Page 5 of Draft Pick

“Damn right she can,” a saucy brunette said. “Starlie is good enough to sing professionally.”

Starlie. I rolled the name across my tongue, liking the way it tasted.

Immediately embarrassed, Starlie deflected, “Oh my God, I’m not really. I just like karaoke.” There was something adorable about how she tried not to look my way, but her gaze kept finding mine. An electric frisson danced between us, and the instant chemistry almost buckled my knees. Damn, it’d been a while since I felt anything this hot and wild.

“Y’all go to San Jose State?” I asked, trying to find some reason to stick around without being obvious.

“Yep.” They nodded in unison with brief introductions around the table. Starlie followed with a polite “You?” as she sipped her beer.

Was it possible she didn’t know who I was? Not to be a dick, but if there was such a thing as king of the campus, I was it. “Uh, yeah, I play for the Wolverines. Quarterback, actually.”

“I thought you looked familiar,” Lark, the redhead, said, snapping her fingers in recognition. “That’s right, you’re, like, the golden boy right now.”

“What does that mean?” Starlie asked, confused.

“It means every NFL scout looking to fill a spot has been eyeing the golden goose,” Lark grinned. “I mean, it’s pretty cool to have a potential NFL draft pick on campus. Looks good for the school, too.”

Either Starlie didn’t know who I was, or she was a damn good actress. I wasn’t used to being an unknown around campus. My pride stung a bit, but I liked it — the anonymity, you know? Most campus girls fell on themselves to impress me, and I’d bored of that game a long time ago. “It only means something in certain circles,” I said, downplaying the hype, liking how her full bottom lip pressed against the rim of her glass when she drank her beer.

“Sorry, I don’t follow much sports,” Starlie murmured with a slight shrug of that perfectly rounded shoulder. She peered with curiosity, glancing past me. “Don’t guys like you usually travel with a posse?”

“Guys like me,” I repeated with a rueful chuckle. “Depends on what you think a guy like me is like.”

Starlie opened her mouth but then thought better of it, shaking her head. “Never mind.”

But her friend Evie pounced instead. “Starlie’s too nice but I’ll say it,” she interjected with a saucy grin, “dickhead jocks who think they own the campus with the same kind of high school mentality most people are supposed to leave behind. That kind of posse.”

I faked a stab to the heart. “Ouch. Harsh.”

“But true?” Starlie asked with a subtle grin, enjoying her friend’s roast of my ass. “I mean, stereotypes are created for a reason.”

Oh, pretty girl’s got some sass of her own. I liked it. “Left my posse behind for the evening. Even dickhead jocks need a break from the status quo.” Especially when even my teammates were busting my balls about my attitude. I was getting my ass chewed on all sides.

I changed the subject quickly. “How about you? To run the risk of sounding like a cliche, what’s your major?” I asked Starlie.

“Oh, um, child development,” she answered with a briefly dazzling smile, and I nearly had a heart attack. The total wattage of that smile was enough to electrify a dead heart. Maybe that’s what’d happened to me because I suddenly felt more alive than I’d felt in ages.

God, she was hot. My hands itched to roam those swelling curves barely contained in that tiny dress, and those thick thighs made my mouth water.

The dim lighting softened and flattered better than any Snapchat filter, but I knew she was the real deal. Starlie was that rare bird out in the wild, going about her business, completely unaware that she was freaking gorgeous.

Using all the charm I’ve ever been accused of wielding, I signaled for another round, saying, “All right ladies, let’s say we make some bad decisions worth remembering when we’re old and reliving our glory days because we’re only young once and the clock is ticking. Next round’s on me…but only…if you,” I pointed straight at Starlie, “get your ass back on that stage and sing.”

The table erupted in wild approval, slapping the scarred surface and whooping and hollering while Starlie met my gaze with a slow, intrigued smile. “Any requests?”

You. Me. Naked.“I’m game for whatever comes out of your mouth.”

That dazzling smile hit me again, and I knew…no matter what it took, I wasn’t leaving this bar tonight without her.

That’s a promise.

* * *

* * *

I’m notthis kind of girl.

“Oh my god,” I gasped as Cason’s hungry mouth nibbled along the column of my neck. His hands anchored mine behind me, drawing me close enough to feel the heat between us.

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