Page 68 of Strike Zone

“You can’t bring girls home.”

“Even if my room didn’t look like an EF5 just blew through, I wouldn’t. I don’t like people in my personal space.”

“We can go back to my dorm then.”

I shake my head, pulling her closer until she is flush against me and press my dick, that is borderline begging for her at this point, between her thighs.

“I want you in my bed tonight,” I say, enjoying the little whimper that escapes her lips.

“Okay. Let me tell Charlie we’re leaving.” She hesitates a moment. The wheels in her brain are turning. “Are you sure?”

Am I sure?

“I don’t want you to wake up tomorrow morning and have regrets,” she adds.

“Birdie, if you aren’t in my truck in the next five minutes I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here. Let’s tell our friends we’re leaving and then you’re all mine.”

We find Charlie hanging out with Koa, Hart, and a couple of other guys from the baseball team.

“Oh hey you two. Having a good time?” Charlie asks. She glances down to where Wren and I are holding hands.

“So much fun we’re going home,” Wren says dryly. I don’t bother fighting off my grin. “Can one of you make sure Charlie gets home?” Wren is asking Hart and Koa, but several of my other teammates eagerly volunteer as tribute. Charlie preens under all the attention.

“You can’t leave yet. Lauren and Syd are about to do their dance thing at the bar,” Charlie says. I couldn’t care less about Lauren and Syd right now. “You don’t want to miss the big guy watching Syd dancing on the bar, do you?” Charlie nods toward Koa who is glaring at her.

I peek at Wren to see what she wants to do. Her eyes troll up my body and get hung up for a minute on my crotch. “Five minutes, birdie. Then I’ll have you screaming my name all night,” I whisper in her ear.

“Fine. Five minutes,” Wren agrees.

It was not five minutes. It was more like thirty minutes and two more rounds of shots for Wren. I stopped drinking so I could drive us back to campus after my second beer.

Was it funny watching Koa snarl and flash teeth every time Sydney kick-stepped around the bar with another guy? Absolutely?

Do I regret staying? One thousand percent.

Halfway through the drive home Wren passed out against the window. I should have known better. She has a strict bedtime of ten o’clock every night. Add in the extra shots she’s not used to drinking, it was a recipe for disaster.

I put my truck in park in front of my townhouse. “Birdie. We’re home,” I say. I unbuckle her seatbelt. She groans as I maneuver her into a position where I can pick her up.

Her limbs cling to me like a koala bear as I make my way through the house and downstairs to my room. “I hate the way you smell,” she mumbles half-asleep into my neck. Did I forget to wear deodorant? I know I got a little sweaty dancing. Not as bad as I do playing a game.

“Your smell. It gets stuck in my nose. And I hate it,” she groans quietly. I gently lay her down on the bed and start to take off her boots. “I hate that I love it so much,” she whispers. I squeeze the sole of her boot until my knuckles turn white. “I’m sorry. I’m so tired. I ruined it.”

“You didn’t ruin anything. Let’s get you to bed.” Reaching underneath her, I pull the covers down.

She snuggles into the pillow and takes a deep breath. “This pillow smells like my best friend.” Wren sighs. “I wish things could be different,” she whispers into the pillow before shutting her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

I stare down at her speechless. She is half asleep mumbling nonsense.

What does she mean? Different how? And if it’s different good, why can’t it be that way?

17

WREN

The lack of light in the room is my first clue I’m not in my dorm room. The second is being surrounded by Wyatt’s leather and amber scent. Oh crap. I told him I loved the way he smelled. That’s what I get for drinking tequila with Charlie.

My eyes feel like they are full of sand. I rub a hand over them. “Damn contacts.” I blink a few times to see if that helps with the dryness. I hate wearing them. It was worth it to see Wyatt looking at me the way he did.

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