Kira
Back at my apartment, both Gillian and Star’s bedroom doors are shut tight, no light coming from beneath either one.
Freaked, I call Ryan who picks up, his voice sleepy. “Huh?”
“Oh, Jeesh. I’m sorry, go back to sleep.” I forgot how early he has to get up.
“No, ah… Hold on.” A lamp clicks. “What’s wrong, Kira?”
“Everything.” A tear drips down my face.
“Is it me?”
“No, no. I went to see Knight.”
Sheets rustle and his bed springs creak. “Shit. I’m coming over. Did he hurt you?”
“No.” While I sink down onto the couch, a zipper closes on the other side of the line. Quest mumbles something and Ryan responds equally unintelligible.
Then, Ryan’s voice is back in my ear. “Where are you, Red?”
“I’m at m-my apartment. I got away.” With my knees to my chest, I begin to realize how the evening could’ve turned out and start to shake.
“Christ Kira. You sure you’re not hurt?”
It takes a minute for his words to sink in. “I kneed him in the balls, broke his nose, and ran like hell.”
“Say again?” In the background, a car door slams shut.
“I said I think I broke his nose. I took Karate as a kid.”
A car roars to life, tires squeal, and rocks ping on glass. “I’ll be there in a couple seconds. Did you call the police?”
“No.”
“Why the fuck not? Call 911.”
“I will. As soon as you get here. Don’t hang up. Please.” What if Knight retaliates? What if he’s filed a report on me? What were his last words? He’s gunning for me?
“Kira, talk to me. You there?” Ryan’s panicked voice sounds through my cell phone’s tiny speaker.
“I’m still here.” I read once that bullets can’t penetrate the thickness of the tub so I rush into the bathroom, lock the door, and huddle behind the shower curtain.
“Tell me what happened.”
I lean back and stare at a spot on the bathroom ceiling. “I offered to write a homework paper for him and he asked me to come over.”
“Shit, didn’t you read my text?” When Ryan’s tone grows tight and angry, I don’t answer.
Maybe because I’m being such a baby, my internal kick-ass shoulder angel decides to make an appearance. You want to be an investigative journalist?
How’s that going to happen if you fall apart with every little obstacle?
She disappears when a car door slams and someone pounds on my front door. “Kira, open up.”
I force myself out of the bathroom, through my living room and unbolt the lock. The door swings out and I’m pulled into Ryan’s warm chest, his big biceps wrapping safely around me. Closing my eyes, I let the tears flow and wet his shirt.
“Ah, darlin’, don’t cry.” He lifts me into his arms and sits with me on the couch, my legs across his lap.
He smooths my hair and pats my back like I’m a little kid until my sobbing stops. With an index finger under my chin, he forces my gaze to his. Concern lines crease his forehead and his upper cheeks still have the leftover black from his last game.
“What happened after you got to Knight’s?”
“He offered me champagne.”
Ryan hisses and my hands go to his cheeks. “I didn’t drink anything. Ever since I was roofied, I don’t drink unless I see the container opened in front of me.”
“Thank God.” He closes his eyes, relaxing his thigh muscles.
“I was scared and tried to leave but he grabbed me. I kneed him hard in the groin and think I broke his nose with my high heel.”
Ryan stands. “You need to call the police, tell them everything.”
I play the scene out in my head in fast forward and no matter what, I come out looking like the bad guy. “No. Think. He could turn it around and file charges against me.”
Cursing Ryan picks up his phone.
“Who are you calling?” I reach for his hand, ready to steal his cell if he says the police.
“Jeff. He’s my go-to-guy. He’ll know what to do.” Ryan retells my story, grunting a couple times to the guy on the other end.
Finally, he hangs up and I ask, “What’d he say?”
“He’s going to call a lawyer. Get changed. When he gets here, we’re going down to the police station.”
Chapter 16
Ryan
It’s morning by the time I get back to the dorm. I barely have time for a quick shower and to dress for practice. I’d love to sleep in but no way will that fly. Fuck, with no sleep it’s going to be a long day.
After practice, I trot to the only class I look forward to and text the coach.
“Heard you had a busy night.” CJ chuckles.
“Word gets around this campus fast.” I jog up the front steps.
“Jeff called me. Is your girl okay?”
My girl? The term takes me aback and I need a second to recover. “She’s fine. She kicked the shit out of Knight Walker, broke his pretty nose. But… I’m afraid he might take her to court.”
“Sounds to me like she had reasonable cause. You need stay clear of him, understand? Let the police handle it.”
I know he means well but he wasn’t there last night. He didn’t hear how the police made it sound like Kira was the aggressor. “They won’t do jack shit. It’s a he-said, she-said, and he’s the one with bruised balls and a busted nose. Besides, he’s a fucking celebrity.”
“So are you. If you want a spot in the NFL, do nothing. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about.”
I remember reading how before he met his wife, he was in an accident almost costing him his career. “I hear you.”
“One more thing. Mel wants to talk to Kira. I’m sending you her number. Have her call, okay?”
“I will. Thanks.”
In class, Professor Dufferson calls on me to give my speech. I find my notes, glance down, then head to the front of the room. Now, I’ve had microphones shoved in front of my face plenty of times and I got no issues talking about football. I guess it’s why he insisted I speak on something personal, any topic other than sports, especially football.
Glancing down at my notes, I clear my throat. “Good morning. As y’all probably know, I’m Ryan Finnegan and I’m a good ol’ boy from Texas.”
A couple kids chuckle so I grin and move along. “My brother’s real smart and went to Harvard. He has himself a law degree but when I get into trouble, he’s the last person I’d call. I guess some of you might think it’s a bit odd but you see, we’re not close. He thinks my life’s ambition is a pipedream and I guess I resent that. He believes I should get a degree in business and work in some office counting widgets or some such bullsh– stuff.”
I pace and glance at the professor who bobs his head for me to continue. “We fight a lot. He’s more like my dad. You know the type? Spare the rod, spoil the child? Heavy handed with a fist? Maybe it’s why I’m so tough on the field. I’m pretty used to getting beat up.” I sigh.
Maybe this shit is too personal to share. Four seats back, Kira beams. Damn, her smile just about does me in. She looks at me like no other girl ever has. It’s as if she sees through my bullshit, past my abs, and makes a touchdown right into my heart. Hell. At this moment, I do believe I am in love.
I’ve paused too long so glance down at my notes. “I’m not supposed to talk about football, so I won’t. I mean I just did a little, but that don’t count, right?”
The professor grins and I’m pretty sure I passed. So, I take a deep breath and chill. “About now, I should be getting to the point of my speech so here goes. Don’t let anyone convince you to turn away from your dreams. And if someone punches you, get up and show them you’re not staying down.”
Kira nods, her face beaming with pride.
“Go out there and be who you’re meant to be even if friends and family got other dreams for you. My dad thinks I ought to manage the
town’s Firestone store. My brother’s got higher ambitions. He thinks I could be an accountant for his firm. He went so far as to offer me a job when I don’t make the drafts.
I shake my head while the class snickers. “Okay. So, long story short, don’t sell out. Thank y’all for listening.”
I walk back to my seat, Kira squeezes my hand, and whispers, “You were great.”
The applause from the class is almost as good as a scoring a touchdown and after, I walk her outside, we pause for a moment before going in opposite directions.
“What’s your next class?”
“Journalism.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head back and forth. “I need to beg for an extension.”
“Why?”
“Knight’s lawyer. Apparently, if I so much as mention him, he’s taking me to court.”
“I thought you had proof someone took his SAT’s for him.”
“I did but today there’s an email in my inbox. My witness is retracting her statement. I got nothin’ now.”
I hide my relief and give her a hug. “I’m sure you’ll figure this out.”
“I hope so.”
“Oh, I almost forgot. I’m sending you Coach’s wife’s number.”
“What for?” Her eyes lift to mine, and I try to make like it’s no big deal.
“I think she runs some kind of self-help group for women.”
“Hmm… thanks. I might be able to use that.”
It wasn’t the response I was expecting but I got no time to ask. “I’ll text you later?”
“Miss you already.” She gives me a kiss on the mouth and it’s not enough.
Me and my cock sigh as her sweet behind sashays away. Then, I turn and do a fifty-yard dash to my next class, fucking statistics.
Chapter 17
Kira
I smile as I run to my next class. Later, I got an appointment with Ryan’s lawyer and will go down to the police station. I have no idea how I’ll afford him but maybe he’ll let me pay him off a little at a time for the rest of my life.
Outside of the classroom, my heartrate quickens when my advisor approaches. “Can I see you in my office?”
“I ah, have a class now.”
“It’ll only take a moment.” Her heels click on the linoleum and I follow her down the long hallway.
She opens the oak door and points to an overstuffed chair. “Please be seated.”
I sink down, inches from the floor while she climbs behind a glorious desk and peers down at me.
Holy shit, I am so screwed.
“I got a call from the college president this morning. It seems, if we don’t kick you out of school, the Walkers are going to renege on their huge donation. Would you care to explain how that could possibly be happening?”
I stand proud, remembering Ryan’s speech. It’s great to find my backbone is still intact. “Their son got into FSCU by fraud. I was going to do my journalism final on people like him who buy their way into college. Similar stories are all over the news. I thought it was a pertinent topic.”
My adviser pinches the bridge of her nose, sighs, and shakes her head. “Didn’t you think of the repercussions?”
Shoulder angel shouts back but I shut her down before she engages my mouth. The right body language to use in situations like these is to make a triangle with index fingers and thumbs.
I bring them in front of my mouth, give a pregnant pause, and begin. “I have several friends who received rejection letters from FSCU. They had very good SAT scores, real ones, not from a proxy, and excelled in many ways. What if they were left out because Knight Walker got in? Are you saying you’re okay with them getting the shaft?”
“Not everything is black and white, Ms. McKenzie.”
I sit as tall as I can while waiting for the death blow.
Dr. Meyer leans forward. “I assured the Walkers you will change the topic of your journalism final and apologize to their son.”
I jump up from my seat, heart pumping. “I am not apologizing. The man attacked me last night. He’s a predator.”
“Be that as it may, unless you have proof, you need to stay clear. His family has filed a restraining order. This is serious, Kira.”
I nod and bite my tongue while shoulder-angel has a fucking tantrum.
“Excellent. When can you have your new project notes to me?”
“Next week?” An idea forms, a grin spreads across my face, and the angel shoots me a high-five.
Later, my phone pings. It’s a text from Ryan to meet him at his dorm. I got an hour and a half free for lunch so send him a thumbs up.
After all I’ve been through, I deserve a large snack of hot quarterback. I take a shortcut through The Student Union which puts me in front of the player’s dorm and show my card at the front desk.
The young man grins and hands my ID back over the counter. “He’s waiting for you.”
“Thanks.” My face heats as I make my way through the all-male dorm where everywhere, guys in various stages of undress ogle me.
I tap on his door, it opens, and he’s wearing only a towel around his waist.
He pulls me inside. “We got to make this quick.”
“Agreed.” I pull my t-shirt over my head and kick off my sneakers while he drops his covering and jumps on his bed.
Struggling to get my tight jeans over my ass, I hobble across the room and sit, pants around my ankle. He reaches for a condom on the nightstand but I put my hand on his to stop him.
“While I was home, I went to the GYN.”
His eyes go wide. “Fuck. I’m clean. Want to see my results?”
“No, I trust you. Want mine?”
“Hell, no.” He grabs me and tips me onto my back while I try to kick off my jeans with my feet in the air.
Once free, I turn into his kiss. With his cock poking my stomach, I wrap my upper leg around his thigh.
“Ah fuck, Kira.” His fingers slip into my hair, his lips find mine, and he takes control.
My left hand runs up and down the ridges of his back while my right cups his rough cheek. Angling his head, he takes the kiss deeper, and slips his tongue into my mouth. I open for him and try to play but he’s on the offensive. Still kissing me, he turns me face up, straddles me, and takes both wrists into one hand over my head.
Warm wet lips work down my jaw and nip my earlobe. “I’m going to devour every inch of you.”
When his tongue slips into my ear, I spread my legs, already dripping for him. My core arches up and slides against his thickness. He groans and his free hand finds my hardened nipples. With each pull and pinch, my clit swells. Callused palms rasp across the tips and as he squeezes and plays, my head tosses side to side.
“Now, Ryan.”
“Open your eyes.”
I do and fall into this amber sunset that goes on forever. The dark centers widen, his nostrils flare, and he flips me onto my stomach.
I lift onto my hands and knees and with a finger to my clit, he enters and thrusts. Pure pleasure shoots through me, I scream and buck. He hisses, pulls out and slides in further as he circles my nub.
The pace too damn slow, I ride his hand and urge him on. “Fuck me, cowboy. Faster.”
His hands grip my hips as he drives into me repeatedly, each connection deeper than the last. I reach between my legs, find the back of his thighs and dig in my nails. A cross between a groan and a shout comes deep within his chest, he presses in, and we cum together.
Holy shit. I throb, he pulses and it goes on forever.
My knees weak, I collapse, and he pulls out for what seems like a whole minute, prolonging the last of my orgasm. Then, he slides onto to the bed next to me.
“I never had a woman, skin to skin.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear and I kiss his knuckle.
“Me neither.”
He chuckles. “Didn’t know you swung both ways.”
“I don’t.” I laugh, stretch, and place a palm on his cheek. “First for me, too. You are so amazing i
nside me.”
His cock stirs. “Darlin’, you keep talkin’ like that and I’m going to miss practice.”
He reaches onto the floor, grabs his still damp towel, and when he cleans between my legs, my heart takes notice. I’ve fallen for this guy so hard and wonder if he feels the same.
Finished with me, he wipes himself down, dresses in sweats and a loose t-shirt while I tug on my jeans.
“Ready?” He pulls me into his warm chest and I melt into his arms.
“Not really.” I stand on my tiptoes to kiss him once more.
In the hall, a couple of his teammates applaud as we walk out his dorm door. He shoves them good naturedly and outside, we kiss again.
“Kira?” His brows crease so I place a hand on his cheek.
“Yeah?”
“I’m falling for you, hard.”
“Same here.” My heart overflows and my chest is too small to take it all in, especially as he grins and hugs me tight.
“Hell, yeah!” He jogs backwards down the sidewalk toward the athletic field, smiling ear to ear.
Waving, I walk back to the Union where I make some calls. My witness, the girl who claimed she saw someone take Knight’s SAT’s, answers on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Joan.” I was going to leave a message and am a bit taken aback.
“I can’t talk to you. My mom said we can’t afford to get sued. I’m so sorry.”
“I understand and I apologize. I had no idea…”
“I figured. What’re you going to do about your class?”
“My adviser is allowing a few more days to change topics.”
“Okay, good. Well, goodbye and again, I’m sorry.”
Once she hangs up, I call Melanie Quinn, the coach’s wife. She says I can stop by right away so I call an Uber. Twenty minutes later, I’m sitting on a bench swing on her back porch, drinking sweet tea. The mid-afternoon sun shines down so I slide my butt to the left, under the shade of her big oak tree.
Melanie Quinn is no doubt, the nicest woman on the planet earth. No wonder everyone loves her. “What can I do for you, Kira?”
“I need help. I got myself in a bit of a bind.”
Her eyebrows raise, my face heats, and I laugh. “Not that kind. It’s my final project, for my major. I’m a journalist. Well, I will be… I hope. You see, I had a juicy story all planned out but this guy found out and threatened to sue. Not only that, his family is a big donor to FSCU and my advisor told me to stand down. Now, I only have a few days to do months of work.”
Misconduct (FSCU Pitbulls Book 1) Page 9