Page 29 of Body Checked By the Defenseman

Macklin:None. Are you coming?

There is no way I am saying no to making out with Macklin.

Me:Be there in ten.

As I walk through the busy pathways between buildings, excitement pushes me to walk faster. I think of how perfect yesterday was with Macklin and how good it felt to be close to him all day, from resting my head on his shoulder on the bus ride to him getting me off on the king-size bed of that amazing yacht. Every part of me is rushing to get to Macklin faster. I want to kiss him and drop to my knees and suck him off.

“Ruby?” Hayden says, pausing in front of me. “Where are you off to in such a rush?”

Guilt spikes inside me. “Um, I’m on my way to the library to get some work done in between classes. This semester is kicking my ass.” I smile innocently.

Hayden nods.

“Where are you going?” I ask him.

“I’ve got a class. We need to talk later. I’m in Wisconsin for a game this weekend. I spoke to Abuela, and she wants all of us to stay with her and Mario next weekend,” he says of our grandmother, who is sixty-eight years old and now living with her boyfriend.

“Okay, we’ll meet up tonight,” I assure my brother.

He nods. “See you later. Have a good afternoon. Love you.”

“You too, love you,” I reply.

Hayden and I have always been this way. We were always close. Always concerned for one another and we always told each other how much we loved each other. It was something Abuela also encouraged us to do. Our family is small and we cherish what we have.

By the time I get to the third floor of the library, my heart is beating fast and I am out of breath. I find Macklin leaning against a bookshelf, looking perfect in a Riverside U hoodie and a pair of jeans.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” he says.

“Sorry, I bumped into someone,” I tell him, not wanting to mention Hayden’s name because it will only make him feel bad about what we are doing.

“Okay,” he replies, and he removes my backpack from my shoulders and places it on the floor. Then his hand comes up to my neck and he kisses me. There is an urgency in the way he kisses me that wasn’t there yesterday, almost like he is impatient to see me again. The feeling is mutual as my arms wrap around his neck and I kiss him back with the same fervor.

“Someone will see us,” I whisper, breaking the kiss.

His hands travel up my top to the skin on my back. “It’s the classical Sanskrit section, no one study’s this stuff, Periwinkle.”

“And how did you know about this section?” I ask him.

“Because last night when I was lying in bed, all I could think about was kissing you again and so I googled the most uncommon subject to learn in university.”

I laugh. “You’re adorable.”

“Don’t call me that.” He winces. “You can call me handsome or hot, but adorable is not a good thing.”

“I think it’s a very good thing.” I nibble on his lower lip. “How exactly can we make out here?”

“I can lean you against the bookcase or we go down to the floor, which I know isn’t the cleanest, or maybe one of those study desks over there.” He points to a desk that has a chair in front of it and has a divider around it for privacy.

“The study desk it is,” I reply.

He sweeps me off my feet and I squeal. “Hush.”

He places my behind on the desk and stands between my thighs. We kiss again. I know he’s bending his knees to be level with me and I push myself to get closer to him, my hands running over his back. I reach forward, popping the button on his jeans and lower his zipper.

“Not yet, Periwinkle.” He stops me.

I frown.

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