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“Okay”—I was weak—“just let me get my stuff.” All he had to do was crook his finger, and my addicted ass would follow.

It didn’t take long before I found myself in Ares’s room because his roommates were in the kitchen.

We needed privacy for our conversation—only the bed kept tempting me.

But falling into it and his arms wouldn’t help.

Resolve set, I turned to face him, bed at my back and arms crossed over my chest .

Ares invaded my space and brushed a few strands of hair from my forehead, tucking them behind my ear. I shivered in the wake of his touch but didn’t alter my defensive posture.

“Look. You know about the video and that it was done without my consent.”

I wanted to give him a sarcastic, Oh, do I? But the vulnerable glint in his topaz eyes made me pause.

“I’m probably repeating myself, but I want you to understand why I acted the way I did, not that it’s an excuse.

The video caused a lot of trouble for me, and I’m worried it’ll prevent NFL scouts from looking at me.

It paints me as someone with a potentially high PR risk.

Aside from that, I’ve experienced a lot of girls who just want to use me.

” He raised his hands to stop me from saying anything sarcastic.

“My first year here, I didn’t care. I was using them too.

But in the last few years, I’ve had trouble trusting girls with wanting me for me rather than the wealth and celebrity that would come from dating me. ”

“So when my friends—and I use that word very loosely—made that comment, it raised red flags.” I sat on the edge of the bed.

“I get it. I’ve got my own baggage and trust issues.

But just because I’ve led a cushy life doesn’t mean it’s the end-all for me.

I have serious hang-ups about dishonesty, thanks to my parents. ”

That sexy, crooked grin curved Ares’s lips. “You mean we have something in common?”

“Not ideal. But your apology is accepted. And again, for the record, I’m not pushing for a relationship with you. The fake one, sure, but we’re both busy with school and everything else. A real one would be too much for me right now. I just want a friend.” Now who’s lying?

“With benefits?”

His eyes heated, and I shivered.

“Yes.” A thousand times, yes. I could go for having his arms around me after the shitty day I’d had stressing over our argument. And if that was all I could get from him, I would take it.

Heat crawled over my skin from my head to my toes as he grasped my hand and pulled me to my feet.

Desire swirled in his eyes, dilatating his pupils.

He dipped his head. Then his mouth was on me, and I melted, drowning in how his lips expertly moved over mine.

I parted, letting him in, loving how he took control.

His hands went to my hips, tugging me close. I gripped his biceps, luxuriating in their strength. Everything about Ares was larger than life. He made me feel cherished and so very desired. I wanted him badly.

I moaned into his mouth, threading my fingers through the silky strands of hair at his nape.

His fingers pressed my hips closer, and I arched against him.

When he trailed a hand up my nape, fingers tugging on a thick clump of hair, I tilted my head back, exposing my neck.

He commanded my body with subtle movements.

I shivered when he trailed kisses along the curve of my neck.

I wanted more. Slowly, he peeled my shirt off, his mouth following each inch of skin he revealed.

My breath came faster in anticipation, and I moaned at the decadence of his touch.

I ran my hands up his arms and over his shoulders, the muscles rippling deliciously beneath my fingertips.

God, he was gorgeous. I tugged on his shirt until he grabbed the back of it and pulled it over his head, giving me access to touch him as much as I wanted.

And I wanted it all. I loved everything about him.

How he touched me, made me feel desired, and the way he responded to my every kiss and caress like I drove him crazy too.

We made quick work of our clothes, letting them fall in a pile by our feet.

Then I was back in his arms, skin against skin.

I loved his hardness and squirmed against him, wanting to be impossibly closer.

Pressing kisses along his sharp jaw, I traced the dips and contours of his strong body, reveling in his reactions.

He caressed the underside of my breast, cupping its heavy weight before teasing my nipple. Heat shot to my core. Patience wasn’t my best virtue.

“I want you.” My voice was breathy and so very needy.

“I always want you. All you have to do is walk into a room, and I’m instantly hard.”

A thrill raced through me, but taking his words too seriously was dangerous.

I could feel my heart swelling as I fell hopelessly for him.

He didn’t want that from me, and I doubted the circumstances would change.

I shoved the heavy thoughts from my mind.

Just enjoy the moment. That was all I could control—that moment, not the future.

“You okay?” He pulled back, concern swimming in his expressive whiskey eyes.

“Yeah.” I grinned, working to hide the sadness that dared to invade at the most inopportune time.

I took control, slanting my mouth over his until he groaned from how our tongues tangled and danced together.

I craved every second with him. The argumentative moments, the tender ones, and the ones where he couldn’t get enough and took me against the wall.

My stomach clenched at the thought, and I squirmed.

When he trailed a finger between the valley of my breasts, I gasped.

He held the underside of my thighs then lifted me easily until my legs wrapped around him, arms looped over his wide shoulders.

He cupped and kneaded my breast, then sank his teeth into the sensitive flesh at the base of my neck.

I moaned, my body tightening, and I clenched my legs tight around him, needing him desperately to fill me.

“Ares.” The hard press of him drove me wild, and I ground my hips forward, craving the friction. Hands roaming restlessly, I slipped one between us and swirled my thumb over his tip. I wanted him to lose control just as much as I had.

“Soon.” He moved us to the bed then laid me on it, towering over me, his eyes roaming, looking their fill.

He resembled a god in all his beautiful glory. I missed the heat of his body as I lay vulnerable to his view. I shivered when he trailed a hand along my leg as he kneeled on the bed. With a gentle nudge, he spread my legs wide, pressing kisses on the inside of my knees, working slowly higher.

Electricity followed in the wake of his touch, sizzling along my skin.

I’d never experienced anything like what I did with him.

And in the back of my lust-filled mind, I recognized that he was becoming so much more to me.

My heart was invested, and I was afraid I wouldn’t recover from the depth of my feelings, the all-consuming connection.

His teeth grazed my inner thigh, and I shuddered, once again fully present and desperate for him to put that talented mouth where I wanted it most. My body trembled when he lifted his head and flashed me a wicked grin, desire burning in his eyes before he descended and pressed his mouth to the apex of my thighs.

I melted when his tongue caressed me, his teeth nipping gently at my nub.

I panted and writhed against his hold the more he feasted.

My body plumped beneath his expert touch, and the pressure built.

He inserted one finger then another, stretching me in the most delicious way. And as he pumped in and out, he teased my oversensitive bundle of nerves.

“Please.” I didn’t want him to stop. My back arched, and I pressed against him, so close I was blind with need.

A deep chuckle vibrated against me, sending shock waves through my sensitive skin. He lifted his head, eyes fully dilated, lips slick from tasting me. “Not yet.”

I whimpered, wanting more, and tilted my hips, seeking friction and desperately needing release.

He caressed my hip then flipped me over, his grip tight but gentle on my hips as he pulled me back and up so my ass was in the air.

I trembled, waiting for what would come next.

His fingers trailed down my spine, applying pressure until I went to my elbows, then he was pushing into me, and my eyes rolled back in my head at how full I felt. My body stretched to the max.

When he didn’t move, I peered over my shoulder, and my body spasmed around him at what I saw—his intense concentration on where our bodies joined, his corded muscles tight and straining. Then he moved, pulling out and pushing in impossibly deep. There was no room for thought, only feeling.

Pressure built as he pounded into me, my core slick with desire. When he shifted slightly, the angle changing just enough to hit that magical spot, my body detonated. I screamed his name as my body gripped him with tight spasms.

Another deep, powerful thrust, and he followed me over the edge. I felt the pulse of heat as he came. We held still until he collapsed, rolling to his side and taking me with him, whispering my name into my neck. Shivers chased his hot breath, and I snuggled closer.

My body was sated, content. Eventually, we rose to clean up but found ourselves right back in bed with his large frame curled around me.

I’d come to terms with how he’d branded me, and I knew I would never be the same.

I didn’t want to be. As I floated in blissful relaxation, so near sleep, I couldn’t help but wonder how I would ever let him go.

Ares

B rielle’s leg intertwined with mine, and her hand rested on my chest. She curled against my side, using my shoulder for a pillow.

Everything about how we lay together should have me wanting to spring out of the bed and take her home.

It was different with her, and probably why I couldn’t fall asleep.

I glanced at the glowing blue lights on my alarm clock—old-school maybe, but it worked. I had four hours until I needed to get up and run with Kylian and Liam, then we had strength and conditioning and a team meeting. All before showering and heading to class for the day.

My mind whirled, caught on what Brielle had said about not wanting a real relationship.

We’d been spending a lot of time together, mostly in bed, but after, we’d started to talk.

I did know her, and everything I learned about her, I liked.

The thought of giving what we had an expiration date was starting to bother me.

I had no business thinking that way, except Kylian and Aurora’s relationship was in my face every day, and they made it work. Their future was set, though their location was still up in the air. It didn’t matter. They would figure it out.

Could Brie and I do the same? Would she be satisfied with moving and finding a substitute, or teaching, job—if that was the career she wanted—if she followed me to whatever state I hopefully transferred to?

I ran my hand lightly over the smooth, soft skin of Brielle’s back, taking comfort from her being in my bed. I couldn’t ignore my feelings anymore. She’s more than a fake girlified, but what does she feel? Could she see something more with me?

And can I trust my heart? Whenever I was with her, the world melted away. Her touch was electric. I couldn’t get enough of her. It was shocking. I’d never felt that way before. But I kept going back to what she’d said about only needing a friend—with benefits.

The more I thought about our deal, the less it sat right with me. I wanted so much more, and I would have to do everything in my power to convince her that she might just want the same.