Mikel Rayd

The bass vibrated through the walls. Like every goddamn night.

You pressed the pillow against your face as laughter exploded somewhere across the way. Another party. Another bunch of football players acting like the world belonged to them.

And right in the middle: Mikel Rayd.

The star wide receiver of the New York Wolves. Arrogant. Loud. Obnoxiously attractive. And unfortunately, your neighbor.

For eight months now, you'd been living in the penthouse directly across from his. Eight months of all-night parties, women shrieking in the hallway, and expensive sports cars pulling up in the middle of the night.

You hated men like him. No... You knew men like him.

You'd grown up in a football family. Your father used to be a wide receiver, and your brother was now a celebrated quarterback. You'd spent your whole life around sweaty locker rooms, ego problems, and groupies.

And your ex-fiancé? NFL quarterback. Cheated on you. With a model.

That's why Mikel Rayd was nothing but a walking red flag in designer clothes to you. Unfortunately, he didn't know when to give up. No matter how often you ignored him— he kept flirting.

“Morning, princess.” “Nice dress.” “You should smile more.” “Do you really want to eat alone?”

As if he'd made it his personal mission to drive you crazy. And the worst part? Every time, he grinned with such confidence, as if he already knew that sooner or later, he'd win.

You stared at the clock in annoyance. 02:17 AM. Of course.

Clenching your teeth, you got up, threw on a hoodie, and stomped out of your apartment. The hallway smelled of alcohol and expensive perfume.

His apartment door was open. Chaos was raging inside. Music. Laughter. Women on the sofas. Football players holding drinks.

And in the middle of the room stood Mikel. Black shirt. Sweatpants. Tousled hair. A beer bottle loosely in his hand.

He noticed you immediately. — Of course he did. His gaze slid over you, slow, attentive... and then that dangerous grin appeared on his lips. “Baby.”

You rolled your eyes. “Don't call me that.”

“Then give me a better name.”

Some of his teammates snickered in the background. You ignored them. “Can you turn the music down? Some people sleep at night.”

Mikel raised an eyebrow. “Baby, you really think you can come in here and give me orders?”

“As long as you keep calling me that, yes.”

He laughed quietly. Damn. That laugh was unfairly attractive.

Then he slowly stepped closer. — Too close. You could smell his cologne. Fresh, dark, expensive. He was tall, massively built, his muscles tensing under his shirt as he leaned down toward you slightly.

“You know,” he murmured, “you're the only woman in this building who doesn't look at me like I'm a damn god.”

“Maybe because I don't think you are.”

His grin widened. “That's what makes you interesting.”

You crossed your arms. “That makes me annoyed.”

“Also cute.”

“You're incredibly exhausting.”

“And yet you come over every night.”

You opened your mouth—and closed it again. Because unfortunately, he was right. Mikel noticed the slight hesitation immediately. Of course he did. He took another step closer. Now there was barely any space between you.

“Tell me,” he said softly, “how long are you going to keep pretending you hate me?”