2. Crank

CHAPTER 2

CRANK

I was so fucking hard I could probably pound nails with my dick. My hands were fucking sweating while my entire body throbbed.

I'd almost kissed her.

Right there in the middle of the fucking diner.

I didn't know if I wanted to gauge the old guy's eyes for interrupting or thank him for stopping me from making a colossal mistake. If I'd kissed her right then and there, there would have been no way one kiss would have been enough. Not with how amped up I felt. Not with so many flat surfaces surrounding us I could have hitched her up onto and had my merry way with her.

Libby had wanted me to kiss her.

I'd seen it in her eyes.

The curious needy look in her gaze had been there long after she helped out the truck driver and when a couple of early riser regulars had popped by. It made me think my girl was a lot more innocent than I had first assumed. And fuck me, now I was waiting on pins and needles for her to come out of the backroom.

"Night, kid!" The cook waved, and I nodded. Not a minute later, she slipped out, and I felt like I could breathe. Our eyes connected, and I didn't like the way hers immediately dropped to the ground.

Damn it! The skittish girl I'd thought had become more comfortable around me seemed to be back. I opened the door, and she brushed against me. Her soft fruity scent enveloped me despite the fresh air of the cool morning, and all I wanted to do was dip my face into the crook of her neck and not stop until I found the exact spot she'd spritzed. I had no idea how the fuck she always smelled so damn good! Like berries mixed with sugar and cream.

We walked side by side without a word straight to the back lot where my truck was parked. I usually didn't drive it, but it had been getting a couple of miles on it this summer when I discovered she usually walked home or took the bus back to campus after her night shifts. There was no way I was going to let her walk after a long shift, especially not alone. There was hardly anything she did on her own now, not that she actually knew that.

Nope. There were moments I hid in the shadows, watching from afar, because I wasn't going to miss a thing when it came to Libby.

I opened the passenger side door like usual. And like usual, those wide hazel eyes looked up at me behind those bulky glasses. There was an innocence in her gaze, one that made me feel guilty for all the shit I'd done the last few weeks. Shit she was clueless about but I knew deep down I wouldn't stop doing.

"What did you want to do?" It was the last thing I'd expected her to ask, and I knew she caught my surprise.

"What?" I quickly cleared the thickness in my voice.

"You said you wanted to hang out, unless you changed your?—"

"Nope! I haven't changed my mind." Not even close.

I should have.

I should have not only quit but stopped watching her every chance I could. Following her around. But fuck me, whatever thing she'd brought to life wasn't disappearing. Hell, it was growing. No matter what I discovered about Libby, it seemed to only pull me in further and tangle me up in a way I knew I would never be the same again.

I was obsessed with the girl.

She was my sister's best friend. My mom loved her like one of her own. I knew better than to get involved there. If things didn't work out, it could get messy.

But that's not an option , a voice in the back of my head growled.

"Hector?" Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I leaned in closer. She gasped, making me realize just how close we were. I buckled her in, feeling her body heat radiate onto mine. We were close enough to share the same air.

"Safety first," I roughly whispered. My eyes dropped to her lips and the way her cheeks tinged the prettiest shade of pink. "You're coming home with me."

"I am?" Her eyes widened, and she looked so fucking adorable all I wanted to do was kiss her. "Wait—" she started to say, but I shrugged and ignored her. If I let her talk, I knew she would find a way to convince me to let her back out.

And I even though I should let her, I wasn't going to.

"You are." I winked.

Instead of pressing my mouth to hers like I wanted and suspected she wanted, too, I kissed the top of her forehead before pulling away then shutting the door and made my way to the driver's seat. I had no idea what the hell I was doing. She hadn't agreed to hang out with me outside of work from that very first day I dropped by to check on her.

At the beginning, I'd tried to tell myself it was the thrill of the chase that drew me into her. But it wasn't. It was simply Libby.

Libby and her angelic, almost princess-like face. Libby and her soft smiles and wicked sense of humor she let you see when she was comfortable around you. I got a job at the burger joint and had started to follow her around school when she kept refusing to hang out. I made sure she ate because I noticed she hardly ever did.

Then I understood why.

She didn't have the money.

She made every dollar stretch, and fuck if I was just going to sit around and watch. Being an athlete, a star one at that, I had an unlimited meal plan. One I made sure would feed her.

Then it was following her around campus. I'd been like a lost puppy, keeping just enough distance between us so she couldn't spot me, but I could reach her in case of an emergency. Or for it to seem like it was a coincidence when we bumped into one another. For the first couple of weeks, it was innocent enough.

But last week, I crossed a line I couldn't come back from. I had gone to her dorm with good intentions, but the road to hell was paved with them.

I ‘d gone to see if I could walk her to her shift at the library. Instead, I'd found her dorm room door open. Well, not really. I'd knocked, and when no one answered, I turned the knob to find it unlocked. The usually busy co-ed build was empty. With no one in sight, I slipped in and shut the door behind me.

When I turned and faced the space, I didn't have to think too hard to know what side of the shared room was hers. One side was empty. Her two roommates had gone home for the summer. Hers, on the other hand, was cozy with just the right amount of color that made it indescribably her.

If I tried hard enough, I could almost taste the way her dorm smelled. I slipped into the truck, and when she glanced over at me and smiled, my hands tightened around the steering wheel.

"Hector, I should probably go to my dorm."

"Maybe." Fuck me running, I could have sworn a flash of disappointment skated across her delicate features. "But you're coming back with me."

I wasn't budging. I was determined. I knew exactly how much like an asshole I sounded. I started the truck without taking my eyes off her. Libby's fair-colored brows bunched, and then she looked forward. We drove in silence, just the soft whisper of the pop singer I knew she loved playing quietly in the background. I pulled in and parked in my spot.

"Stay there," I ordered, and those cute little brows of hers bunched again.

"I'm not a dog," she murmured under her breath, and my lips twitched. There is my girl.

Quickly, I hurried to her side, and this time when I opened her door and extended my hand, I made sure not to let it go when she got out. Nope. I kept her hand in mine as I led her to my dorm. Being in the athletic building, I shared an apartment-style space with three other guys. One was Dylan, the cornerback for the football team, and the other two were baseball players who had transferred from back east. We'd roomed together last semester, and they seemed alright, not that we got to know one another all that well.

"Hungry?" I asked the moment we stepped in. I kicked off my shoes and quietly watched as she did the same.

There was something about the sight of her small worn-in sneakers, shoes that had most definitely seen better days, next to mine that made me feel all warm and fuzzy. What the hell has she done to me? I was a big bad scary football player. I didn't do warm and fuzzy.

Until her.

"Hector," she started to say, but I shot her a look that obviously made her rethink whatever she was going to say. "Not really," she answered, like I knew she would. My girl never wanted to put someone out. I nodded but pulled her into the kitchen anyways. Before I could let her think too long, I simply let my hands fall to her waist and lifted her up onto the counter. She gasped.

"What are you doing?" she quietly squeaked. Probably because she knew I had roommates and didn't want to wake anyone up.

"We gotta eat."

"I should go home and sleep," she argued. A small part of me, what little sane part of me I had left, wanted to give in. No. Mine, a voice growled in my head. She was finally in my place, and I'd be damned if I let her slip through my fingers.

"And then call me with some excuse about why you can't hang with me? I don't think so, princess. Not when I know you finally have a couple of days off."

"Princess?" she repeated, catching my slip of the tongue. It's what I have been calling her in my head these last couple of weeks. I quickly changed the subject.

"Do you want your eggs scrambled or over easy?" She opened and then shut her mouth. I knew the exact moment she was going to give in to me, and I ignored the way my cock throbbed as the fucker strained to get closer to her.

"Scrambled, please," she answered politely. I nodded and got to work. I cooked while I asked her a little bit about the class she was taking online and then a little bit about the classes she had set up for fall semester.

"You excited for the new school year?" I asked when I handed her a plate of scrambled eggs, avocado toast, and cut-up fruit.

"Yeah, I think so. How about you? You added another year."

"It will be worth it." I shrugged.

"When do you start practicing, or adding more practices, I guess I should say." My lips twitched. I liked that she knew I was still working out with some of the team that was still on campus.

Hell, I had to add an extra workout just to get my body in check with how badly I wanted her. I had needed to do something to release the pent-up frustration when jerking off had stopped taking the edge off.

"Three weeks," I shared. I ate standing in front of her. I didn't taste a fucking thing as I watched her munch away and moan after she took a bite of her toast. Pleasure covered her face as it tipped up slightly, her eyes shut like she was soaking in every flavor before she did the cutest, most adorable thing. She did this little dance I wasn't sure she was aware of doing.

"You make the best avocado toast," she complimented, and what happened next was like an assault to each and every one of my already hyperaware senses. Her head righted and her frames, which were too big for her face, slid down her nose. Libby's eyes opened, and before she could push her glasses up, her gaze connected with mine.

I wanted to kiss her something fierce.

Her eyes dropped to my lips, and I knew she wanted the same by the way her stare turned hazy. Without saying a word and ignoring the small sliver of the sane part of me, I took her almost empty plate from her hand and set it down on the counter next to mine.

With my free hand I cupped her face. The pad of my thumb stroked the side of her face. Libby didn't push me away like I had almost expected her to. Nope. My girl's eyes fluttered shut and she leaned into my touch. A look of euphoria washed over her face almost like she was trying to soak in every moment, like she was starved for touch as much as I was hungry to touch her. When her eyes opened again and I started to lean in, a door opened and shut, and the two of us stilled.

"You're home early!" Dylan said, and I turned to look at him. It was obvious he hadn't noticed I had company with the way he was walking toward me. His steps faltered and his eyes opened wide. "Oh! Uhh?—".

"Dyl, meet Lib. Lib, that's Dylan."

"Macabee," Libby finished saying, making my head turn with a frown.

"How do you know his last name?" I asked with a scowl on my face.

"I watch your games," she shared with a shrug. Before I could say a word, I lost her eyes, and she waved at him from over my shoulder. "Nice to meet you," she said politely. It wasn't like she was flirting. It was the same tone she spoke to customers with at the diner. But jealousy was a wicked bedfellow. It reared its ugly head inside of me.

"Nice meeting you, too." Dylan's lips twitched when his eyes found mine. "So, you making breakfast?"

"Nope." The ‘p' popped loudly. "We're done." I stepped back from Libby and lifted her off the counter. But what I didn't do was put her down. Nope. Her legs had no choice but to wrap themselves around my waist.

Ignoring my teammate, I hurried us to my bedroom.

"It was nice meeting you," the dick said, and I could almost bet my life savings it had been with a shit-eating grin. I just wasn't going to waste time turning around to look at him. Not when Libby was in my arms.

"You, too," she said just as we reached my room. I didn't like her looking at him. I shut the door behind me.

"That was rude. You could have made him—"I didn't let her finish talking. There was no way I could. Not now, when I finally had her in my bedroom for the first time, would I let her talk about another man.

My lips crashed on hers.

My hand glided up the small of her back, up the line of her spine, until it rested on the back of her head. Her mouth opened without me trying to get in there, and I didn't hesitate to deepen the kiss.

Jesus freaking Christ! Libby tasted like mint and coffee and everything good in the world. She was sunshine and rainbows and butterflies and so much more. She was mine.