Prologue

PROLOGUE

HECTOR ‘CRANK' DOMINGUEZ

"Ma," I groaned and lay back on my bed. The wooden frame creaked under my weight.

"Papi, all I am asking you to do is go say hi to her. You know your sister will appreciate you looking after her." I rolled my eyes. It was the same conversation every fucking time.

"Ma—"

"I raised you better than that." My mom had a way of cutting to the quick. "She's been there for almost a year."

"I know that," I groaned. It was the same sob story every time we talked.

"And you haven't stopped by or called her to say hello," my mom pointed out.

"Have you ever thought that maybe I'm busy?" I asked, knowing very well I wasn't going to get by with that excuse for much longer.

"And that's why I didn't push when the season was going on." My mom might not have pushed, but she sure had brought it up… a lot. "I respected the fact you had a full course load and trying to figure out your next move. Now you figured it out, and you're doing what? Two workouts a day?"

"One," I muttered because I might be twenty-two and a grown man, but I didn't lie to my mom.

"Libby is family, papi. She's Blanca's best friend."

"I highly doubt she needs me to check on her."

"Honey, she was here." Her voice was gentle. My jaw clenched at the reminder. It stung. Everyone had been there when my grandpa got sick. Everyone but me. "Every day. She was always here, and you know why." I sighed because as much my mom enjoyed being a pain, I got what she was saying.

From what she had shared through the years, Libby's home life had been a hellhole. Shit, the girl had preferred to be around and help clean up and feed my grandfather during her senior year of high school instead of being home.

That alone said something.

But the girl put my own overachieving ass to shame. Not only had Libby been around and practically lived at my house, she had also taken every online college course she could on top of her already accelerated high school courses. Not only had she been valedictorian but had graduated with junior college standing.

The girl was impressive. It was nothing personal that I didn't want to reach out. I just remembered the way the nerdy frizzy-haired blonde used to stare up at me with dreamy eyes. Her crush on me hadn't been subtle. I didn't want to stop by and have her get the wrong idea.

"Hector—"

"Crank," I corrected even though I knew better. I could practically feel my mom's eyes rolling.

"Hector, I am your mom, not your teammate."

"Ma—"

"Or a coach," she cut me off. I knew better than try to argue with the woman, but she was a serious pain in my ass sometimes. "Maybe if I were, you'd listen to me."

"Ma—"

"I not only spent twenty-seven hours in labor to bring you in this world, but I had morning sickness every day for?—"

"Nine months," I cut her off because I was all too familiar with the story. "Okay. I got it. I will text her or?—"

"She's working at that burger joint. It's the one closer to the highway, Towers or something."

"Stacked," I corrected gently. "Okay," I sighed, glancing down at my watch. "I'll head over now. Say hi, get some food, and catch up." I would still have time to hit a party my roommate and teammate, Dylan, wanted to make an appearance at. I wasn't usually one who liked parties, especially with my course and practice schedule, but I needed a break.

"Maybe take her to dinner," my mom suggested. I rolled my eyes. Dinner? Now this felt a little suspicious. Like a fucking setup. Nope. I was not falling for that.

"Mom," I muttered in a tone I hardly used but I knew she would understand I wasn't playing. If she was trying to play matchmaker with my sister's best friend, she had another thing coming. From what I remembered of her, she was not my type. Not that I had seen her a whole bunch since I had left to college.

"Okay, fine," she quickly gave in, "Thank you for doing this. I've just…" When her voice drifted off, I frowned. I pulled the phone from my ear and looked down at the screen to make sure the call hadn't cut out.

"What?" I asked.

"We've just been… worried about her."

"Why?" I scowled, grabbing my wallet and keys from the dresser. A guilt trip from my mom was irritating.

"She doesn't get out much. She works two jobs and goes to class." She and a million other students , I thought to myself but knew better than to say out loud. "And it's not like she can come home often, you know?"

"Mom." I didn't know where she was taking this. My mom was a wildcard sometimes. And a nut a lot of the times.

"I just want her to have some fun. She deserves a little fun."

"I'll visit her."

"Thank you. Maybe suggest some clubs or sororities she could look into. Or maybe some parties you might have heard of?"

"Right," I muttered, knowing very well I was not going to do that. If the girl wanted to find friends, I'd heard all about how smart she was. I was sure she was more than capable of finding them all on her own. "I'm gonna head out. Hopefully, she's working. If she's not, I'll text her and check in," I shared just as I reached the door to my room.

"Oh, she will be! She works nights." My steps faltered.

"What? Why?" Not that I cared, but at the end of the day, I was a guy who had two younger sisters. I knew I sure as shit wouldn't like Blanca or Griselda working somewhere overnight. Much less on the iffy side of town.

"Because she has two jobs. I told you, la pobresita doesn't do anything but work and school. That's why I have been asking you to check on her. Your sisters and I worry about her."

"Fine," I muttered. "Love you, Mom."

"Thank you, honey! I really appreciate you going to check on her.

"Tell the gremlins I love them, too."

"Your sisters are going to love that." She laughed. "Love you, mijo. Drive safe, and thank you for checking on our girl."

"Right." I hung up, ignoring her our girl comment.

I hadn't seen my sister's nerdy, shy best friend in about four years. Somehow, every time I went home, our paths never crossed. I hardly remembered the rugrat. I waved hi to some buddies on the team who all made sure to ask if I was hitting the Sigma Kai party later.

Twenty minutes later, I was parked at the small burger joint slash diner on the edge of the sketchy part of town. It wasn't terrible. It just wasn't like the part of town closest to the school. It was older and run down. The area had most definitely seen better days. The building itself needed a paint job probably five years ago and the parking lot should have been repaved longer ago than that. Yet, the place kept its doors open twenty-four seven. The food was great and cheap. I'd actually come here more than a couple of times now that I thought about it. How the hell didn't I know she works here?

I walked in and immediately noticed a guy, Greg, I knew from one of my bio classes.

"Hey, Crank!" He grinned from the cash register with a chin nod.

"Greg! Man, it's been a minute." We fist bumped.

"Right! Since finals." He scratched his forehead. "You taking Henderson next semester?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"I'm actually doing that this summer," I shared.

"No way? I didn't know he was offering that course."

"Yeah, online. You should look into it. Last time I looked, the class hadn't been filled yet."

"Right on. I'll definitely do that. Haven't seen you here in a while," he pointed out.

During the season, my team and I popped in, especially after a game, but during the off-season, I was really careful and watchful of my diet.

"Yeah, man, just been busy. You know how it goes." I smiled back, and he nodded.

"So, what can I get you?"

"Listen, do you know if Libby is working tonight?" I asked and watched Greg's brows bunch together.

"Libby?" he repeated, obviously a little confused.

"Yeah, umm—" A soft gasp and movement behind him caught my eye, and everything inside of me seized.

Frozen in place, I stared.

Never in my life, not even when I was seven and the first time hit the field against a huge kid two years older and double my size, did the world just stop like it did in that moment.

"Hector?" Her soft voice was familiar yet new to my ears.

"Lib?" My voice sounded hoarse in my ears.

"Wait, who are Hector and Libby?" I heard Greg ask, but I couldn't tear my eyes from the stunning angel standing in front of me.

She stepped to Greg's side, the surprise in her hazel eyes evident. "Libby? "I repeated, and when her lips twitched, something stirred inside of me.

Something I wasn't used to feeling.

Something possessive uncoiled inside of me as it came to life. Almost like a whole other being. One that was filled with nothing but darkness and obsession, slowly taking charge of every corner inside of me. She blinked and ran her fingers through her hair. Has it always been that color? I wondered to myself. Almost white-blonde hair that looked long and thick.

But I couldn't tell since it was tossed up in a messy bun with strands popping out this way and that. The ends of her hair touched her face gently, and I found myself aching to reach out and touch her.

To see if everything about her was as soft as she seemed.

Hell, to make sure she was fucking real and not some weird illusion. My body had never reacted to a woman this way. She's not a woman. She's a girl. My head and heart battled against one another. But she wasn't that little gawky kid I remembered anymore. She was older than my sister, and if I remembered correctly, she was nineteen now. Younger than me, sure, but nothing crazy or nefarious, I decided.

Holy shit! When the hell did my sister's best friend turn into a bombshell? My hands itched to feel just how soft her tresses were, so much I shoved my hands into my front pockets.

"Libby?" I repeated, completely dumbfounded. Jesus, she looked so different than I remembered. Really different.

"Yeah." She smiled shyly. Her gaze met mine behind the bulky glasses perched on the top of her nose. She righted them, pushing the frames back, and glanced nervously over her shoulder at Greg. "Do you mind if I take my ten?" she asked softly, her voice soft with a whisper of raspiness.

I caught Greg's confusion wash away, and then I saw it. The poor bastard simply nodded, a softness in his gaze as he looked at her I didn't like. It was obvious the asshole liked her. And for some godforsaken reason, I didn't like it. Mine, a voice hissed inside my head. I scowled. Mine? What was that about?

"Go for it, honey." Honey? Who does he think he is?

"Thanks." She smiled politely and turned her attention toward me. "Would you like to talk outside?" she asked, and I nodded, silently following her to the empty patio area. She sat down, and I sat across from her. "How are you?" she asked, and I opened then shut my mouth.

Not only couldn't I get over how fucking beautiful she was and how much she'd changed but how everything inside me was reacting to her.

"Hector?"

"Crank," I corrected with a kneejerk reaction.

"Oh! Umm, that's right. That's what everyone calls you now, right?" Her cheeks tinged the prettiest shade of pink. "Not that I've asked around about you. I've just heard people talk about the great new linebacker," she rambled and probably didn't notice I was suddenly the one blushing.

"I don't know about all that."

"Really?" Her eyes widened with what looked like amusement, and my cock started to get hard. Or harder. Fuck, what was it about this girl?

"That's not what I heard."

"Oh? What did you hear?" I leaned closer. A smile pulled at my lips.

"That you're turning down offers to play for the NFL because you changed your major to pre-med."

"Man, gossip travels."

"Maybe." She shrugged. I lost her gaze. Her attention went to the scratched-up tabletop between us. "I'm guessing Blanca or your mom asked you to check on me?"

"Why would they ask me to do that?" Her eyes rose. Fuck me. Had her eyes always been that shade? Greens and browns of every shade swirled and mixed in a way that made them impossible to name. Sultry with specks of gold and flecks of something else, dark and mossy like an olive color.

"You saying they didn't?" Her head tilted and her glasses moved with the shift. The thick frames didn't hide her pretty eyes.

"How you been?" I asked, choosing not to answer because as I sat across from her, my body awake and fucking aching to get closer to her, I wasn't about to lie to her. But for some reason, I didn't want her to think I was only there because of my mom.

"Good," she answered softly. "You?"

"Good," I answered and inwardly winced. Fuck, why was I suddenly grasping at straws to make small talk? The one time I actually wanted to talk, I couldn't seem to get my bairn to function. But if Libby noticed, she didn't show it. She simply nodded

"I'm glad." She smiled tightly. Silence filled the space around us. I couldn't stop staring at her. And I sure as hell couldn't think of what the hell to talk about. After a minute or three, she chewed on her lower lip.

"Well… I should probably get back inside."

"I thought you you had a ten-minute break?"

"Right." She licked her lips, and my nails dug into the insides of my palms under the table to stop myself from groaning. Jesus, her mouth was perfect. Natural pouty full lips that were a natural almost berry color.

"Umm, so listen." Her hands nervously stroked the top of table until she noticed I was staring. She clasped them together. "This was very kind of you. Really sweet. But I know you're busy—" She kept talking. Her tone soft and sweet and so damn calming I almost didn't realize what she was doing.

She was brushing me off.

"Libby—"

"Olivia," she corrected, and my brow rose. That's when her face broke out into a smile and she giggled. "I figured if I have to call you Crank." Her shoulder rose and fell, and I laughed.

"Touché." Fuck, she was cute. Adorable and sexy. Mine. Damn, there went that word again.

"But honestly, we don't have to do this." Oh yeah, she was brushing me off. Gently telling me to get lost. And before I saw her, this would have been the best-case scenario to this whole deal. But now?

"You're you and?—"

"And what?" I cut her off, trying to figure out why she was pushing me away. She didn't even want to spend ten minutes with me?

"And I'm just your sister's friend."

"Best friend," I corrected.

"Hector." I hardly liked anyone calling me by my first name anymore. The only one who did was my mom. Not even my sisters did it. But fuck, I loved how she said my name. The sound of it off her tongue made it feel… right.

"I'm serious." I cleared my throat. "My mom considers you family. I'm honestly sorry I haven't reached out before this." And that was the god's honest truth. I'd just seen the girl a moment ago for the first time in four years, and I honestly wish I'd stopped by sooner.

"Okay, well…"

"What time you off?" I asked, cutting her off.

"Why?"

"Wanna go to a party?" I offered without hesitating to overthink. She slowly blinked and then giggled. Again. But it quickly stopped when she realized I wasn't kidding.

"Wait, you're serious?" Her pretty, hazel eyes widened behind her frames.

"Of course." There wouldn't be a time I offered her something I wasn't positive about. I had no idea where this crazy need to lock in the next visit was coming from, but fuck me, it was in overdrive.

"God, no," she answered, giving me the opposite answer I'd expected from her.

"What? Why?" I frowned. Her answer took me by surprise. I wasn't a cocky fucker, but girls always wanted to hang out. Getting turned down wasn't something I was used to.

"Not even a little bit," she added, and I blinked.

"Why?" I sounded like a fucking parrot. I had a better vocabulary than this.

"Hector, I just… I don't do parties," she shared gently.

"But—"

"Plus, I'm pulling a double. I'm working overnight."

"Overnight?" I repeated slowly. My brows bunched tightly. I tore my eyes from hers and looked around the restaurant's parking lot. She was working overnight. Here? Suddenly, a bunch of new worries slammed into me.

Is it safe?

Will she be okay?

When the hell will she rest?

"What time are you off." I had no business asking, much less making it sound like a demand.

I had no idea what the hell I was doing. The overprotective, already obsessed, thing inside me was in control and had taken over and already elt really fucking possessive of the sweetness in front of me.

"What? Why?" she squeaked. My brow rose, silently challenging her to question me again.

"What time are you off, princesa?" The term of endearment slipped past my lips, but I wasn't going to take it back. Libby looked just like a princess. The quirky one with long hair my youngest sister, Gris, used to love to watch.

"Princesa?" she repeated softly, as if to herself. "Princess?" she guessed, looking completely confused.

"Babe, what time are you off?"

"Five," she blurted.

"In the morning?" I gasped.

"Yeah." She glanced over my shoulder, and I didn't have to follow her eyes to know that her boss was probably standing there. Nosily watching us and probably trying to hurry her back inside. I didn't like it, but it wasn't like I could force her to come back with me and make her quit her job.

Could I?

"I'm sorry." She started to stand, and I followed her. "I should get back to work. It was really nice catching up," she politely said.

"Right," I sounded slowly. I watched her hand extend as if she was going to shake mine, but I wasn't going to have that. I grabbed it and pulled her into a hug. She stilled for a moment before her arms wrapped around me and she hugged me back.

A bunch of shit happened in that moment.

Things I doubted she realized but I knew without a doubt in my head.

She is it.

She is mine.

The way she fit in my arms, the way she felt in my embrace felt right. There was no way this thing could be one sided. What the hell has she done to me? In less than ten minutes, Libby had bewitched me. Cast some kind of spell and awakened a primal being deep inside of me.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" I whispered roughly atop her blonde head. She pulled back just enough for our eyes to meet while she was still in my hold.

Fuck. Like this, our size difference was really fucking obvious and really fucking doing it for me. Not to mention the wonder in her gaze had my cock throbbing. I wanted to be the one, the only one, to make her look that way from here on out.

"I will," she whispered.

"Good girl," I praised. Libby blushed so much it even reached the tips of her ears.

"Okay, well, umm…" She pulled away, and I immediately hated it.

She stood less than a foot away from me, but I felt the loss like it was a limb. What the hell is this about? My head spun, but I tried to focus. I crossed my arms over my chest in an attempt to keep my hands to myself. I knew it wouldn't last long.

Especially with the way she looked at me. Her eyes dipped to my biceps and forearms before she caught herself checking me out. When her eyes found mine, there was a shyness in them I found endearing. Less than ten minutes, and I knew I would never be the same.

Without another word, she waved and turned. I watched as she walked away from me and headed back to work without looking back once.

And I stood there.

All the while wondering what the hell had just happened. How the hell, in the blink of an eye, everything I had planned for my future, everything I had worked for with sweat, tears, and sometimes blood seemed to be thrown out the window.

New plans were going to have to be put in place.

That was fine. I had never been the kind of man to shy away from hard work and dedication. Shit, I thrived off it. Just like I'd thrive off her soon enough.

Libby, the once-upon-a-time mousy girl I'd never thought twice about, my little sister's best friend, was suddenly the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

And if I had anything to say about it, she would be mine.

By any means necessary, the primal beast inside of me whispered. The logical part of me, the still sane bit of my soul left, quietly agreed.