The Forbidden Freshman: A College Sports Romance (Nolan U Hockey Book 1)

I slide my feet into the heels Teah is insisting I wear, then totter over to the full-length mirror in her bedroom. I feel like a newborn giraffe in these stupid things.

“I look ridiculous,” I grumble.

Teah stops applying her mascara to check me out, then starts to giggle. “You look freaking hot, girl.”

I frown at her, then turn to face the mirror again.

I barely recognize the person gaping back at me. No, wait, I do… it’s my little sister, Megan. Resting my hand on my throat, I stare at myself fitted out in this skintight green dress that looks like it’s had a glitter bomb explode inside the fabric.

Adjusting the dress at my hips, I pull it down a little, wishing it covered more of my ass. If I bend over, everyone will get a full display.

“Stop doing that.” Bella slaps my hands away and smooths her palms over my hips to straighten out the fabric. “Don’t you dare ruin my dress.” She gazes over my shoulder and is soon pouting into the mirror. “Dammit, why does it look better on you than on me?”

I huff out a soft laugh. “You look way hotter than I do.”

I run my eyes over her red-and-gold dress with the intricate pattern on the front. It’s a second skin that pushes her boobs up and makes her butt look round and squeezable.

“The guys are going to be drooling.” I wink at her.

She gives me a simpering smile, dipping her hip and running her hands down her sides while she admires herself in the mirror.

I run a hand through my curled hair and score myself a huff from Teah. “Stop doing that. You’ll lose all the body if you keep touching it.”

With an exasperated sigh, she gets up from her makeup station—yes, it’s like a freaking actress’s dressing room with lights around the mirror and everything—and approaches me with this bulldog expression.

“I didn’t spend all that time dolling you up only to have you ruin the look.” She fluffs the curls she created with this hot iron thingy and then adds a touch more gloss to my lips. “There. Now, try and not touch your face or hair, okay?”

I nod, nerves powering through me as I adjust to the fact that I’m going to have to go out in public looking this way.

And then it gets a million times worse when I step into the living area to wait for Ethan and find Aimee standing by the window. She turns and spots me, her eyebrows rising with surprise.

“Well, don’t you clean up nicely.”

“Um… thank you?” I wobble on my heels, and she tuts, rolling her eyes.

A few of the Sig Be sisters snicker behind their hands, and it’s enough to make me want to rip this dress off my body and shout, “I’m done.”

But then I remind myself why I’m suffering through all of this, clenching my jaw and ignoring them.

“So, we’ve all heard about the kiss.”

“The kiss?” I flush, thinking about how hot and heavy I got with Ethan the other night and wondering if any of the girls saw him sucking my nipples. My insides tingle as the memory flashes through me. It’s this weird mix of heady need and gut-plummeting embarrassment.

“Yes, the one he gave you in front of everyone at school the other day. Ethan basically claimed you after insisting he pick you up for the party, which means it’s time.”

“Time?” I swallow, dread pooling in my stomach.

“Yes. He obviously likes you enough to pick you up and make this seem like a date, which is rare for that manwhore, so tonight is the perfect opportunity to break his heart.”

Oh crap.

“I thought you wanted him to fall in love with me first.”

Aimee’s steely gaze flicks to mine, narrowing at the edges while I shut my trap and silently reprimand myself for speaking at all.

“You want this to keep going?” Her voice is sharp with suspicion.

“No, of course not.” I force a smile. “Initiation night, here I come. Woo.” I pump my arm in the air, feeling like an idiot. I must look like one, too, because more snickering skitters around the room.

Aimee’s unimpressed glare is stripping the skin from my body. I squirm beneath it but stand my ground as she approaches me. “Here’s the plan. Ethan will pick you up. You’ll play nice, pretending he’s your personal sex dream, and once you’re both comfortable at the party, you’ll start making out with someone else.”

“What?” I recoil, stumbling back on my heels.

“The girls will make sure Ethan sees it.”

“But—”

“He’ll be super pissed and humiliated.”

My chest starts heaving, and it’s an effort to pull myself into line. “I don’t want to go making out with some random guy.”

Aimee’s cutting gaze slices right through me. “What’s the problem? You’ve been making out with Ethan.”

I clench my jaw and force myself to nod. That’s right. I have. And they all think it’s been this chore on my part. They think I’ve been playing this role to get into this house, and I have to make them keep thinking that.

Shit!

Swallowing down my repulsion at the idea of this super-awkward and horrible plan, I force a smile. “Okay. So, who is this guy?”

“It’s a friend of Claudia’s.” She points at the girl who’s wiggling her eyebrows at me.

“He’s in my psych class. He likes to think he’s a bad boy, but that’s just to hide his nerdy side.” She giggles.

Fiona rolls her eyes but is fighting a grin. “His name’s Damien, and he’s happy to help us out.”

“Great.” I clear my throat and look back at Aimee, hoping she can’t see through my paper-thin veneer. “Well, thank you for letting me wrap this up tonight and not drag it out for the full month. I appreciate it. I seriously had no idea how I was going to get him to fall in love with me.”

She gives me a magnanimous nod, like she’s the queen of England and I’m one of her sniveling subjects who she’s kindly helping out.

Obviously, my jabs from the other day are getting to her and she’s changed her tune. Like my mother, Aimee seems hell-bent on keeping Jarrod happy. Shit, I probably am too. I did sign that contract, after all.

My stomach churns. The urge to bolt from the room and get the hell out of here is overwhelming. I want to flee, call Rachel, pour out my heart to my best friend, and ask her what the hell I’m doing.

But then there’s a knock at the door and it’s too late.

I’m in this now, and tonight is going to suck on every level possible.

“Hey, Ethan.” Claudia greets him with a sultry smile, leaning against the door and making my eyes burn with jealousy.

Yes, okay, a green devil is pecking at my shoulders right now.

Ethan’s hot and funny and gorgeous and… and tonight I’m basically going to slap him in the face. I’m going to intentionally hurt and embarrass him, and then some confident, sure-as-shit chick like Claudia is going to swoop in and have her way with the guy. My guy.

Not your guy, your target.

Keep your head on straight, Mikayla.

“Just here to pick up Mikayla.” Ethan’s deep voice makes my insides tremble, and I nearly roll my ankle trying to get to the door.

Stepping around Claudia, I stare up at him, my breath catching. Holy shit, he’s sex on a stick. Tall and handsome in his dark jeans and a shirt that’s tight enough to show off the contours of his muscles. His hair is intentionally mussed, and he smells like heaven.

I feel completely overdressed and out of my league.

“Wow.” He breathes the word more than says it, his bright eyes drinking me in.

Squirming in these heels, I tug at the sides of my dress. “Hey.”

“Hey.” His smile is… something special. He likes what he sees right now, and I could bask in this glow, like seriously sunbathe under the rays he’s firing at me.

But then I remember what I’m supposed to do tonight.

And I can’t feel the warmth of Ethan’s smile anymore. I can only feel the sizzling laser beams Aimee’s trying to liquefy me with.

I turn to glance at her, and she gives me a demure smirk. “Have fun tonight.”

Bella grins beside her. “See you there soon!”

With another thick swallow, I nod and shuffle out the door. Ethan takes my hand, leading me to his truck and laughing again when he spins to look at me.

“What?” I frown.

“You look seriously hot, lil’ mouse. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Oh, thanks. So you’re saying I don’t look hot all the time?”

He stops me against the passenger side door, leaning down close and whispering against my lips, “You look hot all the time. Tonight, you are fucking fire, baby.” His mouth is on mine before I can take my next breath, and I basically inhale his tongue. It’s warm and soft and hungry, sweeping into my mouth and claiming me against the car.

I grip his neck, rising to my tiptoes to lengthen this heady moment.

But then, inevitably, he pulls back. His eyes drink me in again, making me feel like I’m somehow special. Which is dangerous, because I’m not. If anything, I’m a full-blown bitch who is going to be humiliating him tonight.

Shit. I don’t want to do this.

So just tell him the truth, then.

I gaze up at his handsome face, my lips parting as I toy with the idea of spilling all. He smiles down at me. That beautiful smile which I’ve loved since the first time I saw it. And now all I can picture is how that smile will transform to a look of disgust.

What kind of asshole plays someone this way?

He won’t think it’s funny because it’s not. And then when I try to explain how I went after him at first but changed my mind and genuinely started liking him, what will make him believe me?

As far as he’ll be concerned, I’ve been lying this whole time.

I can’t tell him.

But I can’t humiliate him either.

How the hell do I get out of this?

Spinning around, I open the door with trembling fingers and go to lift my leg to jump in, but this damn dress is too tight.

I let out a squeak and realize I’m going to have to hike the thing all the way over my butt in order to climb into the truck. Ethan softly laughs against the back of my hair before his two large hands grip my hips and boost me into the truck like I weigh less than a sack of feathers.

“Thanks,” I murmur, wriggling in my seat and adjusting the dress.

His gaze skims my legs, running down to those heels before bouncing back to my face. “Hottie.” He grins, and I can’t help but grin right back at him.

I’ve got to admit, it feels kinda cool to be looked at this way, with such open desire. I’m not usually the girl who guys find hot, but look at me go. Ethan Galloway, one of the sexiest guys on campus, is eyeing me up like I’m some kind of cover model.

My heart trills in spite of the fact that it shouldn’t.

As Ethan walks around to get behind the wheel, I press my knuckles between my breasts, ordering my heart to slow the hell down.

It’s like my body doesn’t understand that this is not a real date. Ethan will never be my boyfriend or anything. This is a onetime thing, because tonight, I have to make out with some other guy, and then Ethan will never smile at me again.