Page 3 of Out of the Shadows
I didn’t fit the mold they thought was appropriate, and a majority of them were wannabe alphas who didn’t like it when they didn’t have the biggest dick in the room. Because they sure as hell didn’t.
“Sure, Mom,” I said with a polite smile. I’d spend every minute I could with this girl — much to her dad’s displeasure. Not sure I could even blame him, seeing as I would lose my mind with a daughter that pretty. Her small upturned nose highlighted the few freckles scattered across the bridge, and her smooth sun-kissed skin set off her honey-colored almond-shaped eyes. She looked like royalty — like aprincess.
Fitting. She was the unattainable princess, and I was the peasant fool drooling after her.
She took a step forward, but her father’s quick, hard hand on her shoulder held her back. Not a fan of that. I stifled a sneer as all three women looked at him with furrowed brows and a slight tilt to their heads.
“Wouldn’t you like to meet some more people first, Hailey?”
His words hardened Hailey’s expression, and although his tone was pleasant, my mom was bristling and getting ready to attack. An attack that, as it turned out, wasn’t necessary.
Hailey yanked her shoulder from his grip, took three steps, nudged my arm aside, and parked her perfect little peach ass right on the arm of my chair. “I think I’ll stay here with Colt and Hunter, Dad. Anew opportunityto make friends.”
Something passed between the two of them, with her father screwing up his face, and her donning a small smug smile. A powerful, almost triumphant feeling tore through me, as if she had chosen me and considered me worthy. The primitivepart of my brain was in the driver’s seat. My cock hardened and pressed against my zipper — that fucker had never had good timing.Where was one of those ridiculous decorative pillows when you needed one?
I wasn’t exactly popular with most people, let alone with the fairer sex. My bulky frame and rough features weren’t a recipe for Prince Charming, which meant, the fact thatthisgirl was blatantly defying her father, and willingly deciding to come near me fucked with my head. I’d better remind myself that she hadn’t actually chosenme; it had been more of an emergency solution.
Hailey’s mother tried to save the day. “I’m sure Colt will take excellent care of Hailey. You know where to find us, sweetheart. And now, Alicia, I’m dying to meet your husband, and did I see Pamela Chapman over there?” My mom put on her standard smile again, clasping Hailey’s mom’s hand but not before giving me a cursory, scrutinizing glance. Whatever she saw must have been sufficient for her, because they all walked away. The dad threw one last warning glare over his shoulder, though I wasn’t quite sure if it was meant for me or her.
“Sorry for the drama. My dad can be … difficult.” Her voice was gentle, melodic, and apologetic.Fuck no.
“Nothing to apologize for,” I grunted. If I had an ounce of charm, now would be the time to dig it out, but I was coming up blank. My mind was so transfixed on the smooth tanned skin just inches from my fingertips and the heat emanating from her body, that a small shiver ran down my spine, freezing me in place, completely and utterly.God, I’m a loser.
Hunter snorted beside me, and Hailey leaned forward to peer around me at him. Good luck with that. She’d be waitinga long time for another reaction. Not that my best friend was an asshole per se, but he hardly let anyone get close to him. I didn’t know what was going on inside his head most days, even though he’d lived with us more or less since he was thirteen years old and we’d known each other since first grade. Sometimes, he would share bits and pieces with me, but he was still keepinga lotbottled up.
We usually stayed far away from these functions, but my mom had asked me to come, and there was almost nothing I could refuse her. I wanted to kiss her feet for it because if I had fucked off out of the house as I typically did, I wouldn’t have gotten to lay eyes on this angel.
Hailey seemed to have realized she wouldn’t get a verbal response from Hunter and moved her gaze to me. With her still on my armrest, the need to touch her was almost killing me. She was rightthere.
“He’s not much of a talker, huh?”
“Not really, no. Don’t take it personally.”
She shrugged. “No problem. Sorry my ass got dumped on you guys.”
I shook my head. She had no idea. Carefully, I rose to my feet so I wouldn’t knock her off the armrest she was perched on. The thought of her tiny frame being swallowed up by my bulky one made my cock jump.Why the fuck did that turn me on so much?Her eyes met mine, and my mind jumped straight to visions of her on her knees, peering up at me exactly like that.Jesus Christ.
I could feel her gaze drilling into me, and when I glanced down, I went from half-mast to rock hard. This dichotomy had never fascinated me this much, even though I had grown accustomed to being the tallest person in any room Ihappened to be in.
“Come on, let’s do a little tour so you know what you’re in for next week.” I nodded toward the other kids from my school. I wasn’t necessarily popular, but my performance on the football field and my parents’ bank accounts ensured I had a reasonably good social standing. Didn’t mean the preppy little assholes didn’t give me shit, but it could be worse.
“Sure.” Was that wishful thinking, or did she actually sound less than thrilled? She stood, and I flexed my fingers to resist the urge to reach out for her. Fucking hell, I’d been right. Even in high heels, the top of her head barely reached my shoulder.
I took a deep breath, grateful that my loose shirt hung over the bulge in my pants, and motioned for her to follow me.
“Sooo … you’re on the football team?” she asked from behind me, and the back of my neck got hot as I imagined what must be going through her mind. She was probably wondering what a big lumbering oaf like me was thinking playing football. People tended to jump straight to quarterbacks and wide receivers in their minds, forgetting that not everything is about the offense.
“Um, yeah,” I grunted. “Defensive end.”
“Nice. Who knows, maybe I’ll be lucky enough to watch you from the sidelines and cheer you on. I cheered for my old school, and I’m going to try out here.”
My mind flooded with images of Hailey in one of those barely there uniforms, and I stifled a groan.
“That would be fun,” I choked out, my neck and the tips of my ears felt like they were on fire.
As Hailey and I walked around the room, it became clear that she fit in much better than I did — gracious, yet fiery,with not an ounce of malice in her. She was as beautiful as a starry night — sparkling like a million diamonds scattered across an inky expanse so vast and far-reaching you could never hope to explore every corner of it.
I had intended to stop hanging all over her ass as soon as I got the feeling she was comfortable. I was well aware that I wasn’t the most sought after of companions, but every time I even made the slightest move to step away, she would give me one of her soul-crushing looks or shift closer to me.
