The party hasn’t changed. It’s still the same people, the same cheap beer, the same pre-game ritual, but…

  I’m just not into it this time.

  I toss my half-empty cup into the trash can and round the corner toward the front door to go out and get some air, only to come face-to-face with Grant’s smug mug.

  “Hello, Johnny,” he says, smiling at me.

  “Hey,” I say through gritted teeth.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  I raise a brow. “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Yeah, nothing.”

  “You seem pensive,” he says. “You never seem pensive.”

  “Must just be an off night.”

  “Johnny…” He throws his arm over my shoulder. “Walk with me.”

  We spin around and he guides me away from the door. “Grant—”

  “Johnny,” he interrupts, “I think you’re going through what the psychologists refer to as an identity crisis.”

  I laugh. “What the hell do you know about psychology, Grant?”

  “I go on a lot of triple dates with Junior and his sister. Anyway, that’s not important. What is important is you are wandering around a party, surrounded by gorgeous women and handsome men—” He clicks his cheek and winks as we pass an open door. “Greetings, Mr. Newbury.”

  “Hey, Grant.”

  “Little sister here tonight?”

  “Fuck off.”

  With a grin, Grant continues on, “And you’re wandering around here looking like your favorite show just got canceled,” he says to me. “What’s that about?”

  I sigh. “Grant—”

  “And why haven’t you completed your trifecta yet?”

  “What makes you think I haven’t?”

  He snorts.

  I don’t bother lying again. “I’ve been busy. Okay?”

  “Busy being pensive?” he asks.

  “Yes.”

  He shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t buy it. What’s her name?”

  “Her name is fuck off, Grant.”

  Another grin. “Common phrase tonight. I like it.”

  I toss his arm off my shoulder. “If I tell you there’s a girl, will you leave me alone?”

  “Sure.”

  “There’s a girl. Now, excuse me. I’m going to bed.”

  “Inviting me upstairs already?” he quips.

  “No.”

  “So sudden.”

  I ignore him and turn to walk to the stairwell.

  “Wait, wait—” Grant grabs my elbow, stopping me. “Humor me for a minute, will ya?”

  “Why?” I ask.

  “Because I’m curious.” He peeks around the crowded house. “If there is a girl, then what the hell are you doing here?”

  “I live here,” I simply say.

  A brow arches, but he lets me pass. “All right, then.”

  I reach the stairs, taking them two at the time to the second floor. I briefly glance behind me, catching Grant lingering there with a furrowed brow. Telling him there was a girl probably wasn’t the brightest idea I’ve ever had, but Grant lives for gossip. Those three little words should be enough to keep him out of my hair for a while. Tonight, at least.

  “Going to beddy-bye already, Kirby?”

  Ugh.

  I pause at my bedroom door as Douglas stomps down from the third floor with a leggy redhead pinched beneath his arm.

  I bite down to hide my annoyance. Douglas doesn’t live here anymore, but he sure acts like it. At least he didn’t use my bed.

  “Yeah,” I say quickly. “Goodnight.”

  I open my door to get away from him.

  “Hey, wait up,” he says.

  Crap.

  “Baby, I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  “Okay,” she whispers.

  “And grab me a beer,” he adds as she slinks out from under his arm.

  I leave my door open as I walk inside. He’ll just plow in and cause a scene if I don’t.

  Douglas leans against the door frame, regarding me with a smirk. “So, I hear you’re falling a little behind on your trifecta, John.”

  I plop onto my desk chair. “You heard wrong.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “I still have plenty of time to get the last two.”

  He piques with interest. “One down, eh?”

  “That’s right. Same as you.”

  His laugh is cocky and unwelcome. “Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, Johnny.”

  I sneer at his sudden shift into cartoon villainy. “Huh?”

  Douglas bites his lip as he peeks over his shoulder. “That little number I just came downstairs with graduated in May, so that makes her an alumni. Two down. One to go.”

  “Alumnus,” I say.

  “What?”

  “Alumni is the plural.”

  He twitches, confused.

  I clear my throat. “And she’s still hanging out in frat houses, huh?” I ask, moving on.

  “Bumped into her at the gas station,” he says, happy to report. “She’s in town for the Homecoming game tomorrow, and she recognized me.”

  “Well, you’re hard to miss with that grease trap on your head.”

  “So, you better get crackin’, champ,” he says, still smirking. “All I need is the teacher.”

  “I’ve already got the teacher,” I say, happy to report.

  His mouth sags, but only for a second. “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, and since the Homecoming game is this weekend, as you say, I think I should have no trouble at all knocking off the last two by Monday.”

  What the hell are you doing, John?

  Douglas nods, pretending to be impressed. “Guess I’ll have to nail my teacher by Sunday, then. I’ve got her all picked out.”

  My stomach twists. “Is that right?”

  “Sexy little blonde TA,” he says. “Smoking hot but super frigid — the best kind. Just needs a little extra attention to loosen her up.”

  “Sounds like a lot of unnecessary effort.”

  “She’ll bend.” He pushes off the door frame. “They always do eventually for guys like us, right?”

  I fight the urge to break his arm. “Right.”

  He steps backward. “I’ll see you at the game, buddy.”

  I take a breath, sitting still while I listen to him plunk down the stairs to the ground floor.

  And that’s it.

  Douglas is gunning for Rose.

  But that’s fine. She’s smart. She’d never fall for his shit.

  Then again, she fell for mine.

  They always do eventually for guys like us, right?

  I pop out of my chair and slam my door before falling into bed.

  Tomorrow is the Homecoming game. I should focus on getting a good night’s sleep, anyway.

  Limit distractions. Concentrate on the game. Earn that championship.

  I close my eyes and as I drift off, I hear that wonderful sound of Rose moaning in my memories. Images form in my head, shaping into a very vivid picture of Douglas pounding her in the—

  I jerk awake.

  Goddammit.

  CHAPTER 19

  ROSE

  “So,” Daisy says, “how are things with your student fuck buddy?”

  “Shh!”

  I look over my shoulder at the sea of faces surrounding me on the bleachers, just in case someone heard that. It’s the Homecoming game, and this is the largest crowd I’ve seen at a game so far this year.

  “Rose, we’re on the phone,” Daisy says. “Unless the chemistry department has started wire-tapping cell phones, I think we’re okay to speak freely about your fling.”

  “Sorry. It’s habit.” I keep my voice low. “Dr. Zach almost caught us yesterday.”

  “Where were you?”

  “In the TA office.”

  She gasps. “You’re banging him on campus?”

  “Daisy.”

  “Bravo! Such a dirty girl! Even I’ve never done it in public. Good for you.”

  “Stop it,” I say, barely glancing at the field. We’re on the defense right now. As much as I love football, I tend to zone out whenever Douglas is on the field. “I think I should call this whole thing off. It’s getting too risky.”

  “But risky is what makes it fun.”

  “I’m not disagreeing with that, but…”

  “But…?”

  “I think he’s… corrupting me.”

  She laughs. “Good.”

  “Is it?”

  “It’s about time, if you ask me. I couldn’t even get you to swipe a tube of lipstick in high school.”

  “Well, that’s illegal,” I say. “This is just…”

  “Dirty.”

  “Yeah.”

  The crowd boos and my attentions fly back to the field. The other team scored yet another touchdown, giving them a very considerable lead over us. Good thing we’re only in the second quarter.

  The players shuffle around on the field. My chest flutters as I spot John walking out there.

  “Don’t think too much about it, Rose,” Daisy says. “Just have fun with it.”

  “There is such a thing as too much fun, you know.”

  “Agree to disagree.”

  I bite my tongue as John gets slammed by a rather overzealous cornerback. Junior helps him to his feet as the crowd groans again.

  “What’s up with your boy today?” Daisy asks me. “He’s playing like shit.”

  “I don’t know.” The team huddles up on the field, but I focus on him, craning my neck to see over the freakishly tall people in front of me.

  “Well, did you guys have sex today?”

  “No,” I answer.

  “Last night?”

  “No.”

  “Is he getting it from someone else?” she asks. “One of those Booba Koopa girls?”

  “Beta Kappa?”

  “Yeah, them!”

  “I don’t know! I hope not.”

  “You guys haven’t had that talk yet, huh?”

  “No.” I cringe. Should we have that talk? Should we have already had that talk? “Get to the point, Daisy,” I say before I spiral.

  “Sex is a natural performance enhancer,” she says. “It temporarily increases testosterone levels, makes them more focused, more controlled. All that fun stuff.”

  I shake my head. “That can’t possibly be true.”

  “Dude, you’re the chemist.”

  “Oh, man.” I look at the field as the teams cradle the line of scrimmage. “Is this really my fault?”

  “Probably.”

  “Hike!” Junior spins around and hands the ball off to John, who instantly bolts to the left to dodge a fierce defense as it pummels right through the offensive linemen.

  He takes yet another hard tackle.

  I wince. “Ah, crap.”

  Daisy chuckles. “Or… you can acknowledge that football is a team sport, and he’s probably not the only one out there having an off day… if that makes you feel any better.”

  I chew on my lip and check the timer. Three minutes left until halftime and we’re down twenty-one points. “I’ll call you after the game,” I say.

  “Okay, I’ll talk to you later,” she says. “You cock-hungry minx.”

  I flinch. “Jesus, Daisy.”

  “Sorry. Got a little carried away there.”

  “Ya think?”

  “Bye, sis.”

  “Bye.”

  Even in a sea of uniforms all the same color, John stands out to me in the middle of everything with stains on his tights and his head down after taking one too many hits.

  There’s still enough time to turn this around. Coach Bob most likely has a motivational speech or two to pump them up during the twenty minutes of halftime in the locker room. But what if that’s not enough? The team depends on John and his speed to gain yards and score touchdowns. If he’s not performing well, then…

  Ah, jeez.

  I’m really doing this, aren’t I?

  CHAPTER 20

  JOHN

  Each step toward the locker room is as humiliating as the one before it. The team offers a few pats on my shoulders as they pass by me, but they don’t make me feel any better about the state of this game.

  We’re losing. It’s my fault.

  The Rose situation has officially bled into my psyche.

  I can’t get her out of my head. More specifically, I can’t get the mental image of Douglas Floyd taking what’s mine out of my head. And I’ve got the worst imagination possible on that. Images of Rose on her knees. On all fours. On her back with legs in the air. If I’ve done it to her, you can bet your ass I’ve pictured Douglas doing the same things to her over and over and over—

  “Psst!”

  I pause. “Rose?” I ask.

  She lays a finger across her lips to silence me; her face peeking out from behind a dark classroom door.

  “What are you doing?”

  She gestures for me to follow her inside.

  “What?”

  She rolls her eyes and waves me in again before hiding away from the other players.

  I linger behind and wait for the rest of them to disappear into the locker room before following her.

  In the dark, she stands in front of a desk with her hands gently folded in front of her. “Hey, John,” she says.

  I blink, letting my eyes adjust to the dark and empty room. “Rose,” I greet her as I set my helmet down on the counter by the door. “What’s up?”

  “I, um…” She bites her lip. “Fuck me.”

  I raise a brow, drifting close enough to her to see the wild pink flooding her cheeks. "What?” I ask.

  “Fuck me,” she repeats.

  “Fuck you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Now?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Now?”

  Rose pops onto the tips of her toes. “Come on, Johnny.” She kisses me, her lips parted and tongue sharp. “Fuck me.”

  Okay.

  I kiss her. She puts her hands on me, guiding us toward the nearest desk. She hops up onto it, her legs splayed and… panties clearly already gone.

  She tugs at the strings of my uncomfortably tight pants.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” I whisper, grabbing her hand to stop her. “Hold on.”

  “What?” she asks.

  “Can’t believe I’m saying this,” I murmur. I clear my throat. “What’s happening here? I thought you were done with me.”

  “Done with you?” she asks. “No.”

  “No?”

  “No. Why would I be?”

  “Well, you do say that each time is, you know, the last time.”

  “Okay.” She nods. “Yeah, I do, but—”

  “And you blew me off last night.”

  “I didn’t blow you off! I had quizzes to grade. You got an A-minus, by the way.”

  “I don’t know. I just figured there was someone else.”

  “There’s no one else,” she says.

  My heart skips. “There’s no one else?”

  “No.”

  “No…” I flex my jaw. “Coffee cart douche-nozzles with… stupid hair? No one like that?”

  “There’s just you, Johnny. I don’t want anyone else.”

  “I don’t want anyone else either.”

  Rose smiles. My smile. “No Beta Kappa girls?”

  “No Beta Kappa girls.”

  She kisses me again, and a bolt of warmth travels from my head to my toes.

  Suddenly, I don’t give a flying fuck what Douglas Floyd wants to do to her. Motherfucker doesn’t have a chance with my girl.

  My Rose.

  I break the kiss, smiling. “Why are you here again?” I ask.

  “Oh, well…” She licks her lips. “I heard that sex is a natural performance enhancer, so I thought that if I let you use my body you’d play better because…” She hesitates. “You’re kinda blowing it out there, bud.”

  “You think a quickie will help me turn this game around?”

  “It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

  “Bend over the desk.”

  She hands me the condom stashed in her palm, then spins around. “Better make it fast, because there’s only ten minutes left in halftime.”

  I rip the wrapper open and slide the condom on. “Don’t worry, baby,” I say, hard as a rock as Rose flips her skirt up, revealing her perfect ass. “Ain’t no one faster than me.” I thrust home, then pause. “Okay, that didn’t come out right.”

  “John.”

  “Right. Fast. Got it.”

  Rose grips the desk with both hands, her chest pressed flat against it as I fuck her. I plunge deep, her pussy already slick. I fight the urge to drop to my knees and taste her. There’s only so much time.

  But I’ll pay her back.

  “Johnny,” Rose moans, “I love watching you own that field.”

  I grunt in acknowledgment, too focused to speak.

  “It makes me want you so badly.”

  I watch my cock going in and out of her, her lips gripping my shaft.

  “Score for me, Johnny,” she gasps. “Go deep for me.”

  I groan. So fucking close.

  Faster. Deeper. Harder. I pound her on the desk, her thighs pinned in what couldn’t possibly be a comfortable position. But Rose moans. She tightens her pussy around my cock. She takes it all.

  And she does it with a smile.

  The tension breaks. I release an animalistic groan as I come, pumping the condom full. My knees wobble. My ankles buck. I stay deep inside of her quivering slit until the blood finally leaves my groin and fires fresh adrenaline throughout the rest of me.

  “Touchdown,” she jokes, tilting her head back.

  I crack up, barely standing as I slide out of her. “You okay?”

  She plants her feet on the floor and pushes herself up. “I’m all right.” She reaches for her phone nearby. “Five minutes. You should get going.”

  “I will, just…” I cup her face, forcing her to focus on me. “I need a moment.”

  Rose smiles. Suddenly, I’m more alert. I can see through the fog. My heart pounds, each pulse thrumming with the sound of her name. I feel like my usual badass self.

  I kiss her. It’s the least I can do. For now.