Page 38 of I Was Always Yours (RCA: Royal Crown Academy)

It’s going to be an interesting, bloody contest and everyone is anticipating a long, grueling fight between us, me included.

“Yeah, good.” I reply, hoping that I’ll actually be able to focus on training for the fight and not the gorgeous redhead who has my cock tenting my pants every time I think of her. “Should be a good show. You lads going to put any money on it?”

“We’re being good mates and betting on you, Phoenix, but….,” Rhys starts, looking at Rogue for help.

“But it’s hard to ignore those ten straight wins.” He completes, emotionlessly.

“Have I ever lost either of you any money?” I ask, draining my glass.

“No.”

“Nope,” Rhys confirms.

I give them a pointed look and walk out, letting that fact speak for itself. Those two know exactly what they get when they bet on me.

***

A couple of days later, Rhys and I wrap up football practice and head for the elevators with a few of the other players. I’m freshly showered and wearing a simple white tee and jeans as we all banter each other.

“Good luck, Mackley. Looks like you’re going to need it.” Ben says on a laugh.

“She looks like she can’t stand you, mate.” Khalil adds.

“None of you need to worry about me. Or her for that matter,” Rhys answers, his tone biting, “I’ll have her before time runs out, that’s a guarantee.”

I step into the elevator and go stand in the corner at the back, leaning my head against the wall behind me as I listen silently.

Rhys is an idiot. The second he laid eyes on Thayer – Sixtine, Nera, and Bellamy’s fourth roommate – he’s been obsessed with her. He made a stupid bet with Devlin, one of our teammates, involving her.

The bet situation might have partly been instigated by me.In my defense, he’d brought up Sixtine again.

Like Pavlov’s dogs, I was going to stimulus train him – with punishments instead of rewards – to stay the fuck away from her.

I have some guilt about the bet because Thayer seems cool, but more importantly I know Rhys is going to live to regret it. I can feel it.

The elevator goes down and opens on the floor below us to the sounds of excited talking. My view is obstructed by Ben who stands directly in front of me, so I don’t see who it is.

“Sorry, we’re going to have to squeeze in a bit.” A voice says, followed by the sounds of several feet coming onto the elevator and people shuffling to make room.

It’s a group of girls coming from their locker room and as I see a few of them sneak behind Ben to take advantage of the available space, I recognize her.

Her hair is dripping wet and her head is bent as she squeezes between people and comes to a final position standing in front of me.

“Oh, sorry!” She says, accidentally stepping on my foot, “I didn’t mean t…” The words die on her tongue when she finally looks up and into my dark eyes. The easy smile slips off her face as she recognizes me.

This close, I can count every freckle on her face. Since I was little, I’ve wanted to do that.

I can smell the rose scented shampoo coming off her mass of hair and my eyes flutter close as I resist the urge to bury my nose deep in it until I imprint that smell on my olfactory receptors.

Instead, I tense.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I snap at her as she moves closer to me.

People continue packing into the elevator, pushing those already in it closer together. Ben takes a step back and bumps against Six, sending her stumbling towards me. Her palm slaps against the wall between my arm and side as she catches herself, but it does nothing to hold her off me.

Her entire body is plastered against mine like we’re two perfectly fitting pieces of a puzzle come together. I can feel every part of her, from her thighs up to her shoulders as they remain glued to me.

She looks up at me, her neck bent completely backwards because of the height difference, but I keep my head tilted back against the wall, staring at the floor number counter above the doors.

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