Chapter 2
Chapter Two
THANE
It’s her.
The one I can’t stop thinking about.
The pretty little blonde cheerleader with brown eyes, a sunshine smile, and a toned body perfect enough to make every red-blooded male weep. The one who looks like an angel.
Usually in my dreams, she’s wearing her cheerleading uniform and giving me a come hither-smile while waving her pompoms.
But right now, she’s in a loose top that falls off one shoulder and reveals the string of a hot pink triangle bikini, jeans shorts that are cut so high I’d wager the bottoms of her ass cheeks are exposed, and lilac flipflops that expose her white painted toes.
She’s gorgeous.
And standing on my door step.
How is that possible?
My brows knit in confusion. Is she a mirage or really here with Michaela?
“Yeah,” my sister’s voice is tinged with self-deprecation. “He’s my brother. Sorry I never said anything before.”
“Oh,” the pretty little blonde cheerleader echoes, cheeks turning pink.
I pinch myself discreetly and wince at the pain. Okay. Definitely not a mirage.
She’s really here.
“Thane,” Michaela greets me with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes and takes a tentative step forward like I’m a wounded animal she needs to be cautious around. It hurts more than I’d like to admit. “Thanks for taking us in. We’d have nowhere else to go if I wasn’t for you.”
My throat tightens with discomfort. This is my younger sister.
The one I raised, for lack of a better word, when I was twenty-three and her thirteen years old.
I can’t believe she feels the need to thank me for taking her in.
She might as well have driven a stake through my chest. Michaela is my flesh and blood.
Despite the lack of our sibling relationship, have I given her the impression that I wouldn’t help her in distress?
I scowl.
I’m a man of few words, prefer to speak with my actions, and I’ve never regretted that more than right now.
Even though she chose to move out and sever whatever was left of our familial bond, I should have tried harder to check in, called and texted her weekly so she knew I was still here.
I suppose part of me thought I was doing the right thing by giving her distance.
She found my presence overbearing. I went from being her older brother to her legal guardian in the blink of an eye after our parents’ death and I’ll admit…
I was controlling. Giving her a curfew. Forcing her to do all her homework before she could hang out with her friends.
Not allowing her to date. I thought I was doing the right thing.
I felt this pressure to fill our dad’s shoes and ensure her safety.
I couldn’t lose Michaela the way I lost them and I let that fear rule me, and perhaps create a suffocating environment that led her to flee the minute she turned eighteen.
The icing on her birthday cake hadn’t even dried and she was out the door.
Now seeing her standing on our porch steps three years later, I’m struck with this odd sense of nervousness.
I don’t know how to be around her. Even when we randomly run into each other on campus, my gut churns.
Sometimes, I’ll wave awkwardly. Other times, she pretends like she doesn’t see me and continues on her merry way.
My shoulders sag. “Of course, Michaela. You’re family.”
Michaela pales even further at my words.
Was that the wrong thing to say?
Fuck.
This is a trainwreck.
Mustering courage, I mutter, “Please, come inside.”
My sister hoists her duffel bag higher up her shoulder and I internally kick myself for not taking their bags. “Um, Thane, this is Marlow.” She chin-tips at the angel. “We’re best friends. She’s my roommate.”
Roommate.
Well, fuck me sideways.
I’ve just agreed to let my sister and her best friend slash roommate—the personification of my temptation—stay under my roof. This is going to be the biggest test of my will power.
At least now I know my angel’s name.
Marlow.
To prove I’m more than a grumpy loner and football coach, I force a smile to my lips and greet this lovely girl. “Hello, Marlow.” I stick my hand out for her to shake. “Welcome.”
Marlow’s blond brows rise and she eyes my hand like it’s a snake.
Then her palm slides against mine and her skin is so goddamn soft.
“Hi, Coach Thane.” She smiles and her dimples make an appearance. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Oh, baby, the pleasure is all mine.
“Please, just call me Thane.”
The girls shuffle inside and I practically flatten myself against the hallway, doing my best to not let any more of my skin touch Marlow’s. I’m practically vibrating like a tuning fork at being so close to the object of my desires.
I catch a whiff of her scent—floral and bubble gum—and bite back a groan.
The first time I noticed her was a few months ago at a football game.
She looked like an angel with a halo over her head, sparkling in the sunny afternoon as she shook her pompoms and executed a cheer routine.
My focus should have been on my players and yet my gaze kept straying to hers, completely transfixed.
My dick turned rock hard.
I didn’t date. Especially after I became a legal guardian. Had no time for it. Between raising my sister, abandoning my chance at a professional football career, and working to make ends meet, it left me little time for romance. And for the most part, I was content living my life in solitude.
Until Marlow.
What was it about her that made desire rouse within me?
Why couldn’t I stop staring at her whenever we were both on the field—or when we crossed paths in the hallways?
Her, heading to the girls’ locker room for a shower, looking so delicious with exertion and sweat beading her body.
And me, on my way to my office, trying to hide my erection.
The number of times I’ve thought of fucking her into a flush, cum-stained mess is so wrong. But I can’t stop lusting after her.
It’s a problem and I need to axe it.
Especially now that she’ll be living with me.
Marlow and Michaela glance around the entrance, shifting on their feet. I snick the front door shut and lock it. “Michaela, if you want to stay in your old room, you can.” I palm the back of my head. “Otherwise, if you both want to stay together, you can sleep in the guest bedroom.”
They both exchange a glance. Michaela appears nervous just like me.
Marlow breaks the tension in the atmosphere with another one of her charming smiles.
“Mic, you take your old room and I’ll take the guest bedroom.
It’ll be nice to have our own privacy for once, huh?
You’re always complaining about my snoring and now you’ll have a reprieve. ”
That draws an unexpected smile from me too. Something tells me Marlow is lying. She doesn’t snore. But her words cause Michaela to let loose a thankful breath, like she’s glad someone else made the decision for her.
“Cool.” Michaela points a thumb towards the staircase. “I’ll just, err, show Marlow the guest bedroom?”
I nod, feeling relieved to have a moment to gather my wits. I tuck my hands in my pockets. “Sure. Come down when you’re done?”
Michaela mutters some sort of agreement under her breath and drags Marlow up the stairs.
My angel peers at me over her shoulder, on her way up, like she can’t help herself.
My jaw clenches.
This is going to be hell.