Thursday night, and I was losing my mind.
I sat on the edge of my bed, elbows on my knees, phone clutched in my hand like it might magically buzz with her name. The house was quiet except for the faint hum of the AC, but my head wouldn’t shut up.
I’d never been mad at a weekday before, but Thursday had officially joined the list. Because tomorrow meant no class. And Saturday meant a home game. Which meant it’d bedaysbefore I saw her again—if she even showed up after seeing me act like a lunatic.
I needed to know her name.
I’d already thought about asking the TA for the roster. It would’ve been easy enough; she liked me, always smiled too long when I turned in papers. But what was the point? I didn’t even know where to start. I couldn’t just scan a list of fifty names and magically know which one belonged to her.
I tilted my head. Maybe it could work? Maybe I’d justfeelit. Like there’d be a glow around her name, something that tugged you straight to it.
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “Stop acting like an idiot, Matty,” I muttered under my breath.
I still didn’t know how I’d missed her before.
Every time I thought of it, I felt sick. Because there was no universe where I could’ve missed her before that day. Not her face. Not her eyes. Not that quiet, nervous energy that had felt like a trap I’d walked right into.
I tossed my phone onto the comforter, rubbed a hand over my jaw, and stared at the ceiling.
Jace could find her. Hell, Jace could find anyone. He was a hacker in all but name, and if I asked, he’d have her name, address, and social security number in under an hour.
Except Jace was out with Riley tonight, some fancy dinner before the team hotel lock-in tomorrow. Knowing Jace, he’d probably carry Riley into his room afterward, and they’d be at it all night, so I wouldn’t get a chance to ask him for help. Which meant I was on my own.
And I was desperate.
So desperate it was starting to feel like a problem.
I leaned back, staring at the dark ceiling, the image of her burned behind my eyelids anyway. Copper eyes. Shy smile. The sound of her voice, quiet but sharp enough to stick under my skin.
I’d had girls throw themselves at me, chase me after games, flirt in every way imaginable. None of them had ever gotten this kind of hold on me.
My cock twitched, already hard just from the thought of her. That soft curve of her lips, the way her hair fell over one shoulder, the dark flush on her cheeks when she’d caught me staring. I shifted on the bed, trying to ignore it, but the ache was relentless, growing heavier, tighter, until it felt like my whole body was strung taut. I was harder than I’d ever been, and I hadn’t even touched her. Just the memory of her was enough to make my pulse hammer, my blood roaring south.
I groaned, dragging a hand down my face, but it didn’t help. The pressure in my jeans was unbearable now, my cock throbbing with a need I couldn’t ignore. I tried to think of something else, game stats, tomorrow’s practice, anything, but her face kept slipping back in, those eyes locking on to mine, that quiet voice pulling me deeper into her mystery.
“Fuck it,” I muttered, popping the button on my jeans. My hand moved before I could stop it, shoving the denim down just enough to free myself. My cock sprang up, hot and heavy against my stomach, the small silver piercing at the tip glinting faintly in the dim light, a stupid dare from Jace last summer that I’d never gotten around to taking out. I’d kept it because it felt too damn good to remove, the way it heightened every sensation.
My dick was already leaking, the bead of precum catching on the metal, and I hissed at the intense, electric jolt as my fingers brushed it. I wrapped my hand around myself, the piercing making every touch hit deeper, pleasure and pain twisting together until it stole the air from my lungs.
I pictured her again, those copper eyes wide, her lips parted like she was surprised, maybe even curious. I imagined her watching me now, that shy smile turning wicked, her voice whispering my name, even though she wouldn’t give me hers. My grip tightened, stroking slow at first, each drag of my hand tugging at the piercing, sending jolts of extreme ecstasy shooting through me. My hips bucked up, chasing the sensation, the image of her so vivid I could almost feel her there, her breath against my skin, her hands instead of mine.
I growled, my strokes getting faster, rougher. I could see her leaning closer, her hair brushing my chest, her lips hovering just out of reach, maybe even tracing the piercing with a curious finger. My cock ached so bad it hurt, every nerve screaming for release, the metal adding an edge to every movement. I wanted to know what she’d sound like, gasping, moaning, saying myname. I wanted to know how she’d feel, tight and warm, her body moving with mine.
My head tipped back, a moan ripping out of me as the pressure built, coiling tight at the base of my spine. I was close, too close, too fast, but I couldn’t stop, I didn’t want to. Her face was all I could see, her eyes burning into me, everything about her pulling me under. One last hard stroke, the piercing catching just right, and I came with a choked groan, hot and messy across my stomach, my whole body shaking with the force of it.
I lay there, panting, my heart hammering in my chest. The room was quiet again, but she was still there, lingering in my head, her shadow sharper than ever. I had to find her fucking name or I’d lose my damn mind.
A faint creak snapped my eyes open. My closet door swung open slowly, and a figure stepped out, swallowed by shadow.
“What the fuck,” I breathed, half off the bed before my brain caught up. My heart slammed in my chest, every muscle locking tight as the figure straightened. It took me a second to process what I was seeing…the black Sphinx mask, sleek and feline, gleaming faintly in the dark.
He didn’t speak at first, just stood there, the weight of him filling the room until I could barely breathe.
“This has been one of the moreinterestingdeliveries of my life,” he finally said, his voice edged with amusement as he tossed a crimson envelope onto the bed. It landed with a softthudnext to my phone. Before I could process it, he turned, striding out of the bedroom, the door clicking shut behind him.
I stared after him, my brain short-circuiting, body still buzzing from release. What the hell just happened? My pulse spiked again, shock slamming through me like a freight train. I scrambled up, wiping the cum off my stomach with my sheet before I yanked my jeans over my hips. The zipper got caught in my haste.
“Fuuuuuuck,” I snarled, nearly blacking out. There was nothing worse than zipping up your motherfucking dick.
