The supply shelf rattles alarmingly as Amanda's hands remain wrapped tightly around the metal support beams on either side of it. Rows and rows of glass alcohol bottles shake, chinking together lightly as the noise of it mixes with the sounds of our skin slapping together. A choked gasp shudders from her again, her long red hair swaying as her head hangs forward while I grip the soft flesh of her hips.

I can't help but admire the way her back arches, the way her legs quiver against mine while I thrust into her from behind. My dick aches, almost painfully, but I'm still no closer to a release then I was when she yanked me in here nearly twenty minutes ago now.

This was meant to be quick.

A secret rendezvous while she's on break during her daytime bar shift.

But this has been happening recently, no matter how hard or desperate I am to cum, I can't do it. I don't know why, but I know I don't have the time right now to think on it. So instead, I focus on her pleasure.

I yank her up, pulling her back flush to my chest as I tweak her right nipple in one hand, the other sliding between her legs to rub rapidly at her clit until she's literally shaking in my arms, hoarse noises escaping from between her lips despite the fact that we're meant to be keeping quiet.

"Wyatt," she mewls, louder than she should and she turns her head over her shoulder so that her hazy gaze can meet mine. Her eyes are barely open, lashes fluttering against her cheeks as I lean down to lock her puffy lips in a kiss. I feel the walls of her pussy convulse around my cock, groaning into her mouth as she responds in earnest. Breaking off from the kiss to pant lightly while I slow my thrusts as she comes down from her high.

Pain settles in my lower spine from my lack of release, and I close my eyes, sinking my teeth into my bottle lip as I let my head hang back towards the ceiling of the storage closet, we're currently hiding in.

The first time Amanda and I fucked, I finished without incident. Granted, I'd been coming down off smoking out of Dallas' dab rig, so I was already loosened up both physically and mentally. But ever since then, I'd struggled.

Something that felt almost embarrassing considering this had never been an issue for me before. Not even when Michelle and I hooked up one more time in high school after we'd broken up. She'd been sucking off half the basketball team behind my back and I could still get off with her. And now, I'm balls deep in this beautiful woman who has never been anything but kind to me and I can't seem to manage it.

She lets out a deep sigh, hands catching herself against the shelf again as I ease out of her and pull the condom off. I turn quickly, disposing of the empty condom in the small trash bin by the door before tucking myself back into my boxers gingerly and zipping up my jeans.

I run a hand over my face, scrubbing at the rough texture of the five o'clock shadow on my jaw before letting a breath blow between my lips.

"Are you okay?" I hear Amanda's voice from behind me and I glance over my shoulder, managing a small smile as I turn back to her.

"Yeah." I lie and she raises an eyebrow, giving me a pointed look as she tugs her panties back into place and shoves her tight black skirt back down her thighs. Then she reaches for her bra and work shirt, before grabbing my own white t-shirt and tossing it to me.

"It's okay if you're not too," she tells me simply, fastening her bra as I tug my t-shirt over my head, and she does the same with hers. Once we're both dressed again, she steps closer to me, peering up at me with a curious expression on her face. "It just feels like you're a million miles away more and more these days. Especially when we have sex."

"Sorry," I shrug, letting my head hang a bit as I rub a hand at the back of my neck. "I don't know what's up with me, maybe it's that school starts soon—I don't know."

"There's someone else," Amanda perceives then, her soft brown eyes blinking slowly, no trace of malice or disappointment. Rather, there's some sort of understanding.

"No," I shake my head, denying it even though she might be right. But I can't think about that someone else, not when I've been working so hard to forget about her and the summer we'd spent together given that her brother is back in town.

"I like hanging out with you Wyatt," she tells me gently. "Really, I feel like I have fun at least, and you seemed like you were having fun at first. But I'm not interested in you using me to try to forget someone else. Not when I have a lot to offer to a guy who wants all of me, and only me."

"I'm not using—" I protest but she just smiles, shaking her head.

"I know, I know," she reassures me. "Not consciously at least, but I can tell, okay? I can sense it, like this. Just now, I mean, did you even finish? I felt like I was the only one there while we were having sex. You weren't there. Not mentally at least."

"Fuck," I breathe, glancing away from her and up at the now still bottles of alcohol behind her. She's smart, more perceptive than I am, and what's more, she's right. I'm not being fair to her.

"Maybe we should take a break," she continues, her hand running gently down my arm to my hand where she tugs her fingers through mine. "I'd love to see you again, but only if you want to see me because it's me. Not because you're just looking for an escape. An escape, by the way, that doesn't seem to be working for you anymore."

"I'm sorry," I mumble weakly. "Really, I—I do like hanging out with you, this past month has been fun."

"I know, but I'm starting to really like you," Amanda offers, brushing her free hand across my jaw lightly, stroking at my cheek. "Like more than a hook up. And I don't want to get hurt because I keep trying to fool myself into believing you feel the same way."

I want to tell her I like her too. That maybe I'd even take her on a date, but the words get stuck in my throat, and I find myself remaining silent while she leans up to press a soft kiss to the base of my jaw before she releases my hand. She brushes by me, giving my arm one last squeeze before she opens the closet door and slips out.

The next few moments feel like a pause before I shake myself out of my thoughts and follow her, shutting the closet door as I walk back down the hallway towards the main area in the bar she works at. I spot her behind it as my feet carry me towards the tall wooden structure. It's only 5pm, so there are still only a few people here. Though a new crowd of businessmen looking for an after-work drink filter in, all trying to get Amanda's attention.

I don't blame them. She's pretty, and the way she's covered in tattoos and piercings makes her even more of a tempting enigma to be solved. But more than that, she's actually nice and cares about people, that much I've seen time and time again while we got closer since she started texting me back in July.

She glances up when I step behind the bar, a move that not many are allowed to make, but I've done it before. She holds a finger up to one of the guys trying to flag her down, shaker in hand as she steps up to me.

"I'll call you, alright?" I ask and she nods, using her free hand to pass me my leather jacket that we'd left behind the bar before running off to the storage closet.

"Sure," she nods, smiling. "When you're ready."

"Yeah." I nod, grinning at her as I let out a breath and lean down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She seems surprised, her footing uneven as she stumbles against me. I try desperately to feel something while I move my mouth on hers, try to remember the rush of excitement from the first night we kiss behind this bar, but nothing. Nothing comes and so I release her feeling like a prick for kissing her like that when I have no intention of taking things further.

Then I leave, glancing one more time over my shoulder at her back as she serves a few customers before slipping out the front door. Once outside, I feel a bit better, the warm evening air soothing my senses as I slide my leather jacket on and climb onto my bike.

Once my helmet is on, clipped into place, I rev the engine of my motorcycle before speeding down Pearl Street towards University Hill. I'd stopped by to see Amanda as an impromptu decision on my way to hang at Ryder's new house. Part of me hoped being with another girl just before having to look him in the eye would help, but I don't know that it did.

Soon enough I am pulling up outside a large grey house, tall and looming against the blue sky as I park by bike out front and secure my jacket and helmet against the back. Then I stroll up the front walk, knocking at their front door before it's whipped open aggressively.

"Wyatt!" Justin, Ryder's freshmen year roommate and one of his closer friends, opens the door, a wide grin on his face as he looks me up and down shamelessly. "How's my favorite pretty boy doing?"

"Not so bad," I grin, shaking my head as he pulls me in for a rough hug. I stumble into the house, surprised at Justin's strength despite him being a whole head shorter than me.

"Dude!" I turn my head, glancing to the living room where Ryder, Lars—a guy who I'd become good friends with through Ryder, our teammate Andrew, and our other friend Tristan, are all sitting on two worn couches. An array of smoking supplies spread on the coffee table in front of them.

Ryder stands the second he sees me, an easy grin on his face as he claps me on the back and guides me to the couches where I join the circle. I feel relief wash over me as I sit, glad that my friends are back,- and that some semblance of normalcy might come back into my life now.

"What the fuck is up bro?" Lars asks, reaching his hand forward to slap it against mine in a greeting as I laugh and sit back against the couch next to Ryder and Justin.

"Not much honestly," I say. "I'm fuckin glad you're all back though."

"Us too," Andrew nods. "I'm ready for our senior year to be off the charts."

"Same," Ryder agrees.

"Lucky motherfuckers," Lars scoffs, shaking his head. He is only a junior, and the youngest guy in the house. But given his stature—being one of the best forwards CU's hockey team has seen in a while—you wouldn't know it.

"All the more reason we gotta enjoy this time before we're all off in the world doing god knows what." Ryder continues, sending a reassuring grin Lars' way.

"Says the only guy here who is the closet to knowing his plans for the rest of his life," Justin scoffs, sitting forward to pack a bowl in the bong sitting on the coffee table as Tristan passes him two different containers. "Some of us here will have to settle for corporate 9-5 bullshit while you get to go off around the world playing basketball for some all-star NBA team."

"Dude don't jinx it," Ryder scolds and I chuckle. He's always been a more superstitious guy than he'd let on.

"Yeah, who knows," I joke. "He could end up working that same 9-5 bullshit."

"Well," Ryder tilts his head at me, a smirk on his face now. "We'll see."

"Cocky fucker." Tristan laughs and we all join in.

Justin lights up the bong then, taking a long pull before passing it in the circle. Ryder declines, passing it to me and I sit forward, holding the bong in one hand and the lighter in the other as I inhale.

"Speaking of an off-the-charts year," Justin says, exhaling the thick smoke as he coughs lightly. "What's our plan tonight?"

"Boy's night out." Andrew states firmly and Lars grins.

"Yeah, Justin and I will wing-man for you guys," he agrees. "Now that everyone is coming back for the year, we gotta scout the options and the competition."

"I already know what I'm looking for this year." Tristan pipes up then, grinning at all of us and I raise an eyebrow. I know he means Andee Parker. A girl he's been pining after since freshmen year.

"Finally going to make your move?" I ask and he nods.

"You know it."

"Jesus," Ryder scoffs. "Well, it certainly took you long enough."

"Hey," Tristan protests. "I was working up to it man, and I have big plans for when we all see each other next week for Justin birthday party. But speaking of making moves, I don't want to hear shit from you, not when Jourdan's single now—"

"Jourdan is off limits to every single one of you." Justin interjects. "My girl needs some very important healing time."

"I'll bet Ryder has a couple ideas of how to help her with her healing process," Andrew snickers and I let out a bark of laughter. He's not wrong. Ryder may be as bad as I am sometimes, but that doesn't change the fact that he's always had a thing for Jourdan Mathews. Whether he'd admit it out loud or not.

"No joking." Justin insists. "Come on guys, she's been through enough."

A pang of guilt hits me then, and I can see the same thing wash over the rest of the group as Justin reminds us of what happened. I never knew Jourdan's ex, Miles Davis, that well. You hear things, I knew he was a big partier, and ran with the druggie crowd on campus, but I didn't realize how serious it was until he died of a drug overdose last year.

"Anyways," Tristan clears his throat after he takes a hit from the bong and passes it back to Justin. "Um, how was your summer dude?"

He looks at me and I shrug, trying to remain as casual as possible while avoiding thoughts of what exactly occurred this summer when the friend group had been apart.

"Pretty good," I offer, running my palms over the rough surface of my jeans. "Didn't do a whole lot other than work out and chill but otherwise, yeah, it was pretty good."

"You get any good pussy?" Andrew's question startles me slightly, when normally I know it wouldn't. But none of them know what I did or who I did it with, so my face remains blessedly even as I grin.

"Eh," I shrug, glancing out the large front windows of their living room. "Might of."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Ryder asks, chuckling as he hands me the bong again and I look at him.

"Just came from hanging with a girl actually," I admit, taking a long pull before Lars takes the bong with a sly smile on his face. "Met her through Dallas."

"You two dating?" Justin asks and I shake my head as I exhale.

"Nah," I cough as the smoke fills the space around me and my high begins to set in, relaxing me despite the sudden twinge in my balls at the thought of Amanda. I know I'm in for a world of hurt tonight, considering I hadn't finished, this case of blue balls will probably be worse than the last. "Just chilling, but she's a nice chick. She's got a beautiful ass."

"You have always been an ass man." Justin laughs and I roll my eyes.

"Don't say it like that." I laugh with him and Ryder chuckles.

"I don't know," Ryder joins in. "I've personally always been a boob guy. There's just something about them."

"Tits are nice too." I concede and Andrew nods.

"Makes me feel like a baby again, sucking at a girls nipple like that." Andrew tells us and Lars splutters, exhaling into the bong and launching the bowl piece on to the table as water sprays out of it. Justin shrieks, reaching for the bowl piece to examine it as Lars coughs.

"Dude," he manages, clearing his throat. "What?"

"What?" Andrew protests as the rest of us snicker. "You're telling me you don't suck on your girls' nipples?"

"That's not what I was asking about." Lars chuckles and we all join in as Andrew flips us off. "But while we're on the subject of demeaning women and reducing them to their body parts, I'd like to point out that my favorite thing about a lady, will always be her personality."

"Simp." Tristan coughs, trying to cover up the word as the room bursts into laughter at Lars expense this time.

"That doesn't explain your girlfriend then," Andrew also pipes up. "She is a bitch."

I snort, nodding. Lars is a nice guy, one of the few people I actually enjoy being around most of the time, but I also will never understand why he's with his girlfriend Riley. Calling her a bitch might be a dick move, but it is what it is. The few times I've met her, she's been difficult, a bit rude and stuck up. Not to mention, she is one of the main reasons for his intense rivalry with Savannah Hayes.

Savannah isn't always around, but the times I've met her she's left an impression to be sure. For one thing, she's drop dead gorgeous, with a body that's got curves for days and long slender legs that have caused me to have more than a few sinful thoughts about her. Her full tits and beautifully heart shaped ass certainly doesn't hurt either.

We've flirted before, I'm not gonna lie and say I wouldn't hit that if I got the chance, but she's never struck me as that kind of girl. And now, well, I don't want to let my mind drift too far.

She's also fuckin ballsy, got a whip smart mouth, and as far as I know she's closest with Jourdan and also hangs with Aurora sometimes, which makes sense given Savannah's dry sense of humor. It makes sense she'd get along with those two. But whenever she and Lars are in the same room it's almost always disastrous. No one really knows why, but I do know it has something to do with Riley.

"Shut the fuck up," Lars barks. "Don't disrespect her like that in front of me."

"Hey man—" Andrew starts but Justin cuts him off.

"No disrespect, but she has been a bit . . . difficult in the past," Justin tries to explain. "We just all think you could do better."

"Whatever." Lars huffs, his jaw working now as he stands, the muscles in his back tense beneath his t-shirt as he stalks into the kitchen. "I'll get more water for the bong."

"He's probably just keeping her around because he got a tattoo for her," Ryder says lowly to me and I stifle another laugh, the weed getting to me. Lars has always prided himself on only getting tattoos that mean something pretty significant to him. He doesn't have nearly as many as Ryder does, but still, he has a fair few.

"Doesn't he have a couple for her by now?" I ask and Ryder shrugs.