Series Starter Firsts in Series Collection - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,319

help.” There, that sounds normal, a little breathy, but who can blame me. This guy is sex on a stick.

I hear someone clearing their throat. I pull my eyes away from Mr. Sexy and notice there’s a huge guy standing right beside him. “This is Blitzen, a friend of mine,” Liam tells me.

“Hello, Blitzen, I’m Allison. It’s nice to meet you.” I study him, partly to keep my eyes from searching for Liam and partly because, well, he’s fine. Maybe living in the dorms won’t be so bad after all.

Blitzen is close to the same height as Liam, probably six-three, with shaggy, curly, blonde hair. He’s built, his blue t-shirt clinging to his muscles. The sleeves on his shirt look like they could rip any minute. His abs are rock hard. I know this because his shirt is skin tight, leaving nothing to the imagination. No fat on these fellas.

“The pleasure is all mine, beautiful,” Blitzen croons as he leans in and kisses me on the cheek.

Liam reaches out and smacks Blitzen on the back of the head. “Come on, Romeo. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Blitzen winks at me as we all begin carrying everything up to our dorm room. I have to admit, with the use of two football players at our disposal the move went much faster than if it would have if it had been just Hailey and me. Ace is gonna be pissed when he finds out. He wanted to help and I told him no. Hailey and I wanted to do this together. Her dad shot that plan to hell, but I’m not complaining. Once both cars are unloaded, the guys throw themselves on a futon in our room while digging water out of a cooler I’d packed for the trip. I am nervous being close to two hot guys in such a confined space. The only guy I’ve really spent any time around was Ace, and we’ve been friends since I was ten. There were no dates for me in high school, so this is a new experience. I decide I need to break the tension.

“So, Blitzen, that’s an interesting name,” I say casually.

Blitzen throws his head back and roars with laughter. “That it is, sweetheart, but my real name is Preston. Blitzen is my nickname. I’m a defensive lineman and blitzing is kind of my thing.” He shrugs his shoulders. “So, my teammates started calling me that freshman year and it just kind of stuck.” He laughs.

“Yeah, Blitzen, Liam, and Dash, Liam’s roommate, are all seniors this year and are all in line for the next year’s NFL Draft,” Hailey gushes.

“Wow. That’s awesome. Congrats to both of you,” I say, smiling at Blitzen, trying to avoid looking at Liam. I’m afraid of embarrassing myself by drooling over him.

Liam looks as though he’s going to speak when his pinging cell phone interrupts him. “That’s Dash, we’re supposed to be meeting him at the field to run some plays. He doesn’t want to be there late. He’s meeting up with an ‘old friend’ tonight, so he says.” You can tell by the tone of his voice he’s not believing his friend’s excuse.

“Hales, see you later. Allison, it was a pleasure meeting you,” Liam says before placing his phone to his ear and answering the call.

Blitzen pulls himself off the futon and waves his goodbye, then just like that they’re gone, and I release the breath I was holding. I didn’t realize how tense I really was being that close to them. Get it together, I chide myself. This is my new life. I’m going to have to get used to hanging out with mixed company. Ugh, now I’m talking like Gran. I miss her, and I worry, but she’s right. I need to start living life.

Chapter 2

Liam

I was annoyed when my dad called and requested I help Hailey and her roommate move into their dorm. Dash, Blitzen, and I had plans to go to the practice field and run a few plays. Blitzen, of course, was game. He’s all for checking out the new freshmen and trying to pick out his next fling. I, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. All I care about is keeping my grades up and focusing on football. Football is my life. I’m majoring in sports medicine as a backup plan, but I really want my shot at the NFL. All I’ve ever wanted to do is play football. Don’t get me wrong, I date, a man