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

I slept pretty well considering it took me a good hour to get the conversation with Shorty out of my head. Thankfully, most of the guys had hit the sack by the time I finally walked in the door, except for Liam.

He looked pretty damn tired as he sat at the kitchen counter nursing a coffee, and I knew he was waiting up to check on me. That’s just the kind of guy he is… and why we call him Padre.

“How you doin’, man?”

“Yeah.” I sighed, resting my shoulder against the pantry door. “Fuckin’ darts.”

“Can’t believe you took that bet.”

“I thought I could win.”

He grinned at me. “You gonna last?”

“Have to.” I shrugged. “Not about to walk around campus naked. Can you imagine the fallout? Coach would kill me.”

“Well, yeah. And then resurrect you, just so he could sideline your ass for a couple weeks.”

I snickered and clenched my jaw.

And that’s how I woke up this morning. With a clenched jaw, because shit on a stick, last night was not a bad dream.

Today marks Day One of No Come.

Pulling up the calendar on my phone, I mark my freedom date—October 7. Yeah, it’s gonna be a long four weeks, but I’m a man of my word, and everyone in this house knows it.

A cheer goes up when I step into the kitchen. I give them all the finger and have to force a smile when I look at Asher. Like I’m gonna give away how much losing riles me. He’s not getting that satisfaction on top of everything else.

I’m gonna show all these fuckers what a man I am. Bet none of these douche nuggets could go dry for a month. It’s like the ultimate challenge, and I’m going to make it my bitch.

Snatching the orange juice out of the fridge, I pour myself a tall glass and gulp it down before grabbing two bananas and the jar of peanut butter. I make quick work of my pre-workout snack, then grab my keys.

“Anyone coming with?”

“You know it.” Casey gulps down the rest of his protein shake while Asher demolishes the last of his eggs and avocado.

Liam doesn’t eat pre-workout and is measuring protein powder into his drink bottle while I shove my sneakers on.

Thursday mornings are always a workout day. We have practice in the afternoons, and I like to get my lifting done first thing. Hockey training is intense, and with the season just around the corner, we all have to up the ante. Practices are now four times a week, with two lifting sessions, one plyometrics workout, and two cardios expected in our own time. Between that and academic classes, we’re pretty damn busy. And once the season starts, we’ll have games twice a week too.

But bring it the fuck on.

If I’m gonna last this month, I need to work as hard as I can.

I start up my Ranger—a hand-me-down from my pop. It was my graduation present so I could easily make the two-hour trip to Denver without any hassle. I try to get down and see him once a month, and he’ll drive up for home games whenever he can.

The trip to the arena only takes about five minutes, and I park in the sunshine-soaked lot and wait for the guys to peel out of the car before locking it. Nolan U is a pricey school, and when I turn to look up at the building I love so much, I’m grateful I got in. I’m grateful my dad saved his ass off so I could be part of one of the top NCAA programs in the country, playing and working in this world-class facility.

Nolan U is known for their sporting prowess, and every major team has the best. From the football stadium to the shiny new basketball courts, athletes at this school are treated like royalty… and expected to perform like Olympians.

Which is why we drag our asses out of bed so damn early to work out.

“Hey, look at that.” Liam slaps my chest with the back of his hand, pointing to a lump near the arena door.

It’s kind of cast in shadow, and it takes me a second to work out what it is.

“Some homeless guy sleeping it off.”

My eyes narrow when I spot the duffel bag and immediately recognize it. A growl reverberates in my throat before I can stop myself.

“That’s no guy,” I mutter, jogging away from my friends and coming to stop by Shorty, huddled up in an uncomfortable-looking ball on the concrete.

What the fuck?

I walked her to her dorm. I made sure she was safe… and she spent the night out in the open?

She lied to me, the little shit.

Why’d she do that?

And what is she doing here?

Crouching down, I gently shake her shoulder. “Hey, wake up.”

She groans, her face scrunching as she curls up like an armadillo.

“Hey.” I shake her a little harder. “Come on, Shorty.”

“What?” she whines, flicking my arm away. “Leave me alone. What are you doing?”

“What are you doing?” I bite back.

“Trying to sleep!” she snaps at me, her eyes still closed.

Casey starts snickering, and the sound jerks her awake. Her eyes pop open, her blue gaze hitting me hard before I’m distracted by the smattering of freckles across her nose. She’s got a cute nose, refined and little, matching the rest of her.

She scrambles up into a sitting position, a clump of hair sticking out the side of her head as the messy ponytail from last night has gone askew after what must have been a restless sleep.

Shit. Does she have any idea what could have happened to her if some perv had found her here?

Another growl shoots out of me, and I stand up, bringing her with me. “I did not walk you safely back to your dorm last night so I could find you here. Do you have any idea the kind of assholes who might be lurking around?”

“Oh, you mean assholes who yell in your face at stupid o’clock in the morning?” She squints her eyes against the sun, her scowl downright adorable as she checks her watch, then gapes at me. “It’s not even seven o’clock, you animal!”

“Who is this?” Casey asks.

She throws him a dark look and mutters, “That would be⁠—”

“None of your business,” I finish for her, pointing from Casey to her. “That’s what she’s gonna tell you, because Shorty here’s allergic to sharing information. Like how she doesn’t actually have a dorm room but is, in fact, homeless.”

“I am not homeless.”

“Then go home and rest someplace safe!” Snatching her bag off the ground, I grab her arm and start leading her to my truck. “I’ll drive you.”

“No you won’t.” She wrenches her arm out of my grasp. “I am perfectly capable of getting home by myself.”

“Obviously.” I point to the spot where she was just lying, then have a mini wrestling match as she tries to take her bag back.

After half a minute of watching her struggle, I let the bag go and then catch her arm before she lands on her butt.

She grunts, shrugging me off and heaving the bag over her shoulder.

“Where do you live?” I bark. Yes, I’m being kind of forceful right now, but she just scared the shit out of me. Those guys in the van were lurking around for who knows how long, and she was just sleeping out in the open, like some invitation for them to snatch her into the back of their sicko van.

She lifts her chin, an obstinate set to her jaw.

Stubborn little⁠—

I huff out my nose and force my tone to an even keel. “I’ll drive you wherever you need to go, but you can’t stay here sleeping outside. Now why aren’t you home?”

Her blue gaze falters for a second, and she looks to the ground.

“I know you think this will be a creeper move, but I’m not letting you go until you tell me. I won’t find you sleeping out on the street again, okay?”

Her jaw works to the side, and then she finally mutters, “Captain Hero,” before letting out a heavy sigh. “I live on Greek Row, and I got into a big fight with my sorority sisters and needed a night off, okay?”

My head jerks back with surprise. “Which sorority?”

Her nostrils flare as she clenches her jaw. “Sigma Beta Mu.”

It’s hard not to laugh. “You’re a Sig Be sis?”

No way. She so does not fit the bill. Those girls are intense.

“I’m a legacy,” she grits out, looking like she hates that fact.

“I—”

Her phone cuts me off, ringing loudly in her pocket. She pulls it out and checks the screen, her shoulders slumping. “I gotta take this.” She glances up, her gaze hitting mine as she lets out a resigned laugh. “I’m fine, big guy. Seriously.”

I’m not sure I believe her but don’t grab her arm when she walks around me. Instead, I turn to watch her leave, cringing as I hear her sigh the words “Hey, Mom.”

I’ve got a feeling that call’s not gonna go so well.

Part of me wants to follow her, but the sun is up now, and she should be safe enough to walk back to Greek Row without an escort.

“Ethan, come on, bro,” Casey calls me from the doorway while Asher watches Shorty walk away.

But then she stops, dumping her bag in the middle of the parking lot and tipping her head up to the sky.

“In a minute.” I wave Casey off. “You guys go ahead.”

“You sure you don’t need someone to keep an eye on you?”

I growl at Asher’s question and turn back to put him in his place. “I just bumped into her last night and walked her back to her dorm. At least that’s what I thought I was doing,” I grumble, still annoyed that she lied to me.

And now I’m annoyed because I’m wondering why she even wants to be a Sig Be sister.

They’re not your typical sorority girls. They’re next level, like the kind who get mocked in college rom-coms. I’ve had some success with a few of them, but most are a little up themselves for my liking. Unless they get hella drunk at a party, and then all bets are off. Sorority girls can par-ty.

Turning back, I watch Shorty pace the parking lot, obviously agitated.

She seriously does not seem like the sisterhood type. Did I read her all wrong last night?

And why do I even care?

I don’t need an irritating, pretty girl in my life right now.

Asher’s still eyeing me up. I can feel his gaze on the back of my head. I whip around to glare at him. “Go. I’ll meet you in there.”

“Okay.” He walks backward, pointing at me with a smirk. “Just be a man of your word. Remember what’s at stake here.”

“I’m not trying to bone her.” I spread my arms wide. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

I don’t know what my face is doing, but it must be believable, because he nods once and disappears inside the arena while I cross my arms and wait for Shorty to stop pacing circles around her duffel bag.