Slammed #4 (The Slammed Romance Series - Book #4) by Claire Adams Page B

body ached from all the tension in it, and I hoped
that at least she would kick the guy out after she’d finished with him. I was
glad—really glad—that we had separate beds.
    After a few minutes, when the steady stream of
people leaving the stadium had died down to a trickle, Jess appeared—and I was
surprised to see that she was by herself.
    “Hey, Evie ,” she said with
a self-satisfied grin.
    “What about your boytoy ?”
I asked with a raised eyebrow.
    Jess shrugged. “He wasn’t that great of a kisser.
Anyone who isn’t a good kisser isn’t good in bed either, so I just made the
excuse that I had to share the room with you and gave him a fake number.”
    I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know if the bus is still
here or if it’s gone already. For a guy who didn’t kiss that well you certainly
gave him plenty of time to improve.”
    “I was caught up in the excitement of it,” Jess said
with an indolent shrug. “I mean, there were like three or four guys watching
you all game—you could’ve easily had a we just won the game make out session yourself.”
    I shook my head. “I was more interested in getting
plenty of material for the article. C’mon, let’s see if we can catch the bus or
at least a cab. I’m exhausted.”
    We both turned to head out.
    “ Evie ! Evie !” A man’s voice calling my name made me stop in my tracks. I turned around
slowly; I was so exhausted that it didn’t occur to me that there were only a
few people who could possibly be in the building still who would know my name,
much less my nickname. So, when I spotted Zack running towards Jess and me, it
actually surprised me.
    “Looks like you’ll get your make-out session after
all,” Jess told me in a quick aside as Zack came up to us.
    He must have been the first one into the showers; he
was clean, dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved tee shirt, his hair
still damp but no sign of his exertions on him whatsoever. He stared at me for
a long moment, smiling slightly, looking me up and down.
    “ Bullden told me he’d
requested you to cover the game,” Zack said, the smile still not leaving his
face.
    “I’ll just go check on that bus,” Jess said, walking
away quickly and leaving us perfectly alone in the echoing hall.
    I looked down at my feet for a moment. “How did you
know I was still here?” I couldn’t quite look Zack in the eyes. I was so
ashamed of how I’d broken things off with him—and I was shocked that he had
sought me out.
    “I didn’t know, but I hoped. If I hadn’t been able
to catch you here, I’d have just found your hotel room.”
    For a long moment, there was nothing but silence
between us. I didn’t know what to say—I didn’t know how to feel. I swallowed
against the tight feeling in my throat.
    “I wanted to apologize,” I started, speaking slowly,
trying to keep my voice level. “I shouldn’t have gone crazy like that. I should
have let you explain what the situation was instead of just assuming…” I
swallowed again.
    “No—I mean, I understand. I don’t have the best
reputation. No one at the frat does.” Zack was still staring at me. I could
feel his gaze lingering on the curves of my body, and then on my face, drinking
me in.
    “Still, I knew you before that. I should have
known…” I shrugged. “I should have at least given you a chance to explain.” I
finally worked up the nerve to look up, to meet his gaze. Zack was smiling
still, looking as hot as ever.
    “You know, Evie , I don’t
even care,” Zack said, moving closer to me. He dropped his hands down onto my
waist, holding me in place, only a few inches away from me, and my heart was
beating faster again—only this time not from the thrill of the game but from
the sudden rush of desire. “All I want—all I’ve wanted ever since you showed up
in my life again—is to be with you.” He smiled again and leaned in closer. “If
you’ll be with me, I can forget everything else.”
    “Don’t forget