Page 54 of Game Changer
“You’d be okay with me traveling a lot?” I ask with a tiny grin. “You’d travel the world with me?”
“I’d support you doing whatever makes you happiest, but traveling for me is . . .” He winces before blowing out a breath. “I don’t know. Staying in Arizona has always been my comfort, and it’s one of the main reasons I didn’t want to go pro with football. Traveling to places I know nothing about can be a lot. It’s a trigger, I guess.”
I nod thoughtfully and wrap my arms around his neck. “I can understand that. I’ll be sure to keep my trips short, then. Three days max so I can hurry up and come home to you.” The thought slips out before I can stop it, but Ethan doesn’t seem disturbed.
Instead, his eyes darken when he pulls me closer. “Good. I wouldn’t want you to be away fromhomefor too long anyway.”
He presses his lips against mine for a blistering kiss, and all those fears from my mind are replaced with the prospect of living with Ethan. Sure, we live next door to each other, but we’re in college. I wonder what it would be like to make coffee with him in the morning in our kitchen or stay up late on our couch bingeing movies.
A life with him is one I want, and I have a few weeks to gather the courage to make it happen.
“What are you doing?” I squeal when he lifts me into his arms. My legs instinctively wrap around his waist, and I love how comfortable the action is becoming. “It’s a mess in here! I have to clean up.”
A laugh rumbles in his chest when he tosses me onto my bed. Hairbrushes and lipsticks tumble to the floor, but I’m only focused on Ethan staring down at me in that primal way of his.
Mierda.
I’m utter putty when it comes to him.
“Wewill clean up together.” He crawls on top of me and parts my thighs with his knee, a piece of his dirty-blond hair falling away from the rest. “But first, we’re going to make it a little dirtier in here.”
Twenty- seven
Maya
I don’t know how long I’ve been holed up in this library staring at a blank computer screen, but judging by the strain on my eyes, I’d guess it’s been a while.
Writing a paper isn’t how I want to spend my Wednesday. I could have been working on Ashley’s makeup for her date tonight—a new client I had to cancel because of this looming due date. But when it comes to schoolwork, I’ve always pushed it off to the last minute. I make procrastinators seem like they’ve got their shit together.
I prop my chin on my hand, staring at the line flashing on the document, waiting for me to write something. Nothing comes. All I can think about is how I’ll have to endure two more years of papers, reading, and online quizzes that make my head hurt. I’ve known from a young age that school isn’t for me, buttodayis making it painstakingly obvious.
It could be worse, though. The library is surprisingly quiet in the late afternoon. The whispers of others at surrounding tables and the homey ambiance the dark mahogany bookshelves provide would kick the average student into gear. It’s a place designed for focus, and with others zoned in on their laptops with headphones over their ears, it seems to be working for them. Apparently, I’m the exception.
Suddenly, a coffee cup lands in front of me, and I lift my eyes to see Ethan smirking down at me. “Destiny said you were here writing a paper for business administration.” He eyes the screen entirely void of writing before giving me a sheepish look. “No luck, huh?”
“None.” I groan. “I’m not cut out for this.”
“Sure you are.” I’m speechless when he pulls over a wooden chair and sits beside me. He picks up the sheet of paper that’s been sitting on the desk and gives it a quick read. “International supply chain and inventory management.” He hums with a hint of amusement. His eyes are lit with humor when he looks at me again and adds, “Soundsriveting.”
“My point exactly,” I mutter. I lift the Styrofoam cup to my lips and sigh when espresso hits my tongue. “You’re my knight in shining armor. Thank you for this.”
Sitting this close to him gives me something to focus on for the first time today, but it sure as hell isn’t my paper. He smells sogood. I want to crawl onto his lap and snuggle my nose into his sweatshirt, but then that would lead to other things, and Ireallyhave to finish this paper. It’s due tomorrow.
“I find that starting a paper is always the worst part,” he says. “Have you looked at any textbooks here on the subjects?”
“Nope. I’ve just been sitting here. Hoping inspiration will come to me, I guess.”
Ethan doesn’t make me feel stupid or reprimand me for waiting until the last minute to write my paper. In a situation where he could tell me to get my shit together, he rises from his seat instead and heads for the business section of the library.
I’m dumbfounded as I watch him scan through the rows, grabbing books he thinks might help, and when he sets them in front of me, I have the biggest grin on my face.
“What?” he asks.
“Nothing.” I shake my head, biting my lip, as he sits beside me again. “You’re just a real Lifetime boyfriend.”
“Lifetime boyfriend?” He scrunches his brows. “What does that mean?”
“Like, you don’t seem real. Guys don’t just stick around the library to help their girlfriend with her paper. Most guys would ask to meet up later and leave her to it.”
