Page 45 of Jocks

Taking The Penalty 4

Jace

Usually,whenIarrive on campus, I head straight out to the track to get a couple of laps in before classes start. Today, I sit in my car in the parking lot, waiting for Willow to arrive. I want to know what she was thinking when she took the blame for my act of sheer stupidity last night. Smashing up Coach Harrington’s car was a bad move. I should have admitted what I did last night, but when Willow intervened to save my skin, I started to think letting her take the fall might be the best thing. It’s not as if her stepfather’s going to get her expelled over it, especially not after the little soap opera that unfolded.

I don’t know what sort of car Willow drives, so I keep scanning the parking lot until I see her getting out of a beat-up Toyota that’s got to be ten years old. It surprises me she’s running around in a piece of crap like that when Celeste has a top-of-the-line Mercedes.

As I watch Willow heading for the front entrance of the main building, I can’t help wondering how I never noticed her before. Tall and slender, with just the right amount of curve to her hips, she walks with a confident stride, which seems at odds with her obvious attempts to fade into the background. Her hair, a glossy chestnut color, flows down her back. Her face is pretty and her eyes are big and brown. But, it’s her lips my eye is drawn to the most. Full and pouty, I can just imagine how they’d look wrapped around my cock.

Getting out of the car, I ignore various shouts as people call my name. It’s the same wherever I go. People want to talk soccer with me. Well, the guys do. Girls tend to want to try to get my number. When I walk through the front entrance, I see Willow up ahead of me. I follow as she goes down a side corridor and makes her way into the women’s bathroom. I could follow her in, but I don’t want to spark a rumor for the gossips around here, so I lean against the wall opposite to wait for her.

A couple of minutes later, she emerges, her eyes widening in surprise when she sees me there.

“Jace!”

“Willow,” I drawl.

“I was hoping to run into you.”

“Were you, sweetheart?” I take a step closer and her breath hitches. “And why was that?”

“Uh.” She swallows hard, clearly affected by my presence. “I want to talk about last night.”

“So do I.” I back her against the wall and cage her in with my arms.

“What are you doing?” She sounds alarmed.

“What am I doing?” I run the back of my hand down her cheek. Her skin is as soft and smooth as it looks. “You’re the one who involved yourself in my life.”

“Uh, yes, but that doesn’t give you the right to….”

“But it does, sweetheart. You grabbed my attention. Now you have to deal with the consequences.”

“Consequences?”

I nod slowly as her eyes widen. I lean a little closer and breathe in her scent. It’s sweet, like strawberries.

“Yes, Willow, consequences. You butted in and now you pay.”

“I butted in and saved your ass from suspension, or worse.” She narrows her eyes at me. “I’m starting to think that was a mistake.”

“Oh, yeah, what are you going to do, turn me in?”

She looks uncomfortable at that, but she lifts her chin defiantly. I like this girl’s spirit. “Maybe I will.”

I press my hips against her. “You really want to do that, sweetheart? You want to be the one who gets me suspended right at the start of soccer season?”

She gulps, knowing how badly that would play out for her. There’s a social order at the university and I’m part of the elite who enforce it ruthlessly. If she goes against me, my friends will make her life hell for it. But it won’t just be them. If she lands me in trouble, the entire university will turn on her. She won’t be able to walk down the corridors without being harassed. She’ll be lucky if she can cope with the level of hostility she’ll be subjected to. These are things she must know, but she’s not prepared to submit to me.

“Perhaps I don’t care.”

“Oh, I think you do, sweetheart.” I wrap my hand around the back of her neck to hold her in place. “I think you care very much.”

I’ve never been ruthless with a girl before. I’ve been a bit callous, offhand with them, but never really mean. Something about Willow makes me want to push her. I want to see her squirm. She’s about to say something, so I silence her with a kiss. My mouth takes hers with harsh determination. She doesn’t respond at first, but then she opens for me and my tongue sweeps in to explore her. As much as I try to brand my ownership on her, she stamps her own claim on me.

When a bell rings, warning us class is about to start, I pull back. Willow’s lips are red, swollen. Her hair is tousled, and she looks like she’s been subjected to a thorough ravishment, even though we only just got started.

“You shouldn’t have done that!” she spits at me.

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