Wayne watched him go and cringed when I caught him.
“Nice ass,” I noted.
“Yeah. Hockey players have the best butts. All muscular and round and—” He stopped and studied me. “Are you going to add him to your list of conquests?”
“Probably not. I don’t want the hassle of the aftermath since I live in the same house with him.”
“And Gage.” Wayne almost smiled. I was a heartbreaker, a screw-’em-and-leave-’em girl. Gage was the only guy I had multiple repeat performances with, and I couldn’t seem to shake those memories from my mind, while the others were distant recollections.
“How did you spend your summer, Lis?” Wayne maneuvered the conversation away from butts and sex to something safer.
I wasn’t sure whether to give him the partial truth, whole truth, or nothing close to the truth. I decided partial was best, in case I let something slip later. “I spent it in Europe with family.”
“Oh, that’s right. You guys are loaded.”
He had no idea. If he thought I’d been loaded before…
I shrugged, somewhat embarrassed. My mom had family money and my stepdad had been like a half-a-billionaire. I’d enjoyed the benefits over the years, including indulging my horse habit. Horses were my solace, my savior, and my heart. The one thing I loved most outside my family was horses.
“What did you do?” I asked Wayne.
“Worked for my dad’s company as a go-fer. It was perfectly boring. I couldn’t wait for classes to start again.”
I nodded. “Carry the salad out, would you?”
He disappeared with the large bowl of greens and returned for the noodles. I followed him with the sauce. The boys were already sitting at the table, every pair of eyes riveted to the bowl containing the sauce.
“Damn, that smells incredible, Lis. Will you marry me?” Easton grinned at me, and I patted his back.
“I’m not the marrying type, Easton.”
He held his hands to his heart and gave me a sorrowful puppy-dog look.
“Let’s eat,” Gage said tersely. I swung my gaze toward him. His jaw was set stubbornly, and his eyes were hard and cold. That intimidating gaze was levelled directly at Easton, who merely blinked at him. Hockey players were notorious for their game faces, and I doubted Gage intimidated him.
Mason reached for the bowl of spaghetti, and the melee began as the guys filled their plates, all talking at once, mostly about football practice.
“I saved you a seat.” Easton patted the chair next to him.
Ignoring the heat of Gage’s glare, I sat down. “Thank you. That’s so considerate of you.”
“We non-football players have to stick together.”
Wayne had managed to wedge his chair between Mason and Easton and launched into a discussion with Easton about Tyee’s hockey team. I had no idea Wayne was a hockey fan. He’d never mentioned it before.
“Hey, move over,” Gage said to Logan sitting on the other side of me. Logan shot him a look of irritation, then frowned. Without a word of complaint, he moved down a chair. Gage slid in next to me.
Odd, to say the least. Logan was a tough guy who never backed down, but for some reason, he let Gage have his way. In fact, as I watched the guys, they deferred to Gage by tiptoeing around him and not wanting to set him off. Something had happened recently for them to treat him with kid gloves when normally they were as brutal as hell to each other, like a bunch of rowdy brothers.
Next to me, Gage squeezed my thigh. Instead of removing his hand, he kept it there. “Good spaghetti.”
“Thanks.” I kept my gaze on my plate, not wanting to look at him for fear I’d encourage him. I wrapped my fingers around his wrist, ignoring the electric shock his touch sent shooting up my arm, and moved his hand to his own thigh. “Keep it there.”
He turned his head and met mine. “I’m not giving up that easily.”
“You’re wasting your time.”
“You’ve never been a waste of my time.”
“Gage, there are tons of other women dying to be your sex partner. Leave me alone.”
Logan watched us with interest, finished chewing his food, and threw in his unwelcome two cents. “I hear there’s an entirely new cheerleader squad this year. Time for us to work our way through them.”
Gage nodded curtly. “Yeah, of course.” He sounded as enthusiastic as I did when brussels sprouts were served as the only veggie.
“This spaghetti is the best I’ve ever fucking had. Great job, babe.” Easton winked at me, and I beamed at him.
“She’s not your babe.” Gage growled the low threat.
Easton measured him with his eyes, like a guy would take stock of an opponent to see if he’s worthy. He scratched the back of his neck, glanced at the other guys, who were all digging into their plates and not saying a word. “Maybe I want her to be.”
“Want someone else.” Gage’s blue eyes flashed with anger—kill-you-and-bury-your-lifeless-body-in-the-backyard kind of anger.
“Don’t see where it’s any of your business. Is it, Lis?”
“Not in the least.” I shot Gage a scathing glare. He swallowed and gazed down at his plate.
“Let me take you out Friday night,” Easton offered hopefully.
I opened my mouth to turn him down, but Gage needed to be taught a lesson. “I’d love to.”
Beside me, Gage stiffened. He pushed back his chair with such force it slammed to the floor as he shot to his feet. “I have somewhere I need to be.” He stalked from the room, and no one said a word for the longest time.
Busybody Wayne finally glanced up. “What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s being a dick because he’s spoiled and can’t have what he wants.” Mason rolled his eyes, not having patience for Gage’s bullshit.
“And he wants Alisa?” Easton asked.
“Oh, hell yeah. He’s been really into her since he met her and won’t admit it. This is getting to the point of ridiculous.”
“He’s not into me. It’s all physical with us. That’s the gist of it.”
Mason put his hand to his mouth and coughed. Logan snorted. Wayne and Mason laughed out loud. Easton cocked his head at me. “You and Gage?”
I shrugged. “We’re just friends.”
More coughing, laughing, and snorting.
“Hey, whatevs. So, we’re still on for Friday night?”
“Absolutely,” I said with conviction. Gage didn’t control who I went out with, and he needed to learn that lesson quickly now that we were living under the same roof. I’d made a big mistake moving in here. My family could afford something more private, but I’d been concerned about possible safety issues, didn’t want a bodyguard, and my new family had only agreed after I’d convinced them I’d be surrounded by big, strong athletes. Funny how they hadn’t considered the downside of me living with all these guys any more than I had.
Chapter 4—Just Friends
~~Gage~~
Alisa was going out with that asshole hockey player. I couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t fathom what she saw in him compared to me. I knew her rep for breaking hearts and sauntering away while leaving men groveling at her feet. Now I was one of the grovelers, vying for any scrap she might throw my pathetic direction.
My life was going to shit from football and personal to academic. I probably wouldn’t graduate. I couldn’t come back and finish because I had no money. What a difference a year made. Last year I was flying high, big man on campus. All the guys wanted to be me, and the girls wanted to be with me. I had it all.
Then I didn’t.
I flopped on the couch in the living room and checked my watch. She should be coming downstairs any second for her date. The jealousy ate at me from the inside out. Somehow in the back of my deluded mind, I’d always seen myself with her in the end. Once I’d made it in pro football and truly had the money everyone thought I had now. A girl like Alisa would never settle for a guy who had nothing to offer. Right now, that was me.
“Yeah?” I said grumpily, in no mood to play games with him.
“Are you okay with this?” To his credit, he honestly sounded concerned.
“She and I don’t have anything going. Why would I care?”
“You obviously do care, dude.”
I glared at him. He looked back, his expression completely benign.
“She’s free to go out with whoever she pleases. Leave it at that.”
“Whatever you say.” He shrugged.
Alisa sashayed into the living room at that very moment as if on cue. My heart caught in my throat, and my dick stood at attention. God, she was stunning in a pink mini with a flowered, formfitting top that scooped low in front. I swallowed and licked my lips.
“You are fucking beautiful.” Easton stumbled toward her as if his feet forgot how to take steps. I wanted to beat the bastard to a pulp. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, I forced my gaze away from the happy couple and back to the television. I couldn’t have told you what was on it, but at least I looked as if I was watching it.
“Good night. Don’t wait up for us.” Easton’s laughter followed him out the door.
“Fuck you,” I muttered, unable to prevent my gaze from straying to the two of them as they walked close together down the sidewalk toward the street where Easton’s compact car was parked. They were laughing and talking like they were having the time of their lives.
I was dying inside. Their obvious interest in each other was killing me slowly, like shallow stabs to my gut.
Alisa was supposed to be a hookup. We’d had a good time last year. The sex had been epic. Her body was exceptional. The things she did to me were mind-blowing. Only there was something else, and I’d refused to acknowledge that something last year. Her refusal to have sex with me was only part of it. She’d been my go-to person, someone I’d leaned on, and I hadn’t even realized it.
I watched as Easton opened the car door for her and helped her into the passenger seat. He shut the door behind her smiling face and hurried to his side and got in. They didn’t leave immediately, but I couldn’t see what they were doing because of the tinted windows. I dug my fingernails into my thighs. Were they making out already? My blood boiled in my veins. She was mine. Damn it. Not his. Yet I had no claim on her. Never asked for one. Never made anything permanent, despite her having been there for me day and night when I lay in that hospital bed. I’d thanked her by leaving and not contacting her once.
No wonder she was done with me.
I’d never asked her out on a real date.
I’d never considered she might want to date me. Perhaps that’d been my fatal mistake.
~~Alisa~~
What was I doing on a date with Easton? He was a genuinely nice guy and my roommate. Last year, I would’ve hooked up with him because he was hot. This year, I’d sworn off hookups. I had to do so, as the soon-to-be-revealed Princess of Cuthbert. I’d begged the royal family to wait until I graduated from college with my bachelor’s in art history, which was the end of this quarter.
Besides, random hookups didn’t do it for me anymore. God know I’d tried a few times to purge Gage from my head, but nothing worked. I couldn’t go through with it, and I compared every guy to Gage.
Just as I was comparing Easton right now. He was a brawny guy with the big thighs and muscular ass of a hockey player I’d admired countless times. Gage was taller and leaner. More like a gazelle compared to an elk. Gage had always been the charmer, the golden retriever of the group. He didn’t seem to be golden this year but more along the brooding lines. I wasn’t sure about Easton. He was always ready with a smile and a dumb joke. He seemed comfortable in his own skin, where neither Gage nor I ever were if the truth be told. That underlying insecurity had been what had endeared him to me.
The waitress delivered a pizza to our table, and we ordered another round of beers. One beer wasn’t enough to give me a buzz, and no amount of alcohol could change my present position. Not only was I hooked on Gage, but I had to behave like a royal in order to prove my worthiness to the rest of my new family. My father, Prince Bennett, had hired a team of PIs to investigate my past. I’d been properly chastised for my escapades, applauded for my ability to sit a horse, and forbidden to do anything that would shame the family, which pretty much wiped out all my past vices.
“Alisa, you haven’t heard a word I’ve said.” Easton studied me over the rim of his beer glass.
“I’m sorry,” I said simply. He’d caught me, and I might as well own up to not listening to him.
“This isn’t going to work, is it? Logan and Mason warned me that you were still hung up on Gage, and I can already tell you’re not into me.”
“Easton, I’m—” I shrugged, unable to explain all the shit I was going through.
“I get it. It’s fine. Friends, okay?”
I nodded. He really was one of the good guys. Too bad my heart and my body were wrapped up in one of the bad guys. “Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. I get it. You guys have history. Must be hard living in the same house.”
“You have no idea. We’re friends.”
“Definitely friends.” He grinned at me, showing a deep dimple in his left cheek. The girls on campus were going to be all over this guy come hockey season. He wouldn’t be lacking for female company.
“I hope Gage realizes how lucky he is.”
“It’s complicated.” I didn’t want to go into details of our weird non-relationship last year. The less said, the better. “I’m going through some life-changing stuff right now, and I think dating isn’t a good idea for me. It has nothing to do with you.”
He sighed heavily. “That’s what they all say.”
“I can’t believe women tell you that.”
“You’d be surprised, Alisa. Very surprised. I seem to know how to pick ’em.” His smile was wry, and his eyes were sad. I wanted to know why, but I didn’t press.
“I’m here if you ever want to talk,” I said with utmost sincerity.
He reached across the table for my hand and squeezed it affectionately. “Same here. I think you’re hiding something, and it’s killing you.”
“Not hiding exactly. It’s a secret I don’t have the rights to reveal. It’s out of my hands.”
He frowned, looking as confused as I felt. “Okay.”
I gently extracted my hand from his. “I’m thankful for a friend like you.”
“And so am I.”
My only date of the year ended on that note. As I’d been conditioned to do, I glanced around for cameras as we left the pub but found none.
Chapter 5—It’s Over
~~Gage~~
I sat on the bench and watched the game unfold on the field, itching to be out there myself. It was our first game of the season against a smaller college not part of our division, not much of a contest for us.
I’d studied the playbook to the point where I was dreaming about it. Every evening, Mason and I had practiced routes. Even though Mace was a running back, he made one hell of a wide receiver. He was fast and had great hands. The guy also had an uncanny ability to be where you were throwing the ball.
Meanwhile, Braxton took on my MO for the past four years. He was partying it up and rarely slowed down, yet he was still better on the field than I was, as much as I hated to admit it.
In practice, I couldn’t shake my fear of being hit. Every time a big defensive back or linebacker barreled toward me, I ducked and slid to the ground, even if I had a ready target.
I didn’t deserve to start. Brax still had that I’m invincible vibe going on. The one I’d lost and couldn’t seem to get back, the one that made me both admire and detest him.
I was a hot mess. The one light on my dreary sch
ool year so far was that Alisa’s date with Easton appeared to be a one and done. There wasn’t any indication they were more than friends, and no more nights out together.
Shit, I could use a night out. Party till I passed out. Forget all this crap.
After college I had zero future. I wasn’t graduating. My grades were too shitty for that. For four years, I’d skated by as the star quarterback. My only hope was to enter the draft and get picked up or walk on a team next fall. Sitting on this bench wasn’t increasing my value any.
My life wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was going to a big shot making big money and taking care of my family. I’d be rescuing my mom and dad from working themselves to death and my brothers and sisters from everything that went with being poor kids without a chance.
I needed an injection of confidence. I needed to get my brashness back. I needed to find my mojo.
Most of all, I needed her. I hated to admit it, but I needed Alisa.
Only she didn’t need me.
Coach slapped me on the back, and I jumped, startled out of my pity party. “Get in the game. Brax is going to the locker room for an equipment malfunction.”
I fumbled around for my helmet, pulled it on, stumbled over a lineman, and ran onto the field.
The guys watched me from the huddle. The very team who’d looked at me as a savior once now looked at me with nervousness and mistrust. They expected me to screw up.
My first play of the year was an interception run back for a touchdown.
Back to the bench I went.
I was striking out at everything I did, and I wasn’t even a baseball player. The two things I was good at, women and football, eluded me. Alisa avoided me or treated me like a brother. I didn’t feel the least bit brotherly toward her. Not at all.
I wanted to fuck her brains out and forget the mess my life had become.
I’d squandered my education, the one sure thing I could’ve gotten out of all this. I’d changed majors too many times and taken minimum loads to maintain eligibility in classes that didn’t get me anywhere, and now I was looking at no degree, no job, no Alisa.
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