Chapter 6

"I kicked him in the shin during drills, Brody," I lied smoothly, forcing a casual shrug even though my heart was hammering against my ribs. "He was crowding my lane, so I taught him a lesson. Right, Captain?"

Jaxson didn’t even look at me, but his jaw ticked as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "Vane’s got a heavy stick," he grunted, his voice flat and completely dismissive. "Drop it, Brody."

Brody held our gaze for a second longer, his eyes darting between my flushed face and Jaxson’s stony expression, before he finally snorted and shook his head.

"Whatever, man. Just don't kill each other before the Michigan series." He clapped Jaxson on the shoulder and jogged ahead to catch up with the rest of the guys, leaving us alone in the echoing hallway.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, my shoulders dropping as I grabbed the handle of my duffel bag.

"That was close," I muttered, shooting Jaxson a sideways glance. "You're a terrible liar, by the way."

"And you're a terrible liar, too," he shot back, his voice low and rough.

He stepped into my personal space, his large hand wrapping around the strap of my bag and pulling it out of my grip. "Room's at the end of the hall. Let's go."

The walk to the room was agonizingly quiet.

Every time our shoulders brushed, a jolt of electricity shot straight down my spine, and I could feel the heavy, suffocating weight of Jaxson’s attention burning into the side of my face.

When we finally reached room 412, he swiped the keycard, the little light flashing green with a soft beep, and pushed the door open.

I stepped inside, dropping my shoes by the door, but before I could even turn around to face him, the heavy wooden door clicked shut.

The lock engaged with a loud, final snick, and the sound seemed to suck all the oxygen right out of the small room.

I turned around, and the breath completely left my lungs. Jaxson wasn't just standing there; he was stalking toward me, his eyes dark, blown wide, and completely stripped of the cold, untouchable captain persona he wore for the rest of the world.

He crossed the narrow space in two massive strides, and before I could even open my mouth to tease him, his hands were on me.

He grabbed the front of my shirt, bunching the fabric in his fists, and shoved me backward until my spine hit the solid wood of the door.

The impact knocked a soft gasp out of me, but the sound was immediately swallowed when his mouth crashed down on mine.

It wasn’t the bruising, angry kiss from the frat party bathroom.

This was slower, deeper, and infinitely more devastating. His tongue swept into my mouth, tasting me, claiming me, while his hands moved from my shirt to grip my waist, his large palms burning right through the thin cotton.

He squeezed hard, pulling my hips flush against his, and I could feel exactly how hard he was, the thick ridge of his arousal pressing insistently against my stomach through his jeans.

"Fuck," he cursed against my lips, breaking the kiss just enough to drag his mouth down my jaw. His stubble scraped against my sensitive skin, and his teeth grazed the sensitive cord of my neck. "You think you're so smart, don't you, Vane? Walking around all day, looking at me like that, making me wait until we're behind a locked door."

"I wasn't trying to make you wait," I gasped, my head falling back as his mouth trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses down my collarbone.

My brain was completely short-circuiting, my thoughts dissolving into a hazy, white-hot need. "I just wanted to see how long you could hold out."

Jaxson let out a low, feral growl that vibrated right through my chest. His hand moved up, his rough, calloused fingers wrapping around my throat.

He didn't squeeze hard enough to hurt, just enough to let me feel his control, his thumb pressing gently against my racing pulse.

"You like playing games, rookie?" he whispered, his voice dropping into a dark, gravelly register that made my knees weak. "Let's see how long you can hold out."

His free hand moved down, sliding under the hem of my shirt and trailing up my bare stomach.

His fingers traced the lean lines of my abs, his touch sending jolts of electricity straight to my dick, which was already straining painfully against the tight fabric of my jeans.

He popped the button of my pants with a flick of his wrist, the sound of the zipper sliding down deafening in the quiet room, but he didn't pull my jeans down.

Instead, his hand slipped inside my underwear, wrapping firmly around my aching length.

I threw my head back, biting down hard on my lip to keep from screaming as his thumb swiped over the sensitive tip.

"Jaxson," I whined, the bratty facade completely melting away into pure, needy desperation.

I arched into his touch, my hips bucking forward instinctively, chasing the friction.

"Uh uh," he murmured, his grip tightening just enough to stop my movements, holding me completely still.

He leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear, his hot breath sending shivers wrecking through my entire body.

"You don't move unless I tell you to move. You don't come unless I tell you to come. You're going to stand here and take exactly what I give you, and you're going to beg me for it."

My eyes flew open, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might crack my ribs.

The sheer, dominance in his voice sent a rush of liquid heat straight to my groin, short-circuiting my brain completely.

I swallowed hard, my fingers digging into his broad shoulders as his hand started to move, slow and torturous.

"Please," I breathed out, the word slipping past my lips before I could even think about stopping it. "Please, Jaxson."

He chuckled, a dark, rough sound against my skin, and his thumb pressed down hard. "Please what, Jules? Use your words."