by Dawn Klehr
The guys huddled up at the twenty, and Justice called a draw. It’s a simple play that’s really a disguised run. The linemen draw back to pass-protect for the QB, who also drops back. But instead of setting up a pass, he turns and hands off the ball to the runner.
Easy peasy.
Or not.
His runner was tied up, so Justice had no choice but to take it himself. That put him in a perfect position for a sack, and Gray took full advantage. But the asshole actually tackled him. It’d always been this way for them on the field when he was still playing. Cheap shots, trash talk, you name it. He always resented Justice for stealing more of his dad’s attention even though that was never his intent.
Smack. He took the hit to the upper body, which made it even worse. It’d been awhile since he’d been hit, and this one about knocked the wind out of him.
“What the hell, Gray?” he said once he had his bearings. “We’re playing touch, you idiot.” All the guys were standing around him, pulling Gray off. But they backed away once Justice got in his face.
“Sorry, I forgot where I was for a minute,” Gray said, not backing down.
“What is your problem?” Justice bumped his chest. Oh yeah, testosterone was beginning the fill the air.
“My problem is you, coming here and acting like you own the place. It’s always the same with you. Take, take, take.”
“And what exactly have I taken since I’ve been here, Grayson?”
“I ask you for one favor. Put in a good word with Rebel. But could you do that? No. You had to take her, too.”
“Take her? What the hell are you talking about?”
Does Gray seriously think he stands a chance with someone like Rebel?
“I’ve seen you with her, man. Don’t deny it. But that’s fine, because she’s playing you anyway.”
Now that was one way to get his attention.
“Oh, come on.” Gray laughed. “She’s doing Dane, too. No question. Haven’t you seen the way she looks at him?”
If he kept up this shit about Rebel any longer, Justice was going to lose it. Where were his mom’s stupid beads when he needed them? If the dude kept talking, Justice was going to do some serious damage to his face—Coach’s son or not.
“She’s not an angel,” Gray continued. “She likes to get freaky. Didn’t you hear about her and Ryan?”
“That’s enough,” he gritted out through his clenched teeth. “You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”
“And you do? What do you know about women?” Gray asked, getting dangerously close to Justice’s own secret.
“Plenty.”
“Right. I’ve never seen you with anyone but Tiffany, and you know what she said about you?” He poked him.
Okay, fucknuts, you’re going down.
Justice wasn’t about to hold back any longer. He clenched his fist, ready to do his worst.
“Oh, I know what she said,” Rebel answered, coming out from behind the pines. “She said that Justice Brody is great with his hands.”
Oh no, where had Rebel come from? And what had she heard?
“I can also vouch for that, actually.” She smiled at Justice, before turning back to Gray. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Whatever,” Gray snickered. “Don’t get pissed off at me. I’m just repeating what I’ve heard. And Ryan loooooved to talk about what you’re good at, Rebel. So if you don’t want people to talk, maybe you should choose your bed buddies more carefully.”
And there went Justice’s hands balling up into fists again.
“What can I say?” She shrugged. “Ryan’s a dickhead.”
“So you admit you bumped nasties with him?” Gray pushed.
“I admit to being an idiot who was interested in a guy like that,” she said. “Crude, clumsy, stupid. Funny, he reminds me of you, Gray.”
Burn.
Justice braced himself for another round, not that he would’ve let it go on any longer, but he didn’t have to. After a few more stupid comebacks, Gray slithered away.
Justice just stood there, unmoving. Eyes fixed on Rebel. Where the hell did she come from, and how had he made it this far without someone like her in his corner? He wanted to wrap her up in his arms right then, but he couldn’t let anyone see him make a move on her, least of all Gray. That asshole wouldn’t waste a second telling his dad, and Coach wouldn’t be happy he was adding drama to what was supposed to be his summer of serenity. But maybe…once Gray was out of sight.
“Wow, Hart,” Justice said, watching Gray disappear back toward the cabins. “That was impressive.”
“Brody, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
…
Rebel
“Hey,” Justice said quietly after all of the commotion simmered down. He reached his hand out to her. “Come here.”
Rebel was more than a little shaky. Watching Justice take that hit had made her sick to her stomach. She knew the statistics. Twelve high school and college football players died on the field each year, and don’t get her started on the other injuries from the sport. It was a death wish.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“Yeah. No.” She felt a little woozy on her feet. “I heard the crunch when he hit you, and I can’t get it out of my head.”
“That hit? It was nothing. I just wasn’t prepared. I’m a little rusty, and Gray likes to go for the cheap shot.”
“It’s just so risky, you know? I don’t know how you do it. Or why.”
“I love it,” he answered simply. “The football field is the only place in my world that makes sense sometimes. I like the rules and the structure and even the contact.”
“But you could get so hurt. You could die out there.”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “But I could die doing any number of things, might as well be something I love. Truthfully, I’m more worried about what Gray said than what he did. I’m so sorry you had to hear that.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t easy to hear, either,” she admitted, but was happy to know that it also didn’t break her.
Progress.
To listen to all of the rumors that Ryan started that were believed and unquestioned, would’ve paralyzed her last year. And the things that he shared that were true would’ve probably killed her. For real. There was a documented case of a death by embarrassment—a woman in England. Technically, it was a rush of adrenaline that killed her, but still. Not a good way to go.
Now? She was no longer embarrassed. She honestly didn’t care. It was weird, but she could see clearly for the first time in forever. Gray was an idiot, and if he or anyone else wanted to judge her because she made a mistake, so what? Better that, than to not live at all. Aubrey had a good point there.
And everything she said about Justice was true. It was time to stop hiding. He absolutely was great with his hands, and lips, and other things. He was also so much more than that, and she couldn’t wait any longer to show him.
Slowly, not because she wanted to move that way, but more so because she could barely feel her legs, she inched toward him and closed the gap between them.
He took her hand in his, sending an electric jolt up her arm. It was like her entire body woke from a deep sleep whenever he touched her, and it was a feeling she couldn’t get enough of. In that moment, she felt like she could take on an entire football team of Grays if she had to.
“Does this mean you forgive me?” Justice pulled her to the back of the cabin for privacy, caging her in with his arms. He was so close, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. And when he laced their fingers together, her heart thrashed around in her chest, as if it were trying to escape. Her body’s reaction to him was something she couldn’t ignore any longer.
He met her eyes, searching for an answer.
Did she forgive him? Yes. No. There was nothing to forgive. She had to tell him that. Gosh, there was so much to say, but she only nodded, unable to find her words just yet.
“Go
od,” he whispered into her ear. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”
“How could I stay mad?” she said once she could speak again. “You did play a pretty good big brother back there, defending my honor.”
“Don’t you dare think of me as a big brother.” His words shot straight to her insides, doing things to her she never expected. Whoa…
Justice flashed that wicked grin of his, and her knees buckled in a cheesy, swoony motion. Damn toothpaste smile! She was a goner and had zero time to recover as he ran a single finger down her cheek and across her bottom lip. Her lips parted, and she released the tiniest of whimpers.
Nope, still not embarrassed. She couldn’t be when he looked at her like that—like he could devour her in one bite. She’d let him, too.
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Actually, it wasn’t supposed to happen at all. But here she was with her heart racing and skin buzzing, all because of Mr. Perfect…and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
Justice tilted his head, his hair hanging over one eye, making him even more irresistible. She knew that look. It was an expression that had been burned into her brain. It meant he was going to kiss her.
Her eyes fluttered closed, but the next thing she heard was Harper’s voice. And there went the moment.
“Rebel.” Harper pushed Justice out of the way and grabbed her by the arm. “My little flower, you’re going to miss out on our bunk time if you don’t get back to the cabins.”
Bunk time? Never heard of it.
She glanced over to Fozzie, who’d been following her, and he nodded in approval. Yes, Harper had her girls in control, didn’t she?
Rebel turned to Justice, who was shaking his head, and said a silent good-bye. Well, couldn’t blame them for trying. But it might not have been the best time. Not with Gray’s words hanging in the air.
Of all the moments for Harper to make an appearance. Rebel hadn’t seen her in two days. She wouldn’t get worked up over it though. It was okay. There was plenty of camp time left to spend with Justice. They’d just have to get more creative.
She walked away with Harper in silence, until Fozzie was out of earshot.
“Rebel, I didn’t take you for a dumbass,” Harper said.
“Good, because I’m not a dumbass.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” She stopped and placed two arms on her shoulders in a way that was really demeaning. “But next time you want to mack on some guy, do it in the dark for crying out loud.”
Mack on some guy? Honestly.
She had no idea what Rebel wanted to do to Justice.
Chapter Nineteen
Justice
“Where’s Gray?” Justice asked the next day when he woke up from his after-dinner nap. He wasn’t used to his new workout schedule and almost fell asleep in his mashed potatoes earlier. Either he was horribly out of shape, or the counselors were lacing the food with Ambien so they could have some peace and quiet. Or maybe it was that his mind was exhausted thinking about Rebel 24/7.
“Not sure where he is,” Eli said, after doing a set of flys with his dumbbells. The kid was serious about the weight-training thing. “He’s been making himself scarce. Don’t complain.”
“I’m not.” Justice sat up in the bottom bunk, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “Believe me. But it makes me nervous when I don’t know where he is.”
“I’m sure he’ll be at the bonfire, which is starting”—Eli set the weights down and checked his watch—“right about now. You coming?”
“Yeah, I need to make a stop at the bathroom first. I’ll meet you there.” He was hoping Rebel would be there tonight, too, which is why he went to the lav to brush his teeth and make himself a little more presentable. So far, camp proved to offer very unexpected opportunities (kissing Rebel Hart, for one), and he didn’t want to be caught unprepared.
After his little pit stop, he joined the others. There was a pretty decent-size crowd down by the fire. The little kids had been shuffled off to bed already, but most of the counselors and pretty much everyone over the age of twelve were sitting on logs by the fire and talking.
Rebel had claimed her spot by Aubrey, who just happened to be sitting next to Eli. He’d been spending more time with her lately, sly dog. He understood. Thankfully, there was a tiny sliver of a seat open on the log next to Rebel’s; he’d make it work.
She was wearing jeans tonight, and he wept a little inside. He loved seeing her legs in shorts and never got the chance at home. Tonight, she was dressed more like she did for school—fully covered in jeans and a sweatshirt. Didn’t matter. She always looked good in whatever she wore. Though Rebel in a black bikini on that first day was enough to stop his heart.
He took a seat on the log, and Counselor Mary scooted down to make room. The fire was blazing, and that lifeguard, Dane, was in the middle of telling some sort of lame ghost story. All the girls were riveted by his every word. Even Rebel seemed engaged. What was it with this guy? Sure, he had the looks and all, but he was about as cheesy as they came.
Justice quietly listened until he reached the end of the story, and yes, Rebel rolled her eyes. Good to see she wasn’t totally on board the Dane Train.
“Scary,” he teased, trying to get her attention.
“For the eight-year-olds maybe.” She turned toward him with a smile on her face. An actual smile. That was a helluva lot better than the treatment she had been giving him earlier that week. There was part of him that thought their near miss earlier was just maybe because of the heat of the moment, and he worried that she’d go back to hating him again. It was nice to see he was wrong.
“You should tell one.” He tapped her foot with his. Anything to have some contact with her. “You’re always watching slasher movies. I bet you could scare the shit out of these idiots.”
“I don’t like to tell stories.” She shook her head, and he knew she was talking about more than telling tales around the fire.
Mary stood up, and Dane reached behind the seat for his guitar. This guy was really too much. “Who’s up for some campfire songs?” Mary asked.
Dane didn’t wait for an answer. Instead he started playing an Otis Redding song. Justice knew it, because it was his mom’s favorite. Surprisingly, Dane sang “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” to perfection—in a raspy and soulful way that made it seem new again. His mom would’ve loved it.
Meanwhile, all of the girls began singing along. All but Rebel. Rebel closed her eyes and moved to the music.
It was corny as hell singing around a campfire, but not for Rebel. She always did things her way, so she never looked out of place. He wished she’d sing like the other girls though, only because he’d love to hear her voice.
The flame from the fire lit up her face, and he found himself staring at her lips, fighting the urge to kiss them.
“These guys need some fixings for the s’mores,” Aubrey said, handing them the sticks she and Eli used. She was always on the lookout, and he found himself wishing that Aubrey lived in Atlanta so Rebel could have a backup at school. Her friends at home were more like second-string—almost worthless at blocking against adversaries.
Margaret came over with the basket, handing them marshmallows. Then crackers and chocolate.
“Rebel doesn’t like chocolate,” he told Margaret. The words hung in the air, and the entire area hushed. He may have even heard Aubrey giggle.
“Oh, thanks, Justice,” Crystal said, coyly. “So, how do you two know each other so well?”
“We go to the same school,” he offered.
“Right.” She nodded. “But I don’t see Gray voicing Rebel’s food preferences. Were you two an item or something?”
At that point, even the music died down.
“Oh yeah, I could totally see that,” Crystal chimed in.
Why is this the question of the day?
“Our dads dated for a while,” Rebel responded before he had the chance.
Shit.
“Re
bel,” he hissed, and the way she looked at him, he knew she could hear the edge in his voice.
“It’s no big deal,” she said. “We’re among friends. Right, guys?”
And there, she made it even worse. He felt the eyes of everyone at the campfire on him, and his gut rolled. He might just be sick. He tried to say something, make a joke or anything to get the eyes off of him, but the lump in his throat began to swell and rendered him completely silent. The moment could’ve gone on for seconds, minutes, hours, he wasn’t sure. People around him were talking away, yet he didn’t hear a thing.
Rebel tried to engage after that, but he wasn’t having it. He couldn’t believe she’d do that to him. That was more Gray’s style, though Gray knew that he could kick his ass, so Justice wasn’t too worried about him. But he wasn’t expecting it from Rebel, not after the way things had been going with them lately. At least he thought it was going better. Hell, he thought he might have a chance with her.
But she’d rather humiliate him in front of the entire camp. It meant that she was still on her mission to make him pay. Fine. She could have all the fun she wanted with that.
He got up and bumped into Megan. It was almost as if she was waiting for him.
“Wanna get out of here?” she asked with feigned sympathy.
He didn’t want to leave with Megan, but Rebel didn’t give him a choice. Now he was stuck. He didn’t want to be an asshole, but he couldn’t stay there, either.
“I do,” he said.
Chapter Twenty
Survival Tip #14
“Take care of numero uno. You can’t help anyone else, if you don’t help yourself first.”
Rebel
Rebel left shortly after Justice…and Megan! She couldn’t believe he left with her. He actually left with her. Her chest ached, and it was hard to breathe. As she walked back to her cabin, she doubled over two times sure she was having a heart attack. The pain soon turned to panic, because she knew this was all her fault, and she wasn’t sure she could fix it.
Obviously, she screwed up. She overstepped. He wasn’t ready to share. But geez, their dads’ relationship was over now. What did it matter?