Page 109 of College-Virgin & Dark Bully Next-Door

Ash pauses for half a second and then hits with his left. The fight lasts another four rounds, but Ash doesn’t let up. When the last bell sounds, and the ref raises his hands, the entire auditorium erupts in a roar. Ash’s eyes scan the room. Is he looking for me? They land on his mom, and he shrugs.

At the end, I give three minutes before Bonnie says she’ll take care of Peter. Fuck, I feel alive, like when I kicked that dude in the balls. I know it’s the adrenaline, but I don’t care. I run to the locker room, open the door, then pause.

The ‘shouldn’t do this’ feeling strikes, but when I hear water running, I slowly creep in. The opponent, a bald, stacked dude, sees me, looks me over and grins. “Hey, hotness. You looking for something?”

“Not you,” I say simply.

“Oh, come on. I know fights make girls all hot and ready to go.” He looks me over again. “You know, I can give you averygood time … if you ask nicely.”

“Not interested,” I repeat, stepping further in. “Did the word ‘no’ get all rattled in your brain after taking so many hits?”

He chuckles and pats my head. “You’re too young for me anyway, darling, but that mouth.”

“Is better than your aim? I know.” I snort.

“Hey, Ash, some smart-mouthed chick is here for you.” Then he whistles as he walks away.

Ash comes out of the shower with his towel slung low around his hips. He says something about groupies, then sees me. He comes to a dead stop and goes so pale I can see every single bruise that will be purple in a few hours.

“Sky.”

“Hi.”

He’s not allowed to look this delicious when I’m supposed to talk to him. I take a deep breath and close the space between us. “I wanted to talk. Actually talk. Not … yell or be a bitch, and I’m sorry.”

“Sky,” he says, taking another ominous step forward.

“I should have started with I’m sorry. I was under so much pressure … no … that’s an excuse. I suck at this. I’m sorry for what I said and how I handled it. You wanted to help, and I couldn’t do it or deal with it then. I want to try, even though I should have talked to you after I cooled down and fixed things, but I was just-”

He pulls me against him and kisses me. My heart stops, then jumps into gear. I wrap my arms around his neck and tease his tongue with mine. Ash consumes me. Entirely, completely, and totally. I’m just his. This simply.

When he draws back, my hands slide down his chest, and I bite my lip. “I want you. I was stupid and dealing with shit, but I want you, and I’m willing to talk. I want to include you in things. You can come and meet my dad as my boyfriend. Whatever it is.”

“Don’t say shit that you don’t … Are you serious?”

“No, I’m Sky,” I joke as I brush my hand over his face. “You always forget to use your left.”

“I fucking knew it was you. Only you support me that much.” He kisses me again, then strokes my cheeks with his fingers as he gazes into my eyes. “Is this a dream?”

“Want me to kick you in the balls and find out?” Then I remember that punch he took. “Actually, is your … thigh okay?”

“My goods are intact.” He chuckles. “You can check if you want to.”

I bite my lip and tug on the towel before shaking my head. “No. No. Talking. I’m here for talking.”

“She says after cornering me while I’m naked in the locker room.”

“Why aren’t you mad at me?” I ask. “You should be, right? We both said harsh things, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled. I know you wanted to help. You kind of did.”

“Did I?” He walks over to the lockers and lets his towel fall.

I groan as I look over his ass. I take a picture, and Ash glances over his shoulder, laughing. “Really, Sky? Taking a picture?”

“Well, who knows when I’ll get you at this angle again. You could always model for catalogues,” I murmur. “Or calendars … or become a stripper … you could say no and tell me I missed my chance.”

“So many promising career choices.” He rolls his eyes as he avoids that last comment and steps into boxers before wiggling into jeans.

I know he’s letting me distract him, but he’s putting on such a good little show that I’m tempted to forget everything else. I bite my lip and rub my hands over his sides from behind. “Are you sure you want to get dressed?”

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