take a reluctant step away from the window, a burst of laughter escapes from her lips as a large hand reaches across the table before settling on hers.
What the hell?
And then I’m right back where I started, pressed against the glass. Only now do I realize that she’s not alone. There’s a guy parked across from her. All thoughts of backing off and giving Alyssa her space evaporate as I hightail it into the coffee shop and stomp over to where the happy couple is lounging. Even the thought of another guy touching her is enough to set me off.
You know what scares me most?
That she actually might move on without giving me another shot.
As soon as I pull up alongside the table, Alyssa glances at me. The smile falls from her face as her eyes widen. “Colton.”
“Hey.” My narrowed gaze slices to the guy across from her.
A heavy silence blankets the three of us, turning the atmosphere oppressive.
Alyssa shifts on her chair before clearing her throat. “Levi, this is Colton.”
Levi?
What the hell kind of name is that?
Unaffected by the way I glower, the dark-haired guy sits back in his chair as a relaxed smile lifts the corners of his lips. “Oh, hey. You’re Colton Montgomery. Nice to meet you, man.”
“Yeah,” I mumble, even though I don’t mean it, “same.”
“The Wildcats are having a great season.” He chuckles, “I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I have a lot of money riding on you guys winning a conference championship.”
“Is that so?” I grunt in response, tempted to tank the season just so this guy loses money.
Fuck him.
Of course, that’s not going to happen. I’m still playing like shit, so my ass hasn’t seen very much of the field lately. Kwiatkowski, on the other hand, is living his best life. I shove that thought from my head, not wanting to dwell on it. I’ve got more pressing matters to contend with.
Namely, this guy.
Levi.
I try not to snort.
“Yeah,” he continues, “I was just telling my buddies that—”
Dismissing him, I shift my weight and focus on Alyssa. I don’t give a damn what this guy was yapping to his buddies about. “Can I talk to you outside?”
“Oh.” She peeks across the table at Levi from beneath the thick fringe of her lashes. “Well, I—”
“Great.” Not taking no for an answer, I grab her hand and pull her to her feet. She rises with a small squeak of protest.
“Maybe you haven’t realized it, but we’re in the middle of something here,” Levi says, straightening on his chair.
No, douchebag, you’re not.
I swear to God, if he gets in my way, I’m going to punch him. Now that I’m practically benched, I’ve got nothing to lose.
Alyssa must see the determination that has settled over my features because she quickly says, “It’s fine, Levi. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Yeah, that’s not going to happen either.
“Are you sure?” His gaze bounces reluctantly between the pair of us as a frown settles on his face.
No more easy-peasy smile, is there?
“Yup.” Alyssa gives me a bit of side-eye. “It’s all good.”
Levi grumbles something indecipherable under his breath before slouching against the chair. It’s like he realizes he should be making more of a fuss since I swooped in and hijacked the girl he was with.
Now that a decision has been made, I haul Alyssa out of the shop and around the corner away from the prying eyes of student traffic. Plus, I don’t want the dude inside to come out and find us.
“Colton,” she growls, “was that really necessary?”
You bet your ass it was.
When I advance on her, she scoots away until there’s nowhere else to go. Her shoulder blades hit the brick building. My fingers lock around her wrists before dragging them over her head and shackling them against the wall.
The pulse beneath the delicate flesh of her throat flutters wildly as she whispers, “What are you doing?”
“This.” And then my mouth is crashing onto hers. The urge to brand her as my own throbs through me.
For a moment, her body stiffens before melting beneath mine. The taste of her is the only thing powerful enough to calm the beast raging inside. It’s desperate to claw its way from beneath my skin.
The irony is that I spent so many years not wanting to feel anything, afraid to let anyone in, including this girl. Most especially this girl. My deepest, darkest fear is that they’ll disappear from my life. It’s not something I’m entirely comfortable acknowledging. It’s the reason I