SWNOVELS The Forbidden Freshman: Chapter 19
Asher chases me down the corridor. “So, you coming or what?”
I glance over my shoulder, wishing my strides were longer so he can’t catch me so easily. I kind of want to outrun my flaming red cheeks and maybe go into hiding after being busted by him and then finding out there are cameras in that workout room.
Ethan’s chest is a freaking work of art. The second I spotted his glistening skin and perfectly carved torso, my V-jay started throbbing. Like nightclub, party-mix aching for the guy. This gush of hot liquid shot straight between my legs, and it was an effort not to drop to my knees and beg him to take me right on that padded floor.
Thankfully, he got me doing push-ups, which helped a little… until I thoughtlessly jumped on his back and his muscles flexed and moved beneath me. My pussy was purring, and then it melted and turned into a puddle of white-hot goo. When his lips touched mine, any coherent thought became impossible. When his tongue dove into my mouth, breathing was added to the list of struggles, and then he started grinding against me, and every cell in my brain turned to mush.
And the cameras probably caught it all.
Shit! Do they have sound too? Did they hear me moaning?
Kill me now.
Just bury me in a grave marked:
Mikayla Evelyn Hyde
Died of Humiliation
I can’t let this happen. What if someone leaks it?
And now all I can picture is a bunch of security guards standing around a black-and-white screen while they laugh and point, then start sharing it on TikTok and Insta.
Shit!
Spinning with a jerk, I hold my hand up for Asher to stop. “Do you have access to the camera footage in the workout room?”
His left eyebrow arches. “I could.”
He’s got a handsome face. Long and lean with this chiseled chin and nose. His hair is dark, from the scruff on his cheeks to the shiny hair swooshed back from his forehead. The guy cares about his appearance, that much is obvious, but there’s a bright gleam in his eyes that tells me he loves a good game and winning is really his only option.
So how can I make him feel like he’s gonna win this round while still getting what I want?
Unlike my little sister, I’m no master of manipulation, but I try to channel a little Megs and give the guy my sweetest smile.
“Excellent. Could you please make the footage of me being in that area disappear?”
He considers it for a moment, then nods. “Fine. On one condition…”
“What?” I’m beginning to despise the word condition.
“Come hang at Hockey House tonight.”
I cross my arms. “And why would I do that?”
“Because… we have cold beer, hot pizza, and you’re desperate to get to know Ethan’s friends better.”
I snicker and shake my head.
“Come on.” He nudges my shoulder. “I’ll sweet-talk the security guards into eliminating certain footage, and you’ll give us an evening of entertainment.”
“Ew. What exactly are you expecting me to do at your place?”
“Hang out.” He rolls his eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter, mouse. It’s not like we have a permanent stripper pole set up in the living room. I just want you to hang. That’s all. Just… help me figure out why Ethan can’t stop texting you and why my playboy is turning into a one-woman show.”
I laugh and shake my head. “He’s so not doing that.”
Hope skitters through me, and although it should be because I can gleefully think, My plan is working! I know it’s more a sense of Really? The guy likes me? Has he seriously not hooked up with anyone else?
Ugh, I can feel my excitement blooming.
Stop acting like some fan-crazed teenager!
I try to harden myself against the flutters exploding in my chest, but when Ethan appears around the corner, giving Asher a glare of warning, I end up blurting, “Okay. Fine. I’ll come over.”
Ethan’s head jolts back with surprise, but then his lips start tipping up into this beautiful smile that makes me want to shout, “Better yet, I’ll move in.”
But thankfully my brain is coming back online now, and common sense is starting to prevail.
Going to Hockey House is a great idea.
Why?
Because it means Asher will sort out the whole camera situation. Plus, it saves me from going back to the sorority house, where I will no doubt have to endure an evening of pissed-off Aimee.
Cold ice queen or rowdy hockey boys.
It’s really a no-brainer.
Although Asher offers me a ride, I hang back, chatting with Liam while we wait for Ethan to shower up. Liam’s a really sweet guy—big and broad, he looks like a military man with his buzz cut and serious face. If you didn’t know him, you’d probably find him intimidating, but the second he opens his mouth and starts talking in his soft husky voice… or he flashes one of those sweet smiles your way… you know he’s just a big ol’ teddy bear.
“So, how long have you guys been friends, then?”
“Ethan and I met in high school.”
“Nice.” I grin. “How cool that you can go to college together.”
“Yeah, we planned it that way. Couldn’t not have the best years of our lives together, right?” He grins at me, and I suddenly miss Rachel with an ache so deep it makes my chest hurt.
“My best friend still lives in Cali. I miss her.”
His smile turns sympathetic. “When will you get to see her again?”
“Not sure yet.” I shrug. “But we text and talk most days, so at least we’re still in touch. I just hope that doesn’t fade with time.”
“Don’t let it.” He shrugs, like it’s the easiest solution in the world.
Running feet grab my attention, and those butterflies are back, swarming my entire body as Ethan comes to a stop beside me.
“So, you’re braving Hockey House, huh?”
I laugh. “If I can handle a mani-pedi spa day which also included a painful round of hair removal, then I figure Hockey House will be a cinch.”
The guys both nod. “Yeah, you’re right.”
Their expressions make me laugh a little louder, and any doubts I may have been harboring disappear the second I walk through the front door.
Music is pumping from the speakers but not in the deafening party-time way. Guys’ voices float across the air—hassling, playful jabs that make me grin. The house smells like this heady mix of cologne, sweat, and fried chicken, and all I can think is Home, comfort, a place to chill.
Kicking off my shoes, I follow Ethan and Liam into the main living area, where I’m introduced to a few other guys who don’t live in the house but are hockey Cougars like the rest of them.
They eye me up with curiosity but have obviously been forewarned by Asher that I was coming. I wave my hand in greeting, tipping back on my heels and trying to think of something funny to say. But all that pops out of me is a loud gasp.
“Is that Devil’s Doorway?” I gape at the large TV screen on the wall, jumping over the back of the couch and landing next to Casey. “I don’t know anyone else who plays this.”
Casey grins, smashing his thumb onto the controller and taking out three bad guys before spinning his horse around and charging out of Windy City.
“Have you got the gold bars from the westbound train yet?”
“Yep.” He keeps riding, dodging a band of Indians as he passes through their territory.
“They’re gonna shoot you. You need to stop and offer them something from your bag.”
“No, I’ll be fast enough,” he murmurs, dipping low to the horse and trying to pick up speed.
“No you won’t,” I singsong, then grin when he’s shot through the back with an arrow and falls to the ground. “Told ya,” I crow with a grin that I hope is obnoxious enough.
“Fine,” Casey grits out, although it’s all for show. His dirty-blond locks shake as he tries to glare at me. He probably has no idea that he’s looking more scarecrow than man right now.
“How long have you been playing this?” I try to hide my laughter.
He runs a hand through his hair, which is why it’s such a mess, and I can’t hold it in anymore.
“Lemme guess, you’re one of those stubborn-ass dudes who hates asking for help on a game like this. You just have to figure it all out on your own,” I tease him.
He huffs and narrows his eyes at me, but I can see the glimmer of amusement in his gaze. “Fine, you little brat, tell me how to get past the Cheyenne tribe.”
“With pleasure, sir.” I put on a posh voice, snatching the controller out of his hand and going back to Windy City, where I quickly take out the bandits and start heading for new territory. Like I told him to, I stop and ask for permission to pass through Cheyenne territory, offering them tobacco and grain from my sack before making friends with the chief’s son and picking up a companion for the rest of my journey west.
“Holy puck. I’ve been trying to outrun those guys for like five games now.”
I can’t help a smug smirk, but it doesn’t last long because the whole puck thing just registered.
“Please tell me you don’t do that too.”
“Do what?” He keeps his eyes on the screen while I negotiate the river crossing.
“Use the word puck instead of fuck. It’s lame.”
“It’s not lame, it’s totally cool, and if you don’t like it, there’s the door.”
“Oooo.” I rise to his snippety tone with a laugh. “Someone’s precious about their pucking.”
He starts to laugh, snatching the controller back off me. “You’re our guest, so just get pucking used to the way we talk, okay?”
I flick a look at Ethan, who’s found a spot on the couch adjacent to me. He grins, winking at me while I shake my head, throwing in an eye roll for good measure.
Is it weird that I feel more relaxed here than I do anywhere else on campus so far?
Should I be worried about that?
Ethan’s searing-hot kiss in the workout room tells me he’s not immune to the fact that I’m a woman, but I fit in so easily with this group. Am I doing that thing I always do and just naturally falling into the friend zone with these guys?
I should pull back, find my feminine side, and strut out of this place like the dick tease I’m supposed to be. But I don’t want to leave… and even though I start telling myself it’s because of my initiation task, I know the truth.
I like these guys. I’ve got the major hots for Ethan, and if he keeps being as cool and awesome and sexy as he has been so far, I’m gonna go tumbling over the edge…
And unless I can somehow get out of this initiation—doubtful—then I have to go and break his heart, which will inevitably break mine, so…
Yeah, I’m royally pucked.