Page 63 of Out of Bounds

My cock bulged against the fabric of my shorts, aching to be free. I had to take a moment to lean back in the chair, shifting uncomfortably. There was no fucking way. I wasn’t fourteen years old. I was a grown man, sitting at an adult party, turning away so Kassie couldn’t see the way those green nails made me clench the side of the chair, giving me the kind of hard-on that made my head pound.

I finally relaxed when Kassie drew away from my chair.

Oh…fuck.

25

Kassie

For Your Spiritual Well-being

As a football player’s fake girlfriend, I saw the inside of gyms more often than I attended my own classes. Gyms, plural. I had to shake hundreds of hands of people I couldn’t possibly remember—which Ryan recited like he was getting paid to do it. Not to mention, if I walked two feet into a football event without university apparel, Cleo practically tackled me to the ground.

And Ryan was there, every step of the way, to stop the flow of traffic wherever he went.

"I’m ordering a protein shake. What do you want?" Ryan asked, standing outside of my classroom. People had to shuffle around him. I was certain he didn’t notice.

"My building’s too small for you to be doing this," I retorted, grabbing his arm. "You’re like one of those Great Danes who thinks he’s a lap dog."

"Do you want anything?"

I let go of him once we got to the door. "Are you putting in the order?"

"No. I’ll order there. They banned me from the app."

While we walked toGianna’s,I packed up everything in my backpack on the go before I finally realized what he said. Why in the hell would anyone ban Ryan from using an app? As annoyingly uptight as he could be, it wasn’t like he barked at the developers to do bench presses.

I snickered. "I get it. You fucked up the app."

"I didn’t mean to order eight hundred protein shakes."

"How many times did you order eight hundred protein shakes?"

Ryan threw me an exasperated look and I burst into laughter. The quarterback could block like no tomorrow but giving him an electronic device was like throwing Ryan a flamethrower in an open field.

"A couple of times," Ryan muttered and I pressed my lips together, doing my hardest to hold back the grin.

Gianna’swas packed in the busiest time of the day but Ryan didn’t care. He badgered me about what I wanted until I relented for a coffee and I waited by the windows as he walked through the crowd that effortlessly parted for him. A couple by the counters drew back and grabbed his autograph while he ordered.

"I know who you are," someone said next to me.

While Ryan was a healthy distance away from me, I could let my eyes wander a little. No jersey today, just the shirt and jeans, but it wasn’t like he didn’t wear them well. The broad shoulders were lovely to look at. And the hands. Woof. I had to make him flex his hands again for some sketches. For my own personal collection that he didn’t need to know about that.

"I know who you are," the voice insisted.

I did a double-take at the girl next to me. At first, I didn't think she was talking to me, but that tight sneer was definitely planted my way.

"Uh…cool." I turned to get another glance at Ryan.

"You’re not good enough for him."

What?

I wasn’t pissed off at all, I was genuinely confused. Was she talking about…Ryan? Like, I wasn’t good enough to date him? What exactly was she expecting me to do? Tearfully confess she was right and break up with my boyfriend in front of everybody? Just like talking to Ryan earlier, I had to fight off the urge to laugh.

"Are you talking to me?"

"You’re just toying with him," she snapped.

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