“Fun, huh?” Kaitlyn grins as she drops back down.
“Who knew.”
“There’s a whole world out there, my friend. You should have a look at it once in a while.”
I laugh at that, but she’s not wrong. I’ve always kept my head down and my mind focused. But now, I can’t focus on anything, thanks to Christian. Maybe I should jump him, climb him like a damn tree, and have my way with him. Maybe that would help get me back on track, and yeah, living life a little.
“What’s going through that mind of yours?” Kaitlyn asks.
“Oh, just thinking about having sex with Christian,” I say honestly and her jaw drops. Her hands go to my shoulders.
“Do it. Tonight.”
Nervous energy swirls through my stomach. “What if he doesn’t want me?”
She lets loose a hysterical laugh that draws attention. “Shh,” I say.
“Trust me on this. He wants you.”
Could she be right? What if I take a chance and she’s wrong and Christian laughs at me?
What if she’s right and Christian takes me to his bed?
Neither one of us are thinking long term or a future. We are both on different paths, but why couldn’t we have one night of pleasure?
Kaitlyn jumps up again, and I sit there wondering what happened. God, I was so lost in my own thoughts I didn’t realize we just won the game.
“Come on,” Kaitlyn says and grabs my arm. “Let’s head to the Growler so we can get good seats.”
We weave our way through the excited crowd as the cheerleaders jump on the players’ backs and they carry them inside. My stomach is in knots. Does Christian have after-game party plans with one of those hot girls tonight? If he does, I’m going to have to see about changing that.
Whoa, where did this fierce Maize come from? I’m not sure, but I think I like her. We make our way to the Growler, which is totally packed, so we find seats at the bar. Minutes tick by and my anxiety peaks as I wait for Christian. Antsy and hardly able to sit still, I tell Kaitlyn I’m making a trip to the ladies’ room, where I splash a bit of water on my face. As I come back down the hall, I hear the commotion and know the players and cheerleaders have arrived.
I reach the end of the long hall, and stop where I am as Christian walks in like he owns the damn place. I do love that man’s confidence. There’s a cheerleader on his back as he makes his way to the bar, and he goes completely still when his gaze lands on me. He shakes the girl off, says something to her, and with pouty lips, she saunters off.
His strides are long, determined, as he moves people out of his way, to get to me. He stops, and I try to breathe as I lift my chin to meet his eyes.
“You came,” he says, an intensity about him that is both terrifying and exhilarating. Is this how he gets after a game? I’m not sure, and I’m also wondering why my fierceness from earlier has disappeared. I nod and he angles his head.
“Were you at the game too?” he asks.
“Yes.” I glance around at all the girls vying for his attention. “Am I keeping you from your fucking?”
Taking me by surprise, his face goes hard, the blue in his eyes deepening as he backs me up into the long hallway and pushes me against the wall. “What do you know about fucking, Maize?”
12
Maize
I stand there staring at Christian, my gaze moving over the tightness in his jaw, as well as the fierceness in his eyes, as I try to process the question still lingering on his kissable lips.
He leans into me. “What do you know about fucking, Maize?” he growls into my ear, sending shivers of hot desire through my trembling body.
I swallow hard, and the sound gets drowned out in the rowdy crowd and for that, I’m grateful. But does it matter? I’m pretty sure the man who bought me a few weeks ago can feel the tension, the need emanating from my body as he hovers over me, his groin pressed against my body in a way that has shut down my ability to think with any sort of clarity. I might not be his regular type, but tonight, I think I’m going to be his everything. Or at least I hope so.
Is this really happening?
His head dips, his lips close to mine. “Answer me.”
“Christian…I.” What the hell do I say? I know nothing about fucking, other than how the moving parts fit together. I fumbled around in the dark with Ryan, for God’s sake, and took no pleasure in the actual messy, painful act of sex.
His fingers tighten on my shoulders, and the rough pads of his thumbs are sure to leave a bruise, but what frightens me most is how much I like it, how much I like when he holds me in place…holds me down hard, like he did that day I was injured. Dear God, I can’t even believe I’m admitting that to myself. Does that make me weak, feeble, a delicate little girl in need of a man’s care? I pride myself on being capable, strong—unbreakable.
But I don’t want to be any of those things right now. No, I want Christian to…break me. God, what am I saying? What am I admitting?
His gaze moves over my face, like he can see the internal struggle going on inside my brain, see exactly where my thoughts have strayed, and more importantly, exactly where they’ve settled. He nods, a slow movement of his head, like he’s coming to some hard-earned conclusion himself and I can’t help but think
