by Lexy Timms
Aileen screamed, her voice hoarse from all the cheering.
Sean clapped his hands. “He’s the next Deion Sanders. Probably better than Deion. If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Tyler.”
As they slowly made their way out of the stadium, Aileen watched the football team head back into Lord Warriors. She strained to see Tyler one more time and tried not to show her disappointment when she didn’t. He was the best player on the team. She wondered what would happen if he played with the line-up that was in charge of getting the touchdowns. He would be unstoppable. She sighed. She couldn’t get him out of her head. She had been so busy with school and track this week she had managed to push him out of her mind – temporarily. Apparently all it took was seeing him from two hundred feet away, in a football uniform to bring his good-looking, hot body back into focus.
“Want to go downtown for dinner? Then hit Red Coat’s?” Sean asked.
Jani groaned. “Downtown is nuts after a game. We’ll be waiting for an hour before we even get a table.”
What’s that? A distraction! “We could barbeque,” Aileen suggested. “Make homemade hamburgers.” She had seen a grill in their garage when they had dragged the old tin tub out of it for the party. It was in good shape. “We just need to pick up a propane tank.”
“I can’t barbeque.” Jani shook her head and turned to Sean.
“Don’t look at me.”
Aileen laughed as they left the stadium and headed toward Jani’s car parked on a side street about half a mile away. “I can barbeque. And make burgers. My brother taught me. We just need to grab stuff and a tank at Walmart.”
“Seriously?” Sean looked skeptical.
“Yeah. It’s easy.”
“Will you marry me?”
Aileen rolled her eyes. “You and I both know that is never going to happen.”
“I know.” Sean grinned and winked at her. “But you can’t blame a guy for trying.”
Chapter 9
Aileen sat on her bed, books, her notes and her laptop sprawled around her. The quiz tomorrow for Biology covered way too much stuff. Just when she thought she had gone over everything, she would find something else to read over. A quiz was supposed to be easy. This was a massive test, after barely a month of school! The past five weeks had flown. Aileen was finding her rhythm, but this test seemed to want to kick her butt. I mean quiz!
She was trying too hard. She knew the material but wanted to be over prepared. What was wrong with wanting to do well on the test? High scores in Biology could get her on the dissecting team for the Anatomy Physiology course next semester.
A soft tapping against her window made her jump. She squinted as she tried to stare out of the thin curtain and glass. It was impossible to see anything because of the brightness in her room and the darkness outside. Probably just a tree branch scraping against the window. Or a falling leaf. They were falling by the hundreds from the large tree in the middle of the backyard. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and went back to reading her typed notes.
The tapping came again, a little louder with more insistency.
She checked her watch. 11:45. It was late. Her heart thundered in her chest as she tossed the pen on her bed and got up. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the window and pressed her face close, using her hand to shield the light above her.
Nothing.
No one was there.
She double-checked to make sure. “It better not be Sean,” she muttered to herself, “trying to scare me.” As she pulled away to straighten, her peripheral caught sight of something flash by the back door. Like the reflection off a jacket. “So help me, Sean…” She marched across her room and opened her bedroom door. She stepped into the hall and closed her door to make it darker in the back veranda part of the closed in porch.
Aileen hesitated and listened for a hint of a sound outside. She was sure she could hear breathing. Perfect! She swung the door open hard and fast, ready to jump outside and catch Sean in the act before he tried to run away. She was going to kill him.
Hands reached out to stop her. The door slamming open must have surprised Sean. He lost his balance on the step and fell backward, taking Aileen with him. She didn’t have time to cry out or react, except to shut her eyes tight and brace for impact. Cool air brushed past her skin. She only had on a thin white t-shirt with the UofG logo in the center and bikini underwear underneath. She had planned to crawl into bed after she had gone through her notes one last time.
As they crashed into the lush, damp grass, a low umph escaped from the mouth below hers. It wasn’t Sean she landed on. She sucked in a sharp breath. From the musky scent mixed with wet earth that teased her nostrils, she knew without opening her eyes who the long, rock-hard muscular body beneath her belonged to.
“Tyler?” she whispered.
Strong arms had wrapped around her upper body to protect her as they fell. Like protecting a football. The hands belonging to those muscular arms trailed down her shoulders, brushing the sides of her rib cage and pressing against the curve of her hips. A moan escaped her mouth when they ran over her buttocks.
“What’re you wearing?” he whispered as his hands roamed over her bare thighs and found their way under her t-shirt.
His touch made her shiver. She opened her mouth to reply, but his lips pressed hard into hers, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth. His hands spread across the skin of her back as he tried to get her closer to him.
Everything from the last day of her recruiting trip came gloriously flooding back. She felt his need and matched it with the same fever. She wanted to give him shit for ignoring her the past month but at the moment, she didn’t care. She could deal with that later.
A cool breeze brushed against her backside reminding her they were still outside. She gently pushed against his chest with her hands and raised her head inches away from his. Her eyes grew accustomed to the dark. She could make out the features of his beautiful face. His bright uniquely colored eyes, the perfect curve of his jawline, his sharp cheekbones. She brushed her face against his so she could feel the sexy stubble. “Do you want to come inside?” Her mind ran dirty and she wondered if he would comment on what part of inside she was referring to.
She warmed at the thought and hoped he couldn’t read her mind. She sat up and straddled him. The cold button of his jeans pressed through her thin panties and also a hardness beneath it. It sent a thrill deep inside her.
“I’m okay here for the moment.” Tyler flashed her a mischievous grin. He ran his hands down the length of her naked thighs before finally sliding them off her and tucking them behind his head.
“What’re you doing here?” She tapped his muscle taut chest with a finger. “It’s nearly midnight. I thought you were Sean.”
Tyler frowned and his body stiffened beneath her. “Were you expecting him?”
He completely misunderstood what she meant. “No! I was about to kill you. I thought you were Sean trying to scare me or something.”
“That can be arranged.”
“What can?”
“Killing Sean. I’ll gladly do it for you.”
She grinned at him, rotating her hips slightly and pressing against him. “Are you jealous?” The sensible part of her brain tried to remind her that he had no right to be. He didn’t own her. He had made it quite clear he wasn’t interested in her. Until this moment, they had barely spoken to each other since the start of the school year.
He sat up slightly, stretching his hands out behind him and leaning his upper body forward as he brought his knees up so he was sitting in a V-position with Aileen tucked perfectly in the middle. “Should I be?” The light from her room shone on his face. Aileen could see his eyes hungrily roam over her.
Maybe it was the cool air or reason flooding itself back into her brain. She crawled off him and stood. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover her hardened nipples pressing against her thin shirt. She realized how near naked she was. Thi
s was a mistake. Just like the last day of her recruiting trip. “Why are you here? If you’ve come looking for a quickie, I’m sorry, but you’re at the wrong house.”
His eyes grew wide in surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Slowly, he closed it again and pulled himself up to a standing position. “I didn’t come here for…”
She tilted her head. “Really?”
He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and shrugged, giving her a rueful grin. “Not intentionally. It might have crossed my mind while on the grass. Don’t tell me it didn’t cross yours.” An exasperated breath slipped from his mouth. “Can we please go inside and talk? I’m, uh, I’m having a hard time concentrating with you,” he gestured at her body, “with you in that.”
Despite trying to be in control, a tremor of arousal rippled through Aileen. She was driving him crazy, not the other way around for once. She turned and headed up the steps, pausing at the door. “Come on in.” She pressed her pointer finger against her lips. “I don’t want Jani to wake up,” she whispered as she pushed the door open slowly. His nearness created a warm sensation no heater could ever make. Focus, Aileen. He’s here at your house. You can talk to him. Just you and him.
With her finger pressed against her lips again, she slipped inside and pointed to her room. Tyler followed her in, moving by her and brushing slightly against her, sending a delicious ripple of pleasure through her. He moved sleek and quick. Her body begged to feel that sensation again. Aileen closed the back door as quietly as she could before popping her head in her room. Tyler stood in the middle of it, looking unsure of where to stand or what to do.
“Give me a sec,” she told him and slipped down the hall to the kitchen. She checked the living room and saw Jani’s door closed and her light off. Aileen tiptoed to the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair had escaped her bun and had a wild, windswept look to it. She pulled out the elastic and redid her hair. She also took a shot of mouthwash. As she passed through the kitchen back to her room, she grabbed two water bottles off the counter.
She paused outside her door. She was ecstatic Tyler had shown up, but a small part of her wished he hadn’t. It finally felt like she had let go of the crazy crush she had on him. Apparently she’d been lying to herself from the way she had reacted to him outside. He probably figured she would sleep with him anytime he wanted to. I probably would. She definitely didn’t want him to know he had this carnal control over her. Did his body own hers? She seemed to only be able to think about him in those terms. Would it surprise her if he thought the same way? There was no denying the physical attraction they had for each other and the way their bodies connected when they touched.
She knew there were more feelings and strings attached to her thoughts, and she highly doubted he felt the same way. There was only one way to find out.
Taking a deep breath she opened the door to her room and stepped in.
Chapter 10
Tyler had cleared a small space on her bed and now sat at the edge of it waiting for her. He held her large Biology textbook in his hand. He smiled when she walked in, his eyes running down the length of her body before slowly coming back up. If he was nervous, he definitely didn’t show it.
In the light of her room she was able to see him better compared to the darkness outside a few minutes ago. He wore jeans and an Under Armour fitted gray shirt. He looked model hot. Too good.
Aileen set the two bottles of water on the floor and walked to her closet. She pulled out the closest pair of pants she could fine. Blue jeans. She stepped into them and zipped them up, letting the few loose locks of her hair cover her face as she kept her head down. She glanced down at her shirt, relieved her breasts had decided to be normal and not poke out anymore.
“Is your car parked out front?” She went around to the other side of the bed and organized her notes as she piled them on the chair beside her bed.
He smiled. “It’s parked down in Campus Corner. A bunch of the guys headed over to First Down.”
Bunch of the guys? “You mean football players?”
He nodded.
“Have you been drinking?” His eyes showed no signs of alcohol, they were just their usual brilliant green-blue-greyish color.
“I had one beer.” He watched her close her laptop and set it under the bed. “I’m not drunk, if that’s what you’re asking.”
She sat down on the bed by the pillows and leaned back against the headboard.
Tyler pointed at the painted track behind her. “Can you paint me one of those?”
“Sorry, Jani did it.” She hugged her knees as she thought of being in his bedroom, standing on his bed to paint something similar. She imagined what had happened in her hotel room on her recruiting trip going on in his room. She blinked and tried to keep her face neutral. Thank goodness he wasn’t a mind reader. “So you walked from Campus Corner?”
“It’s not very far. Less than a five-minute jog.”
She nodded. She had no idea what to say. She was dying to know why he had come here. Had the football players bet him? Had he told them about how he had scored during her recruiting trip? Stop staring at his lips! Why did she want to kiss him so bad? She shouldn’t be giving him the time of day, she had every right.
Tyler glanced down at the textbook in his hand. “I remember this class. You doing the labs morning or evening?”
“Morning. It’s Thursdays.” Really? Did he seriously think she would believe he was interested in her class schedule? She cleared her throat. Enough with the small talk. “Why are you here, Tyler?”
He set the Biology textbook on the bed and kept his eyes cast down. “I… I’m not exactly sure.” Slowly he brought his head up to meet her gaze. “I know I shouldn’t – I have no right. I just… I just couldn’t … I had to. I’ve been trying, really been trying and it’s not working.”
She didn’t understand the frustration written across his face or what he was trying to say. “What’s not working?” she asked softly.
“I shouldn’t have kissed you at my party.”
“Back in February?”
“Yeah, that night during your recruiting trip.” He ran his fingers over his short buzzed hair as an exasperated sigh escaped his lips. “I’m sorry.”
She dipped her head so he was forced to look at her. “For kissing me at the party? Or stopping by my hotel room before I flew home? You didn’t seem too sorry then. Quite the opposite actually… more like thankful.” She couldn’t believe she had just said that. She grinned, tried to stop it and ended up giggling.
The corners of Tyler’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t laugh.
A sudden awkward moment of silence passed.
“I’m sorry.” She shrugged. “I just…” She inhaled and plowed forward with her words, terrified what would happen when she did, but needing to know why he hadn’t tried to talk to her since she had arrived at school. “I just thought what had happened meant something more than… It didn’t feel like a… you know, like…” A thought tugged at the back of her brain, but she refused to acknowledge it. “Why have you been avoiding me?”
He shifted and tucked a bent leg on the bed. “It’s called football. I haven’t been avoiding you. The FB program isn’t like anything you could ever imagine.” He scratched his neck. “And it’s going to get busier.”
It took everything not to give him a sarcastic response. She bit her tongue but couldn’t hold back. “That’s your excuse?” She jumped off the bed and moved toward the door. “If you only slept with me to get me to sign with the school, mission accomplished. I’m here.” She reached for the doorknob and glared at him. “What I want to know is if this was your own cockamamie plan or if Coach Anderson put you up to it?” She couldn’t believe she’d said the words. She didn’t mean them.
Tyler’s mouth hung open as his eyebrows arched high onto his forehead. “That’s not what happened!”
“Really?” She was pissed and embarrassed. “’Cau
se that’s exactly what it seems like. Be happy. You did your job. I’m here. However, there is absofreakinlutely no way you should ever consider tapping on my window again for a quickie. It’s never going to happen.”
Tyler stood. “I told you I didn’t come by here for that.”
“Then you came to apologize?” She pulled the door open and motioned for him to leave. The lump in her throat warned her she didn’t have much resistance left.
His face hardened and became unreadable. He marched to where she stood and stopped, inches away from her. Not menacing but purely frustrated. “I didn’t plan to stop by your hotel on your recruiting trip!” He tapped his forehead. “I couldn’t get you out of my head and you sure didn’t seem to mind. Pretty boy with the football talent. I’m sure you had no problem telling your friends back home who you scored with. I figured as much when you made no effort to contact me after you left, nor did you bother showing up at nationals. I got your message loud and clear.” His warm breath brushed against her cheek as he glared at her. “This’ll never happen again. Ever.” He pointed back and forth between the two of them before stepping past her and slipping out the back door.
Aileen stood frozen, her hand still gripping the doorknob. What had just happened? Had he just turned it around so it was her fault?
Chapter 11
“You look like crap.” Jani stood on the grass with one leg stretched out on top of the steps to the house. They were going to jog over to the track again as warm up before practice. The sun peeked through the large maple tree in their small front yard and warmed their skin. The leaves had started to fall and were turning into a wonderful crimson shade of red.
“I barely slept last night.” Aileen sat on the grass criss-cross and stared at her lap. She was on the verge of tears.
“Because of Biology? It’s not worth stressing over a stupid test.”
“The quiz went great.” She sighed.