Chasing Sunshine: A New Adult Sports Romance (NE University Book 1)

by Hannah Gray

  I think about it for a moment. “I’ll take what I can get, but I think I would rather waitress because I have done it before. I’ve never bartended.”

  A huge smile stretches across her face. “Well, I think I’d be a kick-ass bartender! Let’s go become grown-ups and shit and get jobs! We can carpool!”

  I can feel the heat in my cheeks. Even though we’ve only known each other a few weeks, she’s already the best friend that I’ve ever had. “Well, uh, I don’t have a car, remember? But hopefully, by working, maybe I can work toward getting one.”

  “Oh, cut it out. It’s not like you really need one, living on campus. There are a few drivers on campus that go within a fifteen-mile radius of the college, so if for some reason I am unable to take you to or from work, there’s always that. But I have no problem giving you rides. Besides, maybe we will have the same shifts. We both have Fridays off from classes, and we’re done with classes by three every day.”

  “Anna Banana, have I ever told you that you are becoming my very favorite person. And that I don’t deserve you?”

  “Aw-shucks, Cam. Told you I am the world’s most awesome best friend. But for real, don’t call me Anna Banana, or I’ll make your ass walk,” she says, adding in a finger point and exaggerated hair flip. “There’s only one other nickname I hate more than that.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Red.”

  “Okay, noted. Let’s head down there before it gets too busy and getting an application is a pain in the balls.”

  Pulling her sunglasses out of her mess of red hair and over her eyes, she squeals, “Let’s do this!”

  Trent

  We had an early workout this morning, so after classes get out, we decide to go get a few beers and some food at The Atlantic. We all love coming here. It’s a modern bar with TVs everywhere, and sports is always on. Each wall has a different picture of one of the harbors or national parks in New England. The town I grew up in just happens to be featured on one of the walls.

  We are just walking in the door when I see that beautiful angel face framed with those long locks I’d love to tug on. She’s leaning against the counter, talking to douche-bag Carter. The night at the party, I saw him and his butt buddy trying to hit on her and Red, so I made sure to get her away from them.

  Carter has the whole nice guy act down. In the end, he’s no better than me—worse actually. I have never promised girls jack shit. I make it a point to tell them what it is before I take them home or go home with them. This tool, he will date them for a few weeks, wining and dining them, and then he shows his true colors. Something about the way she’s laughing and looking right at him makes me want to go break his jaw. And I have to use every ounce of self-control not to do just that.

  We walk over to our usual table, which happens to be right in the pathway of where she’s standing. I consider going over there and telling him to go fuck himself. But fuck it. She isn’t mine, and I’m sure as shit not hers either.

  I see Layla standing on the other end of the bar. She’s one of my very few frequent flyers. By frequent, I’m saying we’ve hooked up a few times, not weekly or some shit like that. She knows the rules, and she leaves right after we fuck. It works out perfectly. Plus, she has a huge rack and really nice legs. It doesn’t hurt that she looks like the complete opposite of Cameran. Cam’s got blonde hair and blue eyes and looks like some sort of angelic creature. Layla has jet-black hair, not sure what the fuck color eyes, and looks like a porn star. She knows what she’s doing in bed too, which certainly doesn’t hurt. After all, I’m not looking to marry her; I’m looking to get off.

  I strut toward Layla, acting like I don’t even know Cam’s there. No time like the present to draw a line in the sand, let her and me both know there’s no chance of anything happening between us. Layla spots me right away and turns her body toward mine.

  She leans her lips into my ear. “Hey, Trent,” she purrs. She takes a long red fingernail and drags it down my chest, stopping halfway. “Long time, no call. I thought after last time, you’d be calling more often to release some of that tension.”

  I’ll admit, I’ve basically thought about Cameran nonstop since the first time I met her. I’ve taken more showers to relieve my extremely hard dick than I care to admit. I’ve even woken up a handful of times with my hand in my boxers after having dreams about her. But when a girl who looks erotic and hot is in front of me, telling me all the dirty things she wants to do to me, I try my best to push Cam out of my mind.

  I risk a glance at the other end of the bar and see that Red has now joined the conversation, and Cam is still laughing at whatever dumbfuck Carter has to say. I might squeeze my eyes shut tonight and pretend this chick is Cam, but fuck it. I need everyone to remember who the fuck I am. Including myself.

  “Let’s go, sweetheart. You got a car? I rode here with my buddies.”

  She sticks out her lips in a pout, and then she leans in even closer and whispers, “Well, I do, but then how can I make you feel good if I’m driving?”

  “I’ll drive your car. Then, after, I’ll drop myself off here with the guys.”

  She narrows her eyes and puts a hand on her luscious hip. “Then, how will I get off?”

  I hold up my hands. “Hey, take it or leave it. It is what it is.”

  She thinks for a second. “Fine, but only to remind you of what you’re missing, so next time, you’ll want the whole nine yards.” She runs her fingers down my zipper.

  Then, she grabs my hand and turns, pulling me toward the door. I look back at my buddies, who shake their heads and laugh. They give me the thumbs-up. We walk past Cam, and she looks up but doesn’t smile. It’s almost as if she doesn’t even realize I’m looking back at her. I nod my chin up at her and wave with my free hand. She looks embarrassed, realizing I caught her watching, but gives me a small wave back before turning her attention back to Tool Bag. Red clouds my vision when I see her passing him a piece of paper. Her fucking number, I’m sure.

  I get in the front seat. Layla wastes no time in unzipping me and pulling me out through my boxers. Dipping her head down, she dives right in, giving me what she promised. We drive for about fifteen minutes, and then we’re back at The Atlantic.

  Layla sits up and wipes off her mouth. “Next time, you owe me.”

  I laugh and then zip up my jeans and buckle my belt. “Thanks for that. See ya later.”

  She climbs over the console to the driver’s side and then peels off. Is it douchey of me to let her blow me and get nothing in return? Probably. But to be fair, she agreed to it beforehand.

  I walk back in and am fucking ecstatic to see that Cam and Red aren’t talking to Carter anymore. As I approach the table, I see them sitting with the guys. Sweet. Fucking awesome. There’s one seat at the opposite end of the table, which just pisses me off. I don’t want these fucking meatheads hitting on her, and I’m all the way on the other end. I should have never left with Layla. But that’s just the selfish prick that I am.

  “You’re back, man! Bet you got a treat, didn’t ya?” Grady, one of our team’s defensemen, wiggles his eyebrows at me. “I hear that girl knows all kinds of tricks. Of course, you’re the lucky bastard to find out. That was pretty quick though, dude.”

  I glance at Cam and can tell she’s looking down at her hands, trying to pretend like she can’t hear this conversation. She seems bothered by the fact that I was with someone else, but why would she care?

  I’m not sure what comes over me, but I hear my own voice say, “Hey, Sunshine.”

  Cam looks up at me for a second. “Why do you call me that?” she snaps back.

  “Just do, I guess. Want me to stop?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she mumbles and then talks to Red about something.

  I know she just wanted to shut me up.

  I watch her when I think I won’t be caught. She has a tank top on that shows just the right amount of cleavage, and I notice how her chest rises and falls as she breathes.
I wonder how the fuck I am turned on again. That’s what this girl does to me. I have a feeling if I ever got my way and got her naked in my bed, I’d never let her leave. I couldn’t. Suddenly, I can’t wait to go and take a piping-hot shower to scald Layla’s presence off of me.

  I’m half-paying attention to Grady’s story about some party he went to a few weeks back, where he got busted with underage kids. He had been in the middle of fucking some girl, so he had to run bare-assed through the woods.

  That’s when Carter saunters over to Red and Cam. “Great news, ladies. You got the jobs. Come in on Sunday, and I will train you. I’ll text you the time sometime before then. Hope to see you tonight at the party.” With that, he winks and heads back over to the bar.

  “You got jobs here? Doing what?” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.

  Red does a drumroll against the table with her hands. “I’m going to bartend, and Cam will be waitressing! We’re going to kick ass.”

  Mason’s eyes narrow. “With that tool?” He nods over to the bar, where Carter is taking drink orders.

  “Mmhmm.” Red leans in. “You jealous, big boy?”

  “Big boy? You have no idea yet, baby, but you will.” He winks and leans closer to her.

  She laughs and swats him away.

  I roll my eyes. He doesn’t need a distraction either. He’s always been a flirt. But I have never seen him try so hard. Now that I think about it, he probably never has had to work for it. Maybe once she puts out, he’ll get over it. Right now, he seems a little smitten with her. And I haven’t seen him bring home one chick in the past few weeks, which is not normal for him. He’s a fuckboy.

  I feel my phone vibrate and look at it. It’s Mason.

  Mason: You mind if I ask the girls to come over? Cam and Red seem like a package deal, so I’d feel like an ass, only inviting Anna.

  Me: Go for it.

  Mason: Don’t sound so excited.

  Me: Would you hurry up and fuck her so that you can get your head back into football?

  I look up, and once he’s read it, he glances up at me and frowns. Then, he reaches behind Red’s head like he’s putting his arm around her and flips me off so that no one else sees. I lean back in my chair and cross my arms over my chest. I see him take his phone back out. I pick mine up because I know it’ll be a message to me. Probably some smart-mouthed reply.

  Mason: You’re just mad because you want Cameran. But you probably shouldn’t have gone off with Layla if you wanted a shot.

  I look at him, and he nods toward Cam. She is listening to one of Grady’s stories and is laughing so hard, she has to wipe her eyes. Damn it, I wish I could be the one making her laugh and shit like that.

  I look down at my phone and send him back the middle-finger emoji. Then, I put my phone back in my pocket.

  I hear Mason whisper into Red’s ear. She looks up at him and then peeks over at Cam.

  Then, she shakes her head. “Thanks, but not tonight. Maybe another night.”

  He grabs his chest and pretends to be in pain.

  She laughs and then gently slaps his shoulder. “You’re such an idiot.”

  Then, she looks at Cameran. “You ready to head home?”

  “Actually, I was thinking I might go check out the party Carter invited us to. He gets out at eight, so we can go to the dorm and get ready and then head there.”

  Red looks surprised but dramatically nods her head up and down as she responds, “Hell yes, girl!”

  “Nice. Can’t go to my house, but you’re going to tool-bag Carter’s.” Mason says it as a joke, but he’s my best friend, so I know he’s pissed off.

  “Well, my roommate isn’t much of a partygoer, so if she wants to go to a party, you bet your sculpted ass we’re going!”

  He rolls his eyes. “You could have gotten a better look at my sculpted ass if you’d said yes to coming over—and coming in general.”

  “Oh, shut it, you dirty dawg. I’ll pass.” She and Sunshine both start to get up and grab their purses.

  They put some money down, but Mason and I say at the same time, “Put that back in your pocket.”

  Cameran looks at me, confused almost.

  I shrug. “We ordered way more than you two. We got it.”

  She gives me a small, forced smile and then waves to the other guys. They are almost out the door when I look over and see she stuffed money under her cup for the bill. I grab it and run out the door.

  “Sunshine … forgetting something?” I yell to her.

  Ignoring me, she continues to follow Red to her Jeep.

  “You know what? Get your fine ass back here and take this money,” I yell to her again.

  “I don’t want it. I pay my own way. I don’t need some random guy buying me food. Thanks,” she snaps.

  Before she gets in the car, I grab her and spin her around to face me. She’s so close, I can feel her heart beating out of control. I push my hand into her back pocket. And cup her ass cheek, giving it a squeeze. Slowly tucking the money in there so that maybe she won’t know what I am up to. I can hear her breathing change, her perfect tits rising and falling against me. I look down at her, and she glances up at me, her pupils dilated. I know that look; she’s fucking turned on. I don’t know if it’s the realization of her wanting me or the fact that I’m holding her firm ass in my hand, but suddenly, I am painfully hard. She must feel me because her trance breaks. Her breathing is so fucking sexy.

  She backs up and gets in the Jeep. “I know you put the money in my back pocket. Why didn’t you bring Anna’s out too?”

  Red snorts. “I didn’t leave any money. Mason’s going to have to work hard to get into these panties.” She laughs and pushes a piece of gum into her mouth.

  I back up a few steps so that she can shut the door. After a moment of watching me, she does. I hold my hand up and salute her. She gives me a small wave back and then turns her head toward the road. And then they drive off, going to get all primped up for a fucking douche-bag party. I said no parties on nights we have early practice, but fuck it.

  I walk back into the restaurant, where the guys are paying their bills.

  “Change of plans tonight, boys,” I say and slap Mase on the back.

  “Fucking right. Let’s roll. I gotta go shave my nuts in case Red wants to get naked tonight.”

  We all groan.

  “Man, that’s too much information.”

  Cameran

  “Girl, you’re so turned on. Not that I blame you. That was so hot. Actually, come to think of it, I’m a little turned on over here too,” Anna says as she pretends to fan herself.

  I blush. “I am not. I was just … caught off guard.”

  I really wasn’t. But I was also so damn turned on that I had to clench my thighs together for some relief. The way he smelled was so intoxicating. But feeling his huge hand cupping my ass has had me thinking all sorts of dirty thoughts. And all of this is making me wish we had separate bedrooms in the dorm because I need to take care of myself before I combust. I also felt how large he is, and all I can say is, sweet baby Jesus. I’m almost scared.

  Then, I remind myself, he was just with that other girl, and he did nothing to hide the fact. Of course, she was gorgeous—only in a trampy sort of way. I don’t know what they did, but they clearly did something. When they walked by us, it was easy to see by her smirk that something was going down. The thought alone makes me want to vomit. Thinking of him with anyone else—his hands on anyone else, his mouth on anyone else—is too much.

  “Pfft, save it. You want him as bad as he wants you. You guys basically eye-fuck each other every time you’re in the same room. Like I said though, it’s very hot. I know I am making Mason work for it, but dear Lord, child, you should just let Trent give you one hell of a night.”

  “All right, Anna, I never open up to anyone. With good reason. But I am going to open up to you.” I take a deep breath. Reminding myself that she is my friend. She is a good person. “Okay, I ha
ve a pretty dark past. One I don’t want to share yet. But let’s just say, I don’t want a relationship right now. I can’t have a relationship right now. I feel like he would be someone who could make me feel semi-normal for once in my life. Then, I would probably, stupidly fall in love with him, and he’d leave me. And I would be back at square one. My shrink has even told me I am not ready to love anyone until I love myself. Yes, I see a shrink—weekly if I can swing it with my schedule. I’m all sorts of fucked up, Anna. Lindsay Lohan ain’t got nothin’ on me.”

  We pull into our dorm parking lot right as the last word leaves my mouth.

  She parks and unclips her belt, and then she turns her whole body to face me. She reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “Oh, Cam, I’m so sorry. But trust me when I say that we all have issues. Some might just be more noticeable than others. But I don’t want you to hide things from me. Not ever. I knew when we first met that we would become best friends, and we have despite my past experiences with friends. My best friend last year? I walked into our dorm room with her in bed with my then boyfriend. I would have missed out on an incredible friendship with you if I’d sworn off all chances of letting another girl into my life.” She takes a deep breath before continuing, “It’s okay to not want anything serious. Honestly, Trent isn’t known to be the serious type anyway. But I don’t want you shutting yourself off to fun and to feeling things. You’re young, you’re flipping gorgeous, you’re extremely intelligent, and you’re kind. You deserve to have things for yourself. I will always be here for you. I promise.” She wipes the tears from her eyes.

  “Thanks for sharing with me.”

  That must be why her friends and her had a falling-out. As much as I want to press her on it, I don’t want to push her too far, so I decide to let it go for tonight. I wipe my eyes and hug her.

  After thirty seconds of just holding on to each other, I lean away. “Okay, enough feelings for one day. Let’s go get beautified and then tipsy.”