shoulders before my fingertips drift along her bare arms. Once they arrive at her hands, I interlock our fingers together.
“Give me a chance.”
She whimpers as I bury my face against the side of her throat, licking and nipping at her flesh. I’m so tired of fighting this deep-seated need I have for her.
“Okay.” The word falls from her lips in a breathy little sigh.
It takes everything I have to beat back the beast inside and not take her right here in the library. I want to brand Alyssa as mine. I want every guy on this campus to know that she belongs to me.
“Good.” My lips curve. “Now get rid of Daniels.”
Chapter Five
Alyssa
October of sophomore year...
Mia and I push our way through the crowded student section at the stadium, searching for a place to park our butts. It’s game day, and I’m here to root on my man. Even though it’s mid-October, the temperature is still seasonable, and I’m able to wear Colton’s red and black jersey over a turtleneck. He gave it to me a couple of weeks ago. It’s a huge deal. Only girlfriends get to wear players’ jerseys to the games or around campus. After he left my dorm room, I screamed at the top of my lungs.
All the while wearing his jersey, of course.
Sometimes I have to remind myself that this isn’t a dream I’ll wake from. It’s my reality. I’m dating Colton Montgomery. Every time I think about it, a little bubble of joy explodes inside me.
This relationship has come out of nowhere and taken me completely by surprise. Sure, I’d always hoped something would happen between us, but did I really think it would? No way in hell. How could I when Colton went to such great lengths to avoid me? First in high school, then at college. If we were paired up together for a class project, he found a way out. If I arrived at a party, he slipped out the backdoor. If he spotted me on campus, he’d take off in the opposite direction.
It might have taken a while, but I can take a hint. Just when I’d decided to put Colton Montgomery behind me and move on with my life, he came out of nowhere and swept me off my feet.
Honestly, I’m still in a state of shock. Colton can have any girl he wants. And he has. But he’s never been one to get serious. He likes to play the field.
And yet...here we are.
Trust me when I say that I’m taking it slow. It’s all about baby steps with this guy. Even though Colton came after me, he’s like a skittish animal I need to approach with both caution and patience. So far, I’ve let him set the pace, and that seems to be working. I’m taking it day by day and letting our relationship unfold naturally. If I get too serious, too quick, he’ll bolt. I can see it in his eyes.
“You’re getting an awful lot of looks,” Mia murmurs from beside me. “I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these bitches shanks you in the bathroom just to wrestle that jersey from your cold dead body.”
I snort. She’s not wrong about that. I can practically feel the coveted stares and hear the whispers as we move up the stadium steps in search of seats. There are a lot of thirsty bitches around here waiting for an opportunity to steal my man. Especially now that he’s done the unthinkable and committed to one specific female.
Me!
Yeah, I still can’t get over it.
Any moment, I’m going to break out into a little happy dance. Although, I think Mia would slap me upside the head if I did.
Even though Colton is only a sophomore at Wesley, he’s been a hot commodity since stepping foot on campus freshman year. Not only is he good-looking, but he’s also a first-string wide receiver for the Wildcats. The idea of dating a guy like him is much akin to capturing a mythical unicorn. The girls who don’t want to strangle me seek me out for advice. As if there’s a secret formula to my success. If only they knew the truth.
I have absolutely no idea what happened to make him change his mind.
For the first couple of weeks, I was overly cautious, waiting for the bottom to fall out—waiting for him to wake up one morning and say that he’s not interested in being tied down when there are a ton of groupies willing to