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CHAPTER SEVEN
PHOENIX
Best dream ever. I didn’t want to open my eyes because if I did, Aspen would disappear. I hadn’t slept that well in… I couldn’t even remember how long. But the feeling of her toned little body pressed against me and her unique strawberry-and-vanilla scent was too good to be true.
And that was what it was—a fantasy. Definitely not my reality. I wanted to make her mine, to have her in my life every day. But I couldn’t. She consumed my thoughts, and I had to stay focused on football and school.
Fucking school. The tutor hadn’t worked out. After we’d met and he’d talked to me like I was a dumb jock, not listening to what I needed from him, I told him to take a hike and emailed my advisor. It was a lesson in humiliation I wasn’t looking to repeat. Screw the tutor. I would get it figured out somehow with Shane. He couldn’t stay mad at me forever. He would eventually realize that he was better off with Tracey gone.
The shrill tone of my phone alarm blared from my pocket, and I groaned. I couldn’t hide in dreams of Aspen any longer, no matter how real they seemed. I forced my eyelids open then blinked in confusion at the tiny fairy lights on the ceiling. Blond hair tickled my chin, and I inhaled Aspen’s scent.
She slept sprawled across my chest, not even blinking at my alarm. I pulled my phone from my pocket and silenced it, baffled by how I had no memory of going to her dorm or anything that happened after I left the bar last night. I remembered how angry I’d been after the worthless meeting with the tutor and deciding to go to the local bar and have a drink. One turned into many, and I took a Lyft back home. Apparently not, though, because I wasn’t in my room.
I took inventory. We were both fully clothed. My shoes were off and by the door. Her roommate’s bed was made and possibly not slept in. So nothing had happened between us, which seemed like a missed opportunity. It wasn’t as though I could get her pregnant since she already was, and there wasn’t anyone else I was remotely attracted to.
Her alarm went off, and after a few beeps, she rolled with her arm, flailing precariously close to the edge of the bed. I caught her, hauling her against me.
“What?”
That woke her. I grinned as her eyes popped open. She blinked a few times.
“Morning.” At the sound of my voice, things seemed to snap into place, and she reared back, scrambling off the bed. I let her, loosening my hold just enough so she wouldn’t fall as she found her footing. She combed her wild, sun-kissed hair from her face and glanced down, taking inventory.Fully clothed. I laughed, having had the same thought.
She scowled and then gestured toward me. “You passed out, and I couldn’t move you.”
“Which is why you decided to climb in bed and sleep on top of me?” I eased onto my elbows, enjoying how flustered she was. Color infused her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled.
“You weigh a ton. And I had no idea if my roommate would make an appearance, but I doubt she would be okay with me crashing in her bed.” She pursed her lips. “Although she would probably be okay with you being here.” Then her eyes went wide. “You need to get out of here before the rest of my floormates see you.”
“What’s the big deal?” I swung my legs over the side of her too-small bed, reluctant to go even though I had class.
Her head snapped back. “Seriously? Mr. Q-fucking-B football player? You don’t know why it would be a problem for me if people saw you up here?”
“No.” Her reaction made no sense.
“I like my privacy. That’ll be gone if the other girls see you. So… get out.”
Whoa. That was one reaction I’d never had from a girl before. They wanted everyone to know. I couldn’t say that I appreciated that Aspen didn’t. The truth was, I didn’t like how she wanted to keep me a secret. It stung, but I didn’t understand why. I should have been happy about it. She wasn’t a clinger.Do I want her to be?
My head was messed up. I’d had way too much to drink the night before, and it was affecting my judgment. “What’s the rush? We can go grab food at the cafeteria before class.”
“Ah, no thanks.”
Is she turning green?“Are you okay?”
She swiped a sleeve of saltines from her desk, crammed one into her mouth, took a sip of water, and then repeated the process. A sheen of sweat appeared over her forehead, and she inhaled several deep breaths.
What is going on with her?“Aspen. Are you sick?” I tugged her over, so she was standing between my legs. With a finger beneath her chin, I tilted her face to get a better look. Some color had returned, the green sheen fading.
“It’s called morning sickness, and I get it every morning.”
“Are you taking the prenatal vitamins I got you? Are you eating enough?”
She rolled her eyes then crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, I’m taking the vitamins but with food.” She wrinkled her nose at the crackers. “At breakfast, not with the crackers. Those are just to settle my stomach so I don’t spend an hour puking and then miss class. Speaking of which, I need to go.”
“Let’s get breakfast first.”Are her clavicles sticking out more than they used to? Has she lost weight?I didn’t like it and wished I could spend more time with her. But if I was going to pass my classes, go to practice, and make enough money to keep giving her some for whatever she needed, I didn’t have that opportunity.
Her sky-blue eyes softened. “Look, I’m fine. Promise. I don’t have time to go to the cafeteria other than to grab some fruit and eat it on the way to class. But… maybe tonight I can come by after work and help you with your homework?”
