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

I don’t know who grabbed my arm and pulled me off the dance floor, but they’re kind of pissed with me.

“You’re making a total fool of yourself,” she snips. “Ugh! You’re not even supposed to be drinking. What the hell is wrong with you?”

Miss Snippy is loud and annoying, and I don’t like her.

I grunt when she yanks me to a stop and pushes me against the wall. “Pull it together!” She snaps her fingers in my face.

With a slow blink, I start to realize that Fiona has her talons in me. “You have a job to do. Now, this is Damien.” She points to a guy behind her.

He’s tall, but not super tall. Broad, but not super broad.

He’s no Ethan Galloway, that’s for sure.

Shit. Ethan.

I don’t want to do this!

I figured if I got drunk enough and stayed away from him tonight, I could somehow get through this. But even downing three beers hasn’t murdered my brain. My head is spinning, but I still know what I have to do, and the thought repulses me.

How do I hurt Ethan when he’s only been nice to me? When he’s sweet and funny and he told me he’d keep an eye on me tonight? His hand on my lower back felt so damn good, and I wish it was still there. I wish he could get me out of this.

“Hey.” Damien sidles up beside Fiona. She steps aside and says something I don’t quite catch before disappearing. Now it’s just me and this total stranger I’m supposed to kiss.

Ugh! Kill me now.

I lean my head back against the wall to counter the wave of dizziness.

“Okay, so Fee told me the plan is to head out to the dance floor, make sure we’re in sight of Ethan, and start going for it.”

“Don’t want to,” I mutter.

“Come on. It’ll be fun.” He snickers, stepping so close his body basically smothers mine. “We’ll go out there and get a little busy.” Hands slide down my body, rounding the curve of my butt and giving my cheeks a little squeeze.

“Hands off the goods.” I push him away.

He grunts, frowning at me, before trying again. Resting his hands against the wall, he boxes me in and leans down close enough that I can smell the liquor on his breath. He’s been drinking straight spirits. I can’t tell what, but my eyeballs feel like they’re burning.

My stomach roils.

“We need to put on a show. I’m doing you a favor. Stop being difficult and play along. I don’t have all night.”

“I don’t want to do this,” I slur, holding on to the s and dragging it out to try and make my point.

“Whatever. I know the drill. Claudia and Fee told me everything. You want a place in the house, you need to prove it.” He grabs my hips and pulls me against him. “And oh, baby, I want to help you prove it.”

I growl and shove him back. The move catches him a little off guard, and he stumbles a step before regaining his balance. “It’s supposed to be a little making out, not a shit ton of groping. Control yourself.”

He glances around, obviously checking this part of the hallway is still empty before he steps back into my space again. My insides pinch with fear for a second.

“We have to sell this,” he snaps.

“Don’t want to.” I grit out the words, trying to sound tougher than I feel.

He huffs, letting out a string of expletives and a little accidental spittle on my cheek before barking, “I don’t have to be doing this, you know. It’s not like I need the money.”

What the fuck?

“They’re paying you?”

He gives me a smarmy smile. “Guess they really want you in the house with them, huh?”

Yeah right. Even my drunk-ass brain is smart enough to know that’s bullshit.

They want Ethan to burn, and they’re using me as their little toy to do it. If I succeed, they win. If I lose, they still win because they can kick me out of their house. Aimee’s gonna get her triumph one way or another.

Clenching my jaw, I look away from Damien, and he must take my silence as consent because he grabs my wrist and pulls me away from the wall. “That’s better. Now let’s go do this.”

Every cell in my body rebels against his touch, and I try to pull my arm free.

“Lemme go!” I sound like some whiny kid, but the idea of that guy’s tongue in my mouth is enough to make me puke.

I hate being manhandled. I hate being bossed around.

I hate this whole damn thing!

“I don’t want this.” I try to wrench my wrist out of his grasp, but his fingers only dig in that much harder. My voice is too quiet against the thumping music and chaotic party noise, so I try to shout, “Let! Go!” And this time my pathetic voice is backed up by a full-blown roar.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

My head whips around in time to see Ethan charging down the hallway. He looks like a feral beast, his face mottled with anger as he grabs Damien and shoves him away from me. I stumble back against the wall while Ethan blocks my body with his, getting right in Damien’s face.

“She said let go. Are you deaf?”

“I… I…,” Damien sputters. “She… she wanted to dance, man.”

“Bullshit!” Ethan fists the guy’s shirt and shoves him. Damien’s shoulders hit the wall with a smack.

He winces and I cringe, sort of feeling like I should step in and stop this but also too drunk to do anything but lean against the wall and watch the show. Captain Hero is taking down a sleazoid. It’s kind of satisfying.

“Fuck this.” Damien shoves Ethan away. Sort of. It’s more a case of Damien slapping his arms against Ethan’s chest and Ethan letting him go. Pulling his shirt straight, he throws me a dark glare that makes me shrink against the wall before storming down the hallway.

Ethan spins around to check on me.

“You okay?” All the fire has left his voice. It’s now a tender lilt that makes my eyes water. “Come on, we’re out of here.” He gently takes my elbow, guiding me in the opposite direction of the pissed off Damien.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

The repercussions of what I’ve just let happen scuttle after me, climbing over my shoulders, down my throat, and raiding my belly.

My knees buckle, but Ethan moves like lightning, sweeping me into his arms.

Feels so good.

I rest my spinning head against his shoulder as he carries me past the kitchen. And then my stomach starts to churn a little more, clenching painfully when I spot the sisters glaring at me.

“I screwed up,” I whisper.

“No you didn’t, baby.” Ethan brushes his lips against my forehead. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

If only he were right.