Emma carter is introduced as a dedicated literature student who views football as a waste of time she's focused on academics and a future in academia.

Jaxon Hayes is introduced as the star quarterback with an easy smile, effortless charm, and a reputation for never taking anything seriously except football.their first meeting is a disaster as Jaxon arrives late, makes a joke about how "nerds love this kind of things "and Emma immediately despises him.

Emma Carter tapped her pen against the worn wooden desk, fighting the growing headache behind her temples. The campus library buzzed with the quiet hum of students cramming for midterms, but all she could focus on was the email glaring back at her from her professor.

>( Emma, as the top tutor in the academic support program, I’m assigning you a priority case. Jaxon Hayes needs immediate intervention to maintain eligibility for the season. Sessions start tomorrow. No exceptions.)

Her stomach twisted. Jaxon Hayes. The Jaxon Hayes. Star quarterback. Campus heartthrob. The walking, talking definition of everything she couldn’t stand—arrogant, reckless, and ridiculously good-looking. She had spent three years at this university avoiding guys like him.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips. This was supposed to be her year to focus, ace her classes, and line up the perfect internship. Babysitting a football player with a GPA lower than room temperature was not part of the plan.

Still, she wasn’t about to argue with Professor Grant. He had written her a glowing recommendation for graduate school, and if he trusted her to handle this, she couldn’t afford to refuse.

One semester. A few tutoring sessions. She could survive this.

Right?

The next afternoon, Emma arrived at the designated study room, mentally preparing herself for the worst. The small library space was tucked away from the main floor, quiet and isolated—perfect for studying. Or, in Jaxon’s case, perfect for napping while she did all the work.

She was halfway through setting up her notes when the door swung open.

And in walked trouble in a six-foot-four frame of pure muscle and ego.

Jaxon Hayes was even more annoyingly attractive in person. Dark hair, just messy enough to look effortlessly cool. Golden skin, like he spent every second outside. Broad shoulders, the kind that made girls swoon. His navy hoodie stretched across his chest, the team logo emblazoned over his heart.

He took one look at her and smirked. Smirked.

“Carter, right?” His voice was smooth, laced with amusement, like this was all some big joke.

Emma folded her arms. “Hayes.”

He dropped into the chair across from her, stretching out like he had all the time in the world. “So, how does this work? You write my essays, and I sign autographs in return?”

She narrowed her eyes. “That depends. Can I trade your signature for extra IQ points?”

Jaxon’s smirk widened. “Damn. You really don’t like me, do you?”

“I don’t even know you.” She leaned forward, locking eyes with him. “But I do know your type.”

He chuckled, resting his chin on his hand. “And what type is that?”

Jaxon doesn't take the tutoring seriously winking at her and making flirtatious jokes just to get under her skin. Emma's sharp tongued and unimpressed by his charm, snapping back with sarcasm

Their banter gets heated and Emma storms out swearing she won't waste her time on him

sparks fly ,but it's more fire than warmth

“The kind that coasts through life on talent and charm, expecting everyone else to do the work.”

Jaxon studied her, something flickering in his gaze—something almost intrigued.

“Guess we’ll see about that, won’t we?” he murmured.

Emma had a sinking feeling this semester was going to be a disaster.

And worse? She wasn’t sure she’d make it out unscathed.

Emma carter prided herself on being unshakable. She had spent years perfecting the art of indifference toward guys like Jaxon Hayes-cocky, reckless, and devastatingly attractive. But as she sat across from him in the tiny study room, she realized she had severely underestimated the problem.

The problem being that Jaxon Hayes wasn’t just a distraction. He was a storm the air between them was thick with tension. An invisible tug of war she was losing fast. He had barely touched his textbook, leaning back in his chair, his intense hazel eyes locked onto her like she was the most interesting thing in the room .and damn him, he had that lazy smirk on his lips, the one that made her stomach flutter against her will.

"You're staring, Carter,"he drawled, stretching his long legs under the table. One of them brushed against hers, a barely there touch that sent a jolt through her system.

She snapped her book shut and crossed her arms."l was trying to figure out if you actually plan on studying or if you just came here to waste my time."

Jaxon leaned in, his voice dropping to a low, almost teasing murmur."oh, I'm studying. Just not the subject you want me to."

Emma's breath hitched. The way he was looking at her-like he was undressing her with his eyes-was infuriating. And worse, part of her liked it.

No.Focus.

She cleared her throat and slid his book toward him."then focus on this. If you fail this class, you’ll be benched for the rest of the season. "

He exhaled a slow breath, rubbing his jaw.

"You're Ruthless, you know that?"

"Because I'm making you do actual work?"

Jaxons eyes darkened slightly, his smirk deepening. "No, because you pretend like you don't want me."

Emma's heart slammed against her ribs.

Oh, hell no. She forced a laugh, rolling her eyes even as heat crept up her neck."please.you're__"

But the words died in her throat when Jaxon suddenly leaned across the table, his face just inches from hers.

"Go on,"he murmured. "Tell me how much you don’t think about me."

____ ____

the space between them disappeared, and Emma’s body betrayed Her. Her pulse raced, her skin tingled, and her breath came just a little too fast. She could smell him - a mix of clean soap, fresh cut grass, and something undeniably masculine. His presence was overwhelming, consuming, and for one dangerous second, She wondered what it would feel like if he really touched her.jaxons fingers brushed at the edge of her book, but it might as well have been her skin, because she felt it everywhere. His voice dipped lower, rough and teasing.

"Still convinced you don’t feel tHis?"

Emma's nails dug into her plan under the table" you are so full of yourself."

Jaxon grinned."maybe.but I think you like it."

her breath caught as His knee nudged against hers this time, deliberate.

Oh.my.god.

She had two choices:

●push him away and pretend this. So wasn’t happening.

●give in to the temptation that was coiling So tight inside her, it hurt.

And damn it, for fraction of second, She actually considered the latter.

But then Jaxon pulled back just as fast as he had leaned in, grabbing his pen And spinning it between his fingers like nothing had happened.

"Alright, Carter, "he said, his voice back to normal, like he hadn’t just wrecked her entire equilibrium, "let's get to work."

Emma clenched her jaw. Oh, he was playing with her.

Fine.two could play that game she straightened, forcing a smirk onto her lips as she flipped the textbook open to the most difficult section.

"Great ", she said, voice syrupy sweet."let's start with the essay on postmodern literary theory."

Jaxon groaned. "You're evil."

Emma smiled innocently. "Payback, Hayes." But even as she started explaining the material, she couldn’t shake the heat still lingering in her body or the fact that for the first time in her life, she might have met someone who could actually keep up with her.

and that thought?

it terrified her.

j

Emma should have known last night’s study session from hell wasn’t the end of Jaxon Hayes and his infuriating games. She had spent half the night replaying the way he leaned in too close, the way his voice dipped into that rough, teasing murmur, and—worst of all—how her body had reacted to it.

She hated him. Hated him.

So why did she feel so warm just thinking about him?

Her best friend, Riley, had laughed at her over coffee this morning.

“You have it bad.”

Emma had scoffed. “Please. I’d rather fail my finals than fall for Jaxon Hayes.”

Yet, as she stepped into the study room for their next session, her traitorous pulse betrayed her. Because there he was, sitting back in his chair, legs spread wide, twirling a pen between his fingers like he didn’t have a care in the world.

And the worst part? He was wearing a gray hoodie and sweatpants, the kind that made him look effortlessly hot.

Unfair.

Jaxon glanced up, and the slow, knowing smirk that spread across his face told her everything she needed to know.

He remembered last night, too.

Emma dropped her books onto the table with more force than necessary, determined to ignore the heat crawling up her spine. “Let’s make this quick.”

Jaxon arched a brow. “That’s not something a guy wants to hear, Carter.”

She shot him a glare, flipping open his textbook. “Read this paragraph and tell me what it means.”

Jaxon leaned forward, and before she could process what was happening, he reached out—

And tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

The air crackled.

Emma’s whole body froze as his fingers lingered just a second too long, his thumb barely brushing her skin. Her breathing hitched, and she hated that he noticed.

He pulled back slowly, his smirk deepening. “You looked distracted.”

Oh, he was playing dirty now.

Her heart slammed against her ribs, but she refused to let him see how much he affected her. Instead, she reached across the table, grabbed his pen, and dragged it slowly across his wrist, tracing lazy circles over his skin.

Jaxon’s smirk faltered.

Emma tilted her head, feigning innocence. “You looked tense.”

Two can play this game, Hayes.

His jaw clenched slightly, and for the first time, she saw something flicker in his hazel eyes—a shift, a heat so intense it sent a rush of warmth straight through her.

Their eyes locked. The tension between them wasn’t just thick anymore.

It was dangerous.

_____ ___

The silence stretched, neither of them backing down.

Then, without warning, Jaxon leaned in again—closer than before, so close she could feel his breath on her skin.

His voice dropped to a rough whisper. “You really wanna play this game, Carter?”

Emma’s fingers twitched against the pen still in her hand, her entire body hyper-aware of how close he was.

She swallowed hard. “I don’t play games.”

Jaxon’s lips curved slightly, his gaze dropping—for just a second—to her lips.

Her stomach tightened.

Then he did something she wasn’t prepared for.

He reached out and traced a single finger down her arm.

Slow. Deliberate.

Her breath hitched, her skin erupting in goosebumps.

Holy. Hell.

Jaxon saw it. He felt it.

And he smirked.

Emma yanked her arm back as if burned, standing up so fast her chair nearly tipped over. “That’s it. We’re done for today.”

Jaxon didn’t move, still looking up at her with that dark, unreadable expression that sent heat curling low in her stomach.

He exhaled a slow breath, shaking his head with amusement. “You keep running, Carter.”

She gritted her teeth, grabbing her bag. “I’m not running.”

Jaxon leaned back, a knowing look in his eyes. “Then why do you look so damn scared?”

Emma didn’t answer. Because for the first time, she was.

Not of him.

But of herself.

Because Jaxon Hayes was crossing lines she swore she’d never let anyone cross.

And worse?

She wasn’t sure she wanted him to stop.

---