Free In Your Arms by Rebeca Ruiz Page B

I'm-so-fucking-mad-at-you-but-still-love-you sex. It's pretty wonderful. Anytime together is wonderful.
                  “If you keep doing that, I'll have to hurt you.”
                  Tanner somehow manages to get me to face him by maneuvering my wrists and twirling me around. I land on his lap and he begins to kiss my neck.
                  “People can see us.” I say, but close my eyes to enjoy the pleasure.
                  “Let them stare.” He nips at my shoulder. “I have a beautiful girlfriend. They can look but no touching.” I laugh.
                  It was finally beginning to feel like spring in Chicago, and I was taking advantage by wearing a tank top and shorts. Sixty degrees here is short weather in Chicago. I love it here, and the crazy weather, and the crazy people. I want to raise my children here.
                  “Only I can do the touching...” he lowers his voice. “In bed, and other places.” I could feel his hand starting to get lower, and I stopped him.
                  “The quad is not one of those other places, Tanner.”
                  Tanner was tall and handsome. His brown eyes reminded me of chocolate, and his smile was always genuine. He was a football player here at Northwestern. Took him eight weeks before he finally convinced me to go on a date with him my freshman year of college. We've been dating ever since.
                  “Fine.” He kisses me instead, and it's a hearty kiss.
                  “Hey, Tanner.” I cringed at the sound of Alex's voice. We pulled away and looked at him.
                  Alex was on the team with Tanner, but he was my age. That's all I knew about him, but he seemed to know a lot about me. Oh, and he's a senators son, and there's some legacy to him. To me, he's creepy, he's always hanging around, but I barely acknowledge him.
                  “Sup, man.” I get off Tanner's lap, and cover my legs with my light knit sweater. He always stares at me, and Tanner never notices. Or he pretends not to notice because he knows Alex can open a lot of doors for him by just being friends.
                  “I wanted to know if I'll be seeing you two tonight at the party at Gino's frat?” Of course we would be there, we always were. Don't know why he's asking us.
                  “Yeah, we'll be there.” Tanner looks at me just to make sure and I nod. The parties were fun, and although I didn't want to admit it, I only went to check on Tanner.
                  “Great.” Alex smiled at me and I looked away. “See you two then.”
                  As soon as Alex was out of earshot Tanner began treating me like a child. “You can at least acknowledge him, Ashton. He's a good guy.” He was always so big on being nice to everyone, Tanner had no enemies here.
                  I roll my eyes. “He's your friend, Tanner. Not mine. To be honest, he creeps me out, but you barely notice the looks he gives me.”
                  “He does not look at you like that.” I stand.
                  “Girls are built in with 'creep radars', and mine go off every time he's around. I can act however I want, you can't control me.”
                  “I'm not controlling you, baby.” Tanner stands and places a kiss on my forehead. “But you can be a little prissy around people you don't like.”
                  I push him off. “Seriously, Tanner? Fuck you.”
                  “Baby-” He always held it against me that I grew up rich while he had to work for his football scholarship. Although I am rich, I also got a scholarship here. I'm not here to party every other weekend, I care about my grades just as much as he does about his. He likes to act like my life was perfect growing up, but it wasn't.