Page 2 of Off Limits

He reappears a moment later, and much to my disappointment, has a gray Marycliff football T-shirt now covering that glorious chest.

The couch creaks as Simon settles his large frame as far away from me as possible. I dart glances at him out of the corner of my eye as he picks up the remote and presses play on the paused show.

“Oh!” I sit up a little straighter and tuck my feet under me as the first episode ofCobra Kaicomes to life. “This is a great show. Are you just watching it for the first time?”

The look he throws my way seems tinged with amusement, even though his answer is characteristically brief and could be interpreted as annoyance. “Yes. Shh.”

I make a show of zipping my lips as I settle back into my seat. Maybe this night isn’t shaping up so bad after all. Watching a great show with a hot guy at his house? Yes, please.

And for at least a little while, I’ll pretend that he isn’t my brother’s friend and this isn’t my brother’s house and that Simon might actually talk to me and think me pretty and clever and funny. So basically, pretend that I actually have more than a snowflake’s chance in hell of landing Simon.

I’m not stupid. I know he’d never go for me. He’s a senior. He’s a football player. He’s my brother’s best friend.

And I’m the annoying little sister.

I know how life works. But for a few minutes, I’m just going to let myself believe in possibilities.

That’s what Autumn’s whole point for tonight was, after all. Manifesting what you want for the semester. And what I want is to have some fun. And ideally I’d like that fun to be with someone who looks like Simon. So even if I’m not chanting naked in the moonlight, I soaked up some moonlight on the walk over here, which according to Autumn is important somehow, so I’ll take that energy and direct it toward what I want.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and put my desires out into the universe. Fun with a hot guy.

Sounds like a great plan to me.

CHAPTER TWO

Simon

Ellie’s been here for almost two hours, and I’m starting to fade. There’s still no sign of Cal, despite me texting him right after Ellie got here to let him know his sister showed up out of the blue.

When someone knocked on the door at midnight, at first I wondered if Cal had managed to lock himself out. But he’d probably bang on the door like a wannabe commando, and the knock seemed more tentative. Then I wondered if it was maybe a hopeful booty call. Between Cal’s reputation for providing anyone who wants it a night of fun and the smaller section of girls who think that banging me is some kind of walk on the wild side, it was a definite possibility. Since I’m quiet, tend to limit my time at parties, and don’t flirt with every woman in sight, apparently getting with me is seen as some kind of challenge or adrenaline rush. And while I’m not above helping myself to those offering, tonight I wasn’t in the mood. So I’d opened the door prepared to gently turn away whatever chick had shown up on my doorstep.

But then I came face to face with Cal’s little sister, her big dark eyes blinking up at me with those impossibly long lashes, and my intention to send whoever it was off to the party in search of interested football players dried up in my mouth. I’d only met her twice before, since Cal does his best to keep her away. I honestly can’t say why, so having her on my doorstep in the middle of the night was extra surprising. After doing a thorough visual examination to make sure she wasn’t obviously injured—during which I took in her pink cheeks, the tantalizing glimpse of cleavage peeking out of her scoop neck tank top, and the lean expanse of leg showing under her short denim shorts that covered an ass made for grabbing—I’d glanced around behind her, looking for a car. No car. She must’ve walked. But why?

Then she mentioned trouble with her roommate, and I understand that all too well. Cal’s not so bad, but it helps that we have a house and separate rooms. With my parents covering my rent—my football scholarship and loans cover the rest—I’m able to rent a house as long as I’m willing to have a roommate. Sometimes I think living alone would be nice, but even a one bedroom would cost more than my half of the rent here. But in the dorms, there’s no escaping a bad roommate. Not quickly or easily, anyway. I don’t know if her roommate locked her out for a booty call or is just making her life miserable, but if she needs a quiet place to hang for a while, what’s the harm in letting her watch TV with me?

It’s not quite the quiet night in I’d planned—she has her brother’s habit of making comments during the show. But somehow her gasps of surprise or pointed observations about the differences in the portrayal of the characters in the show versus the old movies don’t bother me. She’s entertaining and insightful, and when she tosses a smile my way or looks over to see my reaction to something, it fills my chest with a warm, gooey sensation I have no business feeling around Cal’s little sister.

But damn if I want it to stop.

It’s getting late, though, and a glance at Ellie shows that she’s fading too. She lets out a jaw popping yawn and stretches her arms above her head. I quickly avert my gaze, trying to ignore the way she arches her back and presses her tits toward the ceiling, the way her shirt rides up, revealing a tantalizing strip of skin, the way her shorts barely cover her ass, giving me an even clearer view of the soft skin of her thigh. A thigh that would feel perfect wrapped around my waist.

I yank my eyes back to the TV. I shouldn’t be thinking anything like that about Cal’s little sister. He’d fucking kill me if he knew I was getting a semi just from sharing a couch with her.

She settles back in, scooching around so she’s lying against the arm of the couch, her legs still curled up so she’s nowhere near touching me. The soft waves of her hair frame around her face—she undid her ponytail a while ago, making herself comfortable. Watching her pull out the band and shake out her hair had the floral smell of her shampoo wafting over to me, and for a brief second, I wanted to be the one to scrape my fingernails along her scalp and shake out her hair. Her hair is medium brown, much darker than her brother’s. He’s something of a golden god, all blond hair and tan skin. Ellie has the same skin, though it’s a shade lighter, or maybe that’s a trick because of the contrast with her hair that has more of a reddish tint under the lamplight that I’ve never noticed before. Her phone appears from somewhere, and her perfect bow shaped lips purse as she studies the screen, the glow illuminating her face from below. Combined with the light from the lamp on her end of the couch, she looks almost angelic, but an angel of consternation with her delicate brows pulling together.

“Bad news?” I ask.

She twists so she can look at me, letting loose another big yawn and giving me a sleepy smile. “No. No news at all.” She sighs, and her eyes drift closed for longer than a normal blink, but they open again, mostly, and focus on me. “Sorry to drop in on your alone time tonight.” She waves a hand. “My roommate said she’d let me know when she was done. I thought I’d be out of your hair by now.”

I shrug and fight the urge to reach over and touch her leg. “No problem. You didn’t interrupt anything exciting.”

Her brow furrows, and she looks me over, though this look doesn’t feel as much like ogling as some of the other times I’ve caught her staring and she turned away with a blush painting her cheeks. “Why are you home alone, anyway? You never did say where Cal is.”

“He’s at a party or something.”

That has her brows lifting. “And why didn’t you go? A big football stud like you? Surely you’re welcome at any party you want to go to.”

I can’t help chuckling at her characterization of me as a stud, and I’m rewarded with another sweet sleepy smile. “Not in the mood.” I shrug again. “Too many people, too much noise. And anyway, we’ve got a new coach who came over from Iowa. He’s a real stickler for everyone following the conduct rules. Since this is his first head coaching job, he’ll have to prove himself, which means coming down hard on any conduct violations. Parties mean more opportunities to fuck up. No, thanks.”

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