Player (What Happens on Campus Book 1)

by M L Sparrow

  Hanging into the banister so that she didn’t fall as they descended, Chloe scanned the foyer, which had been turned into a ballroom, looking for Parker. For a moment, she almost didn’t recognise him with his back to her, his hair cut short and his broad shoulders looking drool-worthy in a crisp black suit. Thankfully, he’d left his cap upstairs.

  Sensing her gaze, he turned and their eyes met, his hazels ones intense with a look she recognised all too well as he watched her walk towards him, the man he’d been talking to completely forgotten.

  “Wow,” he mouthed, holding out a hand for her to take when she was near enough and slowly spinning her around so that he could take it all in. “Sugar, you look…” trailing off, he shook his head wordlessly and rubbed his free hand over his mouth.

  Glowing with pride at the implied compliment, she leant forward to kiss him, the heels making her the perfect height. It was just meant to be a quick ‘hello’ kiss, but turned into something more. One hand cupping the back of her neck when she tried to move away, his other slide down to her lower back, pressing her closer to him until she could feel his body reacting to hers. All she’d have to do was press a little harder, maybe flick her tongue against his, or slide her hands up into his hair and he’d be hard as rock.

  Was it cruel that she was itching to torture him by doing any one of those things?

  Resisting the urge, she pressed her hands against his chest and eased them apart, taking a step back so that she could take a proper look at him all done up in his suit and tie.

  “You look like James Bond.”

  “Even with the love handles?”

  She couldn’t control the burst of laughter that erupted as he grinned down at her. “Yeah, baby, even with your love handles.”

  Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her into his side and kissed her forehead, before directed her towards the man he had been speaking to. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” Gesturing to the older man, he said, “Chloe this is Drew Mathews, he used to coach the Giants when Troy played. Mr. Mathews, this is my girlfriend Chloe.”

  Taking the hand he extended, she gave it a firm shake, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Miss,” he greeted, “your boyfriend’s very talented.”

  “You don’t need to tell me that.” Glancing up at Parker, she leant into him, a sudden rush of pride surging though her.

  God, she loved him, especially now when there was a mix of happiness and embarrassment on his face. She got the impression that he hadn’t received much praise growing up and didn’t really know what to do with it. That was something she’d have to change, she thought, because he deserved to know that he was a good guy, that he was talented and appreciated.

  “He’s going to make one hell of an NFL player one day,” she announced.

  “I believe you’re right.”

  The evening went by in a haze of soft music, champagne and conversation. Chloe knew it wasn’t something Parker felt comfortable doing but he did a great job of talking to all the sports people who approached him. When she could see he was getting bored of it all, she crossed the room and slid her arm through his, receiving a smile in acknowledgement.

  When their conversation reached a natural stopping point, she pulled on his arm to get his attention. “Come dance with me for a bit?”

  Some of the other men laughed, but it wasn’t mean or mocking; they found them were cute, young and in love.

  “You best go,” one of them commented, “I think your girl’s feeling neglected.”

  “It was good to meet ya’ll,” Parker said, shaking hands before turning around and guiding her towards where the other couples were dancing to the gentle strains of the violin and the husky sound of the singers’ voice.

  Pulling her into his arms, he murmured in her ear, “Are you feeling neglected, sugar?”

  “No,” she nuzzled her face into his shoulder, her arms creeping around his back and up to grip his shoulders as they swayed together, “I just thought you needed a break from mingling.”

  “Thanks,” he breathed against her ear, hot and intimate. They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, before he spoke up again, “This isn’t as fun as how we usually dance.”

  “I’m sure I can make it up to you later.”

  “Like a private show?”

  “Yep,” she grinned, kissed his neck, “but don’t get too excited just yet, the party’s not over.”

  “We could sneak off.”

  “Behave,” she grinned, slapping at his chest. “Besides, there’s a whole section of people you haven’t talked to yet.”

  Groaning, he dropped his head onto her shoulder, “Do I have to?”

  “Yes, but not until after this dance.”

  Two songs later, she pushed Parker off with a grin, before heading back towards Terri and Lorraine, who were talking to a small, smartly dressed man.

  As she approached, Lorraine held out her arms, exclaiming, “Here she is. Doesn’t she look stunning, Frank?”

  Realizing this was the man who’d supplied her dress, Chloe held out a hand for him to shake. “Thank you so much for lending me this dress, it’s absolutely beautiful.”

  “It’s my pleasure, dear,” he grinned over at Lorraine, “anything for my favourite client.”

  Whilst they talked, Chloe glanced around the room and caught sight of Riley. Wearing a short pink dress, far too short for a formal party like this, she was flirting outrageously with a Hispanic guy, who looked to be around their age. Upon closer inspection, she realized she knew him from campus. Cameron, the name came to her in a flash, the guy they’d met at the frat party with his drunk friend, the one who used to go to school with the twins.

  As she watched, Riley took his hand and led him upstairs. However, less than ten minutes later Cameron rushed back down the stairs, hair sticking up at odd angles and a steak of pink lipstick at the side of his mouth. That was quick…

  Excusing herself, she made her way over to him, making him jump guiltily when she appeared by his side and said, “You’re Cameron, right?” When he nodded, she continued, “Hi, I’m Chloe, Riley’s friend. Is she all right?”

  “I think so…” He frowned. “I’m not sure, she’s acting… strange.”

  “Yeah, I know,” she sighed, before glancing up to see Riley bounding down the stairs. “Go find a mirror and sort yourself out,” she advised him over her shoulder as she went to meet Riley at the bottom step. “Are you okay?” she asked her friend.

  “Of course,” she chirped, “why wouldn’t I be? This party is brill!” And with that, she waltzed off, over to a group of older men standing at the bar.

  Things finally wrapped up around 3 a.m. and Lorraine sent the staff home as soon as the last guest left, telling them they could come back to clean in the morning instead. Everyone was drooping, except for Lorraine, who looked as cool and collected as ever, and Riley who was totally wired, dancing around with a bottle of champagne in one hand, even though there was no music playing now that the band had left.

  “Riley, get a glass for that,” her mum reprimanded, “drinking out of the bottle is so uncouth.” Hands on hips, she looked around the room. Chloe looked too and was relieved to see that, unlike after a party at the university, the place wasn’t a total wreck. There were empty glasses here and there, but nothing was broken, which was always a good sign. Beginning to collect glasses, she gave a jaw cracking yawn, her eyes itching with tiredness.

  “Leave that,” Lorraine said, waving a hand at the stairs, “go to bed, kids. I hope ya’ll had a good time tonight.”

  Thanking the Murphy’s for a great evening, she said goodnight and headed upstairs, Parker and Jet doing the same before following behind her. Up in their room, she fell face first onto the bed, listening to the guys talking at the door.

  After a few minutes, the door clicked shut and the mattress dipped as Parker lay next to her, sprawled on his back. “Tonight wasn’t totally awf
ul.”

  “I thought it was good fun,” she said, turning her head to look at him. “Admit it, you had fun too.” An unwilling grunt in response. “Come on,” she patted his chest as she levered herself up and off the bed, “get your clothes off.”

  Eyes shooting open, he pushed himself up on his elbows, “You in the mood?”

  “Down boy,” she laughed, “I meant that you can’t sleep in your suit.”

  “Nah-ah.” Sitting up, he reached out and grabbed a handful of her dress, pulling her between his legs. “You woke the beast…”

  “Careful of the dress,” she warned around her laughter, as he rolled her onto the bed.

  “Don’t worry, it won’t be on long,” he promised in that deep rumble that sent a shiver down her spine and made her melt for him.

  Levering himself up over her, he gave her a soft, leisurely kiss which quickly turned into something more until they were both panting, clutching at each other in a desperate bid to get closer. Tongues, teeth and lips battled as her hips bucked uncontrollably against his, grinding their lower bodies together.

  His hands roved over her; they slid down her sides then forced themselves between her body and the mattress, grasping at the ties of her dress.

  “How the fuck…?” Parker growled against her lips, but before she could even catch her breath, he exclaimed, “Screw this. Can’t wait.”

  The next thing she knew her dress was being shoved up and her knickers yanked down. A startled cry escaped her at the first swipe of his tongue and she lurched upwards at the flash of sensation, but his hands kept her pinned for his exploration.

  Needing to see, Chloe pushed herself up on her elbows, only to find him still half hidden beneath the folds of her dress. The sight made her wet – she’d never be able to wear a ball gown again without picturing him beneath it getting her off – but it wasn’t what she wanted to see. Gathering the material in shaky fingers, she drew it up to her chest, revealing the top of his head as he lay between her thighs, his wide shoulders spreading her wide, kissing her down there every bit as passionately and ruthlessly as he’d kissed her mouth.

  Moaning, she fell back, clenching the silken material in her fists as her body began to spasm, waves of pleasure consuming her, making it impossible to think.

  As her orgasm rolled over her, Parker stood. His erection nudged against her opening and then he was pushing in, forcing his way through her orgasm, trusting hard and deep, in an erratic rhythm that told how close he was. The movement of his body inside of hers triggered another wave of pleasure and she cried out, releasing the dress to grip his shoulders, clinging to him for fear that she’d drown. Her second release triggered his and he buried himself deep, before collapsing on top of her.

  “There’s a zipper… down the… side…” she panted after a minute, once her brain had switched back on.

  His shoulders shook as he laughed against her neck.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Cuddled up behind Chloe, Parker watched the sunlight picking out the colors in her hair and creating dust motes. He’d forgotten to close the curtains last night and the rising sun had woken him, but Chloe was still fast asleep, her head on his arm and both hands clasped under her chin. Her lips were parted and she snored slightly; a result of her asthma, he guessed. At first it had been fucking annoying, but now he was used to it and found it kind of adorable – not that he’d ever tell her that.

  He thought he could hear people moving around downstairs and guessed the cleaners were already here. Not that he didn’t love having Chloe’s warm body snuggled up tight against him, but he was going to chew his arm off if she didn’t wake up soon. His stomach was starting to think his throat had been cut. Thanksgiving dinner had been amazing, much better than anything he’d get at home, and he’d eaten so much that he’d thought he was going to puke afterwards, but that fancy, midget sized food they’d been serving last night had been fucking awful. Maybe his tastes just weren’t refined enough, but he liked his fish cooked. As if on cue, his stomach snarled, demanding breakfast.

  Slowly, he tried to pull his arm free, easing it out from beneath her. Shifting, Chloe’s eyelashes fluttered and he froze, holding his breath until she rolled over. Sliding from the bed, he tucked the sheet around her once he was out, knowing that she liked to be snuggled up, no matter the temperature.

  Grabbing some clothes from his bag, he pulled them on and slipped from the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Heading downstairs, he nodded to someone from the army of cleaners as he passed the living room, heading to the kitchen.

  Hearing raised voices, he paused outside the kitchen door. Before he could decide whether to just go in, or back away, the door was thrown open and Riley came barreling out, face red with anger. She barely glanced at him as she barged past.

  Once he could hear her stomping up the stairs, he glanced into the kitchen to find Terri calmly flipping pancakes. “What was that?” he asked, stepping inside.

  “None of your damn business,” she snarled. Okay then, not so calm after all.

  Going to sit at the counter, he pulled a plate of pancake towards him. There was no cutlery to hand, so he picked one up with his fingers and took a bite. Fuck it was hot. Fresh out of the pan.

  “Hey, get your own.” Terri made a grab for the plate, but he moved it out of reach, taking another defiant bite, despite the fact it was burning his tongue. “Fine,” she muttered after a moment, still trying to glare him down, “it’s not like Riley’s going to eat them now. She’s probably pissed I didn’t add some Coke for flavor.”

  Turning to get something from a cupboard, she turned back around suddenly, jabbing an accusing finger at him. “Did you know my sister was on drugs?”

  “Riley always acts like she’s on drugs, so how can you tell?”

  She slammed the bottle of syrup down on the counter. A second later, she all but threw a fork his way and stormed out.

  He could already tell the car ride back tonight was going to be fun.

  The rest of the day was tense, to say the least. The twins spent the remainder of the Thanksgiving weekend snapping at each other and their mom spent it snapping at them for snapping at each other. Their dad didn’t really seem to care, which resulted in Lorraine saying that he was more interested in watching the re-runs of yesterday’s game than in his daughters.

  He, Chloe and Jet just tried to stay out of the way. It was nice, in a weird, twisted kind way, to see that other families fought as much as his, though no one in the Murphy family had yet to land a punch.

  It was a fucking relief to finally climb into the car that evening. Parker was taking the first shift, so he climbed in the front, all but pushing Chloe into the passenger seat before anyone else could get there.

  Chucking the last of the stuff into the trunk, Jet slammed it shut and slid into the back seat. “Really,” he hissed, “you’re putting me in the back with them?”

  “Just don’t sit in the middle,” Parker advised.

  “If you don’t sit in the middle, they’ll kill each other before we hit the motorway,” Chloe argued.

  “Highway,” both Parker and Jet corrected immediately.

  “Whatever,” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Either way, if they sit together there’s going to be bloodshed.”

  They all watched through the windscreen as the twins said goodbye to their parents, before heading towards the car. Unfortunately for the Jet, the decision of where to sit was made for him, as Terri and Riley both headed for opposite sides, without even glancing at each other.

  Watching Riley closely as she walked towards the car, he decided she probably hadn’t had a hit today. Thank fuck. He wasn’t sure he could stand being in an enclosed space with her while she was high as a kite.

  As the door opened and the girls got inside, he heard Lorraine yell, “See you at Christmas!”

  Terri’s door slamming shut made the whole car rock. “A whole week trapped on a boat,” she muttered sarcastically, “great fun.”
<
br />   For a moment, there was an awkward silence as Parker put the car into gear and began down the driveway, then Jet spoke up, leaning forward between the seats, “I’m going home to New York for Christmas, what are you guys doing?”

  “Home,” Parker grunted. He didn’t want to go, he never did, but every year he went back anyway, even though he hated it. It was like he was a fish caught on a hook, they let him get so far, before reeling him back in.

  “What about you, Chloe?” Jet asked, “You flying home?”

  “Oh, no. I can’t afford to, not for only a week anyway. I thought I’d just hang out on campus,” she answered brightly. Too brightly. He knew her well enough by now to know when something was wrong.

  Glancing over at her, he realized what a fucking idiot he was. Of course she was upset; her family was across the Atlantic and everyone she knew here was abandoning her over Christmas. He hadn’t even considered what she might be doing over the holidays. It had never occurred to him that she might be upset about not getting to see her parents.

  It was weird for him to think that not everyone wanted to avoid their families.

  “You can’t spend Christmas on your own,” Jet protested, jabbing him in the ribs when Chloe glanced the other way.

  Shoving back an elbow, which almost nailed his friend in the nose, Parker shot him a scowl over his shoulder.

  He didn’t want Chloe to be alone over Christmas, damn it, but he didn’t want to take her home with him either.

  His mom had told him his old job at the pizza place had an opening over the holidays and he was hoping to get some hours in whilst he was back. He couldn’t pass up money; he might have a full scholarship, but that didn’t pay for clothes, books, gas money or anything else.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck. If he could bang his head against the steering wheel without making a complete jackass out of himself, he would.

  “You can come with me,” the words erupted out of his mouth all at once, in a harsh kind of bark that made him wince.

  Turning to look at him, Chloe studied his face for a moment, before turning back to the window. “Let’s talk about this later.”