Class Act: A Coach/Student Romance
Class Act: Chapter 35

THOUGH I WAS TIRED from work, the moment I saw Abe sitting out on the patio, an extra burst of energy flowed through me. We had the whole evening to ourselves. I was looking forward to a quiet evening without interruptions. Just the two of us. Away from the judgmental eyes of the world. Even if no one else was happy we’d found each other, being together would be all the happiness we needed.

It had to be enough.

I slid the glass door back, but Abe didn’t move. He seemed deep in thought. Two cans of beer were on the floor by his chair. He had another in his hand. Something must have happened. He never drank during the day. I slowly approached him.

“Abe?”

He snapped his head up, and my chest clenched. His eyes were red. Was it because he’d been drinking, or had he been crying? He forced a smile to his lips.

“I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Abe, is everything okay?”

His throat worked furiously, and alarm bells went off inside my head. Something had happened, but why didn’t he say anything?

“Yeah, come here.” He patted his lap, and I went willingly. His arms came around me, and he buried his face in the crook of my neck, his body rigid and his breathing labored.

“Abe, what’s wrong?” I combed my fingers through his hair. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you didn’t. You’re perfect. Can we just sit here for a while like this?”

“Sure. I missed you today. I’m so happy to come home to you.”

He knew that, right?

“That’s good. I’m happy you’re home.”

But he didn’t sound happy. He sounded devastated. Worried. What the hell had happened?

Mandy.

I had so many questions, but I held them back. He would tell me when he found the words. I trusted him. He was always open about things. All I needed was some patience.

Time passed, and neither of us moved. I kept stroking his hair and letting him be, comforting him with my presence. Was I selfish for wanting his love? For not walking away so he could reconcile with his family?

“Abe, did you eat yet?”

“No, I was waiting for you to get home so we can eat together.”

“Silly man. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Yeah. I just… needed you.”

I kissed his temple. “Is it okay if I take a shower and then we eat?”

“I’ll come with you.”

“To the shower?”

“I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts right now.”

I got off his thighs and extended a hand to him. “Come on, then.”

Abe sat quietly in the bathroom on the toilet while I quickly showered, washing away the scent of food that seemed to come out of my pores. I would have loved to linger for a bit longer, but Abe’s silent state worried me. He was always relaxed and smiling around me.

Was he regretting us?

Oh god, I can’t think about that.

He sat on the bed while I scrubbed my hair. Without a word, he got up, took me in his arms, and kissed me as if it would be the last time. I dropped the towel and clung to him, responding to the desperation of his demanding lips pressing into mine with a force Abe had never treated me with.

He was always gentle, even when we had rough sex.

He lifted me and carried me over to the bed. He dropped me into the center and came down on top of me, then took my mouth again. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but holy fuck, he trailed biting kisses down my neck and toward my chest. It was hard to breathe. I clutched at the sheet and gasped at his flickering tongue, lapping at one nipple, then the other.

Abe traveled lower, over my belly button, and down between my legs. He spat in his hand, grasped my cock, and stroked me. He raised his head. The look in his eyes shook me to the core. His gaze was so raw and honest.

“Emery,” he whispered.

“Yes?”

“Will you always love me?”

“Yes.”

“Even if I have nothing?”

“Abe, what—”

“Please. I need to know.”

“I’ll always love you. Always. Doesn’t matter what you have or don’t have.”

He rose over me and kissed me, shoved his tongue into my mouth. He licked inside, bruising my lips with his. I clawed his back, raking my fingers down his skin.

God, how much he made me burn.

“I need you,” he rasped hoarsely. He yanked the drawer open and took out the lube. He coated his dick quickly and dropped the bottle on the bed. “Need you so much, Emery.”

Abe was so frantic his hand shook as he guided his cock between my legs, nudging my thighs farther apart. I braced for the intrusion, pushing out as he thrust and, with one move, claimed me entirely. I cried out and clutched his hips, stilling him to give me a second to adjust.

“You weren’t here today, and I felt like I was suffocating without you,” he said between kisses. He gently pushed my hands away and moved his hips back and forth. “What would I do without you, Emmy?”

“You won’t have to do anything.” I looped my legs behind his back and hung on as the bed rocked beneath us. He slipped his hands under my ass and held me in place, fucking me with swift strokes. “I swear I’ll never leave you.”

“I hope so.” He covered his body with mine. “Because everyone might hate me for loving you. I may lose everything I’ve built over the years, but I can take it as long as I have your love. As long as you come home to me every night. As long as we have this.”

“Oh god, Abe.” I cried out, clutching his broad shoulders as his thrusts became even more demanding and frantic. Every stroke hit my spot, and I forgot what we were talking about, too overcome by the pressure building inside me, filling my cock. “Abe. Oh my god, Abe.”

“Will you always want me like this, baby?”

“Yes! Oh god, yes, Abe!” I gripped him tight to me and sank my teeth into his shoulder. Shudders racked my body, and I shook against him. Abe pounded into me, slamming my hips into the bed over and over.

“Fuck. Fuck. Emery. Baby. Oh fuck, Emmy. I can’t give you up. They can’t make me. I just won’t.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” I stroked his back. “I’ll be staying right here with you, always. I promise.”

He squeezed me to him and came inside me. His rigid body collapsed on top of me. He started to roll off, but I clasped him to me.

“No, stay. I’m sorry for all the burden I’ve caused you.”

“There’s no burden I wouldn’t bear for you.” He nuzzled my neck, and some of the tension seemed to have left him. His soft cock slipped out of me, and I didn’t bother to clench my ass to keep his cum from running out.

We’ll have to change the sheets anyway.

“Mandy knows.”

I tensed, and when he shifted off me and lay next to me, I didn’t stop him. My heart slammed against my ribcage, and my lungs tightened.

“What?”

“She was upset.”

“Does that mean Teresa knows too?”

“Yeah. She’s known all along.”

I sat up in the bed and slicked my hair back. “Oh my god.”

“Emery, we knew this would happen eventually. We had to tell them anyway.”

“I don’t understand. You told them?”

“No, Teresa found out, but she claims she wasn’t the one who told Mandy.”

“You believe her?”

“I don’t know what to think.”

I buried my face in my hands. “How long has Teresa known?”

“She said from the beginning.”

“All this time? And she said nothing? She must think I’m a terrible person. What did Mandy say?”

“She was livid. We didn’t get to talk it out. I couldn’t really get a word in, since she was too busy accusing me of taking advantage of you.”

“What?”

“Yeah. She claims you needed help, and I used that to get you into bed. She kept on ranting, and I couldn’t even say much to defend myself.”

“That’s rubbish. You didn’t use me.”

“You needed help, Emery. Not this complication.” He sat up and rubbed my shoulders.

“I love you.” I threw my arms around him. “Fuck what everyone else thinks. You didn’t take advantage of me. I wanted you. I came on to you and didn’t give you a chance to say no. If anything, I’m the one to blame.”

He stroked my back. “I don’t want you to worry about it. Just know that Mandy may bring it up when you run into her.”

“Abe.” I took his hand. “You won’t change your mind about us and leave me, will you?”

“Never.” He tumbled me back against the bed and kissed every inch of my face. “You’re stuck with me. You just promised me you’d never leave me.”

I laughed and halfheartedly tried to push him away to avoid his kisses. “Everyone knows whatever is said when you’re being fucked doesn’t count.”

“No?”

“But in case you need to hear it again when I’m clearheaded, I’m yours.”

“Yeah, we’ll figure out the rest.” He placed his forehead against mine.

“Is that why you’ve been drinking?”

He groaned. “Yeah, hypocritical of me, since I told Mandy drinking solved nothing, but they were light beers, and I just needed to do something until you got home.”

“What did you think about?” I inhaled deeply. “Did you ever consider it might be best to leave me?”

“No.”

“Sure?”

“Never that. I felt awful for some of what I did, like sleeping with you in our home. It was in poor taste, even if it was convenient because we had nowhere else to be together at that time.”

“We can’t go back to change things.”

“No, so we must give them the time they need to deal with this.”

“I’ll try to avoid Mandy. What can I say to her? She was the only genuine friend I had.”

“Then I hope you can patch things up. It might take a little more effort on my part.” He sighed. “But we’re in this for the long haul. Eventually, she’ll come around.”

For Abe’s sake, I hoped like hell she did. I never wanted him to choose between the two of us. Mandy was his daughter, and oh god, if we ever got married, she would be my stepdaughter.

“What’s that look on your face?”

I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. “What look?”

“Like you had a strange thought. Tell me.”

I groaned. “Just thinking if we, umm, got married, I would be Mandy’s stepdad.”

“You… want us to get married?” Abe’s surprised tone and hesitancy were all I needed.

“I mean, not now, but someday we might,” I stammered. “Or not. We don’t have to.”

But now that the idea had taken root, I couldn’t dispel it. How would it feel to be Emery Cooper? To wear this man’s ring and be recognized legally as his husband despite what everyone else would think?

Did he want it too? Abe looked stunned. The man’s divorce wasn’t even finalized yet, and I was making plans for a wedding.

“I should clean up again so we can have dinner.” I scampered off the bed as if I could run away from the words I’d just uttered.