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

Liam’s waiting behind the wheel, spying me through the glass as Ethan pulls me over to his truck and opens the back door for me.

I give him a skeptical frown.

“Just get in,” he murmurs.

He’s still mad. He’s trying to hide it, but he can’t. And I’m not sure if I want to spend the night at his house.

“Mikayla. Get. In.”

But I guess it’s better than spending the night out here. If that creeper van came around the block again, I was pretty sure a pants-peeing situation would have been going down. Trying to sneak away from them the first time nearly made my heart stop. Or beat so hard I felt like fainting.

I curled into the darkest corner I could find, my fist tucked against my chest as I got ready to defend myself. I should have probably run somewhere else, but I didn’t want to draw their attention and have them chase me. So I stayed in the shadows and begged the universe to make me invisible.

But then Ethan found me.

I glance at his face, set like stone, his eyebrows dented into a sharp V.

He might still be pissed at me, but he’s not a creeper. He’s Captain Hero, and even though I hurt him, he still came looking for me.

Climbing into the back of the truck, I buckle up and am grateful that Liam gives me no more than a quiet greeting.

Silence reigns as we head back to Hockey House, and it’s damn near suffocating. I open the door as soon as we arrive, hauling my bag out after me and walking for the front door ahead of them.

It’s locked, so I can’t bust in and make a bed on the couch. As soon as Ethan reaches me, he takes the bag out of my hand. I fight the urge to wrestle it back off him. It’s instinctual. But he’s still annoyed, and I was in the wrong, so I’ll shut my mouth and cross my arms and try not say a damn thing.

Liam opens the door for us, and I trail the guys inside, heading for the couch.

“Nope.” Ethan points up the stairs. “You’re taking my bed.”

“No I’m not.” I shake my head.

“Yeah, you are.”

“No. I’m not.” Snatching the bag off him, I dump it on the tiles in the entryway.

“Mikayla, get your ass upstairs,” he snaps.

“I’m not taking your bed! If anything, I deserve the floor, so just go upstairs and leave me alone!”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” he yells back, and I’m about to tell him to shove it when Liam steps between us.

“So, I’m thinking you guys should both go upstairs and have yourselves a little chat.” Lightly patting our shoulders, he glances between us, smiling like the padre he is.

My shoulders slump as I point at Ethan. “He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t like talking,” he grumbles.

I snap my gaze to his, meeting his glare with one of my own. “I wanted to talk before. Remember? When you kicked me out?”

“Oh really?” He starts climbing the stairs. “So, you showed up here to tell me how you feel, did you?”

“Yeah, I did, actually.” I thump up after him, following him into his room.

“Or maybe you were here to explain why you and your little sorority bitches created some big hoax to burn me.” He slams the door shut, and I flinch again.

Shit. My nerves are stretched to breaking point, and I honestly don’t know if I can handle this right now.

As much as I want to yell and rant about this whole shitty night, I also just want it to be over.

Letting out a shaky sigh, I run my fingers through my hair and fist the back. “Okay. Fine. You’re right. It did start out that way, but it changed pretty damn fast. And I wanted to tell you, but⁠—”

“Oh, bullshit,” he scoffs. “You’ve been playing me this whole time.”

“That’s not true.”

“Don’t!” he growls, his eyes flashing bright, his gaze almost dangerous. “Don’t fucking string me along anymore. I never thought I’d ever be capable of feeling this way about anyone, and then you make me fall. You make me fall so damn hard, only to find out that none of it is real!”

His words blow me back a step, and I blink at him, scrambling to digest what he’s telling me while trying to line it up with the fact that he keeps hesitating every time we get too close.

“R-Real?” I sputter. “Falling? What are you talking about? You’re the one who doesn’t want me!”

“I do want you.” He leans forward, then pings back with an exasperated scoff. “I told you that. I showed you that.”

“And then you pull away. Every time. If I get too close, you pull away, so there must be something wrong with me, because rumor has it you’ve slept with half the girls in this school. So why can’t you sleep with me?”

“There is nothing wrong with you,” he bites back. “You are perfect, okay? Everything about you is amazing. From the way you dress, to the way you talk, to the way you watch hockey and play video games and eat fucking pizza!” He flings his arms wide. “Everything about you is what I want, and then I find out it was all a joke!”

My heart is beating so hard I don’t even know how I’m gonna form words right now, but somehow they punch out of me. “It wasn’t a joke. And I am not perfect. You are. I love everything about you, from your messy hair to your giant feet.” I point at them, and it suddenly occurs to me that he must have run out of the house barefoot to reach me tonight. “You’re Captain Hero. And you came for me, even when I didn’t deserve it.”

His forehead wrinkles, like my words are taking him off guard somehow.

My voice drops to a husky whisper, the fire draining out of me as I keep going with my list. “I love the way you play hockey and look after your friends… and watched Dawson’s Creek with your mom.” I flash him a watery smile. “You’re good and you’re loyal and you work so hard, and I love all those things about you so much. I love…” I point at him, the air whooshing out of me as my shoulders slump and I finally admit the truth out loud. “I love you. All of you. I love you.”

I’ve never said that to a guy before, and holy shit, do I feel vulnerable right now.

I suck in a shaky breath and look at him.

He’s staring at me in stunned silence.

I cross my arms, shrinking in on myself and wondering if now is the time to bolt from the room. That couch is calling my name… or maybe I can run down the hall and lock myself in the bathroom. There’s a tub in there, right? I could cozy up with some towels. It’ll be great.

Ethan’s still not saying anything, so I inch toward his door, nearly turning to grab the handle when he stops me with his gravelly voice.

“You love me? For real love me?”

My eyes shoot toward him, and I’m caught in his gaze, my throat burning as I nod, then struggle to ask, “Do you love me?”

He tips his head, his expression crumpling with a look so desperate that my heart can hardly take it. He closes the gap between us, cupping my face and murmuring against my lips, “Fuck yeah, I do,” before kissing me.

It’s a desperate kiss, humming with an emotion so strong my head is reeling.

He pulls back, gazing down at my face, his eyes lighting with tenderness before he closes the space between us again.

Wrapping my arms around him, I cling to his neck, letting out a ragged sob as he pulls me close, then sweeps his tongue into my mouth. His arms slide up my back, suctioning our bodies together.

Threading my fingers into his hair, I fist the back of his shirt, deepening our kiss like I can’t get enough of him.

I can’t.

I want him all. Every inch.

I want him to feel how much I meant what I just said.

Unzipping his hoodie, I’m pleased to find his bare chest ready and waiting for me. His body is rock-hard, sculpted muscle. Dragging my fingers over those perfect contours, I drink him in with a smile.

“So perfect,” I whisper before kissing his pecs, then sucking his nipple.

He hisses, gripping my hair with a choked groan when I graze my teeth over the sensitive spot, then keep inching my way to his waistline.

He leans his hands against the wall, bracing himself when I drop to my knees and yank his sweats down. He’s going commando, and his cock springs out to greet me. It’s still beautiful, and I grin like a cat who’s got the cream, biting my bottom lip with a playful grin.

Ethan’s groan sends a shiver right through me as I grab his manhood, licking a path from base to tip. His guttural moaning spurs me on, and I suck him into my mouth, gripping the base and squeezing.

“Holy shit, that feels good.” He can barely speak past his heavy breathing, and I feel a surge of triumph that I’m able to pleasure him this way.

One hand drops from the wall, resting on the top of my head as I draw him even farther into my mouth. I glide my hand up his muscular thigh, the hard muscle and the curve of his perfect ass making my panties wet.

My need for him is pulsing strong, and when he chokes out, “Stop, stop,” and pulls away, I nearly whine, “Why? No! Don’t make me stop.”

But then I capture his smile as he takes my hand and pulls me to my feet. “I want to come inside you.”

To date, those are the sexiest words I have ever heard in my life.

My insides trill as he kicks the sweats off his beautiful feet and strips me of my clothes. I raise my arms, my breath kissing his chest as my shirt and skirt hit the floor. My panties end up who knows where, and I press my body against his, the sensation of his hard length and bare skin making my entire body ignite.

I already thought I was running an inferno here, but this heat is next level.

I push him back so he flops onto the mattress, and now it’s my turn to crawl toward him as he nestles himself against the pillows.

I straddle his thighs, gazing down at his straining penis but still having to ask, “You want this, right? Like… you really want it?”

He tips my chin until I’m forced to look him in the eye, and I swear I could drown in that gaze. “I want it,” he whispers. “Now, suit me up.”

I grin, yanking his drawer open and pulling out a condom. I roll it onto him, hoping I’m doing it right. He checks that it’s secure, then lightly rests his hands on my hips when I rise over him.

I’ve only done this once before, and I can’t help that flash of uncertainty riding through me. He’s big and beautiful, and I want this so badly, but I don’t want to screw it up either.

“It’s okay.” He cups my cheek, pulling me forward and kissing me. “We can take this slow. We can do it any way you want.”

I let out a soft breath, smiling at him as I rise to my knees and line myself up over him. His deft fingers find my opening, slipping inside and making me groan.

“You’re so wet.” He grins.

“For you,” I whisper, then start lowering myself onto him.

He lines us up, and the second his head starts to part my aching lips, I let out a soft gasp. It’s pure delight, pure ecstasy, as he stretches and fills me. I take it slow, my body adjusting to this overwhelming mix of pleasure and maybe a touch of pain. But a good pain. He’s big, but it’s also a relief to finally satisfy this achy need for him.

I had no idea how badly I’d been craving this connection, how much my body had to have this man… and only this man.

Ethan’s fingers dig into my hips, and I swear his eyes roll backward as I sink farther onto him. “So fucking tight,” he rasps. “Shit, you feel amazing.”

I let him in a little deeper, inch by inch, until he’s all the way inside me. Tipping my head back with a soft moan, I rest my hands on his chest and revel in this sensation. His body is quivering beneath mine; I can feel his strain to not start thrusting, to let me take my time and adjust to him.

It doesn’t take long. Pure instinct starts to drive me, and I’m soon rising and falling, riding Ethan to a rhythm that is for him alone.