Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Goose bumps pop up on my skin. I’m hyperaware of every single nerve ending in my body when he’s near.
“So are you always bumping into people or is that just me?” he says.
“You bumped into me,” I retort with a grin. “It’s like you were waiting for me.”
Was he?
He shrugs, those broad shoulders shifting with an animalistic grace. He’s wearing a fitted orange and blue Wildcats shirt that hugs his chest, the sleeves tight around his hard biceps.
I get distracted when my eyes go past him and I see Alex with Martha-Muffin trailing along behind him. He looks annoyed, and her eyes are red as if she’s been crying. I study them more intently, taking in the sad expression she wears as she stares longingly at Alex. I don’t really want to know what’s going on between them, but it’s apparent she really likes him.
I inch in closer to Maverick, needing to get away from them. “Why don’t you show me the bar in this place? Isn’t it in the back room?”
As if reading my mind, he tosses a glance over his shoulder and sees Alex. He looks back and gives me a nod. “Done.”
Maverick
We’re sitting on a couch in the back room. People come and go past us, mostly on their way outside where the fire pit is, yet it feels like we’re alone. She’s all I can see right now, and I’ve been counting down the days until I can go to a damn salsa lesson with her again. Fuck me, I want Delaney Shaw.
I never imagined I’d be this…intense about wanting a girl, but here I am. Something about her has me worked up, has me wanting everything I never thought I did.
She smiles at me, her ruby lips curving. “So, let’s go back to freshman year—why exactly did you kiss me?”
“Because of the legend. The first person you kiss at your first bonfire at Waylon is the one you’ll never forget.”
She leans into me. “But you did forget about me. You went home with twins.”
“Whom I barely remember.” I exhale, thinking back to how I was at eighteen. “The truth is, I didn’t know what I wanted back then. Plus, the accident had just happened a few months before. My head wasn’t in the right place.”
“And it is now?”
“I’m not perfect, but I know what I want.” My eyes go heavy as I run my gaze over her, taking in the way her breasts push against the fabric of her dress. “You’re the one that got away, Delaney, the opportunity I missed.”
My hand goes to her back and strums across the bare skin of her shoulder. Her skin feels like silk, soft and velvety.
“And you think you can just sweet-talk me into giving another football player a chance?”
I grin. “Yes.”
A little laugh comes from her. “Sometimes I’d like to just slap you.”
I smirk. “That means I have an effect on you.”
“You drive me crazy,” she murmurs, her eyes going low.
Our faces are closer now, and her scent washes over me, light and fresh, like lemons.
I touch her face, tracing the line of her jaw.
“What are you doing?” she asks, her voice whisper soft.
“I’m going to prove that this heat between us…it’s got to be dealt with,” I say.
“Why?”
“Because I can’t sit by you in class one more day without doing something about it.”
Just before I’m about to press my mouth to hers, someone barks out my name.
Delaney
He’s going to kiss me…until he doesn’t, his head turning sharply at the sound of his name.
Anger clouds his face, and I look over to see Alex and Ryker and several other football players striding toward us. Suddenly the room seems full of people swiveling their heads in our direction. Maverick stands, and I do the same. Martha-Muffin is here too, huddled in the corner with some of her sorority sisters, her eyes darting from me to Alex.
I stiffen my shoulders and tilt my chin up as he stops in front of us, his eyes bouncing from me to Maverick. Ryker trails behind him, a worried expression on his face as he looks at Maverick.
“Everything okay here?” Alex says, his chest rising rapidly. A muscle ticks in his jaw.
Maverick towers over Alex, his body coiled like a snake, his face tight. “She’s fine. Why are you asking?”
“One of the freshmen said you were getting cozy with Delaney,” he snaps. “That isn’t cool—not at all.”
Maverick scowls and takes several steps away from me, forcing Alex to move backward. In a matter of seconds, the space between us has been filled by other players surrounding them, waiting to see what’s going to happen.
“You aren’t dating her. What’s the problem?” Maverick bites out.
“The problem is I know you aren’t Delaney’s style, and I wanted to check on her. Besides, it’s a shitty guy that hits on a teammate’s ex.”