It happened again. My mouth went in with a vengeance, and there was no way on Earth I wanted to stop. Why the hell couldn’t it have been anyone else but Sophie? And now that Sophie has taken up residence in my heart, I can’t seem to evict her, don’t want to. Yes, my heart. As soon as she mentioned she loved me, I wanted to say it right back. Maybe not in the romantic oh my God-I’m-so-in-love-with-you way, but I do love Sophie. Hell, maybe it is exactly in that way.

After practice, I shower and head over to the Underground with Boomer, looking for a side of beef I can sink my teeth into because I’m starved. The bar is full, and the music is loud, and now I’m wishing I would have taken a drive into town and gone someplace private and quiet. A drive-through would have worked nicely. I’m exhausted as shit.

We find a table and put our orders in. He winks at the waitress and asks if she can rush the order. Boomer’s been quiet for the entire trek over, and it’s not like him. He’s got his face buried in his phone like a thirteen-year-old girl and has been for the last few days.

“Rush the order? Where you off to?” I tease. Boomer’s room is a revolving door of coeds as of late.

“Off to bed,” he mumbles without looking up from his phone. “That was brutal out there today. You would think we were on a losing streak the way they tormented us in that workout.”

“We will be on a losing streak if they don’t torment us.” We share a quick laugh because we both know that will never happen. “I gotta piss like a racehorse. Be right back.” I jump up and head for the restroom. I drank my weight in water on the field earlier, and as much as my body tried to focus on what it needed to do, I can’t stop thinking about Sophie. That kiss—those heated kisses we shared Saturday night have forced me to pump a little relief for myself in the shower. I’m not sure how much more I can take, but I’m not about to steal anything precious away from her. I want to, though. Out of the blue these last three weeks have changed me, and suddenly I want it all with Sophie Meyer.

The men’s bathroom at the Underground is cushioned from all the melee, the noise that the rest of the establishment affords you. Aside from the fact the urinal is lined with dudes, the silence makes me wish I were face down in the quiet of my bed. But I wouldn’t be alone. I’d be with Sophie because that girl never leaves my mind.

I unzip, whip it out, and casually glance to my left before doing a double take. Braden Meyer looks my way, and we’re stuck staring one another down a moment too long while holding our dicks in our hands.

Shit. I look straight ahead and try like hell to speed up the process. But something Sophie said about him that night rings in my ear. Something about him not being okay, not wanting to share it. I can’t help but wonder if Becca told him about the baby, too.

“What’s up?” I say it loud enough for him to hear.

“Dude.” He closes his eyes a moment. “Don’t talk to me.”

“I’m not talking to you. Just asking what was up.”

“I’ve got my cock in my hand. That’s what’s up.”

“How’s Soph?” I couldn’t help it. That’s my way of digging in a knife he doesn’t even realize I’ve plunged in his back. Not that I’m seeing Sophie to spite him. I miss her. And for whatever reason, the universe thought best we shouldn’t miss one another anymore. But I know the truth would kill Braden, and that alone gives me a glimmer of satisfaction.

He shakes it off before heading to the sink, and I do the same.

We wash our hands, bowing and ducking at the same time, all the while he glares at me. In one swift move, Braden shoves me into the wall with a thunderous crash that has the mirrors rattling. A few dudes walk in, but they leave well enough alone.

“That’s for thinking of my sister with your dick in your hand.” He blows past me, his face red with rage.

A dull chuckle escapes me. I can’t help but think Braden Meyer just got a taste of his own medicine.

I head back out and spot Boomer with some chick bouncing on his lap, laughing it up, and for a second, I think of ditching the two of them. Looks like Boomer’s night is going to be a busy—

“Mindy?” I bolt over, and sure enough, my sister is the one bouncing on top of him, vamped up like some hungry sorority girl, looking like the last thing on her mind is food.

“Rowen!” She bounces right out of his lap and into a seat. “Boomer said you were here.” She clears her throat, that wild smile of hers quickly dissipating. “Just thought I’d have dinner with my favorite brother.”

“Good thing you found me.” I glare over at Boomer. I don’t need a road map to tell me how she got here. At least I’m here to protect her from this horny idiot. “I just had a run-in with a Meyer in the bathroom.”

The waitress drops off our meals, and Mindy places her order. Hell, she’s probably here for a free meal, and I’m reading too much into this. Boomer wouldn’t do that to me.

Mindy lifts her brows, amused as hell at what I just said. “Which Meyer? Rumor has it, the She-Meyer is turning out to be a real skank. Who knew—right?”

My blood boils in an instant. “Says who?” I pluck a fry off my plate, doing my best to pretend not to care.

“Tanner Carmichael.”

“What?” Tanner is turning out to be a real ass, and if I see him again, I might just have to show him what’s up by way of my fist. “Tanner is full of shit.”

Mindy shrugs it off as her nachos arrive in record time. “Tanner has always had a thing for Sophie. And Sophie has always had a thing for”—she scoops a heap of chips dripping with orange ooze into her mouth and makes me wait for it—“him.” She garbles out that last word, and for a second, my mind twists into the word you.

It doesn’t matter. Tanner and Sophie aren’t happening. Sophie and I are happening.

The chaos in the bar, the noise, the music, the world around me stops stone cold.

Sophie and I are happening?

Holy crap. I sink in my seat a notch. In the distance, I spot Braden hanging out with a few of his friends before taking off. The funny thing is, all these years at Leland and I haven’t bumped into him more than a handful of times, but these last few weeks seem to be laden with Meyers. And now here I am, out of my mind for Sophie of all people.

But it would never work between Sophie and me, not with the history I have with Braden—with Becca.

“Yo!” Mindy pegs me in the forehead with a chip, and I wipe nacho sauce off my face. “Anyway, I don’t blame you for zoning out. Who the hell wants to talk about Sophie? So, what did her brother have to say? Anything worthwhile? Or was it the usual flatulence that comes out of both ends?”

“The usual.”

Mindy feeds Boomer a chip piled high with the good stuff, and I growl over at him.

Boomer holds up his hands in surrender and shakes his head as if he’s got nothing to do with it, and knowing my sister, he doesn’t. Mindy has never been denied a single thing in her life, and if she’s got her sights set on Boomer, then we are all in for a shit ride—especially Mindy, because if Boomer wants to live, he’ll shut her down time after time. But I can’t focus on Mindy or Boomer or the fact Braden is taking off while funneling his hatred my way.

Nope. I think I just admitted to myself that I care about Soph a lot more than just as a friend. I don’t want just a friendship with Sophie.

I want it all, and that right there is dangerous, stupid, and improbable.

Isn’t it?

A moment thumps by, and I see Sophie’s beautiful face in my mind’s eye, those amber glowing eyes, that smile that lights up the universe.

Yeah, I want it all with that girl.

I glance back at the door, at the void Braden left in his wake, and let out a quiet breath of defeat.

How in the hell are Sophie and I ever going to rise above that?

* * *

The next phase in Dexter’s delirious experiment takes place where it all began, that little dark room with its icy partition.

“What’s the deal?” I had to cut practice short for this. Coach didn’t care for it, but I reminded him that it was his fault I was participating to begin with.

Petra flips through her notebook as if looking for her lines.

“You’ll both go through a questionnaire. Then Saturday it’s a free day.”

“Free day? As in a bye?” Yes, I’ve come to equate the world in football terms.

“No, you big helmet head.” She gives a little wink while shining her glasses back on the notebook in her hand. “It means you’ll get to design the date yourself. It’s still monitored by the TSE. She’ll plan the one after that.” She covers her mouth a moment as if she just spilled classified information.

“Cool.” I warm at the thought of planning something for Soph and vice versa. She’ll probably take me to Laurel Lake and make me skinny-dip in below freezing temps just to watch my balls shrivel up and fall off. A goofy grin comes to me despite the fact bodily harm lies in wait. Yes, Sophie is a pistol, and I love her for it.

I stop short of my next thought. There’s that word again.

Petra leads me into the room, and surprisingly the lights are on, the partition is gone, and a small wooden table sits in its place. Once I’m miked up, Petra takes off, and soon thereafter the most beautiful girl in the world walks through the door. My heart stops cold at the sight of her.

Sophie has her hair in a ponytail, high and perky, her lips painted a mouthwatering pink, and I rise to greet her.

“Looks like they took the bed and the kissing booth away.” She pulls me into a quick embrace, and I can’t help but take in her scent, flowers, something sweet, honey, and cinnamon. The feel of her body pressed against mine starts my heart right back up again.

“What’s up, Soph?” We take a seat, and she waves a seemingly innocent piece of paper at me.

“We’re up.” She slides what looks like a list over to me. “You can read them. Bark them out real mean. I’ve always wanted to see what it would feel like if I were taken in for questioning.”

“That about sums up the ambience.” I peruse the list quickly, and my stomach sours.

“Ambience, huh?” She clicks her electric blue nails over the table, dancing her fingers over to mine before scratching gently at my wrist. “Sounds like lover boy likes to set the mood.” She gives a sly wink. “That’s okay. You don’t have to work so hard with me. Just something quick and dirty to satisfy my itch will do.” Her cheeks pinch bright pink. “And you know, train me for the boy toys to follow.” She clears her throat and taps her finger over the paper in my hand as if to speed things along.

Like hell I’ll train her for the boys to follow.

“First question—to the both of us—which one describes you, the here and now, or the best for later?” I touch my hand over hers because I’m greedy to drink down any part of her. “On three?”

She nods, and we both blurt out our answers, here and now hers, and mine, best for later.

“The here and now is where it’s going on.” She bites down over her bottom lip seductively, and everything in me screams to agree with her.

I clear my throat. “Next question—could you forgive someone for cheating?” We both shake our heads without delving too deep into it. I know firsthand I couldn’t because I didn’t, not that my forgiveness was asked for, and come to think of it—I couldn’t care less anymore.

We burn through a few more, agreeing on each and every point.

I read the next question to myself, and a dull involuntary laugh escapes me. “How important is sex to you in a relationship?”

“Finally”—Sophie does that adorable thing with her face that makes it look as if she came this close to telling you off—“something I can sink my vagina into.”

“Or my dick.” We share a quick laugh. “You go first.”

“Oh, so now you’re a ladies first kind of guy? I see what you did there.” She shudders for a moment. “I’m not the most qualified person to answer this.” Her lashes flutter at a million miles an hour, and I can feel the wind of her discomfort blowing from them. For a second, I envision myself lying over her, those long legs of hers wrapped around my back, my body buried in hers as far as she’ll allow. “I’m not in a relationship.” She tilts her head while narrowing her gaze on mine.

“If you were—you know with someone…like Tanner Carmichael.”

She blinks back in disbelief. “That came out of left field. Okay, if I’m in a relationship with Tanner, then”—she looks to the ceiling as if having her own sexed-up fantasy right here in front of me, and suddenly I’m sorry I brought the bastard up—“never. And when he comes crawling on his Bixby Bear knees, it will also be never. Sex wouldn’t be an important component of our relationship at all.” She gives a satisfied smile. “And you?” The smile fades, and for a second, Sophie looks worried. “I mean, I think I already know the answer. Is that why you haven’t settled down with just one girl after Becca? Because there isn’t a girl out there that can handle you?”

I bark out a laugh without meaning to because the visual was rather comical. “No. I promise that’s not why.” I rake my fingers through my hair a moment. “I guess I never found the right one.”

“And if you did? Is she going to have to spend all her free time bent over? On her knees? On all fours?”

I can’t tell if she’s terrified or turned on by the idea. “Only if she wants to.”

“I bet you’re a jackhammer in the sack.” Her eyes grow wild with the thought as she burns through me with her stare. “I bet you come in from behind and just pound away until their vagina shoots out their throats.”

“Sophie.” I plop my hand hard over the table. “Stop. I’m not into tormenting anyone in the bedroom.”

“I bet you’re not gentle either.” She cocks her head as if calling me out, and I can tell she’s holding back a laugh, but also that a part of her really wants to know.

“I can be rough when I need to.” Now it’s my eyes spearing hers, and I have no idea why a fire line of heat is tracking up my body. Hell, I know why.

Her lips part and close as if debating whether to say what comes next. “Would you be rough with me?” The words come out throaty, a little rough around the edges themselves.

“With you I wouldn’t be gentle. I’d come in hard from behind.” I don’t have it in me to echo the rest of her vagina shooting through the throat analogy. “You’re too mouthy to be gentle with.” It’s as much true as it is a lie.

“Oh, I see.” Her brows rise, amused and her beauty peaks to new heights. Hot damn. Sophie Meyer has lit a grease fire in my boxers that my shower will never be able to extinguish safely. “You’d like to teach me a lesson?” Laughter bubbles from her throat. “Hey, if you take me hard from behind, would I still technically be a virgin? I think I just stumbled upon the Internet’s next big debate.” She snaps up her phone and pretends to get right to the business of presenting her dilemma.

“Give me that.” I snatch the phone from her and land it in my pocket.

“These questions are ridiculous.” She takes the paper and sneers at it before crumpling it into a ball. “We’re not even in a relationship.” She cocks her head again as if waiting for me to bring some clarity to the situation. Sophie is gunning for an answer, and for the life of me, I’m not sure which one she’d like to hear.

There’s a hopefulness in her eyes, and I’d like to believe she’s as into this as I am. But Soph and I are just getting back on track. If I say yes and she just wants a friendship, I could screw things up for life.

A thought comes to me.

“Remember when your mom would call the family to the living room for a family meeting?” That was the difference between the Garret house and the Meyer home. My parents informed Mindy and me of the way our lives would go, and the Meyers took everything to a democratic vote.

“The family meetings where we did our best impressions of pirates about to take over enemy ships? Aye, aye, Matey!” She pretends to stab me through the heart with her invisible sword.

“Yes, that.” I pull her hands forward and rub circles over her palms without meaning to. “I think there’s something we should take to a vote.”

“Whether or not you’ll be gentle or rough?” A tiny dimple depresses in her right cheek, and my balls ache to clear the table and take her right here.

“I’m serious, Soph.” If there’s such a thing as frowning and laughing, I’m doing it. “This is about you and me.” I give her hands a slight tug because I’m begging her to take the reins. “What are we doing?”

“Making every man in the control room wish they had a wall to rub up against—or a cold shower to take?”

“Do you want this with me?” I get it. Sophie’s go-to response has always been sarcasm, but I figure if I keep chipping away, the real Sophie Meyer will show up.

Tears come to her eyes, and low and behold, here she is—so damn beautiful I want nothing more than to hold her, steal her far away from this room, this building.

“Yes.” Her voice scratches past her throat. “Do you want this with me?” She shakes her head as if answering the question herself.

“Yes.” I take a seat on the table and pull her onto my lap. “I want this with you.” My lips graze over her cheek before I outline her jaw with my mouth. “For the life of me, I don’t know how we’re going to pull it off, but I really couldn’t care less.”

Her chest bubbles with a laugh, the sound of relief embedded underneath. “So, we’re in a relationship?”

“Yes.” I pull back and take in this beautiful girl. “We’re in.”

“Um”—she does this circular nod with her head as if unsure of what to think—“like a friendly type of relationship?”

“No. First, I’d hardly call you friendly.” I blink a smile, and she tips her head back with a violent laugh. I knew she’d appreciate the dig. “And second, I’d like to see where things can go. I can’t stop thinking about you, Soph. You’re in my head from eyelids open until I crash back on my bed again. I can’t tell you how much I’ve appreciated the time we’ve spent together these last few weeks. Something inside me needed this. I need you.”

A single tear rolls down her cheek, and I lean in and stop it with a kiss.

Sophie’s legs find their way around my back, and I hold her tight as our mouths find their way to one another. Her fingers dig into my hair as she pulls me closer, our bodies bumping and grinding as if we were about to detonate on the table.

A quick horn sounds overhead, alerting us to the fact our time is through. We’re free to go, but Sophie and I aren’t in a hurry to leave.

I know for a fact I don’t ever want this moment to end.