Page 15 of Stalked By the Linebacker

“And then?” The words were just above a whisper, and I frowned when I caught a slight smirk on his mouth.

“Then?” he repeated before he pressed his talented lips together. Almost like he was trying to stop himself from smiling. “I was going to suggest you take a nap. On my bed. We just worked an overnight shift and….”

“Oh god,” I groaned. My head dropped. Thankfully, he couldn’t see my mortification since I didn’t try to pull my face off his strong warm pec. And if I were paying attention to anything more than my own embarrassment, I would have caught the erratic almost nervous beating of his heart.

His hand covered the back of my head and stroked my hair, and just like that, I actually relaxed. It was a simple, innocent touch but felt like it had loosened everything inside of me and was quickly turning me into a puddle of mush.

“What did you think I was proposing?”

“I don’t know.” My answer sounded muffled against his shirt.

“Hmm,” his chest rumbled. “Babe, look at me, please?” I had a feeling that softpleasecould get a girl in trouble. I did as he asked, finding the courage to look up until our eyes connected. His gaze was soft, if not still a little intense.

“What did you think I was doing, baby?”Baby? Princess? Mi vida?All these cute little nicknames were seriously going to my head. Was this how he operated?

“I don’t know. You kissed me like… well, like that—" I pointed behind me toward the door I’d been pressed against. “And then... I’m not… I’m not very… umm…” His brows bunched and something in his eyes darkened. “I’m not very experienced, and I thought you were done with, you know…”

“Done with what?” There was an edge to his voice I missed in the moment.

“Foreplay,” I blurted, but for some Godforsaken reason, I kept talking. The sooner we had this conversation, the sooner he’d realize how stupid and naïve and just not worth his time I was and send me off to my dorm, and we’d never have to talk about it again.

We’d go back to the way things were supposed to be, and the universe would make sense again.

With me and my nose stuck in a book, soaking in any and every little detail about him from afar. And he’d go back to… hooking up with sorority girls and whoever else he hooked up with. The thought left an ugly tightening in my gut.

“Foreplay. Done with foreplay and, you know, you wanted to get on with it.” He didn’t move. And then I realized he wasn’t breathing. I straightened and looked at him. “Crank?”

“Hector,” he corrected, and something inside me got all warm and mushy. “First off, when I have you, and foreplay happens? It’s not going to be some hot-as-fuck kiss against the door. It’s going to last hours.”

“Hours? I squeaked, but he ignored me and kept sharing. Shaking up my world with every single word.

“And I won’t come up for air until all I can taste and breathe and feel is you. Do you understand?” I didn’t know how I was still standing. Or how this was actually real life.

Did Hector Dominguez actually say that to me?

“Honestly? No,” I whispered. His gaze zeroed in on my teeth pressed into my bottom lip. His hand cupped my face, the pad of his thumb brushing where I’d bitten down on.

“You will.”I would?He sounded like it was a promise or a vow. I shivered and he frowned. “I’m fucking this all up,” he groaned. I blinked, tearing my eyes off his.

Knowing he wasn’t just going to pounce on me or that we weren’t going to have sex, I wasn’t sure if I was disappointed or relieved. Maybe a little bit of both, though more of the first, if I was honest.

“Come on, let’s get you taken care of.” His hand slid from my face to my shoulder to my arm and didn’t stop until he was holding my hand.

He walked us to the dresser next to his bed. One I had not noticed. Without letting go of my hand, Hector took out a baby blue shirt with our school’s mascot on the front. He handed it to me and then added a pair of shorts.

“Put this on. I’ll be right back,” he ordered gently. Before I could argue, he kissed the top of my head and walked out. I glanced down at the clothes in my hands then around Hector’s room.

He had said a lot of things.

Things I wasn’t ready to dissect and overthink. But one thing kept bouncing in my head, playing on repeat.

Let’s get you taken care of.

Let’s get you taken care of.I blinked away tears that were suddenly seriously threatening to roll down my cheeks.

Let’s get you taken care of.It had been a long time since someone had taken care of me.

Or had wanted to who wasn’t my best friend or her mom.

---