Climb on My Stepfather (Ashley and Alex) novel Chapter 74

6: Gage.

Bringing Stella to practice was a mistake. A huge one.

That much becomes obvious the second we arrive.

I've never had a girlfriend before, so I didn’t recognize the error in judgment I made until now, when it's too late. When every single one of my teammates is gawking at her from the field. All of the groupies that watch from the stands zero in on her like vultures. I have the urge to pick her up again and leave.

Take her home, lock the door and block out the world.

I've put her under a microscope.

Everyone is curious about her now. I’ve barged into her class and declared her my girlfriend. News has probably already traveled about that. And now I've towed her along to the football field, her delicate little hand trembling in mine because of all the staring. I’m such an asshole. I didn’t even stop to consider how terrifying this would be for her. For a hundred men, including players and staff and physical therapists, to be openly speculating about her.

“Stella...” I pivot at the edge of the field, blocking her from everyone's view. “I’

m sorry. I didn’t think this through. I'll bring you home.”

She steels herself. “No, it’s okay. Once you're out on the field, they'll s-stop staring.”

I frown. “Why?”

“Because their attention is for you.”

“No, it’s not, Stella. They're looking at you.”

She blinks. “Why?”

“Why?” I take her face in my hands. Is she serious? “Because you're fucking gorgeous, that’s why. And damn, honey, you're glowing from the head I gave you.”

Her puzzlement shows. “No one ever stared at me before.”

“You were hiding. But now...” Dread churns in my stomach. “Now, I've made them all aware of you. I didn't consider what I was doing.”

Glancing back over my shoulder, I curse myself to hell. In the space of an hour, I've made everyone on this campus aware that Stella is a commodity. I know what they're thinking. She must be something special, something hot, if the NFL-bound quarterback has taken himself off the market—and they want to know more. Fuck that. She’s mine and mine alone.

God, I want to go back in time and...

She’s not going to be safe anywhere but in my arms. But I’m on thin ice with the team as it is, since my status for the championship game is questionable, due to my failing grade in Western Civilization.

“Later, it'll just be you and me,” I whisper against her mouth, unable to resist kissing her. A long, slow indulging of her sweet mouth, turned on by the way she gasps when our tongues lick together. “Later.”

Her eyes are a little dazed as they search mine. “I was thinking...”

I tilt her face up, eager to hear what she’s going to say. “Yeah?”

“There's a place off campus where I go sometimes. To study. To block out the noise.” She drops her voice to a whisper. “I could bring you there after practice.”

In that moment, something occurs to me. Something incredible. I’ve claimed Stella without even asking if I’m what she wants. Maybe I was afraid to ask.

But this? Her wanting to share her secrets with me? It’s proof our relationship isn't one-sided. She wants me back. Thank God. The dread in my stomach dissipates and I can breathe again. “I'll go anywhere you go. Anywhere.”

“Same,” she says, going up on her toes to kiss my chin shyly. “Anywhere.”

There’s a fucking grapefruit in my throat when she walks away to join the other girl. “Keep her where I can see her,” I bark, already missing the feel of her skin in my hands.