Blindsided (LSU, #1)

by Becca Steele

“Your heart rate shouldn’t be this elevated after just a few reps.” “It’s. Not. The. Machine,” I strangled out through gritted teeth. Kill me now. “It’s—oh.” His gaze darted down to my shorts, and he ripped his hand away from my chest, his eyes going wide and dark. “I think you’ve got it,”

“He’s watching us.” It took me a second to register Elliot’s murmured words, but then I tilted my head towards him, my lips barely forming the words. “Who?” “Liam,” he breathed in my ear, his hands sliding from my hips to my stomach. “W—what?” My gaze arrowed straight to the one place I’d been purposely avoiding looking at. There he was. Illuminated by the club lights, a rainbow of colours sliding over his gorgeous body in a smoky haze, he commanded every single bit of my attention. Completely ignoring the girl next to him, who now had her arm around the waist of another girl who was kissing down her neck, he was watching me intently, his fists balled up and his jaw clenched. A bright light swept across him, and I got a good look at his eyes in that moment. They were boring into me. So, so dark, and angry, and heated. A sound escaped my throat that I hadn’t even intended, and Elliot chuckled against me. “He wants you.” “He’s straight,” I protested. “I thought so too until you came along.” Elliot pressed closer to me. “Want to fuck with his head a bit?” Angling my head further, I kept my eyes fixed on Liam. His gaze was burning into me, and it made my breath catch, my stomach flipping. “What do you mean?” Whatever Elliot’s plan was, it had “bad idea” written all over it. “What will he do if I do…this?” Elliot slid a hand up over my abs, up to my chest, while he nuzzled his nose into my neck. I watched, fascinated, as Liam downed his drink, then slammed his glass down on the...

“Am I dreaming?” I couldn’t help my sudden laugh at his bewildered tone. “Dream about me a lot, hmm?” “Maybe.” Heat sparked in his eyes, and his gaze dropped to my lips. “Your fucking mouth,” he groaned, going for me again. My mouth? His fucking mouth. I’d never had a kiss like this in my life. All-consuming, obliterating my senses, making me want more, and more, and more. Nothing else mattered except for the feel of his lips on mine.

“After this, you’re mine.” Fuck. The movie that was supposedly two hours and eleven minutes long lasted approximately seventeen hours.

His lips moved to my neck, and then his teeth were at my throat, scraping across my skin, not quite hard enough to leave a mark, but I wished they would. I wanted him to claim me, to mark me as his.

That look sealed it for me. I never, ever wanted to see that look on his face again. I liked…no, I loved him enough to take away his pain. Or I’d try my fucking hardest, at least. I loved him? Fuck. I did. I loved him. And now, I had to let him go. It hurt so much.

“You don’t have to say anything. But this…thing—” I choked on the word. “—between us needs to stop. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t be your friend with benefits, or your fuck buddy, or whatever you want to call it. I’m sorry.” “Noah.” His eyes glistened. “I can’t⁠—” “It’s okay. I understand. I wish more than anything that I could deal with us being a secret. I’d never, ever force you into anything you weren’t ready for.” The stupid fucking tears were coming, despite my attempts, and I blinked rapidly to keep them at bay. I had to get through this as quickly as I could. As I choked out the rest of the words, the pain in my chest increased, and I was barely able to get them out. “We need to end this before it ends up hurting us both even more than it already has.” A tear caught on his lashes, and he sucked in a shaky breath. “Please. Please don’t leave me.” Fuck. My heart hurt so much. It took everything in me to force out a reply, my voice cracking as the tears came. “I have to, Liam. We can’t…we can’t do this anymore.” His whispered reply finished us both. “You’re right. Okay. It’s over.”

“Shit, Noah.” He stared at me, compassion in his eyes. “You love him, don’t you.” There wasn’t even a question in his voice, only resignation. I threw my head back, staring up at the soft greys of the sky above me, breathing in the London air that held a hint of salt from the river. Exhaling deeply, I clenched my fists, attempting a semblance of composure, before I finally admitted it. “Yeah, I do.” Elliot’s sharp intake of breath cracked the silence that had fallen between us after my soft admission. “I’m so fucking sorry.” Yeah. So was I.