By the time Rachel and Lacey got to the Cats’ frat house, the party was already crazy. It was Lacey’s first party, but she wasn’t innocent to what these frat guys did. Guys were upside down on kegs, playing beer pong, and shooting pucks against a guy covered in pillows for shots. It was nuts, but she couldn’t help but grin like a fool.

That was, until Grady saw her.

“Fuck,” she muttered as he beelined for her.

“What?” Rachel asked.

“Grady is coming to yell at me.”

She looked up right as Grady stopped in front of them. “Lacey, what the hell are you doing here?”

Looking up at her big brother, she shrugged as she looked around. “Came to party.”

He laughed as he shook his head, grasping her shoulders in his hand. “The hell you are. This is no place for you.”

Smacking his arms away, she glared. “For fuck’s sake, Grady. I’m eighteen years old. I think I can handle a party. I’m not a baby.”

“Yes, you are. You’re my baby sister. Go back to the dorm.”

Still glaring, Lacey took a step toward him, placing her hands on her hips. “I can stay here, have fun, and be on my best behavior, or I can go to another party, get blasted, and have sex with half the guys there. Since I apparently can’t make good choices, it’s totally up to you. At least here, you can keep an eye on me.”

Glaring back at her, he sneered, “You’re a jerk.”

“I love you too. Now, while I have you, you haven’t met Rachel yet. Rachel, my brother, Grady. Grady, my best friend, Rachel.”

Looking back at Rachel, she saw that Rachel’s face was bright with color as her mouth curved in a very sexy grin. When she glanced back at Grady, she saw the same look on his face. Reaching out, he took her hand as he said, “I don’t remember my sister telling me her best friend was beautiful.”

“That’s because I don’t try to hook my best friend up with my brother since that’s gross,” Lacey said, but she didn’t think they were listening to her.

Rolling her eyes, she watched as Rachel said, “Yeah, all she told me was that you were a beast on the ice, not that you were a sexy beast.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Lacey muttered, heading toward the kitchen for a drink. She didn’t care if they hooked up, but she still thought it was weird. Grady was not a sexy beast… he was a weirdo. Plus, he was dirty. They’d only last a day before Rachel dumped him.

Rolling her eyes, she reached in a bucket for a beer. She went to open the top but couldn’t manage it. When the cap began to cut into her hand, she placed it on the table and opened the drawer for a bottle opener, stopping when someone reached out, taking her beer.

“Hey, that’s mine—” she said, stopping when her eyes met Karson’s.

His eyes bored into hers as he popped the top with ease, handing it back to her. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking the bottle, her eyes still held by his. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what to do, so she just drank in the sight of him. He was wearing fitted blue jeans and a Cats tee which hugged every inch of him. She could see that the definition of his chest and his arms was just scrumptious. He was so big, so burly, that she just wanted to get lost in his arms and never leave. Jesus, he was hot. His hair fell into his caramel eyes as his mouth curved up into a devilish grin. Soon, she found herself lost in his eyes, grinning like a fool, but then she remembered that she was supposed to stay far, far away from Karson King.

Taking a step back, she muttered, “Well, thanks again. Bye.”

Just as fast as she tried to get away, Karson’s arms shot out, holding the counter to stop her. Looking from his arm to his eyes, she knew that she could push through and be gone, but she wasn’t going anywhere.

She couldn’t, not with how she was locked into his playful gaze.

Karson was feeling on top of the world.

He scored the only two goals, winning the game, and basically played the best game of his life. He was on fire and knew it. The draft was his, and he knew he would be the first pick. He was excited, ready to celebrate a winning night and his bright future. After being fussed over by his mom and dad, he said bye, promising to meet them for breakfast and for Kacey’s game before going back to the house to set up for the party they always had after games. Tonight though, the atmosphere was nuts. It was the first time in years the Cats had shut out NYU, so they were partying hard.

Girls were everywhere, his teammates were being their dumb selves, and Karson was feeling great. But when he saw Grady’s sister at the counter, he knew his night was about to get ten times better. There was something very intriguing about the gorgeous blonde, and she had Karson heading straight for her. Maybe it was her legs, which went on for days and ended at a great ass. Or maybe it was her sweet lips and even sweeter eyes. He wasn’t sure, but he had to talk to her. He had to know her. As he reached where she stood, he saw that she was trying to open a beer, which meant she was a damsel in distress… And he was all about saving damsels.

He thought once their eyes met she wouldn’t want to leave, but to his surprise, after thanking him, she tried to run off. There was no way he was going to let her escape that easily. As he threw his arm out against her stomach, she glanced up at him, her eyes wide and her lips parted. He wanted to drop his lips to hers, and he wanted to trap her in his arms and never let go. She was taller than most of the girls he went after, but her eyes captivated him. Such a pale green that shone in such an intoxicating way.