Zone Entry (Camrose U, #1)

by Maia Kinley

He has nipple piercings, which protrude through his tight-fitting white shirt. When I realize I’m staring at his damn chest, I snap my gaze to his. When he’s not behind the cage of a helmet, his eyes are surprisingly striking. I find myself wondering what shade of blue his eyes are, exactly. They’re not an uncommon shade so it’s a bit strange that I find them curious, and it’s not until closer look that I realize it’s because they’ve got tiny flecks of green. So tiny they’re easy to miss, but grab attention once noticed. Shit. I went from staring at his chest to staring at his eyes. What’s going on with me?

“Yeah,” I murmur, forcing a smile. “What’s that?” “What’s… what?” “That creepy thing you’re doing with your face.” That easily, my smile drops, and I blink at him. “I… huh? It’s a… smile?” “Listen.” Caleb grimaces, and his posture is stiff, leaving me wondering what the hell I did wrong. “I don’t know what that is, but that definitely wasn’t a smile.”

Caleb smirks and meets my gaze. “Or maybe I’ll take yours, golden boy.” “Golden boy…?” “You heard me. Or do you prefer campus hottie? Prom king?”

“Never had a girlfriend, never will.” “Because of your pleasant personality?” He grins. “Wow, feisty. Actually, it’s because I’m gay as fuck.” Uh? I stare at him blankly. “What?” he asks. “You have an issue with that?” “Of course not. Sorry. I just didn’t realize. No issue.” “You straight?” The question makes my face burn again, and I hunch over my phone, hoping he can’t see me blushing. “Yes.” “Funny, considering you’ve been checking me out for the past three minutes.” I choke in surprise. “I’m not checking you out!” “Keep saying that,” he says, cackling as he turns away.

He suddenly closes the space between us and reaches for me, and it’s so sudden and unlike him, I don’t even have the time to react. Nick wraps long fingers around my throat and squeezes it, his eyes hardening. Show me the real you, golden boy. I can’t help but smirk. Jesus, I need help.

No idea why he’s apologizing, because anyone else would have done way worse to me by now. Still stunned and honestly a lot turned on, I hold my throat and let my hand linger where he touched me.

What a dork. It’s kind of cute, though. Not that I’d ever admit that out loud.

Note to self: Next time I want Caleb to shut up, all I need to do is grip his throat.

Maybe I should tell Rhys for the next time they butt heads during practice—though the idea of anyone else being privy to that information somehow annoys me.

Frowning, I want to tell him to let go of Nick,

pissed that they interrupted us. It was nice

hearing Nick talk about his mom. It almost gave him a personality.

Caleb seethes, and he jerks away from me. His hair falls over his face and I have to fight down the weirdly uncontrollable urge to tuck it behind his ear. I don’t like how he looks—with his messy hair and red cheeks. Not because I think he looks bad, but because I can’t push away the thought of him doing things. With someone. In our room.

Suddenly, I feel much lighter, and I fight back a smile.

And what would I even say? That I want to be his friend? That sometimes, I stare at him and wonder what it would be like to touch him? If I could make him make the same sounds he did, that night I saw him with someone else? That he makes me confused about what I really want?

He moves his hand against my sheets, as if searching for something, and it lands on my thigh. The tips of his fingers slip under

the opening of my shorts. I jolt at the contact, but don’t push away. You know… in case a sudden movement makes him decide to kill me or something.

He smiles, all soft and eager and real, and I don’t know what to do—especially when he rubs his thumb against my leg. Nick looks at me in a way that nobody else has, as if he’d want to get closer to me despite me constantly giving him reasons not to.

Slowly, he leans towards me and buries his face in my neck. The scent of tequila and his shampoo invades my senses, and I forget how to act. We’ve never been this

close before. Not ever. My throat’s tight and my hands shake against my sheet. God, I feel dazed. It takes everything in me not to tilt my h...

“Nick, go to bed,” I murmur. He huffs a laugh. “I like it more when you call me Nicky.”

he stares at me with huge eyes and a pout, and I tell myself I’m truly and completely fucked.

What a sight we make—hours earlier, I was ready to knock him out. Now, I’m on my knees undressing him.

My eyes narrow. He’d better not say shit like that, or I’ll do something stupid—like kiss him. “Weird way to propose, but okay,” I joke, and he wheezes in surprise.

and something ugly twists in my gut. I think this annoyance may be… jealousy?

And, wow, okay. I sorely miscalculated this. The scent of his shampoo floods me and I’m pretty sure my brain almost malfunctions. It smells so good—masculine and intoxicating, and it possesses me to turn my head slightly into his pillow.

What the hell is this guy doing to my thoughts? I’ve never been so fucking conflicted with anyone else before.

and my gut twists when Dex puts his hand over Caleb’s and laughs. I see red. Why do I see red?

Because he’s thoughtful like that. Honestly, Caleb can be really nice, and I may just be obsessed with having him as a friend.

“Aw, you really are a clingy friend, aren’t you?” It’s actually… fuck, okay, it’s adorable. God, I need to get my head checked.

I blink at him and put a finger up to my lips, touching it and feeling out of my element. Once again, Nick Sandoval rearranged my entire universe.

And then I do what makes sense—I fist my hand in his hair and yank him closer, smashing our mouths together once more.

“You’re so fucking irritating,” Caleb hisses between kisses. “I don’t know if I want to knock you out or fuck you.”

It’s official. I’m addicted, and we’ve barely even done anything.

“This is why you were being all pissy!?” he half yells. “Because you wanted to make out? You could have just asked!”

“Look at you letting go,” he teases, trailing a thumb across my lip. “My prim and proper golden boy isn’t able to hold back. I like it. Good boy.”

but I can’t complain because he’s this close to me, and that’s all I actually want.

Is he angry? I can’t have him angry at me again. It fucking messes with me. I must look pathetic, because Caleb sits up. His expression softens, and he glances at Rhys’s back before crooking a finger at me. “Come here,” he mouths, and when I do, he pulls me down by the front of my shirt and kisses me—gently and slowly, as if any sudden movements would wake Rhys. Then he pats my cheek as if I’m a puppy and whispers, “Good boy.” I choke in surprise and Caleb grins wickedly.

Honestly, I know he’s figuring things out for himself out as well. Rhys is into his brother’s best friend, even if he’s never outright told me. He avoids Isaac as much as he can, and his brother thinks it’s indifference, but I know better.

I don’t know what kind of fucking magic this guy has over me, but the fight leaves me immediately.

“You fought for me,” I tease. “You got kicked out for the first time for me.”

I don’t think I’ve ever kissed anyone so gently before.

Yeah, kissing feels nice, but it’s always felt like a means to an end for me. I like it because it leads to fucking, and I’ve never really been into the habit of kissing anyone just so they’d smile. What’s gotten into me? Even last night, when Nick looked dejected because he thought Rhys’s presence annoyed me, his face fell, so I kissed him to cheer him up, despite his best friend being there.

“Even if we don’t put a label on it, I don’t share, Caleb. If we’re doing this, you can’t be fooling around with anyone else.” Goddamn. The hardness in his voice makes my dick twitch.

The moment our lips meet, the tension in me fizzles out, and everything seems right again.

“I may have a bit of a jealousy problem. Never felt the need to act on it before, though. When he said what he said, I saw red at the thought of you… doing things with him.”

It’s true, though. Caleb’s loud and enjoys antagonizing people, but he’s also thoughtful, and I’m confident his love language is acts of service. It’s why when I’m at the café, he makes my drinks sweeter than normal even when I’ve never asked him to. It’s why he remembers everyone’s orders and starts on them the moment he sees us walk through the door. More than once, I’ve seen him carrying all of Maddox’s things.

I might just be obsessed with him by this point. Sue me, he’s hot.

I snort. How can I not call him a good boy when he acts like a puppy preening for compliments?

Even if he’s teasing, hearing Schultz call Nick baby annoys me. Look at that… seems like Nick’s not the only one with a possessive streak.