Page 2 of Anywhere with You
I laugh to myself, what kind of name is Dash? Of course, I’m okay with some muscles to help with the heavy lifting. I assume Hailey’s brother is muscular, since he’s the quarterback for UNC. The good thing about Hailey and me reaching out to each other the past couple of months is I feel like I already know so much about her. It takes away that awkward feeling of living with a stranger. I’ve heard a lot about her family, and she knows all about Gran and Ace, of course.
“Allison, did you hear me?” Hailey asks.
I turn to face her…Holy shit!Standing next to Hailey is the sexiest guy I’ve ever seen in my entire life. He’s tall, at least six-four, and strong, broad shoulders. His hair is lighter than Hailey’s, cut short, and the most staggering sky-blue eyes I’ve ever seen. I know I’m staring, but I can’t seem to control myself. He’s wearing blue jeansthat hang just right and a plain white t-shirt, which embraces his ripped abs and shoulders.
“Allison, this is my brother. Liam. Liam, this is Allison, my roommate.”
Mr. Sexy, also known as Liam, smiles and reaches his hand out to me. “Nice to meet you,” he says as he flashes me a charming smile.
I realize I’m still staring, and he’s waiting for me to shake his hand. So, I reach out accepting the handshake. “You as well, thanks for your help.” There, that sounds normal, a little breathy, but who can blame me. This guy is sex on a stick.
I hear someone clearing their throat. I pull my eyes away from Mr. Sexy and notice there’s a huge guy standing right beside him. “This is Blitzen, a friend of mine,” Liam tells me.
“Hello, Blitzen, I’m Allison. It’s nice to meet you.” I study him, partly to keep my eyes from searching for Liam and partly because, well, he’s fine. Maybe living in the dorms won’t be so bad after all.
Blitzen is close to the same height as Liam, probably six-three, with shaggy, curly, blonde hair. He’s built, his blue t-shirt clinging to his muscles. The sleeves on his shirt look like they could rip any minute. His abs are rock hard. I know this because his shirt is skin tight, leaving nothing to the imagination.No fat on these fellas.
“The pleasure is all mine, beautiful,” Blitzen croons as he leans in and kisses me on the cheek.
Liam reaches out and smacks Blitzen on the back of the head. “Come on, Romeo. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Blitzen winks at me as we all begin carrying everything up to our dorm room. I have to admit, with the use of two football players at our disposal the move went much faster than if it would have if it had been just Hailey and me. Ace is gonna be pissed when he finds out. He wanted to help and I told him no. Hailey and I wanted to do this together. Her dad shot that plan to hell, but I’m not complaining. Once both cars are unloaded, the guys throw themselves on a futon in our room while digging water out of a cooler I’d packed for the trip. I am nervous being close to two hot guys in such a confined space. Theonly guy I’ve really spent any time around was Ace, and we’ve been friends since I was ten. There were no dates for me in high school, so this is a new experience. I decide I need to break the tension.
“So, Blitzen, that’s an interesting name,” I say casually.
Blitzen throws his head back and roars with laughter. “That it is, sweetheart, but my real name is Preston. Blitzen is my nickname. I’m a defensive lineman and blitzing is kind of my thing.” He shrugs his shoulders. “So, my teammates started calling me that freshman year and it just kind of stuck.” He laughs.
“Yeah, Blitzen, Liam, and Dash, Liam’s roommate, are all seniors this year and are all in line for the next year’s League Draft,” Hailey gushes.
“Wow. That’s awesome. Congrats to both of you,” I say, smiling at Blitzen, trying to avoid looking at Liam. I’m afraid of embarrassing myself by drooling over him.
Liam looks as though he’s going to speak when his pinging cell phone interrupts him. “That’s Dash, we’re supposed to be meeting him at the field to run some plays. He doesn’t want to be there late. He’s meeting up with an ‘old friend’ tonight, so he says.” You can tell by the tone of his voice he’s not believing his friend’s excuse.
“Hales, see you later. Allison, it was a pleasure meeting you,” Liam says before placing his phone to his ear and answering the call.
Blitzen pulls himself off the futon and waves his goodbye, then just like that they’re gone, and I release the breath I was holding. I didn’t realize how tense I really was being that close to them.Get it together, I chide myself. This is my new life. I’m going to have to get used to hanging out with mixed company. Ugh, now I’m talking like Gran. I miss her, and I worry, but she’s right. I need to start living life.
CHAPTER 2
Liam
Iwas annoyed when my dad called and requested I help Hailey and her roommate move into their dorm. Dash, Blitzen, and I had plans to go to the practice field and run a few plays. Blitzen, of course, was game. He’s all for checking out the new freshmen and trying to pick out his next fling. I, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. All I care about is keeping my grades up and focusing on football. Football is my life. I’m majoring in sports medicine as a backup plan, but I really want my shot at the League. All I’ve ever wanted to do is play football. Don’t get me wrong, I date, a man has needs, but I’m not a serial dater like Blitzen. Football is my priority, football is my life, and nothing will ever change that. I scratch the itch when I need to, help take the edge off, but nothing more. I don’t want or need the drama that comes with relationships. I have the reputation on campus as a player. I don’t care what other people think of me, well, unless it’s a scout.
“Fuck me, is that Hailey’s roommate? She is smokin’,” Blitzen says as we climb out of my Pathfinder.
I turn my head to look and standing with my baby sister smiling and laughing is the most striking female I’ve ever seen. She has long, brown hair that just makes you want to reach out and touch it just to see if it’s as soft as it looks. She’s a little shorter than Hales, probably five-four with a body that would make any man drool. Now, I’m usually not one to lust after women. Usually, I am the one lusted after. Being the quarterback of the undefeated UNC for the past two years basically puts a target on my back. I don’t even have to pretend to be interested to have my needs met. Don’t get me wrong, all the girls I’m with know the score. I don’t do permanent. It’s hard for me to distinguish between who’s in it for me and who’s in it for my potential League future. No commitments on my end. I make sure they enjoy themselves as much as I do, and then we go our separate ways. Football and my dreams of the League are my main priority, my life. However, as I stare at this girl laughing with my little sister, I’m overwhelmed with what I can only describe as need ... she’s beautiful.
I make my way toward them and stop beside Hales, never taking my eyes off of the beautiful girl in front of me. Hailey bumps my shoulder with hers as she introduces us.
“Allison, this is my brother, Liam. Liam, this is Allison, my roommate.”
When she finally looks up at me, I’m mesmerized by her emerald eyes.
“Nice to meet you,” I say as I thrust my hand toward her. I smile at her; she seems nervous, not as carefree as she was when we first pulled into the lot. After a few moments she takes my hand.
“You as well, thanks for your help,” she says while quickly releasing my hand.Fuck, her eyes are amazing.Our gazes remain locked until I hear Blitzen beside me clearing his throat. Reluctantly, I turn to face him.
“This is Blitzen, a friend of mine,” I say to Allison. This gives me the chance to look at her without feeling like a damn stalker.
