Faster 533u5s

FASTER The University of Gatica Series By Lexy Timms Copyright 2015 by Lexy Timms

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2015 by Lexy Timms Cover design by: Book Cover by Design Editor: proofbeforeyoupublish.com No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews. Website: https://www.facebook.com/SavingForever Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FdSZUaJ2q0 Newsletter: Sign up for news and updates! http://eepurl.com/9i0vD

––––––––

UNIVERITY OF GATICA SERIES The Recruiting Trip Book One is Now available! Faster Book Two: Now Available Higher Book Three: coming Summer 2015 Stronger Book Four: coming Fall/Winter 2015

Also by Lexy Timms

A Bad Boy Bullied Romance I Hate You I Hate You A Little Bit I Hate You A Little Bit More

A Burning Love Series Spark of ion Flame of Desire Blaze of Ecstasy

A Chance at Forever Series Forever Perfect Forever Desired Forever Together

A Dating App Series I've Been Matched You've Been Matched

We've Been Matched

A "Kind of" Billionaire Taking a Risk Safety in Numbers Pretend You're Mine

A Maybe Series Maybe I Should Maybe I Shouldn't Maybe I Did

Assisting the Boss Series Billion Reasons Duke of Delegation Late Night Meetings Delegating Love Suitors and irers

BBW Romance Series Capturing Her Beauty

Pursuing Her Dreams Tracing Her Curves

Beating the Biker Series Making Her His Making the Break Making of Them

Billionaire Banker Series Banking on Him Price of ion Investing in Love Knowing Your Worth Treasured Forever Banking on Christmas

Billionaire Holiday Romance Series Driving Home for Christmas The Valentine Getaway Cruising Love

Billionaire in Disguise Series Facade Illusion Charade

Billionaire Secrets Series The Secret Freedom Courage Trust Impulse Billionaire Secrets Box Set Books #1-3

Blind Sight Series See Me Fix Me Eyes On Me

Branded Series Money or Nothing What People Say

Give and Take

Building Billions Building Billions - Part 1 Building Billions - Part 2 Building Billions - Part 3

Change of Heart Series The Heart Needs The Heart Wants The Heart Knows

Conquering Warrior Series Ruthless

Counting the Billions Counting the Days Counting On You Counting the Kisses

Darkest Night Series

Savage

Diamond in the Rough Anthology Billionaire Rock Billionaire Rock - part 2

Dirty Little Taboo Series Flirting Touch Denying Pleasure Forbidding Desire Craving ion

Dominating PA Series Her Personal Assistant - Part 1 Her Personal Assistant Box Set

Fake Billionaire Series Faking It Temporary CEO Caught in the Act Never Tell A Lie

Fake Christmas Fake Billionaire Box Set #1-3

Firehouse Romance Series Caught in Flames Burning With Desire Craving the Heat Firehouse Romance Complete Collection

Forging Billions Series Dirty Money Petty Cash Payment Required

For His Pleasure Elizabeth Georgia Madison

Fortune Riders MC Series Billionaire Biker

Billionaire Ransom Billionaire Misery

Fragile Series Fragile Touch Fragile Kiss Fragile Love

Great Temptation Series The Devil's Footsteps Heaven's Command Mortals Surrender

Hades' Spawn Motorcycle Club One You Can't Forget One That Got Away One That Came Back One You Never Leave One Christmas Night Hades' Spawn MC Complete Series

Hard Rocked Series Rhyme Harmony Lyrics

Heart of Stone Series The Protector The Guardian The Warrior

Heart of the Battle Series Celtic Viking Celtic Rune Celtic Mann Heart of the Battle Series Box Set

Heistdom Series Master Thief Goldmine Diamond Heist Smile For Me

Your Move Green With Envy Saving Money

Highlander Wolf Series Pack Run Pack Land Pack Rules

How To Love A Spy The Secret The Secret Life The Secret Wife

Just About Series About Love About Truth About Forever

Justice Series Seeking Justice

Finding Justice Chasing Justice Pursuing Justice Justice - Complete Series

Kissed by Billions Kissed by ion Kissed by Desire Kissed by Love

Leaning Towards Trouble Trouble Discord Tenacity

Love on the Sea Series Ships Ahoy Rough Sea High Tide

Love You Series

Love Life Need Love My Love

Managing the Billionaire Never Enough Worth the Cost Secret irers Chasing Affection Pressing Romance Timeless Memories Managing the Billionaire Box Set Books #1-3

Managing the Bosses Series The Boss The Boss Too Who's the Boss Now Love the Boss I Do the Boss Wife to the Boss Employed by the Boss

Brother to the Boss Senior Advisor to the Boss Forever the Boss Christmas With the Boss Billionaire in Control Billionaire Makes Millions Billionaire at Work Precious Little Thing Priceless Love Valentine Love The Cost of Freedom Trick or Treat The Night Before Christmas Gift for the Boss - Novella 3.5 Managing the Bosses Box Set #1-3 Managing the Bosses Novellas

Mislead by the Bad Boy Series Deceived

Model Mayhem Series

Shameless Modesty Imperfection

Moment in Time Highlander's Bride Victorian Bride Modern Day Bride A Royal Bride Forever the Bride

My Best Friend’s Sister Hometown Calling A Perfect Moment Thrown in Together

My Darker Side Series Darkest Hour Time to Stop Against the Light

Neverending Dream Series Neverending Dream - Part 1 Neverending Dream - Part 2 Neverending Dream - Part 3 Neverending Dream - Part 4 Neverending Dream - Part 5

Outside the Octagon Submit Fight Knockout

Protecting Diana Series Her Bodyguard Her Defender Her Champion Her Protector Her Forever

Protecting Layla Series His Mission

His Objective His Devotion

Racing Hearts Series Rush Pace Fast

Regency Romance Series The Duchess Scandal - Part 1 The Duchess Scandal - Part 2

Reverse Harem Series Primals Archaic Unitary

RIP Series Track the Ripper Hunt the Ripper Pursue the Ripper

R&S Rich and Single Series Alex Reid Parker

Saving Forever Saving Forever - Part 1 Saving Forever - Part 2 Saving Forever - Part 3 Saving Forever - Part 4 Saving Forever - Part 5 Saving Forever - Part 6 Saving Forever Part 7 Saving Forever - Part 8 Saving Forever Boxset Books #1-3

Shifting Desires Series Jungle Heat Jungle Fever Jungle Blaze

Sin Series Payment for Sin Atonement Within Declaration of Love

Southern Romance Series Little Love Affair Siege of the Heart Freedom Forever Soldier's Fortune

Spanked Series ion Playmate Pleasure

Spelling Love Series The Author The Book Boyfriend The Words of Love

Taboo Wedding Series He Loves Me Not With This Ring Happily Ever After

Tattooist Series Confession of a Tattooist Surrender of a Tattooist Heart of a Tattooist Hopes & Dreams of a Tattooist

Tennessee Romance Whisky Lullaby Whisky Melody Whisky Harmony

The Bad Boy Alpha Club Battle Lines - Part 1 Battle Lines

The Brush Of Love Series

Every Night Every Day Every Time Every Way Every Touch

The Debt The Debt: Part 1 - Damn Horse The Debt: Complete Collection

The Fire Inside Series Dare Me Defy Me Burn Me

The Gentleman's Club Series Gambler Player Wager

The Golden Mail

Hot Off the Press Extra! Extra! Read All About It Stop the Press Breaking News This Just In

The Lucky Billionaire Series Lucky Break Streak of Luck Lucky in Love

The Sound of Breaking Hearts Series Disruption Destroy Devoted

The University of Gatica Series The Recruiting Trip Faster Higher

Stronger Dominate No Rush University of Gatica - The Complete Series

T.N.T. Series Troubled Nate Thomas - Part 1 Troubled Nate Thomas - Part 2 Troubled Nate Thomas - Part 3

Toxic Touch Series Noxious Lethal Willful Tainted (Coming Soon)

Undercover Series Perfect For Me Perfect For You Perfect For Us

Unknown Identity Series Unknown Unpublished Unexposed Unsure Unwritten Unknown Identity Box Set: Books #1-3

Unlucky Series Unlucky in Love UnWanted UnLoved Forever

War Torn Letters Series My Sweetheart My Darling My Beloved

Wet & Wild Series Stormy Love Savage Love

Secure Love

Worth It Series Worth Billions Worth Every Cent Worth More Than Money

You & Me - A Bad Boy Romance Just Me Touch Me Kiss Me

Standalone Wash Loving Charity Summer Lovin' Love & College Billionaire Heart First Love Frisky and Fun Romance Box Collection Beating Hades' Bikers

Watch for more at Lexy Timms’s site.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Copyright Page

Also By Lexy Timms

Faster (The University of Gatica Series, #2)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Want To Find Me?

More by Lexy Timms:

Sign up for Lexy Timms's Mailing List

Further Reading: Confession of a Tattooist

Also By Lexy Timms

This is Book 2 of a 4 book series (with the possibility of more to come!) DESCRIPTION: Hurdler, Aileen Nessa surprised the university track and field world by g with a small Division One NCAA school. Talented on the track and in the classroom, she is headed to the University of Gatica. No one knows the main reason, she signed with the school, is because of a top defensive back football player. Away from her small Ohio hometown, she steps into a university town dedicated to sports and success. Trying to adjust to school life as a varsity athlete, she learns there are perks and challenges because of her status. Tyler Jensen, the boy she desperately wants to catch the attention of, seems to have forgotten all about what happened on Aileen’s recruiting trip last February. Devastated, she throws her frustration into the only thing she knows – track. Will pushing everything to the limit create the fulfillment she so desperately wants or will everything come crashing down before she reaches the first hurdle? * This is NOT erotica* It is a new adult & college sport romance. For mature readers only. There are sexual situations, but no graphic sex.

UNIVERSITY of GATICA SERIES The Recruiting Trip Faster Higher Stronger

Citius, Altius, Fortius

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." -Steve Prefontaine

Chapter 1

“You sure your roommate isn’t going to mind if I crash at your place?” Aileen tossed a cheesy at her brother. “Brad! I already talked to Jani. She said it was fine.” “What’s this Jani look like? She’s two years older than you, right?” Brad changed the radio in his truck and began tapping his thumbs against the steering wheel. He gave her a knowing look. “Is she cute?” Aileen shook her head and popped one last cheesy in her mouth before closing the bag. “Funny, she asked me the same question about you.” Brad glanced at her with his brown eyes before turning his attention back to the road. He had their father’s chestnut hair and dark eyes while Aileen had her mother’s blonde hair and blue eyes. “Did she seriously ask you if I was cute?” She laughed. “She kinda reminds me of a female version of you.” “Gross. I’m not interested then.” She punched him playfully in the shoulder. “I meant that she’s like you; she doesn’t look like you.” She tried to what Jani looked like back in February. All she could was the night before she left, at Tyler’s party. “She’s pretty. She’s a high jumper.” Brad made a face. “Tall n’ skinny like a bean? I’ve seen those high jumpers at your track meets. I’ll .” “Let me finish, do-do brain. Jani’s from Canada, I think she said the west coast. She has long legs, but she’s not tall and lanky like most high jumpers. You won’t be disappointed.” Aileen shook her head. “Not that it matters. You are not flirting or hitting on her. I don’t want to be making enemies before school even starts.” Brad gave her a hurt look.

She mouthed “Liar!” at him. “What makes you think my hanging with your roommate would make enemies? That hurts,” he punched his chest, right where his heart was, “right here.” “When’s the last time you had a girlfriend?” “Last week.” Aileen burst out laughing. “For about two days. Then the twins realized you were dating both of them.” Brad shrugged. “It was on my bucket list.” “You have a bucket list? You’re twenty-two years old! Gimme a break.” “Fine.” He swiped his hand in her direction. “I won’t sleep with your roommate. You need to make a good impression at this school. Heaven knows why you chose this place. I thought Stanford was in the bag. What made you choose this cold, crappy, not-much-bigger-than-home university town?” That was the million dollar question everyone had been asking her all summer. Her recruiting trip had been back in February. Anyone with a brain would have probably chosen Stanford, but anyone with a heart would have told her to follow that. She hadn’t listened to her brain or her heart; she’d gone with her gut feeling and signed the Letter of Intent before it expired. She could have waited, thought the big decision through as long as she needed. Coach Anderson at Gatica had told her she had all the time she needed. Except all she could think about when she got back to Bucyrus, Ohio was Tyler Jensen’s touch – the feel of his lips on hers, the magic his hands could do and the terribly sweet ache he created deep inside of her. So she signed the Letter of Intent. Literally, because of her gut feeling. She also believed (or tried to tell herself) the school had a lot to offer both athletically and academically. Not everyone agreed. Her mother was disappointed she hadn’t chosen to stay closer to home and then spent most of the summer making underlying comments. Her coach was upset she hadn’t signed with a top NCAA Women’s athletic program and after World Junior’s, he had told her she was on her own now. He said it was time for her to start focussing on her new school and coach. Her brother wanted sun. He had promised to drive her to her new

school before she had signed, confident she would choose a sunny state. Only her father and Becky were excited for her. Dad had hugged her and said he was proud of her decision, which only made her feel guilty about the real reason for going to the University of Gatica. Aileen spent the summer trying to convince herself she had made the right decision. She did not have “signers-regret” she kept telling herself. Thank goodness Becky was around to tell her how great her school was going to be. “You’ll do awesome wherever you go,” Becky told her a million times before yesterday. “You’re smart, athletic and damn beautiful. Everyone will love you. It’s impossible not to.” When Becky cried the night before Aileen left, it opened the floodgate of uncertainty again for her. She didn’t it it to Becky, but she was nervous. More nervous than when she stepped into the starting blocks during the World Junior finals. Becky made her pinkie swear to come home during Thanksgiving break. November couldn’t get here soon enough now. She inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. A lot could happen in the next three months. She had to think positive. “Earth to Aileen.” Brad waved his hand in front of her face. “You still here?” She gave her head a slight shake and looked at him. “Of course I’m here.” “Really?” Brad chuckled. “Because I’m pretty sure you were off in la-la land.” “Sorry.” “You nervous?” His voice softened as he checked the GPS. “We’re about half an hour away. Do you want to stop and grab a drink or have a break for a bit?” She was glad he didn’t ask her again why she had chosen Gatica. If he did, she might have told him the truth; that it was about a boy. He’d have gone mad. “I’m okay. Let’s just get there. Jani took a class this summer, and she’s already at the house. I told her I’d send her a message to let her know when we were close.” She pulled her phone out to text Jani. “What’s the campus like?” Brad asked when Aileen put her phone back in her

bag. “Nice.” She tried to think back to the tour Sean, a distance runner, had taken her on back in February. It had seemed so cold that weekend. “Some of the buildings are ancient. The school was built in eighteen sixty-five I think, and some of the buildings are original. There're even fireplaces inside the library.” Brad gave her a skeptical look. “What about the training facilities?” “I think the track was an old airplane hangar turned into the indoor track. The outdoor stadium is right in front of Wavertree Fieldhouse – that’s the indoor track.” “Sounds like a lot of old stuff to me.” “The structures are old, but the facilities inside are not. Wait till you see the weight room. It’s unbelievable. So is the football stadium. Apparently they—we —have a good team.” “You do.” He chuckled as he pulled off the highway and headed down the road that would take them into town. “You should probably get caught up on that. Most of university life revolves around football. From the team, the marching band, the cheerleaders, and the students. I might have only gone to juco but it was the same there, and we had a shitty team.” “Varsity athletes get student es to all the home games.” “Seriously?” Brad nodded in agreement. “Awesome. I might just have to come up a weekend and catch a game with you.” “I get a , I probably can’t get one for you.” “We’ll figure something out. Maybe you can ask the Jim Thorpe recipient guy. I saw on the website he runs track as well.” “Tyler?” “First name basis with the star defensive back?” Brad snapped his fingers and pointed at her. “I knew there was something you weren’t saying.” He grinned mischievously at her. “So I take it you met Tyler on your recruiting trip?”

Aileen played with the hemline of her skirt. “He came out for dinner with Coach Anderson the one night.” She looked up and stared hard at the road in front of them. “He won NCAAs for Pete’s sake, Brad. He’s a hurdler! It’s not like I staked out the football team!” Her brother kept the smirk on his face but managed to hold his laugh in. “You don’t have to get so defensive! Shoot, you’d give the guy a run for his money on the football field. Ouch!” he cried out when she punched his arm. “I was only asking if you knew him to try and score a ticket to a football game if I come up.” He rubbed his arm. “It might be safer just to stay home.” “Maybe you should.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Not really mad at him, she was annoyed with herself for reacting the way she did.” “Nah,” he teased. “You’ll miss me too much. Me and Eddie will come up a weekend to visit. It’ll be a laugh.” Eddie was Brad’s best bud and also Becky’s brother. “Are you guys going to see Becky a weekend as well?” “Hell, yeah!” Brad winked at her. They ed the city sign to welcome them to Gatica. The four-lane road turned into a two lane as houses appeared and grew closer and closer together. Aileen pointed out Brad’s window. “Behind that grocery store is Campus Corner. It’s a strip of bars, restaurants and shops. It’s kind of cool.” They came up to a red light. On Aileen’s side stood the Horse and Red Coat rider monument. Someone had taped a football to the rider’s hand and somehow managed to secure a school flag to the horse’s tail. Brad let out a low whistle. “You can’t beat school spirit!” “School doesn’t start for another two weeks.” Aileen couldn’t imagine students showing up this early. “You aren’t the only one on a sports scholarship, kid,” Brad said. “You can bet more athletes are here, especially football. They’ve got a home game on the Friday of the first week of school.”

“How do you know all this stuff?” she asked. “Go right, by the way, Jani said to turn right here and our house is on the third street.” “Nice and close to campus, and the bars. Handy.” She hadn’t even thought of that; she had brought her bike along because Wavertree Fieldhouse was on the other side of campus, and the weight room was even a further hike away. She planned on biking as much as she could. Luckily the school wasn’t huge. Brad turned his truck onto Shuttleman Road. “What’s the number again?” She checked her phone. “Twenty-ten.” He slowed to check the numbers. “They jump by a thousand each block it looks like. You’re basically two blocks from school, three blocks from Campus Corner. I’m liking this Jani girl more and more.” “Still not allowed to sleep with her.” Aileen shifted and began bouncing her foot against the floor of the truck. “There she is!” She pointed two houses ahead of them and began waving. “Jani!” She rolled down the window and waved. Jani, wearing cut off jogging pants and a red tank top, leapt over the small porch and ran over as Brad parked the truck in front of the yellow house. She nearly jumped into the cab through the window as she leaned in to hug Aileen. “You made it!” She leaned back and opened the truck door. “I can’t believe you’re here! I’m so excited!” She hugged Aileen tight again when she stepped out of the truck. She flashed a smile at Brad when he came around on the grass as well. “Hi! Are you Aileen’s boyfriend?” Brad looked mortified. “Hell no! I’m her brother.” He gave Jani a quick once over and grinned. “Her older brother.” Aileen tried not to roll her eyes. She loved her brother, even when he was a flirt. “Jani, this is my only brother, Brad. Brad this is my roommate.” Jani held out her hand. “’Eh, Brad! I’m Aileen’s only roommate. We have something in common.”

Only roommate? What about... “Where’s Linda?” Jani, still giving Brad an approving smile, said, “She’s moving in with her boyfriend. They met back in May, and she just told me last week she’s decided to move in with him. You can have her room if you want.” She linked her arms through Aileen’s and Brad’s. “Come see what I did with the place this summer!” “What about the volleyball players? I thought you had two roommates in the basement?” “They both graduated. I spoke with the owner, and he’s totally cool. We’ll ask around, but he said he didn’t care if it’s just the two of us this semester. He’s not going to raise the rent on us. We’ll scope out the team and see if we approve of anyone.” Aileen forced her shoulders to drop and relaxed. She hadn’t realized she had been getting tight and nervous. Seeing Jani made her excited. She was glad she picked Gatica. The good feeling inside her just from being here was coming back. “Sounds good to me.” Brad, who kept his arm linked with Jani, added, “I can stay here as long as you two need me to.” “Don’t you have to be back at work on Monday?” He waved his hand. “I’d quit my job for you.” He stared at Jani. “You, two. I mean, I’d quit my job to help you two ladies.” Jani laughed. “I like your brother. He’s funny.” She opened the freshly painted red door. “I painted this summer between classes. Only went home for two weeks because nationals were in B.C., like an hour from my house. Then I came back here. This place is nearly dead in the summer. I had nothing to do so I painted. Like everything!” Aileen stepped inside and barely recognized the once dimly lit living room. Jani had painted it a bright yellow and the sunlight from the windows shone on the hardwood floor. She had rearranged the furniture so the TV was now against the wall by Linda’s old room, and the couch was between the two large side windows. “It looks great.”

“Wait till you see what I did in here.” She opened the door to what had been Linda’s room. Aileen hadn’t seen it before so she had nothing to compare it to, but Jani had painted two of the walls white, and one black. “It’s chalkboard paint!” The last wall where a bed sat against had palm trees and a beach mural. “That’s pretty good.” Brad walked over and touched the wall. “You did this all yourself?” Jani nodded excitedly. “I moved into this room and painted the back room for you too, Aileen.” She grabbed Aileen’s hand and pulled her out of the room toward the back. “I figured you might want to have a bit more privacy since it’s your first year.” They walked through the kitchen that opened into a closed in back porch. There were stairs that led down to the basement and a door on the other side. Jani pushed it open. The smell of fresh paint and carpet waffled through Aileen’s nostrils. Brad followed closely behind them. The dark gray carpet was soft and fluffy against her flip flops. Jani had painted one wall with the same black chalkboard paint and across from it she had painted an oval, red mondo-colored track with a Red Coat Warrior near the top left. Jani grinned. “Super cool, ‘eh?” Brad whistled. “This room is huge. Bigger than mine.” He glanced behind and frowned. “I’m not sure I like that back door right beside my sister’s room. She could sneak out of here without anyone knowing.” Jani’s grin turned sly. “Or have someone sneak in.” An image of Tyler Jensen naked on her bed, his tight, muscular body hovering over her, filled her mind. Aileen sucked in a sharp breath, dropping her purse in the process.

Chapter 2

Jani winked at Aileen so Brad wouldn’t see, picked up her purse and tossed it at her. Then Jani turned her attention back to Brad. “The rooms in the basement are at the front of the house, below here is the laundry room. No one can hear the back door opening or closing. This was my room for two years. I kept the back door oiled and squeak free. Someone could come in here and take your sister and we wouldn’t know it.” Aileen burst out laughing at the look on Brad’s face. “She’s kidding!” Brad crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m putting a padlock on that door before I leave.” Jani put her arm around him. “I promise to take good care of your little sister.” Aileen looked around the room again. “I love the track on the wall. Did you just paint that?” Jani nodded. “I painted the other room first and then ed the coach saying you were leaning toward Stanford or somewhere warm. Didn’t think you’d want to sleep in a room to rub that in. So I moved there and painted the track on this wall. Track seems to be your... your... entity.” “Entity?” Brad scratched his head. “You mean, like her entire life? And nothing else?” Aileen ignored her annoying brother. “I’m going to put my bed right under it.” She smiled. “It’s awesome.” Brad walked around the room, opening the closet door. “This thing’s nearly as big as my room!” Aileen came up behind him and peered in. “I don’t have enough clothes to fill this.” “Wait till you get all your track gear. It’ll take up half the closet.”

Brad leaned against the doorframe of the closet. “Wait a minute. You guys get track gear? For free?” Jani laughed. “Duh! Of course. We all get a jogging suit and a warm up suit at the beginning of the year. Plus we get a bunch of shirts throughout the year, and of course, a bunch of the meets give you a shirt, even a watch if you win. We also have a couple of competing outfits and a school warm up kit. That stuff has to be handed back in at the end of the year and then you get it again the next year.” She pointed to her feet. “Don’t forget shoes. We get trainers to work out in, plus spikes.” “Seriously?” Brad shook his head and looked at Aileen. “I so should have gone out for track.” “What sport are you into?” Jani asked him. “I played basketball and soccer in high school. I, uh, didn’t really do anything but intramurals in juco. More into the partying scene.” He grinned and leaned toward her. “Which some would consider a sport in and of itself.” “Whatever.” Aileen shook her head. Her brother was naturally athletic and probably could have made the juco soccer team or anything he tried out for. He just didn’t have the drive to go out and try out. “I’m going to start bringing in some of my stuff.” “Wait!” Jani said as she headed out of the room. “Let me grab my keys and Brad can back his truck up into the drive. He can pull all the way so we can carry everything through the back door. We’ll have it unloaded in twenty minutes!” “Ladies, slow down!” Brad motioned with his hands to stop them. “How about we grab a drink and chill for a bit first? We just got here. I’m up for going to grab something to eat in Campus Corner.” “We will, after we unload the truck. We don’t have to set everything up now.” Aileen wanted to but wasn’t about to it that to her brother. She also didn’t want to leave the house until she had showered and changed. With her luck, they would head out and run into Tyler, who wouldn’t even recognize her all greasy and gross. Brad threw his hands up in the air. “Fine. Let’s unload. Then eat. Then you can

show me the campus. I want to see this football stadium of yours.” So did Aileen. Except her reasons were entirely different than her brother’s.

––––––––

After unpacking and setting up her bedroom, Brad drove Jani and Aileen through Campus Corner. Jani picked out an amazing local Mexican food restaurant. As they ate, Aileen tried not to throw up from the flirting between her brother and roommate. “You guys are gross,” she told them after lunch as they headed back to the truck. “You two are not allowed to... you know.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. Jani laughed and threw her arm around her roommate. “I promise not to sleep with your brother. Rule number one of Roomie Rules. Brothers are like family and are not to be touched. They are scum.” “Hey!” Brad unlocked the truck doors. “I’m right here.” “Sorry, Brad,” Jani teased. “Honor before satisfaction.” “I could totally satisfy you. You have no idea what you are missing.” Aileen hopped in the truck first from the enger side and punched her brother on the arm. “You are disgusting! I’m telling Mom you said that.” “Ow!” Brad rubbed his arm. “Telling Mom? How old are you?” “I’m wondering the same thing about you.” She grinned at her brother before rubbing her knuckles playfully on the top of his head. “I’m going to miss you while I’m at school.” “I can stay if you want me too.” She shook her head. “Not going to miss you that much.”

Jani burst out laughing. “I’m so jealous of you guys. I’m an only kid. No fighting, bickering or anything on my side. Can I be a surrogate sister?” Brad leaned forward, resting his forearms on the steering wheel. “Surrogate?” He winked and gave her a knowing look. Aileen stomped her feet on the ground. “Enough! I will seriously throw up all over the cab of your truck. Can we just say any flirty, sexual jokes or anything closely related is off limits? Taboo? Please?” She looked back and forth at both of them. Brad sighed. “Fine. But I can’t guarantee anything if alcohol is involved.” “Me, either,” Jani added. “I am so digging you,” he said to her. “Digging?” Aileen burst out laughing. “What decade are you from? The eighties?” She pointed to the ignition. “Just start the truck and drive.” “Maybe Jani should drive. She knows the campus. Slide over. I’ll take your spot and she can get behind the wheel.” “No!” Aileen shot Jani a warning look to not get out of the truck. “Not going to happen. I see through your ruse, Bradly Harper Nessa. She stays by me.” “Fine.” Brad rolled his eyes as he started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. “Which way, Lady Jane?” “Left,” Jani said. “Though I’m not sure I’m allowed to talk. Sargent Nessa might stick me in the barracks hole or drop my food rations if I open my mouth and speak to you.” “Ha ha,” Aileen tried not to laugh. “I’ll only stop if you do.” “Then head down this street. We’ll drive you by the track and some of the campus. The football field is about a mile and a half from the track. The weight room’s there that we work out in.” Jani elbowed Aileen. “Coach has our training and weight program already set up. We start on Monday. You game for jogging out to the weight room a couple of times a week? We can jog to the track for

warm up from our place. It’s the perfect distance.” Aileen liked running. She was born a sprinter, but she enjoyed going for a long run too. Plus any extra training was like money in the bank for better times and placing results. “Sure. Glad I brought my bike.” “Hey! I just had an idea! Why don’t Eddie and I come up for Thanksgiving?” An idea began forming in Aileen’s head. “Would you bring Becky, too?” She explained to Jani. “Becky’s my best friend. She’s staying in Ohio making music. Getting a degree in it, too.” “She’s got a wicked voice,” Brad added. “Sure, she can come.” Aileen had planned on going home for Thanksgiving, but she had no idea if she would have to stay here to train. Jani nodded. “Is Eddie cute?” “Hey!” Brad whined before Aileen could reply. “I’m still here. Don’t go crushing a man’s mojo before he even has a chance to prove himself.” “Off limits! ?” Aileen said. She loved the teasing banter the three of them had. “This is fun. Sitting here all close together. You guys are crazy!” Jani giggled. “I don’t go home for Thanksgiving. It’s not worth the trip back to Canada. We could plan a dinner, try and make a turkey.” Brad cleared his throat. “I went to cooking school. I could do the dinner.” Jani leaned forward. “Seriously? I am so marrying you.” “Off limits!” Aileen shouted. “Let’s not invite this one.” Brad pointed at Aileen with his thumb. Aileen pulled her phone out and started texting. “I’m asking Becky right now so she doesn’t plan any gigs for that weekend. It’ll be fun.” She hoped her parents wouldn’t mind she wasn’t coming home. “Maybe we should ask Mom and Dad

to come, too.” The lack of response from Brad or Jani made Aileen look up. “Bad idea?” Brad coughed. “I was thinking—” “Party!” Jani finished for him. “We can still have a party on the weekend. Maybe just plan Thanksgiving Day with them.” Brad put his arm around his sister after he pulled the truck into a parking spot on the road in front of the track. He looked out the window and ired the view before turning his attention back to Aileen. “You think you want them to visit now, but come November you are going to regret it. Don’t say anything to them yet. See what you think in a couple of months. I didn’t come home my first Thanksgiving? Your university years are your selfish years, don’t waste them on thinking about other people.” Jani snorted but didn’t say anything. Brad shot her a warning glance. “You’ll be home three weeks later for Christmas holidays.” Jani tapped a rhythm on her knee with a finger. “He’s got a point. Not exactly sure he delivered it the correct way, but it is a valid point. They are more than invited. I don’t even know them, and I think it would be cool to meet them. They had you, so they did something right.” “They also had him.” Aileen nodded at her brother. “Sometimes you need a rough draft.” “I’m right here!” Brad said. “I can hear you guys.” Jani clapped her hands. “See?” Aileen and she burst out laughing. Finally, catching her breath and calming the mini hysterics, Aileen said, “I’m glad I came here and I’m doubly happy that you're my roommate.”

“Me, too.” Brad cleared his throat again. “How ‘bout we finish this campus tour before I run out of gas?” He put on his blinker and pulled away from the curb. “Nice track, by the way.” “I can’t wait to start training,” Aileen commented. “Me, either.” Jani bounced her feet. “I love this time of year! The air, the smell, the change in the weather, the back to school feeling... all of it gets me gunning to start the season’s base training.” “Now who’s the crazy one?” Brad joked. “Let’s go see the football stadium. We are so tailgating in November. There’ll be a home game that weekend, right?” “Every year I’ve been here, there has been.” Brad fist pumped. “Yes!” “We have to score you tickets though.” Jani pointed to the stop sign up ahead. “Turn left. About a half a mile up the road is the entrance to the weight room. Just ed that is a light. Turn left there, and we’ll drive right by the stadium. That side has an impressive view of the stadium.” “Can we go onto the field?” Brad followed her directions and turned left at the stop sign. “Probably not. Nobody’s allowed on the field except football. Holy ground, you know. Shame though because you don’t truly understand the beauty of the stadium until you are looking up from that field when the seats are full.” “You’ve been on the field?” Brad asked. “During a conference home game. Made All-American, and they honored a bunch of athletes during half time.” “’Leenie, you’d better make All-American and get yourself on that field.” Brad used the nickname he used to call Aileen when they were little. Jani giggled. “I’m sure she has other ways to get on the field, as well.”

Aileen stared at Jani with wide eyes. Did Jani know what had happened between Tyler and her? What if he had blabbed it to the entire track team, letting everyone know he did his part to get her on the team? She hoped the thought was only theory. “What do you mean?” Thank goodness Brad asked the question Aileen was thinking, but couldn’t say. “Apparently on her recruiting trip—” Aileen pressed her hand to Jani’s mouth. “Stop!” There was no way she was going to let Jani tell Brad what had happened and blab the real reason she had come to this school.

Chapter 3

Jani twisted and freed herself from Aileen’s hand. Aileen sent her a pleading look to not tell Brad what had happened. If everyone knew, she planned on packing her bags and head right back with Brad to Ohio. She slumped back against the seat, crossed her arms over her chest and stared straight forward. “What happened on her recruiting trip?” Brad slowed the truck to a crawl as they came into view of the weightlifting facility. He arched his neck to try and get a glimpse of the stadium hiding behind the building. Please don’t say anything... please don’t say anything... “While she was here, your sister did a workout in the weight room.” Jani gave Aileen a confused look. “Apparently the football weight coach was in and watched her do some of her workout. He now won’t shut up about how perfect her form was. He can’t wait to start working with her on the Olympic lifts. He bugged us the entire indoor and outdoor season and how she’s going to kick everyone’s records during testing.” “Really?” Aileen did not believe a word Jani said. She planned to corner her and see what rumors had started as soon as Brad left. She didn’t believe Tyler was that type of guy... then again, she hadn’t thought he was the kind of guy to not bother ing her either. “Seriously! I bet the old guy did cartwheels when he heard you signed with the school. She proves him right, he’ll take her on the field during a football game!” “Make sure it’s during the Thanksgiving weekend so I can come too.” Brad pulled his truck into the stadium parking area. The lot was enormous and the big arena at the end seemed small because of the size of the parking lot. He parked the truck and got out. “You guys coming?” Jani opened the door and climbed out. “Practice is closed. If they’re out there training, someone will come up and yell at us.” She chewed on a fingernail of her left hand. “They’re pretty tight on that rule.”

“I just want to see the field.” Brad began walking, determined to satisfy his curiosity. Aileen slipped out of the truck and quietly closed the door. She lagged behind with Jani, who wasn’t in any rush. Aileen glanced up, using her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sun. The stadium entrance did not have the age of the other buildings on campus though it was made of the same brick. It reached high into the sky with large glass blocks apparently representing the private boxes for the wealthy, die-hard fans. Aileen had read somewhere that the original football stadium had been torn down around a decade ago to make room for more bleachers and seats. The press boxes had just been added recently to one side, about two years ago, just after the football program had soared back into the top ten across the nation. There were press boxes on the other side facing the main entrance as well. She had seen all the pictures, had memorized them back in February. A thought crossed her mind. “Doesn’t the team train at the practice field or the indoor training center they have?” Jani nodded. “Yeah. The field’s going to be empty.” “Good,” Brad said. “Then no one will give us crap for looking.” “Till we get caught,” Jani muttered. She glanced at Aileen. “I like having fun, and I’m always up for a challenge, but getting in crap for football isn’t worth the trouble we’ll be in. Football is a religion in this city.” “Brad!” Aileen called out. “We’re going back to wait in the truck.” She stopped and turned back to walk to it. Brad sighed. “Come on! Don’t be such a scaredy-cat.” She turned around, hands on her hips. “I just signed a full scholarship to this school. I’m not risking anything before school even starts. You may not care, but I do.” She pushed it a little further. “You should care about how this is going to affect me.” Brad stopped walking. “I’m only trying to see the stadium. Give me a break! I’m not cutting any locks or breaking and entering. I just want to walk around and

see if I can see the stadium. You two go wait in the truck. I’ll be back in five minutes.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and tossed them at her. She caught them easily. “You have my permission to leave me here if I’m not back in three hundred seconds. Start counting.” He spun around and started jogging around the building to where there was a space in the limestone. “Should we go with him?” Jani asked. “Is he telling the truth about not sneaking in?” Aileen shrugged. “Probably.” “Do you want to see the stadium?” She watched her brother disappear around a corner. “Sort of. I mean, not if we’re going to get in trouble.” She craned her neck. “Will he be okay?” Jani started walking toward where Brad had disappeared. “There is a small gated fence that’s always locked except on game days. That’s probably where he’s looking.” Aileen jogged to catch up to her, and they both continued jogging until they reached the place where Brad had turned. They found him standing at a burgundy red-painted cast iron fence. It looked more like prison bars. She slowed her jog to a walk and tried to see over the rows and rows of seats. Brad grinned. “I’m definitely coming during Thanksgiving.” She glanced at him as she came up beside him and then turned her attention to the field below. The stadium’s chairs all had a red coat on them and were matching burgundy colors. The letters U of G were done in yellow on the seats to her right. The area to her left had seats that were split in the middle with a path leading to the weight room and football facility. There were probably lockers and showers—she purposely turned her attention to the seats across from where they stood. Jani now stood beside her. She pointed to the rows of benches across from them that covered the lower half of that side of the stadium. The upper half had more press boxes and fancier seats. “Athletes sit midfield on the bleachers. Students can buy season es or game es, and they get to sit on either side of us. There’s also a section at the end by the press boxes that has more benches. Not a

great view unless the team’s on that side of the field.” The football field looked small from where they stood. Aileen knew it was her brain playing tricks on her perception, the area was low on the ground compared to how high they stood. It probably looked even tinier from some of the press boxes. Brad pulled out his phone and switched his camera on. “This is unbelievable,” he said to no one in particular. Aileen imagined the field full of athletes in their uniforms, cheerleaders screaming on the sides, the stands full of swarms of burgundy red. She pictured Tyler in his uniform, helmet on, hands on his knees as he crouched low waiting for a to fly his way so he could intercept. She had a feeling him in uniform would not disappoint. She could picture perfectly what his bright eyes would look like peering through his helmet mask. “Alright. I’m good.” Brad stuffed his phone back in his pocket and held his hand out to Aileen. “Keys, please.” The sound of metal hitting metal crashed to their right from inside the stadium. It was followed by, “Hey kids! Get away from the fence! I’m calling campus security.” A groundsman in jean overalls and a faded burgundy shirt appeared inches from Aileen’s face. She jumped back in surprise, banging into Brad and knocking both of them over. Jani spun around and tore off, back toward the truck as they scrambled up and tried to catch her. She fumbled for the keys and hit the unlock button a million times as they ran. She tossed the keys over the cab of the truck, arching it impeccably so Brad caught them as he opened the door. The chances of the timing being that perfect were next to impossible. Brad started the truck and tore out of the parking lot. “How the hell did that guy move so fast?” Aileen fumbled with her seatbelt. “I never saw him coming.” “They’ve got surveillance cameras inside somewhere. Some pit where scary-guy probably lives and never sees the light of day.” Jani rolled down her window, letting the wind brush against her face. “I totally wasn’t expecting that.”

“He looked like a vampire with those icky pointed teeth.” Aileen curled her upper lip under so she could make fangs with her fingers. Jani burst out laughing. “I was that close! I thought he was going to bite me.” “Luckily you have the uncanny ability to jump like a scared rabbit.” Brad gave her a sideways glance. “I bet you could give Jani a run for her money on the high jump mat.” Jani leaned back against her seat. “She took you down in one fluid motion.” “I stumbled on a...a... a crack in the cement.” Aileen rolled her eyes. “No, Brad. I totally took you down.” Brad opened his mouth to argue, and then closed it again, probably realizing with two against one, he didn’t stand a chance. He drove the truck back the same way they had come, accelerating as they ed the weight training facility. Only then did he begin talking again. “Is there anything you need to pick up with the truck tomorrow?” “I don’t think so.” Aileen looked at Jani. “Do you need anything?” “Actually,” Jani said, “there’s this awesome second-hand shop on the edge of town. Last time I was there they had this really cool buffet. If you are willing, I’d love to go check it out tomorrow. Maybe pick it up?” Brad grinned. Aileen knew he loved being the handy guy. “Sure. We can go now if you want. Also, I brought my toolbox so if there’s anything at the house that needs a look, let me know.” Jani flashed him a big smile. “My old roommate left the Wii. I’d love to hook it up to the TV.” “Easy.” Brad tapped his thumbs against the steering wheel to some invisible song. “I’ll take a look and see if I can hook up some surround sound too. If we head to that second-hand shop, they might have a radio or speakers to connect it all. You have the perfect living room to do a V-G-C.”

“VGC?” Aileen and Jani asked at the same time. “Video Game Challenge.” He stared at them like they were part alien. They stared back at him. Aileen was pretty sure her brother was part extraterrestrial. Jani snapped her fingers. “We could throw a party! A back to school one with a video game theme.” “It’ll be a hit.” Brad stopped at the red light just outside Campus Corner and the Warrior monument. “Let’s head to your place and I’ll see what you’ve got to work with.”

––––––––

Twenty minutes later they were at the second-hand shop in the electronics department with a shopping buggy half full of speakers, wires, and cables. Jani led them into another section of the large charity shop with the furniture. She broke into a run as she spotted something. Aileen watched her zigzag to the back of the room and point to a large handmade wooden structure. The central part was built like a rugged outdoor type of buffet bar with large slabs of wood. There was a smooth, glossed-over flat surface and on each side were pillars that looked like tree trunks with shelves that had glass doors. A rustic beam ran across the top for scenery or maybe to stabilize, Aileen couldn’t figure it out. “I think Jimmy Buffet made this.” She giggled. “Wouldn’t this be awesome in our living room? We could angle it in one corner, fill it with glasses and cups on the top.” Jani moved around to the other side. “There are shelves down here and a spot to store a mini-fridge.” “It’s... it’s... interesting.” Aileen had no idea what to say. It did look kind of cool but what would their coach think if he ever stopped by? “I’m not sure it would fit in the house.”

“I measured it last time I was here! It totally will!” “It looks heavy.” Aileen scratched her neck and glanced at Brad, wondering if he was going to help her out. “It’s awesome!” Brad went to stand beside Jani to check out the back part. “It’s a tiki bar.” Thanks for the help, brother. Aileen tilted her head and tried to imagine it in the house. If they did have a party and Tyler came, it would be a cool conversation piece. “How much is it?” “It was a hundred and fifty but there’s a fifty percent off tag on it now.” Jani bounced up and down on her feet, flying abnormally high into the air. “Seventyfive bucks! I’m so buying it.” Brad looked under the counter. “It comes apart so it’ll fit through your front door. If someone here can help me get it apart, I think between the three of us, we can get it into the house and back together. I’ll just need to borrow your brute strength.” He looked Jani’s skinny frame up and down. “Maybe Aileen and I can do it together.” Jani grabbed him and hugged him. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” Brad’s face turned a light shade of pink. “I haven’t done anything yet.” “You brought your sister here. If you hadn’t have come, there would be no VD or surround or a wicked cool tiki bar for our house!!” She kissed him on the cheek. He grinned. “It’s not a VD, trust me on that one. It’s a VGC.” Aileen burst out laughing. “Better get that right before you start texting people and asking them to come over to sign up for some VDs.” All three of them sobered when a salesperson from the store came over to ask if they needed help.

Chapter 4

Monday morning rolled into afternoon at a slow pace. Brad had left early the day before, and his absence made Aileen lonely. Even though he drove her crazy, he couldn’t be a better brother. She loved him for all his annoying and endearing ways. She didn’t cry when he drove off, but her stomach felt heavy and the dull ache hadn’t left after a restless night’s sleep. At least she had practice today to distract her. Which meant she would be seeing Tyler today. First official practice, there was no way anyone would be missing it. She had jumped out of bed, showered, then shaved in the shower and spent way too much time straightening her hair. It didn’t matter. She had nothing else to do. Jani had warned her the night before that she liked to sleep and not to be alarmed if she didn’t appear from her room till after lunchtime. She sat in the newly arranged living room with the tiki bar set diagonally in one corner, and speakers placed strategically throughout the room. She had to it that the large wooden buffet looked fantastic. They had bought different colored plastic wine glasses and martini glasses at the dollar store and set them on the top shelves. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it. Practice started at two-thirty. Coach Anderson had sent out an email to everyone to let them know about a team meeting scheduled after practice, around four o’clock. Some athletes would be arriving later throughout the week, but those, who were ready to work out, had to be at the track by two-thirty. She checked her watch. Lunch was an hour ago, and Jani still had not appeared from her room. Aileen wondered if she should knock on Jani’s door to make sure she was all right. As if on cue, the door swung open and an appalling bed-headed Jani came out. “Hey!” she said as she yawned. “I feel like a bear waking up from hibernating. That’s the best sleep I’ve had in forever.” She headed for the bathroom. “What time—holy cow! I gotta get ready!” She popped her head around from the kitchen. “Give me ten minutes to shower. We can jog over to the track.”

“Sounds good.” Aileen couldn’t resist teasing Jani. “You’ll need more than ten minutes with that hair,” she murmured quietly and then grinned when Jani swore. She must have looked in the mirror. Aileen grabbed her runners from her bedroom and came back to the living room to put them on. She popped a bud in her ear from her iPod and tried to focus on music instead of the thought of finally seeing Tyler today. Would they hit it off right away again? Or was she an idiot for thinking he might be interested? February seemed so long ago now and the word ‘player’ kept popping into her head. What if he was just a player? It hadn’t felt like that on her recruiting trip but it wasn’t like she was an expert in love, or anything close to it. Jani ran by in a towel, with another towel wrapped around her head, and a banana in her hand. She stuffed a huge bite into her mouth, waved at Aileen and dashed into her room. “Aren’t you going to get a cramp from eating?” Aileen called out and shut her iPod off. She couldn’t imagine eating and then running. She had barely been able to eat lunch, too nervous with not knowing what track practice would be like today and seeing Tyler. “Nah...” Jani called through her open door as she dressed. “I can eat anything before practice or during. It always stays down. I’ve seen some of the girls hurl after a night drinking and coming in for Saturday morning niners. Never bothers me.” She patted her stomach as she dropped down beside Aileen to tie her runners. “What are niners?” “Repeat two hundreds. Nine of them. All a minute apart. They’re broken into three groups with a three-minute break in between the sets. It sounds easy when you say it, but it’s deadly.” “Will we be doing them today?” She shook her head. “We don’t usually start them until October. Coach likes us out at the hills where the cross country team runs the first training block.” “Okay.” Aileen had no idea what they would be doing at the hills, but she didn’t want to sound like she knew next to nothing about track. What was a training

block anyway? She trained all year with her high school coach for two years. It never stopped. “Will coach tell us what we are doing before we work out?” Jani stood and straightened her tank top. “We’ll get a copy of what’s going on for the week every Monday. You can pick it up at the office anytime during the day or at practice on Monday afternoon.” Aileen decided she would pick it up first thing Monday morning every week. She liked the idea of knowing what was going on before practice started. She would need to get an extra binder to store the sheets in, maybe write down stats so she could compare and see if she’s improving. She loved stats and comparing numbers. That was one of the reasons she had also signed with the school; she liked Coach Anderson’s number fascination. And Tyler. Always Tyler. “You ready to go?” Jani opened the front door. A wave of humidity pushed against the cold air conditioned temperature inside the house. “More than you can imagine.” She slipped past Jani, who held the door open for her. She walked down the driveway and waited on the sidewalk as Jani locked the door. She was glad she had worn a tank top and thin shorts. Gatica took its seasons to the extreme. Every season apparently. “I do have my car in the garage,” Jani said as they started jogging. “It’s a little hunk of junk Ford Focus with a gazillion miles on it. I drove you around in it when you were here on your recruiting trip. It’s old, tiny and sucks on the cool scale, but it runs awesomely, it’s great on gas and perfect for doing groceries and stuff. I usually drive it to indoor practice once it starts getting cold. My dad bought me snow tires for it last December, so it drives great in the snow too. It’s stick. Do you know how to drive standard?” “No. I’ve never had to learn.” Jani laughed. “You’ll need to now. I’ll teach you. It’s not hard.” She liked it that Jani wanted her to learn. It meant she would be driving Jani’s car once in a while. Her parents had mentioned something about possibly getting the family car when her mother got a new car next year. Her father refused to let her take it this year saying she didn't need it as a freshman. “I’m game. Just don’t let me wreck your car. It’s the clutch, right? My brother refused to teach me because he said I’d burn out his clutch.”

Jani grinned. “I have full faith in you. We can start tomorrow.” They headed to campus and jogged along one of the walking paths. The air was thick with humidity. Jani led Aileen to the indoor fieldhouse where the familiar wall of fame reminded Aileen of her recruiting trip. The humidity disappeared when they stepped inside a side entrance that brought them by the doors that led into the track. The building felt ten degrees cooler than outside even without air conditioning running. No one in their right mind would put AC in a fieldhouse. Heat, yes. AC, no. “Do you how to get to the track office’s from here?” Jani asked. Aileen pointed. “Up that way, right?” “You got it. Follow the ramp up and then head to the left. Before the track offices there are another set of rooms. That’s where the athletic academic advisor, or triple A, is located. You’ll be assigned an advisor who will help set up your classes so they can go around training. We get first dibs on class schedules.” “Cool.” That would come in handy. “Everyone who works there is super nice. They also make sure you are on track for graduating and if you are failing classes, will get you a tutor. My AV is so laid back. I never hear from her except before each semester to set up my schedule. It’s great.” Jani waved her hand and pushed the fireproof door open to head into the track. “You should pop by tomorrow to make sure everything’s all organized for your classes. You might have received a schedule already but let your AV check it to make sure you aren’t overloaded or that you have enough credits and so it doesn’t interfere with training.” “I’ll do it first thing in the morning.” Jani snapped her fingers. “You might want to wait till lunch. I have a feeling we’ll be lifting in the am. Coach did that to us last year. Weight room hours are shifty before the football team gets first dibs. So we get the crappy leftover hours. Like six till nine in the morning.” “How long will our lifting take?” Aileen couldn’t imagine lifting weights for

three hours. “An hour, maybe a bit more. Except everyone holds off showing up until eight and then it’s crazy-busy and takes longer.” “If coach sets it up, want to go in at seven then?” Jani groaned. “You’ll have to wake me up. I’m not much of an early bird. None of my classes start till after ten. And half of those I end up missing.” Aileen always woke early and never needed much sleep. She was glad she didn’t like sleeping in. The thought of missing class or practice did not appeal to her. She wanted to keep her scholarship and make sure the coaches saw her working her hardest – in athletics and academics. Plus, she didn’t plan on running hurdles forever, they were just the means to getting a free education which meant a good job later on. The indoor track carried the same musty, stale sweat smell as last time Aileen had been here. The nervousness she had felt all morning gave way to excitement. Her legs itched to run and her lungs begged to be tormented. Every time. She grinned. Every time. She rubbed her hands together as they walked up the small set of stairs to the rubberized track. About twenty kids sat stretching and warming up by the pink high jump mats. Laughter and talk floated across the fieldhouse. Jani and Aileen jogged over to the group. A suntanned girl with bleach blonde hair jumped up and hugged Jani. “Chrissy, this is Aileen. Aileen, Chrissy.” Jani pointed at each of them. “Multieventer, hurdler. Hurdler, heptathlete.” Chrissy laughed and jumped over someone’s stretched out legs. She hugged Aileen tight. “You’re Jani’s new roomie? Fantastic.” She pinched Aileen’s cheek. “You’re super cute! The guys are going to be falling over each other to take you out. Good thing Sean’s not here.” Aileen smiled, liking Chrissy’s bubbly spirit. “Sean, the distance runner?” Chrissy slapped her forehead dramatically. “Oh no. He’s already got you in his clutches?”

“I met him on my recruiting trip. He took me around on a campus tour.” Chrissy made a face. “Did he hit on you?” “No, but Tyler Jensen gave her googly eyes.” Jani pulled the two girls down to stretch. “Coach is heading over. Make it look like you’re warming up.” Aileen immediately sat down and began doing a hurdler’s stretch to loosen her hamstrings. She kept her head down to hide the burning she felt on her cheeks and ignored Jani’s comment. How much did Jani know? The warm weather and jog over had done a good job already. She could feel the stretch without any pull. It would be a great day to hurdle, though she doubted that would be happening for a few weeks. Chrissy leaned forward, mimicking her stretch. “Tyler Jensen? Mr. Football?” Aileen could feel her face grow warmer. “Coach Anderson and Tyler took me out for dinner.” Chrissy nodded. “He got the big guns out to impress you.” She patted Aileen’s knee. “Glad you signed with us.” Jani wasn’t going to let it go. “Tyler only had eyes for her at his party during indoors last year.” She was either digging for information or trying to get a reaction out of Aileen. Chrissy switched legs and began stretching the left one. “Oh crap! Is that the one where Linda got stupid-drunk? She fell over the front porch and dislocated her shoulder?” “I was there for that!” Aileen laughed, relieved the conversation wasn’t centred on Tyler. She would die if anyone knew what had happened. Apparently no one did. Except me and Tyler. “I went with Jani and took her to the hospital.” Jani made a bridge, her long legs looking incredibly skinny and extended higher than her upper body. She was extremely flexible, her head almost coming to the back of her knees. “Do you the hot doctor? Linda tried asking him out while we were in emergency. Dr. Bennet I think his name was. Guy had just gotten married or something.”

Chrissy grunted. “That girl is one crash away from a train wreck.” A high-pitched screech ended their conversation. Coach Anderson let the silver whistle drop against his chest where it hung on a string. “That’s the only time I’m going to use this to get your attention. The rest of the season I’ll blow on this when it’s time to run or stop running.” He smiled. “Welcome back everyone, and our freshmen.” He held his gaze on Aileen and winked. “Hope you are ready for a hard set of hills today and one hell of a season!” He tapped his clipboard. “There are two mini bus vans outside to take us to Murdock Hills.” Someone said, “You mean, Murder Hills.” Which earned chuckles and low laughter from the group. “The cross country team is already out there running hard. Be aware while you are there and don’t step into their path. We are running up the hill set with pylons so there are no collisions.” “What are we doing today, coach?” a tall, muscular guy with dark hair asked. He only wore a pair of shorts, no shirt. It looked like he had oiled his chest before coming to practice. Jani leaned close to Aileen. “Pole vaulter. Stay away from Drew. He’s a pig.” Chrissy nodded in agreement. “Thinks he’s a gift from the gods.” She squeezed her thumb and pointer finger close together. “I heard he’s got a tiny pecker.” Jani burst into giggles. Aileen looked at the two girls horrified. Holy hormones! Is everything about guys and sex here? She planned to avoid shiny Drew and made a mental note not to forget. “Is this the whole team?” She had been secretly watching all the entrances to the track, waiting for Tyler to appear. “For today. More will show every day and then Monday will be a packed house.” Jani stood and walked over to a bench full of water bottles. She grabbed three and tossed Chrissy and Aileen each one. “Are you looking for anyone in particular?”

“No,” Aileen replied a little too fast. “Sean’ll be at Murder Hills already running. He’ll probably fall down a hill in an effort to impress you.” Coach Anderson called out, “Aileen! Can I speak to you a moment?” Aileen nodded, thankful for the interruption. Jani jogged by her. “I’ll save you a seat.”

Chapter 5

“Hi, Aileen. Have you settled in?” Coach Anderson wore a white polo shirt with the school Red Coat mascot on it and UofG sewn in burgandy red calligraphy. He wore shorts, the kind her father wore when he went golfing. His blue eyes were brighter than she ed, probably because he had a tan and his hair still had a dusting of gray in it. “I’m good, thanks.” She followed him as he started walking toward the same doors Jani and her had come in earlier. All the athletes were heading to the same exit. “Laurie, our head academic advisor gave me a list of who needs to see her this week. Would you be able to stop by their office tomorrow? It’s right by the track offices.” “Jani mentioned where it was.” “Good. It’s easy to find and you won’t be there long. But Laurie said she would personally take care of your school scheduling. She’s the best.” He smiled. “Only the best for the best.” Aileen nodded, not sure how to respond to that. “Are you excited to be here?” “Very. I can’t wait to start going over some hurdles.” He chuckled. “In due time. The first hurdles you’ll be going over are ones you have to hop over, but I promise you’ll be doing a lot of them.” “I look forward it.” She meant it. “Perfect.” He patted her on the back. “We’ll be starting with general training for everyone and the week school starts, we’ll be doing some baseline testing.” “Baseline testing?” She liked the sound of that.

“We figure out your vertical, standing long jump, flexibility, plus, of course, sprint and endurance. All that fun stuff. Then in three months we do it all over again and try to beat our PBs.” She loved doing things that involved competing against herself. Any personal best she had, she was always trying to run and chase it down lower – on or off the track. “You don’t mind meeting with Laurie tomorrow?” He checked his clipboard and flipped to a page with a sticky note. “She suggested one o’clock.” “I’ll be there.” “Great!” They walked to the two vans. Jani opened a side door. “Come on, Aileen!” Coach Anderson hopped into the front seat of the van while Aileen climbed in beside Jani. Thirty hill runs later, running up the hill and jogging back down, Aileen sat trying to catch her breath. They had done three sets with ten-minute breaks in between. The first one had felt easy, the next one impossible and the last set just barely manageable. At least she hadn’t walked any of it. That had been her goal when she saw some of the team having to shut it down. She had run with Chrissy, who ran like a machine. Chrissy had been to NCAAs for indoor and outdoor nationals. She kept a steady conversation of distraction up while they ran. Jani started the first set with them and then had to slow it down, her long legs couldn’t turn over fast enough to keep up with Chrissy and Jani, who were about the same height. They lay on the grass afterward, refilling their water bottles from the large orange Gatorade thermos coolers filled to the brim with ice and water. “Let’s throw a party!” Jani sat on the grass, her face red and her hair drenched in sweat. “At our house!’ Aileen probably looked the same. She stared at Jani in surprise. “Seriously?” Flashes of Tyler’s party from her recruiting trip went off in her head. The

elaborate setup, the gorgeous house, dancing, Tyler kissing her on the porch, Linda – drunk Linda dislocating her shoulder. Yeah, she didn’t want to have a party at their place. “Our place is perfect. We can use the backyard, too. It’s perfect weather. There’s an old steel metal trough or tub we could fill with ice and booze. It would be a riot! Plus, we have the tiki bar, we have to use it!” “I can help!” Chrissy sat cross-legged, not even winded. “Let’s do it this Friday! We can tell everyone after the team meeting.” She clapped her hands. “This is going to be so much fun!” People were beginning to head back to the vans and the cross country team had finished their run while Aileen had been on her second set. Sean had waved and hollered he would see her at the meeting. Aileen stared up at the bright blue sky. She thought of her bedroom. She would need a lock on her door. No holy hornys allowed in her room – nobody was desecrating her bed. Nobody! Yuck. “I’m not sure...” “Come on! What a perfect way to see everyone on the track team! Or in your case, meet them. It's a magnificent idea!” Jani stood. “We’re doing it. I promise you won’t regret it. Would Tyler come? She wished he was here today, but didn’t dare ask Jani and draw any suspicion. “We did get that tiki bar and speakers for a reason...” Jani grinned ear to ear. She hugged Aileen. “Awesome!” The drive back to Wavertree went quick with the talk of what they would need for food and booze. Jani and Chrissy started telling everyone about it the minute they pulled into the fieldhouse. Aileen said hi to more people, hoping she would start ing their names before Friday. The three girls were laughing as they headed inside. The cool air felt luxurious on Aileen’s skin. She loved that Jani and Chrissy pulled her into their friendship without hesitation. She might have chosen the school for some of the wrong reasons, but it didn’t mean it hadn’t been the right decision to come here. She stumbled, but quickly caught herself when she glanced over where everyone was sitting.

Tyler. Jensen. In the flesh. Sitting at the top of a bleacher stand, laughing with some of the sprinters. All that incredible physique, muscle that didn’t seem to hold an ounce of fat, his sexy mixed skin tanned from time outdoors, all there in the flesh for Aileen to drool over. She quickly focussed on Jani’s conversation, thankful her roommate walked on her left side, allowing Aileen to look in the opposite direction of the masterpiece sitting on the stands. It didn’t matter. The damage had been done. His image was burned into her brain. His hair had turned lighter since February, probably from the sun, but he still kept it cropped short against his perfectly shaped skull. His mystical amber-green eyes had flashed in her direction, but Aileen had shifted her gaze so fast she had no idea if he had even noticed her or might still be looking. She refused to glance his way, trying to play it cool. She inhaled deeply and swore she could smell his musky, delicious cologne. She laughed louder than she should at a silly comment Jani made. Stop it! Just act normal. If he wants to talk to you, he can make the first move. Coach Anderson and Coach Maves, the women’s head coach, started handing out photocopied sheets of paper. “Aileen! Jani!” Sean called from the front row of the nearest bleacher. He sat amongst a group of sweaty, thin athletes. “Come sit here.” He pointed to the empty space beside him, enough room for the three girls. Chrissy giggled. “Here he starts.” Aileen elbowed her. “He’s a nice guy.” “Super nice.” Jani moved in his direction. “He saved us a seat and we can tell the cross country team about the party.” Aileen followed Jani and Chrissy. Coach Maves came by. “Welcome Aileen! It’s

great to see you.” She handed Aileen three copies of the small stack of papers. “Nice to see you as well.” Aileen liked Maves. She handed the papers to Chrissy and Jani and quickly sat down facing forward. “Alright everyone.” Coach Anderson cleared his throat. “Let’s make this quick. You all stink.” He grinned and wrinkled his nose. “In your hands you now possess the wonderful rules of Wavertree. It is the code of conduct every athlete is expected to follow. If you don’t, you will have to deal first with Coach Maves, and then myself.” “Which is worse?” someone called out. “You should know, you’ve broken every rule on the list, Drew,” a cross country runner sitting behind Aileen said loudly. Laughter rippled through the group. Aileen kept her eyes glued on Coach Anderson. “You are required to read them and then sign the third page. Those not here today will get to come to another meeting on Monday. If you hand these in today, you won’t have to show up to that meeting.” He rolled the copy he held in his hands into a cone. “Follow the rules and work as hard as you can. We have a strong set of athletes this year. This could be the year we take the conference title. Men and women’s titles.” Cheers and boo-ra’s erupted from the group. “We have some talented new athletes ing us this year.” Anderson began to introduce them, saying their name, event. Then he asked each person to tell everyone a bit about themselves. “And last, but certainly not least, we welcome Aileen Nessa. She’s a sprint hurdler whose potential even scares me a little bit.” He motioned for Aileen to stand and introduce herself as others clapped or called out her name. She stood, butterflies crashing around inside her stomach. “Hi. I’m Aileen.” She gave a single wave and folded her hands together, unsure of what to say after the coach’s introduction. “I’m from Ohio.” She scanned the group, her eyes hesitating on Tyler. He sat watching her intently for a moment before leaning over to a female sprinter and whispering something in the girl’s ear. His hand

covered his mouth and the pretty girl’s ear so Aileen couldn’t try to lip-read. “Can you tell us a bit more?” Coach Anderson prompted. She realized she had stopped talking. She blinked. “Oh, uh, I like pushing myself to the limits to see what I’m capable of. I don’t like people who use other people.” She inhaled, shocked she had said the second comment out loud. She recovered quickly. “I moved in with Jani and there’s a track team party at our house on Friday. Tiki themed. Hope everyone can come.” She sat down quickly and looked helplessly at Jani, who was giving her two thumbs up as cheers busted out from the bleachers. Coach Anderson gestured with his hands for everyone to sit back down. He shook his head, but the corners of his mouth twitched. “Alright. Alright. What Aileen didn’t mention is that she’s run the tenth fastest time in the world this year in the hundred meter hurdles. She’s only nineteen. She made the World Junior team. And won. She won World Juniors. She’s here to learn, but I have a feeling she’s going to be teaching a lot of you a thing or two.” Sean let out a low whistle and held his hand up to high five her. Jani punched her in the arm. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Aileen shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal.” She wanted to be the freshman ready to learn. Not World Junior Champion tagged to her name. That only meant high expectations and she had no idea how well she would do. “It’s very cool,” Jani whispered. “Did you bring your medal?” “It’s at home.” “Too bad. It would have been cool to hang on the tiki bar.” Thank goodness I left that sucker at home. “Yeah. Too bad.” “Last note before you are adjourned.” Coach Anderson pointed to a folder he held in his hand. “Weight room starts tomorrow for every one of you but cross country. You need to get your workout in between six am – yes, I said AM – to nine am. Give yourself a little over an hour so don’t show up at quarter to nine. James won’t let you in.”

“Neither will Tyler,” the female sprinter beside Tyler joked. “Yes, well footballers don’t train with us.” Coach Anderson winked at Tyler. “You won’t see any of them until indoor season starts. Tyler is collecting forms for the other footballers on the team. He will agree with me when I tell you James or the football head coach will not put up with any athletes being in the weight room when the footballers train.” Drew snorted. “What are we going to do, video tape them and sell it to a rival school?” “It wouldn’t surprise me,” the female sprinter Aileen was beginning to despise shot back. Aileen felt a balloon burst inside of her at the thought of Tyler not being around for training. Indoor season didn’t start until January and if they weren’t allowed in the weight room when footballers trained, she would never see him. If the sprinter unvelcro-ed herself to his side, Aileen would go and say hi to him after the meeting ended. “Enough!” Coach Anderson warned. “Be on time. James has all your lifting workouts. First week of school, we will start baseline testing on the track and in the weight room. Be ready.” He clapped his hands. “Coach Maves has pens for everyone. Please read the Code of Conduct and sign it. Then you are free to go. See you tomorrow back here at two-thirty. I will have your weekly workout sheets ready. Tomorrow is hills again.” He turned to Maves. “Coach Maves, do you have anything to add?” Maves waved the pens in her hand. “We have the annual two-point five-mile fun run fundraiser in a month. It may seem like a long way off, but it’ll be here before you know it. Everyone is expected to run, no matter what event you do.” She glanced meaningfully at the throwers. “That’s it.” Jani jumped up and grabbed a pen. She signed the paper and handed Aileen the pen. “Nice move on mentioning the party. That was perfect!” Sean jumped over and borrowed the pen after Chrissy signed hers. “What time on Friday? Tiki theme? I love it!” “Eight-thirty?” Jani looked at Aileen and Chrissy. “Sound good?”

“Sure,” Chrissy said. “Then everyone will start showing up around nine and we can still head out to Campus Corner if we want to for last call.” Aileen nodded, not having a clue. “We going costume shopping tomorrow?” Jani asked. “I have a meeting with the academic advisor at one.” They had lifting in the morning, and then practice at two-thirty. “If I can wake up early, we can go after lifting and be back before your meeting.” Jani yawned. “Might be tight. Can you wake me up, say at seven?” Aileen was about to answer when a large, warm hand touched her shoulder. She glanced behind, her eyes meeting with a pair of bluish-green colored ones. “Hello ladies,” Tyler said, dropping his long slender fingers down Aileen’s back and into his pocket. He did it so smoothly no one else noticed. “Tyler!” Coach Anderson called out. “Welcome to Gatica, Aileen Nessa. Glad to see you signed with us.” He headed back over to the coach. “I wonder if he’s coming to the party.” Chrissy sighed. “Don’t count on it,” Jani said. “Football season. He’s got the season opener, home game, next Friday. Their coach probably won’t let them leave their house except to train, and maybe go to class.” Aileen touched her back where Tyler’s fingers had last touched. She couldn’t believe he barely said hello to her. Welcome? Glad you signed with us? He sounded so... so... casual.

Chapter 6

Aileen woke Jani up at quarter to eight. They debated on jogging to the weight room and then decided it would be too far to jog there and then back again. They hopped into Jani’s little Focus and drove to the Lord Warriors building. James, the coach Aileen had met on her recruiting trip, held the door open as they trudged into the lifting rooms. “Morning, ladies.” “Hey James,” Jani mumbled, still looking half asleep. “Hi!” Aileen scanned the room, hoping she might see Tyler but knowing it was a long shot he would be there. There were only track athletes working out. She pushed the image of him out of her head. She needed to focus on track. That was the most important thing. James smiled at Aileen. “Glad to see you ed the Red Coats!” He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out two file folders. “Put your names on the top right tab and go weigh in, over there.” He pointed to an old fashion looking brass scale. “Jani, you know the drill. Weigh in once a week and just add it to your chart inside your folder. I will go get your workouts so you can get started.” He turned and headed into his office with the glass windows that overlooked the room. Jani yawned. “I hate mornings.” Aileen grinned. “By the end of this year, I’ll make you love them.” “Doubt it.” She led Aileen to the antique scale. “Here we go.” She stepped on and the large black arm inside the face rotated and hovered just under the one thirty mark. “Your turn.” Jani grabbed a pencil and wrote in her folder. Aileen slipped her shoes off. She cringed as she stepped on the scale, worried the handle would hover over a mark that would make James comment about it to Coach Anderson. It seemed a bit harsh to have to step on the scale every week to weigh in. Why did it matter? She kept her mouth shut and let the breath out she didn’t know she had been holding as she checked the weight. Pretty much the

same as Jani’s. What Jani had in height, Aileen had in muscle. She grinned. She was okay with that. “Alrighty, girls.” James handed each of them a thick piece of paper with lines and blocks on it. “Warm up and then start with cleans.” He smiled at Aileen. “Have you done any Olympic lifting before?” She shrugged. “A bit.” “Not to worry. I’ll have you throwing weights around like an expert before indoor season.” He followed them to the stationary bikes. “Always do your Olympic lifts before the rest of your workout. You want fresh muscles for those.” “Okay.” It sounded easy enough. “I’ll get you girls set up on the stages to lift.” Aileen looked over her workout as she biked. High numbered reps. Lots of them. She leaned over and looked at Jani’s. “We doing the same stuff?” “For now. Coach is big on cleans, snatches, and squats. I have a feeling you’ll be doing a lot of power related lifts similar to mine.” “I’ll just need more weight.” Aileen pointed at Jani’s long legs. Jani slapped her hand away. “Don’t dog the sticks. They may look thin and fragile, but they are bombs of disaster waiting to happen.” Aileen laughed. “Not sure that’s a good thing.” “Oh, it is. It is.” Fifteen minutes later Aileen stood by James, weight belt on and listening to him instruct her on the safety and proper technique. “Do not jerk the weight from the floor. It’s one fluid motion. Rise steadily and then accelerate. When the bar reaches your knees, jerk your shoulders up so you can let it hit off your thighs and drop under it.” He showed her the motion using just the bar, no weights. “Now you try.”

Aileen repeated as he had shown. Minutes later, she was going through the full action and lifting the same weight as Jani. They continued with the lifting cycle shown on the back of the thick paper sheets, following the high reps and low weights. Aileen copied Jani as she wrote down the weights of each rep she did. They moved on to squats, something Aileen was very familiar with. She ignored the tired feeling in her legs from yesterday’s hills. It usually took days with most people she knew for the lactic acid and soreness to hit their muscles and ligaments. It always showed up the next day for her. The benefit was that it cleared sooner than the other athletes she knew. “I might need an ice bath after this.” Jani groaned as she set the squat bar back on the rack and began removing the weights. James had come over to make sure she knew how to squat correctly. It was one of the lifts she did know so he headed back to his office. “Ice bath?” Aileen scrunched her nose. “Sounds too cold for me.” “The athletic therapy room is down the hall from the track. We share it with the volleyball players. There are two ice bath tubs there. We aren’t allowed to use the football’s therapy room.” “Because we might taint it?” The idea, of sitting in an ice bath with a couple of huge defensive football players, didn’t sound very appealing. “Sacred ground.” Jani rolled her eyes. She leaned in and whispered. “Don’t let them hear us dog them. They believe they are the end all be all of the school. Nothing is done here without their help. The alumni helped build this weight room. We borrow it to train. Nothing here is ours, or basketball’s, or hockey’s, or anyone’s.” “Sounds silly.” Aileen shrugged. Weren’t all sports just as important as the others? Jani lifted her hand, then raised it up a bit and then a bit more. “There’s a hierarchy here. Don’t mess or you’ll be treated like crap.” “That’s comforting.”

“It doesn’t matter. Most of these guys will spend five years living the dream of football. A few will move on to the NFL, maybe a couple off to where I’m from to play in the CFL. The others are done. Their glory days revolve around the five years of being treated like kings.” “Does Gatica have a lot of NFL potential players?” They moved on to bench press and took turns. “A couple. We have a defensive line that is nearly unstoppable. In particular a Jim Thorpe recipient. Tyler. Sigh, there was no getting away from him. “I’m not much into football.” “Neither was I – till I came here. There’s something about college football...” Jani shook her head. “Wait till the home game opener. When you’re inside the stadium, you’ll feel it.” She didn’t know much about the game, except what she had learned in high school flag football. Maybe she needed to start reading up on it or google the rules... or something. They finished the rest of the lifts on their papers and filled the necessary stuff in with their pencils. Jani showed Aileen where to file them when they were done and headed to the fountain by the entrance. As Aileen bent down to drink the cool refreshing liquid, she ed Tyler grabbing her water from the football fridge. The glass entrance doors opened and loud, deep voices rumbled into the room. The floor by her feet shook slightly, as did the stream of fountain water. Aileen straightened when someone whistled in their direction. She turned at the sound ready to send a scowl of disrespect the perpetrator’s way. She hesitated and blinked several times. These boys were massive. As big as refrigerators. Except for one at the front of the pack. The defense line. He didn’t even bother acknowledging Aileen or Jani. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She was not going to google over Tyler Jensen. Those days were done. “Let’s go.” She ignored Jani’s request to wait and walked purposely up the ramp to the glass doors and exited without even looking back. Thankfully Jani followed after her.

“Why the rush?” Jani asked as they stepped out into the humid, warm air. “I thought you wanted to shop for the party? I have the academic meeting after lunch.” “I do. But it doesn’t hurt to say hi to the football players. They have this amazing snack fridge. Best apples in town!” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t get one.” “A football player or an apple?” Aileen winked as she waited by the enger door for Jani to unlock it. “I’ll buy you a big bag at the grocery store.” “They won’t taste as good.” Jani started her car. “Something about the crisper in the fridge or what. They are so cold, plus juicy and yummy. Gala apples. Red delicious.” She licked her lips. “You can run back in and grab one.” Aileen now felt bad for fleeing the scene. Maybe he hadn’t noticed them. He could have been talking to someone or reading. She had been bent over the water fountain and hadn’t seen him. In hindsight now, she maybe shouldn’t have rushed out of the weight room so fast. However, there was no way she was walking back in there to try and appear cool about it. Jani waved her hand. “Nah, I’ll be okay. I’m ready for a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin with sausage.” Aileen shook her head, half at Jani, the other half at herself. It was Tyler who hadn’t said hello, right? She shouldn’t have had to walk across the room to greet him, right? That was his job, wasn’t it? “We also can pick our scholarship checks today. Coach Maves told me yesterday that they were ready.” “What are the checks for?” Aileen ed Coach Anderson saying something about them after she had signed and told him she would be moving in with Jani. However, she couldn’t what they were for. “We get a stipend to cover living expenses. If you were in the dorms, you wouldn’t get one. It helps to cover your rent, food, and bills. We have cheap rent so it’s great.” Jani pulled the car out of the parking lot and headed in the opposite

direction of home. “How about we hit the golden armpits and then grab some stuff for the party? Unless you want to go home and change first?” Aileen glanced down. Gray jogging sweats and pink t-shirt? She was good to go! “I’m good. I’ll shower before I go see Laurie.” Jani pulled the car into the parking lot by the basketball coliseum. Sports were definitely the king of the castle at this school. She led Aileen inside to a large ushaped front desk where a small lady, with glasses hanging off the end of her nose, sat. “Jani! How did summer school go?” “I ed.” Jani smiled, looking kind of embarrassed. “One last class to take this semester.” “Great.” The little lady slid her glasses onto the top of her head. “And you must be a new athlete on the team?” “I’m Aileen Nessa.” “Oh, yes!” She scurried around the big desk and gave Aileen a tight hug. Jani laughed. “This is Mrs. Peters.” “Hi, Mrs. Peters.” Aileen patted the woman’s back, wondering if she was going to let go of Aileen. “If you ever need anything, you make sure you come and talk to me. None of my athletes need to have to worry about anything.” She gave Aileen a tight squeeze before letting her go and hurried back around the desk. She slipped her glasses back to the end of her nose. “Here to pick up your checks?” “Yes, please.” Jani picked up a white binder off Mrs. Peters desk. She flipped to a page and grabbed a pen to sign her name. She handed the pen to Aileen. “Just sign your name to say you picked up your check. No one can pick it up for you.” “Okay.” Aileen signed her name and accepted the envelope from Mrs. Peters. “Thank you.”

“Thanks, Mrs. P! Have a great day.” Jani headed back outside, holding the door open for Aileen. As they walked to the car, Jani opened her envelope. “I’m going to assume you’re on a full scholarship?” Aileen nodded. “Are you?” “You better believe it!” Jani laughed. “Do you have a bank in New York already?” “My dad set one up for me. It’s at the Meridian.” “That’s where I bank! Perfect!” Jani rubbed her shoulder against Aileen’s. “We were so meant to be soul sisters.” Inside the car, Aileen opened the check. “Fifteen hundred dollars?” That was more money than in her bank right now. “I get that every month?” “Uh-huh.” Jani grinned. “I my first check when I moved off campus. I thought I was loaded. Till I paid rent, utilities, food and whatever else I had. It didn’t last long. I took summer school this year so I got checks in the summer, too.” It seemed crazy to be getting money to pay for living expenses. However, Jani was right, if she lived in the dorms, it would be paid for and she’d have a food plan that she would never eat from. She was glad she chose to move in with Jani. They were going to be soul sisters.

Chapter 7

Track athletes crowded together, laughing and talking, inside the living room by the tiki bar and also outside in the backyard. Jani had dragged the antique tin tub out of the garage, hosed it off and filled it with ice to keep drinks cool in it. Friday’s workout had been a killer one as if Coach Anderson knew they were going to need something to tire them out. He gave them Saturday off. The only Saturday they would have off until indoor track season started, and then it would be track meets instead of workouts. It looked like most of the team had shown up by nine o’clock. Chrissy stood behind the tiki bar making and serving drinks to anyone who wanted something. Sean offered to help continuously and Aileen laughed at how Chrissy smoothly told him to get lost every time. She stuck to drinking the homemade lemonade she had made earlier. They had found a large punch bowl at the charity shop and filled it with lemonade. Chrissy had then gone and poured a bottle of vodka into it and labeled it “alcoholic.” She set two tall thermos containers on the side of the punch bowl table and marked them “drivers” and “the responsible.” Everyone was told to put their keys into a fish bowl by the door, with their nametags added to the keys. When someone wanted to leave, Aileen was in charge of making sure they were all right to drive. It was the perfect job for at the beginning of the evening because she got to greet everyone who came into the house and learn a few more names. She doubted she would half of them, but having the excuse of writing their names on the tags they had made up helped a lot. By nine-thirty, she decided the trickle of the newcomers had slowed and she was free to move about. She carried the fish bowl to Jani’s room and closed the door behind her. Jani’s place had been hit by a tornado. A lazy bones tornado. Clothes lay on the floor, on the bed and hanging on the chair of her desk. Aileen had cleaned her room in case someone walked in. It hadn’t taken long, she liked things tidy and organized. Just being in Jani’s room gave her the itch to start picking things up

and folding them, but she had no clue what was actually clean or dirty. She set the fish bowl full of keys on the desk and turned to go. She paused and grabbed a shirt off the floor, tossing it overtop so no one would notice if they came into her room. Maybe the mess was to discourage anything from happening in her room. She slipped out, closing the door behind her. “Aileen!” Sean hurdled over a lawn chair sitting in the living room and grinned. “Not bad for a distance runner, hey? Think I should change events?” She laughed. “Hmm... think you should stick to the running thing.” She made a tiny measurement with her thumb and finger. “A little too high. It looked more like a deer leap than an actual hurdle.” He leaned back and grabbed his chest. “That breaks my heart, kid! Maybe you could teach me?” She shook her head. “If Coach Anderson refuses, then I am going to have to side with him.” Sean laughed. “Actually, I’m going to be adding steeplechase to my list of events next outdoor season. I may have to ask you for a bit of help on getting over those two by fours. They are not soft and gentle like the hurdles you use.” “My hurdles are soft and gentle?” She raised her eyebrows thinking about all the bruises she had earned over the past two years. “Help me out here, I’m trying to impress you.” He grinned and pulled one of her curls. “I like the Shirley Temple look.” Self-consciously she flipped her hair over her shoulder. She hadn’t had time to straighten it so she took a diff and let it go naturally curly. “You’re my bud, Sean. You don’t have to try to impress me.” “Never going to be more?” He tilted his head slightly. “Than buds?” She gave him a hug. “I doubt it.” He made her feel so comfortable. Like there was no pressure to impress or act responsible. He was like the silly part of life everyone needed to have in a friend. “But if my feelings ever change...”

“I’ll be the last to know?” He winked at her. “Come on, let’s get you a glass of lemonade. I hid the responsible thermos. Someone was trying to add vodka to it.” He weaved her around the crowded living room to the kitchen and pulled the thermos out of the freezer. “Nobody ever looks in there for a drink.” She shook her head and grabbed a plastic wine glass off the pile of new ones on the counter. “Aileen!” Chrissy shouted. “Can you bring those over here?” “Sure.” Aileen grabbed them and made her way to the tiki bar. “I love your dress,” Chrissy said when Aileen set the glasses on the counter. “Where did you find it?” “My mom bought it, actually.” She looked down at her dark blue and black simple pattern short dress. It had large tank top straps, and silver tag where the dress material bunched together. It was beautiful, she had to it. “It’s a Michael Kors. She bought it for herself and then thought it fit too tight so she gave it to me.” “It’s awesome!” “Thanks!” She watched Chrissy mix a few drinks and helped set the glasses up so Chrissy could pour them. Mindy, another sprint hurdler on the team, came up. She smiled at Chrissy and just glanced at Aileen. “I’ll have a spiced rum and coke, please Chrissy.” “Hi,” Aileen said. Mindy ignored her. Aileen cleared her throat, unsure if she had said the word loud enough with the music blaring from the speakers. “Hi, Mindy.” Mindy glanced over at her and tapped her red manicured finger against the bar top. “I heard you the first time.”

“Ouch,” Chrissy mumbled. Aileen didn’t know how to respond. Mindy’s finger tapped faster. “Almost done, Chrissy?” Chrissy set the Captain Morgan bottle down. “I don’t think I am. This is Aileen’s house. I don’t see why you need to be rude to her while trying to drink her alcohol.” Mindy scowled. “She got Linda kicked out of here, dislocated her shoulder and is now attempting to be the big shot hurdler.” Her head rocked side to side as she spoke. “No way! You can earn your respect on this team.” Aileen knew her mouth hung open. She stuttered, trying to think of a comeback to say, but nothing came to mind. Chrissy didn’t waste a moment. “What the hell? She didn’t wreck Linda’s shoulder. Her drunk ass did it all by herself. Jani kicked Linda out because she wasn’t paying rent. Jani had paid the last four months of Linda’s rent for her... and Linda’s on a full ride!” She glared at Mindy. “I suggest you start training out in lane eight because you sure as shit aren’t going to be in lane three, four, or five.” It didn’t seem possible, but Aileen’s jaw dropped further. Ouch! Lane one and eight were the slow time lanes in a hurdle race, lanes three, four and five were reserved for the fastest runners and the best lanes to see the entire race from. Double ouch! Mindy slapped the bar counter and spun around without saying a word. Aileen felt her face grow warm and suddenly became light headed. “You okay?” Chrissy asked, handing her a glass of coke. “Drink this, you look a bit shocked. It’ll help take the edge off.” Aileen took a sip and then giggled, splurting coke out of her mouth. “I’m sorry.” She grabbed a napkin and wiped the tiki bar. “I can’t believe you told her off. Thank you.” As the freshman, was she supposed to be tortured and taught to hold her ground?

“That was uncalled for. Some people take competition to the next level and can’t stand losing. It’s a stupid tactic if they think it’s going to work.” “She kinda scared me.” “Don’t let her. When you step in the blocks, show her how easy it is for you, and how hard she has to work. Shoot, even my times are about the same as hers!” “I’ll try.” Aileen suddenly dreaded the thought of having to train side by side with Mindy. “I’m going to head outside and see how Jani’s doing. See if she needs anything.” Sean squeezed in behind her. “I’ll help you, Chrissy while Aileen gets some fresh air.” Chrissy rolled her eyes but grinned. “Alright skinny, can you grab me a couple lemons?” Aileen made her way around to the kitchen and down the back hall past her room, which she had locked and was thankfully still shut. The back screen door stood propped open by a cement brick. Someone had taken a speaker from the living room and set it up outside so the music continued out there. People were dancing, drinking and chatting. The track team was big. Or at least it seemed big with everyone in their small house. She tried to see if she recognized some of the faces, anything to distract her from Mindy’s outburst. It had totally thrown her off. She hadn’t even spoken to Mindy before. Some people liked to stir the pot so it fed their inner competitive streak. However, they were supposed to be teammates. Why would Mindy want to create competitive enemies at school? In the same bloody event? She couldn’t imagine screwing someone on the same team. Where was the loyalty? It bothered her. More than it should. She couldn’t focus on the faces outside and was pretty sure she hadn’t seen Jani. She moved aside to let a thrower by to get inside the house, but decided stepping down was probably safer than being squished by him and the doorframe. As she jumped down to the grass, skipping the small steps, she landed and rolled her foot over an empty beer bottle. Someone grabbed her elbow to keep her from falling.

“You okay?” Tyler. What was he doing at the party? She had figured he wouldn’t come, especially when his keys hadn’t been handed to her at the front door. She moved away from his hand as if it burned her. “When did you get here?” Smooth, Aileen. If her comment surprised him, he didn’t show it. “A bit ago. We walked around the side of the house and have been hanging in the backyard.” We? You and your sprinter girlfriend? This time she kept the comment to herself. She nodded instead, not trusting herself to speak. “How is training going? Are you getting used to Coach Anderson’s training.” “It’s okay.” She needed to say something more. Why did it have to feel so incredibly awkward? “How’s football training going?” “It’s busy.” “Is your first meet next Friday? Home opener, right?” He smiled, apparently amused by her comment. “Yeah. It’s against Syracuse. Should be a good game.” He hesitated, his eyes running over the crowd outside. Probably looking for his girlfriend. She was trying to make more enemies to have to train with, like Mindy. “You coming?” “To where?” She pointed to the house. “That’s my room.” They stood under the window to her bedroom. Thank goodness it was dark, she knew her face had to be some kind of ugly shade of red. He grinned, but thankfully didn’t laugh. “I meant to the game.” “Oh. Yeah, probably. We have season tickets.” Of course, he knew athletes had season tickets, he was one of them. “Aileen!” Jani’s voice rang out from beside the garage. “Can you grab me

another bag of ice from inside?” She waved at Jani to let her know she had heard. “I’d better go grab that.” “I’ll see you around, Ms. Nessa.” As if on cue, two guys grabbed Tyler and lifted him up. “Party host needs help to move the tub of ice and beer.” Aileen turned and disappeared into the house to grab the ice. It now sat in the sink, dripping and open. She grabbed a bowl and dumped all of it inside, then hurried back outside, weaving her way around to where Jani stood. She handed the bowl to Jani. “Was Tyler here?” she asked, glancing around. “He was. With two defensive guys. They’re gone now.” “Already?” She cleared her throat. “I meant, I was just about to grab them beer.” “They all got one after they moved the tub for me and took one for the road. They were heading to First Down.” Aileen shrugged, trying to appear like it didn’t matter. “Someone said Mindy was giving you a hard time inside. Is that true?” “She seems a bit competitive.” Jani snorted. “She yelled at me this summer that I kicked Linda out of the house. She’s got a nasty streak in her. Don’t let her get to you.” “I’ll try not to. Will I be training with her?” “I hope not, but probably yes. Don’t let her bother you. Just make sure you beat her every time.” Aileen smirked. “I plan on it now.”

Chapter 8

“You are SO going to love this,” Jani said as she pushed Aileen in front of her and guided her in the direction of the athlete’s seating. Aileen couldn’t believe the size of the seating section for the football stadium. It surrounded the football field like an oval ring, except for where the Lord Warriors weight room building was. According to Jani, the players for both teams would rush onto the field to the roar of the crowd. Aileen had only been inside the weight room, she had no idea what the rest of the building looked like. The large red doors on the one side, with a Red Coat Warrior painted on it, had to be the home team’s exit and entrance. The other side of the building also held a pair of red doors, but with no Red Coat. They made their way down the large concrete stadium stairs to the athlete seating section and settled in a row with Sean, Chrissy and a few others holding a spot for them. Aileen squeezed in between Sean and Jani. They had great seats, right in the middle of the stadium with a perfect view of the entire field. Sean leaned over to her and yelled, trying to be heard over the roar of the stadium. “How was your first week of classes?” “Good,” she hollered back, nodding her head at the same time. “It’s busy.” “It’s good to have a busy semester when you aren’t competing. Take it easy in January. Plan to take Friday’s off.” She gave him a thumb’s up. “Good plan.” “How’s training?” “Tiring.” The dull ache of her entire body reminded her how tired she was. Between school, labs, track workouts and weight lifting, she didn’t have much time for anything else, but to sleep and eat. She wasn’t complaining, as she told her folks when she spoke to them last night, she loved every minute of it.

Sean gave her a reassuring smile. “You’ll get used to it.” “How’s cross country?” She hadn’t seen Sean at all this week in training. The cross country team had been out running hills and these big huge runs she couldn’t fathom doing. “Good. Really good. It’s going to be a great season.” A loud horn blew and the crowd suddenly grew quiet. “What’s going on?” Aileen whispered to Jani. “Game’s about to start. Watch the doors.” Aileen shifted so she had a full view of both sets of red doors. Gatica was playing Syracuse for the home opener. She thought of Tyler and wondered if he got nervous before the game. What did football players do as they waited to run onto the field? Syracuse’s doors opened and the team ran out onto the field. A small part of the crowd was dressed in navy blue and orange. They cheered as their team ran on the field. When Gatica burst through the Red Coat Warrior, the stadium went crazy. Aileen plugged her ears from the noise. The screams even drowned out the marching band’s music. She knew the game but had never gotten into her high school’s Friday night light’s games. The teams took the field with Syracuse having the first kickoff. The defense players of Gatica took the field and Aileen squinted, trying to find which one was Tyler. She tapped Jani. “Which one is Tyler?” Jani pointed to the end of the field where one of their players stood alone. “He’s number eighty-eight. You’ll know it’s him. Just watch.” “He’s the kickoff return. Last year he blew everyone’s mind in the first game of the season,” Sean said. “First play of the game is about to start.” The ref’s whistle blew and the stadium grew suddenly quiet. Syracuse kicked off.

The bright setting sun should have caused some kind of distraction, at least in Aileen’s opinion, but Tyler bent slightly as he caught the ball at the five-yard line. He took off running like a bat out of hell. A Syracuse player with fast legs dove across to knock him down. Tyler went over top of him like he was a hurdle. He zigzagged down the field, deeking and ducking out over Syracuse players to the fifty-yard line. All that was left was the kicker, a tiny little guy who looked ready to poop his pants. The kicker chased him. Tyler ran around him like he wasn’t even there! Tyler slowed his pace as he high-stepped it into the end zone for a ninety-fiveyard touchdown. He stopped, paused as the roaring of the crowd paused in perfect unison. He straightened his arm holding the football and dropped it to the ground like what he had just done was a walk in the park. Everyone in the stands jumped to their feet and started screaming. “And that is why he is one of the best players in the country!” Sean stomped his feet in appreciation. The teams changed players with Gatica now in the position to kick off and Syracuse to receive the ball. The first down for Syracuse, the quarterback threw the ball to his wide left receiver where Tyler must have been watching the quarterback’s eyes or was one step ahead, or read the quarterback’s mind. Aileen didn’t have time to figure it out. She watched in awe as Tyler hurled himself into the air and snatched the ball away from the receiver. He took off again and was finally brought to the ground at the twenty-yard line. The fans screamed in appreciation. He was part of a team, but he ran the show and controlled the field, in two plays! The quarter ran down and in the second quarter, Syracuse took the lead. They were a strong team that quickly figured out ways to stop Tyler when he took the field. If he had been on the offense line, Aileen had the feeling he would be unstoppable. At half time, the school’s marching band took the field with the cheerleaders twirling and twisting in the air. The score clock showed Gatica in the lead by seven. Twenty-one to fourteen for the University of Gatica.

Jani and Aileen ran up to grab snacks and drinks, squeezing in a bathroom break in between. “So what do you think?” Jani asked as they stood in line to buy. She stretched and shook her arms. “I’m so sore! I hate the first month of training. My body doesn’t like what I do to it.” Aileen laughed. “I’m sure it’ll forgive you the moment you hit a six-foot jump at your first meet.” “True dat!” She grinned. “Are you a football fan now? I saw you screaming and cheering with the rest of us.” “I believe I am. College football is pretty exciting. I can’t believe how we’re kicking their butts.” “Game’s not over yet. Second half can sometimes take twice as long as the first.” A buzzer sounded, letting them know there were five minutes left till the whistle. They raced back down to their seats, sharing the red licorice with Sean. Gatica started the second half kicking off to Syracuse. The defensive line stopped Syracuse from scoring a touchdown and ended up with the ball on the twenty-yard line after the fourth down. Gatica’s offense took the field and brought the ball up to nearly midfield. Aileen cried out when a Syracuse player intercepted the ball and scored a touchdown. Then they also scored the extra point to tie the game. There were no points scored the remainder of the third quarter and as the game continued into the fourth quarter the teams seemed locked at twenty-eight, twenty-eight. Aileen blew out a breath, frustrated when yet another fourth down yielded no touchdown for Gatica. Sean patted her shoulder. “Relax girl.” He chuckled. “Syracuse is a really strong team. This year they’re expected to win the conference.” The timer counted down with nothing working in Gatica’s favor. With less than a minute on the clock, Syracuse was at the third yard line, just trying to run the

time down and bring them closer to field goal range. The Syracuse quarterback must have decided to give one last ditch attempt for a touchdown before having to go for a field goal on their fourth down if the third down didn’t work. He set his team into formation. The Syracuse wide receivers managed to get open and the quarterback drilled the football to the one on the right. Tyler was heading to the left wide receiver and did a one-eighty to change his direction and sprinted toward the right wide receiver. He intercepted the ball. Everyone roared in reaction. He blazed down the field for a touchdown as the crowd continued to go wild. In the end zone, he high kneed it across and set the ball down like it was a teacup. The University of Gatica players rushed over to him, crushing and pounding his helmet. They threw him over their shoulders and carried him over to the football coach. They set Tyler down in front of him and made an enclosed tight circle around the two of them, screaming and chanting. The scoreboard flashed Gatica. The final score thirty-four to twenty-eight. No need to do a field goal kick as the clock had run down. Aileen screamed, her voice hoarse from all the cheering. Sean clapped his hands. “He’s the next Deion Sanders. Probably better than Deion. If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Tyler.” As they slowly made their way out of the stadium, Aileen watched the football team head back into Lord Warriors. She strained to see Tyler one more time and tried not to show her disappointment when she didn’t. He was the best player on the team. She wondered what would happen if he played with the line-up that was in charge of getting the touchdowns. He would be unstoppable. She sighed. She couldn’t get him out of her head. She had been so busy with school and track this week she had managed to push him out of her mind – temporarily. Apparently all it took was seeing him from two hundred feet away, in a football uniform to bring his good-looking, hot body back into focus. “Want to go downtown for dinner? Then hit Red Coat’s?” Sean asked.

Jani groaned. “Downtown is nuts after a game. We’ll be waiting for an hour before we even get a table.” What’s that? A distraction! “We could barbeque,” Aileen suggested. “Make homemade hamburgers.” She had seen a grill in their garage when they had dragged the old tin tub out of it for the party. It was in good shape. “We just need to pick up a propane tank.” “I can’t barbeque.” Jani shook her head and turned to Sean. “Don’t look at me.” Aileen laughed as they left the stadium and headed toward Jani’s car parked on a side street about half a mile away. “I can barbeque. And make burgers. My brother taught me. We just need to grab stuff and a tank at Walmart.” “Seriously?” Sean looked skeptical. “Yeah. It’s easy.” “Will you marry me?” Aileen rolled her eyes. “You and I both know that is never going to happen.” “I know.” Sean grinned and winked at her. “But you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

Chapter 9

Aileen sat on her bed, books, her notes and her laptop sprawled around her. The quiz tomorrow for Biology covered way too much stuff. Just when she thought she had gone over everything, she would find something else to read over. A quiz was supposed to be easy. This was a massive test, after barely a month of school! The past five weeks had flown. Aileen was finding her rhythm, but this test seemed to want to kick her butt. I mean quiz! She was trying too hard. She knew the material but wanted to be over prepared. What was wrong with wanting to do well on the test? High scores in Biology could get her on the dissecting team for the Anatomy Physiology course next semester. A soft tapping against her window made her jump. She squinted as she tried to stare out of the thin curtain and glass. It was impossible to see anything because of the brightness in her room and the darkness outside. Probably just a tree branch scraping against the window. Or a falling leaf. They were falling by the hundreds from the large tree in the middle of the backyard. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and went back to reading her typed notes. The tapping came again, a little louder with more insistency. She checked her watch. 11:45. It was late. Her heart thundered in her chest as she tossed the pen on her bed and got up. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the window and pressed her face close, using her hand to shield the light above her. Nothing. No one was there. She double-checked to make sure. “It better not be Sean,” she muttered to herself, “trying to scare me.” As she pulled away to straighten, her peripheral caught sight of something flash by the back door. Like the reflection off a jacket. “So help me, Sean...” She marched across her room and opened her bedroom

door. She stepped into the hall and closed her door to make it darker in the back veranda part of the closed in porch. Aileen hesitated and listened for a hint of a sound outside. She was sure she could hear breathing. Perfect! She swung the door open hard and fast, ready to jump outside and catch Sean in the act before he tried to run away. She was going to kill him. Hands reached out to stop her. The door slamming open must have surprised Sean. He lost his balance on the step and fell backward, taking Aileen with him. She didn’t have time to cry out or react, except to shut her eyes tight and brace for impact. Cool air brushed past her skin. She only had on a thin white t-shirt with the UofG logo in the center and bikini underwear underneath. She had planned to crawl into bed after she had gone through her notes one last time. As they crashed into the lush, damp grass, a low umph escaped from the mouth below hers. It wasn’t Sean she landed on. She sucked in a sharp breath. From the musky scent mixed with wet earth that teased her nostrils, she knew without opening her eyes who the long, rock-hard muscular body beneath her belonged to. “Tyler?” she whispered. Strong arms had wrapped around her upper body to protect her as they fell. Like protecting a football. The hands belonging to those muscular arms trailed down her shoulders, brushing the sides of her rib cage and pressing against the curve of her hips. A moan escaped her mouth when they ran over her buttocks. “What’re you wearing?” he whispered as his hands roamed over her bare thighs and found their way under her t-shirt. His touch made her shiver. She opened her mouth to reply, but his lips pressed hard into hers, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth. His hands spread across the skin of her back as he tried to get her closer to him. Everything from the last day of her recruiting trip came gloriously flooding back. She felt his need and matched it with the same fever. She wanted to give him shit for ignoring her the past month but at the moment, she didn’t care. She could deal with that later.

A cool breeze brushed against her backside reminding her they were still outside. She gently pushed against his chest with her hands and raised her head inches away from his. Her eyes grew accustomed to the dark. She could make out the features of his beautiful face. His bright uniquely colored eyes, the perfect curve of his jawline, his sharp cheekbones. She brushed her face against his so she could feel the sexy stubble. “Do you want to come inside?” Her mind ran dirty and she wondered if he would comment on what part of inside she was referring to. She warmed at the thought and hoped he couldn’t read her mind. She sat up and straddled him. The cold button of his jeans pressed through her thin panties and also a hardness beneath it. It sent a thrill deep inside her. “I’m okay here for the moment.” Tyler flashed her a mischievous grin. He ran his hands down the length of her naked thighs before finally sliding them off her and tucking them behind his head. “What’re you doing here?” She tapped his muscle taut chest with a finger. “It’s nearly midnight. I thought you were Sean.” Tyler frowned and his body stiffened beneath her. “Were you expecting him?” He completely misunderstood what she meant. “No! I was about to kill you. I thought you were Sean trying to scare me or something.” “That can be arranged.” “What can?” “Killing Sean. I’ll gladly do it for you.” She grinned at him, rotating her hips slightly and pressing against him. “Are you jealous?” The sensible part of her brain tried to remind her that he had no right to be. He didn’t own her. He had made it quite clear he wasn’t interested in her. Until this moment, they had barely spoken to each other since the start of the school year. He sat up slightly, stretching his hands out behind him and leaning his upper body forward as he brought his knees up so he was sitting in a V-position with Aileen tucked perfectly in the middle. “Should I be?” The light from her room

shone on his face. Aileen could see his eyes hungrily roam over her. Maybe it was the cool air or reason flooding itself back into her brain. She crawled off him and stood. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover her hardened nipples pressing against her thin shirt. She realized how near naked she was. This was a mistake. Just like the last day of her recruiting trip. “Why are you here? If you’ve come looking for a quickie, I’m sorry, but you’re at the wrong house.” His eyes grew wide in surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Slowly, he closed it again and pulled himself up to a standing position. “I didn’t come here for...” She tilted her head. “Really?” He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and shrugged, giving her a rueful grin. “Not intentionally. It might have crossed my mind while on the grass. Don’t tell me it didn’t cross yours.” An exasperated breath slipped from his mouth. “Can we please go inside and talk? I’m, uh, I’m having a hard time concentrating with you,” he gestured at her body, “with you in that.” Despite trying to be in control, a tremor of arousal rippled through Aileen. She was driving him crazy, not the other way around for once. She turned and headed up the steps, pausing at the door. “Come on in.” She pressed her pointer finger against her lips. “I don’t want Jani to wake up,” she whispered as she pushed the door open slowly. His nearness created a warm sensation no heater could ever make. Focus, Aileen. He’s here at your house. You can talk to him. Just you and him. With her finger pressed against her lips again, she slipped inside and pointed to her room. Tyler followed her in, moving by her and brushing slightly against her, sending a delicious ripple of pleasure through her. He moved sleek and quick. Her body begged to feel that sensation again. Aileen closed the back door as quietly as she could before popping her head in her room. Tyler stood in the middle of it, looking unsure of where to stand or what to do. “Give me a sec,” she told him and slipped down the hall to the kitchen. She checked the living room and saw Jani’s door closed and her light off. Aileen tiptoed to the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair had escaped her bun and had a wild, windswept look to it. She pulled out the elastic

and redid her hair. She also took a shot of mouthwash. As she ed through the kitchen back to her room, she grabbed two water bottles off the counter. She paused outside her door. She was ecstatic Tyler had shown up, but a small part of her wished he hadn’t. It finally felt like she had let go of the crazy crush she had on him. Apparently she’d been lying to herself from the way she had reacted to him outside. He probably figured she would sleep with him anytime he wanted to. I probably would. She definitely didn’t want him to know he had this carnal control over her. Did his body own hers? She seemed to only be able to think about him in those . Would it surprise her if he thought the same way? There was no denying the physical attraction they had for each other and the way their bodies connected when they touched. She knew there were more feelings and strings attached to her thoughts, and she highly doubted he felt the same way. There was only one way to find out. Taking a deep breath she opened the door to her room and stepped in.

Chapter 10

Tyler had cleared a small space on her bed and now sat at the edge of it waiting for her. He held her large Biology textbook in his hand. He smiled when she walked in, his eyes running down the length of her body before slowly coming back up. If he was nervous, he definitely didn’t show it. In the light of her room she was able to see him better compared to the darkness outside a few minutes ago. He wore jeans and an Under Armour fitted gray shirt. He looked model hot. Too good. Aileen set the two bottles of water on the floor and walked to her closet. She pulled out the closest pair of pants she could fine. Blue jeans. She stepped into them and zipped them up, letting the few loose locks of her hair cover her face as she kept her head down. She glanced down at her shirt, relieved her breasts had decided to be normal and not poke out anymore. “Is your car parked out front?” She went around to the other side of the bed and organized her notes as she piled them on the chair beside her bed. He smiled. “It’s parked down in Campus Corner. A bunch of the guys headed over to First Down.” Bunch of the guys? “You mean football players?” He nodded. “Have you been drinking?” His eyes showed no signs of alcohol, they were just their usual brilliant green-blue-greyish color. “I had one beer.” He watched her close her laptop and set it under the bed. “I’m not drunk, if that’s what you’re asking.” She sat down on the bed by the pillows and leaned back against the headboard. Tyler pointed at the painted track behind her. “Can you paint me one of those?”

“Sorry, Jani did it.” She hugged her knees as she thought of being in his bedroom, standing on his bed to paint something similar. She imagined what had happened in her hotel room on her recruiting trip going on in his room. She blinked and tried to keep her face neutral. Thank goodness he wasn’t a mind reader. “So you walked from Campus Corner?” “It’s not very far. Less than a five-minute jog.” She nodded. She had no idea what to say. She was dying to know why he had come here. Had the football players bet him? Had he told them about how he had scored during her recruiting trip? Stop staring at his lips! Why did she want to kiss him so bad? She shouldn’t be giving him the time of day, she had every right. Tyler glanced down at the textbook in his hand. “I this class. You doing the labs morning or evening?” “Morning. It’s Thursdays.” Really? Did he seriously think she would believe he was interested in her class schedule? She cleared her throat. Enough with the small talk. “Why are you here, Tyler?” He set the Biology textbook on the bed and kept his eyes cast down. “I... I’m not exactly sure.” Slowly he brought his head up to meet her gaze. “I know I shouldn’t – I have no right. I just... I just couldn’t ... I had to. I’ve been trying, really been trying and it’s not working.” She didn’t understand the frustration written across his face or what he was trying to say. “What’s not working?” she asked softly. “I shouldn’t have kissed you at my party.” “Back in February?” “Yeah, that night during your recruiting trip.” He ran his fingers over his short buzzed hair as an exasperated sigh escaped his lips. “I’m sorry.” She dipped her head so he was forced to look at her. “For kissing me at the party? Or stopping by my hotel room before I flew home? You didn’t seem too sorry then. Quite the opposite actually... more like thankful.” She couldn’t believe she had just said that. She grinned, tried to stop it and ended up giggling.

The corners of Tyler’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t laugh. A sudden awkward moment of silence ed. “I’m sorry.” She shrugged. “I just...” She inhaled and plowed forward with her words, terrified what would happen when she did, but needing to know why he hadn’t tried to talk to her since she had arrived at school. “I just thought what had happened meant something more than... It didn’t feel like a... you know, like...” A thought tugged at the back of her brain, but she refused to acknowledge it. “Why have you been avoiding me?” He shifted and tucked a bent leg on the bed. “It’s called football. I haven’t been avoiding you. The FB program isn’t like anything you could ever imagine.” He scratched his neck. “And it’s going to get busier.” It took everything not to give him a sarcastic response. She bit her tongue but couldn’t hold back. “That’s your excuse?” She jumped off the bed and moved toward the door. “If you only slept with me to get me to sign with the school, mission accomplished. I’m here.” She reached for the doorknob and glared at him. “What I want to know is if this was your own cockamamie plan or if Coach Anderson put you up to it?” She couldn’t believe she’d said the words. She didn’t mean them. Tyler’s mouth hung open as his eyebrows arched high onto his forehead. “That’s not what happened!” “Really?” She was pissed and embarrassed. “’Cause that’s exactly what it seems like. Be happy. You did your job. I’m here. However, there is absofreakinlutely no way you should ever consider tapping on my window again for a quickie. It’s never going to happen.” Tyler stood. “I told you I didn’t come by here for that.” “Then you came to apologize?” She pulled the door open and motioned for him to leave. The lump in her throat warned her she didn’t have much resistance left. His face hardened and became unreadable. He marched to where she stood and stopped, inches away from her. Not menacing but purely frustrated. “I didn’t plan to stop by your hotel on your recruiting trip!” He tapped his forehead. “I couldn’t get you out of my head and you sure didn’t seem to mind. Pretty boy

with the football talent. I’m sure you had no problem telling your friends back home who you scored with. I figured as much when you made no effort to me after you left, nor did you bother showing up at nationals. I got your message loud and clear.” His warm breath brushed against her cheek as he glared at her. “This’ll never happen again. Ever.” He pointed back and forth between the two of them before stepping past her and slipping out the back door. Aileen stood frozen, her hand still gripping the doorknob. What had just happened? Had he just turned it around so it was her fault?

Chapter 11

“You look like crap.” Jani stood on the grass with one leg stretched out on top of the steps to the house. They were going to jog over to the track again as warm up before practice. The sun peeked through the large maple tree in their small front yard and warmed their skin. The leaves had started to fall and were turning into a wonderful crimson shade of red. “I barely slept last night.” Aileen sat on the grass criss-cross and stared at her lap. She was on the verge of tears. “Because of Biology? It’s not worth stressing over a stupid test.” “The quiz went great.” She sighed. Jani dropped down beside her. She bent her head so she could see Aileen’s face. “Is everything alright?” The concern and softness in Jani’s voice made Aileen miss her mom. A silent tear slid down her cheek. She tried unsuccessfully to swallow the painful lump in her throat. She couldn’t hold it back anymore. She had managed for most of the day but now dreaded the thought of going to practice. What if Tyler showed up? He probably had football but with her luck, he’d be there talking to Coach Anderson. The dam broke and she burst into tears. Jani leaned over and put her arm around her. She let Aileen cry for a few minutes and then patted her shoulder. “Whatever it is, I highly doubt it’s worth all these tears.” Swiping the salty wetness away from her cheeks, Aileen sat back and tried to smile. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” “Try me.” Jani leaned back and stretched her legs out, crossing them at the ankles. Aileen needed to tell someone and Becky, her go-to girl, was half a world away

in Ohio. Her mom wouldn’t understand a boy tapping on her window at night, but she’d bake chocolate chip cookies and talk about life and how things got better as you got older. Jani was her roommate. Aileen trusted her. She took a deep breath. “Do you the party you took me to on my recruiting trip?” Might as well start at the very beginning, or at least near it. “Tyler’s? Aileen, I’m so sorry about Linda back in February. And Mindy. I heard what happened at our party. They aren’t ganging up on you now, trying to threaten you, arethey? Those girls are high maintenance and when coach heard what had happened with Linda back at the party...” Jani shook her head. “Let’s just say I’m glad I have you living with me now.” “It’s not about Linda.” She sniffed wishing her nose would stop running. Jani stared at her long and hard. “What happened? What did Tyler do?” Aileen blinked in surprise. How did she know? Because he’s a total player, idiot! “Why do you think it’s about Tyler?” She whispered his name, afraid to say it aloud. Jani crossed her arms over her chest. “Tyler couldn’t take his eyes off you at the party, or the entire weekend you were here. After you left, he asked me a few times if you and I stayed in touch.” “He did?” Why hadn’t he tried to find her on Facebook or something instead of pretending she didn’t exist? “You have a thing for him, don’t you?” Jani gave her a sympathetic smile. “Oh honey, he’s practically married to—” “He has a girlfriend?” She was going to kill him. “How long has he been with her?” She pictured Tyler and that short, bad dye-job blonde sprinter kissing and cuddling. “I’m talking about the sport! You cut me off before I could finish.” Jani laughed. “He’s practically married to football. He eats, sleeps and breathes it. Girls have been trying to get close to him since he was a freshman. Since I’ve been here, he’s never had a girlfriend. He dates, but I’ve never seen him during football season.” She checked her watch. “We’re still good for time. We’ve got about five minutes before we need to leg it over to the track. So what happened?”

“He’s not shy.” Where did that come from? “He kissed me,” she blurted out. “At our party?” She grinned. “So that’s why he came.” “No, before that.” Aileen felt silly saying exactly when it had happened. “At a different party.” She waited for Jani to figure it out and when she didn’t, Aileen added, “His party.” “On the recruiting trip?” Jani shook her head. “That’s just wrong.” “I didn’t mind.” She grinned slyly. Jani laughed. “I’m sure you didn’t. Who would? That beautiful boy could kiss an alien and they wouldn’t complain.” She stared at Aileen with half-closed eyes. “Is he as good as he looks?” She giggled, but it came out more like a hiccup. “And then some.” “I believe it.” Jani cocked her head to the side and watched Aileen for a few moments. “So why the tears?” If she didn’t tell Jani now, she’d lose her nerve and try burying it deep inside. “Promise you won’t say anything to anyone? I trust you, but I would die if anyone found out.” Jani held up her hand, with only her little finger extended. “Pinkie swear. I got your back. I’m lousy with the whole gossip thing. I have to it though, I’m dying to know more. Tyler is super private. No one on the team knows anything about him. I mean, they know he’s nice and drop dead gorgeous, but he’s very private.” She knew none of this and wished she had told Jani what had happened back when she had moved in. Might have saved some misery. “I should probably mention he stopped by before I left for the airport...” She waited for a response from Jani but by the blank look on her face, she didn’t get it. “At my hotel.” “Oh.” Jani said absently and then her eyes suddenly went big. “Ohhhhh....” “Yeah.” Aileen shrugged. “Then he didn’t bother to see me again until last night.”

“He called you last night?” “No. He stopped by. Tapped on my bedroom window.” Jani stood up. “I’m so freakin’ jealous.” “We didn’t mess around. Well, sort of not.” She couldn’t get the image of lying on top of him when they stumbled, or the exquisite feel of his lips against hers. She got up and stretched her arms. “Should we start jogging to practice?” Jani groaned. “Yeah. Now I’m going to think about this the entire time at practice. Tell me what happened as we jog over to the track.” As they started down the sidewalk of their street, Aileen waited till they ed two girls walking in the opposite direction they were going. “So he came by last night and I basically told him to get lost.” Jani stumbled and nearly fell, she managed to catch herself just in time. “What?” “He came by and I was, kinda, mad he didn’t bother to find me on Facebook or get my email address from you or coach or anyone. I thought we connected on the recruiting trip and then realized he was doing whatever it took to get me to come here.” “I don’t think—” “It doesn’t matter. I don’t regret g with the school. That was my own decision and it wasn’t a mistake.” Aileen didn’t want Jani to think that was the reason she had come here. “I just said that to him because I was mad.” They turned the corner at the end of their street and dashed across the road to cut through campus. “What did he say?” Jani asked when they settled back into a rhythm together. “He said he came by to find out why I hadn’t tried to get a hold of him! He was at the First Down and walked over to ask me that.” “Seriously? He left his football buddies to come and talk to you?” Aileen waved her hand. “That’s not the point. He tried to come sneaking over

and then accuses me of skipping USTAF Nationals so I wouldn’t have to see him!” “Did you?” “No!” Whose side was Jani on? “I was competing at World Juniors! In Poland! How could he not know that?” “Maybe he forgot.” Jani held her hands out in front of her, expressing with them as she jogged. “Maybe, just to play the devil’s advocate here, maybe he didn’t know. This is his senior year of football. He’s got another indoor season after this year but he won’t be coming back. He’s going to be playing NFL football next year with some big league big contract team. Maybe he just went to Nationals to see you.” “He went to try and win a medal.” Why else would anyone go? Nothing else made sense to Aileen. “Maybe.” Jani didn’t sound convinced. “He hates to lose.” So did Aileen, but she had no plans of mentioning that to Jani and risk having to discuss what happened in the hotel back in February. They were getting closer to Wavertree Fieldhouse. Aileen had no intention of keeping this conversation going and have other people hear it. Jani seemed to read her thoughts. “We are so continuing this after practice.” Aileen’s depression lifted slightly. She didn’t feel sad anymore. It felt good to get it off her chest, but it also made her question some of the points Jani had made. She seemed to be on Aileen’s side, but also appeared to think Tyler was a sensitive, focused guy. He was Mr. Popular, in every facility around campus. He might not kiss and tell, but she was pretty sure he played the field and could accommodate any position he needed to get a goal. He was a player, through and through. Maybe not one to shout it off the mountain tops, but the quiet ones were probably the ones you needed to be more cautious with. It was smart she had gotten him off her chest and out of her head now instead of later. She didn’t say her thoughts out loud to Jani. The decision had been made. She would be friends with Tyler. No strings, no

kissing, no sex. None of that stuff. If he really was a nice guy, as Jani believed, they would make good friends and training partners. Come indoors, they would be competing at meets and probably going to nationals together. They needed to get along... and she would make the effort on her part. They stopped jogging when they had reached the other side of Wavertree and walked to the gates to the outdoor track. The track was surrounded by an old coliseum that might have once housed a football field. Or maybe a soccer field or the original track. It was gorgeous... like a mini replica of some Roman gladiator coliseum. Jani slipped through the tight gate opening and Aileen followed. It saved having to walk around to the pillar entrance on the other side of the track. Other students were already running laps or stretching or doing warm up drills on the red mondo track. “Do you know what we’re doing today?” Aileen hadn’t bothered to check today's training on her weekly schedule coach gave her. She had been too absorbed in the self-pity caused by a particular defensive football player. She followed close to Jani as they jogged down through an opening in the limestone bleachers. “Stairs. Hundreds of them. Tomorrow is an easy day, because of the fun-run fundraiser.” Aileen made a mental note to go hard today. Saturday’s fundraiser would be an easy run. “...But today is an awful combination of stairs and plyometric, with a dash of core strength thrown in.” Jani pretended to clutch her chest. “We’re all going to die out here.” Aileen shook her head. “We are not going to die.” “Speak for yourself. You didn’t have three bowls of lucky charms before practice.” Aileen scrunched her nose. “That’s disgusting. How could you eat three bowls?”

“They tasted so good! I meant to stop, but then I had a little bit of milk left in the bowl so I added more, which was too much, so I added more milk and, well, three bowls later I finally stopped.” She rubbed her tummy. “Which reminds me, we have to buy more cereal.”

Chapter 12

Two days had ed since Tyler had knocked on her window and Aileen had told Jani about what had happened. It seemed like more time had ed than the months she spent waiting to come to Gatica after she signed her Letter of Intent. She told herself, and then reminded herself, several times that they could be friends and she had believed it – until she arrived with Jani at the cross country course where they would be doing the fundraiser run. One look at Tyler from across the field and she knew she still liked him. No amount of trying to convince herself was going to change that. She was physically attracted to him, but it was more than that. She just couldn’t pinpoint what exactly. She pretended not to watch him as she sat stretching and warming up. Tyler seemed to be looking everywhere except at her. Is he purposely avoiding me? It drove Aileen crazy. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him even if she tried. He stood with his hands stuffed casually in the back pockets of his jeans. The cobalt of his shirt reflected off his eyes, making them appear bluer than their usual green-gray color. Even from their distance apart she could see the dark reflection of his tanned skin. If only she were closer... close enough to run her fingers over his chest, or down his stomach. Stop it! How come every time they were within a fifty-yard radius of each other she could sense him? It was like her hormones took over her brain. It’s because you always want what you can’t have. Tyler obviously didn’t have the same problem. Aileen blew her hair away from her face. She knew it was mandatory for all the track athletes to participate in the two-point-five mile fun run as it raised money for the track team, but she had assumed Tyler wouldn’t be here. Hadn’t Coach Anderson said footballers weren’t around until indoor season after football season ended? Well, here Tyler stood, in the gorgeous flesh! He apparently wasn’t running, the jeans covering those sexy muscular legs of his were the

proof. Either he had come to the team or Coach Anderson asked him to come; to make the alumni and ers happy. NCAA champion and football extraordinaire, he would be silly not to make Tyler the main attraction. She straightened from stretching out her right hamstring and switched legs. Her left needed some attention now. As she moved, Tyler’s eyes shifted and focussed on her. She quickly looked down at the grass so he wouldn’t catch her staring. Someone dropped down beside her, and she knew instantly it was Jani without having to look up. “Tyler’s here,” she whispered. “Is he?” Aileen pretended she hadn’t noticed. She stared at a faint scar on her quad that remained after hitting a hurdle the wrong way in the rain back in high school. “He’s not running.” Jani leaned closer to her. “Are you going to try and avoid him? It won’t fix anything,” she whispered. Aileen picked at the grass, pulling gently at a wishing dandelion. “I’m not going to hide from him. I just don’t want to rush up and try to be friends after the way things ended the other night.” She dropped her head to her knee to stretch her hamstring. Jani tapped Aileen’s shoulder lightly and then franticly. “Head’s up, gorgeous. He’s coming this way.” She shifted away and began waving. “Hey stranger,” Jani called out. “I’ve barely seen you this year except on the field. Football keeping you busy?” She gave Tyler a hug. Jani had the unique ability to hide anyone’s anxiety and make everything appear entirely normal. It was a gift. Aileen decided to mimic her, trying hard to look uninterested... completely neutral was a better word. She stretched both her legs before giving them a shake and standing up. She begged her racing heart to slow its pace. “Hey, Tyler.” She smiled and did her best to avoid looking in his eyes. She lasted about five seconds before she gave in and checked to see why he hadn’t replied to her. Big mistake. The moment their eyes met everything at once seemed to melt away. There was

only him. The brown flecks in his eyes moved as his pupils darted back and forth across hers. His eyebrows rose and pressed slightly together. Something flashed behind his eyes. She wanted so badly to ask what it was. A gasp escaped her lips. She had been holding her breath. She covered her mouth and prayed the burn she felt hadn’t reached her cheeks. The last time she blushed in front of him, luckily it had been dark. “I-I-I, uh, I’m, uh,” Jani stuttered. “I’ve got to ask Coach Anderson anything— something, I mean, something.” She jogged away, almost running. Tyler didn’t acknowledge her leaving. His arms hung by his sides as he unconsciously cracked his knuckles, still watching Aileen. Aileen inhaled and let it out slowly. She didn’t want him to leave and if she didn’t say anything, he would. It’s awesome to see you. I wish I could see you every day. I wish I hadn’t kicked you out of my room the other night. We should’ve just stayed on the grass. If you had kept kissing me, I wouldn’t have opened my stupid mouth. Hmm... maybe not. “How’s football going?” A single eyebrow rose on his handsome face. He smiled, his entire body relaxing. “It’s good. Hard, but I like the challenge.” “The home games are unbelievable to watch.” “You’ve gone?” He grinned, a special smile just for her. It made her giddy inside. “Jani said I wouldn’t understand football fever until I went. I’ve been addicted ever since. We’ve gone to all of them. You’re magnificent.” Really? She just called him magnificent? Why not just tell him he’s hot in his uniform? He shrugged. “I’m trying. One of our wide receivers got injured during our last game and is out for the season. We’ve got nobody to take his place.” He half grinned. “Sort of. We do have somebody. You are looking at the corner back and the new wide receiver. Looks like I’ll be getting to play the entire game.” “Seriously.” She didn’t know all the positions but it sounded like he would be playing defense and offense. “That’s pretty impressive.”

“Last year... looks like I’ll get to hang out in the end zone a bit more.” “Congrats.” She tilted her head. “Is it congrats? Or are you not excited?” “It’s a good thing. It’s a huge opportunity for me. There’s a lot of pressure. From every side.” He blinked as if surprised by his confession. “Sorry. I don’t know why I said that. It’s no big deal.” “You’re doing great.” She wanted so badly to reach out and touch him. She resisted. “Don’t listen to what everyone else wants, just do yer thang.” She winked at him as she tried to imitate his southern accent. He chuckled, his whole face lighting up. “That’s a really appalling accent.” He leaned close and brushed his hand against hers. “But incredibly adorable.” She smiled. “Not sure I was going for adorable.” “What’re you doing after the race?” “Showering.” The word was out of her mouth before her brain processed it. She felt her lips form the shape of an “O” as he gave her a sly look. “Do you need any help?” He chuckled. “With the race, I mean. I’ll gladly assist you with the other if you want me too.” Why did that thought seem so appealing? He held his hands up. “I apologize. I promised myself I would be on my best behavior with you from now on. That seems to be a bit of a challenge the minute I’m around you.” He shook his head and grinned ruefully at her. “I’ll be good.” She understood his dilemma more than he knew. “What’s your job here today?” She motioned to his jeans. “You’re obviously not racing.” “I told Coach I would cover the water station. Hand cups of water out to you poor, suffering athletes.” She laughed. “It’s two and a half miles, I think we can handle it.” “You’ve obviously never seen the hammer throwers or shot putter’s run.”

“That’s prejudice. I’m going to tell them you said that.” He raised his hands in mock protection. “I play defense in football. Trust me, I know size matters and when someone’s going to need a drink of water!” He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned his strong shoulders forward. “I’m free today. There’s no football practice, no weight training, no going over game plans or watching game footage. It’s the first Saturday I’m free since... Since forever. I want to do something. I want to do it with you.” His words surprised her. He had a whole day off and he wanted to do something with her? Only a crazy person would say no. “What do you want to do?” His face lit up. “Anything.” “Anything?” “Absolutely anything.” A horn sounded to let the athletes know it was time to line up for the race. Aileen checked her watch. The race started in five minutes. “I’ll try and think of something while I’m running.” “I’ll catchya at the water station.” He turned as Coach Anderson called out his name. “I might have to do some schmoozing with the alumni after the race. If I don’t see you, do you want me to come by your place when I’m done?” An image of her in the shower and Tyler ing flashed in her head. She blinked several times to clear the thought. “S-Sure.” “Aileen!!” Jani called from the start line. “Get over here.” “Shoot. I gotta go.” She did not want to leave. “Me, too.” Tyler nodded back toward Coach Anderson. “Have fun. Oh an’ good luck.” Slowly they jogged away in opposite directions. Suddenly Aileen couldn’t wait for the race to be over. She planned on being the first across the finish line, and for an entirely non-competitive reason.

She lined up beside Jani, who looked like she was dying to ask what they had talked about but said nothing. Aileen retied her shoe to make sure it wouldn’t come loose during the race. “How hard do we have to go?” she asked as she straightened. “Like how we run to practice. It’s not about time. The goal is to raise some money for the team and get some alumni to come for a barbecue after and donate more.” Aileen checked her watch and sighed. She wanted the race to go faster, not slower. “You in a rush to go somewhere?” Jani tilted her head, the corners of her mouth twitching upward. “Maybe hit the water table for a quick visit.” Aileen playfully swatted her friend. She leaned in so only Jani would hear her. “Tyler wants to hang out after the race.” Jani clutched her heart. “With me? That’s so sweet he asked you to tell me.” “Jani!” Aileen groaned. “You know I’m just teasin’.” Jani shot an annoyed look at the sound of Coach Maves blowing her starter horn twice to warn them the race started in a minute. “Tyler’s still totally into you. Told you so.” She turned at the sound of Coach Maves’ voice calling them to their marks on a loudspeaker horn. The gun sounded and nobody started to run. Aileen stood in the second row and took a step forward and then waited for the runner in front of her to go. “What’s...” She glanced at Jani. Jani winked at her while counting silently, mouthing the countdown to Aileen, “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...” Coach Maves hollered at everyone to move. She continued shouting into the mouthpiece while everyone stood frozen. After Jani had reached zero, she mouthed, “Go!” All the runners burst into a sprint. Aileen stumbled to keep up with the sudden

pace, but she easily managed to keep up. As they rounded the first pylon that would bring them through the small forest paths where the cross country team trained, the rapid pace slowed. “What the heck was that?” Aileen kept pace with Jani. “Don’t you think you could have told me we were supposed to do that?” Jani puffed out a laugh. “I was planning on it. ’Cept you were too busy talking to Mr. Football. The team decided to do it while we were waiting to go. Did you see Coach Maves’ face? She was so mad!” “You had time to tell me just before we started.” “Ha! You were too lost in Tyler la-la land to listen.” “I was not!” Jani gave her a look but didn’t say anything. “Okay. Maybe.” She stopped talking when one of the male sprinters on the team, Craig, squeezed between them. “Ladies! This pace not too hard for you?” He chuckled. “Just stopping by to let you know there’s a party tonight at Drew and my place. Starts around nine. We’re at the townhouses across from the track.” “I know where you live,” Jani said. “A bunch of the swim team guys are in your complex.” Craig nodded. “Yeah, four of the guys live beside us actually.” Jani leaned over and looked at Aileen. “I’ll be there, sorry, we’ll be there.” Aileen wasn’t sure if she would be. If she was hanging out with Tyler, she had no idea how long or what they might be doing. She hoped it might be something that having Jani out of the house for the party was a good thing. Really? She had a chance to get to know Tyler and all she really wanted to do was bang the guy? She would not sleep with him tonight. Scratch that. If by chance he wanted to stay over, she wouldn’t say no, but she would not have sex with him. That’s it. They would not have sex. She made that mistake on her recruiting trip.

Not that she thought of it as a mistake. Something that felt that good couldn’t be wrong. “Earth to Aileen! You still here?” She turned to the sound of Jani’s voice. “Sorry. Lost in thought.” “Lost in a pair of gorgeous eyes, more like.” Jani giggled. They jogged out of the wooded area into an open field which looped around to the long hill they ran repeats on, and then finished down the slope on the other side where they had started the race. Tyler stood by a pair of tables full of cups of water. He stood, his back turned to them, filling cups and setting them on the table. They were just behind the front pack, about ten people ran in front of them. “You going to invite him to the party?” Aileen watched Tyler toss a cup of water at Craig as he ran past. Craig tried to grab a cup and throw it back, not even coming close to hitting Tyler. “Should I?” Part of her wanted to, the other part just wanted him all to herself. Why wasn’t she nervous? Maybe her excitement was hiding the anxiety and it would hit her after the race. Somehow though, she just felt calm. One thing she was determined to do was clear the confusion from the summer. She needed to tell him she had been hoping he would her after her recruiting trip. Maybe say it so it didn’t sound so desperate or play it cool. Or something. Maybe she just wouldn’t bring it up unless he said something. Or they could just hang out, kind of start from scratch all over again. She smiled at him as they jogged toward him, suddenly too shy to say or do anything. Tyler watched her , his eyes glued on her. She picked the pace up and concentrated on her running form, trying to make it perfect... And flirty. If running could even be considered sexy. She was so glad he couldn’t read her mind. Jani ran on the inside, close by the tables and grabbed two cups. “Thanks, T!” She handed Aileen a cup. She reached for it and completely missed grasping the bottom. It slipped from

her hand and bounced off her knee, sending ice cool water splashing directly into her face. It couldn’t have been planned more perfectly. America’s Funniest Home Video’s would have put it in the top three reels. Tyler called out, “You okay?” She glanced back, expecting him to be running after her like a knight in shining armor—more like a guy with a towel and another cup. Thankfully he didn’t. He seemed to be trying to hold in his laughter. “I’m good.” She waved and quickly faced forward. “Sorry, ‘bout that.” Jani giggled and offered Aileen her cup. “Have mine.” Aileen took it and lifted the cup to her lips, already dripping with water. She paused and flicked her wrist, throwing the water into Jani’s face. “Whoops! Sorry about that. It slipped.”

Chapter 13

Water dripped down both their hair and face. Other of the team jogged by them laughing. Aileen tried not to, but the giggles escaped. Jani wiped the wetness from her face with a dramatic swipe. “Payback’s a bitch.” She turned and sprinted back to the water table. Aileen watched her go, too weak to move from laughing. Tyler called out, “Start running, blondie!!” Aileen reacted at the sound of his voice. Jani had wrenched the lid of the large Gatorade cooler off and was scooping the cold, crushed ice cubes into cups. Her arm swung back as she aimed for Aileen. She tore off toward the finish line, using her fast legs to sprint away from Jani. A few ice cubes bounced off her calf as she ran. She could hear Jani scrambling around Tyler to catch her. She didn’t dare turn around to see if Jani was close. She figured with her fast sprinting ability, Jani didn’t stand a chance with those long legs of hers. She screamed in surprise when two strong arms wrapped around her and easily lifted her off the ground, her legs still trying to run. “What the—?” “This is nothing personal.” Tyler’s warm breath brushed against the cool wetness on her ear. She froze a moment. “You’re helping her?” She could feel his chest rumble against her as he laughed. “She doesn’t stand a chance on her own against you.” As Aileen twisted her neck to look at him, a massive bucket of water and ice came crashing over Tyler’s head and splashing on to her. She prepared herself to be dropped, but amazingly he held on, not letting go of her. Probably something football related.

Blinking the water from her eyes, Aileen peered over Tyler’s shoulder. Jani and a large, solid thrower who she didn’t know his name, stood holding the big, now empty, Gatorade cooler. Tyler sputtered water from his mouth, his eyes sparkled off the reflection of the water. Poor guy had gotten the brunt of the water. He winked at Aileen before slowly turning around, his face turning hard and angry. “You. Are. So. Dead,” he said to Jani and her partner in crime. He slowly set Aileen down and walked over to the water table. “Jeremy, go!” Jani tugged at the big guy’s shirt. “Seriously, move your ass like someone’s gonna shoot it!” She started running, her long legs moving like a gazelle. “It’s every man for himself. Sorry!” She sprinted away, leaving poor Jeremy trying to catch up to her. Aileen glanced down at her drenched gray shirt. At least she hadn’t worn white. The water was cool but thankfully the air was warm. She picked up the empty cooler and carried it over to Tyler’s table. “You’re not going after them, are you?” Tyler chuckled and shook his head. “Nope. Just wanted to see them run.” He began gathering the remaining cups and dumping the unused water on the ground. Aileen started helping. “You don’t have to carry this all back do you?” “Nah. Coach Maves drives a truck. She’ll get a couple of the throwers to clear it up and take it back to Wavertree.” “Maybe Jeremy?” She tried not to laugh. “I don’t think he’ll be coming back. I got the feeling he’s heading back to his place to change his shorts.” Tyler gave her an innocent look. “I didn’t do anything.” “Maybe not, but I’d have taken off running if you shot me the same look you showed them.” “What look?” He set the empty cooler on the table and began tossing all the cups into it.

“That scary kill or be killed one.” “My game face?” he chuckled. “That’s my game face on the football field. Can’t show anyone your weaknesses or you’ll be taken down, limb by limb.” “Sounds like a fun sport. Only the crazy need apply.” Tyler flashed her a perfect smile. “I prefer to think of us as fearless.” “If you look the two words up in the dictionary, there isn’t much difference.” She held onto her last cup, just in case he decided to go after her. He tossed his last cup onto the grass. “You’re probably right.” A horn sounded at the finish line, signaling the race was over. “Speaking of fearless. You should probably head up the hill and let Coach, and Jani, know you haven’t been torn apart.” “Limb by limb?” she teased. He gave her legs an appreciative glance. “You tempting me?” She sat on the empty table. “Maybe I’m feeling a little crazy today.” Tyler tossed the cup he was holding into the cooler without even looking and made his way closer to her. He rested his hands on her knees and pushed her legs slightly apart so he could stand in between them. He bent down his head close to her, his lips inches from hers. His touch took her breath away. She should be mad at him. Or at least, keeping her distance. Her brain seemed drunk when he was around and only sobered when she was away from him. His shirt was drenched, and she wasn’t much dryer. A truck would probably appear on the hill any moment and ruin the moment. She ran her tongue over her lips. She didn’t want to lose this feeling. Covering the distance between the two of them, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. His hands squeezed her thighs near her knee as he returned the kiss. Whenever she was near him, she felt drawn to him like a magnet – or a moth to a flame. She couldn’t seem to figure out if the stirring feelings deep inside her were divine or dangerous.

His tongue slipped into her mouth and she moaned from the pleasure scurrying inside of her. She wanted to be closer but couldn’t seem to command her brain to tell her body to move. Why in the world had they been avoiding each other? A horn sounded near the top of the hill. Tyler stepped back and gave her a mischievous grin. He casually ran the pad of his thumb along his lower lip before putting it in his mouth, as if trying to suck any lingering touch of her lips into his mouth. She watched him hungrily, tempted to jump off the table and cover the short distance between them. “I should probably head up to the finish line and chat up the alumni. Wouldn’t want to disappoint Coach Anderson.” She shook her head slowly, still dazed from the euphoria of his lips. “Yeah, Jani’s probably worried about me.” Was she speaking slowly? It felt like slow motion. A single eyebrow rose. “You think?” She smiled, everything fast forwarding to normal pace. “Probably not.” Jani no doubt had a pair of binoculars and was watching them at this very moment. A horn beeped as a small truck came over the hill and headed toward them. Two throwers sat in the back bed. “Jensen!” one of them hollered out. Drew, the pole vaulter, drove the truck and pulled up beside them. He got out as the guys in the back hopped off and began loading the truck. “You hurt, freshman?” Her cheeks burned as she fumbled for a response. “She’s okay,” Tyler said as he stepped in front of her to set one of the tables flat. “Does everything go in the back of the truck?” His movement was calculated. It blocked Drew from seeing her face. That’s considerate of him. She’d have to thank him later. “Yeah,” Drew said, rushing over to help Tyler. “Great game last weekend. You

ever thought of playing quarterback? Some of those throws made our quarterback look like a chump.” Tyler straightened. “Our QB is not a chump.” His words came out tight and protective. Drew held his hands up. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant... you’ve got a great arm.” Aileen stood back and watched the interaction. Tyler played his position on and off the field. He guarded and protected like a true defenseman. “I’m going to jog over to the team.” She handed the cooler lid to one of the throwers who had just tossed the water cooler into the truck bed. “I’ll come with you.” Tyler untucked his wet shirt. “Coach should have a shirt I can change into.” He glanced down at her gray shirt. “Looks like you need one as well.” Drew cleared his throat. “We can give you guys a lift.” Tyler put his arm around Aileen’s shoulder. “We’re good.” He pulled Aileen close, surprising her with his public display of affection. They walked together up the hill, the truck flying past them and honking the horn. Aileen felt Tyler stiffen as they drove by. “Everything okay?” “It's all right.” He puffed out a breath. “It just gets annoying when everyone has an opinion on how I play, or how I should be playing or what position. Everyone’s a critic.” “Don’t forget expert. Everyone’s an expert as well.” “Exactly!” He snapped his fingers. “It’s a pain in the a—it’s a pain.” She nodded and held back a smile at his attempt to not swear. He’s a gentleman, his mother taught him right. That’s what her mother always said about polite boys. Aileen couldn’t disagree with her. Tyler dropped his arm off her shoulder when they reached the top of the hill.

A large crowd of people, mostly alumni and parents, stood chatting. A large, industrial barbecue had been set up and the smell of burgers and sausages cooking waffled over to them. Coach Anderson stood amongst a small group and raised his hand when he saw Tyler. He came walking toward them. “Everything alright?” He glanced over at Aileen and pointed to Tyler’s shirt. “Did Aileen do this?” the surprise in his voice clearly evident. “Nah.” Tyler ruffled the top of her head. “She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He winked at her. She couldn’t decide if his teasing, playful tone was for Coach’s sake or for covering the interest they had in each other. “Do you happen to have an extra race shirt handy?” Coach grinned. “Sure do. Let’s get you one and introduce you to a few benefactors who would love to meet you.” “Sure thing, Coach.” They started walking in the direction of a small tent that had been erected near the finish line. Coach Anderson paused and turned back to Aileen, still rooted to the ground and unsure where to go. “You coming? Looks like you need a top as well.” “Thanks.” She hurried to catch up with them and purposely stood on the opposite side of Coach so Tyler and she weren’t walking beside each other. Jani stood by the barbecue handing out plates. She waved at Aileen and gave her a thumbs up and down question. Aileen gave her a thumbs up and turned her attention back to Coach Anderson. She hadn’t been paying attention to what he was saying. “... I spoke with Coach Phelps. He’s going to incorporate my sprint program into your training. He and I talked for over an hour on your program. The plan is to give you full focus on your football season and still add some sprint that will carry over to the track season.” Aileen knew Coach Phelps was the head football coach. She wanted to ask if

Tyler would be competing this indoor season but held back, too shy to interrupt Coach Anderson and Tyler’s conversation. She opted for listening and trying to absorb the information like a sponge as she attempted to imagine what Tyler’s life was like. College student by day, superhero footballer by weekend and role model full time. She wondered how he managed it all and didn’t crack. They came to the tent and Coach Anderson went through the tables and grabbed two shirts. Tyler pulled his wet shirt off, oblivious to those watching around him. Aileen sucked in her breath. His bare, tanned upper body rippled as he put his arms through the shirt and pulled it down over his head. Too soon the beautiful image of perfection disappeared. It seemed like forever ago Aileen had run her hands over that magnificent skin. He seemed to have gotten even sexier and more toned since then. Was that even possible? His new shirt was gray with the burgundy Red Coat soldier in the middle of the chest with U of Gatica written across it. Coach Anderson lightly tapped her arm. “Here’s your shirt, Aileen.” She blinked and glanced down, staring stupidly at the matching shirt to Tyler’s. “Th-Thanks.” She had no intention of stripping off her top in front of everyone here. She wouldn’t have cared if it were just the track team, she had trained in a sports bra a million times. Here just felt awkward. “I’ll be right back.” Tyler touched her elbow to stop her as Coach Anderson spoke with someone. “In case we don’t get a moment on our own again, why don’t I come by your place about three? If you still want to hang out...” Definitely! “Yeah! For sure. Three is good.” Coach Anderson walked back over to them. Aileen ran around to the back of the tent and stripped out of her wet top to the dry one as fast as she could. She walked back around to the front of the tent. Coach Anderson and Tyler had disappeared. She looked around and found them talking to a group of adults. Tyler nodded and smiled at something one of the alumni said. An older lady, probably in her forties handed him a marker pen and turned around, lifting her beautiful blonde hair up so Tyler could sign her shirt

on the shoulder. “Aileen!” Jani called out to her. “Come help me.” She headed over to her roommate, pretty sure she wouldn’t be talking to Tyler again till after the barbecue was over. She checked her watch. Coach had said the fundraiser would last till about one thirty. A little over an hour and she would have Tyler all to herself. She had the feeling alone time with him was a very rare thing.

Chapter 14

Aileen wiped her hands on the material of her skirt. She touched skin just above her knees and she repeated the action again; a nervous habit she had picked up before getting into the starting blocks at the start of a race. Her hands weren’t sweaty but if they were in the blocks, she didn’t want to risk slipping on her fingers. “You look beautiful.” Jani headed toward the shower from her bedroom. “He’s not going to be able to stop staring at you.” She paused by the kitchen. “Where are you going?” “I have no idea.” Aileen played with her hair. Jani had helped her straighten and style it. A piece kept trying to hang in her face instead of behind her ear. Jani jabbed a finger at her. “Don’t you dare reach for that pony I see hiding underneath your watch! I see it. Don’t pretend it’s not there.” She grinned. “I cannot wait to hear where you guys go. I want every little detail.” She glanced at her watch. “After the party, of course. , you have to come to the party.” “I’ll try.” She had no idea what Tyler wanted to do. “Pinky swear it. Or I’m going to call you every five minutes until you come.” She laughed. “I can turn my phone off.” Jani shot her a dirty look. “You wouldn’t!” A low mumbling muffler rolled by the house and pulled into the driveway. “He’s here,” she whispered. Butterflies began instantly crashing around in her stomach. She wiped her hands one more time against her skirt. She waved at Jani as she opened the front door. “See yah later, alligator.” She quickly closed the door before Jani came running out to remind Tyler that they needed to go to the party. Tyler’s vintage Mustang Cobra rumbled as it idled. He stood just outside the car,

his arm resting on the opened door. “Hey.” The corners of his mouth spread upward as his eyes met hers. Aileen was impressed how his eyes didn’t travel over her. Not that she expected it, but had kind of hoped he would like the effort she had put into dolling herself up. It wasn’t every day she dressed up. Most days life revolved around a pair of jogging pants, a sports bra, t-shirt and a pony. Not that he would know, she never saw him at practice or on campus. “Hi.” She smiled back at him, one hand resting on the black railing of the porch as they stood staring and smiling at each other. “Get going, you bums!” Jani yelled from inside the house. She tapped on the window and waved at Tyler. It startled Aileen and Tyler to life. She hurried down the steps, sticking her tongue out at Jani as she ed the window. Tyler ran around the car and opened the enger door for her. “Your chariot awaits.” She knew how much he loved this car, but couldn’t resist teasing him when he got into his seat. “It’s really nice your grandma let you have her car.” “It’s not...” He started to protest and shook his head. “You making fun?” Aileen rubbed the dashboard. “Of Lizzy? No. Never.” He grinned and pulled the car into reverse. “You .” She nodded. “That this baby is not a grandma or a nanny or anything related? She’s a sleek, revved up, hot Lizzy.” She repeated his words from her recruiting trip near perfectly. “I had the honor of naming her.” She laughed. “Did it stick?” “Her name? Yes.” He ran his fingers over the steering wheel. Aileen imagined him doing that to her and she felt her pulse quicken. “Lizzy was a little hesitant to come here.” “She was?” Aileen wasn’t sure if Tyler was referring to the car or to himself and

using Lizzy as a metaphor. “You guys didn’t end off on a good note that last time you were together.” She thought about the argument that had happened the other night. “I think we might have misunderstood each other. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.” Tyler concentrated on turning but glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “She forgives you.” Aileen pressed her lips together and then couldn’t hold back. “Don’t you think she should apologize as well?” “For what? She didn’t hurt your feelings. A part of her died when you called her a grandma.” Pardon? She realized he actually was referring to the car, not the two of them. “You mean when she stalled?” “Yes, a part of her died.” Aileen started laughing. “It’s not funny.” Tyler had a difficult time keeping a straight face. “Does she like her name?” Aileen covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her giggles. “It stuck.” “That’s nice.” She giggled behind her hand and shifted in her seat so she could watch him. “I should have probably told you that ‘Lizzy’ is my grandmother’s name.” Tyler slammed on the breaks. “What?” He pulled the Mustang into a near-empty parking lot. “You gave her your gran’s name?” She shrugged. “It suited her. The car’s ancient. Like the nineteen seventies.” “She’s from nineteen eighty!”

“Same thing!” He shook his head and pretended to look devastated. “I can’t have the two of you fighting. It just won’t work.” Aileen had an idea. “You could teach me how to drive stick.” “Say, what?” He touched the stick shift like he was trying to cover a child’s ears. “Jani was going to teach me, but we just haven’t got around to it.” “You’ve never driven standard?” She shook her head. “But I’m a very good driver.” He leaned back against his seat. “That’s what bad drivers say.” “No. I’m a good driver, and a quick learner.” She pointed to the parking lot. “It’s like destiny.” Tyler sighed. “Fine.” Aileen’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?” “I trust you. What better way to prove it?” She unclicked her seat belt and opened the car door. She danced as she ran around the front of the car. She spun around and stopped to lean into the window where Tyler still sat. “You are going to have to switch seats.” “Give me a moment. I’ve never let anyone drive her, anyone.” She laughed, enjoying the scent of his cologne as her head was inches away from his. Excited, she kissed him on the lips. Quick and hard. “I promise to give you one of those every time I stall or grind the gears.” She popped her head out of the car. Tyler jumped out of the car before Aileen could react. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her tight against him. A pleasure of something sensational sailed through her veins. She did not want it

to leave. “Do you always get what you want?” His nose brushed against her hair. She pressed herself tighter against him, not sure it was even possible with the grip he had on her hips. “Not always.” “I have a hard time believing that.” “You’re one to talk.” He inhaled and pressed his cheek against the side of her forehead. His warm breath teased her ear as he spoke, “I can’t get you out of my head. I’ve been trying and it’s just not working.” He stepped back and smiled sheepishly at her. “So I decided to stop trying.” She didn’t like the space between them but wanting him to throw her on the hood of his car in public wasn’t an option. “I don’t understand.” He clasped his hands behind his head. “You’re a freshman. You’ve got four, if not five years of university. You are just starting out. I’ve got another year of track eligibility, but I’m not taking it. I’m done after this year. There are NFL offers and scouts, draft picks, sponsors to choose, plus helping lead the team through this season to our playoffs! And we’re barely halfway through the season.” He began to pace. “I’ve got to keep Coach Phelps happy, Coach Anderson in the loop, be a presence in the school, a leader and mentor every second of every day!” He stopped pacing and faced her. “I can’t allow myself to disappoint anyone, and you’re the one person I don’t think I know how to avoid doing that. Every way I look at it, you are going to be hurt.” She moved closer to him, hating the amount of weight on his shoulders. He needed an outlet, something he didn’t have to be responsible for. She could be that channel. She laid her hands on his chest and spread her fingers wide, basking in the strength that lay beneath them. “I don’t know why you got your panties all in a bunch.” She pushed him back so he stood trapped between his car and her. She winked at him and curled her fingers, letting her nails scrape against his shirt. “I’m not asking you for a promise ring. I’m just asking you to teach me how to drive stick.” The tension that caused his forehead to crease disappeared. He grinned. “You’re

going to be the death of me.” “Nah,” she said as she leaned into him and slipped her hand into his jean pocket. “I’m going to be the one that brings you life.” She pulled his car keys out and shook them. “Now show me how to drive! We have a party to go to and I assume you are going to feed me dinner before we go.” He stood and watched her, uncertainty written clearly on his face. She could love him for his boyish charms and his need to avoid disappointment in others and, most of all, himself, but right now he needed someone who didn’t want anything in return – except maybe a lesson on how to drive stick. A smile slowly spread across his face. He clapped his hands and then rubbed them together. “Epic is on! I’ll teach you how to drive.” He grabbed her and lifted her so their heads were level. “I just need some kind of security deposit before we start.” He brushed his lips lightly against hers and then hungrily did it again forcing her mouth open so he could slip his tongue inside. He was going to break her heart. She was sure of it. But it wasn’t going to happen today, and she knew he was worth the risk. She only dreaded that she might break his in the process.

Chapter 15

“You’re a natural.” Tyler stole one of the fries off her plate. “I honestly thought I was going to have to install a new clutch after we were finished.” He bit into the French fry. “I’m impressed.” She grinned. “I told you I was a good driver.” “But to step into Lizzy like you owned her, that’s a mighty big responsibility.” She handed him another fry and popped one into her mouth as well. “If I can handle dealing with you, I figured Lizzy’d be a breeze.” She winked at him, loving the sense of empowerment she felt. It wasn’t over him but over herself. It was like she had grown up in an instant, and she didn’t mind at all. “How is school going?” “I like it. I have some boring classes, but that’s just like high school. I’m trying to get on the cadaver team for the anatomy physiology course next semester.” Tyler pointed at her plate. “I’m eating!” She rolled her eyes. “Your plate is empty, you’re eating my fries so I get to talk about gross things.” “I took that course.” “The anatomy one?” When he nodded, she slid him the rest of her plate of fries. “Were you on the cadaver team?” “No. I’d have liked to but between football and then track, there wasn’t a semester I had enough free time.” He gave her a sympathetic look. “If the course is only offered during the spring term, you might have a hard time committing to it as well. You’ll be gone almost every weekend competing. Or competing here.” “I could set my lab times for after practice.”

“There’s a team of six for each cadaver. I’m not sure it’ll work. You’d have to get all of them to work around your schedule.” She hadn’t thought of that. She really wanted to be on the team, but Tyler had a good point. “Maybe I’ll see if it’s offered in the fall. What’s your major, by the way?” “I’ll graduate in June with a B S in kinesiology, with an emphasis in sports therapy.” It sounded interesting. She pretended to give him a stern look and took on her father’s tone, “And what do you plan on doing with that, son?” Tyler’s eyebrows rose. “Nothing... Sir. I’m going to be playing in the NFL with the big kids.” He frowned a second before erasing the look from his face. “What about you? What’s your field of expertise?” She wanted to ask him about football but decided not to push it. “Probably Biology.” “And what do you plan on doing with that, dear?” he said, mimicking her voice. “Not sure. I have no idea what kinds of jobs are out there. Maybe I’ll get into pre-med.” “Looks like I landed me a smart one!” he teased. “I landed a famous, soon to be rich one,” she joked back. “Shall we give each other a shout in about ten years and see which one of us is richer?” Tyler pulled his wallet out and dropped some cash onto the table. “I’ll cover for dinner tonight, in ten years you’re paying for it.” Aileen stood and tucked the chair in. “I’m going to hold you to that.” She pulled her phone out of her purse. “I should probably have your cell phone number or email address or something so I can get in with you.” Laughing, he gave her his information. “Feel free to use them anytime.” She held her phone up and grinned. “I’d watch what you say. I might call you in

the middle of a game just to say hi.” He grabbed her phone and held it out of her reach. “Maybe I should delete my info. You might be some messed up stalker who is going turn into some crazy doc. Then in ten years we’re going to meet up and you’re going to drug me. I’ll wake up looking like Frankenstein.” “Jekyll and Hyde? Nah. Too easy. I’ll plan something much more elaborate and complicated.” He put his arm around her shoulder and handed her the phone back. They walked outside to his car. “I wish I had more free time like today. This is more of a one-off. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to hang with you again. It sucks. You’re beautiful, smart and funny. I’d like to get to know you more.” He called her beautiful. The hottest guy on campus thought she was smart... and funny! “Don’t forget I know how to drive Lizzy.” He smiled, but his eyes remained solemn. “That too. But I’m serious, after tonight it’s back to the grind for me. Tomorrow I’ve got to be at the training hall to go over tapes for next Saturday’s game. If I’m going to be playing two positions, I need to know both of them like the back of my hand.” He opened the car door for her. “I know I won’t be able to see you all week or weekend. Away game and we are traveling down to Virginia by bus so we won’t be back till Sunday afternoon.” He sighed and walked around the car to the driver’s side. She watched him click his seatbelt together and start Lizzy. “You do know that sport shouldn’t be only about business, right? You do need to have some fun with it.” “I know.” “It doesn’t sound like you are having fun.” He pulled out onto the road and headed toward campus. They had gone to eat at a burger t that Tyler swore only the local people went to. It was a hidden gem that the college didn’t know. He hadn’t lied. The burgers were amazing. Aileen faced forward, afraid she might have stuck her foot in her mouth.

Tyler sighed. “I do have fun. It just sometimes feels like a job instead of a college sport. But it is a job. We get a scholarship to pay for school and let us play the game we love. I do love it. I want to play in the NFL. Who wouldn’t?” She didn’t know what to say, so she just sat quiet hoping he would talk. It seemed like that was what he needed. “I’m just stressed. I want to win the Jim Thorpe again. Imagine winning that two years in a row? I want to win NCAAs in the hurdles too. Back to back. Nobody does that kind of shit! You won World Juniors, does it make you hungry to win NCAAs?” She blinked. “I want to win races. I don’t know if I can win NCAAs. I’m a freshman.” “Who won World Juniors! You know half the team is terrified of you?” “Pardon?” She hadn’t heard that. Tyler chuckled. “The sprinters are scared of you. At your party, they were talking about how pretty you are and how you were going to kick butt. I heard you were knocking back fast times on the hills and on the track. James won’t shut up about how you are stronger than some of the guys on the team.” “I’m not. I can barely bench press the bar.” He reached over and rested his hand on her knee. “I think he’s referring to your legs. How do you harness all that power inside of you?” He squeezed her knee, tickling her. “Or are you a descendant of Thor?” “I believe you’re the one who’s the gift from the gods.” “How about we agree to be amazing athletes? I’ll win the Jim Thorpe and you win indoor NCAAs. Then come outdoors, we can keep a tally of our races. See who the better hurdler is.” She liked the feel of his hand on her thigh. Focus, Aileen! “Are you this competitive in everything?” “Pretty much.”

She laughed. She liked the two of them flirting back and forth better than talking about the stresses of sport. “Okay, just so I can get this straight... We’re competing in degrees, in future careers, how much we make, dinner in ten years and now we are going to see who’s the better athlete.” “Better hurdler. I’d kick your butt in every other sport.” She scoffed. “Really? Every other sport? Maybe football, but that’s probably it.” “Are you challenging me?” He pulled onto her street. “What sport do you want to do first?” “Pardon? You want me to kick your butt tonight?” “Next time we hang out. Choose the sport, or are you chicken?” She hated being called chicken. “You let me know when you’re available. I’ll have a game planned.” “So I’ll pick the time and you’ll pick the place.” He pulled into her driveway and held out his hand. “Deal?” He grinned wickedly at her. She squeezed his hand tightly. “Deal!” “What do you want to do now? It’s kind of early to head over to the party.” “You coming?” she teased. “With you? I’ll go just about anywhere.” He pulled her toward him with the hand he held inside of his. He pressed his lips softly against hers and then again. “Jani texted me before to say she was heading over to Chrissy’s to get ready. We’ve got the whole house to ourselves. Do you want to come in?” The rate of her blood flow increased rapidly as ringing echoed in her ears. She couldn’t believe she was asking him inside. She brushed her lips against his and said breathlessly, “Maybe we can start one of those competitions in my room.” Tyler inhaled sharply. Without a word, he stepped out of the car and came around to open her door. She slipped out and leaned against the side of Lizzy. Tyler put his hands on either side of her shoulders, resting them on the metal of

the car. His body curved perfectly into hers and a hand found its way to her scalp as his fingers curled and entangled themselves in her hair. His lips found hers, giving her the most incredible, seductive, sensual kiss she had ever experienced. When he reluctantly pulled back, he gave her a half grin. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” She stared at him, her shoulders rising and falling as she tried to catch the breath that escaped her. It took longer to recover from his touch than running a hundred meter hurdle race. She reached for his hand. “Let’s go inside.” She’d never been one for public displays of affection and what she wanted to do to him couldn’t be done on her front lawn. He let her lead him inside. She flipped on a couple of lights as she led him toward the back of the house where her bedroom was. A million thoughts ran through her head. Why didn’t she feel nervous? She wasn’t the kind of person to just up and take someone to her bedroom. Then again, she had thought she wasn’t the type of person who would sleep with some athlete on a recruiting trip. According to Becky, her best friend, she was two steps away from ing a convent. If only Becky saw her now. She couldn’t believe how Tyler changed her. He didn’t really change her, he brought things out of her that she tended to keep quiet. He made her want to be aggressive, like she was on the track, but with him. She enjoyed how it made her feel. It couldn’t be wrong, could it? She pushed the questions aside as she opened the door to her room. She hesitated as a bunch more queries bubbled inside her head. Did she switch the light on? Leave it off? Was she supposed to say something? Or just start taking off her clothes? She had never been in this situation before and suddenly didn’t know what to do. At her hotel room last February, everything had just happened naturally. Tyler leaned over her and flipped her light on. His hand still in hers, he pulled her toward the bed and sat her down on the edge, near the foot of the bed. He squatted down in front of her so their heads were level. He ran his finger over his lips as his eyes flitted back and forth at hers. “Before you start kissing me and I lose my ability to think...” He winked as he teased her. “I want to tell you that I’m sorry about the other night. I shouldn’t have come tapping on your window.

That’s not something I would do. I was sitting at First Down with some buddies and the conversation turned to track. There’s a player on the team that sprints as well. He came to your party just before school started. He was telling the guys on the team about you. His girlfriend is a hurdler on the team.” Uh oh. Mindy. It had to be. “I usually keep my head down and don’t say anything, but he started going off about how you were telling his girlfriend how you were going to kick her ass and be number one. How Coach Anderson only had eyes for me and you now.” “I never said...” She pressed her lips together. “Mindy snapped at me, at that party and told me off.” Tyler nodded. “I figured. It pissed me off that he was whining like a baby and spewing lies about you. I was this close,” he said making a small space between his fingers, “from punching his lights out. Not a very team thing to do, so instead of staying, I got up and left. I was just going to go for a walk to cool off and ended up in front of your place.” “Thank you for almost defending my honor.” She wasn’t teasing, she meant it. “I’m sorry I got mad at you that night.” “Don’t be. I deserved it. I was ticked you didn’t me.” “And I was mad you didn’t get in touch with me.” “I went to nationals just so I could see you.” He grinned sheepishly. “Lame isn’t it?” “I was in Poland. World Juniors.” “Yeah, I figured it out afterward. I forgot you were still a junior and I wasn’t paying attention to the scheduling. I was just excited to see you.” He rolled his eyes and then covered them with his hand. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this.” She didn’t mind at all. All this hotness outside and this incredible sweetness inside. Like one of those massive tigers she watched on the Animal Planet TV show. “I didn’t think you liked me. Then I didn’t want you to think I’d signed with Gatica because of you. I mean, you being here isn’t a bad thing but...” How

could she explain it so it made sense? “I know what you mean.” He leaned forward so his waist pressed against the inside of her knees. “I have a crazy schedule. I don’t want to disappoint you.” His eyes rested on her lips. “I’d hate myself if I hurt you.” She ran her tongue over her lips to wet them and a thrill ran through her as Tyler watched and swallowed. “How about we just go with the flow? See where things take us? You are definitely running track, right? You’re not going to sign some big NFL contract and take off in January?” He shook his head, his eyes still intently watching her mouth. She smiled and squeezed her legs lightly, savoring the warmth of his skin seeping through his thin shirt. “We’ve got one season to hang out.” He grinned. “Actually, I’ve got two indoor and one outdoor season of eligibility left. I didn’t know. Coach Anderson told me the other day. I have a full season this year. I won’t use my last indoor season because I’ll be playing football by then but, there’s a spring training camp in Florida I now plan on going to.” Aileen’s knees bounced excitedly. “That’s a lot of track meets and weekends to hang out together, after football.” She wanted to say fool around together but told her mouth to think with her brain, not her body. Her voice dropped to a husky whisper, “What am I going to do if I have to see you every day training? I might jump you in front of everyone if you take your shirt off!” Tyler pushed her back onto the bed and dove on top of her. He began kissing her neck and mumbled, “I’ve got it way worse than you.” Her eyes closed when he ran his hand up her side. There was no need to say anymore. His lips left a trail of fire up her neck as they made their way to her mouth. His tongue slipped into her and they kissed, unable to stop. When Tyler finally lifted his head to catch his breath, he lay on top of her and smiled. “What?” She wondered if her mouth was kiss-crushed and red. She didn’t make out very often so her lips needed a bit of practice to toughen them up. She grinned at the thought.

“There is something innocent about you that turns me on. Immensely.” He bent his elbows slightly so his head was inches away from hers. “And then you have this ravenous part about you that blows my mind and I can’t think.” His scent teased her nostrils as his skin hovered so close to her. She stared at him, her eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. “Take off your shirt.” He blinked, probably surprised by her command. He reached behind him with one hand and pulled it off, not even moving from above her. She ran her hands over his bare skin marveling over the tan color, smooth lines, and rock hard abs. She pushed him so he rolled over and she lay on top of him. Straddling his hips, she unbuttoned her top and shrugged out of it. Tyler let out a shuddering breath as his fingers traveled over her rib cage and lightly traced the lace on her bra. The clasp connected at the front and with one hand he undid it. He let out a low laugh. “I’ve always wanted to do that.” His hands gently pulled the straps off her shoulders, exposing her pink erect nipples. He held one and leaned up to suck the other one in his mouth. His teeth nibbling as his tongue swirled. Aileen swore under her breath. She didn’t mean to, the words just escaped her. Her eyes closed as her head fell back. She wrapped her legs around his hips, her center pressing tight against his erection. Her skirt had lifted and it was only her thin panties and his clothes separating them. His arm muscles rippled and his stomach grew taut as he lifted her and placed her so her head rested on her pillow. His lips returned to hers and his hand trailed over her breast and down her abs. He gently pushed her leg against the sheet so there was room for his hand to slide up her thigh. He moaned against her lips when he touched her wetness. So did she. Her hips arched to find his hand again. Expertly he teased, his finger slipping in and out of her and rubbing up against her. She clutched the bed sheet with both hands, making fists and hoping her hips weren’t moving as much as her hands were, clenching and unclenching, trying to find some kind of release. She reached for his waist and fumbled with his belt. His erection pressed against

her skin as she pulled his jeans down. He kicked them off impatiently. She pulled off her panties, not taking the time to bother with her skirt. A guttural groan escaped as he entered her. He dipped his head so his lips could kiss and suck hers. Her hips rotated up and down as she tried to find release from the aching desire inside of her. Their tongues attacked each other, fast and manic. Tyler’s phone, tucked in his jeans lying on the floor, began ringing. “Fuck off,” he muttered between kisses. Aileen smiled against his lips. My thoughts exactly. A minute later, Aileen’s phone began vibrating and playing music. Then Tyler’s started again. Aileen couldn’t concentrate on where the sounds were coming from now. All she could focus on was the driving need to climax. She ground her pelvis hard against him. She gasped and arched her back, crying out as ripples of pleasure flowed over her. Tyler matched her thrust for thrust and shuddered as he felt her tighten beneath him. He moaned and his pace became frenzied. He stiffened suddenly, his eyes shut tight before he buried his face into her neck, sending a trail of butterfly kisses as he clung tight to her. They lay together panting. Their sweaty bodies moist against each other. Tyler and Aileen’s phones began ringing seconds after each other again. He moaned and mumbled against her neck, “Go away!” Aileen giggled as she ran her fingernails up and then down his back. “I don’t think they’re going to. Someone desperately wants to get a hold of us.” “I’m busy.” He kissed her neck again and squeezed her breast with his hand. Aileen enjoyed the guilty pleasure until her phone started once again. “I have to get it, or I’m going to throw it out the window.”

Tyler bent down and kissed each rosebud nipple before rolling off her and collapsing on the bed beside Aileen. “If it’s Sean, I’m going to kill him. Again.” She laughed and crawled over to the end of the bed where her purse lay on the floor. She reached in and grabbed her phone. There were seven missed calls from Jani. She hit the speed dial button to call her friend, prepared to send a tirade of verbal abuse her way. Tyler’s phone started ringing again. He groaned and leaned over Aileen’s legs to grab it. “Whaddya want?” he growled. He jumped off the bed and began pulling his jeans on. Jani picked up Aileen’s call after the third ring. “Aileen, you still with Tyler?” She didn’t wait for Aileen’s answer. “You need to get him down here right away! Drew just got in a fight with one of the football players. He’s busted up pretty bad. I think Drew broke the guys hand and nose!” Aileen snatched her shirt from the bedpost and dashed over to the door to grab her bra off the floor. “We’re on our way.” As she answered Jani, Tyler growled into his phone, “I’ll be there in a minute.”

Chapter 16

Tyler and Aileen rushed inside the house where the party was. He led the way, his hand pulling her tight to him so she wouldn’t get lost in the crowd. There were a lot of people Aileen didn’t recognize. The party must have tumbled out of the house and into the backyard. “Where’s Zach?” Tyler barked, his face tight with anger and worry. Jeremy looked terrified. “H-H-He’s at the swimmer’s place. Jani went with them.” “Where’s that?” “First house around the corner. It’s got a Red Coat flag in the front window.” “Where’s Drew?” Jeremy squirmed. “He took off. He’s hammered, Tyler.” Tyler whipped around and pulled Aileen back to the front door. Everyone moved like a wave to get out of his way. Outside they ran down the small road between the townhouses until they came to the house with the flag. He raced up the front steps and banged on the door. “Zach? You in there?” A tall, dark haired guy with very blue eyes opened the door. Jani squeezed out under him. “Aileen!” Her gaze ran down and then back up Aileen. She reached out and tucked a messy strand of hair behind Aileen’s ear. “Sorry, I interrupted you guys,” she whispered. Aileen waved her hand. “What happened?” Jani pointed to the dark haired boy and then to Tyler. “Tyler, this is Carter. He’s on the swim team.”

Carter nodded. “Zach’s in the kitchen.” Jani grabbed Aileen’s elbow to make her wait a minute. “Let Tyler go in. Carter’ll explain what happened to Tyler.” Aileen watched them go and crossed her arms over her chest. “What the heck happened?” Jani sighed. “It’s so stupid. Drew got his dumb-ass drunk. Zach showed up looking for Tyler and Drew got all up in his face and started saying stupid stuff.” “Why would he do that?” “’Cause he’s a dummy. He just started going on and on about how Zach sucked at quarterback. That no NFL team was going to pick him up or he wasn’t going to even make the draft.” Jani shook her head. “Zach just ignored him. Drew then pushed him and then hauled off and punched him!” “Zach’s the quarterback?” Aileen looked behind Jani, half expecting to see a boat load of footballers show up and start pounding the crap out of everyone on the track team. Jani opened the door to Carter’s house. “I ran and got Carter.” Aileen wanted to ask how Jani knew Carter but tucked it away with a mental note to ask later. Now wasn’t the time. “A bunch of guys dragged Drew out of the house and Carter took Zach to his place. Zach tried calling Tyler but couldn’t get a hold of him so I started calling you.” She gave Aileen the once over. “Were you guys having sex?” “Is Zach okay?” She ignored Jani’s question. “I don’t know. He fell on his hand and his nose is leaking like a faucet.” She didn’t know what Zach looked like except in a uniform and a football helmet on. “Should we go in?” “Yeah, probably.” Jani hesitated while Aileen headed up the small set of concrete steps to the front door of the townhouse.

“Everything okay?” Jani shuddered. “I don’t like the sight of blood. It’s so gross.” “We can wait in the other room if you want.” Jani nodded and stepped through the door Aileen held open for her. “What do you think of Carter?” she whispered. “The swimmer?” Aileen tried to what he looked like, besides his long torso and arms. Dark hair and blue eyes, I think. “He seems nice.” She had barely said hello to him. He seemed like a smart guy, he’d brought Zach to his place. She heard Tyler’s voice carry down the hall from the kitchen. Jani sucked in a breath and held it as she scurried past the kitchen into the living room. Aileen paused in the doorway and surveyed the carnage. Zach sat on a bar stool, one hand resting on the countertop with a bag of ice piled on top of it. He held a bag of peas in the other hand pressed up against the bridge of his nose. Blood oozed from his nostrils and his eyes were red. Aileen could see blue and bruising under his eyes. One or both might turn into a shiner. He tried to smile when he noticed her but grimaced from the pain. “Huffo.” She waved. Tyler stood by the fridge, talking on the phone. “... His wrist’s not broke. He just fell back on it. I’ve got him icing it now.” He nodded and the person on the other end spoke. “Yeah, thank goodness it’s not his throwing hand. His nose, on the other hand, isn’t looking so great.” He glanced over at Zach. “I’m going to bring him into the emerge at Scott Thompson.” He listened again on the phone. “You’ll let Dr. Bennet know we’re on our way? ... Yup, see you there.” He stuffed his phone in his back pocket. “F’anks.” Zach moved the bag of peas on his nose and blood began spurting out again. “S’it!” He quickly covered it again with a tea towel, dropping the bag of frozen peas on the floor. Aileen walked over and picked them up at the same time Tyler bent over. Their

hands brushed against each other’s and Tyler slid his over the top of hers. “Everything okay?” Tyler straightened and tossed the bag of peas on the counter. “Not really. I’ve got to take Zach to the hospital to get his nose x-rayed. I think it’s broke.” He glanced at Zach. “Sorry, mate.” “Fo, worryth.” Zach nodded at Aileen and raised his eyebrows. She waved again. “I’m Aileen.” “She runs hurdles, too. She won World Juniors this summer.” Zach gave her a thumbs up. “Nith to meeth you.” He slid off the bar stool and wobbled a bit. “Can we go?” “Sure.” Tyler tilted his head. “Have you been drinking?” “W’one feer. I svfear.” Zach closed his eyes. “My heafs killin’ fe.” “Let’s go.” He put his arm around his buddy. “Aileen, do you think you can get a ride home with Jani?” She nodded, partly relieved she didn’t have to come with them to the hospital. “Definitely. Can you let me know if everything’s okay?” “Sure.” Tyler pulled his keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Aileen. “Can you bring my car around here?” Aileen caught the keys in one hand. “I’ll be right back.” She turned to go and smiled when she heard Zach asking Tyler if he was all right. He couldn’t believe he was letting someone drive his car. She jogged outside back to where Tyler had parked the car in front of Jeremy’s house. She unlocked the driver’s door and adjusted the seat. Going through the mental notes Tyler had taught her, she put her left foot on the clutch, her right on the brake and made sure the car was in neutral. Once it revved to life, she put it into first and lurched forward nearly stalling the car but managing to get her foot on the clutch just before. It revved loud and she drove slowly forward deciding her safest bet was to drive around the townhouses and end up in front of Carter’s

place. It took her longer than she expected. When she finally found Carter’s place, Zach and Tyler were standing outside on the sidewalk. Carter and Jani sat on the front porch. She opened the car door and nearly stepped out until she realized the car was rolling. She put her feet on the clutch and brake and shoved the parking brake on. She jumped out and gave Tyler an apologetic grin. “Whoops.” Carter helped Zach into the car. Tyler pulled Aileen aside for a moment. “This isn’t quite how I imagined our evening going.” Aileen smiled. “You can always come back to my place after you take Zach to the hospital. And he’s okay, of course.” Tyler waved his hand. “He’ll be fine. He’s tough. It was just a sucker punch.” He shook his head. “Drew, on the other hand, might not be so lucky when the guys hear what happened. I have a feeling Coach Philips isn’t going to say anything to stop them.” “Maybe a kick in the butt is what Drew needs.” Tyler chuckled. “I have a feeling it’s going to be his nose.” He reached for her and pulled her tight against him. “So... You don’t mind if I come and tap on your window, maybe later tonight?” She liked the feel of his hands as they spread across her back and touched her derriere. Desire stirred and she shifted her weight trying to quell the feeling so it wouldn’t be so obvious. “I think I’ll be around.” He scoffed. “You think?” “Text me and let me know what’s happening?” He grinned. “You’ll have to send me something first. I gave you my info, but you never gave me yours.”

“You want me to send you a picture or something?” she teased. His jaw dropped, but it was the hardness against her hip bone that made her giggle. He leaned down and kissed her hungrily. A moment later a horn beeped. Lizzy’s. Tyler groaned. “See you in a couple hours then?” “I’m counting on it.” He squeezed her derriere before letting her go. As he jogged to his car, Jani came over to stand beside Aileen. They watched Tyler get in and drive off. Jani sighed long and dreamily. Aileen looked over at her roommate with raised eyebrows before turning her attention back to a disappearing Mustang. Jani sighed again. “I think I’m in lust. Deeply, madly in lust.” She stared hungrily at the tall boy standing on the step to his house. Aileen sighed too. “Where do I sign up? I think I am, too.” January suddenly seemed a long, long way away. She was glad Tyler would be coming by later, she wasn’t sure she could make it to then, let alone January. THE END Of FASTER HIGHER, Book III of The University of Gatica Series COMING SOON!

Find out what happens with Jani and Carter in HIGHER

HIGHER The University of Gatica Series By Lexy Timms Copyright 2015 by Lexy Timms

All rights reserved. Copyright 2015 by Lexy Timms Cover design by: Book Cover by Design Editor: No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews. Website: https://www.facebook.com/SavingForever Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FdSZUaJ2q0 Newsletter: Sign up for news and updates! http://eepurl.com/9i0vD

UNIVERITY OF GATICA SERIES The Recruiting Trip Book One is now available! Faster Book Two: Now Available Higher Book Three: Coming April 19, 2015 Stronger Book Four: Coming July 2015 Dominate Book Five: Coming October 2015

This is Book 3 of a 5 book series (with the possibility of more to come!) DESCRIPTION: High Jumper Jani Felix is on a full ride at the University of Gatica, a Division One NCAA school. She is determined to make NCAAs, enjoy the year with her new roommate, Aileen Nessa, A hurdler from Ohio. What she is trying not to do, is focus on one of the varsity team’s top swimmers, Carter Daily. When Jani’s grades begin slipping, she keeps it quiet, afraid to ask for help. When her performance results start dropping, she can’t hide from it anymore. She has to make the decision if she’s going to sink or swim. * This is NOT erotica* It is a new adult & college sport romance. For mature readers only. There are sexual situations, but no graphic sex.

UNIVERSITY of GATICA SERIES The Recruiting Trip Faster Higher Stronger Dominate

Citius, Altius, Fortius

“The heights of great men Were not attained by sudden flight, But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upwards through the night.” Author Unknown

Chapter 1 “What do you want to do?” Jani asked Aileen. She glanced back at the door to the townhouse where the tall, dark and handsome Carter Daily stood. Man, he has the bluest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Even in the dark she noticed them. She had seen them before they did have a bit of history, but no one really knew about it. “Do you want me to drive you home?” She kind of hoped Aileen would say she wanted to go back to the party, not hang out at Carter’s house with her. Jani was deeply, madly in lust with Carter. The boy had about four, maybe five inches on her. Being five foot ten herself, finding someone taller and attractive made quite the challenge. Now she wanted to see what he looked like with his shirt off. She giggled and quickly covered her mouth so Aileen didn’t notice. Carter swam on the varsity team. She had seen him in his little red speedo once before at a swim meet last year. Now she wanted to see it up close and personal. “Would you mind?” Aileen stared at the road where a certain particular Mustang had just disappeared down. “I, uh, don’t really feel like going back to the party.” Jani watched her roommate. Aileen was trying to hide something. The freshman hurdle-specular didn’t know how to lie. She was quiet and sweet, with a little firecracker under her. That was why Jani had asked her to move in with her for the school year. She knew they would get along and be great friends. She didn’t regret it. Until maybe now. Jani shook her head. That’s not fair. Stop being so horny. “I probably shouldn’t drive. I’ve had a few drinks. I’ll ask Carter.” She cleared her throat and quietly added, “Do you mind if I come don’t stay?” She glanced back at her tall drink of hotness and waved him over. Aileen’s gaze shifted over to Carter and then back to Jani. She grinned and answered quickly, “Nope. Don’t mind at all.” Jani hesitated. Aileen was up to something, she could tell. Probably Tyler. Aileen had been hanging out all day with Tyler, the school’s superstar football player. They had spent the afternoon together after the track fundraiser. When Jani had tried to get a hold of her after Zach, UofG’s quarterback, got suckered punched by Drew-the-dick-head pole vaulter on the track team, Aileen hadn’t picked up her phone. Neither had Tyler when Zach text and messaged him. The two of

them had been up to something. Each other. Her slightly messed hair couldn’t hide what Aileen was trying to. Jani pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. She ed Aileen had told her Tyler had knocked on her window a while back. Maybe he planned on coming by again tonight after he made sure Zach was all right. It’s probably best I try and stay away. Give them some privacy. She raked her eyes hungrily over Carter. I’m pretty sure that can be arranged. She shoved her hands in her pocket, trying to appear casual. “Hey Carter? Aileen needs a ride home. I’ve had a couple of drinks and not too sure I should drive. Do you think you could...” she let her voice trail off. “Sure.” Carter grinned. “You want to head back with her, or you hanging out here with me for a bit?” Man, his smile’s gotten sexier! Like James Dean. Jani shrugged, trying to appear like the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. “My car’s parked around the corner. I’m not quite ready to head back, feels like the evening can just get started now. If we drive Aileen back, I can take my car back later.” Like in the morning. “Cool.” Carter’s pickup truck sat parked in front of his townhouse condo. While he ran inside to grab his keys, Jani watched his muscular lean body moved in his white shirt and black jeans. She leaned close to Aileen. “He’s got a James Dean kind of look, ‘eh?” Aileen laughed. “I wasn’t looking.” She nudged Jani. “You be good.” “I always am.” “That’s what I’m afraid of.” They walked toward the truck. “So... How'd things go with Tyler? I take it you’re not mad at him anymore?” Aileen shook her head. “It’s complicated.” “It doesn’t have to be. Girl likes boy. Boy likes girl.” She was up for keeping it simple with Carter. “He’s got a lot a pressure with football.”

Aileen looked so disappointed, Jani hated to see her roommate down after getting to spend an entire day with Tyler. “Just think, football’s over in December. Then in January indoor track season starts and you’ll get to see him every day. That’s only two months. Eight weeks.” Aileen’s face brightened. “That’s true. Time’s flown since I got here in August. It’ll be January in no time.” She hugged Jani as Carter came out of the house and unlocked his truck with his remote. “Thanks, Jani.” She opened the truck door and crawled in first so she could sit closer to Carter. His arm brushed against hers as he started the engine. “You still at the same place?” “Yuppers.” “Linda there too?” “Nope. Had a bit of a fiasco last year and we figured it’d be better if she moved out.” She felt Aileen silently snort beside her. Jani playfully elbowed her. “She seemed kinda crazy.” Jani rolled her eyes. “When Aileen was on her recruiting trip, Linda got hammered at Tyler’s party and toppled over his front porch. She dislocated her shoulder and I ended up having to take her to the hospital.” Carter leaned forward to look at Aileen. “On your recruiting trip?” Aileen laughed. “Then she started hitting on the doctor at the hospital.” “You’re joking!” Carter exclaimed. “She’s not. Coach Anderson was pissed. The whole team got in crap.” Jani didn’t add that Coach Maves had pulled her aside and suggested she stay away from Linda. It was affecting her performance on the track and in school. Coach Maves felt Jani was easily influenced by those around her. That was one of the reasons Jani had asked Aileen to move in. She knew Aileen was sweet. Jani was a Junior this year and wanted to break the school record she had set as a freshman and possibly win Canadian Nationals this summer. She needed a good

influence. Carter chuckled. “I’m surprised you signed with us, Aileen. Linda’s, uh, crazy.” Jani leaned against him, enjoying the thrill his body sent through hers. “You’re one to talk.” Last year, Carter had gotten caught smoking pot. How he managed to talk his way out of not getting kicked off the swim team blew her mind. Carter lived close to the outdoor track. It didn’t take long before he pulled his truck into the driveway attached to the girl’s yellow house. Aileen hopped out when Carter stopped. “Thanks for the ride.” She slammed the truck door and jogged up to the house without saying goodbye. Jani and Carter watched her disappear into the house and the porch light switch on. As Carter pulled out of the driveway, he put his arm on the back of the seat resting it lightly on Jani’s shoulders. “She seems sweet.” “I wonder if Tyler Jensen thinks the same thing.” Carter scoffed. “Jani! She’s your roommate!” “I don’t mean it like that!” She had no intention of moving over to where Aileen had just been sitting. Instead, she snuggled closer to him. “She is super sweet. I love living with her. She’s smart, athletic. Did you know she won World Juniors this summer? She didn’t tell anyone like she was embarrassed about it. I made World Juniors four years ago and didn’t even get out of qualifying. I told everyone I went!” She laughed and inhaled his musky cologne. It lingered in her nostrils and teased her to smell it again, like an addiction. “You know how Tyler Jensen’s super athlete, but totally grounded and cool?” Carter shrugged. “I don’t really know him.” He cocked his head slightly. “Have you slept with him?” “No!” She punched him lightly in the ribs. “I don’t hang with footballers.” She realized his was just teasing her. “Tyler runs track as well. He’s not cocky like most of the football guys.” “Neither is Zach.” Carter drove into the complex where his townhouse was. By the amount of cars parked every, the track party had to still be going on. “I think

Tyler and Zach live in the giant alumni house.” Jani nodded. “He does.” A single, dark eyebrow raised on Carter’s forehead as looked down at her. She pressed her lips tight together to stop herself from retorted something sassy back at him. “Anyways,” she exaggerated the word, “Tyler and Aileen are similar. Super athletic. You could tell she had a massive crush on him during her recruiting trip. She didn’t say it, but you could tell.” She didn’t add that Aileen had told her that Tyler had showed up at her hotel before she flew home. Jani figured he was one of the main reasons Aileen had signed with the school. Possibly the only reason. However, Aileen hadn’t said anything when school started and it wasn’t until just a short while ago that she itted to Jani what had happened on her recruiting trip. Tyler wasn’t a player. He was here to pave his way to the NFL. She hoped Aileen wouldn’t be too heartbroken when things didn’t work out between them. She was a freshman and had another three, if not four, more years at school. Carter parked his truck in front of his townhouse. He turned the ignition off but didn’t get out of the truck. “I’m sure your roommate can handle her crush. If Tyler’s responding to it, then she’s a lucky girl.” He twirled a lock of Jani’s hair between his fingers. He brought his head so his lips brushed against her ear. “I’m kinda hoping I might get lucky like that.” His warm breath and soft lips teasing her ear had her arching her neck to give him better access. Did he just say he was crushing on her? Jani’s eyes closed as Carter kissed her neck. She tried to what he had just said but couldn’t seem to concentrate. Her brain could only focus on what his lips were doing to her neck. Her fingers clutched at the hem of her skirt. She had been here before with Carter. They had a physical link which could be set on fire with just a look or a single touch. His lips pressing against the heartbeat in her neck was her undoing. She gasped, not realizing she had been holding her breath. Hot air rushed against her damp skin as he pulled his head up. He straightened and looked forward, his muscle upper body heaving against his chest. Jani watched his strong, lean muscular arms reach out and grip the steering wheel. “What’s the plan, Jani?”

She shifted over slightly so she could turn her body to face him. He was putting the decision in her hands. She could somehow read him like a magazine. If she wanted to hang out and watch a movie, he wouldn’t say no. If she wanted to go straight to his bedroom, he’d follow right behind her. She smiled. She liked the feeling of having this empowerment over him – at least for the moment. The minute his shirt was off, she’d be the one begging him. She played with the hem of her skirt. “Is your roommate home?” Carter’s blue eyes flashed bright. “Actually, he’s gone home for the weekend. Sister’s getting married or something.” Jani dragged her teeth over her lower lip. “Then what the heck are we doing sitting in your truck?” She slid over to the enger side and opened the door. “You coming?” she teased. End of Excerpt Available April 19 2015

FASTER

Hope you enjoyed FASTER. If you have a moment, it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a sentence or two review so others can also find the series to read and enjoy! Thanks, Lexy Timms

Want To Find Me?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SavingForever Newsletter: Sign up for news and updates! http://eepurl.com/9i0vD Website: http://lexytimms.wix.com/savingforever

More by Lexy Timms:

Saving Forever Series:

SAVING FOREVER SERIES Book One is FREE! Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABs_uaeEamo Description: Charity Thompson wants to save the world, one hospital at a time. Instead of finishing med school to become a doctor, she chooses a different path and raises money for hospitals – new wings, equipment, whatever they need. Except there is one hospital she would be happy to never set foot in again—her fathers. So of course he hires her to create a gala for his sixty-fifth birthday. Charity can’t say no. Now she is working in the one place she doesn’t want to be. Except she’s attracted to Dr. Elijah Bennet, the handsome playboy chief. Will she ever prove to her father that’s she’s more than a med school dropout? Or will her attraction to Elijah keep her from repairing the one thing she desperately wants to fix? ** This is NOT Erotica. It's Romance and a love story. ** * This is Part 1 of a FIVE book series *

––––––––

Don't miss out!

Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Lexy Timms publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.

https://books2read.com/r/B-A-NNL-ZRNE

Connecting independent readers to independent writers.

Did you love Faster? Then you should read Confession of a Tattooist by Lexy Timms!

Confession of a Tattooist is book 1 of the Tattoo Series by Bestselling author Lexy Timms. Hawk Reynolds is the hottest tattooist in the city, and not just because he's a terrific artist and knows how to use the needles to turn skin into art. He's pantymelting hot thanks to his sexy hair, tattoo sleeves, and a body that incites fantasies. Plenty of women come to the shop just to let him put his skilled hands on their bodies, but none of them ever come close to touching his heart. Until the day a regular shows up with her bestie, Joy, in tow. Joy's a shy and intelligent blonde who has no idea just how beautiful she is, and she's not really interested in getting a tattoo; but she is interested in the art she sees on the walls, and the bad-boy tattooist who drew it. Joy's been burned before by men who just wanted to date her because her father is billionaire Terry Reed. She's determined to never be used that way again, but as her steamy relationship with Hawk turns into something meaningful, she begins to wonder if she's the . Hawk tells her there's one thing he won't put up with: lying. And she's already lied about who she is. For mature audiences only. There are adult situations, but this is a love story, NOT erotica (just hot n' steamy!) TATTOO SERIES: Confession of a Tattooist Surrender of a Tattooist Read more at Lexy Timms’s site.

Also by Lexy Timms

A Bad Boy Bullied Romance I Hate You I Hate You A Little Bit I Hate You A Little Bit More

A Burning Love Series Spark of ion Flame of Desire Blaze of Ecstasy

A Chance at Forever Series Forever Perfect Forever Desired Forever Together

A Dating App Series I've Been Matched You've Been Matched

We've Been Matched

A "Kind of" Billionaire Taking a Risk Safety in Numbers Pretend You're Mine

A Maybe Series Maybe I Should Maybe I Shouldn't Maybe I Did

Assisting the Boss Series Billion Reasons Duke of Delegation Late Night Meetings Delegating Love Suitors and irers

BBW Romance Series Capturing Her Beauty

Pursuing Her Dreams Tracing Her Curves

Beating the Biker Series Making Her His Making the Break Making of Them

Billionaire Banker Series Banking on Him Price of ion Investing in Love Knowing Your Worth Treasured Forever Banking on Christmas

Billionaire Holiday Romance Series Driving Home for Christmas The Valentine Getaway Cruising Love

Billionaire in Disguise Series Facade Illusion Charade

Billionaire Secrets Series The Secret Freedom Courage Trust Impulse Billionaire Secrets Box Set Books #1-3

Blind Sight Series See Me Fix Me Eyes On Me

Branded Series Money or Nothing What People Say

Give and Take

Building Billions Building Billions - Part 1 Building Billions - Part 2 Building Billions - Part 3

Change of Heart Series The Heart Needs The Heart Wants The Heart Knows

Conquering Warrior Series Ruthless

Counting the Billions Counting the Days Counting On You Counting the Kisses

Darkest Night Series

Savage

Diamond in the Rough Anthology Billionaire Rock Billionaire Rock - part 2

Dirty Little Taboo Series Flirting Touch Denying Pleasure Forbidding Desire Craving ion

Dominating PA Series Her Personal Assistant - Part 1 Her Personal Assistant Box Set

Fake Billionaire Series Faking It Temporary CEO Caught in the Act Never Tell A Lie

Fake Christmas Fake Billionaire Box Set #1-3

Firehouse Romance Series Caught in Flames Burning With Desire Craving the Heat Firehouse Romance Complete Collection

Forging Billions Series Dirty Money Petty Cash Payment Required

For His Pleasure Elizabeth Georgia Madison

Fortune Riders MC Series Billionaire Biker

Billionaire Ransom Billionaire Misery

Fragile Series Fragile Touch Fragile Kiss Fragile Love

Great Temptation Series The Devil's Footsteps Heaven's Command Mortals Surrender

Hades' Spawn Motorcycle Club One You Can't Forget One That Got Away One That Came Back One You Never Leave One Christmas Night Hades' Spawn MC Complete Series

Hard Rocked Series Rhyme Harmony Lyrics

Heart of Stone Series The Protector The Guardian The Warrior

Heart of the Battle Series Celtic Viking Celtic Rune Celtic Mann Heart of the Battle Series Box Set

Heistdom Series Master Thief Goldmine Diamond Heist Smile For Me

Your Move Green With Envy Saving Money

Highlander Wolf Series Pack Run Pack Land Pack Rules

How To Love A Spy The Secret The Secret Life The Secret Wife

Just About Series About Love About Truth About Forever

Justice Series Seeking Justice

Finding Justice Chasing Justice Pursuing Justice Justice - Complete Series

Kissed by Billions Kissed by ion Kissed by Desire Kissed by Love

Leaning Towards Trouble Trouble Discord Tenacity

Love on the Sea Series Ships Ahoy Rough Sea High Tide

Love You Series

Love Life Need Love My Love

Managing the Billionaire Never Enough Worth the Cost Secret irers Chasing Affection Pressing Romance Timeless Memories Managing the Billionaire Box Set Books #1-3

Managing the Bosses Series The Boss The Boss Too Who's the Boss Now Love the Boss I Do the Boss Wife to the Boss Employed by the Boss

Brother to the Boss Senior Advisor to the Boss Forever the Boss Christmas With the Boss Billionaire in Control Billionaire Makes Millions Billionaire at Work Precious Little Thing Priceless Love Valentine Love The Cost of Freedom Trick or Treat The Night Before Christmas Gift for the Boss - Novella 3.5 Managing the Bosses Box Set #1-3 Managing the Bosses Novellas

Mislead by the Bad Boy Series Deceived

Model Mayhem Series

Shameless Modesty Imperfection

Moment in Time Highlander's Bride Victorian Bride Modern Day Bride A Royal Bride Forever the Bride

My Best Friend’s Sister Hometown Calling A Perfect Moment Thrown in Together

My Darker Side Series Darkest Hour Time to Stop Against the Light

Neverending Dream Series Neverending Dream - Part 1 Neverending Dream - Part 2 Neverending Dream - Part 3 Neverending Dream - Part 4 Neverending Dream - Part 5

Outside the Octagon Submit Fight Knockout

Protecting Diana Series Her Bodyguard Her Defender Her Champion Her Protector Her Forever

Protecting Layla Series His Mission

His Objective His Devotion

Racing Hearts Series Rush Pace Fast

Regency Romance Series The Duchess Scandal - Part 1 The Duchess Scandal - Part 2

Reverse Harem Series Primals Archaic Unitary

RIP Series Track the Ripper Hunt the Ripper Pursue the Ripper

R&S Rich and Single Series Alex Reid Parker

Saving Forever Saving Forever - Part 1 Saving Forever - Part 2 Saving Forever - Part 3 Saving Forever - Part 4 Saving Forever - Part 5 Saving Forever - Part 6 Saving Forever Part 7 Saving Forever - Part 8 Saving Forever Boxset Books #1-3

Shifting Desires Series Jungle Heat Jungle Fever Jungle Blaze

Sin Series Payment for Sin Atonement Within Declaration of Love

Southern Romance Series Little Love Affair Siege of the Heart Freedom Forever Soldier's Fortune

Spanked Series ion Playmate Pleasure

Spelling Love Series The Author The Book Boyfriend The Words of Love

Taboo Wedding Series He Loves Me Not With This Ring Happily Ever After

Tattooist Series Confession of a Tattooist Surrender of a Tattooist Heart of a Tattooist Hopes & Dreams of a Tattooist

Tennessee Romance Whisky Lullaby Whisky Melody Whisky Harmony

The Bad Boy Alpha Club Battle Lines - Part 1 Battle Lines

The Brush Of Love Series

Every Night Every Day Every Time Every Way Every Touch

The Debt The Debt: Part 1 - Damn Horse The Debt: Complete Collection

The Fire Inside Series Dare Me Defy Me Burn Me

The Gentleman's Club Series Gambler Player Wager

The Golden Mail

Hot Off the Press Extra! Extra! Read All About It Stop the Press Breaking News This Just In

The Lucky Billionaire Series Lucky Break Streak of Luck Lucky in Love

The Sound of Breaking Hearts Series Disruption Destroy Devoted

The University of Gatica Series The Recruiting Trip Faster Higher

Stronger Dominate No Rush University of Gatica - The Complete Series

T.N.T. Series Troubled Nate Thomas - Part 1 Troubled Nate Thomas - Part 2 Troubled Nate Thomas - Part 3

Toxic Touch Series Noxious Lethal Willful Tainted (Coming Soon)

Undercover Series Perfect For Me Perfect For You Perfect For Us

Unknown Identity Series Unknown Unpublished Unexposed Unsure Unwritten Unknown Identity Box Set: Books #1-3

Unlucky Series Unlucky in Love UnWanted UnLoved Forever

War Torn Letters Series My Sweetheart My Darling My Beloved

Wet & Wild Series Stormy Love Savage Love

Secure Love

Worth It Series Worth Billions Worth Every Cent Worth More Than Money

You & Me - A Bad Boy Romance Just Me Touch Me Kiss Me

Standalone Wash Loving Charity Summer Lovin' Love & College Billionaire Heart First Love Frisky and Fun Romance Box Collection Beating Hades' Bikers

Watch for more at Lexy Timms’s site.