Page 3 of Cruel Steps

“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you all night. He’s ignored every other girl who’s tried to talk to him, too.”

“He’s a little too hot, though, isn’t he?” I asked. “What if he has a weird toe or third nipple? What if his dick is small?” I gasped, my eyes wide. Now that the main lights were on, I lost my dancepire confidence and reverted back to my awkward and shy self.

“Don’t make me smack your hot ass. Go! Do the rest of us a favor and enjoy that fine specimen. As your bestie, I expect full details. It’s my right, so take good notes!”

She shoved me in his direction, my feet stumbling as nerves appeared in my belly, but I made it to him before I could chicken out.

“You’re still here,” I said, wanting to smack myself at the obvious statement. This was why I didn’t talk to strangers. I always sounded dumb.

He reached out, pulling me into his body. “You’re here, so I am.” He said it so simply, like it was the easiest answer in the world. But to me, it was groundbreaking.

Tomorrow I returned to Oak Hills, where I would spend three months hiding. So, if I embarrassed myself, I had all the time in the world to get over it.

It was one night. I could handle this.

CHAPTER

TWO

HOLDEN

The instant we were free of the club, I hauled the dancing beauty into my arms and pressed her into the brick. Her gasp gave me the entrance I needed, and I smashed my mouth to hers. Gripping her thighs, I lifted her and devoured every inch of her mouth. Lust buzzed through my body, overruling everything else.

This wasn’t like me.

I hadn’t planned to come out tonight, much less hook-up. Football camp started in the morning, and I needed to do well. This was my last season to get noticed by scouts. But when my roommate suggested hitting this place up, I hadn’t been able to come up with a good enough reason to deny him. Instead, with how things were going, I owed him for dragging my ass out.

The dancing beauty was the hottest girl I’d ever seen.

She whimpered in my arms. I squeezed her luscious backside, and my fingers dug into her juicy flesh. Breaking the kiss, I gave us both a chance to suck in air and trailed my lips down her throat. I couldn’t stop touching her. My head spun with all the things I wanted to do to her. They toppled over each other in an attempt to win out.

I wish I had longer than tonight.

The thought should’ve scared me. Frankly, this whole night should have. I didn’t chase girls. I didn’t have to. But there was something about her.

Not to sound cocky, but girls had thrown themselves at me since freshman year of high school—perk of being the school’s starting quarterback. As my skill on the field grew, so did my reputation in the bedroom. By college, I had to pry them off with a stick. I just had to give a look and there was available pussy whenever I wanted it.

I didn’t date, and I barely slept around during football season, which somehow made girls try harder. No one had tempted me to seek more, and I didn’t see that changing. January to August was open season, and if I wanted a different girl every hour, I could.

I wasn’t a dick about it. The girls knew the score, and most only wanted to say they’d slept with the QB of Hayward. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. I got laid and kept my focus on football, and they gained an incredible night and notoriety.

Win, win.

Even tonight, girls had swarmed me in a town miles away from home. They might have known who I was if they followed football, but I didn’t need that to draw attention. I wasn’t a slouch in the looks department. Good genetics and daily workouts for years had given me a body made for football, one girls drooled over.

But none of the women hanging around me at Orchid had gained my attention. The minute my eyes spotted her dancing, I’d been enraptured and frozen to my spot. Everyone faded away as I watched her dance, debating on what to do. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d made the first move. Maybe that was why she intrigued me?

But I knew that wasn’t all of it. She moved like she had to, like the world would stop turning if she didn’t dance. I didn’t know how long I’d watched her until she noticed—or her friend had. When our eyes met, I felt a bolt of rightness smack me in the middle of my chest. A self-assured connection I’d only experienced when I stepped onto the field.

When she’d hooked her finger at me, beckoning me, I’d almost wussed out. Insecurity had raised its ugly head, worry she’d reject me. That was when it hit me. I’d become complacent with women, letting them do all the work. The realization spurred me on, and with adrenaline pumping through me, I stepped forward. The unknown of what the night held had activated my dormant heart.

She made me feel more excited than a touchdown.

Kissing her, I ground my hardness into her. I was desperate to feel every inch of her body. The slam of a door and voices echoed down the alley that I’d hauled her into, breaking our kiss. We stared at one another, our breaths sawing in and out. She reached up to touch her lips, astonishment flashing in her magnetic green eyes.

Satisfaction poured through me, knowing she felt this as intensely. I didn’t know what it meant, but for the moment, it gave me the boost I needed.

“Please tell me your place is near. I’m this close to taking you in this dirty alley. Only the thought of seeing you naked is keeping me from it.”

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