Breakaway (Pro-U #1)

by Ali Parker

  "Come with me to Washington, or tell me to stay with you in Providence. I can't be without you. I need you, Aubrey." I brushed my lips down the side of her neck. "I love you."

  She mumbled something and snuggled back against me before letting out a soft snore.

  I laughed and curled up tighter, forcing myself to save the conversation for when she was awake.

  *

  "What time is the game?" Aubrey's shoulders were drawn back with tension as she sat across from me at the breakfast table.

  The other players were gathered around the buffet table, piling their plates high as we sat at a table for two so we could spend some time just the two of us.

  "It's at four this afternoon." I let out a short sigh. "I know you need to get home. What time is the next flight out of here?"

  "I'm going to rent a car. I need to be home by three to make sure I make it to the audition at four." She let out a sigh that hurt my heart to hear. "I don't want to go. I want to see you win the championship."

  "We'll record it. I don't want you to miss your try-out."

  "No. I'm not going. Fuck it." She pressed her fingers to her eyes and took a shaky breath. "I've been waiting all damn year to see this."

  "Baby, listen to me... you've done a great job with this team and all these groupies that follow us everywhere. Today is about you too. You need to get this part for you. Not to prove anything to McCraven or your mom, but to remind you of the insane amount of talent you have. I've watched you dance when you thought no one was watching." I reached across the table and tugged her hand down as a few tears came with it. "You're so beautiful and free. Don't give that up for anything."

  "I don't want to miss your win." She pulled her napkin out of her lap and wiped at her face angrily.

  "And I don't want to miss yours, but you can watch mine tomorrow night while you're sitting in my lap naked on my couch." I lifted my eyebrow as she laughed through her tears. "Take Layla with you and get back to Providence. I want to sit at the front of the spring production and see you front and center where you belong. Don't give that up for anyone."

  "Okay," she mumbled and picked up her juice as her hand shook. "How was the meeting last night? Did you agree to their terms?"

  I laughed and shook my head. "Have we talked about it?"

  "No. I don't think so." She looked genuinely confused. "Did we?"

  "No, baby. I just meant that, of course, I didn't agree to anything or sign anything. You and I haven't talked about things yet. I got the information and we can look it over and make some decisions."

  "Lucas. This is your decision. I don't-"

  "Woman. I've told you for the last time that I want you in my life. We'll work through the details of this next year, but enough with trying to make me look at this like a single man. I'm not, nor do I want to be." I reached over and brushed my thumb over her lip. "Come here and make out with me a little before you leave."

  "Right here, in the restaurant?" She got up and moved over to my side of the table, melting me. Even while questioning if it was the right thing to do, she did it because I asked her to. We would figure out the future. I had no worries about it anymore.

  *

  "This is it. We're tied and we have one minute on the fucking clock." I glanced around at my guys.

  Geoff coughed and blood dripped from his lip. "I gotta sit down. I think I broke a rib in that last hit."

  I moved off the ice with him and pointed to Jayce. "Coach. Let him come in."

  "We need a winger, not a forward." Coach glanced around and looked back at me.

  "I'll wing. Let Jayce play forward." I nodded and motioned for Jayce to join us. "Come on, Moore. It's your time to shine."

  "No. It's your time to shine." Coach pulled my jersey hard and pressed his forehead to mine. "This is the last fucking play of your senior year. You can't give this up."

  "Why not? I already know who I am. Jayce needs to figure it out, doesn't he?" I bumped my head against coach’s and moved back. "Jayce, you're center. Get ready for the breakaway."

  "What?" Jayce's eyes grew wide. "No, man. This is it. This is the game play."

  "Yeah, buddy, and it's yours." I popped him on the shoulder with my stick and moved over to play left winger as the announcer's voice blasted over the stadium.

  "Now there's something you don't see every day. Senior Captain Lucas White, number twenty-three is giving up the game play to his junior protege. That's the true sign of a leader there folks. Keep that name handy in your list of up and coming guys for the NHL. This kid is going places."

  I smiled over at Jayce as he called my name. "Focus. Take the win and focus."

  The guy in front of me laughed, and I turned and tilted my head to the side a little. "Hey. I know you. I fucked your sister last year at this tournament. Is she here today?"

  I looked up at the stands as if searching for something.

  "Fuck you, asshole," he growled loudly and tackled me, losing fifteen seconds on the clock and gaining himself a trip to the penalty box.

  "Let's go." The new opponent lowered himself in front of me and smiled. "Nice what you did for that kid over there."

  "Someone did it for me once too. Ready to get your balls handed to you?" I winked at him as the biscuit hit the ice and we took off. I pushed my guy hard and forced him against the wall.

  "Go, Moore. Go, kid!" Coach was screaming from the sidelines and the fans were going wild as I put my shoulder into my guy and turned in time to see Jayce break away.

  "Come on, Jayce. Top left corner," I mumbled and pushed my guy one more time as Jayce positioned himself for the win. He lifted his stick and smacked the puck with force I'd yet to see him use. It went in and the stands went wild.

  We raced toward him and wrapped him in a circle tightly as we jumped around.

  "And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. For the fourth year in a row, Lucas White has led his team to a victory! Coach Billows has to be beyond proud of this kid and all the kids that played like warriors beside him. The Providence Friars are our 2016 National Champions!"

  The noise around us was almost deafening. I tried to get everyone to hoist Jayce up on their shoulders, but Jayce overpowered me and muscled me up instead. They chanted my name, and I lifted my arms in the air and glanced around, missing the only person in the world I wanted to impress.

  Aubrey.

  Chapter 36

  Aubrey

  "You ready?" Layla brushed her hands over my hair as her eyes moved around my face, inspecting me one last time.

  "Absolutely." I smiled. "Make sure you keep your phone on you. The guys will finish up while we’re here and you know I can’t have my phone. I want to know if they won." I let out a slow breath and leaned over, stretching one more time.

  "You sure about the dance routine you chose?" She held up a thumb drive that I'd given her earlier. "I could easily give them this one..." She lifted a different one and smiled. "It has that beautiful Mozart piece on it that's just classic ballet. You know McCraven is going to give you hell over this one." She shook the first drive at me.

  I laughed. "I don't care. I'm not a classical ballerina, Layla. If they don't like what I have to offer, then they can choose someone else to perform the solo and take the lead. If I've learned one thing over the last few months, it's that I have to be myself."

  She put the second thumb drive back in her pocket and nodded. "I'm proud of you, either way."

  "Good. I'm glad you're here with me." I reached out and pulled her into a hug. "Oh, did you get to talk to Teri at all? Did she find out anything?"

  "Yeah. It's Geoff's baby. He's going to help her raise it and they're going on their first date next week." Layla blushed. "It's so fucking cute it almost melts my heart. Almost."

  "You're such a cynic." I turned as the curtains closed and the girl before me jogged off the stage.

  "Break a leg, or don't or, I don't know. Do good. I love you." She touched my face. "I'll be right up front where I always
am."

  I nodded and turned as Professor McCraven moved toward me. "Are you ready?"

  "Yes, ma'am." I nodded and lifted my chin a little.

  "There are four judges in the audience. Most of them enjoy modern dance far more than classical ballet, but I assume you knew that?" She gave me a sideways glance that said she already had me figured out.

  I laughed softy. "Did you know that I was mixing the two?"

  "Of course I did." She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I know you well enough to know that you're not one to follow the rules for more than a few moments at a time."

  "Well, thank you for not kicking me out of the audition."

  "Why in the world would I do that?" she scoffed. "You're my best dancer, now, get out there and show them what we're both capable of."

  I nodded and moved past her and walked to the center of the stage to get into position. My feet were doing much better, but there was one difficult move I had to do in the middle of the performance that would push me to my limit. It was too beautiful not to try though.

  The curtain lifted and I bent down as I listened for the soft violin that started my piece. I thought of Lucas and the struggle he seemed to be winning where his brother's death was concerned as the music started. Some part of me knew that I needed to focus on the next move in my routine, but I'd never been strict in dance. In all other areas of my life, yes, but in my routines? Never.

  The music pushed me from one side of the floor to the other and I gave myself over to it. The fear of losing Lucas drove me to dip deeper and jump higher, as if my willingness to give myself over to the moment would save us.

  I positioned myself to spin from one side of the stage to the other and pretended as if my brother were on the other end, holding out his hands and laughing like he'd been doing since we were kids. He was always my focal point when I'd tried directional spins as a young dancer. He jacked me up far more than he helped, but he was there nevertheless, and he always would be.

  A smile lifted my lips and I moved into the last sequence and faced the crowd for the giant finish. Layla's eyes were filled with tears and the smile on her face gave me comfort. I lifted on my toes and gave it my all as the music swelled to impossible heights. I loved Lucas White, but I loved dancing as well. There would need to be a compromise between us somehow, but there would be. I had no doubt.

  I dropped to the floor dramatically as the music ended and the students in the auditorium went wild. I stayed there, panting softly until the curtain closed.

  "Bravo. That was magnificent!" McCraven moved up and wrapped me in a hug. "I couldn't have done it better myself, Aubrey. Beautiful. Just beautiful."

  It meant a lot to hear it from her, but it didn't mean the world. The fact that I was proud of myself did.

  *

  "If we could have all of the dancers on stage please. We'll be announcing parts for the spring production." McCraven clapped her hands and looked down her nose at all of us as she stood on the edge of the stage.

  "That means me." I glanced over at Layla and smiled. We'd been sitting there for three hours, trying to get through the rest of the performers. Some had done just as good, if not better, than me, so my confidence had waned over the evening.

  I moved into line with the other dancers in the company and walked up the stairs. We filed onto the stage, and I avoided standing too close to any of them. They all knew I was an Ice Queen, or Queen Bee as the boys called me, and had unfortunately assessed that I was nothing more than a whore. It was sad, but not enough to sway me to change anything. It was an unfair assessment - a judgment that didn't fit me, and yet I would stand beside Lizzy or Teri through anything they had in their future without flinching. I belonged to both worlds.

  "Let's start with supporting roles." McCraven worked her way down the clipboard until she came to the lead role. "And now, for our lead role and solo in the spring production of Cats."

  The crowd buzzed, and my stomach tightened. I glanced down to find the front row full of beat up hockey boys and Ice Queens. Lucas was in the middle of all of them, his eyes locked on me, his smile loving and sexy.

  "Congratulations to Aubrey Moore." McCraven turned and winked at me. "I knew she could do it."

  The place erupted as I moved down off the stage and into the arms of my friends. We laughed and jumped around like the rowdy bunch of idiots we were.

  "Good job, baby." Lucas pulled me to the side and leaned down to steal my breath with a kiss. I pressed into it and wrapped my arms tightly around him.

  "Did you win?" I moved out of his arms and into my brother's as Jayce reached for me.

  "We did. Well, Jayce did." Lucas smiled and patted my brother on the back.

  "What?" I glanced up at Jayce.

  "Yeah, your boyfriend here decided to give me the winning shot." My brother’s smile widened. "He's a good guy. I guess you can date him if you want."

  "Too late." I moved back toward Lucas and snuggled in against his chest. "Can we go celebrate all of this?"

  "Yep. Lizzy already called Mersky’s and they have a table set aside for all of us. Do what you need to do and let's go." Jayce moved over toward Layla as I glanced up at Lucas.

  "Are you happy with the way the game went?" I lifted to my toes and brushed my nose along his.

  "Yeah, but there was one thing missing." He kissed me softly a few times as he brushed my hair back. "And I realized today that it was the most important thing in my life."

  "Oh yeah? Tell me what it was." I kissed him again as butterflies danced in my stomach.

  "You." He cupped my face and smiled. "We need to decide what we're doing this next year while you're finishing up school. Either you're transferring to Washington, or I'm telling the Caps no." He kissed me again.

  "Or we're going to make this work from a distance because your dreams and my dreams are equally important." I ran my hands up his back. "I think we like each other enough to try the long-distance thing out. I'm not going anywhere, and you're not either."

  He smiled and tilted his head to the side a little. "I do like you a lot, but it's so much more than that. I want you in my life for as long as I'm living it. I need to find healing beside you and grow into the man you need me to be. I want to be a daddy to our kids and a good man to you as my woman."

  Tears blurred my vision as I choked on a soft sob. "Does this mean that you'll always be the one to touch the bugs?"

  He laughed as tears filled his eyes too. "Yes, baby. I'll always be the one to touch the bugs, and anything else you need me to do. I love you with all of me, and I have since the moment I saw you at the Spring Bash your freshman year. Remember you tried to kiss me that night? Such a hooker."

  I scoffed and moved back. "I didn't try to kiss you. You tried to kiss me!"

  "Right. I'd almost forgotten." He laughed and pulled me in tight. "Tell me you love me too."

  "I do. I love you so much." I lifted up and pressed myself to him, losing my concerns in the strength of his arms.

  We'd figure things out like we always did.

  Together.

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  Jacob Wright is president of the largest fraternity on campus, and he’s known as a lady killer, and a bit of a slut. He wears his badges proud and never leaves anyone with the pretense that he’s something he’s not. Having to balance working at his father’s restaurant with school and soccer has become almost impossible, but there’s a new reason for wanting to show up – Emily.

  Emily Campbell has heard all about Jacob Wright and his unruly ways. There’s not too many girls on campus that don’t wish for a night in his bed, but Emily can’t imagine why. He’s impossibly sexy, but that only goes so far. After taking a jo
b at the local pizza parlor on campus, she realizes that she’s going to get a large dose of the frat boy and his wild ways.

  Jacob might think that Emily is willing to play his game, but she’s going to throw out a flag and call it like she sees it – Offside.

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  About the Author

  Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary romance writer who is looking to flood the market this year with lots of great, quick reads. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and handing out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. Hanging out is for those little creepy elves at Christmas. No tight green stockings for her.

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