went on a date when they were Freshmen?’

“No.” His eyes widen as it registers. ‘Have they been screwing this whole time? Is this some weird form of foreplay for them?!’

Raising my hands, I giggle at his facial expressions. ‘I didn’t say that. I have no idea; I just think there’s more to the story than we know.’

He winced, ‘More than I ever want to know.’ Draping his arm over my shoulder, we walk the rest of the way to class, laughing and joking.