Page 7 of Don't Let Me Fall (Don't Let Me 1)

“And I’ve yet to have a full night of sleep without hearing Logan screw a girl in his room. I wouldn’t care if it was at least the girls making the noise, but Logan sounds like a dying moose.” I shiver, and Theo laughs.

“Yeah. Why do you think the room was open before you moved in?”

I take another drink of my black coffee with Stevia and shake my head. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

“My bad. I think he’s taking full advantage since his girlfriend’s been busy lately.”

I pause and set my mug down on the table. “Logan has a girlfriend?”

“Logan always has a girlfriend,” he reminds me. “You know how he is.”

“Good point,” I concede. “I guess I assumed he’d grown out of it.”

“Not even close. Doesn’t help that his girl is a damn saint, either. Speak of the devil,” Theo mutters under his breath, tilting his head toward the door. Logan appears with his hand pressed to a pretty blonde’s back. Screw that. Pretty is an understatement.

Shit. She's the girl from the street.

She’s like a doll. With big blue eyes and pouty lips. She’s fucking precious.

Innocent.

Untouchable.

Ignoring the way my heart ratchets in my chest, I ask, “Is that her?”

He nods. “Yeah, that’s Ashlyn.”

Head cocked, I drag my gaze from her long, lean legs to the sliver of skin between her shirt and jeans as she tugs at the sides of her dark jacket and covers herself. “Why haven’t I seen her at the house?”

“‘Cause she hates parties. Whenever they’re together, it’s usually at her place, SeaBird, or around campus, which all the puck bunnies have learned are off-limits.”

“Very convenient.” I scoff and settle back in my chair, hooking my arm over the back of it as I study the wet dream in front of me. She tucks her hair behind her ear and smiles up at Logan as he slides his card toward the barista––who I’m pretty sure I saw sneaking out of Logan’s room the other night––to pay for their drinks.

“You really think she doesn’t know he’s screwing random girls every night of the week?” I ask.

“You know he’s the golden boy.”

“Still,” I argue. “Is she really that naive?”

“Logan knows how to cover his tracks. He shows people what he wants them to see and nothing else.”

“So, she really is naive,” I mutter, surprised by how disappointed I am.

Theo grimaces. “Maybe not naive. More like too trusting.”

I bite back my scoff and take another sip of coffee while Theo defends, “It’s not her fault. The girls know not to say anything, or they’ll never touch a hockey player again. And the guys know to keep their shit out of his business, or he’ll be a dick on the ice. Besides, it isn’t any of our business, no matter how sweet she is,” he clarifies. “Ashlyn’s a different breed. She’s happy giving Logan his space. She isn’t clingy, and she has her shit together. Except where he’s concerned. And she isn’t some puck bunny, either. She doesn’t even come to any of Logan’s games.”

“Again. Convenient,” I point out.

Theo nods, swirling the straw in his drink, mixing the whipped cream with the rest of his coffee. “Again…different,” he repeats, taking another sip. “She isn’t with him because of his talent on the ice.”

“Then why’s she with him?” I joke. “Thought it was the only thing he had to offer.”

With a dry laugh, Theo shakes his head. “You’ll have to ask her yourself. But be careful. Like I said. She's different.”

“Different, how?”

“Gorgeous, though she has no idea. Smart. She takes the time to tutor other students without making them feel stupid for it. And loyal as shit. Logan might not care if you talk to her ‘cause he knows you’d never do anything, and you like to be an ass. But, Ash? She’ll let you know you’re barking up the wrong tree if she doesn’t like your attention.”

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