Page 73 of Campus Heat

Her brows furrowed, and I hoped she was starting to get to the point. That I didn’t have to say it in so many words for her to get it.

“A countdown to what?”

“To the program collapsing.”

Elizabeth shook her head slightly, clearly not believing that such a dire outcome would be the result of our team’s inability to find common ground.

“You don’t know that for sure. You can’t. The team could still get out of this slump. The season isn’t even over yet.”

“Actually… I do know that, and it is a fact,” I mumbled.

I could still hear the conversation from the pep rally in my mind. Harris’s voice sharp with frustration, and Mr. Pine’s even colder tone cutting right through it. The mention of alumni scrutiny, our results, and their expectations. The conclusion was clear: either we win or we get replaced.

“Do you think the guys can’t feel the negativity? Like in the practice sessions and meetings?” I asked, my voice carrying the sadness I feel. “Because half of them have already started looking into transfer portals.”

Elizabeth ran her fingers over my jaw. “But you’re still here.”

I winced at her words. “For now.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them, and her eyes widened with shock.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, pulling her hand from mine.

“It means I’m not stupid enough to drown with the rest of them.”

I looked at the floor, unable to keep eye contact with her while the unbearable silence kept stretching between us. But I couldn’t keep it up for too long, and when I raised my gaze, she was studying me with a mixture of pain and determination.

“So you’re quitting?”

“I’m just being realistic.”

She grabbed onto my sleeves and stepped closer as her hands moved up my arms.

“You’re better than that,” she said, her voice hypnotizing.

“I thought you watched the game.”

Her arms wrapped around my neck, and her expression softened, but the determination didn’t fade.

“When I watched that game, I saw someone who was scared, trying to fight for his survival.”

She might as well have punched me in the gut.

“I’m not—”

She kissed me in a way that she had never done before. It was searing hot and filled with so much passion that my cock instantly stood at attention. The argument died as her tongue dueled with mine. There was a fierceness in her. The kind that had the ability to steal breaths and make men crumble. It was so intense that I just stood frozen in place for a good moment, but then my instincts took over and things got wild.

I pulled her against my body and kissed her back with a desperation I was sure she could taste. Everything around us seemed to disappear, leaving only us and the scorching heat that was building between us. Her fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt and she held on like it was a sin to let go, but then she broke the kiss and all the fears I had bottled up crashed down around me.

“Why do you care about this so much?” I asked.

She stared up at me, and all I could think about was that she had exposed me once again. My vulnerability was right there, playing on my lips. The air rushed from my lungs as something cracked open in my chest. Her silence was destroying me, and I needed to do something about it before I had nothing left.

Before I could even think of second-guessing myself, I lifted her into the air and pushed her back into the wall behind me. Her surprise quickly dissolved when I kissed her again and her legs wrapped around my waist. Her fingers found my hair, and she pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. It was so much more intense than any other time we had been together.

I could feel her warmth mixed with the trust she had in me and the terrifying realization that she could see right through me. I had fought it from the very beginning, but today I decided to stop. All I wanted was to actually feel the effect she had on me.

“I want you to fuck me like there’s no tomorrow,” she said before biting my ear.