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“Are you getting horny talking about pastry?” she laughs, giving me the first genuine smile of the night.

“I told you this no-fuck-ups plan is killing me. I’m horny for just about anything.” I sigh dramatically and change the subject, because talking to her about it isn’t helping. “Why did you pick a college so far away?”

She shrugs. “Just looking for an adventure, I guess.”

I nod, feeling like she’s leaving something out, but who am I to judge. I sure as hell am.

“You should come to the Friendsgiving we have before break.” Her response telegraphs across her expression before she says it, but I add, “It’s just the four of us that live in the Manor, and a few other guys on the team, plus a few girls. Twywill be there and Reid’s girl. Jefferson may or may not bring anyone.” She still looks hesitant. “Come. We can keep each other honest.”

“Okay sure, it sounds fun.” She finally relents. “I’ll talk to Twy about what to b-bring.”

Her last word falters and her body tenses, eyes glued over my shoulder. I turn and see why. Brent and CJ just walked in.

“What’s he doing here?” she asks quietly, but I hear the small tremor in her voice. She’s scared and that just pisses me the fuck off. “They have an off week. Shouldn’t they be gone?”

“Hey,” I say, forcing her to swap places with me, so she’s no longer looking in his direction. “He can’t get to you. Not here. Not with me around.”

But even I know that’s a lie. Someone did try to get to her already–or at least there’s a strong possibility. I’m not buying the sabotage theory. Someone wanted to incapacitate her. Hurt her. Over her head, I see the moment he realizes Nadia is here. He lifts his chin and jabs CJ in the ribs.

She sets her can on the table. “I should go.”

“Hell no, T, this is our bar. The Badger Den is a hockey bar and you’re with us. He’s the one that can get the fuck out.”

Of course, there’s no real rule he can’t be here, but the way he’s watching the two of us makes it pretty clear he came here for a reason.

“Do you trust me?” I ask, licking my bottom lip.

To my surprise she looks up at me with those big brown eyes and says, “Yes.”

The way she looks, the way she says ‘yes’ makes my chest feel achy and weird, but there’s no time to wonder if I’m having a heart attack. I slide my hand down her back and over her curvy but firm ass and squeeze.

“Axel!” she hisses, looking around–no, looking for Twyler. “What the fu–”

Pulling her to me, I tilt her chin, and kiss the dirty word right out of her mouth.

Her lips are warm, soft, and even though there’s the slightest resistance, probably because I surprised the hell out of her, it’s short lived. Her lips part for me and I ease my tongue in, tasting her the way I’ve wanted to for weeks now–maybe longer. I’ve thought about this for a while. What kissing Nadia again would be like. If those thick, puffy lips taste as good as I remember. Fuck yeah they do, and once this is over she’ll probably knee me in the balls, so I graze my fingers over the skin just below her skirt and keep her held tight, wanting it to last. Sliding my hand from her chin to the back of her head, I go all in. Kissing her like this may be the only chance I’ll get.

Her fingers wind into the front of my shirt, drawing me closer, and I grind unabashedly against her lower belly. Hell yes, all those days of pent up–

The thought, and my body, are yanked away from her soft heat.

I shift gears in a heartbeat, ready to take on whoever–I assume that fuck-face Reynolds–and my hands clench into tight fists. When my vision clears, it’s not the football player, interrupting us, it’s Captain America himself, Reese.

“I almost punched you, asshole,” I shout, fighting against his grip.

“What thefuckare you doing?” he growls, both hands tight in my shirt.

I grin, cocky and assured, both at the girl standing across from me, touching her lips like she isn’t sure what just happened, and at the target of my move, Reynolds, as he grabs his friend and exits the bar.

Reese hauls me away from Nadia and the main part of the bar, pushing me down the back hall with a hard shove. “I toldyou to stay away from her.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Twyler is going to flip out.”

I adjust my jeans, trying to relieve the pressure of my raging hard-on. “Jesus, chill out. I wasn’t fucking around with her. I was helping her.”

“With your tongue down her throat and your hand up her skirt?”

“Yeah, dumbass.” I take a deep breath, still caught up in the sensation of her teeth dragging over my lip. “Because Reynolds and McMichael came into the bar and I could see the wheels spinning in their TBI rattled skulls. I did what I needed to. I protected her in the only way that matters to neanderthals like them.”

I staked a claim.