Dad approached her with a broad, brilliant smile to shake her hand.When did his teeth get that white? He looked like he could guide ships through a foggy night.
“Thank you so much for inviting us to your magnificent home, we are so happy to be here.” He planted a hand on my shoulder, pushing me forward. “We were thrilled to hear Hailey was going to meet some of her future peers.”
I gave her a tentative smile. “Thank you for inviting us.” Dad’s grip on my shoulder tightened imperceptibly. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
His hand fell away as Alicia unexpectedly pulled me into a hug. Although I was wearing high heels, I was half a head shorter than her, and her pleasant, floral scent hit me as she squeezed me briefly but tightly. “Hailey, your mom has already told mesomuch about you. We’ll make sure you get connected today. There’s nothing like a few friendly faces on the first day of school, right?”
Mom cast me an enthusiastic look that clearly saidSee, I told you she’s delightful. I could feel Dad’s eyes on me too, but I refused to look in his direction. “That’s so sweet of you, Mrs. Michaels.” Of course, my parents had briefed me on the ride and drilled the names into my head that I absolutely wasn’t allowed to forget.
“Please, call me Alicia. How about I introduce you to my son. I’m sure he’ll be happy to take you around to meet the other kids.” She gave me a conspiratorial smile and turned to my parents. “After that, I’d like you to meet my husband.”
Dad clapped once enthusiastically. “Wonderful.”
Alicia motioned for us to follow her, and we trailed after her slender frame. We turned a corner, into a part of the room we hadn’t been able to see before, and I spotted more people my age. As a cheerleader, I was used to being watched by many eyes, so I was rarely self-conscious, but this was a different world.
I was out of my depth, and something told me these people were like sharks and I’d better find my footing quickly. If they sensed blood in the water, they would pounce.And I had no intention of being eaten any time soon.
Alicia made a beeline for a seating area that included a pair of giant easy chairs with their backs turned to us. The L-shaped cream-colored sectional sofa a little farther back was filled with girls and boys around my age. The chairs were a bit out of the way but not so far away that they were no longer part of the group. Instead of heading for the couch, we approached the recliners, and I swallowed hard when we finally caught sight of their occupants.
I thought I’d seen some pretty big guys, considering I regularly stood on the sidelines of the football field, but both of these guys — or were we already talking about men here? — were in a completely different league to anything I’d ever seen before. Trying not to stare too hard, my eyes quickly darted from one to the other.
Jesus Christ, their forearms were as thick as mycalves. Apart from their obvious size, however, they couldn’t have been more different.
While one was lean, the hard muscles somehow visible even under the shirt, the other was solid, broad, and just massive. I knew which I preferred. They also had completely different vibes. The chiseled one seemed disinterested, almost aloof,while the one who could pass for a tank seemed rather timid and borderline … shy? A complete juxtaposition to his physique.
We came to a stop in front of them, both of them staring at us, and my parents turned to the leaner one of the pair as Alicia said, “Daniel, Virginia, Hailey, this is my son Colt and his best friend Hunter. They both attend Ashford Hills Prep as well and are on the football team. Boys, these are the Brentwoods, they just moved to the area. Hailey, I understand you’re a cheerleader?”
I nodded with a smile and waved to the boys with a soft “Hey.”
“So, Colt, football, huh? What position?” my dad asked as he looked at the blond leaner guy.
His eyebrows shot up before he cast a sideways glance over at his companion.
Alicia laughed. “That’s Hunter, Daniel. Sorry, I should have done a better job with the introductions. Hunter may be like a second son to us, but this is Colt.” She gestured toward the bulkier guy, who hunched his shoulders a little, perhaps to appear less hulking, and his bright-blue eyes darted to me before he nodded at my parents, wearing a small smile. A scar ran through his left eyebrow, a stark white in contrast to his tan skin.
“Nice to meet you.” Oh. my. God.That voice. So incredibly deep it almost vibrated through me and had a slightly husky edge to it that had everything inside me clenching. Heat gathered deep in my belly, coiled up like a tight spiral, and moisture seeped into my thong. I wanted to hear that gravelly voice say my name, wanted to hear him moan and whisper dirty words in my ear.
Mom offered him a friendly smile, while Dad reared back, his eyebrows raised. Admittedly, looking at Alicia, there were few similarities between the two, especially considering Colt’s build. It seemed almost impossible that such a slender woman could have given birth to such a gigantic human being.
“Sorry for the misunderstanding, I shouldn’t have made assumptions.” My dad’s words were the right ones, but his patronizing tone reflected his actual feelings.
Alicia’s answering smile was a little icier than before, as if she’d seen my dad’s reaction — which she probably had. Her eyes narrowed, like a lioness on the prowl. Then she smoothed her expression and carried on as if nothing had happened. I liked her. I liked her a whole fucking lot.
“Colt, I trust you’ll take care of Hailey and introduce her to the others.”Yes, Colt.Pleasetake care of me. He nodded, something intriguing passing over his face. It was only visible for a split second, dark and ominous, and a tingling sensation shot like a pulse of energy straight between my legs.
Good god,I am fucked.
Two
Colt
18 years old
Struggling to contain myself from jumping up and dragging this girl out of here before anyone else got to see her, I curled my fingers around the arm of the oversized chair Mom had bought especially for me. I almost shook my head to make sure she wasn’t some kind of mirage.
My head was a jumble of thoughts that came to an abrupt halt when my mom more or less handed her to me on a silver platter.Well, fuck, Mom. Don’t think you’d have done that if you’d known what I was thinking.
Her father seemed to suspect it, though, because he grimaced. Or maybe he was simply a prick, like countless rich assholes before him who didn’t think I was polished enough. I was used to sticking out like a sore thumb in the circles my parents ran in. It had been a few years since I didn’t have toduck my head to walk through a door, and the business bros didn’t like that.
