The Girl Next Door

“You’re still going, right?” Everything in me stills as I wait for her answer.

“Yeah, I promised my parents I would.”

Excellent. It works out well because next weekend is a by week for the team, so we don’t have a game. I’m looking forward to getting off campus and taking a breather. Even if my parents are throwing a massive shindig, at least Mia will be there. And maybe I’ll have a chance to put my hands on her and seduce her over to the dark side.

“So what do you say? Want to share a ride and reduce our carbon footprint at the same time?”

She bites her lip and diligently avoids eye contact. “That’s probably not a good idea.”

“Why not? You don’t want to leave the earth a better place for the next generation?”

The corners of her mouth hitch into a faint smile before she presses her lips together, and it disappears.

“Wait a minute,” I point to her face, “was that a smile?”

She shakes her head. “Nope.”

“Yes, it was,” I say with exaggeration. “I saw your lips twitch.”

“It was a muscle spasm. Nothing more.”

“I don’t think so.”

She shrugs.

I settle against the chair. This little exchange is going better than I expected. “How about we agree to disagree?”

“Fine.” She clears her throat. “I’m all about eliminating our carbon footprint. It’s riding with you that I’m dubious of.”

“And why is that? Are you afraid you might succumb to my devastating charms?” I give her a wink. “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to fight you off.”

She rolls her eyes. But they’re still simmering with humor, which is a good sign. It’s sure as hell better than her usual reaction. So, I’ll take it.

I lower my voice. “FYI—if it helps, I’ll let you touch me as much as you want.”

“Beck…” she murmurs, dropping her gaze to the coffee cup in front of her.

Unable to help myself, I place my fingers under her chin and lift it, so she has no other choice but to look at me. “What?”

“We talked about this.”

“Did we?” I wait a beat. “And what did we decide?”

“That we’re better off as friends.”

“Yeah, about that,” with my fingers still gripping her chin, I lean in and press closer to the table, “I’ve given it some thought and decided to nix that idea.”

Her mouth opens.

“Here’s your coffee!”

The spell is broken when an oversized container of java is placed in front of me. “Hope you like cream and sugar.”

Damn, that line moved quicker than I thought it would. Mia jerks out of my grasp and I reluctantly settle on the chair as my hand drops to the table.

“Great, thanks.”

“My pleasure, Hollingsworth!”

When he takes a chair from a nearby table, dragging it next to Mia, I rise to my feet and grab my drink. “I should probably get moving, but thanks again.”

“Anytime.” His voice turns a little wistful. “Sure you can’t stay for a while?”

“Sorry.” I jerk my thumb toward the door. “I’ve got class.”

His face falls. “Maybe another time.”

I glance at Mia and wonder what the hell she sees in this clown. This guy’s interest should be focused on her, not me. What a dumbass.

“Think about my offer and get back to me,” I tell her.

“That’s not necessary, I’ll drive myself,” she says quickly.

I shrug as if it’s no big deal. “You know where to find me if you change your mind.”

“I won’t.”

Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of.

Chapter Seventeen

Beck

“Is there anyone who hasn’t outlined their paper yet?” Dr. Hayes asks at the end of class. Her dark gaze slides over the sea of students before coming to rest on mine.

Between my football schedule and cracking the books, I’ve been buried. I’ve jotted down a few ideas, but it hasn’t progressed any further than that. I’ll admit to dragging my feet on this. Have I mentioned how much I hate writing papers?

With the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns.

I really need to pull the trigger and get some words on paper. It’s already mid-September. The semester is flying by and football will only ramp up in intensity the deeper we get into the season. Most of the professors at Wesley are pretty cool when it comes to allowing me to hand in assignments a few days late or rescheduling a test if it conflicts with an away game.

And why shouldn’t they be?

Everyone knows that the football program brings in big bucks. And big money means that these professors can fund their research projects. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. No one wants to bite the hand that feeds them.

Devon elbows me in the ribs. “Dude, professor hottie is totally checking you out.”

“Huh?” I try not to pay too much attention to what comes out of Devon’s mouth. It’s ninety percent bullshit. Both on and off the field.

“Dr. H, dumbass. She’s been checking you out the entire hour.”