Alyssa slides off me, her chest heaving up and down. “Okay…” she says after she catches her breath. “Now, I definitely have to go.”

  I reach for the hand towel on my nightstand. She takes it from me with a grateful smile and cleans her belly off before getting dressed. I throw on my jeans to cover up with before I lead her out into the hallway. The house is dark and silent. Ty must still be out.

  As we step outside onto the porch, I spot Ty’s car in the driveway. Or maybe he’s not. “I didn’t even hear him come in,” I say.

  Alyssa’s round eyes grow wider in the dark. “You don’t think he heard us, do you?”

  “Oh, he most definitely heard you.” She halts and smacks my shoulder. “I’m kidding! Ty’s the deepest sleeper I’ve ever met. I bring girls in and out of here all the time, he’s never complained.”

  She pauses. “Oh, really?”

  “That… did not come out right,” I choke. “I meant I used to—”

  “Calm down, Junior.” She chuckles. “We both knew what this was.”

  My body feels twenty pounds heavier. “Right,” I say. “We’re just having fun.”

  “Exactly.” She pops up onto her toes and lays a quick peck on my cheek. “Bye, Junior. Library at twelve?”

  “Library at twelve,” I confirm. “Bye, Ally.”

  I linger on the porch until her car disappears from sight, but I try to pretend I’m not. I check inside the mailbox, even though I know it’s empty. I adjust the welcome mat because it’s about thirty degrees off-center.

  Thirty degrees? I guess Alyssa was right when she said I’d actually learn something with her as my math tutor.

  I step inside and run right into Ty’s judgmental face.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he asks, the whole truth flashing back at me.

  “Checking the mail,” I claim.

  “At two in the morning?”

  “Is that weird?”

  Ty shakes his head. “Cut the crap. That was Alyssa Pierce, wasn’t it?”

  I scoff. “Come on, man. She’s just my math tutor.”

  “Oh, okay…” His voice drips with sarcasm. “Alyssa Pierce was in your bedroom all night, moaning at you to solve equations harder and faster?”

  “Okay, fine. You caught us. We’re just having some fun. That’s it.”

  “There’s having fun with girls and then there’s having fun with Cary Pierce’s daughter,” he says. “Only one of those things will get you kicked off the football team.”

  I laugh. “No one is going to kick me off the team, all right?”

  “I hope not because, unfortunately, we need your ass.” He steps back, his head sagging with disappointment. “Don’t let a few late-night study sessions blow this entire season for the rest of us.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Good.”

  Ty takes off back to his room, but I linger behind in the darkness for a few more minutes.

  I can’t really blame him for getting angry. Hell, I’d be just as pissed off if I were in his shoes. Hands off Alyssa Pierce. It’s a simple instruction, but as Alyssa the Tutor could easily tell you, I’m not great at following directions.

  But Alyssa and I are just having fun. She confirmed as much a few minutes ago. No strings attached. Just good, old-fashioned, casual sex.

  When the coach told me to stay away from her, he could have meant not to date her. We’re not dating, so we should be in the clear, right?

  I slink back to my room and the temporary comfort the thought brings me disappears. The place still smells of her. That flower perfume lingers on the walls and my bedsheets. Her moans of pleasure and laughter still echo in my ears.

  It could all come crashing down at any moment. The mere thought of that burns. Every ounce of victory and satisfaction in me fades, replaced by nagging guilt and doubt.

  It doesn’t change a damn thing, though.

  I plop down onto my desk chair and twitch as something soft breaks my fall. I reach behind me and pull out that teddy bear from the arcade. It takes me back to that night and how cute she looked sitting in my car with it on her lap. It’s just a stupid stuffed animal, but it makes me grin like a damn idiot every time I look at it.

  I’d do it all again. I’d throw everything else away for a minute of her in my bed.

  Does that make me an asshole?

  Screw it.

  I’ll be an asshole.

  CHAPTER 25

  ALYSSA

  What the hell was I thinking?

  I had sex with Junior Morgan. My father’s new protégé. I was off-limits. He was out of bounds. But we went and scored, anyway.

  If that wasn’t bad enough, we went and scored without a condom.

  I sink a little lower into the passenger’s seat, hopefully obscuring myself from view as a few young women enter the pharmacy hand-in-hand. One of them is wearing a Chicago North Bearhawks sweater. If she’s really a sports fan, then it’s a good chance she knows who Cary Pierce is and, by extension, she’ll know who I am, too. All it takes is for someone to recognize me looking shifty in the family planning section for the rumor mill to ignite.

  Finally, Grant emerges from the entrance doors and casually walks back to the car.

  “Did they have it?” I ask before he even lowers himself inside.

  He passes me the plastic bag. I look inside, exhaling with relief at the lone box of emergency contraceptive.

  “Thank you,” I say. “Sorry about this.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he says as he fastens his seat belt. “Believe it or not, this is not the first time I’ve done this for somebody.”

  “You’re a good friend, Grant,” I say, meaning every syllable.

  “I know.” He smiles. “So you and the quarterback finally...”

  “Yeah.”

  “And you didn’t use protection?”

  “We meant to,” I say. “It was there. He had condoms. They were right there, ready to be used. We just...” I scold myself with closed eyes. “I’m so stupid.”

  “Hey, man, I get it. If Junior Morgan wanted to pump me full of cum, I’d let him do it, too.”

  I grimace. “Grant.”

  “What? Is that not what we’re talking about here?”

  “I mean... yeah. It is.” I sigh, letting it go. “I can’t let this happen again.”

  “Just use the condoms next time,” he says with a shrug. “You’ll be fine.”

  “No, I mean there won’t be a next time. I’m ending this.”

  He snorts. “Oh, no, you’re not.”

  “Yes, I am. Once was enough. I can’t risk my father finding out.”

  “Do you really think once was enough for Junior?”

  “Once is always enough for Junior, isn’t it? He’s a player, in your own words. He’s hit it, now it’s time to quit it. He won’t mind.”

  Grant tilts his head. “Why are the pretty ones always so dumb?”

  “What?”

  “Alyssa, the man watched our audition.”

  “So?”

  “He woke up at the asscrack of dawn on a Saturday morning and rushed to campus just to see the look on your face when you got the part.”

  “And?”

  He exhales. “And I don’t think he would have done all of that if he didn’t care about you.” He mimes an inch between his thumb and forefinger. “Just a little bit.”

  I scoff. “He cared about getting laid. That’s all. It was always about the chase.”

  “Somehow, I’m not sure anymore.”

  “Well, you don’t know him.”

  “And you do?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fine.” He presents his hands. “I yield.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But the next time you see him,” he says, “and the two of you make eye contact and his hungry eyes look you up and down and your heart flutters in your chest and you take the first opportunity you can to get alone together just so you can sneak one little kiss but that kiss is so mind-blowing that you feel it deep down in your knees and the only thing keeping you upright is his strong arms wrapped around you—”

  “Grant.”

  “You’ll think of me.”

  “Doubtful.”

  He starts the engine. “Yeah,” he mutters, looking smug. “You will.”

  “No,” I say, meaning it. “Tomorrow, I’m going to remove myself from this situation. I’m going to tell him it’s over and that he should find himself a new tutor.”

  “Why wait?”

  “What?”

  “Why wait?” he asks again. “If you’re so sure, then end it now. Text him.”

  I twitch. “No.”

  “No?”

  “You...” I stutter. “You can’t break up with somebody over text, Grant. It’s rude.”

  “If he’s really just a player, then yes, you can. It’s practically expected.”

  I roll my eyes. “Whatever. Just get me home, please.”

  Thankfully, he gives it up. “I will, but one more thing. It’s very important.”

  “What?”

  Grant looks at me, his gaze briefly falling to the plastic bag. “Are you okay?” he asks.

  I smile. “Yes, I’m okay.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Good.” He pats my knee before facing forward, then he pauses again. “One more question. It’s just as important.”

  I sigh. “What?”

  “You wanna get some Taco Bell?”

  “Oh, hell yes,” I answer as I fasten my seat belt.

  “It’s over,” I whisper to myself as I enter the library.

  I’m going to tell Junior that it’s over.

  We had fun. A lot of fun.

  “But it’s over,” I say again as I cross the lobby toward the stairs.

  I’m early for our twelve o’clock study session. I barely slept last night, trying to find the right words. It shouldn’t be this hard, though, right? It was just a casual fling. A total coach’s daughter with benefits situation. It should not be so difficult for me to look him in the eye and say, “This was fun. Bye now.”

  Why do I care this much?

  I reach the second floor with those two words still fresh on my tongue. It’s over. It’s over. It’s...

  Junior.

  I spot him before he sees me. He’s already here, sitting on a couch outside the study rooms with his phone. The door to room B is closed. Occupied. At least I’ll have another few extra minutes to figure this shit out.

  Why do I care this much?

  Junior doesn’t care this much. Grant is wrong about that. Junior Morgan only wanted what I so enthusiastically gave him last night. There are hundreds of young girl fishes in the campus sea, and he’ll be more than eager to make his way to the next one.

  Junior looks up. He sees me standing at the top of the stairs. We make eye contact. His gaze drifts downward, taking me in. My heart flutters.

  Fuck.

  He smiles. It’s a brief smile. A sweet smile. One made for me.

  I realize I’m smiling, too.

  The door to Study Room B opens. Two guys walk out, their backpacks stuffed full and balanced on their backs. Junior rises from his chair and quickly strides toward the open room to claim it before someone else can.

  I realize I’m still standing in the same spot. My heart is racing. Aching. Begging me to step forward. A deep urge takes hold of me and I forget the two words I came here to say.

  A phantom thread pulls me in his direction, forcing me to enter the study room. As soon as I do, I close the door behind us, blocking out the world. It’s just him and me now. Me and Junior Morgan.

  He looks at me, still smiling, and opens his mouth to say something.

  I kiss him before he can. Our lips come together, firing a shockwave through my body. My knees tremble, but Junior wraps his arms around me and holds me against him. He kisses me back. We cling to each other in the silent room, our hearts beating together.

  This isn’t over.

  It’s barely even begun.

  “Dammit, Grant,” I whisper.

  Junior tilts his head, confused. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  I kiss him again, leaning further into his arms as he wraps them even tighter around me.

  CHAPTER 26

  ALYSSA

  October

  “It’s over.”

  I say it without blinking, without hesitation, and Junior stares at me from the other side of his bed with a blank expression on his face.

  “I don’t accept that,” he replies.

  I try not to look down at his naked abs. It’s a distraction I don’t need right now. Thankfully, his bedsheet obscures his groin, but if he even sneezed just right, it would fall down to expose his—

  Focus, Alyssa.

  This is important.

  “I don’t care what you accept,” I whisper, forcing my eyes down to my shirt — or I should say his over-sized T-shirt that I’ve claimed as my own. “It’s over, we’re done. I can’t do this anymore.”

  He sits up. “You’ve sung this song before, Nora. What makes this different than any other time you’ve run away from us in the last ten years?”

  “It’s…” I clamp my jaw in frustration. “It’s the… shit. Line.”

  Junior smirks and twists his wrist to flick the script open. “It’s the first time I’ve thought more with my head—”

  “More with my head and not my heart!” I complete the line. “Dammit. Why can’t I remember that one?”

  He tosses the script down. “From the top again?”

  I sigh with amused frustration. “You’re not even looking at the script.”

  “I don’t need to anymore.”

  “You have it memorized?”

  “I guess.”

  I kick his chest with my bare foot. “I can’t believe you know this scene better than I do.”

  Junior cradles my foot in his hands, putting soft pressure against my arch. “Well, maybe if you didn’t end up with my dick in your mouth every time you came over to run lines, you’d know it by now.”

  My jaw drops, and he laughs. “Wow. You know what? I think you’re right, Junior. Maybe we shouldn’t hook up anymore.”

  He drops my foot and points a finger at me. “I didn’t say that,” he argues. “I did not say that.”

  “I see the light now.” I add more emotion to my voice. “Sex is a bad thing. It’s naughty and horrible for productivity.”

  “But that’s why it’s fun.”

  “It’s over,” I say, taking it from the top.

  He smiles and leans forward, letting the sheet gently slip off his naked groin. “I don’t accept that.”

  “I don’t care what you accept…” I slide beneath him as he crawls up my body. “It’s over, we’re done. I can’t do this anymore.”

  Junior shifts between my willing thighs. “You’ve sung this song before, Nora…” He crushes his lips against mine, and I stretch toward his condom stash to grab one off the top. “What makes this different than any other time you’ve run away from us in the last ten years?”

  “It’s the first time I’ve thought more with my head and not my heart,” I say, rolling the latex onto his stiff shaft. “This is the right thing for both of us, Danny. I know it.”

  He adjusts my knees, pulling me closer to align us. “If this is right… why does it feel so wrong?”

  I moan as he pushes inside, stretching me out with every thick inch of him. “It feels wrong…” He rocks me with quick, firm thrusts. I twitch with pleasure. “It feels… oh, fuck, Junior, that feels good.”

  “That’s not your line.”

  “I don’t care.” I raise my knees and he drapes them over his shoulders the way I like it. His tip presses against my most sensitive spot and my back arches off the mattress as I squirm on him.

  Junior grins down at me. “Nora,” he continues, keeping hard, consistent thrusts, “I don’t give a good goddamn what your head thinks. All I care about is what that beautiful heart of yours feels.” He leans down, flashing his best, melodramatic eyes at me. “It feels the same as mine. I love you. I’ve always loved you since the day I saw you and I refuse to let you go.”

  I laugh from the bottom of my gut. “You fucking show-off!”

  He chuckles, breaking character. “I think I may have missed my calling with this acting stuff.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t think you’re handsome enough to be an actor.”

  He halts his thrust. “Oh, those are some fighting words, Alyssa Pierce.”

  “What are you gonna do about it?”

  His eyes narrow, firing down at me with intense, playful revenge. “Okay, then—”

  I laugh out loud as he takes hold of me and spins me around onto my stomach.

  He’s back inside of me in seconds, entering me from behind as he pins me to the bed. I tremble, feeling the weight of his body against my back. He takes my hair in his fist and pulls my head up to expose my neck for his bites while pounding me hard and fast.

  I grip the pillow beneath my head, moaning into it with each breath. His lips graze my ear and his warm touch tickles my spine.

  “Are you going to take it back?” he teases, grinding me a little harder.

  Fire burns inside, almost ready to explode. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing but pleasure falls from my tongue.

  “Ally…”

  He stops thrusting, and I whine beneath him. “No, keep going—”

  “Take it back and I’ll let you come…”

  I grit my teeth in dissatisfaction. “You son-of-a—”

  He twists my neck, guiding my face back to kiss me. “Take it back and I’ll make you come all over this cock.”

  I whimper. “I take it back—”

  “Take what back?”

  “You’re handsome.” I laugh. “Born for the stage.”