I wanted him to know how I felt about him. That despite the circumstances—and our giant step back to "start over as friends"—I was falling for him. Hard. And I didn’t want to stop or think or be cautious.
I wanted to risk it all and be crazy in love with him.
His hand cupped the curve of my rear and squeezed. I took a chance and slid my hand down to the front of his jeans. Working the zipper apart, I traced his hard length through the fabric of his boxers. My body churned into a mix of cold and electric thrills.
Our kiss broke. He groaned as his forehead dipped to my shoulder. His teeth nipped at my collarbone. I worked my palm up and down, gently grasping his erection. "Ella," he panted.
His hand found my stomach, slipping under my shirt. His knuckles brushed teasing flutters up to my chest. He palmed the half-covered breast, one finger rubbing at the satin over my nipple.
Shivers thrilled through my skin and collected in my core. It throbbed. Wanting…
I reached for him, dipping my hand into his shorts. My fingers wrapping around the soft, fleshy tip of his arousal. I pushed my hand deeper, cupping his girth, stroking it in a slow, deliberate rhythm.
A low rumbling sound reverberated from his chest. Dangerous, wild. I wanted him to come undone.
"Maddox…"
Chapter Nine
ELLA
February 14
Charity Flag Football Game
The wind picked up. I shivered and dusted my gloved hands together. Something invisible gripped my stomach and lifted it toward my ribcage, only to let it drop again. I raised one thermal-legging covered knee, pulling it into a stretch. My heart thudded as I surveyed the field—nine players on each side. Kanami motioned people into position.
Maddox gave me a lopsided grin. "Wide receiver? Hope you can catch more than a softball." His eyes locked on mine.
I tried to shake off the electric shivers in my veins, and mumbled something that was meant to be, "Damned right I can catch," but I wasn't sure it made it into actual words.
My cleats squished into a patch of mud as I found mystarting position. I groaned.The mud's going to be so cold. Why on earth is this my Valentine's Day?
Tomorrow, I'll think of a way to get you back, Kanami.
The shrill wail of a whistle split the air. My heart leapt into my throat. The freshman team formed a line on the other side of the field. Lena Valdoza, the top women's soccer recruit, ran toward the ball, booting it straight at us.
It tumbled and bounced. Danny scooped it up, sprinting into the crowd of freshmen. After a few seconds, someone cheered, holding up a flag.
Mick pulled us into a huddle. "We'll run the ball. Kanami, I’ll hand off to you, you head up the left side of the field. Red, you and Danny run right. Kurt, short center. Sato?—"
"Let me guess, block?" He scowled and shook his head. "Man, there ain't no contact in this sport."
"Still, they gotta runaroundyou. You're slowing them down." Kurt, a real wide receiver, patted our giant on the shoulder.
"On this half of the field, we should use you guys to our advantage, right?" I glanced at Maddox. "I'm sure one of us could manage to throw, Mick."
The weight of so many pairs of eyes fell on my skin.
His were softer than the rest. He shrugged. "Let's see how it goes." His mouth curved into that crooked half smile. "You've got this."
We broke the huddle and took our places. Maddox yelled, “Hut! Hut!” and we all took off running. Kanami moved left, snagging the handoff like a pro. She kept going, but not for long.
A freshman basketball player threw a shoulder at the same time she snagged Kanami’s flag.
“I’m assuming that wasn’t good.” Quinn, a junior on the basketball team crossed her arms and let out a sigh.
“In normal football terms, that’s called ‘tripped up in the backfield.’ And no, we didn’t make any progress.” Unless "progress" was Kanami being flattened and dirty.
