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I get some double takes when I enter Archibald Hall.
A few people call out “Good game!”
I smile at those. The stands were packed earlier to watch us annihilate Lancaster. Our opponents didn’t manage a single run while I was on the mound. A lucky bounce allowed them two runs once Anderson stepped in for the final few innings, but we still won with a comfortable lead.
I sprint the stairs, so it only takes me about five seconds to reach Lennon’s floor.
There are more people on the second floor, but I don’t stop long enough to register anyone’s reaction.
I stop outside of Lennon’s door and knock twice.
It opens a couple of seconds later. All the air leaves my body in a harsh exhale.
I’ve always been insanely attracted to Lennon Matthews. It was there the first time I saw her, standing just outside the principal’s office with her chin raised and her shoulders squared. Since that moment, I’ve seen her in fleeces and flannel. Prom dresses and sundresses. Bikinis and naked.
This look is new.
Sexy and daring.
If I had to guess, I’d say she called Cassie about what to wear. Maybe even went shopping.
“Do I look okay?” Lennon asks me, tugging the hem of the lacy tank top she’s wearing. Despite the effort, the shirt doesn’t cover any more skin. I’m both grateful for and tortured by that lack of movement.
I have to clear my throat twice before I can respond, surprise and lust garbling my thoughts. “More than okay. You look beautiful, Len. I—wow.”
She exhales and smiles, relief obvious on her face. “Okay, good. I’m ready to go, then.”
Lennon steps forward, but I don’t move out of her way.
“I’m not.”
Confusion creases her expression as I crowd her until she’s forced to take a step back into her room. I shut the door behind us, then spin and press her against the wall. When her head tilts back to meet my gaze, I can see the rapid flutter of her pulse beneath her jawline.
“What are you doing?” she whispers.
Instead of answering, I trail my fingers up her arm. Her breath hitches when I reach her shoulder. Stops when I brush the side of her breast. Quickens as I trail my fingertips down the side of rib cage and settle my hand along her waist.
“Lennon,” I whisper.
“Yeah?” she murmurs back. Her hazel eyes are overflowing with emotion that matches that in my voice.
“Thank you,” I say. “I know I’m not the only reason you transferred. I know it was an impossible decision for you. But having you here—knowing you’re close by, seeing you at the scrimmage today… I can’t really tell you what it meant to me. But thank you.”
Today was the cumulation of three years of wondering what she was doing during every college game I’ve ever played in. For the first time, I knew.
“We’re going to be…” Her eyes flutter closed, her breath catching as I slide a hand under her skirt. “Late,” she finishes, as my fingers tease the top of her thigh.
This is the first time I’ve ever been grateful for harsh fluorescent lighting. I can see every change in Lennon’s face while she reacts to my touch.
“If that’s what you’re thinking about right now, I must not be any good at this.”
Lennon huffs out a laugh that turns into a moan. “You’re very good at this, and you know it.”
She kisses me first.
I close my eyes, getting lost in the moment. Caging her body between me and the wall as we kiss with an urgency that suggests the world is falling down around us.
