I hear the whispers before I see him.
“Waiting by his car…”
“…best defensive player in…”
“…thirteen sacks in one game!”
“Elijah Stoll is outside!” someone says in disbelief when I arrive at the door.
It’s mayhem in the parking lot as everyone tries to get a glimpse of the Beast.
My heart is rattling in my chest as I step out the door into the sunshine. This is too much. I didn’t think it would be a massive event to have Elijah pick me up.
Now, I’m more nervous than ever. I don’t like being in the spotlight and once I step into Elijah Stoll’s truck in front of everyone, I’ll have the town’s largest spotlight shining down on me for the rest of the school year.
The swarm of students shifts and I get a glimpse of him.
My nerves melt away. Awe takes its place.
I just stand back in the crowd and watch him. He’s leaning on his big silver truck in blue jeans and a tight black t-shirt. I’m not sure if the shirt is designed to be tight, but on his body, any shirt would be tight. His chest looks massive with the t-shirt pulled tight in a line over his pecs. The short sleeves are hugging his giant biceps like they’re never going to let go. I don’t blame them.
His stylish running shoes are spotless. I secretly wonder if it would be too conspicuous if I pulled out my phone and snapped a pic of him like this. It’s a sight I want a souvenir of. It’s a gorgeous view that I never want to forget. But seriously, how can I?
His hair is styled to the side and his thick masculine jaw is freshly shaven. I bet he smells so good. I just want to curl up against him, bury my nose into the crook of his neck, and inhale deeply, sucking in that sensual scent.
The football players begin walking over to him, looking more subdued and less cocky than I’ve ever seen them. Their whole body language changes like a bunch of rowdy dogs meeting a real alpha for the first time. Their heads are lowered, hands in pockets, submissive and respectful. It’s like one look at the Beast has murdered their cocky asshole personas.
“Hey, Elijah,” Bryce says as he walks up to him first. “I’m Bryce Williams. Starting quarterback.”
There’s a cocky smirk on his face as he says it, as if he’s expecting Elijah to be impressed that he can throw a ball.
He’s not.
They shake hands and I grin to myself when I see Elijah’s giant hand swallowing Bryce’s. The smile on Bryce’s face quickly disappears. It turns to confusion and then pain and then panic as Elijah lets him know the true strength of a real alpha.
I giggle when I see Bryce’s legs buckle and hear the low pained squeak coming out of his mouth.
Elijah finally lets him go and Bryce cradles his hand to his chest. A lot is riding on that hand. The football team is relying on it to throw accurate passes all Friday night.
I hope it’s broken.
None of the other football players are brave enough to offer their hand after witnessing that. They just hang around and try to get Elijah to talk.
The big man is scanning the crowd and I get all tingly inside knowing he’s looking for me. When his intense brown eyes spot me, I get a warm shiver all over. My pulse starts going as he stares shamelessly at me while Wyatt Martin talks to him. He’s not even listening. He’s completely focused on me.
The heat emanating from my core travels south and settles between my legs. There’s a deep throb down there as my protective beast claims me with those sexy possessive eyes.
He’s looking at me like I’m all his. I want to be his so bad, but he’s probably just playing the part. Doing what I asked him to do.
I take a deep breath and head over, snaking through the crowd while he continues to stare at me.
“Are you going to come watch the game on Friday?” Bryce asks him eagerly. God, he’s so pathetic.
Elijah finally turns to him and looks him dead in the eyes. “Why would I want to watch a bunch of pussies like you play?”
Bryce jerks his head back, looking shocked that someone doesn’t think he’s God’s gift to the world for once in his pathetic life.
“Ummm… I…”
He’s speechless. I love it.
I want to watch this play out, but Elijah reaches for me and I want to be touched by him even more than I want to watch him shove a slice of humble pie down Bryce’s throat.
I slide out of the crowd and hold back a moan when he puts one of those big delicious arms around my shoulders. He’s so big. I feel so tiny next to him.