Page 15 of Stalked By the Cornerback

“I’m not scared of you,” she scoffed. “You were a jerk after finals… I thought…”

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter.” The hell it didn’t, but I wouldn’t push. Not yet.

“Give me one more chance,” I pleaded. My eyes never wavered from hers. “I don’t deserve it, and I know you could do a hell of a lot better than a guy like me, Mattie. But I swear if you give me one chance, I will show you I can be the kind of guy who would feel privileged to stand by your side,” I laid out, not knowing what she would say, but I needed her to know what my intentions were.

She blinked and swallowed. I watched, fully captivated as her pretty tongue poked out and glided over her plump top lip. “Dylan.” My name sounded so damn good on her lips.

“Please,” I whispered, then leaned closer. I wasn’t above playing dirty. My nose brushed against hers. “Please give me one more chance.”

“One chance?”

“Dinner. Tomorrow.”

“I don’t know.” She sighed, pulling her head back, but not enough to where I didn’t feel the soft exhale of her breath on my mouth. My dick was fucking throbbing behind my jeans. Everything inside of me yelled at me to kiss her. Convince her one way or another to give us a chance.

But I didn’t give in.

Not yet.

“Okay,” she whispered, shocking the hell out of me. She stepped away and out of my hold. “Tomorrow. Dinner.” Her legs wobbled, and I reached for her before she slipped. I grinned at her as overwhelming joy flowed through me.

“Can I walk you home?” I asked.

If I got to walk her home, that would mean I could tell her I lived in the same building. She opened her mouth, but before she said something, a girl called out her name.

“Mattie!” We turned to watch a petite girl rush towards us. One who looked at me like she didn’t know what to make of me before her attention landed on my girl. “Oh my god! Are you okay? Someone just told me some football guy was a jerk to you!”

“I’m fine, Becks.”

“I’m the worst! I should have hurried back. I got talking to someone and?—“

“Becks, I’m good. I promise,” Mattie said, stepping away from my hold. “Becks, this is Dylan?—“

“Macabee,” she finished, and I frowned. She didn’t look familiar, but that didn’t mean I might not have hooked up with her in the past. My first year at U of D, I had been a bit of a player. “You’re a decent cornerback.” She shrugged, and I nodded.

“Thanks,” I mumbled. My hand reached for Mattie, something her friend didn’t miss. Just like that, the vibe around us changed. Becks smiled, and her dark eyes bounced between us.

“It looks like I might have interrupted something.”

“You didn’t. I was—“ Mattie started to say, but I cut her off.

“I just offered Mattie to walk her home. If you want, I can walk the two of you?—“

“Oh no! If you’re okay, Mattie, do you mind if I stay a little longer? Lee from the guy’s soccer team is here, and we were kinda vibing.”

“Oh, okay. Umm…” Mattie looked at her friend. “You sure?”

“You sure you’re okay with this guy?” Becks pointed at me, and my shortcake giggled.

“He’s harmless,” she teased.

I shoved my free hand into the front pocket of my pants.Harmless.If she only knew just how harmless I wasn’t, there was no way she would let me hold her hand, much less walk her home.

CHAPTER 9

MATTIE

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