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  All I needed was a good study night. One more night and I was home free for the holidays. Apparently, fate had other plans in mind for me.

  A snowstorm.

  A blackout.

  Four insanely attractive athletes.

  Getting trapped in the library with a group of male co-eds was not my idea of a productive evening. But when the heat goes out, cuddling up to four hot football players may be more than I bargained for. All it takes is one slip and the books are closed because I’m taking a Study Break.

  ***This is a reverse harem title***

  ***This title contains sexual situations***

  Study Break:

  A Winthrope Five Novella

  By Lucy Smoke

  Copyright © 2018 Lucy Smoke LLC

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission in writing from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author’s rights.

  Any trademarks, service marks, product names or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no endorsement, implied or otherwise, if any such terms are used.

  Study Break is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The author holds all rights to this work and it is illegal to reproduce this novel without written expressed consent from the author herself.

  Also by Lucy Smoke

  The Nerys Newblood Series

  Book One: Daimon

  Book Two: Necrosis (Coming Soon)

  The Iris Boys series

  Book One: Now or Never

  Book Two: Power & Choice

  The Winthrope Five Novella Series

  Study Break

  Tough Break

  Connect with Lucy Smoke

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  Acknowledgements

  To CM Stunich [and Amanda] for putting the collection of Snow and Seduction together and spending hours upon hours formatting, recording, updating, editing, and writing for it to be released. To all the lovely ladies in the winter anthology in which this novella was originally released. It was a fun and wild ride; thanks for letting me climb aboard.

  To my closest friends, both in real life and via social media. Thank you for your understanding and your well wishes.

  Dedicated to Jamie-Rose Houston-Slight. My gift to you ;)

  Chapter One

  I blinked my sore, bleary eyes at my computer screen and glanced from the online flashcards for my American Lit final to the paper ones in my hand. My gaze strayed to the window where, outside, snow flurries fell in a whirlwind of little, white puffs. With a groan, I slumped over and rested my forehead on my desk.

  One more exam, I reminded myself. Just one more night before I could make the drive back to Riverdale and cuddle up with my parents’ sweet, golden, Labrador retriever, aptly named ‘Goldie’. I just needed to pass this last final and I could go home.

  The door to my dorm room swung open and my roommate, Stacey, laughed as she dragged a guy I had never seen before into the well-lit – and once quiet – room. The smell of alcohol on them hit me with the force of a freight train, and they both had that dazed, drunken look in their eyes. It was the look I had seen on many of my fellow classmates before—especially the sorority girls I had once been friends with at the beginning of the semester.

  That friendship, however, had only lasted as long as I could afford a bid. When I had let them know that in no uncertain terms could I afford that, they had dropped me faster than a carb and sugar infested Christmas cookie.

  I sighed heavily when Stacey ignored me and pulled the guy over to her bed across the room, shoved him down on the floral covers, and straddled his lap. I grabbed my earbuds and shoved them in as quickly as possible, cranking up the study tunes playlist I had at the ready. My concentration zeroed back in on my notes.

  When Stacey's moans rose over the volume in my headphones, I sucked in a breath and decided that enough was enough. It didn't matter if the university was under a severe snowstorm warning or not, I would rather take my chances with the blizzard outside than the sex noises across the room. Maybe if worse came to worse, I could camp out in one of the conference study rooms on the second floor of the library.

  I closed my laptop and chanced a subtle glare over at my absorbed roommate who had managed to finagle herself out of her shirt. Rolling my eyes, I stuffed my laptop and text book into my messenger bag, and grabbed my keys off the nightstand.

  The hallway was a veritable ghost town. While most students had been lucky enough to finish their exams early, I was stuck taking an exam on the very last day, at the very last time spot. I would have much preferred to get this torture over and done with it. What university scheduled exams the week before Christmas?

  My foot tapped against the thin carpet of the hallway as I waited for the elevator doors to open. Just as they did, a guy walked up behind me and squeezed past. Recognizing the tall, auburn-haired jock with sharp, honey-brown eyes, and a body made for a God, I sighed. Cody smiled at me as his hand hovered over the elevator buttons.

  "It’s a little late for you, isn’t it, Jamie?" he asked. “Where are you heading?”

  "None of your business," I snapped.

  I didn't really have a problem with Cody Lawson, defensive linebacker for Winthrope University’s champion football team. But I knew that if his girlfriend, Victoria Packer, found out I had even looked at him she could make my life more of a living hell than it already was with Stacey as my roommate. Even the snowstorm outside wouldn’t be enough ice to cool Victoria’s vengeance.

  "Feisty tonight, aren't we?" He chuckled as he hit the button for the first floor and leaned back.

  I turned my face away. "You would know," I said before muttering below my breath, "I bet Victoria can be feisty too."

  He grimaced, and scratched his clean-shaven jaw, drawing my attention to the beautiful lines of his face and throat. "We—uh—broke up a couple of weeks ago,” he admitted. “She got to be too much for me.”

  "I'm...sorry to hear that," I replied lamely.

  It wasn’t like he was wrong. Victoria was a raging bitch and a possessive freak. I remembered when she had tripped me for asking Cody if he had notes for our physics class because I had missed them while I was out with the flu. This was college, not fucking high school, but that didn’t stop her childish bullshit.

  He chuckled again before turning to face me. "It’s alright. She was a bitch anyway.” Since I had just had the same thought, I didn’t bother to comment.

  "So, where are you really headed? You can't be going home this late at night,” he pressed.

  "Library," I said. "I still have an exam left on Monday. Last freaking day." I thumped my head against the wall of the elevator and groaned.

  "Damn," he replied. "That's tough luck."

  "What about you?" I asked.

  The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. We exited and circled around the front desk of the dorm lobby where a tired co-ed, with his eyes glued to his computer screen, completely ignored us.

  "I'm actually heading over there as well." Cody hefted the plastic bag that I hadn’t noticed before, filled with snacks, up for me to see. "My friend, Dex, is there studying as well. He texted me, begging and pleading for food. So, here I go, out into the wilderness of the unknown. I'm such a brave friend."

  I laughed as he pressed his free hand to his chest and pretended to stare off into the distance with a serious expression. Cody reached above my
head and pushed open the front door. Two steps into the snow and I was already shivering. My teeth clacked together, and several globs of snow lodged into the tops of my boots.

  "Jeez!" Cody reached up to zip his jacket all the way up to his throat. "I am not walking in this." Cody jammed a hand in his pocket, and a second later a car at the end of the front row of the parking lot flashed its lights. He turned to me. "Do you want a ride?"

  I nodded my head so fast, I nearly gave myself whiplash. He grinned, hefting his bag up, and turned a challenging smirk my way. "Race you?"

  I took off before he even finished the word “challenge.”

  “Hey!” he called after me. “Cheater!”

  I laughed all the way to the car, even when he bypassed me with his incredibly long legs and slid into the driver’s side before I got there. I was still laughing when I flung myself into his passenger seat and slammed the door closed behind me. His bright honeyed eyes were filled with mirth and amusement as he cranked the heat and reversed out of the parking spot.

  “I’ve never heard you laugh so hard,” he remarked.

  Still chuckling, I finished buckling my seatbelt before replying. “I usually only laugh when something’s actually funny.”

  He tilted his head as he paused at a stop sign. “Do you never find anything funny? I never see you out anymore. Not since you, and Victoria, and that sorority you were hanging with a couple of months ago broke things off.”

  “You make it sound like we were in a bad relationship—which I guess we kind of were.” I grimaced. “I’ve been trying to stay on top of my studies since then. I think maybe the whole sorority thing wasn’t for me anyway.”

  “There are other sororities on campus, you know,” he said, flicking his blinker on. “You could have made other friends.”

  “I’m not really here to make friends,” I replied quietly, sinking further into the seat. “I’m here to study and get my degree. That’s the most important part. It’s why I’m going to the freaking library so late and why I’m still on campus.” I groaned. “But of course, a little snowstorm warning won’t make the campus close or anything. I wish I could have taken this exam last week and be home already.”

  “What exam are you studying for?” he asked.

  “American Literature.” My gaze stayed glued to the frosted windshield of the car. I didn’t know how he could even see through the ice over the glass, but we never hit anything or slid as he drove us through campus towards the library building.

  “Do you have any more exams?” I asked conversationally.

  He shook his head. “Nope. I finished my last one yesterday. But Dex has one tomorrow—I think he might be in your class. I’m staying to give him a ride home.”

  “Dexter Smythe-Jones? He’s your friend?” I tried not to act surprised and failed.

  Dexter was one of the smartest students in my American Literature class. If I wasn’t mistaken, I was sure he was an English major. No, maybe a minor? Either way, I knew he was smart. My luck was looking up if he was in the library studying for the same exam. He could definitely help me.

  “Yea, we went to the same high school.” Cody turned into the library parking lot and pulled into a spot. The lot was nearly empty, with only a few other sporadically parked cars.

  When Cody turned off the car, I turned my head and offered my hand. “Do you want me to take it in to him?” I asked. “I’m probably going to ask for his help anyway while I study. You don’t even have to get out.”

  “Nah.” Cody shook his head. “I want to go in and see him anyway. Ask him what time he wants to leave after his exam tomorrow.”

  “Oh. Okay.” As Cody got out of the car, I scrambled to slip my messenger bag back over my head and unbuckle my seatbelt. A second later, the passenger door opened, and I squeaked as a rush of freezing air slapped my face. Cody stood on the other side, trying to block most of the wind with his body.

  “Come on, let’s go.” I took his hand, letting him help me out, and together we traversed the slippery sidewalk. We reached the library doors and it took several tries for both of us to grip the frozen handle and tug it open.

  “Oh, wait,” I said, reaching into my pocket. “These doors are automatic. I have to slide my student ID.” I did so and the door opened easily the second time. We both rushed into the empty lobby of the library.

  “Where is everyone?” Cody asked as the door closed behind us, cutting off the wave of icy air.

  “Probably at home, or in their dorms,” a voice at the front, reference desk answered. “It’s been like this all night.”

  “Dare!” Cody strode forward and clasped hands with Darren Maverick. “Man, I didn’t know you were working here.”

  Darren laughed. “Yea, work study. I was supposed to be home by now, but the actual librarian had a family emergency. I’ve closed the library down before, so here I am.”

  “You know where Dex is?” Cody asked.

  I stood back awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot as they conversed, and waited patiently.

  “Yea, he’s upstairs with Taylor,” Darren replied, placing his strong forearms on the desk and leaning forward. My eyes trailed up his toned arms to his broad chest, covered in a plain, black Henley under the long-sleeved, plaid shirt he wore. Dark brows raised at me when he caught me staring and I jerked my gaze away.

  “You coming, Jamie?” Cody asked, turning my way.

  I grimaced. “Actually, I was kind of hoping I could um…” I glanced back at Darren and winced.

  Shit, he totally caught me staring. This is awkward, I thought. Maybe I could find the books I wanted on my own.

  “I’m going to grab a few books and meet you up there.” I waved him away as I backed towards one of the catalogue computers.

  “Let Darren help you,” Cody said, looking at his friend. “He works here. He can probably find what you need faster, and you can meet us upstairs.”

  “What are you looking for?” Darren asked. I hefted my bag up higher on my shoulder. Darren noticed. “Hey, Cody, why don’t you take her bag and I’ll bring her up to find you when we get done down here.”

  “It’s fine,” I said quickly. “I’m sure I can find the book on my own.” But Cody was already relieving me of my messenger bag. He winked as he swung it over his arm before booping me on the nose with a finger.

  “Let Darren help you,” he said, “and you can have some of Dex’s snacks.”

  I sighed, defeated. “Fine.”

  Cody winked once more and headed for the stairs.

  “Okay, so what are you looking for?” Darren said, bringing my attention back to him.

  “Do you know if you have a complete works of American authors?” I asked.

  He pulled back across the desk and began typing. After a few moments, he smiled at me and nodded. “Looks like there’s a full volume in reference. You won’t be able to check it out, but you can use it while you’re in the library.”

  “Oh, good. Where is it?”

  He frowned at the screen before snatching a slip of scratch paper from a container next to his computer to write something down. “It looks like it’s on one of the top shelves. You might not be able to reach it. It’s upstairs. I’ll take you.”

  When Darren rounded the desk, I realized he was a lot taller than I thought. He towered over me as he led me towards the stairs and gestured for me to go ahead of him. Grabbing the railing, I ascended the steps one at a time. I looked back every so often and could have sworn that I caught him checking out my ass a couple times. We reached the landing on the second floor and he took the lead, leaving me to follow after him as he headed down the aisles of old texts.

  My smaller legs struggled to keep up, and by the time we reached the last row of shelves, I was panting. He slid between the shelves and browsed through the very top shelf, which was, in fact, almost two feet above my head. I sighed. It was a good thing he was so tall.

  “Here it is.” Darren reached for the book just as I stopped at his
side. His arm rose over my head so quickly, I didn’t see when he pulled the book out, or when it slipped out of his hand.

  “Shit.” Darren’s hiss was followed by strong arms sliding around my waist. He yanked me back as several books fell from the top shelf, crashing down around us. I let out a startled yelp.

  Several thuds were followed by a grunt. I stared up at Darren, horrified as he groaned and pressed his forehead against my shoulder. I hesitantly reached up and back.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “My fucking head hurts,” he groaned again, pressing his hips forward. I froze. “Are you okay? They didn’t hit you, did they?”

  When he pulled back, inches away from my face, I struggled to keep from staring at his lips. I failed. I licked my bottom lip and noticed the way his eyes traveled there and stayed. My cheeks flamed red. I moved to jerk away, only to have him stop me before I hit the bookcase again and caused another mishap.

  “Whoa,” he said. “I don’t want another avalanche on my head,” he chuckled before pulling away.

  “I’m okay,” I managed to squeak out. “Thanks for um…saving me.”

  I stood there, shuffling my feet once more, unsure and half aroused. He moved so fast. One second he was casually reaching up for a book, the next he was half over me – his big body pressed tightly against mine and my heart nearly beating out of my chest. I felt my heated face throbbing in embarrassment as he stared at me. Slowly, Darren leaned down and rifled through the books on the floor before selecting one of the larger ones.

  “Here,” he said, handing it to me. Our fingers brushed and I gulped as electricity danced between us. His eyes blazed, but he didn’t comment on it. “Give me a second to pick these up, and I’ll take you to the study room.”

  “Oh, no,” I replied, setting the book he handed me to the side. “Let me help.” I bent over and began to gather the fallen books one by one. I was so concentrated on the task that I didn’t notice he had stopped, staring blatantly at my ass. Feeling the blush on my cheeks burn hotter, I shoved the books into his arms.