6. Hector

CHAPTER 6

HECTOR

My fucking hands were sweating with nervous energy I couldn't shake off. I glanced down at my phone and sighed with relief.

At least I knew Libby was still in her dorm room. Or at least her phone was. I'd woken up in the middle of the night and had gone into her cell and made sure her location was shared with me. It was creepy and pretty much past stalker status, but it had helped make sure I knew where she was in case she ever needed me.

I ran my fingers through my hair and glanced at myself in the reflection of her mirrored dorm elevator. I needed a cut about a month ago. But between practices and summer courses and being so fucking obsessed with Libby, I didn't have time to sleep, much less get my hair cut.

I brushed the longer strands out of my face and rolled my neck. I still couldn't believe I'd called my sister for help. After dropping Libby off, I'd called Blanca and wondered if I'd possibly fucked everything up. My sister was a wildcard on a regular basis. Maybe because she was a middle child or because, as my mom liked to say, she was a true Gemini. I still had no idea what that meant. But I'd called her because it wasn't like Libby had a whole lot of friends on campus, and the girls I knew were the girlfriends of the guys I played with and were no longer on campus. Libby had mentioned she was worried about what to wear. Not that I cared. She could have worn a paper bag and still been the prettiest girl I had ever seen. Yet I knew girls. I had two younger sisters and was raised by a single mom. I knew firsthand how much they cared about what they wore.

All I wanted was to make sure Libby felt comfortable. I worried the moment she opened the door, she would be dressed in the big plush robe my mom had bought her and would have come up with some kind of excuse to not go. Not that I cared if we went. I just wanted to spend time with her.

The elevator door dinged and opened. I walked down the long hall, straight to her dorm. With a deep breath, I knocked on her door and waited. Part of me was prepared to wait all night for her to answer the door, not that I thought she would actually do that to me. Just as I was about to knock again, the door started to open, and everything slowed down.

She pulled the door back, and I couldn't take my eyes off hers. She wasn't wearing the huge glasses that normally covered her face. Her eyes stood out even more. Libby was the most beautiful girl with them. But without them? Without anything hiding her face, she was incredible. I soaked in every detail, cataloging everything. The light makeup she had put on. Where a lot of girls put it on to hide this or that, all the makeup had done was highlight the beauty I had fallen for when I'd seen her at the diner.

"Hi." My voice rasped as my eyes dropped down her face. The apples of her cheeks were a soft pink and her lips a deeper one. Slightly glossy, they made me ache to taste them. That's when I noticed what she was wearing.

Libby was naturally petite. Small womanly curves that she usually hid were on full display with the milkmaid sundress she wore. The thing tied at her chest, giving a small hint of the swells of her breasts and cleavage I wanted to nip down. The dress cinched at her small waist and flared out, stopping just a couple of inches above her knees. It was so fucking pretty and sweet it made my teeth ache. The yellow dress with delicate blue flowers made her look like a real-life ray of sunshine. Mine. That voice inside of me perked up. Mine.

"Hi." I could feel her nerves and reached for her hand. "Libby, you look beautiful," I complimented honestly. How the hell was I even more captivated by the woman than I thought I already was?

"Really? I mean, I wasn't sure. Is this too much? Or too, umm––"

"It's perfect." My voice sounded rough in my ears. "You're perfect." She smiled up at me, and like every time, it felt like a first.

Then it hit me. I was in serious trouble. What the hell had I been thinking suggesting we go to a fucking frat party? This was a colossal mistake on my part. You wanted her to have fun. Enjoy herself for once, I reminded myself. No way I could take it back now. Not when she was all dolled up for it. I might have known her for years, well, of her, but I was still getting to know her. If I suggested going somewhere else, she would twist it. Think it was because I was embarrassed of her or something. When in reality, I was worried I'd have to gauge every guy's eyes out who even dared to look at what was mine for a mere second.

Thank fuck I look good in orange, the maniacal part of me, the one who didn't know what lines not to cross when it came to her, whispered. I shook the thought away.

"I don't know about perfect. I couldn't get my hair right." She made a face, and my eyes moved to the halo of golden, almost white tresses. Her blonde hair was down, falling over the flutter sleeves of the dress and down her back in soft curls. My hand, with a mind of its own, rose between us and reached for a strand of her hair and rubbed the ends.

"It's beautiful. And so damn soft." I hadn't meant to say the words out loud, but I wouldn't take them back.

"It's the conditioner and some, umm, spray thing Blanca recommended." She shrugged, and when I looked at her face, I noticed her cheeks were a slightly brighter shade of pink.

"It's you. Jesus, princess, you look…" My eyes dipped back down and up. "Beautiful."

"Thanks." She smiled shyly. One day, she wouldn't be shy when I complimented her. Goals.

"You ready?" I asked, and she stared at me for a moment.

"You're sure I look okay? I don't want to embarrass you."

"That's not possible, Libby," I reassured. She chewed on her lip. I could see she was thinking a million miles a second. I needed to calm her mind. "Twenty minutes," I reminded her. "If you hate it, we can go to the bowling alley." Thankfully, that seemed to be what she needed to hear. Her shoulders relaxed.

"I just have to get my bag." She turned, and I watched her walk into her place.

There was such an understated grace to her. From the way she spoke to the way she moved. I was so damn lucky no one else had tried to move in and claim her this year while I'd been avoiding catching up with my little sister's bestie.

Fuck me, what the hell have I been thinking?

She came back with a shy smile, and I moved to the side. She closed and locked her door. I didn't waste a moment. When she was done, I took her by the hand and was determined not to let it go

I'd been right. The party had been a bad idea. A really fucking bad idea.

We arrived at the Sigma Kau house, and she'd been like a shy duckling stepping in. Watching her experience things for the first time, things I had taken for granted, had been eye opening. It made it feel new. Exciting.

Wide eyed, she soaked in the sight, and I had been ready to suggest we leave because of how terrified and overwhelmed she looked. The party had started a while ago. People were drinking and dancing. Playing games, most of them drinking games. To help soothe her nerves, I'd grabbed a beer for us, and she'd held it with her free hand like her life depended on it.

Dylan, Jason, and Jeremy had all come by and said hi. All of them sober and grinning. They stared at me like they were looking at me for the first time. Probably wondering what the hell I was doing bringing a good girl like Libby to a fucking frat house. And if I didn't know Jer had a girl back home and that Dylan had his eye on someone, I would have been glaring at them for taking up some of her time.

But I got what they were doing.

They had my back, trying to make her feel comfortable and safe. And like I'd promised, twenty minutes in, I'd asked if she wanted to go. I could have persuaded her but instead had wanted her to make up her own mind. She surprised me when shook her head and sipped at the beer I'd brought her. After that, she relaxed a little, and I let go of her hand.

That was two beers ago.

Yup, my princess was drinking. And laughing.

Capturing the hearts and attention of those around her. I stood to the side as she got to know people, but I didn't take my eyes off her. The beast inside me, that primal almost feral being she brought to life, wouldn't let me blink. I probably looked fucking crazy. Not that I gave a shit. When I felt someone come up beside me, I didn't have to heck to know who it was.

"She looks happy," Dylan observed next to me.

"Yeah," I muttered. I should have felt happy about that. Overjoyed that she fit in with the guys I hung out with here and there. "But if that fucking rookie doesn't back off, he won't be pitching next season," I added and felt Dylan's body shake next to me with quiet laughter.

"Relax. You look like you're about to pop an aneurysm. He knows she's taken," he murmured and became eerily quiet when a girl approached. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn't put my finger on why.

"You think?" I asked, never taking my eyes off my girl. Libby looked around, and the moment our eyes met, I could see her physically relax. Just like that, I did the same. That green-eyed monster that had reared his head earlier started to withdraw.

"See how she looks at you?" Dyl pointed out. "Not one of these motherfuckers, sober or not, misses the way she looks at you." That made my shoulders drop, but it didn't last long. "Question is, my man, what are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?" I frowned, taking my eyes off her for a second to turn and look at my buddy and teammate.

"Bro, is she yours, or is this just for the summer? A fun fling?" His hands rose between us with innocence. "No disrespect or judgment. You know I got your back either way."

"She's mine," I answered without a bit of doubt.

I knew just how decisive you had to be when it came to shit that mattered. How dangerous it could be to lose sight of what was important. Sometimes, on the field, it could be a matter of life and death. Just like on the operating table I hoped to save lives on one day.

I glanced back at my girl, who was still staring at me, and winked in her direction. Even from a distance, I could see how she blushed before she wiggled her fingers hi before turning her attention to the girl I knew somehow.

"Who is that?" I asked. Dylan stayed quiet. "Dyl?" I glanced at him. He had a look on his face I wasn't used to.

"Mattie," he muttered.

"Mattie?" That's when it hit me. "We took that sports medicine course with her, didn't we?" He grunted but didn't look away.

The girls sat together, and Mattie said something that made Libby laugh. They leaned in, and long forgotten was the stupid rookie pitcher. Luckily for him, he left and they just kept chatting away.

They looked thick as thieves instead of two women who just met. But that was girlhood, like Blanca and Gris liked to say.

"Does she know that?" Dylan asked, and I turned to him again. His blue-green eyes focused on mine, and again I knew he didn't mean to be offensive.

"That she's mine?" He nodded with a shrug.

"We've known one another since you transferred here and been roommates for the last two years. I know you. As much as you try not to admit it, we're even friends." I rolled my eyes.

"I don't have a problem being friends. Jesus."

"Really?" he challenged.

"You wanna braid my hair next"? I muttered, raising the water bottle in my hands to my lips.

"Maybe later, shithead." He laughed. "I'm just saying, girl like her? Don't waste your time, or especially hers, by dilly-dallying?" I scowled at him and realized he was staring in the direction of my girl.

That's' when it hit me.

He wasn't watching Libby like his life depended on it. Nope. He was staring at Mattie.

"Dilly-dallying?" I asked, deciding if he wanted to tell me about her, he would. "Is that some kind of midwestern thing?" I teased, and Dylan playfully shoulder-checked me.

"Fuck you, man. We couldn't all be cool and born and raised in Southern California."

"You're right about that." I laughed and shook my head. "I get what you're saying, though." I cleared my throat.

"Good." He nodded, and his attention drifted back to the two women who were now talking to a third. "Lock it down because shit can change in the blink of an eye." As if feeling our gazes on them, the girls looked in our direction. Mattie stared, but I knew she wasn't looking at me when she mouthed hi . Dylan chin nodded. A muscle at his jaw twitched before I tapped his shoulder.

"So, you two…"

"Nothing. Drop it," he growled. My lips twitched.

"Okay, then," I mumbled. I knew he had to be into someone with the way he was hardly ever home. "Guess I'm the only one who had to share." I was definitely poking a bear, but fuck that; he'd made me talk.

"It's… it's complicated." He sighed, clearly unhappy.

"When isn't it, man?" I finished my water bottle when I my eye caught one of my teammates start to make his way over.

By the way he was staring at my princess, I knew exactly what he had in mind. Tuck Pearson was a pain in the ass.

Rich kid born with silver spoon and was never told he couldn't have something. He was lazy, but money talked when your parents swung it around this way and that. Guys like him were a big reason I didn't join a frat when I started at U of D. The guy was an entitled prick.

I watched as he walked up to the girls, but they ignored him, too invested in whatever they were talking about.

"Fucking Tuck," Dyl mumbled under his breath, but I grabbed his arm, knowing Dylan was a big guy with a temper and they'd had their issues in the past.

"Chill," I muttered but still moved, making my way through the people who stood between me and my girl. My steps quickened when I watched the stupid motherfucker take a knee in front of her. I wasn't within reaching distance, but I sure as fuck could hear what he was saying.

"Hey, princess, I've never seen you at one of our parties before," he drawled out slowly.

"Oh, umm…" She glanced over at Mattie, who was already rolling her eyes.

"Her name isn't princess," the girl defended. "And this is an and b conversation, so why don't you see your way out of it, jock," Mattie continued, all the while my girl looked like she wanted to step in.

"Aw, come on, Pattie," Tuck scoffed. "Jealous?"

"You wish! And my name isn't Pattie. It's Mattie."

"Look, why don't you mind your own business, Fattie Mattie?" he hissed. I had heard enough. I took the last couple of steps that separated us, but Dylan beat me to it. Before I knew it, not only was my cornerback at my side, he was picking up Tuck, who was about his size, by the front of his shirt.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Dylan growled, shoving his face in front of the douchebag.

"Relax, Dyl! Jesus. What's your problem? She's just some fat chick with––" I winced before Dylan's fist hit Tuck's face because I knew the sound of it was going to hurt Dylan's hand almost as much at Tuck's face.

"Fuck! What the hell, man?!" Tuck exclaimed, holding his face. He glared at Dylan. We didn't have to worry about Tuck going after Dyl because a couple of the guys on the team were already surrounding them. Standing at their sides, ready to pull them apart in case this thing turned into a brawl.

"Don't you ever talk about her like that." He poked Tuck's chest with his finger. "Don't even fucking look at her."

Whatever was going on with Mattie and Dylan had to be serious.

Suddenly, Mattie was no longer sitting next to Libby but by Dyl. She touched his arm, and it was like all the fight and steam in the guy faded away.

"You hit him."

"I did." It was just like Dylan to take the blame. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you but—" Mattie's hand took his, and she lifted it up between them.

"We should get this cleaned up," she said softly. Mattie looked toward Libby, who I was standing next to by now, and shrugged. "Sorry. We'll talk later?"

"Sure." Libby nodded as she leaned into me. Her scent filled my lungs by the second. My girl had been tipsy, but it was obvious the fight had started to sober her up.

"Text me you got home okay," Mattie urged, and Libby nodded. We stood next to each other while we watched Mattie and Dylan walk off toward the back of the house. Her hand was in mine. I looked down, and she was already staring up at me.

"You okay?" I asked. What the hell had I been thinking bringing her to a damn frat party? Shit like this always went down!

"You were going to come after him," she pointed out, and I wasn't going to lie

"I was. He was too close and wasn't backin' off, not getting the point you didn't want to talk to him." She smiled gently before she pressed her pilIowy lips together. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I was dying for another taste so badly I could almost taste it.

"Would it be okay if we headed back?"

"Of course." I nodded, and with her hand in mine, I led the way out. The moment we stepped out of the frat house, I felt like I could actually breathe. I had no idea how I'd made it out of there without kicking anyone's ass.

"So, your friend and Mattie?"

"I honestly don't know what's going on there." A cool breeze flowed between us. It felt good after the warm house overfilled with too many bodies. We walked in silence until she stopped, and I turned mid-step.

"You know I wasn't flirting with him? Or anyone else," she blurted.

Staring at her standing in the middle of the road, the skirt of her dress billowing in the soft breeze with her long tresses, all I wanted to do was pull her into me and kiss her. Fuck, she looked adorable.

"I know," I rasped. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't make a move tonight. Not when she had been drinking and her inhibitions were down.

"Okay. Good." She nodded, and we walked right to my car. I opened the door for her, and when she looked up at me, her big beautiful doe eyes staring at me with want and sweetness and something so big I didn't dare name, I knew what it was like to be tempted. I'd always lived to work hard and learned to play just as hard through the years in college.

But I had always had a plan.

Always been proud I'd been a man of my word, never promising anyone more than what I was willing to give.

But with Libby? Fucking hell, I was ready to throw all that out the goddamn window.

With her, I could see myself promising to grab her the moon if I needed to, even though I knew it wouldn't be possible, all to keep her looking at me like I was some kind of Prince Charming. I'd do anything to make her smile and laugh. To be the one she counted on.

But I couldn't give her what she was silently asking for. She might not have been completely drunk, but she was still buzzed. I opened the door for her, and I felt the disappointment that flashed over her beautiful face.

"Thanks," she whispered before slipping into the car. When I leaned in, she gasped, sitting completely still like a good girl while I helped buckle her seatbelt for her. Our eyes connected, and I winked.

"Precious cargo. Gotta keep you safe." And then, because I was just a man after all, I pressed my lips to her forehead before forcing myself to stand and drag my ass to the driver's seat.

The short drive was quiet.

My head was filled with shit I wanted to do to Libby. Anytime I glanced over at her, she quickly turned toward the windshield in an attempt to pretend she hadn't been staring at me. Before I knew it, we were pulling into the dorm parking lot. I had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel to try and keep my hands to myself.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked out of now where the moment my car was put in Park .

"What? No. Why?"

"You're quiet," she pointed out, and suddenly, her two brows bunched adorably, like she was annoyed. "And you wanted to leave the party."

"Do you wanna go back to it?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair and tugging at the ends because my self-control was slowly loosening. "You looked like you were done."

"I thought… just… I don't know—" She made a cute little growl-like sound. "Never mind." She shook her head.

That's when I knew I had no control over the situation.

She bent and reached for her purse. I looked like a fish out of water as I watched her toss the strap over her shoulder, when it hit me. She was going to walk away. Pissed.

"Wait!" I reached for her and caught her wrist only to be hit with those pretty eyes locked on mine.

"What?"

"I'm trying to be the good guy here." My shoulders sagged when she didn't try to pull her arm away from my touch. The pad of my thumb stroked her wrist.

"I don't even know what that means." I blinked at her response. "You kissed me like… well, you know." Her cheeks bloomed under the darkness of the cab. "And then you acted like I was one of the guys after we slept together. Or napped together. You know what I mean! Then you insist on this party like it was some kind of date, but when we get there, you leave me on my own."

"You were having fun. You even played beer pong," I pointed out. I hadn't wanted to seem like some overbearing asshole.

"I did, and then you wanted to go. I thought you were, that we were…"

"What, princess?"

"Don't call me that," she murmured. I lost her eyes as she stared forward.

"Que pensastes, mi vida? What did you think, baby?" When she didn't turn, I breathed in deeply, trying to keep some kind of control, but the car was filled with her soft feminine scent.

"Please look at me, Libby," I urged with a gentleness that surprised me.

Everything inside of me was yelling, no shouting and demanding that I take her. Pull her out of her seat and put her on my lap. Show her exactly how I felt about her. How badly I wanted her. Claim her, that dark little voice in my head said a little louder. Take her. Breed her. That last thought had been playing in my mind on repeat.

I knew I wanted her.

I wanted to sink into the tight little virgin pussy, stretch and mold her around my cock, the one and only she'd ever take, and make her addicted to the pleasure only I could bring her. But breeding her? That was how I knew this wasn't just for a moment or some kind of fun fling. She was mine. She'd be mine.

Claim her , that voice said a little louder. Breeding her, though? That would leave long-lasting consequences. Consequences I wanted to see to fruition. She turned, and I watched her uncertain gaze connect with mine. It coaxed the small sane part of me that was left back into the driver's seat.

"There's my girl," I whispered. She shivered, and I knew her peaches-and-cream skin would be covered in goose bumps. "What did you think we were going to do tonight?"

"It doesn't matter," Libby answered so softly I worried I'd imagined it.

"It does matter," I pushed, my voice somehow steady, even though my heart beat erratically in my chest. "Everything about you matters, Lib. Tell me."

"I thought we'd, you know…" My sweet little innocent princess. Too shy to spit it out. But I needed her to. I needed her to use her words.

"No. Tell me."

"I thought you'd ask me back to your place or…" Her eyes dropped for a moment, and when our gazes touched, I pushed the conversation forward.

"Or what?"

"You could stay with me." The words tumbled out so fast they almost sounded like gibberish. Almost.

"You want me to stay with you, little girl?" I asked. She licked her top lip with the tip of her bubble-gum-pink tongue. "I stay over, there are rules."

"Like a safe word?" she whispered with wide eyes. I had to clear my throat to stop myself from grinning because of how fucking adorable she was.

"What do you know about safe words, Lib?"

"I read." She shrugged and tipped her pretty nose upward

"I know you read." My lips twitched. My sweet little princess wasn't as innocent as she seemed. "But what are you reading that's teaching you about safe words?"

"Romance—" I was about to interrupt when she kept sharing with a hint of attitude in her voice that got me even hotter. "And there is nothing wrong with that! I might be a virgin, but it doesn't mean I don't have needs." I watched her face change with slight embarrassment when she realized what she'd just said. "I just, I mean…" Jesus, she was cute!

"Shh…" I leaned in closer, fucking glad for the first time I didn't have some monster big car. Our foreheads touched and our breaths mingled. Hers sweet, slightly smelling like beer. "No safe words." Not yet at least. "But you've been drinking. No way I can make any kind of claim with you under any kind of influence."

"Claim?"

"Mi vida, when I take you, when I claim you, there won't be any going back. I think you know what kind of man I am. I set my mind to something, I don't give up on it."

"But––"

"No buts." I shook my head. There was no way I'd let her twist this. "I need you to understand you're mine." Her eyes flashed with something as her body leaned in closer.

"What does that mean?"

"What do you think it means?" I knew I was deflecting, trying to gain some time, some control so that the thing in me, the feral animal inside of me that was obsessed with her, wouldn't rear its ugly head and give her a glimpse of it.

"I don't like to play games."

"I'm not playing games, Libby. I want you. Tell me you don't want me."

"Just like that?" she questioned, ignoring the last thing I'd asked. I let it slide.

"When you know, you know."

"And you think you know?" One day, I'd bring this conversation up, and she would wonder how the hell she ever possibly could think I didn't know just how much I wanted her. How much I loved her. How meant for each other we were.

"You're the one, princess. You're mine. And I am most definitely completely yours."

"Hector, I think… I think I might have drunk a little more than I realized because this isn't making any sense." Her words quickly tumbled past her lips, and I nodded. Patience , a voice inside me whispered even though the feral thing in me huffed, pissed off.

"Okay, baby." I lifted her hand up, putting some space between us. Everything in me protested, but I needed to think about Libby. She was my priority. Today, tomorrow, and always. "We can talk about this in the morning."

And we would.

"Just know that every part of me."—her fingers tangled with mine as I brought her hand up to my chest and rested it right over my heart—"especially this, is yours." With that, I let her hand go and got out, rounding my vehicle and helping her out.

Together, we walked up to her place, taking the elevator in a comfortable silence. Every single one of my senses was more than hyperaware of her. How close she stood to me without me making a move to put her there, like her body magnetically couldn't avoid finding mine. She was deep in her head, probably running everything I'd laid out over and over.

But I wasn't worried.

I knew just how much it was. It'd been a lot, and I could be intense. But then again, that's how I was. I wasn't going to worry that I'd fucked shit up by coming on that strong. When it came to Libby, to this new feeling that overpowered my sensibilities and common sense, a whole new being was in charge.

One that was confident about what we have.

We reached her door, and I took her key from her and unlocked it and breathed in her scent when she walked past me. I could have easily followed her in. I knew she wanted me to. But I didn't want to be that guy. Even with the feral thing inside of me pushing to do just that and so much more, I found a way to keep my feet planted at her door, her keys in my hand. She turned and tilted her head.

"Hector?" My name whispered in her sweet voice made me ache. "Would you like to come in?" I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. Without thinking, set the lock in place.

Leaving just the two of us in her dorm room.

"Would you like something to drink? I have water and––"

"I'm good, baby," I cut her off because I could feel the nerves radiating off her tiny body.

"Oh, okay." She smiled and glanced around, rubbing her palms over her thighs. "Umm…we could watch a movie?" she suggested and chewed on her lower lip. I wanted to do that. Fuck me, being in here with her and following the rules set in place was going to be harder than I'd planned. I felt her eyes on me as I sat on the end of her bed and tapped the top of my thigh.

"Come here, baby."

"Oh… okay." She came close without questioning me, trusting me completely. She sat her cute butt on my thigh, and I looked at her.

I liked having her close like this. "This okay for you?"

"Yeah," she giggled nervously. "Is this part of the rules?"

"Yeah, about those rules." I paused. "I just… I don't want anything to happen that you might look back on with regret of any kind. When I take you, when we do anything more than kiss and rest, I want you completely sober. I want you to know it's me and you and that's it. Does that make sense?"

"Who knew Crank Dominguez was so chivalrous?" she teased, but I didn't smile.

"Hector," I corrected, "And I'm not a saint, babe, and I'm not a virgin."

"I am," she interrupted, and I leaked cum behind my pants.

"I want to be your first," I admitted like a bastard. "This isn't me pressuring you, either. If you want to give me that gift, I'll take it. But more than that, I'll cherish it. I want to be your first, but more importantly, I want to be your last. I want you to be my last."

"Hector…" Her lips closed as she stared at me. Sitting this way, we were closer to eye level, and I could tell she was trying to make sense of what I was saying.

"You get what that means, right?"

"Forever?" she guessed, and I nodded.

"Exactly. Forever. Anything a day short of that is too little. If I could take a hundred forevers, I'd take them because I'm a greedy motherfucker."

"This is…" She hesitated, and I saw it. That flicker of the sass I loved. "You're not playing some kind of game, are you?" she asked, and I didn't blame her.

I was a jock.

Before I got shot with whatever arrow hit me when I'd seen her a few weeks ago, I'd never noticed her. I'd been blind to the goddess that was right under my nose, practically living in my childhood home. I'd been a player on and off the field.

"No games. No bullshit."

"Is that what you tell all the girls?" she pressed bravely, and I started to shake my head.

"Libby––"

"I'm not stupid, Hector. I've heard things, and girls talk. A lot."

"Okay." I nodded. "First off, I've never told a girl anything close to what I've told you tonight. I swear to you, on my mom." Her eyes widened. She knew just how serious I was. "There has never been a girl like you for me. I've never felt this. Not until that day I walked into Stacked to say hi. Now, you tell me what you heard, and I'll tell you the truth, even if I think you might not like it."

"Now?" she squeaked. My lips twitched.

"Now, later, anytime. That's an offer with a lifetime shelf life, how about that?"

"Okay." She nodded, and I felt her relax. My fingers played with the ends of her hair. "Maybe later," she mumbled.

"Tell me you don't feel this? This pull toward each other?" I asked, my lips a hairsbreadth from hers, so close I could take them if I wanted to. Everything in me strained for a taste.

"What?" she asked in a haze as she leaned in closer. The tips of our noses brushed against one another. I swallowed hard. My Adam's apple booted almost painfully. "Of course, I do. Hector, for me? It's always been you."

"What?" I rasped. My body locked. Every drop of blood rushed to my ears, making a roaring sound before heading south.

Was she really telling me this?

"For me, it's always been you. You were this crush I had. This older guy who had it together––

"I don't," I rasped. I didn't want her to look at me through rose-colored glasses.

"You do." Her eyes softened. "I mean, okay, fine. None of us have it together. But you know where you're going. You've always known who you are. And you don't budge. You like to make it seem like you're this dumb jock when you're out on the field, but it's part of the plan, right? How you surprise people? Why you changed your major last minute?"

"How…" I was at a loss for words and cleared my throat. I couldn't deny just how right she was. "Just don't go telling my secrets, okay?"

"They're safe with me," she promised. My nose flared.

"And you, beautiful, you're safe with me, too," I vowed, leaning in just a smidge to kiss the tip of her nose. "Go get ready for bed. We can watch a movie."

Just like that, we moved around her small space, almost seamlessly. Working around one another, getting shit done like we had done it more than once, and fuck me, I couldn't wait to do it for a lifetime.