#bill fordham x you

[stardancerluv]

Love by the Side of the Road

Kinktober - 19th Post - Bill Fordham- Car Sex

Summary: Bill, wants to enjoy reader in the car.

Warning/Note: Consensual sex in the front seat of a car.

This is the same Bill Fordham x reader dynamic from New Beginnings

He glanced over, he caught you looking out the window. The sky is an inky black, with a smattering stars. The only light on the stretch of road they were on besides the headlights was that of the full moon.

His stomach tighten aa he caught you sighing as you stretched. “Are all those kind of department dinners that boring?” You gave Bill a sidelong glance as he drove through the night.

“Sadly, most of the time they are.” He grimaced looking over at you. “Sometimes, there is even infighting over who is getting published first. It can get really out of hand.” He shrugged.

You just shook your head. “I suppose it doesn’t matter adults or young adults, everyone is petty.”

“Sadly.” He nodded, reaching over he squeezed your thigh. “Though, I enjoyed myself much more with you on my arm.”

“Oh did you?” You smiled over at him coyly. “Well, that makes me happy.” His stomach continued to twist into knots as he he looked at you. It had been nice, glancing over at you throughout the night. Relief had filled him that you and him being an item had not come up once over the course of the night.

He had been worried him brining you would have caused some kind of drama.

He inhaled sharply as he felt you bring his hand higher. “You were exceptionally handsome tonight.”

He rose his eyebrows. “Was I?”

“Yes.”

Feeling fiendish he brought his hand higher.

It sped up his heart. “Bill. You better focus on the road.” You flushed. But the smirk on his lips spoke of other thoughts.

“I missed kissing you whenever I wished.”

You sighed. “I missed your kisses too.”

As he continued to drive he could not help but notice that there was nothing around for miles. He considered things. Inhaling, he would do it. He had been wanting too.

Eyeing the night a final time, seeing nothing for miles around he finally pulled the car to the side of the road.

He delighted in the confusion he watched wash over your face. The car rolled on gravel to a stop. “Bill?”

He smiled and cut the engine. Pushing the button his seat moved back. “Come over here baby.” He unbuckled.

“Bill?”

He patted his lap. “Don’t make me as again honey.”

You quickly slipped from your flats, unbuckled and crawled over. There were a few giggles, a few miss moves but then soon you had managed to straddle his lap.

“I made it!” You giggled and buried your face into his shoulder.

He smoothed his hands over you. “You did.”

“Will you kiss me now?”

“Yes.” He pulled you closer then and felt the sigh on your lips as he kissed you then.

The kiss grew hungry as you two held onto each other. He let his finger entangle in your hair as he held you close against him. He really relished how your soft body felt against him.

You were breathless as the kiss broke. “Bill.”

He smirked at you. “Yes, honey?”

“We should hurry home.”

He lifted a hand and caressed your face, you leaned into it. “And why should we do that?” He asked playfully.

You slid his hand till his palm was over your mouth. He loved how you pressed kisses against it.

You rocked against. “I want to be with you Bill.”

“We’re all alone here. We don’t have to wait.”

“Bill.” You whimpered.

He pulled against him. “I can’t wait either. And I don’t want to.” He felt himself grow harder when you trembled against him

Bill slid his hand under your dress. “Honey?” He looked at you amazed. “No panties?” He rose his eyebrows.

You flushed. “I felt like being a bit bad.” You bit your bottom lip.

He squeezed your hip. “A bit?”

The rose in your cheeks deepened.

He let his hand slip from your hip and he reached between the two of you. He took himself out.

“I’m all yours.”

A deep sound came from you and then it was his time to tremble as he felt you wrap your fingers around him. You gently moved your hands up and down the length of him.

“Now, is not the time to tease.” His heart was thudding hard in his chest.

You arched as you slid yourself on top of him.

“You feel so good honey. I want to see more of you.” Reaching between you he opened the front of your dress. Smiling he slid his hands back down you, taking a hold of your hips he help you move. “Ride me honey, I am all yours.”

“Yes, yes Bill.”

He tilted his head back in his pleasure.

You were breathless. “I can’t believe we are doing this.”

He looked back at you with eyes heavy with his pleasure. “You pull it out of me. Kiss me.”

Kiss him you did. He could feel as you picked up your speed as you grew wetter. He held tighter onto you.

“Honey, are you going to cum for me?” He urged breaking the kiss.

“Yes.” The single word was twisted from the moan that came from you.

“Cum for me, I want to feel it.”

Your own hands held onto him tighter.

“That’s my girl. Yes.”

He could feel as you tightened. “Honey.” He breathed.

“Oh,” You moaned. “Bill.” You arched and bucked hard against him.

It pulled a deeper moan from him, he holding you he was only able to thrust into you a few more times before his entire body tightened before he came hard.

Out of breath, he loved how you nestled close to him. He held you close for a little while. “That was alot of fun.”

You pulled back. “It was. Now, let’s go home and wash up.”

His heart tightened. “Oh, I like the sound of that.”

Once again, he was driving a little faster this time. And he not only enjoyed the sight of the clear dark night but you delightfully rumpled on the seat beside him.

@blondekel77 @dogmatic255 @thebeckyjolene @reiaux

[storiesofsvu]

Cute Protective Goof

Sonny Carisi x fem!reader Warnings: Language, briefest mention of attempted assault, alcohol consumption. Fluffy Sonny.

*NEW CONTENT**

*

They always said that your college years were for having fun and partying, which honestly, was partially true. But you’d already done a year of that, in actual college, and one year was enough. You were much more focussed on school and furthering your career, especially now that you were at Fordham Law. You’d much rather spend your evenings studying, researching or relaxing at home with Netflix and snacks.

Which is why when the adorable detective, who’d insisted you call him Sonny, asked if you were joining in on the fun that Friday, you declined. He half jokingly tried to persuade you, saying you could go together, and he promised he wouldn’t ditch ya, no matter what. As much as you wanted to say no, you couldn’t resist those baby blues, especially after he made a puppy dog face and said he’d even buy you lunch with extra coffee that afternoon.

You weren’t sure at first if lunch was supposed to be a date or not, maybe he was just being friendly? Or didn’t want to hit up the party alone? You supposed you could use it as some extra study time, he was a year ahead of you after all. It only took about two minutes in before you realized that the flirting was heavy, adorable and cute, but there was lots of heated cheeks and little laughs as you got to know each other a bit more. Sonny also insisted on taking care of the bill, no matter what you tried to interject. If you had any further doubts, after you made sure to exchange numbers Sonny kissed you on the cheek and his face was as red as yours felt as you let out a giggle and said goodbye to him before darting off to your next class.

He was ever the gentleman, picking you up promptly on time on Friday, complimenting how pretty you looked in your sundress. You beamed at the statement, greeting him with a gentle kiss on the cheek, flushing as his free hand looped into yours as he drove.

The party was out at some house in Queens, a house full of roommates, two of who went to Fordham with you, the other four you didn’t know, but there were at least a handful of familiar faces. Sonny, true to his word, stayed by your side unless you ended up wandering off with someone you knew. He offered you a beer that he’d brought with him that you accepted as you chatted along with other friends and students. Things weren’t too wild, but the college party atmosphere was definitely there, especially among the younger crew that was around. The basement was full of beer pong, keg stands and dark corners, so the two of your stuck to the main level. Socializing and simply enjoying the time. You couldn’t help but smile at the way Sonny kept you close to him, hand on your lower back or wrapped around your waist, if it hadn’t been clear before, it was very clear now that you were here together.

You excused yourself to duck out to the bathroom, finding the one on the main floor occupied, one of the housemates directed you to the one upstairs, saying that if it was taken, there was one through the master bedroom on the left. You rolled your eyes at the sound of puking coming from the one in the hallway and poked your head into the bedroom first to make sure you weren’t interrupting anything before slipping into the bathroom.

Despite enjoying the conversation, Carisi couldn’t help but glance at his watch, his eyes flitting in the direction of the stairs. You were gone for longer than he’d expected and something in his gut was fighting with itself. He was sure you were fine, ran into someone you knew, taking a phone call? You were a good natured person, if someone else up there was throwing up he wouldn’t put it past you to make sure they were okay and safely in a cab or bed before returning to the party. You’d only had a couple of beers so he didn’t think you’d be sick.

He was just about to go try and track you down, thinking about sending you a text when you came half jogging down the stairs. He cocked a brow at you and you gave him a small smile, he noticed your eyes were watering slightly and now was wondering if you <em>had</em> been sick.

“You okay?” He asked softly under the bass of the music.

“Yeah.” You nodded, “but..uh..do you mind if we get outta here?” Your eyes darted back towards the stairs, “if you don’t want to, I get it, I’ll call a cab.”

“No, no!” He quickly placed down the beer he’d been nursing, patting his pockets to make sure he had everything, “I said I’d stay with ya doll, remember?”

“Thanks Sonny.” You sighed out in relief as you felt his arm gently slide around your shoulders, the two of you waving a quick goodbye to the friends you passed on the way out. Once you were back in his truck the two of you sat in a somewhat awkward silence nearly until you reached the bridge back into Manhattan.

“You feelin’ sick?” He asked quietly, “want me to just take ya home?”

“Uh, no. I’m fine.” You risked a glance up to him, “just…needed to get outta there.”

“Ya know you don’t hafta feel embarrassed if ya got sick, it happens to the best of us.”

“I’m fine Sonny.”

“If it’s somethin’ else”-

“Hey, don’t go all detective on me.” You half teased, tossing him a small grin.

“Okay.” He admitted defeat, “ya wanna grab a slice? Maybe, watch a movie?” It was still early enough he hoped that you just wanted out of Queens and not away from him.

“Yeah…” finally a smile that looked real, “that sounds great. I think I’ve got a bottle of wine to help make up for dragging you out of there early.”

“Hey, it’s no problem.” He winked and your cheeks heated, “but I’ll accept the offer.”

You ended up opting to just head straight to your apartment, relying on delivery for a pizza while you poured out a couple glasses of wine and Sonny looked through your movie collection. He came back to the kitchen with a couple of options for you to choose between and you jumped when you turned basically right into him, having caught you by surprise.

“You sure you’re okay doll?” His voice was so soft you felt like you could nearly melt. One of his hands gently rubbed at your forearm and you glanced up into those baby blues, letting out a huff of a sigh.

“Yeah…” you shook it off, “just a creep of a dude at the party.”

“Someone you knew?”

“No. I…think it was one of the other roommates? I used the ensuite bathroom, he was waiting on the bed, made some sick comment about me being in his room. He seemed pretty fucked up.”

“Did he try something?” Sonny’s voice hardened, his brow furrowing, the blood beginning to boil in his veins.

“Kissed me…” you wrapped your arms around yourself, “shoved me into the wall when I tried to push him off me.”

“Do you remember what he looked like?”

“I said no cop mode Sonny.” You looked up at him with a half glare but he could still see the shimmer in your eye, “I got away unharmed, he was too drunk to catch up, it’ll be fine. I’m just…shaken up.”

“You sure?” You nodded, “may I?” He held his arms open and you huffed out a small laugh, stepping into his arms. You relaxed against his embrace, feeling the warmth and safety flowing through from his body to yours, a slight jump in your chest as you felt his lips hit the top of your head. “Doll I’m sorry I wasn’t there, I shoulda kept ya safe.”

“You’re not my bodyguard Sonny.” You teased, nuzzling into his sweater.

“Well what if I took ya out to dinner next week? Maybe end up being another b word for ya?” You snorted out a laugh, pulling your head back so you could see his face.

“You really are a goof, you know that?”

“It’s been mentioned a few times.” He smiled and you popped up on your toes to kiss his cheek gently.

“A real cute goof though.” You squeezed his hand, leading him into the living room with the selection of movies.

As you settled into the couch, he was quick to throw an arm around the back of it, encouraging you to lean into his body. You got about halfway through the movie by the time the pizza showed up, laughing and joking of slices while you slowly forgot the movie and were more entertained with each other. Truthfully, both of you were having a much better time with just the two of you than you could have at a rambunctious party. You were able to properly hear each other, focus on what the other was saying without having to be interrupted every couple of minutes.

Shortly after midnight, after a few hours of cuddling and talking, Sonny realized how late it was, apologizing that he had to go. Not that he wanted, but he had to be at the precinct by nine the next morning, and hated going in overtired on the weekends. You walked him to the door, a soft smile on your cheeks as he packed up his things. Ever the perfect gentlemen, he turned to you as he stepped into the doorway.

“Would…it be alright if I kissed ya?” He barely whispered and you giggled, stepping closer to his body.

“I’d like that.” You replied, humming at the feel of his arm wrapping around your waist, pulling you to him before his lips met yours. A gentle kiss as your arms linked behind his neck, you sighed out in relief, your lips moving with perfect ease against his. It deepened for only a moment, the lightest flicker of tongues daring to dance with each other before pulling away.

“I’ll text ya tomorrow?” He murmured, grin on his cheeks.

“Sounds perfect. You better hold up on that dinner promise.”

“Oh I will.” He smirked, ducking to kiss you quickly one last time, pulling another giggle from you before he darted off to the elevator, making sure to glance over his shoulder to get one last look at you before you shut your apartment door.

________________ Taglist: @bisexualcrowley @dereksprentiss @detective-giggles @teamsladsandgents @witches-unruly-heart @ineedafinghug @billiedeannovak @stardust-galaxies @averyhotchner @glimmerglittergirl @reading--mermaid @beccabarba @itsjustmyfantasyroom @qvid-pro-qvo @thatesqcrush @altsvu @hurricanejjareau @redlipstickandplaid @lawandorderimagines @whimsicallymad @fandom-princess-forevermore @caracalwithchips

[itsjustmyfantasyroom]

Not so blind.

For: @thatesqcrush​ Valentine’s Bingo which was also requested by my lovely @beccabarba​ who asked for this:

< Heyyy! Could you write Reader x Nick Amaro for Vday Bingo - Blind Date? Maybe he's trying to find someone after the divorce? Imagine turning up to a blind date and it looking like him!!>

Bingo square: Blind Date.

Pairing: Nick Amaro x reader

Warnings: Fluff.

WC: 1044

Enjoy x

The unknown made you nervous. You had never done this before and you were at one point thinking why you agreed to it in the first place. But Sonny and Rafael were right, you needed to stop having flings and settle for a little while. You had just moved into a new apartment not far from the station two apartment blocks from Sonny and Rafael and had just become a 3rd Grade Detective, so it was time for love. You wanted someone to come home too and to share a life with.  

Rafael and Sonny had been at you for a while to let them set you up with someone. They knew everything about you and said that they had a friend that was the perfect match for you, you racked your brains who it could be, you all being so close having the same group of friends in and out of work, you thought it must be someone at the DA’s office or at Fordham with Sonny.

You finally caved about 3 weeks ago when you went over to see Sonny and Rafael for dinner after they just got back from a trip to Cuba for their one year wedding anniversary for Sonny to finally meet the rest of Rafael’s extended family that couldn’t make their wedding.

As you walked into the restaurant you caught yourself in the mirror giving yourself the once over. Fixing your thigh high velvet heeled boots, pulling down your longed sleeved turtle neck black tight fitting dress and fixed your grey fur waist length vest and tucking your curled hair behind your left ear. You walked up to the smiling host stopping to stand beside them,

“Good evening Ms, do you have a reservation?”

“Hello, I do. Table for two under Barba-Carisi”

“Please follow me, the other party is already here” the host smiled at you walking in to the restaurant.

“Have they been waiting long?”

“Not at all” the host smiled over their shoulder “About 5 minutes”

As you walked through the restaurant you weren’t really sure why Sonny and Rafael picked such a fancy one for a blind date, it wasn’t somewhere that you could just get up and walk out if it wasn’t going to plan, they knew full well that you would have been happy with a slice of pizza and soda. Rafael and Sonny assured you over and over that you were going to like their friend and that they knew you would have no problems with him or want to leave.

As you walked through the full restaurant to the purple velvet booths along the side, you looked over the hosts shoulder catching a chocolate brown pair of eyes and big toothy grin that you were familiar with. Your eyes opened wide and your mouth dropped open in shock,

“Y/N” Nick stood up looking ever so handsome in a pair of navy pants and a light blue shirt tucked in, the first few buttons undone and sleeved rolled up.

“Enjoy your meal” the host looked between you both.

“Nick-what? Is this some prank?” you giggled as Nick lent over kissing you on the cheek hello hugging you around your middle.

“I hope not. If I had known they were going to set me up with you I would have agreed a long time ago. They have been at me for ages.”

You both laughed and Nick moved to sit down,

“Well yeah me too. They haven’t shut up about it.” you smiled as you slid into the booth sitting across from Nick.

You both sat there eyes locked smiling at each other,

“You look so beautiful Y/N” Nick grabbed your hand giving it a squeeze “you have no idea how happy I’ am that it’s you. They said I wouldn’t regret it if I said yes” Nick winked at you.

You squeezed his hand back, moving to interlock your fingers with his “You look so handsome Nick. I’ am over the moon it’s you. I was so nervous”

“You don’t need to be nervous with me babe” Nick rubbed his thumb over yours looking down at your lips and then back into your eyes.

“Ms Y/L/N, Mr Amaro” You both looked up, pulling your hands away from each other, as a waiter sat a bottle of your favourite wine in the middle of the table with two wine glasses, “This is complementary of Mr and Mr Barba-Carisi. They also asked if I could pass this on” The waiter handed you a folded piece of paper “Enjoy your night”

You opened the paper to Rafael’s hand writing on the personalised stationary you brought them when they got engaged,

Our Amor & Amaro,

Surprise, guess it’s not as blind as you think. You guys were taking too long to make a move, so we made it for you. We told you both you wouldn’t regret it. The bill will be taken care of, make sure you plan a second date. Amaro you can pay for that one!

R & S Barba-Carisi xo  

You smiled wide your cheeks blushing red and you handed Nick the note watching as his face and eyes lit up, a big smile spread across his face shaking his head laughing folding the paper closed and sitting it on the table,

“As much as it pains me to say it, they are right” Nick shuffled around the table “Come closer Y/N” Nick patted the seat next to him. You done as he asked sliding over leaving a small gap between you both. Nick looked down at the gap you left and then looked up at you with a smirk “You can come closer, I don’t bite- on the first date anyway” You giggled and moved over, Nick putting his arm around you kissing your temple.

You turned your head, your nose almost resting on his. Nicks lips met yours, the kiss soft and just right, butterflies filling your belly.

“What if I like getting bitten” you said above a whisper resting your hand on his knee. You heard Nick growl his lips moving to your ear, his breath fanning down you neck sending a shiver down you spine.

“Then let’s make this quick and get back to mine.”

Tags: @witches-unruly-heart​ @teamsladsandgents​ @permanentlydizzy​ @lovebennycolonmiguelgalindo​ @amorestevens​

[thatesqcrush]

Candygram Wishes

Rafael Barba x Reader.  AN: Prompt #1 (Candycanes) from the @thefanficfaerie​ Christmas OTP challenge found here. CW: None.

Tags: @madpanda75​ @ottosuricato​ @delia26​ @dreila03​ @sass-and-suspenders​ @glimmerglittergirl​ @melsquared79​ @mommakat32​ @garturbo​ @southern-magnolia​ @niyashell​ @tropes-and-tales​ @imjustreallynosy​ @whyissvuruiningmylovelife​ @sweetsummertime99​ @evee87​ @scarletsoldierrr​ @kscarlett1 @cesarofangirl78​ @redlipstickandplaid​ @theenchantedgalleryofstories - anyone else just ask.

It started out by happenstance.

You were studying for your upcoming bar examination. A career change late in life; a second act, if you will. But bills were like clockwork and they came every 30-days. So when your friend Sonny, who was now a lawyer in his own right, said that his former boss needed a replacement nanny, you jumped at the chance. The job was straightforward and provided an opportunity for you to also squeeze in some extra study time while making some money.

And that’s exactly what you were doing tonight.

“Noah, did you finish your math homework?” you called out as you loaded Olivia’s dishwasher.

“Yes,” Noah replied walking in. A bright smile appeared on his face. “Can I show you the new moves I learned from dance school?”

“Well, I was going to make some hot chocolate before bed...” your voice trailed before sighing. “But now I don’t know if I should give you so much sugar if you’re going to be dancing,” you continued, teasing

. “Oh please, please! I want hot chocolate!” Noah exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly, before spinning in a pirouette.

“Okay, okay,” you laughed. You reached into a cabinet and pulled out a frothing pot. “Go get changed Fred Astaire.”

Noah skipped out of the kitchen as you began making the hot chocolate. As the milk warmed, you raided the pantry for hot chocolate fixings. You found marshmallows, caramel sauce, chocolate chips, crushed sea salt, and three unopened boxes of candy canes. You then checked the refrigerator and found a canister of whip cream. You gathered your materials for the hot chocolate bar you were creating and set them on the table.You used the corner of your nail to pop the plastic open on one of the candy cane packages. You took one out to suck on while you stirred the cocoa powder into the milk.

Noah burst back in. “Y/N, those are for my candygrams for school!”

You cocked your head and raised your brow. “Candygram? What’s a candygram?”

“I’m selling them for $1.00. You give a candy cane to whomever and you write a note that goes with it,” Noah explained.

“Okay, well I’ll give you the $1.00. I just thought they would be good to put in our hot chocolate. But we have lots of other stuff to put in them.”

A staccato knock on the apartment door interrupted your conversation. You shut off the stove and wiped your hands on the dish towel that hung off the oven door handle. You looked at Noah. “Expecting anyone?” 

Noah shook his head and you made your way towards the door. You peeked through the peephole and staring back was a very handsome man outfitted in a camel coat and dark brown leather gloves. He had a briefcase in one hand and a stack of red-weld folders in the other.

Cautiously still, you opened the door and poked out your head. “May I help you?”

“Is Liv around? I have these files for her,” the man replied, giving you a once over.

“And you are?” you asked, your eyes narrowing.

“Uncle Rafa! Uncle Rafa!” Noah squeezed and pushed past you. You stepped back, and opened the door slightly wider.

“Hi Noah,” Rafael put down his briefcase and crouched to give Noah a hug.

“Come inside, Y/N is making hot chocolate,” Noah exclaimed and began pulling Rafael towards the apartment.

As Rafael walked past you, you caught a waft of his cologne. It was woodsy and musky, and you closed your eyes taking in the scent. ‘It should be illegal to smell that good.’ You thought as you shut the door behind you and followed Rafael and Noah to the kitchen.

“I’m Y/N - Liv’s new nanny,” you introduced yourself, extending your hand.

“Pardon me. Rafael Barba,” Rafael greeted. He removed his glove and extending his hand. You shook it and gave him a demure smile. “Pleasure to meet you.”

You tried to ignore the butterflies in your stomach. Rafael was strikingly handsome with piercing green eyes. His dark coiffed hair was peppered with grey that gave him a distinguished appearance and suddenly you knew why your own mother had a thing for Richard Gere in the ‘90’s.

“Care for some hot chocolate? Coffee, or water, or something else?” 

“No thanks,” Rafael replied. “I just wanted to drop these files off for Liv. I didn’t think she was on tonight.”

“She got a last minute call,” you replied. You poured some hot chocolate in a mug and blew on it before placing it front of Noah, who was sitting. You smiled as he squirted some whip cream onto his drink.

“Well, I won’t keep you,” Rafael replied, putting his glove back on. “I’ll text Liv that I came by.”

“Uncle Rafa, stay,” Noah requested. “Y/N, Uncle Rafael is a lawyer, just like you.” Rafael cocked his head at you. 

You felt your cheeks flush and you shook your head. “Not a lawyer. Yet. Studying for the bar.”

“Where did you go?” Rafael asked, a smile twitching on his lips.

“Fordham,” you replied. “You?”

“Harvard.”

“Impressive,” you quipped, with a raised brow. You found yourself subconsciously smoothing over your clothes.

“Uncle Sonny went to Fordham,” Noah commented, now sporting a whipped cream mustache.

You turned to Noah. “That’s right, that’s how I met Sonny.” Turning back to Rafael, you continued. “You’re more than welcome to stay but don’t feel obligated if you have other places to be.”

“I actually do have to go,” Rafael replied and you found yourself disappointed.

“I’m sure you have someone waiting for you at home,” you blurted out and then felt your cheeks redden at your social faux pas. In your head, you banged your head against Liv’s wall repeatedly.

“Uncle Rafa isn’t married!” Noah giggled. “Mom says he works too much.”

Rafael felt his own cheeks flush and he coughed, trying to clear his throat. ‘Out of the mouth of babes... or Olivia,’ he thought. “Um something like that. I just have to prep for my case tomorrow. It was nice meeting you.”

You moved to walk Rafael out, but he held up his hand. “Don’t trouble yourself. Noah, pórtate bien. Goodnight.”

Later that night, when you were in the confines of your own apartment, you looked up Rafael Barba. And you fell down the rabbit hole that was Google, learning all about the amazing things this do-gooder of a man had accomplished. And he was handsome to boot. He was quite the package. In an instant, a crush was sparked.

Sometimes you dropped off Noah at the precinct. On more than one occasion, Rafael was there, discussing cases with the squad. Sometimes he gave you a head nod of acknowledgement, sometimes you and he would engage in small talk about your studying or about law school. Sometimes Sonny was there and would teasingly regale with law school horror stories.

You needed help with studying; Sonny was too busy with Hadid and getting his footing in the DA’s office. You thought about asking Rafael for tips on studying but you never dared to ask.

And at night when you were all alone, you would indulge in a fantasy which would revolve around Rafael helping you go through flash cards. It would eventually take a dangerously naughty turn with the end result of the two of you in between the sheets. ***

Rafael knocked on Liv’s apartment door. Ever since he met you that first night when he went to drop off the files, he couldn’t stop thinking about you. He always counted his good fortune on the days he got to see you at the squad room.

When the door opened to Liv, Rafael was somewhat disappointed. Liv didn’t miss a beat and saw the flash of disappointment across his face when it registered you weren’t at the sort. She raised a brow, and smirked. “You just missed her.”

“What are you talking about?” Rafael asked as he made his way in.

“Rafael, you may be a lawyer, but I’m a cop. It is my job to read people. And I know when people are lying,” Olivia continued as she shut her door. “I know you like Y/N.”

“Y/N and I are just friendly. That’s all,” Rafael replied, removing his coat. 

Liv walked into her kitchen. “I’m going to get some wine. Want some?”

“Please.”

Liv walked back out with two glasses of red wine. She handed a glass to Rafael and joined him on the couch. “I’ve watched you and Y/N interact. She’s single in case you wanted to know. And I think she likes you too.”

Rafael took a sip of the wine. “I don’t know.”

“This job - you give and you give and you give. And it also takes from you. I know. I’ve been there. Think about it. Don’t you think you deserve to be happy?” Olivia questioned.

Rafael swallowed a large gulp of wine, unsure as to how to reply. ***

“Uncle Rafa, uncle Rafa!” Noah exclaimed as he burst through the ADA’s door. The curly haired boy ran towards Rafael’s desk, throwing his coat and book bag onto the floor in process.

“Noah!” Rafael greeted. “Where is your mom?”

“Talking to Carmen. I have a candygram for you.”

“For me? Who’d send me a candygram?” Rafael questioned. Noah dragged his book bag over and unzipped his bag and dumped the contents onto the floor. Pencils scattered about song with folders, notebooks and various textbooks. Among the pile was a single candy cane, taped against a folded note.

Noah handed the candy cane to Rafael. Rafael opened it surreptitiously in order to avoid seeming too eager.

Call her. 917-555-6859 xo, Liv. At that moment, Liv walked in. “See you got my note.”

“Clever, Liv. We’ll see,” Rafael replied, tossing the candycane onto his desk. 

“She’s off tonight,” Liv added for good measure.

“I said we’ll see.” ****

You used your teeth to remove the cork from the already opened wine bottle. It had begun to snow; white flurries fluttered against your windowpane and the wind howled fiercely. You dropped to the floor and sat against your couch, one leg outstretched and one pressed against your chest. Study materials decorated your floor.

You felt defeated. The exam was less than a month away and you didn’t feel anymore ready or prepared. You figured you’d give it another hour before calling it a night, when your phone began to buzz. You didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”

“Hi, Y/N, it’s Rafael Barba. Liv gave me your phone number.”

“Why would she — um, is everything okay?”

From the other line, Rafael could hear the concern in your voice and he felt his heart race. “Everything is fine. I just wanted to see if you were busy and maybe... perhaps... grab dinner.”

You felt your cheeks pink and your stomach fluttered. “I’d like that.”

“What are you up to tonight?” Rafael pressed.

“I’m free tonight.” After a beat, you continued, looking at your study materials. “It would beat studying.”

“I could bring dinner and we could go through it together,” Rafael offered. You agreed, requested an hour and rattled off your address. “Or we could just do dinner; whatever.”

You rattled off your address and requested an hour, to which Rafael agreed. 

Rafael spun the candy cane between his thumb and index finger. He made sure to save your number in his phone, before placing an order of Chinese to pick up. He unwrapped the peppermint candy before placing it in his mouth. A smile twitched on his lips, and he let himself smile. 

*** You smiled as you disconnected, before rushing to change. You couldn’t wait to see what was to come.

FIN

[queenofangrymoths]

Book Log of 2019

I kept a record of how many books I read in 2019. I liked most of them so I would recommend you give any of them or read.

So on with the list! If it has an X next to it then it means I didn’t finish reading it. 

#1: Warcross by Marie Lu.

#2: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.

#3: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao.

#4: Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova.

#5: A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by Roshani Chokshi, Alyssa Wong, Lori M. Lee, Sona Charaipotra, Aliette De Bodard, E. C. Myres, Aisha Saeed, Preeti Chhibber, Renée Ahdieh, Rahul Kanakia, Melissa De La Cruz, Elsie Chapman, Shveta Thakrar, Cindy Pon, and Julie Kagawa.

#6: The 57 Bus by Daska Slater

#7: The Dark Descent Of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kristen White.

#8: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

9#: Broken Things by Lauren Oliver.

10# The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

11# A Study In Charlotte by Arthur Doyle

12# Simon Vs The Homo sapiens agenda by Becky Albertalli

13# The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

14# Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

15# The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

16# Carry On by Rainbow Rowel

17# Teen Trailblazers, 30 fearless girls who changed the world before they were 20 by Jennifer Calvert

18# Evermore by Sara Holland

19# The White Stag by Kara Barbieri

20# One Dark Throne by Kendra’s Blake

21# Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

22# A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney

23# King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo X

24# Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

25# The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

26# Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

27# Mythology by Edith Hamilton

28# Percy Jackson Greek Gods by Rick Riordan 

29# Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M McManus

30# The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

31# Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

32# Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt De La Peña

33# The Phantom of The Opera by Gaston Leroux

34# Roseblood by A.G Howard X

35# Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J Maas

36# Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

37# Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown

38# Through The Woods by Emily Caroll

39# The Wicked Deep by Shes Ernshaw

40# Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

41# Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

42# Where She Fell by Kaitlin Ward

43# Modern Herstory: Stories Of Women and non binary people rewriting history by Blair Imani

44# White Rabbits by Caleb Roehrig

45# To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Adapted by Fred Fordham

46# Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

47# Ever The Hunted by Erin Summeril

48# Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

49# Lost Souls, Be At Peace by Maggie Thrash

50# Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash

51# The Giver by Lois Lowry adapted by P.Craig Russell

52# My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand. Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

53# What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera X

54# An Assassin’s Guide to Love & Treason by Virginia Boecker

55# The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas adapted by Nokman Poon and Crystal S. Chan

56# The Fellowship Of The Ring by J.R.R Tolkien

57# What is someone I know is gay? By Eric Marcus X

58# Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

59# The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien

60# The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien X

61# The Return of The King by J.R.R Tolkien

62# Lafayette by Nathan Hale

63# Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

64# We should all be feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

65# The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

66# Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

67# Norton Volume Of English Literature

68# Beowulf by Unknown

69# The General Prologue by Chaucer

70# 20/20 by Linda Brewer

71# Always in Spanish by Agosim

72# The First Day by Edward P. Jones

73# Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff

74# Writing Fiction by Burroway

75# Murderers by Leonard Michaels

76# Greatness Strikes Where It Pleases by Lars Gustaffson

77# Cathedral by Raymond Carver

78# A Conversation with My Father by Grace Paley

79# Gooseberries by Anton Chekhov

80# The Lives of the Dead by Tim O’Brien

81# Head, Heart by Lydia Davis

82# Richard Cody by Edwin Arlington Robinson

83# “Out- Out-“ by Robert Frost

84# The Ruined Maid by Thomas Hardy

85# I wandered lonely as a cloud by William Wordsworth

86# Poem by Frank O’Hara

87# On being brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley

88# On her loving two equally by Aphra Behn

89# Because you asked about the line between Prose and Poetry by Howard Nemerov

90# Ars Poetica by Archibald MacLeish

91# Ars Poetica? By Czeslaw Milosz

92# Ars Poetica #100: I believe by Elizabeth Alexander

93# Poetry by Marianne Moode

94# “Poetry makes nothing happen”? By Julia Alvarez

95# Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

96# In Memory Of W.B. Yates by W. H. Auden

97# The kind of man I am at the DMV by Stacey Waite

98# The Changeling by Judith Oritez Carer

99# Going to war by Richard Lovelace

100# To the Ladies by Mary, Lady Chudleigh

101# Exchanging Hats by Elizabeth Bishop

102# History Of Ireland Volume 1 by Lecky X

103# A Modern History of Ireland by E. Norman X

104# The Tempest by William Shakespeare

105# Gender by Lisa Wade & Myra Marx Ferree

106# Trifles by Susan Glaspell

107# The Shroud by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

108# King of the Bingo Game by Ralph Ellison

109# Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin

110# Fences by August Wilson

111# Where are you going, where have you been? By Joyce Carol Oates

112# Daddy by Sylvia Plath

113# What is our life? By Walter Raleigh

114# May I compare thee to a midsummer day? By William Shakespeare

115# The love song of J. Alfred Prufruock by T. S. Eliot

116# À unr passante by Charles Baudelaire

117# In a station of the metro by Ezra Pound

118# The Fog by Carl Sandburg

119# The Yellow Fog by T.S. Eliot

120# On first looking into Chapman’s Homer by John Keats

121# the Road Not Taken by Robert Frisr

122# Paradise Lost  Book 1 & 10 by John Milton X

123# The Victory Lap by George Saunders

124# The Tempest by William Shakespeare

125# The Vanity Of Human Wishes by Samuel Johnson

126# Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

127# When to Her Lute Corinna Sings by Thomas Campion

128# Sir Patrick Spens by Anonymous

129# Ballad of Birmingham by Dudley Randall

130# A Prayer, Living and Dying by Augustus Montague Toplady

131# Homage to the Empress of the Blues by Robert Hayden

132# The Times They Are A-Changin’ *

133# Listening to Bob Dylan, 2005!by Linda Pastan

134# Hip Hop by Mos Deff

135# Elvis in the Inner City by Jose B. Gonzalez

136# Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost*

137# Terza Roma by Richard Wilbur

138# Stanza from The Eve of St. Agnes by John Keats

139# Stanza from His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell

140# Stanza from Sound and Sense by Alexander’s Pope

141# Stanza from The Word Plum by Helen Chasin

142# Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas

143# Myth by Natasha Trethewey

144# Sestina by Elizabeth Bishop

145# Sestina: Like by A.E. Stallings

146# l)a by E.E Cummings

147# Buffalo Bill by E.E Cummings

148# Easter Wings by George Herbert

149# Women by May Swenson

150# Upon the breeze she spread her golden hair by Franceso Petrarch

151# My lady’s presence makes the roses red by Henry Constance

152# My mistress’s eyes are nothing like the sun by William Shakespeare

153# Not marble, nor the gilded monuments by William Shakespeare

154# Let me no to the marriage of true minds by William Shakespeare

155# When I consider how my light is spent by John Milton

156# Nuns Fret Not by William Wordsworth

157# The world is too much with us by William Wordsworth

158# Do I love thee? By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

159# In an Artist’s Studio by Christina Rossetti

160# What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why by Edna St. Vincent Millay

161# Women have loved before as I love now by Edna St. Vincent Millay

162# I, being born a woman and distressed by Edna St. Vincent Millay

163# I will put Chaos in fourteen lines by Edna St. Vincent Millay

164# First Fight. Then Fiddle by Gwendolyn Brooks

165# In the Park by Gwen Harwood

166# Something Like a Sonnet for Phillis Miracle Wheatley by June Jordan

167# Sonnet by Billy Collins

168# Dim Lights by Harryette Mullen

169# Redefininy Realmess by Janet Mock

170# Lusus Naturae by Margaret Atwood

171# The House Of Asterion by Jorge Luis Borges

172# Death Fuge by Michael Hamburger

173# Clifford’s Place by Jamel Bickerly

174# We are seven by William Wordsworth

175# Lines written in early spring by William Wordsworth

176# Expostulation and Reply by William Wordsworth

177# The Tables Turned by William Wordsworth

178# Lines by William Wordsworth

179# Recitatif by Toni Morrison

180# Volar by Judith Ortiz Cofer

181# The Management Of Grief by Bharati Mukherjee

182# Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

183# Jesus Saves by David Sedaris

184# Disabled by Wilfred Owen

185# My Father’s Garden by David Wagoner

186# Practicing by Marie Howe

187# O my pa-pa by Bob Hicok

189# Mr. T- by Terrance Hayes

190# Late Aubade by James Richardson

191# Carp Poem by Terrance Hayes

192# Pilgrimage by Natasha Trethewey

193# Tu Do Street by Yuaef Lomunyakaa

194# Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich

195# Elena by Pat Mora

196# Gentle Communion by Pat Mora

197# Mothers & Daughters by Pat Mora

198# La Migra by Pat Mora

199# Ode to Adobe by Pat Mora

200# Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy

201# The Silken Tent by Robert Frost

202# Metaphors by Sylvia Plath

203# The Vine by James Thomsen

204# Questions by May Swenson

205# A Just Man by Attila József

206# the norton anthology of world literature

207# Pan’s Labyrinth by Gullernio de Toro and Cornelia Funke Xw

208# The prince and the dressmaker by Jen Wang

209# Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Porath

210# The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

[truesportsfan]

Bill Raftery on the Big East Tournament and its evolution

Bill Raftery, the longtime college basketball analyst and part of the Final Four broadcast team, was head coach at Seton Hall from 1970-81 and was there at the birth of the Big East Conference. He talks with The Post’s Steve Serby about the upcoming March Madness.

Q: Why do some consider Seton Hall a Final Four threat?

A: A variety of reasons — the size, which a lot of teams don’t have. They are like an NBA team … an old NBA team even. I think the other thing about them too is that they can play differently. They can actually play small with Sandro Mamukelashvili. He’s a 6-10, 6-11 kid and he’s very mobile. … He’s overlooked quite a bit, I think, by the public in general. And they’re excellent defensively, Everyone talks about (Myles) Powell and what he can do, and it’s very impressive. Quincy McKnight is the guy that sorta runs the show, gets ’em in the right spots, a great defender. I think they’re deeper than a lot of teams. they can do a lot of different things that other teams can’t.

Q: Do you think they’re a Final Four threat?

A: Well, having seen the flavor of the month for the whole season, why not? They’re as good as a lot of teams in the country.

Q: You think they’re capable?

A: They’re very capable. Now, as you know, a lot of things have to go their way. Powell’s gotta return to form, he hasn’t been shooting as well as he’s capable of. I think this time off has probably been good for him. And again, I think the biggest thing about them is they can adjust to any way you want to play — large to small, a combination, fast, halfcourt. … Having said that, Villanova’s got just as good a shot as they do. I don’t know if Villanova has the depth, and they’re younger. That’s the other thing about Seton Hall, they’ve got some guys who’ve been around, and I think that’s very important come Tournament time. I think that would be the one thing that might separate them from a lot of teams.

Q: Kevin Willard?

A: He basks in anonymity. He just does his job. Seton Hall’s not the easiest job in the league, it might not have the top-notch facilities. He’s great at developing talent. I didn’t even mention Jared Rhoden, that kid is gonna be a really promising player, he is already. He wasn’t a great threat deep last year, now he makes that. They develop players, or they have eyes for players who can get better.

Q: Powell versus Markus Howard for Big East Player of the Year?

A: Different styles, you know? I always opt for the team that becomes more successful in the conference, or in the country. Myles is more of a scoring guard, although he’s become an excellent passer. … He’s unselfish … he’s got a great team attitude. Markus is sort of more of a combo. He can obviously light it up, I’m sure it’s a tough call for a lot of people, but if everybody felt they were equal, I would then opt for the team that finished higher. (Seton Hall) tied for the lead, you know?

Q: Can St. John’s go on a little run at the Garden this week without Mustapha Heron?

A: A bunch of games in a short time for them might be really difficult. Their lack of depth and experience is what’s hurt them.

Q: Mike Anderson?

A: He’s a winner, and I really expect, and I think a lot of people in the league expect, them to get it going again. To me what’s amazing about the conference, is that Georgetown is trying to get it going, St. John’s is trying to get it going, DePaul is trying to get it going, are there any bigger cities in the country, or more important media centers? So I think that really speaks well for what these other teams have been able to do. Things, unfortunately, are cyclical, although don’t tell Villanova that, obviously.

Q: Which team could surprise?

A: No one’s talked about Providence all year, and they’re really playing really good. I think they’re coming of age in terms of the upper bracket. They’re getting better at the right time of year. When (Alpha) Diallo plays well, this is a whole different team. His ability to make shots, good defense, very versatile.

Q: Villanova?

A: They got the X on their back, they’re the champions.

Q: Butler?

A: They control the tempo of the game. They’ll bite you with a little fast break every once in a while. But basically, they’re very sound defensively. The backcourt is excellent on this team. And inside, (Bryce) Nze is very, very smart, does a lot of little things, he keeps the ball alive, he’s got good footwork around the rim. And the kid (Sean) McDermott can make 3s, you can’t leave him alone. (Jordan) Tucker is one of those guys that can stretch your D, and he went to Duke, so you know he was a high recruit.

Bill RafteryFOX Sports

Q: Who are some of the other players fans can gravitate to in the tournament?

A: Naji Marshall might have a coming-out party, the kid from Xavier. … St. John’s Rasheem (Dunn), see if he can do something. … Providence, Diallo and (David) Duke, (Luwane) Pipkins has had a great run. … Georgetown, (Mac) McClung (foot) is hopefully healthy. (Omer) Yurtseven (ankle), the big kid on that team. … Kamar Baldwin at Butler, everybody in the league fears him, one of the premier backcourt kids. … And Creighton with the 3s, they’re phenomenal those kids the way they shoot the basketball. … And Saddiq Bey at Villanova, he’s got great range, he can handle the basketball, he can guard little guys if he has to, he can create post-ups with his dribble. He’s just one of those very, very tough outs. … DePaul, (Paul) Reed, he’s got great size at 6-foot-9, can rebound, can shoot the basketball. He can drive it left or right, he does things in the open floor that guards do, and he can actually make a 3 on occasion.

Q: Big East or Big Ten?

A: I think they’re all good. It’s like if you live in the Midwest, you say the Big Ten. … They’re pretty solid all the way through … some leagues are top-heavy. You get in the Tournament, you gotta play Oregon, you’re not gonna have an easy time. USC’s another team, they’re very good. The ACC’s not quite what it was, but it’s still pretty damn good.

Q: What is it about the Big East Tournament that gets your juices flowing?

A: Well obviously the Garden comes to mind. I just think they’re all schools that have a total commitment to basketball. That’s their primary spirit, development of the student body, and I think they live and die with it. I just think there’s something about the city, the place, the toughness of the kids, the importance of it. Ever since Dave (Gavitt) started it, nothing had really happened differently. It’s always been about leaving it all out there. And I remember Dave saying, “Everybody’s gonna get a shot.” And the first shot was Rick (Pitino), getting (Providence) to the (1987) Final Four. Then P.J. (Carlesimo) got there (with Seton Hall) in ’89. They were the last two.

Q: What specific Big East memories as an announcer stand out to you?

A: John Thompson winning (the NCAA Championship) in ’84. … That sort of alerted some people. And then, three of us (Georgetown, St. John’s and Villanova) getting to the Finals in ’85. And then selfishly, P.J. getting there in ’89. And I mentioned Rick before.

Q: What about the six-overtime Syracuse-Connecticut classic in 2009?

A: (Sean) McDonough, (Jay) Bilas and I always say that that’s the one game that I’ll never forget.

Q: New York City and Syracuse legend Pearl Washington?

A: He had what (Pete) Maravich had.

Q: How about those old St. John’s-Georgetown games at the Garden?

A: 1 versus 2 was one of the biggest ever. I was fortunate enough to do that one when John [Thompson] donned the sweater with Looie (Carnesecca). I still don’t know how he got the same kind of sweater, it still amazes me. … Patrick (Ewing) blocking a shot, or two, or three, to deliver a message early in the game that “don’t come in here.” The intensity of the games … there’s so many rough-and-tumble things. … Just the excitement of the tournament itself … the value of it.

Q: What is your view of the Big East now compared to when Looie and Rollie (Massimino at Villanova) and John Thompson and Jim Boeheim (at Syracuse) and Jim Calhoun (at UConn) coached?

A: I think the biggest difference, it’s not a first-name league yet. Then it was Chris (Mullin) and Eddie (Pinckney), Patrick (Ewing) and Walter (Berry). The other thing about the league that’s interesting, with exceptions, it’s not a one-and-done league. Villanova’s had its share of guys leaving, but it’s mostly sophomore, junior, senior year. So kids are around a while, and people can rally around their programs a little bit.

Q: Did you have reservations when the league changed the way it did in 2013?

A: I don’t think I had reservations because the foundation was there.

Q: What do you remember about the very first year of the Big East?

A: Back in ’79?

Q: Yes.

A: Well my first reaction is, “What did I do to myself?” We (Seton Hall) were OK playin’ ’em once, but playin’ ’em twice. … I guess you might call it an honor to be asked when we started, having played most of those teams once a year. We were in the ECAC — all of us, St. John’s, ourselves, Fordham. … November, December were always hard — January and February got harder.

Q: What would be your favorite Big East memory as a coach?

A: Wow. … Becoming an announcer (laugh).

Q: Becoming an announcer?

A: I was only there two years, and we weren’t in the Garden before I got there. So it was like in its formative stages. The first one was in Providence; the second one was in Syracuse. We played in those two. And the third one was at UConn. So our kids didn’t get the taste of that.

source https://truesportsfan.com/sport-today/bill-raftery-on-the-big-east-tournament-and-its-evolution/

[flauntpage]

Penn State Football 2018 Preview: There’s Life After Saquon Barkley

Penn State was six points from being perfect in 2017.

All the Lions really needed was to make a few more plays at Ohio State and Michigan State, then we’re looking at 12-0 instead of 10-2, with a berth in the college football playoff.

That was pretty much it last season – a pair of single-digit Big 10 nail biters that saw the Lions fall out of the top five and instead settle for 11 wins and a Fiesta Bowl victory over a very good Washington team. That’s not a bad consolation prize, but Penn State fans and neutrals alike know just how agonizingly close this team came to running the table.

It’s a mixed bag of storylines coming into the 2018 season, which will be James Franklin’s fifth since taking over for Bill O’Brien in 2014. Franklin seemed to be on the hot seat after opening his Penn State tenure with a pair of boring 7-6 seasons before rumbling to 11 wins, a conference title, and a Rose Bowl appearance in year number three.

Along the way, he recruited extremely well and put the right assistants in place. He got Saquon Barkley to flip on his Rutgers commitment, brought in offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead from Fordham, and promoted Brent Pry to defensive coordinator after bringing him along from his previous gig at Vanderbilt. Those three moves probably guided Penn State’s success more than anything, fleshed out with a glut of impressive talent on both sides of the ball.

Two of those three guys won’t be back this season, with Barkley going to the New York Giants and Moorhead taking the Mississippi State head coaching gig. Pry returns without the services of Troy Apke, Marcus Allen, and Chris Campbell, three defensive backs who all earned NFL draft selections. Also gone is defensive tackle Parker Cothren (Steelers) and linebackers Jason Cabinda and Brandon Smith, who got a shot with the Raiders and Bills, respectively.

On the offensive side of the ball, top tight end Mike Gesicki graduated to the NFL with leading receiver DaeSean Hamilton. Quarterback Trace McSorley returns with four-fifths of the offensive line, so that’s a huge positive for the Lions despite the myriad of skill position losses.

This is the offensive production that needs to be replaced:

In the receiving game alone, you need to make up for the loss of 21 touchdowns and 2,100 yards from Hamilton, Barkley, and Gesicki. Behind Saquon, no other running back got more than 35 carries last season.

Thing is, when you recruit as well as Franklin has, Penn State is now looking like a “reloading” team and nothing like a “rebuilding” team. Franklin’s 2017 class was ranked top-15 nationally and featured 11 four-star recruits. The 2018 class was ranked top-five in the country and is highlighted by three five-star recruits and 13 four-star guys. That’s a monstrous haul for PSU.

That’s why fans should feel pretty confident in the guys tasked with filling the big shoes this season. Running back Miles Sanders went for 6.2 yards per carry last year. You’ve got senior Mark Allen and newcomer Ricky Slade in the mix as well. At receiver, Juwan Johnson and DeAndre Thompkins are more than capable of filling the void and you return a pair of 6’4″ junior tight ends in Nick Bowers and Jonathan Holland, plus a pair of four-star recruits.

Taking over for Moorhead on the sidelines is OC Ricky Rahne, another Vanderbilt guy who ran the offense during the Fiesta Bowl win. The Lions put up 552 yards against the Huskies in the 35-28 victory, so there did not seem to be any drop off in production, at least for one game with the old crop of players. We’ll see if that continues into 2018 with a new-look personnel group. The common thought is that McSorley and the experienced line will provide a lot of stability from the jump.

Defensively, the Lions need to replace eight of their top ten tackle leaders from last season, including the aforementioned Cabinda, Allen, Smith, and Apke, who contributed a combined 4.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 9 defended passes, and four forced fumbles:

Same thing here; Penn State blew some teams out of the water last season, which provided snaps for some of the peripheral guys, who are no longer peripheral guys. Kevin Givens and Shareef Miller look primed for big seasons on the line, and John Reid, who missed last season via injury, comes in to boost the secondary. Amani Oruwariye is an excellent player. There’s plenty of talent to go around on defense.

And then you’ve got Franklin himself, who was voted one of the most overrated coaches in the country in an anonymous CBS poll of his peers. Personally, I don’t think Franklin is an X’s and O’s guru, but he doesn’t need to be. He recruited his butt off and put the right coordinators in place. He’s a motivator and a leader and an organizer and lets people do what they were brought in to do. To that point, I think Moorhead’s departure is one of the biggest question marks coming into this season, so we’ll see what happens there.

Maybe the key for the ninth-ranked Nittany Lions is the boon of getting the toughest matchups at Beaver Stadium. Ohio State, Michigan State, and Big 10 preseason darling Wisconsin all make the trip to Happy Valley this year while Michigan is the only difficult trip on the Penn State schedule. Surely, Pitt will not prove to be a road block in week two.

Here’s the schedule:

They’ll be 4-0 going into the Ohio State game with Urban Meyer back on the sidelines. Michigan State follows and then they smash Indiana and Iowa before going to Michigan, which is more than winnable. Their playoff hopes might come down to that Wisconsin game, because PSU will run through Rutgers and Maryland like wet paper bags.

For more on the Lions I got in touch with Frank Bodani from the York Daily Record, who has been covering PSU since 1994. He was good enough to share a few minutes previewing this iteration of the team:

Crossing Broad: 10-2 last year, obviously a couple of heartbreakers on the road – what’s the outlook going into James Franklin’s 5th year?

Frank Bodani: Expectations are higher. I think they overachieved in some ways the past two years. But when you win 11 games, now people expect that and more. The hard part to predict is that they’re gonna rely on quite a few – more than recently – new faces, so to speak. Freshmen, redshirt freshmen, first time starters. A lot of these kids are highly rated and regarded, so I think the optimism is there, but until they do it, I think some people have a little bit of concern in certain areas. But I still think that anything less than 9-3 and people are going to be really disappointed. I still think they have, when you combine their QB situation with a really, truly improving offensive line, probably their best in quite a while, to start as your foundation, that’s going to do them well. I think that’s really going to open up the offense and the prospects for the whole team.

Crossing Broad: Obviously Barkley is a New York Giant, Hamilton is in the NFL with Mike Gesicki, a new offensive coordinator is coming in with Joe Moorhead headed for Mississippi State – on that side of the ball what do you see, and how big of a loss is Moorhead?

Bodani: Those are really a lot of talking points, but every team is going to be different from the team before. Basically, Gesicki was another wide receiver. He didn’t really block, he didn’t really play tight end, so to speak. So you’re going to replace him with other receiver options and I think they actually underused him anyway. Barkley was a once in a generation talent, but the way things work is that teams keyed on him so much, and because the offensive line wasn’t good enough to blow people off the ball and open up running lanes, he became kind of a decoy and four or five big highlight-reel plays type of guy. It was almost like their offense became kind of disjointed and they basically had to throw the ball all the time at the end. I think, this year, you don’t have as many of the proven stars but I think you’ll have more balance. I think Miles Sanders, to me, should have more yards rushing than Barkley had last year. There’s going to be more balance than last year.

And I don’t think the coordinator thing…I mean, Joe was really good. I think he was a great fit for the time they had him there. But you gotta give Ricky Rahne a shot because he’s been with James Franklin forever. He worked under Joe and he did call the Fiesta Bowl. If James Franklin has proven two things, it’s that one, he can recruit, and two he can hire people. So I really don’t think he’d entrust his offense to someone he doesn’t believe in at this point.

Crossing Broad: I think the thing with college football is that you’re either rebuilding or reloading. And when you look at Penn State and the way James Franklin has recruited over the last few years, this is definitely a reload, just looking at the highly-rated talent coming through the pipeline.

Bodani: They have more talent and depth on this team than they had on the previous two. Now does that mean their record is going to be as good? I don’t know. Here’s the thing I think people would underestimate about Trace McSorley’s effect on that: they are.. what, 22 and 5 over the last two years? And he played in the Tax Slayer Bowl, so he’s something like 22 and 6 as a starter. Every one of those games but one came down to the last couple of minutes. You think the kid has been your quarterback for 27 or 28 games and every game but one, you had a chance to win at the end, and that’s incredible. You keep him and bring in all of this talent and I think they’re going to be a pretty explosive team on offense. I think they’re going to fare well. But when you play in the toughest division in America, there’s a very fine line between winning and losing.

Crossing Broad: Let me ask about James Franklin.. that CBS poll of anonymous coaches came out a while back and he was named one of the more overrated coaches in the country. I’ve always felt like he’s not exactly a tactical genius, but he recruits like a madman, and, like you said, hires people who know what they’re doing. In this day and age, doesn’t that make you a good coach?

Bodani: Oh sure. I mean, first of all, that poll got a lot of attention because when people looked at it closely, hardly anyone responded to it. Out of the people who said he was overrated, it was something like five percent of the people that responded. There weren’t that many. So some people thought it was a joke – who is saying this and who is just upset with him personally?

But in this day and age, you need to be a good CEO. You don’t need to be an expert in any positions. You need to be able to sell, recruit, hire, and if you’re smart and do those things well, then the people you hire will take care of the details. That’s what you need. He is a good face for, not just a power five team, but specifically for Penn State when he came here. Because who cares if people needed an attitude adjustment to get used to somebody like him? I think Penn State needed some extra positivity in 2014. So it seemed a little bit overdone at first, but that helped. He kind of pulled back from some of that, but I think he’s been there long enough to prove to people that they also seem to be doing things the right way, or the “Penn State way,” where kids are graduating and earning their degrees and they’re not getting into trouble. No scandals, no rumors, no rule breaking. They’ve won and they’re doing it in fine form, so to speak.

Crossing Broad: Last one – the schedule looks navigable this year. I don’t know if Pitt gives you much trouble out of conference. You get Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin at home. Really the toughest road trip looks like Michigan. What do you make of how this slate breaks down?

Bodani: I think you can break down the schedule in a few different ways. The first positive part is that you have a nice four—game run where they’re going to be favored substantially in all four. That helps you with some of these places, these positions of question, where you need to work guys into. So that’s a good thing. They’re not tested abruptly out of the gates. Number two, after you get all jacked up for your Ohio State night game, you get another tough team afterwards, but you get a bye week in between. I think it would be hard for them to put everything into Ohio State then have to come back the next week and play Michigan State, like they did last year. This year, you get that week off in between, and that MSU game is at home. I think that helps.

You’re going to need every bit of advantage you can get when you play Wisconsin in November. I don’t care if it’s at Beaver Stadium or not, that, to me, is their toughest game. Not only is Wisconsin more talented than they’ve ever been, but they’re still in that typical mindset that they’re going to beat you into the ground on both sides of the ball. So yeah, it helps a lot that it’s at Beaver Stadium, but the hardest part about the schedule is that they play more quality opponents in the league than they have under Franklin. They never had to play Wisconsin in the regular season under Franklin and they also get Iowa.

That’s true. Obviously if you’re looking at the Big 10 West, you’d prefer Minnesota and Purdue instead of Iowa and Wisconsin, but there’s no reason Penn State can’t beat both of those teams at home.

Whatever happens this season, there won’t be a lack of excitement. There’s a ton of young talent across the board. McSorley is the real deal. Beaver Stadium hosts three marquee Big 10 games. The Lions are coming off an 11-win season that could have easily been a 12-win season.

The question marks are obvious, but this looks much more like an Alabama-style reload rather than a rebuild. We’ll learn a lot about this team when post-scandal Ohio State visits Happy Valley in week five, which will be a matchup of top ten teams if neither suffers an early season slip-up.

Let’s play some college ball.

The post Penn State Football 2018 Preview: There’s Life After Saquon Barkley appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Penn State Football 2018 Preview: There’s Life After Saquon Barkley published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[gibsonsflowofthoughts]

Joe Moorhead explains what makes the Mississippi State offense so dangerous

Everything changed for Joe Moorhead as soon as he obtained the most valuable commodity in coaching: final say.

Moorhead had moved from FCS position coach to power conference offensive coordinator in just six years, and he had been reasonably successful as a play-caller. But when he took the head coaching job at Fordham in 2012, it was his chance to fully institute his offensive vision.

“That first year at Fordham, we said, ‘Alright, we’ve got 51 percent of the vote, and all of the things we’ve been talking about wanting to do,’” Moorhead tells SB Nation. “‘We’re gonna sit down and put the system in place that we want to run.’”

Fordham was desperate for a jolt of energy. It was the perfect environment for getting creative. The system Moorhead and his assistants created would help usher in the run-pass option (RPO) era.

The turnaround was immediate. The Rams improved by five wins in his first year and by six more, to 12-2, in his second.

They averaged 37.6 points per game in 2013, and despite an offseason ACL injury to dual-threat quarterback Michael Nebrich, they began to adopt some run-pass option reads, improving to 39.2 points per game in 2014.

Moorhead’s system wasn’t a reinvention of the geometry of football in the way that Hal Mumme’s air raid was. This was more the synthesis of a bunch of the most versatile ideas.

The former Penn State OC was an optimistic head coaching hire on Mississippi State’s part, one predicated on finding an extremely talented coach, not an overthought attempt at finding someone with perfect SEC (read: Nick Saban) or Mississippi ties. And Moorhead’s is an optimistic offense, one that has baked in as much flexibility as possible, in both tactics and QB empowerment.

If there’s any proof that Moorhead can thrive in Starkville, it’s the tenets of his offensive system, which reflect a commitment to inclusiveness and ingenuity.

Defensive coordinators have to make their decisions based on your personnel, not your formation. Don’t give them anything to work with.

All offenses try to make defenses guess incorrectly. That’s the trick behind any option concept: isolate specific defenders, make them guess, and punish them for that choice. Moorhead tries to make defensive coordinators guess wrong, too.

In 2016, as Penn State was making its run to the Big Ten title, Moorhead’s offense ran more than 98 percent of its plays out of 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers). The numbers barely changed last year. A Moorhead offense can morph into plenty of looks, and players can substitute within their position groups, but the defense can’t glean anything from the players coming on and off the field.

“Defensive coordinators, they don’t really know what formation you’re going to line up in,” Moorhead says. “So when you’re in a certain personnel grouping, you have to make a defensive call, and it’s gotta match up against any formation they can align in.”

Joe Moorhead looks on as Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley warms up before playing Pitt in 2017.

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

By the time the defense sees the formation, it’s too late to call a play.

“So with us never switching personnel, we can align in three different formations with the tight end attached, we can align in two different formations with the tight end detached, and then we can line up in three different empty[-backfield] formations. And we haven’t taken anybody out of the game.”

Moorhead began to realize the power of singular personnel when he served as J.D. Brookhart’s coordinator at Akron from 2006 to 2008.

“We were no-huddle, but we were multiple personnel. It was like running a pro-style out of the no-huddle. It was hit-and-miss from a production standpoint.

“I would say the 2008 season was really the first time where we said, ‘Alright, we’re gonna be 11 and 10 personnel [one back, no TEs], mix in a little bit of 12 [one back, two TEs] — limited formations, limited plays. That ‘08 year was kind of the 1.0 version.”

Give your players as much control as they have earned. Teach the QB to be your eyes on the field and make changes based on what he sees.

Moorhead offers a hypothetical. Let’s say you’ve called a base RPO, in which you’re going to either hand the ball off to the running back or throw to a man running a replace route (i.e., running to a spot where an attacking defender once stood). But you’ve determined the defense is in man-to-man coverage, negating much of the point of an RPO, which is designed to conflict defenders who have responsibilities in both run and pass defense.

“There are things within the play to take advantage of that,” he says, and a well-designed offense has contingencies on top of contingencies. But if you’re not comfortable with what you’re seeing, just change the play.

“One of the benefits of our system is that we don’t have to stick to that play. If it’s a look that you don’t like, just get into a play that attacks that look.”

The concept seems intuitive, but player-coach relationships aren’t always so, shall we say, collaborative. And it wasn’t until Moorhead experienced collaboration that he realized he wanted to be a coach. His last two seasons as a quarterback at Fordham, he played for former Bill Snyder assistant Nick Quartaro, who gave his QB freedom Moorhead never knew was possible.

Quartaro went 11-31-1 as Fordham’s head coach, though that was a marked improvement over what he inherited. Four of those 11 wins came when Moorhead was a senior.

“The system that he put in — Bill Snyder’s system — was a one-back, mostly 11 personnel,” Moorhead says. “Going back to that playbook — to improve upon an existing play call or change the play call completely — that was something I took a great amount of pride in.

“I think maybe that subconsciously stoked some of those coaching embers,” he notes. “In [Quartaro’s] system, you could get to the line of scrimmage, and literally if you didn’t like something, you could completely change it,” which Moorhead did quite often.

“I think that was the best thing about it, being able to play in a system that gave the quarterback an incredible amount of autonomy. And really from a preparation standpoint, you had to know what was going on. When you have that kind of freedom, you can’t just wing it.”

He laughs, “Coach and I still joke about it all the time. There was one game, and one of my buddies, a defensive guy, was standing next to him on the sideline. We’re going through a drive, and I think I had checked out of five or six straight plays. He’s like, ‘Jeez oh man, this guy’s checking out of every play that I call!’”

Until Quartaro’s influence, Moorhead had envisioned a different path for himself. He was an English major who expected to go into sports journalism, but only once it was clear his first career choice wasn’t going to work out.

“In all honesty, I wanted to play professional football. I wanted to be Dan Marino or Terry Bradshaw and chased that dream as long as I possibly could.”

It would make sense that someone whose major included a creative writing curriculum filled his playbook with more choices than plays. Take Moorhead’s go-to play-action call, for instance. It’s what he ran in 2003, his one year as Georgetown coordinator.

Joe Moorhead

This is your common power run look to the right side, and the Z receiver — the receiver lined up on the strong side of the formation with the tight end — has route options based on how he’s being covered. He has to read the same thing that the QB is reading.

“That’s what we got from [former Pitt coach] Walt [Harris],” the former Panthers graduate assistant says. “That’s one that’s stood the test of time. Going all the way back to 1999, it’s literally the same play.”

The option route can be traced back to John Elway’s high school days.

“But essentially what we’ve done now is, we can run this concept to any of the other receivers.”

It’s a Z option here, but it could be an X option (to the end split alone on the other side), or an option for the slot receiver or tight end.

“I’d say there’s a tremendous amount of carryover from Akron to here,” Moorhead says. “It’s developed and progressed throughout those stops, but the run game is what’s completely changed.”

Never put yourself in a position in which your QB doesn’t have options.

“I would say 85 to 90 percent of the runs we called had a second phase or a tag,” Moorhead says. The complexity varied, but “rarely do we just call a run and just hand it off without having the quarterback read somebody at the first, second, or third level.”

This is where football has begun to change. It’s easy to think of RPOs as a third category of play, alongside runs and passes. But you have to be prepared to run if you’re calling a run-pass option; the concept is only going to have so much use on, say, third-and-11.

To illustrate how the RPO is utilized, let’s look at a couple of mesh points (the point at which the hand off is to occur, or not occur).

This is the same inside run play, the first taking place on first-and-10, the second on second-and-10. But they have different tags. The first play has a bubble screen slapped onto it, the second has something different.

On the first, against Northwestern last year, McSorley appears to be reading the defensive end, who surges upfield and opens up space for Saquon Barkley to do Saquon Barkley things. Barkley races to the end zone to ice the game.

On the second play, from late in the 2017 win over Michigan, McSorley appears to read the outside linebacker, who is himself reading run and not covering the slot receiver. McSorley then throws to an open slot man for a 23-yard gain.

Both of these plays were called as runs. This is how you take your pro-style influences and fit them into an innovative, ridiculously QB-friendly system.

Defenses will always try to dictate the reads you make. Stay one step ahead of them.

In that Northwestern game, not much was working. The Nittany Lions were never severely threatened on the scoreboard — in the first half, they forced three turnovers and a turnover on downs, all in their own territory — but in a season in which it seemed like PSU led every game 14-0 at opening kickoff, Northwestern had the offense locked down.

Sometimes, you need playmakers. Barkley made one.

The play that turned the 2016 season around wasn’t a run-pass option of any sort, just a plain, old pass Penn State used pretty frequently.

Joe Moorhead

PSU was trailing 13-3 against Minnesota early in the third quarter. The Nittany Lions were 2-2 and coming off of a blowout loss to Michigan. No one was thinking of them as Big Ten contenders. Head coach James Franklin, who had brought Moorhead in to liven up a stagnant offense, was catching more heat by the week.

Moorhead called one of his go-tos, a pass that often went to tight end Mike Gesicki, the guy lined up opposite the three receivers on the other side.

Minnesota had Gesicki and Barkley, the dump-off option, covered up. The Gophers were well-prepared for the attack to that point. McSorley had to step up in the pocket and make a play downfield.

“The post part of that route” — the middle receiver’s route in the trips combo — “is one that may have changed our whole tenure at Penn State,“ Moorhead says. “Irv Charles caught it ... actually the ball kinda caught him ... but he split it for 80.”

Later, McSorley improvised again, scrambling for 26 yards to set up a game-tying field goal.

“That was the point in that season when everything kinda turned around,” Moorhead says. “From that point on, we made a conscious decision that we were gonna run Trace more. And that opened up a lot of things for us.”

Offenses have control when they build options into their attack, but defenses can still dictate which options get chosen. So at some point, McSorley had to make plays. And the better an offense adapts to its personnel, the more likely it is to figure out what its playmakers can do.

In 2016, only two teams had more gains of 30-plus yards than the Nittany Lions did. In 2017, Moorhead’s second year, defenses completely changed how they defended PSU. So McSorley took what he was given.

“Defenses were attempting to take away the big plays,” Moorhead says. “Trace read it, the deep ball wasn’t there, and he came down to our second or third option. Or the coverage for us to go deep wasn’t right, and we ended up going to the other side of the field.”

If you don’t have talented players touching the ball, your system is only going to be so effective. But Moorhead feels he has built the best system for whatever his personnel has to offer.

“What excites me the most is the simplicity and flexibility of our system,” he says. “We can tailor it to a running quarterback, and we can tailor it to a throwing quarterback. If we need to pass more because that’s our strength, then we’ve done that — 5,000 yards one year at Fordham, and Trace has broken all the records at Penn State. If it’s a team that’s more offensive line-centered and run game-centered, then we can lean on that. We’ve never been higher than 55 percent [run or pass], one way or the other.”

Joe Moorhead congratulating wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton after Penn State’s win over Nebraska in 2017.

TNS via Getty Images

That could be key in 2018, as Moorhead inherits one of the most proven rushing quarterbacks in the country, Nick Fitzgerald. Not including sacks, the senior-to-be rushed 155 times for 1,026 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2017. When Fitzgerald got hurt, backup Keytaon Thompson rushed for 155 non-sack yards and outplayed Lamar Jackson in a bowl win over Louisville.

Fitzgerald is really good, but he’s different than McSorley. Moorhead’s fine with that.

“The success of our offense isn’t contingent upon one phase being that much better than the other, and I think that’s where we as coaches need to be cognizant of it. It’s not what we want to work, it’s what’s gonna work based on who we have and how we can teach it.”

The fifth tenet to Moorhead’s philosophy has more to do with the man than the system.

Starkville is a lot further south than anywhere Moorhead has ever coached.

He is a generous and well-spirited interview. But when you ask him about a change in culture, about getting a head coaching job in the SEC without ever having coached in the league before, he looks a little weary. You can tell he’s been asked the question quite a bit. But until there are actual games, all he can do is talk.

Recently, that meant going to Memphis, Houston, and Atlanta (where plenty of MSU grads and potential recruits live), but also to Mississippi towns like Vicksburg, Cleveland, Biloxi, Meridian, and Tupelo.

“We were on the road through all of December and into January,” he says, “and we’ve had multiple coaching staffs come through here and talk ball. I’ve had a chance to go throughout the state on this Road Dawgs Tour and meet the fans and people who support the program. I think it’s probably part Southern hospitality and part just being genuine with people, but it doesn’t make the transition very difficult.

“And I just feel strongly in my heart of hearts that the regional aspect of coaching and recruiting is incredibly overblown. If you can coach, you can coach. If you can recruit, you can recruit.”

The tour gave him time to test out a strong talking point: “I ask the crowd if they know Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, and Urban Meyer’s home towns. Fairmont, W.V.; Clarksburg, W.V.; and Ashtabula, Ohio, which is almost in Canada. It hasn’t hurt them too much. Not to compare myself to them from a productivity standpoint, but — it might not guarantee success, but it doesn’t eliminate it either.”

Moorhead tried to align his staff to account for the holes in his résumé. He is surrounded by an almost perfect mix of former Moorhead assistants, coaches with Mississippi or SEC experience, and coaches with head coaching experience.

“It’s like Ocean’s Eleven,” Moorhead says about the way he put his staff together.

At Fordham, he inherited far less talent than what he’s found in Starkville. When former head coach Dan Mullen left to take the Florida job, he did Moorhead a favor, leaving behind both a well-stocked cupboard and room for growth.

In nine years under Mullen, the Bulldogs averaged 7.7 wins per year and won in a way that MSU had not since the late-1930s and early-1940s. They even reached No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time, midway through 2014.

“We’ve been very good,” Moorhead says, “but there’s been one winning record in the SEC for Mississippi State in the last 15 years.”

The SEC West is still the toughest division in college football. Simply getting to 4-4 in conference play, as Mullen did in each of the last three years, will never not be an accomplishment for the Bulldogs.

Dope article from sbnation.com

[stardancerluv]

New Beginnings

Part 9

Summary: Bill & reader are returning from a party with his fellow professors.

Note: This chapter picks up right after my kinktober chapter with Bill & reader, Love by the Side of the Road. and this is a little short…sorry!

After smoothening your dress, you giggled. Your heart was still thudding hard in your chest. You could not believe that the two of you had pulled over for a tryst.

“I never would have guessed that you would be such a scoundrel, Bill.”

Bill flushed. “You bring it out of me.”

You giggled again. “So I’m the bad influence?”

He smiled as he continued to drive the dark highway. “You quite possibly could be.”

Now you were the one who flushed.

You saw him smile wider, as he made a soft endearing sound. “We’re half way to my place and yours, where shall we sleep tonight?”

“I do love that big bed of yours.” You stretched.”

“Mine it is.” He smiled.

*****

His heart still was still racing as he drove to his place. Things were good. Life for him was finally looking bright. He had felt so hopeless until he met you.

He adored his Janie bear but Barbara, he had felt so lost with her. It was getting to the point where he never knew what to say or do around her. She was a solid woman, but her family was a nest of toxicity that she could never get away from. The passing of her father was the final straw.

He just could not take it anymore. They had all picked on their daughter and she did little to defend her and when that asshole tried to ply her with drugs, that was it. No more would he deal with them.

He glanced over at you and smiled. You were lovely and so intelligent. In these short months, that he had known you, you had already grown so much.

Together, things felt possible. Perhaps, he could finally write that book, he had been wanting to do.

@thebeckyjolene @blondekel77 @mrskenobi19 @reiaux

[stardancerluv]

New Beginnings

Part 7

Summary: Bill, sometimes lets his past overshadow his present.

Warning/Notes: Consensual sex between couple, OralF!Receiving.

Some of the dialogue in this chapter was taken directly from the film, August Osage County. I will put it in italics.

He had just finished grading papers when his phone chimed to life. He knew who it was before he answered.

Bill’s throat tightened as he took a breath. “Yes, Barbara?”

“She is old enough to exhibit some character,” She barked into the phone. “But I guess that is something you normally learn from your parents.” She sighed.

“That is a shot across my bow. I missed something?”

“Instilling character, our burden as parents.”

“Yeah, I got that part.”

“And you really haven’t been much of a parent, lately, so it might be tough.”

“Look, I told you settling into the apartment and the summer session is taking a little longer than I anticipated.”

“Oh really, did that include going away for the weekend?”

He swallowed.

“Yes, Margret told me she saw you with your little bimbo. So you take her on grand trips, huh?”

“I deserve to get away from it all sometimes.”

“Right after a divorce and before you have a summer semester to teach?”

“I do not have to explain myself.”

“Well maybe you have to explain things to our fourteen year old. She may see what you are doing as abandonment.”

“Oh come on, she is a little more sophisticated than that.”

“Pretty fucking sophisticated.” She practically muttered.

“So are you going to tell me what she did?”

“She’s been getting mouthy and has been testing her limits with me.”

“Oh.” He grimaced. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Precocious little shit.”

“I’m not defending her,” He continued. “I’m on your side with this.”

“How can I expect her to act decently when her father is being such a selfish son of a bitch.” She snarled into his ear.

“Will you settle down?”

“Be a father, help me.”

“I am her father, goddamnit!”

“Her father in name only.”

“I have not forsook my responsibilities.”

“It’s ‘forsaken’, big shot.”

“No, actually ‘forsook’ is also an acceptable usage.”

“Oh ‘forsook’ you and the horse you rode in on.”

“You do not fight fair. Why haven’t you told me about this earlier?” He rubbed his brow.

“Grow up! While you’re getting fucked to death by your little bimbo, some of us have to be adults and carry on.”

“Barbara, no need to be crass.”

“Well, isn’t she? How she gets aroused by your old flabby ass is beyond me.”

“Seriously?”

“Margret is our only friend who has seen the two of you.” He could practically see a smirk curl her lips. “You haven’t introduced her to any of our friends. I was wondering why. Thought that could be the reason.”

He pressed his lips together. “Look, I have to go.”

“Have you at least met some of hers?” She pushed further.

“Listen,” He pleaded. “I’ll swing by and talk to Jean. When is good for you?”

A cynical chuckle filled his ear. “You didn’t answer, but that’s ok. Uhm, Sunday after brunch. She works late tonight and tomorrow.”

“Ok, great. See you two then.”

He put his phone down and pushed it as far away as he could. She always gives him a bitter taste in his mouth. Eyeing the time, he realized he had better shower. You were due to come over.

******

The hot water pelted down on him as he stood there. Grabbing his soap, he lathered up and scrubbed at his beard before moving onto his hair and body.

Once out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist. Her last words sank in like viper fangs. He brushed the steam off the mirror. He made a face to his reflection.

Hearing his phone buzz, he smiled at your words. But his smiled dropped. He really shouldn’t let Barbara get to him but she had succeeded.

Coming, he typed to you. He put his phone back down with a sigh. He eyed the boxes that still lingered here and there and went over to open the door for you.

“Bill!” You squealed.

He slowly smiled as he stepped aside taking all of you in. Your summer dress hugged the curves he so loved to grab ahold of and the anklet that he had given you twinkled up at him.

Closing the door, a chuckle was pulled from him as you then practically threw yourself at him.

He sighed as he felt your lips press against him. His arms felt so good wrapped around you.

“Are you ok?” You pulled back and he could see the warmth of your concern in your eyes.

“Of course I am.” No use unloading on you, he mused.

You stepped forward and your fingers ran through his wet strands. “No, you’re not.” You frowned. As you slipped out of your sandals, he locked the door. He saw that you had walked over and leaned against the sofa.

He came over and placed a hand on either side of you. “How did you know?”

You pressed your lips together. “Your eyes are sad.”

He looked away. “Guess I can’t bluff there.”

You shook your head. “Nope. You can’t. So are you going to tell me?”

He sighed.

Your hand reached up and cupped his cheek. “Then how can I cheer you up?”

He didn’t know how the sudden reversal of his emotions occurred, perhaps it was hunger for the intimacy. Perhaps he didn’t want to feel worthless, like Barbara had made him feel not just now but for so many years.

He bent his head and kissed you. It easily became a hungry kiss. He easily pulled you to him. His hands moved over you as his kiss deepened.

Your breathlessness in saying his name excited him further. Parting only to slip off your summer dress. He eyed his new plush carpet he got for the living room. Together you moved, it wasn’t long before he was half on half off you as you both laid on top of it, kissing as if you both needed to do it to breathe.

“Bill, don’t make me wait.” Your words encouraged him. Your hands reached between the two of you and you unhooked your bra.

He nodded, his hand glided down your side and with your help your panties were soon off.

He came to lay between your soft legs. Tilting his head, he smiled. “You are so beautiful.” You flushed. “You are.” He echoed, kissing you as he reached between you.

His fingers felt the warmth of how excited you were, it made him harder. “I do this to you.” He brought his fingers up licking them, loving the taste.

“Just thinking of you does.”

He could wait and he would, sliding down he looked up at you just above your soft mound. “Let me hear you.”

Gently taking ahold of you, he pressed some kisses. But then, he really could not wait. He then slipped his tongue between your folds. You were better than any dessert. He knew where to focus first and that brought the sweetest and sharpest sounds from you. Glancing up, he saw your head move from side to side, how your lips were parted like flower petals and how your lashes sat on your cheeks. “Feel good, honey.” He purred, kissing the softness of your inner thighs.

“Yes.” You could barely say it, but your eyes burned as they met his.

“Good.”

He dipped his head back down. Gently he teased. making the sounds just pour from you. Moving deeper, wanting to taste more, his tongue slid in. His eyes closed at the wonderful sensation. His ears hearing the deeper pleasure filled sounds. Your fingers tightened and loosened on his hair.

As he continued, it wasn’t long before he could feel as you were trembling and tightening.

He lifted himself, inciting a delicious whimper. “I want to be in you when that happens, honey.”

You licked your lips in frustration. He looked down at you as he finally got to tease your opening. “Honey, look at me.” He asked with a gentle firmness. When your eyes opened, the fieriness of your passion was there. But your eyes were so soft, it made him want you more.

“Let me feel you.” You managed, and it was then he entered you as deeply as he could. Your arms wrapped around him and pulled him close. He happily accepted. As he began to move, he loved how you felt writhing and moving under him.

“Yes, that’s it honey. You feel good, don’t you?”

“Yes.” You clung onto him.

His own pleasure grew. As you would tighten and soften, it wasn’t long before he felt you grow closer. “Yes, give yourself up to it. I need to feel it.” Moving deeper, know how good it made you feel. Soon you were calling out as you arched against him, this time calling his name out louder. As you wilted while clinging on, he moved in and out, almost too much. Though he met your eyes, and then he came hard.

*****

Some time later, feeling drowsy but so good you went up on your elbow and looked down at Bill. His eyes fluttered open. A soft smile that reached his eyes curled his lips.

You loved him so much, you could burst. “That was the best way to deflect a question,” You placed a kiss on his chest. “But maybe can you tell me now what was the matter?”

He swallowed. “Barbara filled me with some doubt.”

You sighed. “I’m sorry, but over what?” You knitted your brows together.

“You and me.” His hand reached up and caressed your arm.

You shook your head. “But Bill you know I care, I… I… love you.” You finally said it. It upset you so much that her cruel nature could come between us.

“Oh honey, really?” He looked really amazed.

“Yes, of course I do… I just didn’t want to come across a silly girl with a crush if I said it too soon.”

“You’re silly, but I love it.” He smiled broader. “I love you.”

Your lips met before a sigh and the two of you kissed once again.

@thebeckyjolene @blondekel77 @mrskenobi19 @reiadan

[stardancerluv]

New Beginnings

Part 7a

Summary: Sometimes, being in a relationship can be angsty!

Bill wiped his hands on the towel. He washed his hands after you and leaned beside you against the counter. You had helped him unpack the rest of his belongings. Even the most basic set up for Jean’s bedroom was done for when she would spend the night.

He nudged you. “Wanna do something?”

You rose an eyebrow. “What do you have in mind?”

“Maybe we could get some ice cream. And…” His voice trailed off not sure what else.

“Maybe we could go and watch the planes?”

He turned to you. “You’d want to do that.”

You smiled and leaned in close whispering, “Always wanted to do that and make out with a boyfriend.” Pulling back, you gave him sweet expression.

“Oh, seriously? Well I would happily oblige.”

“Want to drive?”

He chuckled. “You really like me driving your car, don’t you?”

The chuckle and his words made you pause. “You look awfully sexy driving it.” You replied brightly.

He nodded. “I better drive it then. Let me go and change my shirt.”

“All right.”

Since it was now later and you could think, you wondered whether you were trying too hard. You so wanted him to be happy. You felt a kernel of unease beginning to grow in your stomach.

You didn’t want to be pushy in the opposite way. Like where you were too sweet or pushing him up higher. Maybe he would think you were faking how you felt about him. Like, why else would he say You really like me driving your car, don’t you?

And what exactly did he mean, Barbara filled him with doubt. What had you done? Tears blossomed and fell down your face, you swallowed and it hurt to do so.

Two hands came to rest on your shoulders and you flinched. You turned to him. You couldn’t face him right now.

“Honey?”

You shook your head. “No… Umm yeah… No.” You walked around and past him. The tears ran free then.

You struggled to try and open the door. He grabbed your hand. You pulled it free. “I… I...” The words were not coming. You turned to try the door again.

“Honey, what’s the matter? Talk to me.”

Your heart raced, you struggled to grab a breath. His words sliced through you.

You turned as you were out of breath. “I...” You tried again.

He grabbed you. You wiggled but when his grip tightened, you tried to push at him. But he remained firm and as the tears clung to your eyelashes, you looked up at him.

A pained sound came from you and you finally managed to breathe.

“I like you driving my car, because you are so sexy behind the wheel. And when you had reached over and squeezed my thigh or when you made me feel so good in that little alcove by the side of the road, I can’t get enough of having you driving it.”

“Oh… I...”

You cut him off. You needed to get this other part out. “And what could have Barbara said that made you doubt me? I… Am..” You stumbled finding the words. “Is it because I am just a fucking kid?” You looked down and pressed your lips together. “I will never be as sophisticated as her or probably your other friends, like that Margie we met. I am who I am.” More tears fell then. “We can end-”

“Stop!” The word stopped everything; all you heard was your blood rushing to your ears. As your heart beat hard against your chest, it hurt. You looked up at him and blinked. His face had taken a sharp edge.

“I am going to stumble. But… Damn it all to hell.” He swallowed. “I had always wanted a flashy car, but she always put a damper on those kind of desires even when we were kids. So you wanting me to drive yours, I can’t get over it. It’s exciting in ways I never would have guessed.”

“Ok.” You managed to mumble.

“If I wanted another Barbara or someone like that, there are a few who immediately tried to get more familiar when there were hints that something was amiss with her and I. Ugh,” A frustrated sound came from him. “I love and want you. You are bright and like a ray of light. I feel like I have a chance to live again. And you have more class and sophistication than any of them.”

You slumped in his arms.

“If anything,” He continued, but now he held you up. Your anguish was disappearing. “I was worried being as old as I was, you didn’t want me around your friends. I’m stodgy and well, I’m not the most fashionable I’m sure.” He grimaced. “I have a stomach… And...”

“Now you stop.” You finally said. He looked at you.

You both just looked at each other. You wiped away the tears and continued to look at him. A soft smile appeared on his face as one appeared on yours. A laugh erupted between the two of you. You both were kissing before you even realized it, you both had moved together as one till you were one.

You parted and your laughter mingled again as your eyes met, before your lips met once again. Your arms went around him and you held on. His own grip tightened.

“I’m sorry.” You whispered a little later.

“Don’t be.” He whispered back.

And you kissed again.

******

The tires crunched as he slowed your car.

“Hold my ice cream cone while I grab the blanket.” He handed it to you.

“I promise to not have too much of it.” You gave him a mischievous look.

He gently tapped your nose. “You had better be good.”

“We’ll see.” You giggled.

He grabbed the blanket and spread it across the hood of the car. “We picked a good night for this.”

“It is!” You smiled, looking up the stars twinkling and blinking in the clear inky, black sky.

@thebeckyjolene @blondekel77 @mrskenobi19 @reiaux

[stardancerluv]

New Beginnings

Part 8

Summary: Reader and Bill are busy with things…

Note: looooong chapter

Laying on your tummy, you were reading away. You checked the time. He should be well into brunch now with his daughter and ex-wife, you wished you could be there for him. She loved ripping him to shreds.

You rested your cheek in your hand and sighed. Maybe there was something you could do. You just were not sure.

Getting back to your book, you lost yourself in the pages. You absolutely loved history. The arguments and disagreements, people were just as petty then as they are now! With a sigh you blew some hair from out of your eyes.

That’s when the idea hit you.

Jumping to your feet, you quickly went and changed.

******

You checked your reflection and smiled, sometimes you really looked cute! Today was one of those days.

You grabbed your purse and you were out the door.

******

Soon you were grabbing a cart, walking up the aisle of the super fancy gourmet grocery store. One other time you had gone there with him. You smiled at the memory of the two of you finding stuff for his fridge. You had been tickled with delight. Usually only professors or other professionals shopped there.

You grabbed some stuff here and there. There was fragrant with fresh delicious-smelling foods. Despite having a quick bite with Bill before he left, your stomach growled wanting some of the yumminess you were surrounded by.

Pulling your cart to the side, you spotting the perfect ingredient a few shelves up. Going up on your tippy toes, you managed to graze it with your fingertips.

You lowered yourself with a shake of your head. You would not be stopped, you could do this. You remembered the last time how Bill had grabbed what had been out of reach, and then came over and gave you a kiss. The memory made you smile. With that smile still on your lips you went back up on your toes and went to grab it.

“Here, allow me.” Remarked a rich, deep voice behind you. “The biscottis, right?”

You nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

Easily he grabbed it. “Say aren’t you Y/N, the girl who went to Rome and helped teach a class live from the actual Forum, one of them?” The man gave you a warm smile as he handed you the box of biscotti.

“Yes, that’s me. I had managed to get away for a week and just had to do it. I know Dr. Jones had really found it amusing.”

“He would. He is known to have gone on several adventures, he may even be on one now on Brazil. When the regular semester is in full swing and he’s back, you should ask him about them.”

You smiled. “I will. That sounds incredibly exciting.”

“Will you sleep with him too?”

Your hear sank at the sharp voice that was behind you. You even squeezed your eyes shut for a moment, but then opened them. You had nothing to be ashamed of. You had not carried on an affair as they would all like to believe. You didn’t deserve this treatment.

You turned and looked the woman up and down. “Not that it is any of your business, but Bill and I didn’t actually sleep together till the divorce was final.”

The older woman’s lips wrinkled. “That’s not what Barbara said.” She took a step closer. “You’re just a little whore who spreads her legs at whims.” She bumped you as she walked past. “Maybe since you got her those biscottis, she’ll sleep with you too.” She said to the man.

“Jacinda, this is uncalled for.” You turned finally as the man defended you. “Why must you be so cruel, she’s just a girl.”

Well those last words didn’t exactly sit well with you but they’d have to do.

“Because she ruined the family of my dear friend.”

“And Barbara didn’t have any hand in that I’m guessing.”

The woman made an exasperated sound. “All you men stick together.” And she stormed off.

You slumped against your cart, shaking your head.

He came over, “Hey, don’t let her get to you.”

“I’m trying to get used to it, but it's hard.” You admitted.

He shrugged. “They all still haven’t forgiven me for being a confirmed bachelor.”

You shrugged and sighed. “Oh, well thank you for your help.”

“It's no problem, maybe we can all get together for a meal or something. Tell Bill Marcus suggested.”

You smiled. “All right, I will.”

*****

It would have been too easy if nothing else happened. At least the rest of the time, it had just been a few passing looks.

Soon though, you were checking out. Next time, you would bring him.

He tucked a leg under himself as he sat across Jean on her bed. He was happy to have these few moments while Barbara cooked the brunch, so that they could just talk.

“Sweetheart, talk to me. What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” She said for a second time. Her eyes were aflame and there appeared to be a permanent frown on her face.

“Honey, I know that look.”

“Well first, do you really have a room for me at your new place?” He hated to see his daughter ring her hands.

He nodded. “I do. You have to add some personal touches, but I really think you’ll like it.”

“Well, I can do that.” She gave a half smile. “I may need to add a lot.”

He chuckled. “That’s fine, it is your second room after all.”

She nodded and tucked some hair behind her ear.

“I have a feeling there is something else.”

“Noth-”

He rose an eyebrow and she stopped.

“There is this retro film club I want to join. It's really cool, and they watch the classics.” Her voice and tempo picked up, he could see the delight and it made him happy. It had been a bit since he last saw it.

“I don’t see anything wrong with that, but why is mom saying no?”

“How did you know that?”

He gave a her a smile. “Look, I remember how she could be from time to time. Remember when you and I snuck in that old bookcase and set it up, and she didn’t notice for a week?”

A giggle came from his daughter and that made him even happier. “I do. That had been fun.”

“Well, it's like that. She would have found it terribly excessive. We had to prove her wrong.”

“We did.”

“So??”

“Well, it's in the next town and it's on a school night.”

“Oh.” He sat back and crossed his arms in front of himself. “What day?”

“Thursday. Dad, really it's not bad. I can get my work done.”

He nodded. “Let me talk to her.”

“Ok, great.” And she hugged him. It warmed his heart and he hugged her back. “Oh Jeanie bear, I do miss you so much.”

“Dad, it's Jean. But miss you too.”

“I don’t know, you will always be my Jeanie bear.”

“All right.” She rolled her eyes but was smiling.

He inhaled. Now for the harder bit. “Jean. Now tell me.” He chose his words carefully.

“Oh, here we go.”

He held up a hand. “Now, honey.”

“What?” She exhaled.

“Your mother has been telling me you have been talking back and giving her attitude.”

“It’s just so hard.”

“What?”

“Well, I miss you and she is so stubborn. She treats me like a child.”

“Honey…”

“Ok, well I am sixteen and it's rough.”

“I can only imagine, but you have to try.”

“It's not that bad.”

“But it must be, she’s concerned.”

“All right, I will. She just makes me so frustrated.”

“I understand.” He nodded.

@thebeckyjolene @blondekel77 @mrskenobi19 @reiaux

[stardancerluv]

New Developments

Part 7B

Summary: You can be cuddly and sweet when the unexpected happens

The stars twinkled in the clear dark sky, a giggle poured from you as you felt Bill’s goatee brush your knuckles when he gave them a kiss.

You slid him a look and smiled broadly. “That tickles, mister.”

He gave you an impish smile. “Can’t help myself. I was getting jealous of the night sky.”

You gently rolled over to his side of the roof. “You were getting jealous, huh?”

He nodded, smiling while still holding your hand.

You made a soft sound. “That was the best way to distract me.”

He chuckled. “I had hoped it would be.”

“Bill, kiss me.”

It was one of those moments you had read about or dare say daydreamed about; making out with your boyfriend underneath the stars.

Somehow you found yourself under him as he continued to kiss you. It was delightful. One of his hands slipped under your shirt, you arched against him and kissed him deeper. But then what happened next, made the two of you erupt into a fit of giggles.

He smiled down at you, breathless as he came to rest on his elbow beside you. “I suppose I better feed you, huh?”

You giggled. “I am so embarrassed.”

He bent down, slipped your shirt up ever so slightly and gave it a kiss. “I forgive it.”

You giggled and wiggled harder under his kiss. “Bill, oh my god!” You giggled harder.

He only smiled, “What?” Then placed two more kisses. “All right, where shall we go?”

******

There was this cute little café you had been eager to try. When you pulled up, you realized it was empty. Inwardly you were relieved but also upset that no one would see the two of you. You pushed the thought away because to be honest, you really wanted to show him off.

With your fingers interlaced not long after, you and Bill entered the café. You chose a cozy corner and sat next to each other.

“Isn’t this a hang out for the students?” Bill whispered as he leaned in close. Your hands rested on each other’s thighs.

“Yes. Are you worried more young ladies may find you attractive?” You gently teased.

“Your opinion is the only one that matters.”

You flushed. “Oh you.” And you kissed is cheek then.

*****

While waiting for your sandwiches and soup to show, the two of you got lost in him telling you his plans to visit his daughter for brunch this weekend. It made you sad to hear she was acting out. “You’ll get through to her. It can’t be easy just being around Barbara.”

He nodded. “I plan to tell her about the room I put together for her. I think at one point she was worried my new place was just going to be a bachelor’s pad.”

You pressed your lips together. “Barbara is like determined to make you look bad.”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m the bad one because I needed to get out.” He sighed.

“Bill.” You squeezed his thigh and leaned in close. “You are an amazing person. You will be in a better place now, not only for yourself but for your daughter too.”

“You think so?”

You nodded. “Yes. You are already much happier.”

He leaned back and smiled at you. “Well, you do work miracles.”

You flushed harder. “Only because I want what’s best for you, for us.” You smiled.

For another time that night, you were drawn in and the two of you shared a kiss.

“Y/N, is that you?”

You both froze mid kiss, your eyes met. The time had come, it was finally time for you to introduce Bill as well yours. You pressed a soft kiss before pulling back. You swallowed, squeezing his hand under the table.

“Hi Vera.” You said brightly.

You watched your friend look from you to Bill and back again.

Taking her all in, you could see how she nervously moved the fingers of her one hand as something shifted in her eyes.

“Is this the one who you said has gotten your heart racing?” She finally asked.

You nodded, from the corner of your eyes you could see Bill look from her to you and back at her.

“Yup.”

A huge smile came over her face. “I knew one of these days you’d fall for one of those romantic types.” She stepped closer. “Are you Dr. Fordham?” She extended her hand.

He nodded and a gentle smile came over his face. “You can call me Bill.” He took her hand and shook it.

“Nice to meet you, Bill.” She looked back at you. “Byron or one of the Brontes?”

“Byron.”

She giggled behind the hand she had just shook Bill’s hand with. “I knew it. May I join the two of you?”

You looked at each other and shared a brief nod.

“Great!” Then she turned to Bill. “My girl Y/N here is a real softy despite having her main focus in History. So you be good with her heart, all right?”

Bill chuckled. “I plan on it. She had been doing good by mine.”

“Good. Because just so you know, I am pre-med.”

“Vera.” You rolled your eyes.

She hooted with laughter. “Look you don’t have any older brothers, someone has to tell him they are keeping an eye on him.” She laughed again.

You leaned in close to Bill but spoke loud enough so she could hear you. “She thinks since she is one year older than me, she can be like a big older sister.”

“But I am.” She grins.

Bill smiled. “Well in all fairness, we all need that one friend who keeps an eye on things.” He looked over at Vera warmly.

You rolled your eyes but giggled. “I am in for it now.”

Then all of you laughed.

@thebeckyjolene @blondekel77 @mrskenobi19 @reiaux

[stardancerluv]

New Beginnings

Part 6

Summary: Reader’s parents show up unexpectedly.

Notes: Reader and Bill have consensual sex.

You had gone to the park while the repairmen came to fix your air conditioning. Crossing your ankle over the other as you sat under the oak, the anklet twinkled in the sunlight. You reached down and let your fingers gently play with it. The pool, that room, it all made you smile.

Your phone buzzed in your back pocket, making you jump a little. It was a very long week since returning from your weekend away. You had been apart except for phone calls at night. You were on the cusp of starting your summer job, the one class he was teaching for the summer session had started.

You grabbed your phone.

Repairman: AC is fixed. Emergency call. Sending bill to your landlord.

You grimaced. You were ready to pay them now. Your landlord better not take forever to let you know how much you owed.

To Repairman: Thank you. You sent back. Good luck!

*****

You practically tore open your door and sighed, leaning heavily against it as the cold air greeted you. It was divine. You slipped off your summer dress off. In your bra and boy shorts, you messaged Bill.

To Bill: It’s fixed! I have cold air! You giggled in your excitement. To Bill: Come see me and not melt! 😘

Bill: 😂 Just grading my last assignment. I’ll be right over. 😘 Though I’m sure it’s still very 🥵 there.

To Bill: Good! I’ve missed you! 😘😘 Wait! You already gave them something that needed to be graded?”

Bill: It’s just an assessment. 😂They’ll live. Missed you too, honey.😘😘

******

By the time Bill arrived you were still in your bra and boy shorts but you also had wrapped a blanket around yourself. The AC was really cold or perhaps you were so used to being hot that this was almost too much. You couldn’t decide.

You heard your porch creak when Bill stepped on it. You ran over with the blanket and tore open the door. The wave of heat that hit you made you take a few steps back.

“Bill!” You squealed and moved closer again. Seeing him you realized just how much you had missed him. You soaked in his sunglasses, his sweat ruffled hair, his loose tie and his shirt that he had untucked. He closed the distance.

Holding you by your elbows, he walked you backwards into your apartment and kicked the door closed behind him. His hands drifted back down your arms before taking off his sunglasses to wipe off his face for a moment.

“Oh, this feels good.” He pointed to the blanket. “Umm.”

You shifted where you stood. “I got cold waiting for you.”

A smirk almost immediately curled his lips. “Well then.” His arms wrapped around you under the blanket. Just feeling his hands again was great and you dropped the blanket. “Let us both enjoy the air conditioning.”

“Yes.”

Somehow you both had made it down to the floor. Half on, half off you laid on your blanket as you wrapped your arms around him and the two of you kissed. It had felt like a lifetime ago.

You both began to remove your clothes.

His clothes and what had been yours ended up somewhere. You arched, clinging onto him as he entered you. The sight of him above you brought you even closer. It was exactly what you needed.

“Oh Bill.” You managed, before your lips met.

Soft moans poured from you as he moved in and out of you. It felt so wonderful. Easily he brought one of your legs around him. It brought him closer and deeper inside of you.

*****

“I suppose…” Bill chuckled later as he held you close. He pulled the blanket slightly over the two of you. “It can get a little chilly.”

“See,” You nudged him. “I wasn’t being silly.”

“You silly? Never.” He smiled down at you and you both shared a soft kiss. Your fingers entwined in his strands.

The two of you continued to kiss. The sensation of rubbing against your face reminded you of how good he made you. You lost yourself in the moment.

******

A sharp knock filled your silent living room. “Honey, are you there?” Your mom’s voice called out. Your dad’s voice was muffled. “There’s a strange car in your driveway.”

You both shared a look. “They didn’t tell me they were driving into town.” You whispered, your heart was racing. Was this really how your parents would meet Bill? Fear had stricken you. You stopped for a moment.

Bill wrapped his arms around you. You easily slumped into the comfort of them. It was exactly what you needed. He placed a kiss on the top of your head. “Do you want them to know, or am I here helping in some way?”

“If she had a boyfriend, she would have told us.”

You looked up at him and nodded. “I wish it would have been a better way, but yes.” You reached up and caressed his wiry beard.

Your dad’s voice was still muffled. “Honey?” Your mom called again. “Maybe we should go around back.”

“One moment, mom!” You called out. Desperate you pulled on your summer dress and threw the blanket on the sofa.

Looking back at Bill who had already retreated into the back of the house, you watched as he pulled on his clothes. Sighing, you looked and made sure there was no way any of what had just happened was evident.

Fluffing your hair, you opened the door. “Mom! Dad!” You said as brightly as you could. “What are you doing here?” You ushered them in.

You shared brief hugs. Your mom glanced at your dad before looking back at you. “Are you ok? You look flushed.” Concern crossed your mother’s face.

“I was...” Your backdoor clanged as it closed.

“Honey? Who was at the door?” Bill looked more together than when he had arrived. The thought almost made you smile.

“Bill, this is my mom and dad.” You offered an arm and he came to stand beside you. His own arm came and wrapped around you, it gave you strength.

“I told you that was her boyfriend’s car.” Your dad looked pleased with himself. He gave Bill a warm smile. “Hello, I’m the dad.” He offered his hand.

Bill shook it. “Nice to meet you.”

You could practically see gears in your mom’s head turning as her brow furrowed and she looked the two of you up and down.

“We have come to scoop you up for dinner.”

“Oh?”

She nodded. “We felt horrible that the weekend got away from us and we couldn’t go to the fair as a family.”

You wondered what she was thinking. She kept looking the two of you over.

“It’s ok. Bill and I ended up having some time to go to the fair.”

“Oh well, that’s nice.” Your dad looked between you and your mom. “Why don’t we all grab some dinner. Bill, join us. I would love to break bread and get to know you better. My daughter hasn’t breathed a word.”

Bill smiled and nodded. “That would be great.”

“Finals had me…” Your voice wavered and your mom drew closer as you felt a sharp pang of worry.

You watched as your mom swallowed. “Tell me, are you indeed her boyfriend?” She looked Bill up and down.

Your dad rolled his eyes.

Bill didn’t waver where he stood. “I am, ma’am.”

“I hope you are not just saying that and see our daughter as a fling to have fun with over the summer break.” Her eyes narrowed.

“Mom.” You hissed. “Please.” His hand squeezed your hip.

“What? I am not about to break bread with someone who sees my daughter as an easy target.” Her eyes narrowed on Bill.

Your heart sank, hesitantly you looked up at Bill. His blue eyes were flames.

“She is a brilliant young lady, you raised an amazing person. I am honored that she even looks in my direction. I assure you, she is not some passing fancy.” You relaxed when you felt his hand rub your back.

“Well, thank you Bill. All right.” Your dad rubbed his hands. “Ok sweetheart, show Bill how to get to the restaurant.” He carefully went to your mom.

“I like the sound of that, I guess we can talk more over food.” She gave you both a look again before she let your dad walk her out the door.

When the door closed once again, you leaned against Bill. “I’m sorry.” You whispered as you felt his arms wrap around you.

“It’s all right, I was like that when Barbara’s sister’s fiancé put a move on Jean.” You could see the disgust cast a brief shadow on his face.

You nodded. “That was horrible.” Reaching up, you ran your fingers through his hair. “Would you like to drive the Mustang over?”

A smile spread across his face. “Of course.”

******

As he rolled into the parking spot, he took off his sunglasses and replaced them with his regular glasses.

You both leaned against each other on the armrest. “Bill, if she says anything else, I will stop her.” You chewed on your bottom lip.

“Seriously, don’t fret. I can only imagine how she must feel. I’m a little over twice your age.”

“You are the absolute best person who has ever entered my life.”

He smiled, cupping your cheek and drawing you close. “I feel exactly the same way.”

“I don’t think I can wait.”

“I don’t want to.” You replied easily back as you matched his fingers.

@thebeckyjolene @blondekel77 @mrskenobi19 @reiadan (thank you for all your feedback!)

[stardancerluv]

New Beginning

Part 6a

Summary: Dinner with Reader’s parents.

Bill pulled the keys out. They jangled as he handed them over to you. “We had better not let them wait any more.”

“I know.” You kissed his shoulder, then you slid out of your car.

He met you halfway around the back of the car, he gave you a reassuring kiss on the top of your head. With your arms around each other you went over to the entrance. He held the door open and ushered you in first.

You were greeted by the cool air of the AC, while being surrounded by the scents of freshly cooked meals. It was comforting, despite the unease that churned in your stomach.

When you spotted your parents you smiled. You looked up at Bill. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

The two of you shared a smile, then headed over to their table.

Once the both of you slid into the booth, for a moment and like a young couple, your hands met and you gave each other a squeeze.

******

You could tell by how she was moving her cup your mother was about to pounce on Bill. You held your breath.

Her eyes shifted from you to him. “So tell me, how did the two of you meet? A class?”

Your eyes met his blue ones, he pressed his lips together before he looked back at her.

“I was giving a special lecture on Byron and in she walked.”

Your dad smiled. “You have always enjoyed your Byron.”

You smiled back. “I do. And his lecture was amazing.” You looked over at him.

He looked down and took a sip of his coffee. “Your daughter came over after I finished. We got talking and just didn’t stop.” He chuckled.

“That sounds like my Y/N.” Your dad chuckled.

“Are you married?”

You felt like the air had been sucked away.

“Miriam, seriously?” Your dad hissed.

You reached out and squeezed Bill’s thigh, giving him a sidelong glance.

“No, I am not.” He swallowed.

Some color came back to your mother’s face. Finally a look of relaxation seemed to wash over her.

*****

You were laying half on the sofa, half on Bill. Once your mom had realized he wasn’t married, she relaxed a fair amount. There was still a lingering edge to some of the looks she slid his way, though gratefully she wasn’t as clipped.

You looked up at him, giving him a soft smile. “We survived.”

His hand drifted up and down your back. “We did.”

Closing your eyes, you relaxed even more against him.

*****

He smiled as you drifted off with little warning. He knew how stressful this was for the both of you. The two of you would have to take a lot of steps in order to not worry. He looked forward to taking them with you.

In your sleep, you held onto him tighter and a soft sound came from you as you did. He gave you a squeeze back. “I’m not going anywhere, honey.” He whispered.

Though he was glad that now when the two of you laid like this, you had air conditioning swirling around the two of you.

@thebeckyjolene @blondekel77 @mrskenobi19 @reiadan

[stardancerluv]

New Beginnings

Part 5a

Summary: Bill & reader enjoy the fair.

With your fingers interlaced and your arms swinging, you walked along the aisles of the fair. The lights became bright as the sun set and the moon rose into the inky sky. The bleeps, squeaks and hoots of rides and games could be heard all around the two of you.

The sweet scent of cotton candy and candied apples wafted over to you. Turning your head, you saw a facade of a red barn that had an array of the candied apples and more. A smile spread across your face. As Bill came to stand behind you, you leaned against him. Gently he nuzzled you. “Would you like one?”

You smiled up at him. “Perhaps on our way out back to the car.”

“Ok, what shall we do now?”

“Can we go on that?” You gestured to a fun ride.

He smiled. “Looks fun.”

“Oo,” You smiled. “I always love the classic songs that play with this ride.”

His brow furrowed. “I think this played on the ride up.”

“I thought it sounded familiar.” You beamed at Bill.

Soon, the two of you nestled close and were off to the sounds of some classic rock.

******

A little later, the two of you disembarked the ride a little wobbly. Bill’s eye was caught by one of the games. He squeezed your hand. Gently, he led you over to the game.

“Are you going to win me something, Bill?”

“I would love to.” He eyed the prizes. “Pink Penguin or Blue Owl?”

“Blue Owl!”

“All right.”

Soon he took his stance, but then he glanced over at you. “Kiss for good luck.”

“Yes!” You went over and going on your tiptoes, you gave him a sweet soft kiss. His brow heart swelled as he could smell the sweets you had shared.

He was grateful that after the animals, you both had your fair share of food. He had noticed walking over to the game, many of the tables to sit at or stand at now were taken over by families or teenagers trying to look cool.

Smiling, he grabbed the BB gun. He grinned at you. “I think I can do this now.”

“You can!” You cheered.

Seven dollars later and with only a few misses through the levels, he won you the blue owl. The lanky big toothed man reached up, unhooked the owl and handed it to him.

He turned and held out the large owl to you. “Here you go.”

“Thank you! I love it,” You hugged it close. “My hero.”

*****

As Bill drove the two of you back the hotel, he smiled when he noticed a silence coming from you. Glancing over he saw that you had fallen asleep. You were so lovely. He couldn’t get over how lucky he was to have you. Reaching over, he turned down the music.

*****

Not long after he used the card key to let the two of you into the room. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.” You looked a little sheepish before you went and placed the blue owl on one of the chairs by the balcony and tossed the stick that the candied apple had been speared by.

“Honey, its ok. We did a lot today.” You heard a content sigh come from him.

Turning, you saw a twinkle in Bill’s eyes as he had taken off his glasses and now looked incredibly comfortable as he stretched out on the bed. You went over and sat beside him. You lounged across his waist. “What’s on your mind, Bill?”

You still had amazing knots in your stomach over what happened at the side of the road. You had no idea just how thrilling being with Bill would be.

He let his hand come to rest on your thigh, just under the soft fabric of your dress. “You are so lovely.”

You reached up and gently ran your finger through his beard. “You’ve been making my heart flutter all day.”

“That makes me very happy to hear.”

Holding you close, he kissed you. Easily you melted against him. It pulled a soft sound from you as your fingers nestled in his soft hair.

@thebeckyjolene @blondekel77 @mrskenobi19