“Seriously? Why would she go to you but not me?”
He just shrugs.
Standing close to him, I pet her and realize the fluffy fur is hiding skin and bones. “Holy cow, it’s so skinny.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to take it down to the cage?”
“To a shelter? I don’t know.” He glances down at the cat now lying on her back in his arms and kneading her little paws into him. “Maybe he wants to come home with me tonight.”
“She. It’s a she. See, no penis.”
He smirks. “Okay, maybe she wants to come home with me.”
“I see—you dig cats. Let me add that to the list of things I didn’t know about Knox Grayson.”
“You’re making a list?”
“Plays piano and likes cats.”
Camilla stops in front of us. “Those stupid freshman girls. You wanna hand her over?”
“I’m going to call her Astley,” he says.
“I think that means he’s keeping her,” I say, not able to stop my smile.
She nods, looking pleased. “Good. I heard they’re all strays. Some of the girls picked them up outside a dumpster downtown and brought them. I’d get her checked out at the vet, though. She’ll need meds and all that.”
Knox says he will, and after the rest of the cats are accounted for and the hallway is sparkling clean, he follows me back to my room. Thankfully, Miss Henderson has left the hall, probably to check on the other floors.
“I really needed prank night,” I murmur as I watch him sit on my lone wooden chair with Astley. “It was fun.”
“Yeah, totally.”
A few moments go by and neither of us say anything.
It’s weird.
He’s in my room, and we had a small moment in the closet.
But now, it’s awkward.
He tugs at his jersey, avoiding my eyes.
“Um, I have some soda. Do you want a Coke or something?”
He exhales and takes in the textbooks and laptop still on my bed. “It’s late,” he says. “I guess I should go.”
“It’s Friday night.”
“I know.” He pets Astley. “I need to check in with Dane, see what he’s got going on tonight.”
Oh, okay. Those two are tight. I get it.
“Okay, well, um, thank you for coming. I mean, that was awesome.”
“See you Monday,” he says as he stands and opens my door.
I realize I don’t want him to go. Not seeing him for two whole days…?
But I don’t say that.
And he walks out my door.
I close it, watching him through the peephole.
He’s still there and starts to knock again, but he stops and looks down at the cat. With a small smile, he turns, and heads off down the hall.
Chapter Eleven
Ava
“Wait!” I call out as I fling my door open.
He turns around, his face looking as anxious as mine probably does.
His gaze drifts over me. “Yeah? Everything okay?”
Is everything okay? No, not at all. Questions are burning inside me, urging me to ask them, to find out the truth about Knox, and why…why he says the things he does to me.
“Stay,” I say, standing in the hall.
A long breath comes from him as he steps closer. “Why?”
“Do I need a reason?” I recall him saying those exact same words to me when he changed my tire.
He’s at my door, his gaze searching mine, a hesitant expression on his face. “Yeah. I think I need to hear you say it.”
“Just…be with me.”
He inhales.
And I know this is crazy, know I’ve only gotten close to him in the last few days, but it feels as if…I know him, the real him that I don’t think anyone else sees.
He walks back inside my room, setting Astley down on the floor. She darts off to the bathroom, hops in the shower, and laps at the water left there. I fumble around in my nightstand and pull out a few pieces of Doritos, crush them up, and give them to her, careful to put them a few feet away so I don’t startle her. She sniffs and gnaws on one. “It’s not cat-friendly, but she likes it.” I snap my fingers. “Wait. I have some turkey in my mini-fridge.” I walk to the closet, open the fridge, and take out a slice of turkey that I pack in my lunches, tearing it into small pieces before setting it down on a napkin in front of the cat.
I turn to face Knox.
I expected him to be looking at the cat, but he’s staring at me. “I’ll take whatever you’ll give me, Tulip. Friendship. Or…” he sighs. “Anything.”
I walk over to him, feeling that power he says I have, embracing it, holding it close and wrapping it around me. No matter what’s happened to me, I’m still me, I’m still ME, and I want…him. That kiss behind the curtains proved that.
It seems so easy as I step into his arms and he wraps his muscled arms around me, holding me tight. I sigh and slide my hands around his waist, tracing the line of where his shirt meets his pants. His skin is an inferno, and I wonder if he feels as hot as I do, if he wants me as much as I want him.
He pulls away and stares down at me. “I know we haven’t watched Dirty Dancing yet, but I keep thinking about that scene where Johnny is dancing with Baby on stage in front of everyone at the end of the movie. The way he looks at her, how amazed he is by her—” He doesn’t finish.
“What?” Please, what!
“You know I look at you like that, right? I mean, I tried so hard to resist you and avoid you, but the more I discovered about who you really are…it all went to hell.”
His hand tilts my face to his and I drink him in, the scar that slices down his cheek, those eyes that burn—for me. I think they have for a while now.
I play with the V-neck of his jersey, wondering what he looks like with his shirt off. “Seems I’m fairly popular with a couple of Sharks…you and SA.”
His hand that’s been toying with my hair stills.
“Hmm, tell me something, why did you play with my hair last year?”
“Because I wanted you.”
His words are so honest…and I shiver at the need that flashes over me.
“But Chance was in love with you, and—”
“You let me go?”
He nods. “I didn’t even try.”
I swallow. “What makes me so special?”
“You…just you.” His voice is husky. “You’re so damn brave and different.”
I press my lips against his throat, and he groans and clutches my head.
“Tulip…I’ve been wanting to tell you…” He pulls me up until we’re face-to-face.
“You’re SA, aren’t you?” I say. “You left that letter in my locker because you had access to Maxine, who told you my locker number and my middle name. You’ve been writing these poems and checking on me, and I’m betting you’re the one who paid for my housing and somehow got Daniel a scholarship. But the cell number you left doesn’t match the number you gave me in class—”
“One of Dane’s burner phones I grabbed.” He grimaces. “I really tried hard to not be stalkerish. I swear that is not my style, but I just wanted you to have an easy time of it. I knew you were thinking of coming back because my dad is on the board of directors for the school. I knew what my mom went through, and I just wanted you to find some…happiness.”
He leans his forehead against mine. “And what happened to you at the party? That doesn’t stop, you feel me? It’s not over for me. I will find him. I fucking will, and when I do, I’m going to make him wish he’d never been born—”
“Shhh.” I refuse to let what happened that night ruin this moment. “We’ll find him. Now, are you going to make out with me or what?”
His eyes lower to half-mast. “I’ll do whatever you’ll let me do. I don’t want to rush you or make you feel like you have to have sex with me.” He grins. “Shit, I sound arrogant. Look, we don’t have to ever have sex—well, maybe someday. We
can cuddle and shit. We can crawl up in my big bed at my house and watch a million movies while I play with your hair—as it grows out.”
I laugh softly. “You are incredibly arrogant, but I’ll give you a pass because you’re a great prank night partner and that bed sounds nice. And maybe I’ll let my hair grow out.”
He tugs on the dark strands. “You’re perfect just as you are. I’m at your command, Tulip. You lead us.”
I think this is a huge concession for a guy who likes control. I smile, letting my hand slip under his jersey and caress his chest. His muscles spasm as I touch him, and I…I’m so blown away at how he reacts to my touch that I’m braver, roaming my hands over his body, grazing his nipples with my fingertips. I kiss him through his shirt and he hisses, his frame perfectly still.
I look up at him. “You don’t scare me, Knox.”
He kisses me then, soft and slow yet with a passion that burns, almost as if he’s searing the moment into a memory. His tongue explores mine, delving into my recesses as the fire inside me burns brighter. His hands clutch my shoulders, as if he’s hanging on to me to save him, and I think I do. Maybe we save each other. We get lost there for a while, our lips fused together, learning the other, mapping out those secret places we both hunger to discover.
We end up on my small bed, our mouths clinging together.
“Don’t fall.” I laugh up at him as he realigns himself next to me, our chests facing each other.
“It’s too late for that, Tulip,” he says, reaching for my lips again, and I melt into him.
I don’t ask him about that comment, because we have plenty of time for those words...
Later, after much kissing, he gets up to turn off the lights then gets back in bed with me, lacing his hand with mine, and we stare at each other in the dim light.
We don’t say anything. Words feel ridiculous.
I’m all about his eyes and his face. He’s the same.
And, God, I feel light. I’m still me, just a girl who wants love, who wants to hold a guy and know there are still good ones left, even in unexpected places.
He brushes his thumb over his my lips. “Ava Tulip Harris, this thing we have…I want it really bad.”
“Us…it isn’t going to be easy,” I say, a flicker of worry making me frown.
He nods. “I know. But I also know that every moment I don’t see you feels like a million years. Every time I see you walk down the hall, all I want to do is be right there next to you. Is that enough? Is it?”
I nod and he kisses me again, long and hard and deep, until my body is arching toward his.
Life is all about taking chances. And it is scary. Every choice we make leads us down a path and we never know what’s waiting for us at the end. But I’m brave. I am. I always have been. Whatever this is, I want it too.
The End
Dear Reader,
First of all, thank you for reading. Ava’s been in my head for a while, and I jumped at the chance to give you her story in this anthology. And in case you’re wondering, YES, there’ll be more! In early 2020, I’ll be re-publishing this as a complete standalone novel with double the words, detailing how Ava and Knox find their ultimate happily-ever-after.
If you’ve been the victim of a sexual assault or have a friend who has, please speak with someone who is trained to help. You can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or chat online at online.rainn.org.
Keep reading all the books.
Love,
Ilsa
About the Author
Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.
Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.
A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.
She's addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females.
Check out Ilsa’s Amazon page for a full list of her books.
Team Player 2: A Sports Anthology Page 85