Full Count (Cessna U Wildcats Book 3)

by Kimberly Readnour

  “I’ll, uh, get rid of these.” I spring to a standing position and snatch the lingerie up, hoping he didn’t notice them.

  Garret chuckles. “You don’t have to get rid of them for my sake.”

  “Yeah, I do.” My cheeks flush. Good grief, I’ve never been embarrassed about sex, let alone undergarments, but there’s something about the guy who you’ve wanted for way too long eyeing your bras. But come on, he doesn’t need to see my size DD cups. Unless, of course, the scenario is more of a planned one. “I’ll be right back.”

  A few minutes later, I step back into the bathroom, and my feet falter. Garret leans over the tub, running a washcloth over Alissa, and singing. I don’t know if her sobbing subsided because she’s gotten used to the lukewarm temperature or due to Garret’s gentle lullaby. Holy shit, what a scene. I think my ovaries just exploded.

  Maybe Garret hears them because he glances over his shoulder. “The water is helping. She doesn’t feel as warm.”

  I place the towel on the floor and drop to my knees beside him. “How are you doing, Alissa?”

  “I’m cold.”

  Garret and I laugh more out of relief than anything. “Can we get her out now?”

  “It’s been about seven minutes, so yeah. She can come out.”

  I help towel her off and slip one of my brother’s old T-shirts on her. It dwarfs her tiny body, but it beats trying to get her back into her tight clothes.

  “I’ll retake her temp.” Garret takes off toward the kitchen. I’m guessing to retrieve the thermometer.

  “Is he your boyfriend?” Alissa asks, her question throwing me off guard. She’s five and feverish. That’s the question she asks?

  “No, sweetie. We’re just friends.”

  “Oh.” She lets out a yawn. “He’s nice.”

  “That he is.” I cuddle her close to me. The shuffle of feet brings my gaze to Garret. He bends down to take her temp. The thermometer beeps, and a slight smile ghosts his lips as he holds the screen for me to see. 101.8. The tension in my shoulders releases, somewhat.

  “Let’s get her settled.” Alissa doesn’t resist when Garret reaches to pick her up.

  “She can go to my room.”

  Garret follows me down the hallway, and when he places her in my bed, I let out a sigh. This isn’t exactly how I’ve pictured Garret Cartel in my room.

  “Here you go, sweetheart. Everything is going to be okay now. I promise you’ll start feeling better soon,” Garret says.

  Alissa nods. “Thank you. You can sing to Lexie now. She’d like that.”

  He chuckles, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t work through me. “I’m not sure about that.”

  “I’ll come back and check on you in a little bit, okay?” I ask.

  “And Garret too?”

  “And Garret too,” I reassure. I turn on the desk lamp, so my room won’t be too dark. Once she seems settled, I flip the overhead light off, and we step toward the living room. “You seem to have picked up a fan.”

  “Yeah, I have that effect on women.”

  “Sure you do, stud.” But he really does.

  Garret wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses the top of my head. It’s a move he’s done several times, but tonight, it causes tingles to skate across my skin. I don’t know if it’s because we’ve shared a moment outside schoolwork or what, but I rather like it.

  “Is Alissa better?” Chad, the older of my two brothers, peeks his head from behind his bedroom door. He gives Garret a once-over, his lip curling up in disgust as his gaze lingers where Garret’s arm hangs. Interesting. I’ve never known Chad to be territorial when it comes to me.

  “She is, but she needs her rest.”

  “Can I show your friend my drums? He may want to hear some good music.”

  “No!” I say a little too quickly. “The noise will keep Alissa up.”

  “It’s just one drum solo.”

  Dear Lord. He’s such a diva. But worse. He’s a diva without talent. “No, they’re too loud.”

  Chad goes to protest, but Garret cuts him off. “Why don’t you show me next time? I’ll be back.”

  Chad purses his lips. “You will?”

  “Of course.”

  “But Lexie never has guys over. You’re not her boyfriend, are you?”

  Garret’s mouth drops. “Uh, no. We’re just friends.”

  Chad shrugs. “Makes sense, I guess. Dad says she’s too heavy for guys to like her.”

  My face pales. I can’t believe Chad repeated that. Better yet, I can’t believe Dad said that in front of him. Asshole. I don’t dare look at Garret, but I can tell by the way his body stiffens, he’s as shocked as I feel.

  He removes his arm and crosses his arms against his chest. “Well, the next time your dad says something stupid like that, you can tell him he’s wrong. Plenty of guys like her.”

  “But not you.”

  “Well—”

  “Okay, sport. How about you and Bradly play with the Xbox as long as you promise to stay quiet?”

  “Yes!” He fists pumps the air. “Bradly, get in here.”

  “That’s not being quiet.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  I shake my head as Bradly whizzes past Garret and me, nearly running into Garret. “Slow down. And I mean it. Stay quiet.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

  They disappear behind Chad’s door, and we resume walking. “Did I tell you I’m never having kids.”

  “You may have mentioned it a time or two.”

  When we reach the living room, Garret turns to me. “You know your dad’s an asshole, right?”

  I nod. “The biggest.”

  “You don’t have a weight issue. Like at all. You could actually put on a few pounds. But even if you were overweight, that wouldn’t matter. Guys enjoy curves.” Garret rolls his shoulders back as if to ease the tension, but the tightness in his eyes refuses to lessen. He’s legit pissed.

  “I know. We live in L.A. He thinks everyone should be Hollywood thin. I’m used to it.”

  He runs a hand through his hair and huffs. “You shouldn’t have to be used to it.”

  I lay my hand on his arm. “I’m fine. I mean, I won’t lie. It hurts having a dad who constantly criticizes me, but I don’t have self-confidence issues. And I know I’m not overweight. I recognize him for what he is: an asshole.”

  “Are you sure? Because you’re so goddamn perfect, I can’t believe he says shit like that about you.”

  I blink in surprise as I stare at Garret. He thinks I’m perfect? Trust me, I know I’m pretty, but I don’t possess beauty pageant looks. I’ll never be the one who wears the tiara, and I’m good with that. But to have Garret tell me I’m perfect—no, goddamn perfect—I’m soaring higher than the clouds right now.

  “I, uh, I know.”

  Garret doesn’t say a word as his stare lingers. Those soft brown eyes steal my breath as a sense of longing whispers through me. For a fleeting moment, he looks at me as if he wants to devour me. But I’m sure I’m putting more meaning behind his intention. Not once has he seen me as more than a friend. I’m the old pal he’d rather joke and have fun with. But his gaze dips to the generous amount of cleavage this shirt reveals. His mouth parts. Okay, so he does recognize I’m a girl, but the guy has the restraint of a priest. Fucking sin once in a while.

  His gaze makes its way up to meet mine, but neither of us says a word. I have to make a move. There will never be a better time than now. With one step, I close the distance between us. His breath hitches while his muscles harden beneath my palm. The way his jaw clenches, I swear he’s fighting some internal battle that I wish he’d fill me in on.

  “Lexie.”

  My name coming across as a plea is the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. I step up on my toes, inches away from his mouth. He starts to lean down and…

  Bang. Bang. Bang.

  Garret steps back as if shot. “What the hell is that?”

  “That’s my brother�
��s musical talent,” I say and then, pivot and march right to his room, leaving Garret behind in the living room. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I wanted your friend to hear my latest beats.”

  “I specifically told you no. You probably woke Alissa.”

  Chad winces at the mention of Alissa’s name. Good. He’s at least capable of remorse.

  “I told him not to,” Bradly says.

  “Shut up, rat.”

  “Quiet.” I huff out a frustrated breath. “Play the damn Xbox or go to bed.”

  “It’s only eight o’clock.”

  “Then I suggest you be quiet.”

  They both grumble but comply. Before heading back to the living room, I check on Alissa. She’s still asleep, and my momma-style back of the hand check to her forehead detects her temperature has dropped. Relieved, I snatch the Habitat for Humanity shirt off the dresser and exit back to the living room. I find Garret in the same spot as I left him. He eyes me as I walk into the room, but our moment is long gone.

  “Is Lars Ulrich settled down?”

  “Ha, he does think he’s as good as Metallica’s drummer.” I toss him the shirt. “Your uniform for Saturday.”

  A pained expression crosses his face as he pats down his pockets. “Crap. What time is it?”

  “Ten after eight.”

  “You don’t happen to know where I left my phone, do you?”

  “It’s in the kitchen. You left it on the table before giving Alissa her bath.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He barely looks at me as he adds, “I have to make a quick phone call. It won’t take long.”

  He stalks to the kitchen, and I don’t follow, allowing him privacy. Ten minutes later he comes back, but the casual guy from earlier is gone, replaced by orderly, reserved Garret.

  “We better get started. I’ll need to head back to jock row soon.”

  I nod, but I’m left wondering who he called and if they’re the reason behind his sudden mood change.

  Chapter Seven

  Garret

  Current Day

  Lexie: Fun Fact. I can’t wait to see Bob the Builder in action!

  “One caffé mocha made to order.” I hand Lexie my peace offering as soon as I seek her out. Bringing her favorite drink is the least I could do after wigging out on her the other night.

  “Thank you so much. You have no idea how badly I need this. Chad woke me up at six this morning with his hideous rendition of ‘Seek & Destroy.’ All he managed to do is destroy the song.”

  “Aw, the budding rock star.”

  “Ha! I could only wish.”

  “He may grow into his talent.” My lips twitch. If that thumping sound from the other night is his best work, he has a long way to go.

  “Sure.” Her smile stretches wide, and I have to force myself to turn away. I need to rein in my flirting. We got carried away after taking care of her niece. If Chad hadn’t interfered, I would’ve gotten the answer to the burning question—what does Lexie taste like? The sensible thing would’ve been to halt whatever pull we had between us, but with her staring up at me, I couldn’t. I wanted that kiss. Craved it. She’s so damn easy to get lost in.

  “Hey, Lex. You ready to be my partner?”

  My back straightens when Kyle Grady, the Wildcat’s star quarterback, and two of his teammates walk in. How well does he know Lexie if he’s shortening her name? I don’t even do that. For one thing, I don’t like the name Lex. It reminds me of Lex Luther, and who wants their girl reminding them of a villain? My girl? My mind jumps ahead sometimes. She’s my friend. Who wants their friend to remind them of a villain? There, much better.

  “Sure, I’m game.”

  He gives her a smirk. One I’d like to erase. And is he serious about partnering up with her? I just assumed we’d be working together. I didn’t know I had to call shotgun when I first arrived.

  “Hey, Garret,” Kyle says, finally acknowledging me.

  I greet him back along with Tyler Evans and Keelan James. Tyler is one hell of a punter, but Keelan? Yeah, nobody touches that running back. He’s quick on the field.

  “Okay, team members. Partner up and pick your rooms to work in,” Grant, the project leader, says. That’s when I notice several other offensive linemen here. Good thing I’m here today. There is way too much testosterone for my liking.

  “Let’s tackle the master bedroom,” Kyle says to Lexie, waggling his eyebrows.

  “I don’t know. You think you can handle it?”

  Did she just make a sexual innuendo? I think she did. No way am I leaving them alone. “I can be a third partner.”

  Oh, my God. I’m the biggest idiot. I just referenced a threesome. From the guys chuckle and Lexie’s sputter, they must have taken it that way, too.

  “We’ve got it handled. I leave team-playing on the field.” Kyle winks. Fucking winks.

  Lexie’s mouth opens to speak, but Tyler cuts her off. “Come with us, baseball player. We have some long pieces in the hallway to tackle.”

  I glance at Lexie. Our gaze connects and holds for a silent moment. I need to back off and not repeat the other night when the friendship line became blurred. I force myself to pull away. “Let’s get it done.”

  “Ready?” I hear Kyle ask Lexie as I walk away. She tells him she has to drink her mocha, the one I brought for her before they can start. Lovely. This day went from good to bad in less than sixty seconds. And it doesn’t improve as we hang drywall for the next couple of hours. We have three-fourths of the hallway done when my gaze strays to the master bedroom. Lexie stands next to the wall, holding a piece of sheetrock in place.

  “What are you doing? My arms are starting to get tired,” Lexie’s voice cuts across the hallway.

  “I’m almost done.” Kyle’s refilling his pouch with drywall nails, but he’s taking his time. He’s too busy checking out Lexie’s ass. I know because I’ve checked out her ass plenty of times. It’s not like I can get mad. I have no say so, but damn if it doesn’t make me want to go all caveman-like.

  “If you want to stake a claim on her, you better do it fast. Kyle has had a hard-on for her for quite some time. The only thing holding him back is some other girl, but it doesn’t look as if that’s going anywhere.”

  I whip my head to Keelan. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Is he right, though? Does Kyle actually want to date her?

  “Uh-huh, sure.” Keelan shakes his head and lifts his side of the sheetrock. I follow suit.

  “Lexie and I are just friends.” A fact I need to keep repeating to myself. I can’t have anything more than friendship with her. Besides, she deserves someone better than me. She deserves someone who can give their whole heart. Not one that’s split too many ways. Besides, she hates kids. A fact she repeats over and over. She’s spent most of her life raising her brothers. I can’t blame her for not wanting to raise another child, especially one that isn’t even hers.

  “Whatever, man. It’s not me you have to convince.”

  I grunt in response, but I don’t think I like this Keelan. We nail the sheetrock in place, and I sneak another peek into the room. Kyle grabs Lexie by the waist and spins her around. She laughs and yells for him to stop. My fists clench. She doesn’t like to spin in circles. She was on the merry-go-round at the park, and some kid spun it so fast, she fell off and hit her head. The spinning made her sick, and she threw up in front of everyone. Ever since then, she gets vertigo when she spins too fast.

  I stalk to the room. “Everything okay?”

  Kyle looks up at me with a dumbfounded look. I’m sure he thinks I’m crazy, but I don’t care. My goal was to get him to stop, and it worked. I step toward Lexie as she stumbles to her side. “Whoa, you okay?”

  “Yeah, just dizzy.” Her eyes meet mine, and the warmth they hold constricts my chest.

  “Do you need to sit?”

  “I’m sorry, Lex. I was just playing around.”

  “I know, Kyle. It’s an old injury. You wouldn�
�t have known.”

  I back her over by the five-gallon bucket of mud and have her sit. My nostrils flare when Kyle flanks her side. The concern in his eyes almost makes me feel sorry for him, but I’m so mad, I just want to punch him.

  “You need me to get you anything?” I ask.

  “No. Nothing will help but time.”

  Kyle runs his hand through his hair. “Fuck, Lex. I’m an idiot.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.” Lexie places her hand on his leg. It’s more to reassure him, but it pisses me off.

  “If you want to help the guys, I’ve got this.” My tone comes across harsher than I intended. Lexie’s honey-dipped eyes sweep to mine and darken a shade. Questions swirl in their depths, but I stand by what I say. I’m not leaving her side.

  “Um, sure.” Kyle’s gaze ping-pongs between Lexie and me. “You don’t need me to do anything?”

  “I’ll be fine. I’m starting to feel better.”

  At his hesitation, I go to tell him to get his ass moving, but then he lets out a resonated sigh. “I’m sorry, Lex. I’ll go help the guys, but holler if you need anything.”

  She gives him a reassuring smile. “We’ll tackle the last wall after lunch.”

  “Sounds good.”

  He glances at me before leaving.

  “You didn’t have to make him feel bad,” she says when he exits.

  “Me? I didn’t say anything harsh.” I drag the other five-gallon pail of spackle by her and plop my ass down.

  “Uh-huh. You about bit off his head. He didn’t know about my vertigo.”

  “You told him to stop. He didn’t.”

  “It was a simple spinning. It’s like tickling. Most people don’t stop while you’re laughing when telling them.”

  I grunt.

  “Thanks for coming to my rescue.” The sincerity in her eyes is almost too much. I’m overwhelmed with feeling, but I can’t pinpoint what.

  “You know I’ll always be here for you, right?”

  She nods as her gaze dips to my lips. My dick stirs to life. But I tamp down those feelings swirling inside of me. I can’t act upon them.