The Girl Next Door
The Boy Next Door Chapter 29

I check my phone for the umpteenth time for any missed messages. Unfortunately, it's just as I suspected.

Nada.

I reached out and texted Alyssa a few times, but it's been stereo silence from her end which isn't a total surprise. Nothing I do seems to make a difference or help to turn over a new leaf. If anything, my actions have only pushed her further away. At this point, I have no idea how to bridge the gap between us.

It's been more than a week since she barreled over, and we had s*x. I replace myself hanging around the apartment building, trying to catch sight of her, but she remains elusive. Almost as if she's trying to evade me. Actually, that's exactly the tactic she's employing.

That girl wants nothing to do with me and there doesn't seem to be a damned thing I can do to change that. I hate to admit it, but I'm on the verge of giving up. I can't force Alyssa to give me the time of day. There are times in life when you f**k up and are able to fix the mess. This isn't one of those times.

My head is full of the blond-haired dancer as I walk across campus on my way to my last class of the day. It's a business course and boring as hell. Although I suspect that has more to do with the professor. He's a middle-aged dude with a monotone voice. No matter how many energy drinks I guzzle, it's not enough to keep me from dozing off.

As I pass by Grinders R Us, the local coffee house on campus, a flash of long blond hair catches the corner of my eye and I replace my head whipping in that direction. My footsteps falter as I spot Alyssa sitting at a table inside. Her lips lift into a smile as she tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear. A bolt of electricity surges through me as my attention zeros in on her, eclipsing everything around me. I wrack my brain, trying to remember the last time Alyssa looked at me like that.

It was more than a year and a half ago before I blew our relationship to hell. Back then, there were times when I would catch her staring at me like I was a f*****g god. I loved it. Craved it. In the end, I took it for granted, thinking that she would always feel that way. Turns out that's not the case.

I don't realize I've sidled up to the picture window until my nose hits the glass.

"f**k," I mumble, rubbing the tip with my fingers and taking a hasty step in retreat.

Is this really what it's come to?

Me stalking some girl in the middle of campus in broad daylight?

Don't answer that.

No other female has ever twisted me up inside like this.

Every instinct I have is screaming at me to go inside and claim my girl. But how can I do that when it's become increasingly clear that Alyssa wants nothing to do with me? The mature thing to do would be to respect those feelings and move on.

As I force myself to take a reluctant step away from the window, a burst of laughter escapes from her lips as a hand reaches across the table and settles on hers. What the hell?

And then I'm right back where I started, pressed against the glass. Only now do I realize that she's not alone. There's a guy parked across from her. All thoughts of backing off and giving Alyssa her space evaporate as I hightail it into the coffee shop and stomp over to where the happy couple is lounging. Even the thought of another guy touching her is enough to set me off.

You know what scares me the most?

That she actually might move on.

As soon as I pull up alongside the table, Alyssa glances at me. The smile falls from her face as her eyes widen. "Colton."

"Hey." My narrowed gaze slices to the guy across from her.

A heavy silence blankets the three of us, turning the atmosphere in the shop oppressive.

Alyssa shifts on her chair before clearing her throat. "Um, Levi, this is Colton."

Levi?

What the hell kind of name is that?

Unbothered by the way I glower at him, the dark-haired guy sits back in his chair as a relaxed smile lifts the corners of his lips. "Oh, hey. You're Colton Montgomery. Nice to meet you, man." "Yeah," I mumble, even though I don't mean it. "Same."

"The Wildcats are having a great season so far." He chuckles, "I probably shouldn't admit this, but I have a lot of money riding on you guys winning a conference championship."

"Is that so?" I grunt in response. Like that matters to me? I'm almost tempted to tank the season just so this guy loses money.

f**k him.

Of course, that's not going to happen. I'm still playing like s**t, so my a*s hasn't seen very much of the field. Kwiatkowski on the other hand, is living his best life. A*****e.

I shove that thought from my head not wanting to dwell on it. I've got more pressing matters at the moment.

Namely, this guy.

Levi.

I try not to snort.

"Yeah," he continues, "I was just telling my buddies that-"

Dismissing him, I shift my weight and focus on Alyssa. I don't give a f**k what this guy was yapping to his buddies about. "Can I talk to you outside?"

"Oh." She peeks at Levi from beneath her lashes. "Well, I-"

"Great." Not taking no for an answer, I grab her hand and pull her to her feet. She rises with a squeak of protest.

"Um, we're in the middle of something here," Levi says, straightening on his chair.

No, douchebag, you're not.

I swear to God, if he gets in my way, I'm going to punch him. Now that I'm practically benched, I got nothing to lose.

Alyssa must see the determination on my face because she quickly says, "It's fine, Levi. I'll be back in a minute."

Yeah, that's not going to happen either.

"Are you sure?" His gaze bounces reluctantly between the pair of us as a frown settles on his face.

No more easy-peasy smile, is there?

"Yup." Alyssa gives me a bit of side eye. "It's all good."

Levi grumbles something indecipherable under his breath and slouches against the chair looking fairly impotent, like he realizes that he should be making more of a fuss since I've swooped in and hijacked the girl he was with, but then again probably knowing better than to mess with me. My guess is that I outweigh him by a good fifty pounds.

Now that it's been decided, I haul Alyssa out of the shop and around the corner away from the prying eyes of student traffic. Plus, I don't want the dude inside to come out and replace us.

"Colton," she growls, "was that really necessary?"

You bet your damn a*s it was.

When I advance on her, she scoots backward until there's nowhere for her to go. Her shoulder blades hit the brick building. My fingers lock around her wrists before dragging them over her head and shackling them against the wall.

The pulse beneath her delicate flesh of her throat flutters wildly as she whispers, "What are you doing?"

"This." And then my mouth is crashing onto hers. I couldn't stop myself if I tried. The urge to brand her as my own throbs through me.

For a moment, her body stiffens before melting beneath me. The taste of her is the only thing powerful enough to calm the beast raging inside. It's desperate to claw its way from beneath my skin.

The irony is that I've spent so many years not wanting to feel anything, afraid to let anyone in, including this girl. Most especially this girl. My deepest, darkest fear is that they'll disappear from my life. It's not something I like to acknowledge. But it's the reason I pushed Alyssa away after she told me that she loved me.

She didn't love me.

How could she when my own mother couldn't do it?

When she turned her back and walked away without a second glance?

The last thing I wanted was to let someone in and have them take a knife to my heart. By the time I'd broken up with Alyssa, it had already been too late. Somehow, when I hadn't been looking, she'd gotten into my blood. And nothing I've done since has eradicated her from my brain.

From my heart.

Now I feel things that I'd rather not.

All because this tiny female insisted on clawing her way inside me and burrowing deep.

And now she wants to walk away? Push me aside? Move on without me? Forget I ever existed?

I refuse to allow that to happen.

It's only when she turns soft and pliant, that I take the kiss deeper, so deep I have no idea where she ends, and I begin. When I finally lift my mouth away, we're both breathing hard. I rest my forehead against hers. The only time I feel sane is when she's in my arms. Unfortunately, I'm the last person she wants touching her.

"Who's the guy?" I ask gruffly, unable to forget about him.

As if waking from a dream, she blinks away the thick haze clouding her eyes. "Just someone from a class."

My eyes narrow. "Was it a date?"

Her body stiffens. Just when I think she might not answer, she says in a clipped tone, "We were grabbing a coffee after class."

"Do you like him?" I can't stop myself from bombarding her in a spray of questions. I honestly don't know what I'll do if she's developed feelings for him. How can I combat that?

"We're just friends."

A puff of relief escapes from me.

Even though I have no right to tell her what to do, the words burst free before I can rein them back in again. "I don't want you with anyone else. And I sure as s**t don't want any other guys touching you." "Colton..." Emotion flickers in her eyes before she glances away.

"Look at me," I growl.

Her widened gaze slices to mine as I repeat, "I don't want anyone else to touch you." When she remains silent, I run the tip of my nose along the curve of her jaw. "I don't want anyone else inside your body." "Please," she whispers. Not only is she intent on fighting me, but herself as well. I hear the struggle in her voice. And I get it. I truly do, but still...

"Give me another chance, Lys." Before she can shoot me down, I add, "That's all I need to prove that I've changed. That I'm not the same guy you left behind."

A rush of air escapes as her body wilts against mine. "I don't know."

Her wrists are still pinned against the brick wall as I ghost my mouth over hers. "Just one."

When I make another pass, never quite touching her lips, she groans and tilts her head, as if silently offering them up to me.

"You've got my word that I won't f**k it up this time."

"I don't want to be hurt again, Colton."

The honesty of her words nearly breaks my heart. I did this to her. And I'll have to live with that for the rest of my life. "I'm sorry, baby."

I hold my breath as indecision flickers across her features. "Okay. But you only get one chance, and if I want to walk away, if I want you to leave me alone, you do it. No questions asked."

Even though it's a frightening thought. It's all I got. "One chance is all I need."