Rebellious and Reckless: College Sports Romance Stand-Alone (Campus Hotshots Book 1): Campus Hotshots
Page 24
“You know what? You’re right. I don’t want your signature. I don’t even know who you are.”
His gaze snaps to me and my newfound toughness wavers a bit under the intensity of his stare. Panicking slightly, I feel the need to backpedal. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the seat, but I don’t want an autograph.”
He smiles and a tingle erupts in my belly before spreading through the rest of my body. He’s got a great smile, and paired with those gorgeous eyes of his, it’s a deadly combination of sexiness. I imagine many women have lost their ever-lovin’ minds because of that smile.
“What’s your name, beautiful?”
My heart does a double thud as I swallow hard and try to remember what my own name is. That smile is causing me to go a little batty myself. Not that anyone could blame me. After all, this stunning man just called me “beautiful.”
“Anna Cortez.”
His eyes dance with amusement.
“Cortez,” he repeats.
The way my name rolls off his tongue sounds so sensual and naughty. It’s almost as if he’s trying to turn me on and make me squirm on purpose for turning down his stupid autograph. “Is that Spanish?”
“It is,” I answer simply. “It means ‘courteous.’”
“Ah, sassy and smart, I see,” Mr. Cold teases. Or at least…I think he’s joking. It doesn’t seem like he’s pissed or anything because he’s still grinning. “It’s nice to meet you, Anna Cortez.”
“Likewise, Mr…”
Oh damn. Do I call him Mr. X? Or do I refer to him as Mr. Cold like the flight attendant did? I hate being stuck in these awkward social situations. I’ve never claimed to be a big people person.
Luckily for me, he fills in the gap. “You can call me Xavier.”
Things begin to click for me. “Is that where the X comes from?”
“It is.”
I lick my lips before I wonder out loud, “How about the ‘Phenomenal’ part?”
His eyes flick down to my lips and then back up again. “I could tell you, but I think it’d be a whole lot more fun if I showed you where that portion of my name comes from.”
Why do I have the distinct feeling that this man has just propositioned me after sitting next to me for less than ten minutes? No one, other than me, gets into these jeans that fast. “I think I’m good without that too.”
“You’re a good girl, aren’t you, Anna?” Xavier asks, trying to feel me out.
“I’d like to think so, but if you asked my father that question right now he might tell you I’m the spawn of Satan,” I respond easily, and then immediately wish I could take the last part back. I tend to ramble when I get nervous, thus exposing all my secrets and this guy is the last person who needs to know my life history. Besides, it’s not like he really cares anyhow. He’s obviously one of those kinds of guys Father always warns me about. The kind who only wants one thing.
Xavier shakes his head. “I’ve met some actual demons from hell and trust me, beautiful, you’re the furthest thing from evil I’ve been around in a long, long time. Your father needs a wakeup call. I could tell the second our eyes met that you were a sweet one.”
“You…you noticed me…before?” I question, blown away that the little eye lock we shared when he got on the plane had made an impression on him too.
He goes back to signing his name and shrugs. “I always take in every inch of my surroundings, and any man would be a fucking fool if he didn’t notice you.”
I feel the blush creep into my cheeks from the full-on flattery. I’ve never had a man talk to me so…so…bluntly before. All the guys I’ve ever dated have been good guys. Polite, with proper manners. Xavier makes my toes curl with a simple look and a few dirty words.
Yep. I’m so out of my league.
It’s difficult, but I jerk my attention away from this dangerous man next to me and study my nails, doing my best to keep my eyes from wandering back to my left. I can’t help being intrigued by him. If I were the kind of girl who did naughty things with random hotties, I would be all over his offer to find out just how phenomenal he is—in a heartbeat. But as things stand, I’m still a good girl. I know I am, even if my father challenges that fact. All because I ran away from a man I’d promised to marry.
“You’re quiet over there. Did I piss you off?” Xavier asks with what I assume is a tender tone but still has a touch of a natural growl to it.
I chew on the corner of my lip. “No. You didn’t. I was just thinking.”
“About…” he prods, and he glances down at my arm and zeroes on the spot where Father’s too tight hold left some marks.
My hand instantly covers the small bruises, not wanting him to ask about them. Explaining how things got a little out of hand when I told my father I was leaving isn’t exactly something I want to discuss with a man who I don’t know.
I fold my arms over my chest, careful to keep the spot hidden, and stare down at my stained outfit, wishing I hadn’t checked all my clothes. “Nothing you would want to hear about, I’m sure. No one likes to listen to a perfect stranger’s drama. Besides, I’m positive my life is boring compared to yours—there’s no autographs in my normalcy.” I add a little teasing at the end to lighten the mood.
Xavier slides his index finger under my chin and then softly pinches it with his thumb, forcing me to look at him. “You’re frowning. Why?”
His immediate concern for my happiness takes me aback, and I raise my eyebrows. I can’t very well spill my entire tragic life story to this man, even though the sincerity of his intentions shine in his gaze. I didn’t expect this type of reaction from him, so I’m thrown off balance for a moment, unsure of how to respond. “I, uh…”
His eyes never leave mine as he says, “A frown doesn’t belong on a face like yours, beautiful. Ever. I’m just curious who put it there.”
“No one put it there,” I whisper, trying to block out that fact that this slight touch from him is sending my body into overdrive.
“Did your boyfriend upset you?”
I should say I don’t have a boyfriend because I’m positive once Jorge discovers I left town with no intention of ever returning, he won’t want to see me again anyway. Technically I’m single, and I have the feeling this is exactly what Xavier wants to hear from me. Spending the next few hours in such close proximity to him, I’ll never be able to fend off his direct advances without eventually agreeing to have sex with him as soon as we land. If he knows I’m unattached, he’s the type who’ll never give up. No need to dangle a steak in front of a hungry lion.
“He isn’t the problem. I’m fine, see.” I give him a small smile, hoping he stops prying before I get caught up in my own lie about being taken.
“Not sure I’m buying that weak-ass smile.”
His lips pull into a tight line, and I fully expect him to release me, but he doesn’t. Xavier’s fingers stay in place, burning into my skin. “It’s fine if you don’t want to say what’s on your mind. I get that. But no more frowning for the rest of this trip, or I might be forced to find other ways to make you smile just to piss your boyfriend the fuck off.”
His finger traces down my neck and across my collarbone, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.
My mouth drops open and I can’t stop myself from asking, “What kind of ways?”
Damn my stupid curious brain. That just set him up for all kinds of dirty talk.
He tries to fight back a smile, but it doesn’t work. It comes at me in full, glorious force. “More ways than that sweet brain of yours could ever imagine.”
He leans into me, and I can’t do anything more than tense because his hand slides up the side of my neck in a very intimate gesture. He’s close enough that, if I pushed forward a couple of inches, our lips would meet in what I imagine would be an earth-altering kiss.
“I could do things to your body that most women only dream about while reading their dirty romance novels, and I promise you’d fucking enjoy it.”
&nb
sp; I stare up at him speechless. Wow.
Just…wow.
I can’t believe he just said that to me.
Xavier licks his plump lips. “No strings attached, and your boyfriend would never have to know.” He leans in and whispers in my ear, “I just want a little taste.”
My breath hitches and I close my eyes. The thought of allowing this man to have his way with me is very tempting. So tempting in fact that, for a moment, I seriously consider agreeing. The opportunity to possibly have the best sex of your entire life doesn’t come along every day, and I can tell just by looking at Xavier Cold that his skill in the bedroom likely knows no bounds.
He would be the perfect act of rebellion. Going against everything my life currently represents—a representation I’m desperate to break away from.
I want to say yes to him, I really do, but no matter how hard I fight to break away from the good girl persona, I know random sex with a stranger will never be my kind of thing.
I open my eyes and they instantly lock on his cool blue ones. I take a deep breath and whisper, “No.”
His brows shoot up, like he can’t believe he’s just been turned down.
“No?”
My chest begins to heave. For some strange reason, turning him down is hard. It’s like my body is defying my brain and becoming aroused, even though my head is screaming for me to run as far away as I can.
Xavier sucks in his bottom lip and slowly pulls it between his teeth. “You don’t seem so sure about that no, beautiful. You want to change your answer? I’ll be gentle with you, I swear. You don’t have to be afraid of me.”
“I, uh…”
I, uh…what? There’s nothing to even consider here. I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time giving him a firm no—one that sounds like I mean business. Even I realize I’m throwing him mixed signals by allowing him to touch me and whisper dirty promises in my ear.
Desperate to get myself out of the intense mess I’ve allowed to go on too long, I push him back a bit and turn to the middle-aged, brunette lady sitting across the aisle from me. “Do you have any blank paper, please?”
She nods and reaches under the seat in front of her to retrieve a bag. After digging around for a moment, she finds a small notebook and rips out a page. “This is all I have.”
I return her smile with one of my own. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”
I turn and redirect my attention to Xavier, who watches me with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. “The only thing I would like from you is your autograph. Nothing more.”
I lay the paper on his tray, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me. “That’s all, huh?”
“That’s all,” I confirm.
He adjusts the paper on his tray and then glances back up at me. “We’ll see.”
This little game with him is exhausting. If we keep this up, by the end of the flight I’ll either want to kill him or screw his brains out, and neither of those things are on my scheduled to-do list on the path to starting my new life.
I lean my head back and shut my eyes, and pray I can sleep my way through the rest of the flight. Ignoring the dangerously sexy man sitting only inches away from me is the only way I’ll stop my body from taking him up on his offer.
**End of Sample**
Find Phenomenal X on Amazon Here to read about Phenomenal X and Ann’s epic love story.
Acknowledgments
First off, I want to thank you, my dear readers, for embracing this book. It’s been a while since I published a book, and it feels good to reconnect with a lot of you. Words cannot express how much you all mean to me. Love you all!
Emily Snow, thank you for your love and support. Love you hard!
Jennifer Wolfel thank you for always being in my corner! You are the one person I depend on to give it to me straight. Thank you for your honesty and keeping me on task and talking me out of killing characters. Love ya!
Holly Malgieri you are an inspiration. Thank you for your daily encouragement, undying support, and talking me off the ledge more times that I can count. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Heather Peiffer you are a badass! Thank you for your friendship and helping me figure this book out. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Jenny Sims thank you for your eagle eye on this book! You saved my butt by jumping in and helping me out with this one. You, my friend, are a rock star!
To my beta readers, Judy Bachovchin, Elle King, Lisa Miller and Soldad Mailman, thank you for being my early victims…er, I meant readers, of this book. Thank you for your feedback. It helped more than you realize. THANK YOU!
My beautiful ladies in Valentine’s Vixen’s Group, you all are the best. You guys always brighten my day and push me to be a better writer. Thank you!
To romance blogging community. Thank you for always supporting me and my books. I can’t tell you how much every share, tweet, post and comment means to me. I read them all and every time I feel giddy. THANK YOU for everything you do. Blogging and reviewing is not an easy job and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you do for indie authors like me. You totally make our world go round.
Last, but never least the two men in my life, my husband and son. Thank you for putting up with me. I love you both more than words can express.
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Michelle A. Valentine is a self-professed music addict that resides in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, son, and one scrappy dog. When she’s not slaving away over her next novel, she enjoys expressing herself with off-the-wall crafts and trying her hand at party planning.
While in college, Michelle’s first grown-up job was in a medical office, where decided she loved working with people so much she changed her major from drafting and design to nursing. It wasn’t until her toddler son occupied the television constantly that she discovered the amazing world of romance novels. Soon after reading over 180 books in a year, she decided to dive into trying her own hand at writing her first novel, and she hasn’t looked back. After years of rejection, in 2012 she self-published Rock the Heart, her tenth full-length novel written, and it hit the New York Times. Her subsequent books have gone on to list multiple times on both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.
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Also by Michelle A. Valentine
Books Also by Author
The Black Falcon Series
ROCK THE BEGINNING
ROCK THE HEART
ROCK THE BAND
ROCK MY BED
ROCK MY WORLD
ROCK THE BEAT
ROCK MY BODY
Hard Knocks Series
PHENOMENAL X
XAVIER COLD
The Collectors Series
DEMON AT MY DOOR
Coming Soon—DEMON IN MY BED
A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale
NAUGHTY KING
FEISTY PRINCESS
DIRTY ROYALS
Wicked White Series
WICKED WHITE
WICKED REUNION
WICKED LOVE
Campus HotShots
REBELLIOUS AND RECKLESS
Coming Soon—LOVE AND CHAOS
Stand Alone Romance Novels
LOVE, SEX, MUSIC
THE BIKER’S VIRGIN
THRUST UNDER
h friends