Page 42

Caleb

“You know I love you, Tobie.”

I pause in the open doorway, my eyes narrowing on the back of Marc’s head.

I said I’d pick up Tobie since her dorm is in the opposite direction to the frat house. Javier and Reid are meeting us there.

I did not expect to find her ex cornering her outside her room.

She’s beautiful in a green lace dress, and she’s not even trying to hide how uncomfortable he’s making her.

My good mood evaporates.

Ever since I made a spontaneous decision to check I hadn’t freaked Tobie out led to some of the best sex I’ve ever had, followed by her curling up and falling asleep in my arms, I thought nothing could shit on my mood.

I was wrong.

This .

Seeing Tobie afraid and uncomfortable will absolutely do it.

“You don’t cheat on someone you love, Marc. Can you move, please? I have to go.” She attempts to go around him, but he blocks her.

“We’re talking about this now, Tobie.”

He reaches out a hand to stop her, but I’ve heard—and seen—enough.

I push the door open, and it slams shut behind me. “Put your hand on her, and you won’t like what I do.”

Marc whirls around, and Tobie’s eyes widen as I stalk toward Marc, using my size to crowd him away from her.

His chest puffs up as he retreats. “This is between me and Tobie.”

“It stopped being about you and Tobie the day you cheated on her. Leave, or I will move you.”

Jaw clenched, he steps around me.

I’m asking Tobie if she’s okay when her eyes dart behind me, widening in alarm.

“ Look out! ”

I swing around, dodge the fist Marc aimed at the back of my head, sidestep the next lazy swipe as he stumbles. I slam my fist into his face, grunting at the shooting pain in my forearm, but taking intense pleasure in watching Marc hit the ground.

I stare him down. “Come near Tobie again and you’ll be eating through a straw.”

Marc scrambles to his feet, blue eyes spitting with rage. “You’ll regret this.”

He whirls around, and this time, I keep my eyes on him until the door to the staircase leading down to the lobby slams shut behind him. Only then do I turn back, shaking off the discomfort in my right hand.

“You punched my ex-boyfriend in the face,” she whispers, breathing hard.

“Should I not have?”

I don’t regret it, but if she still has feelings for him, I should have asked her to turn around first.

I’ve ventured into Reid territory. He’s the act on the spur-of-the-moment type.

Me?

As Captain, I can’t afford to think with my heart instead of my head.

She continues to stare at me, breathing harder now.

Shit. Is she going into shock?

“Tobie?” I frown. “Do you?—”

I automatically grasp her hips, holding her against me when she presses her lips to mine. She’s short and is standing on her tiptoes to reach my mouth. I don’t just wrap my arms around her; I lift her, groaning as I deepen the kiss.

It’s far too soon when she breaks away, her lips rosy. “I shouldn’t have kissed you for doing that. I mean, it’s violence. You don’t reward violence.”

I’m not sure who she’s trying to convince, herself or me.

Before I can respond, she wraps her arms around me and kisses me again.

I have her pressed against the wall outside her room with no memory of how we got there when she finally pulls away.

“Is your hand okay?” she asks, concerned.

What hand?

I lick my lips, eyes darting to her mouth. “Fine. Did he hurt you?”

She shakes her head.

I give her a quick scan for any sign of bruising in case he grabbed her, just in case. “Are you sure? Because I can kill him if he did.”

Her expression softens. “Oh, that’s sweet.”

It is?

She must read my confusion because she smiles. “I didn’t mean sweet. Just… thanks for being there. I’m not good at fighting my own battles. I say nothing, or I throw a glass at his head.”

“You what?”

Her smile grows. “I wish I were making it up, but when we broke up, I threw a glass at his head.”

I frown, my arms tightening protectively around her when I think of her being alone if Marc returns and refuses to leave. “Next time he turns up, get into your room, lock the door, and call me.”

“What will you do?”

“You don’t want to know the answer to that.”

She kisses me again.

I don’t know what it is about me threatening to hurt her ex that keeps encouraging her to kiss me, but I wish I had thought I’d threatened it before now.

We’re in the hallway. Someone could walk out of their room at any moment, and I have her pinned to the wall.

But when Tobie winds her legs around my hips, rocking against me, I stop caring about tonight’s party. I need to be inside her. Now .

Can’t do this here.

I rip my mouth from hers as I move us toward her door. “Key?”

“Right pocket.” Her mouth crashes back onto mine the second the last word leaves her lips. I fumble for her pockets, searching for her key, but keep getting distracted by her lush curves.

I’m so fucking hard. I need to be inside her.

“Caleb,” she moans.

Right. Key. Got it.

I yank it out and groan in frustration because getting her door open would be easier if I stopped kissing her to unlock it.

Tobie laughs into my mouth, breaks the kiss, and takes over, unlocking the door for me.

I’m laughing as we stumble inside her room.

She’s back to grinding on me as the door slams shut behind us.

I’m not even looking where we’re going as I cup the back of her head, still kissing her as we topple onto her bed.

We fight with our clothes.

I shove her dress up so I can see those gorgeous tits while I fuck her. She wrenches her panties down as I fumble to get my wallet out of my pocket, nearly dropping it.

Finally , I fish a condom out as Tobie sucks my tongue into her mouth.

We’re groaning, squirming together.

I pull away, yank my pants down, and get the condom on my dick in record time.

When I slip a finger in to test her wetness, her pussy contracts around me.

“Now,” she whimpers, eyes huge, spreading her legs wider. “Please, now.”

I thrust into her. Hands clasping her hips, I fuck her like she’s the air I need to breathe.

She’s moaning as I drag her toward me and the pressure in my head builds. She feels so perfect. I can’t believe this woman is mine.

I hold her gaze as my balls get tight. A roar starts in my head as she cries out. Her pussy clamps tight around me, and I slam into her one last time, groaning as I jerk and strain inside her.

I slump, forehead against hers, both of us panting as she winds her arms around me.

For several seconds, we hold each other, our breaths evening out.

I lift my head to peer down at her. “I have to punch your ex in the face more often.”

She laughs, sliding her arms around me and tilting her face up, an invitation for a kiss I’m happy to give her.

“You ready to go to this party?” I ask, not wanting to move.

It was the same before. Leaving her took every ounce of strength in me and then some. If we don’t move soon, we never will.

“Not really,” she admits, stroking her hands up and down my back, “But we agreed.”

Yep. We did.

“Come on, let’s get up.”

Her fingers grip my shirt, halting me. “The thing with Marc. Will you get in trouble from your coach for fighting?”

I shake my head. “I was defending myself. Coach might grumble a bit, but that’s Coach.”

We get up.

I deal with the condom, and we straighten our disheveled clothes.

I smile as I watch her finger comb her hair. “No need to keep fussing with it.” I slide my hand down the length of her bare arm, lace our fingers together, and gently tug her closer. “You look beautiful.”

Her cheeks turn pink. “No, I don’t.”

“You do.” I kiss her again. It’s fast becoming an addiction. “What did I tell you before?”

Her lips twitch. “Something about learning to take a compliment?”

I tug her close, cradling the back of her soft hair as I say against her lips. “Just as well as you take my cock. And Myers?”

Her breathing kicks up. “Yeah?”

“You take it like no one else.” I press a hard kiss on her lips, reluctantly pulling away or we will never leave this room.

After leaving her room, I pause for her to lock the door before we descend the stairs. I had wondered if Marc was still around, but there’s no sign that he’s lurking nearby, waiting for that payback he warned was coming.

She glances down as we cross the lobby. “We’re holding hands.”

I swallow my smile. “Is that not something a boyfriend does?”

She transfers her gaze from our joined hands to my face. “I guess.”

I hold the door open for her and lead the way out. “Your ex might be watching.”

He isn’t.

His back is stiff with anger as he stalks off into the distance.

I want to know what it would feel like if we were really together. For real. Not pretend.

And it feels good.

Really-fucking-amazing.

Her soft hand in mine, and the sweet scent of her skin tempting me to tug her closer, feels better than it should for a girl I’m pretending to date. And when people glance over at us, I want to tuck her under my shoulder, proud and pleased that she’s mine.

“Uh… Caleb?”

Tobie is frowning up at me. “You’ve stopped.”

“Shit.” I loosen my grip in case it’s too tight and resume walking. “Sorry. I was thinking about something.”

More like mooning over you, Myers.

“Let’s go.” I keep walking.

I feel her looking at me as we cross the quad toward fraternity and sorority row. There are six fraternities and sororities at Lamont, and the biggest campus parties happen there almost every night of the week. “What is it?”

“How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Deal with pressure. I was watching you play, and everyone was staring at you, and I could feel how badly they wanted you to score.”

The team needs me at my best, so do the fans, and so do I.

I shrug. “I try not to think about it.”

“And is it easy to do?”

I start to tell her yes, but her question makes me wonder if maybe that’s the thing throwing me off my game.

We’re building up to the thing I’ve wanted since recruiters started circling—win a championship in college and be responsible for making that win happen.

“Those expectations have been there for a long time.”