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“Yeah, okay.”

“Seeing your face up in the stands makes the game so much better,” he says with a harsh ferocity. “It makes the win so much sweeter.”

“Yeah?”

“Fuck yeah.” He runs his hand up and down my arm. “And the jersey? I’d give you one for every day of the week, if I thought you’d wear it.”

“Stop.” I frown. “Then everyone would think we’re sleeping together.”

“Darlin’ we literally just woke up in the same bed.” He takes my face between his hands. “Wearesleeping together.”

“You know what I mean.”

“And you need to know that the only reason I haven’t tried to fuck you again is because you’re not ready.” My heart stutters, unsure of how to respond. Apparently he’s not finished. “I’ll be here when you are, but until then this is enough.”

“A safe space,” I say, more to myself than to him.

He nods, kissing me again, before tucking me close against his side.

It’s hard for me to accept the truth behind his words–he’s an athlete after all–I’m not stupid. He’s under pressure and I’m a steady spot in the whirlwind of chaos, but I can’t deny that the feeling of being in his arms makes it worth it.

There wasno walk of shame.

Axel waited until the guys left the next morning, brought me downstairs, and loaded me in the front seat of his black truck and drove me to work.

“You sure you don’t need anything from the house? We can swing by and get it.”

His hand is on my thigh, warm and steady.

“I have a locker there with workout clothes and an extra shirt.” He pulls the truck up to the front doors of the gym. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Thanks for coming to my rescue last night,” he says, bringing my hand to his mouth. He kisses my knuckles. “Next time you owe me a game of Scrabble.”

The morning passes by quickly. After changing, I stick to the front desk, checking students and faculty as they come in, from the cold bleary eyed to the determined. There’s always a steady stream when we unlock the doors. Most are regulars. There’s a certain type of dedicated gym-goer that consistently comes every day. Instructors clock in and head back to the workout rooms to teach spin, pilates, body pump.

“That was an awfully big truck you got out of this morning,” Abby says, leaning back against the counter with a steaming cup of tea in her hand.

I laugh. Big trucks are common back home, but up here less so. “Axel’s from Texas. I guess that tracks.”

“Axel?” Her eyes widen. “Axel Rakestraw?”

I shouldn’t be surprised she knows him. All the guys on the hockey team are pretty popular and recognizable. Axel more so with a prominent position and his dark bad boy looks.

Abby’s in her mid-twenties. She was a student at Wittmore, and a member of one of the bigger sororities, who was offered the manager role of the gym after graduation. Her next comment confirms how well she keeps up with the student gossip. “I thought you only dated football players?”

“We’re not dating. He’s a friend of a friend, who is just… well, a friend.”

You know, if friends give you amazing orgasms and snuggle in bed with you watching cheesy teen dramas.

The look she gives me over her tea tells me she sees right through my ‘just friends’ comment. But it’s true isn’t it? Sure, we’re hooking up, but he’s not asking for anything from me–just a safe place to hang while he waits for his probation to end.

God. Just friends is confusing.

“I’d have a hard time staying just friends with a guy who looks like that,” she admits. “But he’s got a reputation over in the Kappa house for being a player. Nothing scandalous, just… he’s always chasing fun. If that’s what you’re into, you probably won’t find a better guy.” She sets her drink down as a member with wet hair approaches the desk. “Can I help you?”

Apparently one of the showers in the women’s room won’t shut off, and water is backing up. “Watch the counter,” Abby says, grabbing her cell phone to call maintenance. She runs back to the locker room. The interruption allows me to drop the Axel discussion. Thankfully. What she’s describing is the reputation Axel has had for the entire time he’s been at Wittmore, but I also know that lately he’s had to shed that to keep his spot on the team.

There’s a lot more to Axel Rakestraw than sexy party boy.