The Enforcer (Lakeside University #1)

by Avery Keelan

“Your AC joint is getting worse, you know.” “It’ll be fine.” “Fine like it was last year?”

“You dating Preston?” I not-so-accidentally let my thumb slip onto a pressure point in response to that question. “Ouch,” he hisses, leaning away. “How are you so tiny, yet so violent?”

“Pressure points,”

“Since I’ve brought him home, he’s only destroyed three shoes, one iPhone cord, and chewed half a Finance textbook. You should come visit him.”

“This is Hockey 101, Vi. If you take a hit, shake it off and get back out there. If something gives you trouble, work harder until you master it. If something hurts, push through the aches and pains until they disappear.”

“And if you keep it up, you’re going to need surgery,”

“Then you’ll be out way longer than a few games.” “I’ll deal with that if and when it happens.”

“You’re so hard-headed, you barely need a helmet.”

“Maybe,” he says. “But you won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know you.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. You used to know me, but not anymore.” In my peripheral vision, Nash steps closer, and his voice drops. “Oh, I know lots of things.”

I lift my chin to look up at him again and this time, he’s the one backing me into the therapy table. One step; two steps; three. My hamstrings hit the edge, and I come to a stop, heart rate skyrocketing. I’m cornered.

“This table is really low.” “I’m really short. Or you’re really tall, depending how you look at it.” This quote from the night we met slips out before I can stop myself. Though, he probably doesn’t even remember. “Bit of both, really.” His mouth pulls into a heart-stopping grin. A dull ache forms in my chest, because he does.

For the second time lately, we’re close enough to kiss, close enough that I can smell the cool mint gum on his breath. All I can think about is his lips pressed up against mine, tasting that mint on my tongue. “What are you—” I falter. Sentences are a challenge right now. “Someone could come in.” Nash, of course, is unfazed by this possibility. Rules have never concerned him all that much. He tucks my hair behind my ear, tilting my face up to his with his finger. His movements are slow and deliberate, like a predator sizing up his prey before coming in for the kill. Heat unfurls in my center, my body instinctively responding to him like it always has. I’m in trouble.

He steadies my chin between his thumb and index finger, turning my face back to look at him. When our eyes collide again, it rocks me. Time hasn’t diminished his effect on me; if anything, it’s strengthened it. The tiny, almost imperceptible smirk that forms on his lips tells me he’s fully aware.

“Like I was saying, I know lots of things.” He drags his thumb lower, caressing the delicate skin behind my left ear. “For example, I know if I kiss this spot right here, you’ll arch your neck and let out the sexiest fucking whimper I’ve ever heard.” I don’t know about sexy, but it’s taking all my strength not to whimper right now.

He inclines his head, dragging a rough palm down the column of my neck. My heartbeat flutters in a way that cannot be physically healthy for a twenty-one-year-old. I’m going to need a pacemaker by the time this internship is over. “If I bite here, you’ll moan.”

There’s a throb between my legs in response, confirming his theory. I have a couple of sweet spots, and that’s one of them. But he knows them all. “And if I move lower...” His fingertips ghost along my collarbone, his touch ...

drifting down the swell of ...

I watch him, mesmerized, slipping deeper under his spell with every passing second. He continues until he’s nearly at the neckline of my tank top, and my ni...

I close the door behind me, sealing us in. My trembling fingers search the wall beside the door, landing on the light switch, but when I flip it, nothing happens. I try again. Still nothing. Great. We’re in the dark—alone. Solid plan, Violet. “What was that about this morning?” I yell-whisper. A deep laugh rumbles in front of me. “What about it? Are we picking up where we left off?” God help me, part of me wants to. The insane part.

“You can’t just try to seduce me in the middle of the training room.” “Fine. I’ll seduce you here instead.” Nash draws closer, and my breath snags as his hands slide around my waist, claiming the sliver of bare skin beneath the hem of my cropped shirt. Every nerve ending in my body lights up like a Christmas tree, my brain short-circuiting from the sudden galvanized surge.

“Do you always have to be inappropriate?”

“You’re the one who yanked me into a dark room alone, Vi.” “Oh my God. You’re so…”

Broad palms rest on the top of my thighs, heat radiating through the denim of my jeans and winding all the way up to my core, dissolving what little willpower I have left. With every second his hands linger on my body, those voices of reason get a little quieter.

“Charming? Irresistible?” I can’t see his face in the dark, but I can hear the smirk in his voice. “The word I was looking for is infuri—”

Before I can finish, he grabs my face and his mouth crashes down on mine. A rush runs through my entire body, and I resist for a split-second out of surprise before my instincts kick in, lips parting. He seizes the access that I grant him, pushing into my mouth with a low groan that vibrates down my throat. When his tongue slides against mine, a stadium’s worth of butterflies in every color, shape, and size imaginable explode in my stomach. The flutters travel all the way to the tips of my fingers and toes. Oh, I missed this.

Slanting his mouth, Nash deepens the kiss, faint traces of beer mingling with his unique taste. It’s an intoxicating blend that leaves me lightheaded and longing for more, completely under his spell within a matter of seconds. His arm wraps around my waist, firm planes of muscle crushing me to him. My fingertips tug at the soft hair at his nape, earning me a deep, gravelly sound of appreciation and an even tigh...

It’s claiming and demanding, bossy and insistent. It says you’re mine, even though I know that isn’t true.

his fingers twine in the roots of my hair, yanking with zero hesitancy, and his teeth sink into my lower lip. A needy whimper escapes the back of my throat at the divine blend of pleasure and pain, a long unmet need finally being fulfilled. Everything lights up with white-hot passion, and my fingernails dig into his skin to urge him on.

He growls and releases his bite, slipping beneath my shirt and squeezing my breasts over my thin, lacy bra. His caresses are warm and rough, familiar yet thrilling, and I never want it to end. My head tips back with a shaky exhale as my nipples harden, skin heating beneath his hands. I’m gone, so far gone. He’s an addiction I’ve fallen straight back into, hooked on the...

My inhale catches in my lungs as his tongue drags along the column of my neck, his teeth sinking into that sweet spot that makes me whimper. His hands slide beneath my thighs, hauling me to the very edge of the dresser so abruptly that I tip forward into him. He catches me, his strong, thick fingers digging into my ass with a bruising hold, and I gasp as his hard length presses that perfect, sensitive spot betwee...

“You’re wet for me right now, aren’t you Vi? I bet you’re fucking soaked.” His voice is thick with desire and full of filthy memories. I don’t need to speak up to confirm his theory; we both know it’s true. It’s like diving into a river after a dry spell. His next thrust makes my mouth fall open, my thighs clenching with pleasure. “Oh, God.” I bury my face in the crook of his neck, clinging to him as I tilt my pelvis to meet his, chasing that incendiary high. Am I really about to get off from simply dry humping? I can’t decide

whether it’s hot, because I have a six-foot-four hockey god grinding between my legs, or sad because I’ve been so orgasm-deprived that this is all it takes. Maybe a bit of both. “Damn, I missed your sounds. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you come.”

Sheer, unadulterated need throbs between my legs like a steady, beating drum growing louder and m...

Flames spread across my skin, and my breathing turns ragged, my underwear drenched with arousal. With another divine rock of his hips, I gasp and dig my heels into his backside, trying to pull him closer. His hands bracket my waist, holding me in place and hindering my efforts. “Nash.” A whimper slips through my lips. I’m fevered, frantic with need. “Please.” A low hum rumbles in his chest. “Good girl.”

With a grip on my body that teeters on punishing, he yanks me against him again, capturing my cries with his mouth while I fall apart beneath his hands. It’s an explosive euphoria; mind-melting pleasure. I hear colors, feel sounds, so weightless I’m not sure I’ll ever come down.

His hand wraps around my neck, my heartbeat pulsing beneath his fingertips. He pulls back, his nose grazing mine. “Vi—”

“Uh…Sorry, Richards. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t interrupt, because you were never here,”

“Right, of course not. Catch you later.”

“Are you okay, Petal?” He ducks his head to catch my eye, and his hands wrap around my waist, thumbs slowly stroking back and forth. My chest pulls tight at the familiar nickname. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

His gaze pins me, watchful. “You kissed me back.”

Nash nods, but he doesn’t take his hands off me. His lips brush against mine softly, our tongues meeting. The butterflies start an all-out riot in my belly all over again, clamoring for more. He pulls away and rests his forehead against mine, squeezing his eyes shut for the briefest moment in a way that almost looks pained. “I missed you, Vi.” My throat clenches. “I missed you, too.”

lay in bed, tossing and turning for hours. One question echoes through my mind.

How can he be Mr. Wrong when he’s the only one who’s ever made me feel this way?

Kissing Violet was either the stupidest or smartest thing I’ve ever done. Problem is, I’m not sure which.

“What do you think will happen if you let Violet in?” “I don’t know. I just…every time I start to, I panic. My brain slams on the brakes. I want to leap out of the car and run. Figuratively, I mean.” She hums thoughtfully. “What are you afraid of?” Everything. “Getting hurt.”

“But this time around,” I add, “It’s different. Because I think my fear of losing her again might outweigh that.” “You’re saying you might be willing to take the risk?”