Page 6 of Game Changer
“Nothing, really. Hung out with Maddie mostly. Oh, and I’ve discovered a love for yoga. It keeps me calm, you know?”
Yoga can’t possibly be the reason her ass seems to have grown three times in size.
“And flexible,” she adds, and when she finishes that statement with a wink, I shift behind the island to discreetly fix my jeans. Jesus. Maya has always been loud and vibrant, and has never been ashamed of it, but this is the first time she’s dropped sexual innuendos around me, and I’m not used to it.
“Oh?” It’s the only thing I can think to say. It’s the only safe question that keeps me from teetering into territory we shouldn’t. This is my little sister’s best friend. I’d never make a move on her. Maya Garcia is the one girl—woman, now, judging by how much she’s grown up—who’s off-limits to me.
“Mm-hm.” She flicks her eyes over me, which feels scrutinizing. I’m not fit like Cameron, who has a glistening eight-pack. My stomach has a layer of fat covering whateverpackis beneath it, and while I’m not technically overweight, I’m not in shape either. It joins one of my many insecurities along with the height ordeal. Being five eleven sucks ass. So close and yet so far from what girls prefer. “You’ve gained muscle. How much can you bench now?”
“Almost three hundred.” It’s something I’m proud of. I hit a new goal at training camp, surpassing even Cameron, who lives and breathes the gym.
“Wow. That’s impressive. You’d be able to benchme.”
Christ.
The images flash before I’m able to stop them. I’ve never had sex before for a multitude of reasons. Partly my body insecurities, but also because no one has made me feel quite as crazed as the girl before me. Before seeing this mature version of her, she had me hooked on her fiery, blunt personality, but now . . .
Now I’m thinking of all the sex positions I want to learn with her and only her.
Judging by the look on her face, I’d almost assume that’s what she wanted me to think after saying something likethat, but I know better. A girl who looks like that would want nothing to do with me. She could have any guy she wanted.
Maya takes a step closer, and the heat in the room rises to a fucking inferno. It’s hotter than it was doing suicides in the desert, and while I survived out there, I’m not so sure I can do the same here.
“Popcorn ready?” Maddie pokes her head into the kitchen, and eyes us curiously. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Maya nods and spins around to open the microwave like that built-up tension was just a figment of my imagination, and maybe it was. Maybe I’m losing it. “Just catching up about our summers.”
I clear my throat and grab what I came in here for, needing the water now more than ever. “I’m gonna head back upstairs. Cameron’s coming over in a few.”
Maddie’s nose wrinkles in disgust. “Great. Can’t wait to hear about his conquests of the week.” The two had a falling out after Cameron’s mom passed three years ago, but neither of them talk about it. We all used to be tight, but since Cameron got to high school, he’s became a different version of himself. The kid who collected Pokémon cards turned to sex and partying the second we entered freshman year, which ultimately led to my sister despising him. Not that I can blame her. I’m still getting used to the new version of him too.
“We’ll be in your room the whole time,” Maya reassures her. She dumps the popcorn into a bowl and flashes me a devastating smile. “See you around?”
I nod as they disappear upstairs, hating the way my eyes stay glued to her ass in those yoga pants. Maya is so much more than a nice body, but damn, if I don’t appreciate every one of her newfound curves.
~
I wake up to the shrill sound of my ringtone. My eyes shoot open in the pitch blackness of the dorm room, just the faint light of my phone illuminating the space. After a quick glance at Leo, I feel thankful he fell asleep with his headphones on. The last thing I want to do is become a noisy roommate.
“Hello?” My voice is scratchy from sleep, and I answer without looking at who it is. The sound of pulsating music blaring in the background makes me pay more attention, and when I pull the phone away from my ear, my heart drops. “Maya? Are you okay?”
It’s three in the morning. What the hell is she doing out this late, and why is she calling me? Alarms flash through my head when a drunken sob echoes through the speaker.
“I got a little too drunk,” she admits. “My friends drove here, but they left, and I have no one else to call.” I’m already out of bed and pulling on a pair of sweatpants when she adds, “You don’t have to come. The last thing I want is to hurt you even more, and I swear I wouldn’t call if I—” She hiccups, and if I wasn’t so concerned about her safety, I might have smiled at the cuteness of it. “I promise if I had someone else, I would call them instead, but my friends went home hours ago, and Ican’tcall my parents because—”
“I already said I’d bring you home, sweetheart.” A guy’s voice makes all the hairs on my body stand on end. I’ll be damned if some random guy with questionable intentions takes her home.
“Where are you?” I blurt, grabbing my keys off the dresser. “I’m on the way.”
She repeats the address slowly, like she’s really trying to focus, and when she mentions afraternity, I want to break every fucking speed limit to get there as soon as possible. What the hell is she thinking being drunk like that at afrat house? Who knows how many guys are surrounding her? I don’t trust other men. I’ve heard firsthand in the locker room just what goes on at these types of parties, and I don’t want Maya getting caught up in one of their twisted games.
“Stay where you are, and don’t let anyone convince you to go home with them. Okay?”
“I won’t,” she slurs. “Promise.”
Nothing is more terrifying to me than when the line goes dead.
Four
