He’s a football god.
She’s the daughter of a Texas senator.
Their chemistry is like oil and water.
My name is Ryker James. I hate when people tell me what to do. I’m cocky, ornery, and I take things when I want them. Caring isn’t in my vocabulary unless it’s related to football or my family, and I just lost my entire family in a blink of an eye. Now all I have is football.
The problem is the misery, the drinking, and the parties have more appeal to me. But Lakemont University wants that championship. Fans want to see wins on the scoreboard, and my teammates salivate to crush our opponents every game. The only pass I might be throwing is at the auburn-haired girl who waltzes into my life. She’s fire. I’m ice. A combination that doesn’t work. So let the games begin.
My name is Haven Hale, and I’d been tucked away in a boarding school most of my life. Now I’m a big-time college girl, and all I see is freedom in front of me. But first, I have to agree to my father’s demands—no media attention and no sororities. If I can follow those two edicts, then college life should be a breeze.
Until one close encounter with Ryker James, and Father Dearest has changed the game. Stay away from the big, bad quarterback, or face my father’s wrath. There’s only one problem. I can’t help who I’m attracted to, and Ryker James is a magnet, built to attract any female, constructed to make any girl’s heart sputter, and my heart is beating off the charts. But it’s time to choose between the devil I know and the one I don’t.
The doorbell kept ringing as though someone were holding the buzzer down. I was going to kill that person unless it was Coach Chapman. He would turn his hammer on me.
I chuckled out loud. Coach Chapman reminded me of Thor. At least his fists did when he rammed them down hard on a table, trying to elicit my attention or the team’s.
“I need you to leave.” My boner was completely gone now. I walked out of my room without another glance at Blondie.
I navigated the stairs, not in the mood to deal with whoever was standing on my porch. I knew one thing was certain—it couldn’t be the cops. I didn’t have any other close family members who could be dead. However, my aunt Kari was due in from England for the funeral. She’d been calling me nonstop to give me updates about her arrival, which wasn’t for… Hell, I didn’t even know. I’d lost track of days.
As I descended the last step and walked into the foyer, my blood gelled as I scrambled to think whether I’d missed football practice. Maybe that was the reason Lucas wasn’t around. I discarded that thought. For sure, Lucas would’ve dragged my ass out of bed early that morning.
I opened the door swiftly, and a red-haired pixie fell backward onto my bare feet. She was definitely not my aunt Kari.
Red scrambled to stand then swiped her hands down her jean shorts. At the same time, I was blatantly allowing my gaze to roam up and down her petite frame. Her tits were round and perfect. Her tanned legs were toned. Her lips were plump. Mmm. I liked plump lips. But she had no meat on her body.
“May I help you?” I asked. Maybe I can help you get your lips around my dick. At that thought, he jerked in my sweats.
She brushed her fingers through her hair, her eyes going straight to my crotch. “You can start by not sizing me up like I’m your breakfast.”
Tell me not to do something, and I’ll do it.
So once again, my gaze took a road trip over her body, slow and sure. “I haven’t eaten yet. Are you hungry?” I waggled my eyebrows, hoping she would get my underlying meaning.
She pushed past me and stomped into my house like she owned it. “We need to talk.”
The air around her filtered into my nose—lilacs. As if her scent was all I needed, bits and pieces of the night before registered in my murky brain.
Heaven.
“Talk or fuck? Because you were checking me out too,” I said, not that my erection wasn’t evident.
She gave me a cheeky smile. “I don’t do one-night stands.”
I grinned. “It’s daylight. How about a one-day stand?”
The sun poured in through the open door and the windows in the living room and dining room on either side of us as we stood in the foyer.
She shoved her middle finger in the air. “How many fingers do I have up?”
I closed the door and stalked toward her until she was pinned up against the banister. “Be careful, dollface. That gesture means something completely different to me.”
She rolled her green eyes as her chest rose and fell. “You’re an ass. And I’m not dollface.”
I lowered my head until our lips were a half-inch apart. “What would you like to be called, then?”
“Ew, your breath is disgusting.” She flattened her small hands against my bare chest and froze, staring at my pecs.
Not caring about my morning breath, I inhaled her lilac scent, which was doing crazy things to my body.
She worried her bottom lip. “Um. Can you step away?”
“Are you sure you want me to?” Because I want to fuck your brains out.
I didn’t know what in the hot Texas sun was happening. More memories of her on my lap bombarded me. This chick had some kind of juju that jumped off her and into me.
She finally ducked under my arm. “I need you to focus.” She wound her way down the hall and into the kitchen as though she owned the house. “You need a maid and a monstrous fan to blow out the stench in here.”
The only aroma I had in my nostrils was her.
I followed her as a door upstairs opened and closed. “I need a blow job.”
She snorted. “Ask one of the many women you sleep with.”
I didn’t recall her being so feisty when she was sitting on me. But I wasn’t complaining. I dug strong women. I also loved a challenge, and Red was throwing out challenge after challenge.
I'm Susan Alexander, and you'll find my books under S.B. Alexander. A little about me. I've been writing since 2012 and started with writing all about vampires. After the second vampire book, I began to branch out in New Adult Romance. I love to read mostly all genres, and I'm always game to try something new. So I tested my hand at writing romantic suspense and just loved it. So you'll find I write in several different sub-genres of romance.
On between writing, I spend time with my soul mate of 20 years who got a bad deal in life. Three years ago he was diagnosed with ALS. It's a horrible disease, but we both have been making the best of life, laughing, smiling, and doing what we can together.
But writing is a great outlet for me to take my mind to another place. Plus, I have a great network of family, friends, fans, and so much more. I truly have an angel on my shoulder. My mantra is make the best of life because it's too darn short.
J. Lynn is a bestselling author who hates to talk about herself. Loathes it.
More importantly, she's the mother of two beautiful children and a wife to her high school sweetheart. She's also a mother of two extremely needy cats, Leo and Vinni, and an Australian Shepherd named Grizz.
She lives with her family in a small town tucked away in the redwood forest, located on California's northern coast.
