Okay, I’m acting like I don’t know what’s up Eli’s ass, but I think I do. He’s just pissed because he’s living with two people who are having nonstop sex while he’s getting none. He’s missing his girlfriend and I get the sense it’s killing him that he’s not seeing her. Worse, he keeps trying to call her and a lot of the time, she doesn’t pick up. Once she went to San Diego, she hit the ground running and girl got busy. She joined a sorority last year and is even more involved this year. We’ve been back in school for six weeks, and time has flown by for everyone, I think, but Eli.
I feel sorry for him. I do. Before Gracie, I would’ve given him shit and told him to break up with Ava because I was that much of a callous idiot. Hell, when she first went to San Diego, all of us talked about how long they might last, not giving them much of a future because come the fuck on.
A long-distance relationship is hard work. Yeah, Ava’s sister Autumn and Ash Davis made it work. And look at them now. They’re engaged to be married. Autumn is living with him while he’s playing in the NFL.
That is the shit of dreams, and not for me—the NFL part—but that’s okay.
I’m happy where I’m at. Where I’m going.
Content.
I don’t let Eli get in my head and end up having a solid practice. Being on the team the last two years means I get lots more field time and I can’t help but think of Jackson, who gave up on this shit because he never played and besides, music was calling his name.
He’s making a solid living at it so I can’t blame him. He’s also on my mind because he’s here right now. The first leg of his tour has come to an end and he and Ellie are visiting for the next few weeks before they go to Europe for the fall while he tours. They’re currently staying at Ellie’s parents’ house for the next couple of days and they’re coming over for dinner tonight at Tony and Hayden’s. Tony’s barbecuing.
Of course.
Hayden is eagerly playing hostess, I’m sure. She’s good at that. Even after teaching all day.
My girl lives for that shit too. And she teaches all day as well. She’s killing it. Those third graders love her. And I love that they call her Miss Hughes. I mean, they have to. She is their teacher after all. But it’s kind of hot, I can’t lie. Miss Hughes this, and Miss Hughes that. I might’ve called her that a few times when I was trying to get her naked. She always laughs, but deep down, I think she likes it.
That is what’s so great about being with Gracie. She just gets me. And I get her. We’re on the same wavelength, and I’ve never felt that way with a woman before. More like I’ve never had a deep enough relationship with any woman to ever think we could be in sync together, but I’ve changed that. I’ve changed in general.
All thanks to Gracie.
It helps that our sexual appetites match. I love nothing more than being balls deep in her every single night. She hasn’t had any issues with fibroids or whatever since that one night I took her to the emergency room. No pain, no cramps. She went in for a more extensive ultrasound, but they could only spot a small blip and her doctor reassured her she should be fine.
I’ve told Gracie I’m the one who healed her and she just laughs, but I believe it. Girl has been going strong since we’ve been together. Teaching is going well for her. Life in general is going well for the both of us.
I have zero complaints, beyond Eli wanting to rearrange my face. And he’s not pissed at me. He’s just mad at life in general. The guy’s emotions have always run close to the surface. It doesn’t take much to send him straight over the edge.
And he’s been a lot edgier lately.
Once practice is over and we’re all sweaty and exhausted—still fucking hot as balls outside, thank you very much—I’m headed back to the locker room when I hear someone run up behind me.
Eli.
“Sorry, man,” he says, still sounding irritable. “I think the heat is getting to me.”
“Uh huh.” It’s not the heat, but I don’t bother saying that. “It’s all good, bro. I’m not mad.”
“Even if I admit I still kind of want to punch you in the face?” He raises his brows.
I just shake my head. “Come on. Relax. Your best friend is home. We get to chill with Jackson and Ellie tonight.”
“Seeing them just makes me miss my girl even more,” he says morosely.
We enter the locker room, Eli following me since our lockers are near each other. “When do you get a chance to see Ava next?”
“I don’t know, October? If she’s not too busy for me,” he says bitterly.
Shaking my head, I open my locker, my brain scrambling to come up with a new topic to discuss. This guy is not happy, and it shows. He threw like shit today. He’s thrown total bombers all week. Everyone’s frustrated with him, and he’s frustrated with everyone.
He needs a serious reset.
I start talking about this weekend’s game, which helps get Eli’s mind off of his loneliness. I take a quick shower and so does Eli, and after we get dressed, Tony and Diego join us, all of us walking out to the parking lot together.
I have a total moment of gratefulness as I take us all in, walking in a line, heading for our cars. We’ve all been friends now for three years, and while I miss Jackson something fierce, I’m so damn glad to have these guys in my life. Especially Diego and Tony, who I’ve known for what feels like forever. We go way back, and I didn’t ever give it much consideration before, but I’m realizing now that having tried and true friends who stick with you is valuable. These fools slap me into shape when I’m acting like an asshole or when I’m fucking up.
And right now, someone needs to be slapped into shape. For once, it’s not me either.
Eli shoots off toward his car first. “I’ll be over around eight,” he tells Tony. “Maybe a little later. I’m hoping to talk to Ava first.”
The moment he’s gone, I turn to Diego and Tony. “We need to help him.”
Diego frowns. “What do you mean?”
“Guy is suffering hardcore. I think he’s on his way to become a founding member of the lonely hearts club.” I think of The Beatles and their Sgt. Pepper album. My mom loves them because my grandma loves them too.
Tony nods. He knows where I’m coming from. “Being apart from Ava so far has been worse than it was last year.”
“I think it’s because she’s become busier and it seems like she doesn’t have as much time for him,” I say.
We all stop in front of Tony’s fancy schmancy Range Rover. Rich fucker. “Remember how you guys talked to me about all the partying and my grades suffering? And how much that could affect my chances to stay on the team?"
They both nod.
“I think we need to have that same conversation with Eli. He’s throwing for shit.”
“Intercepted twice today at practice,” Diego confirms with a nod.
“Right. He’s in a bad headspace. We need to help him out,” I say.
“Look at you, ready to help when he was dying to plow his fist in your face today,” Diego marvels.
I make a dismissive noise. “That’s just because he’s tired of watching Gracie and I hang all over each other in front of him.”
“Maybe you should hang all over each other in the privacy of your bedroom,” Tony suggests.
“We’ve tried being more discreet, but it’s like we can’t help ourselves,” I admit. I don’t mention how thin the walls are. I’m sure he can hear us going at it. Maybe that’s why he always has his AirPods lodged in his ears.
I just want to touch her. She just wants to touch me. It’s as if we can’t resist.
“Never thought I’d see the day.” Diego shakes his head, grinning.
“What?” I ask, faintly annoyed.
“You’re in loooove.” He draws out the last word in a high-pitched voice, sounding like a complete idiot. “The biggest player of all time is now completely pussy whipped.”
“Hey, that pussy is worth being one hundred percent whipped for,” I crack
, making Diego laugh.
I immediately feel like a jackass, talking about Gracie in that way, but I rarely say stuff like that anymore, and I think they all wonder if something’s wrong with me. I’m just keeping up the ‘Caleb is a dirty bastard’ façade.
Why I need to, I don’t know. I think they’d accept me as I am, no matter what.
“I have a secret,” Tony announces, causing Diego’s laughter to die. “But you two assholes have to swear not to mention it to anyone.”
Damn. He sounds deadly serious.
“What is it?” Diego asks.
“You promise to keep your mouths shut?” Tony looks from Diego to me, his expression solemn.
I nod. “I swear.”
“Yep,” Diego agrees.
“Ava is here. She flew home for the next few days to see Ellie and spend time with Eli. He has no idea.” Tony grins. “We wanted to keep it a surprise. So don’t breathe a word of this, got it?”
“We won’t,” I say. “He’s going to shit.”
“He’s definitely going to be happy,” Diego adds.
“Ellie went and picked up Ava at the airport. She landed around five. She has to fly back in two days,” Tony says.
“She can’t stick around for the game?” I ask with a frown.
Tony slowly shakes his head. “She has some charity event she has to participate in for her sorority. She can’t miss it.”
Damn. That sucks.
“He’ll be glad to get any amount of time he can with her,” Diego says, and I nod my agreement.
“Keep it quiet.” Another one of those measured long looks from Tony. “Especially you,” he says to me, since I live with Eli. “See you two boneheads later.”
I drive home, my head full of thoughts. About relationships. Friendships. Long distance bullshit. I don’t know if I’m cut out for that kind of thing. Having Gracie around all the time makes me happy. Yes, we’re both busy during the day, but we spend time together every night, unless I’m gone for an away game.
Have I mentioned how supportive she is at games? She gets all decked out in Bulldog red and screams my name from the stands. One time I legit heard her voice, the scream was so distinctly Gracie.
And there are a lot of people filling up Bulldog Stadium, let me tell you.
Everything I do, she supports. Most everything I say, she argues with—most of the time it’s all in good fun, but there are those occasions where she thinks I’m flat-out wrong and she calls me out for it. Which is fine. I love that she doesn’t just readily agree with me or say yes to every suggestion I make. She’s an independent thinker. She’s got her own brain, and it’s a big one.
One I admire.
What I’ve come to realize is Gracie is everything I never knew I wanted. I’d been avoiding having a relationship for so long, I didn’t even know what it took to be in one. And now that I’ve let this girl into my life, and she’s let me into hers, it turns out we’re a perfect fit.
Should’ve known. We reacted to each other so strongly from the first moment we met. It makes total sense.
By the time I’m entering the apartment, Gracie leaps from the couch where she’s sitting and comes for me, grabbing hold of my waist and rising up to smother my face with kisses. I slam the door behind me and scoop her up, pressing her against the door so I can kiss her like I mean it.
She breaks the kiss first, breathless. “Well hello to you too.”
“You started it.” I drop a kiss on her nose. “Have a good day?”
“Feeling extra glad you’re finally home.” She grins. “I missed you.”
I like this honest stuff too. We’re real with each other. Open. No bullshit. I don’t hold back and neither does she. Frankly, it’s surprising. I didn’t believe I had it in me. I didn’t think I could act this way with a woman.
But I can with Gracie.
“I missed you too.” I press my cheek to hers, my mouth at her ear. “Eli hates us because we’re too happy.”
She pulls away slightly, frowning. “Really? That sucks. He did seem a little grumpy when he got home a few minutes ago.”
“I don’t think he means it. He just…he’s frustrated he can’t see his girl regularly,” I explain.
“That would be hard,” she says with a sigh. “Props to them for making it work.”
I consider telling Gracie about Ava being at Tony’s get-together tonight, but I restrain myself. Eli could be anywhere in the apartment right now. Lurking in the hall. Standing in the kitchen. What if he heard me?
Nope. Keeping this little secret to myself. They’ll all find out soon enough.
“It would be hard.” I kiss her cheek. I can’t resist. My lips always seek her out. “You know what else is hard?”
I grab her hand and settle it over my semi-erect dick.
She laughs, giving me a teasing squeeze before she yanks her hand away. “You’re insatiable.”
“You love it.”
“I don’t know about that.” She’s teasing me. Something she’s really good at doing. There is nothing I enjoy more than a good Gracie tease.
The girl is naughty. She says things that can sometimes shock me. And she lets me do things to her that no other woman has allowed, which is fucking great.
She’s full of surprises.
“Let’s go to my room,” I tell her, taking her hand and leading her down the hall.
She doesn’t protest. She doesn’t say anything at all. The moment we’re in my room and the door shuts, she falls into my arms, her hands sliding beneath my clothes.
Until we’re both lost in each other completely.
Twenty-Six
Gracie
We arrive at Tony’s house a little later than usual, only because we had sex and then fell asleep in each other’s arms. Meaning we overslept and when Caleb woke up first, he shook me awake and said we had to go.
I feel a little dazed still, but not in a bad way. More like in a, wow I can’t believe he just made me come like that way. He teases my ass every time he goes down on me now, and it feels…good. No denying it. But that last orgasm he gave me knocked me for a loop and left me exhausted.
No wonder I fell asleep.
We enter Tony’s house to find the gang is already there. Jocelyn and Diego are sitting on the couch. Hayden is in the kitchen making margaritas, her new specialty—I can hear the whirl of the blender. I spot Jackson first and I go to him, letting him wrap me up in a big hug.
“My second biggest fan,” he says, teasing me.
I squeeze him tightly before I pull away slightly to stare into his handsome face. Somehow, he’s become even better looking. His hair is longer and blonder, and his smile is open. He seems…content. “You look good,” I tell him.
“I feel good,” he admits. “You look great, Gracie.”
“Why thank you.” I shimmy out of his arms, glancing around looking for Caleb, who’s chatting with Diego and Jocelyn. “Where’s your girl?”
“In the kitchen. There’s a surprise in there too.” Jackson grins as he lets me go.
I dash into the kitchen to find Hayden pouring large amounts of frothy margaritas into glasses. “Hey, you made it!”
“Sorry,” I apologize. “We took a nap.”
“Uh huh.” The knowing look on my friend’s face says it all, but I ignore her.
My gaze snags on Ellie sitting at the tiny kitchen table. I do a double take when I spot a blonde head. Wait a minute.
Ava is here?
Yep, she’s currently sitting on Eli’s lap and he’s got his arms around her waist like he’s never going to let her go, while she chats animatedly with her very best friend. I go to them, lightly touching Ellie’s shoulder and when she glances up, a giant smile spreads across her face as she leaps to her feet and pulls me in for a hug.
“Gracie!” she practically shouts, squeezing me tight. “Oh my God, I’ve missed you.”
I hug her back, briefly closing my eyes. “Missed you too, babe. Let me look at you.”
We pull away from each other, my hands still on her shoulders as I take her in. She’s freaking glowing with vitality. Her dark eyes sparkle and the smile on her face is contagious. Her hair is long and flowing with gentle waves and she’s got on a flowered sundress that skims her body perfectly.
“Even more gorgeous than usual,” I tell her.
She laughs. “I could say the same about you.”
“And I’m not even in my teacher wardrobe,” I tease.
Hayden makes her way over to the table, a glass in each hand. “One for you,” she offers it to me and I take it with a thank you, greedily sipping from the straw. Ooh, that’s strong.
“And one for me,” Hayden says as she collapses in a chair across from where Eli and Ava are sitting. “Making margaritas is exhausting work.”
Ava comes to me and we hug. “I didn’t know you were coming,” I tell her.
“It was a surprise.” She glances over her shoulder at Eli, who’s watching us. Oh, that guy is so stuck on her, and I don’t even find it pathetic. His love for Ava is just there, obvious and hers for the taking.
I immediately think of Caleb, and how well we’re getting along. As if we’ve always been together. There have been no words of love, of course. It’s way too early for that kind of talk, but lately I’ve been realizing I could see something…more with this man.
Then I banish the thought because it’s too damn scary.
I chat with the girls as we down our margaritas. Eli eventually leaves us to go outside with Tony. We listen to Ellie tell all kinds of funny stories about touring with Jackson. All the places they see and the people they meet. The groupies who lose their minds over Jackson, even if he so much as walks onstage. He’s getting so much attention. A clothing designer wants to feature him in her next campaign. He has over ten million followers on Instagram and close to twenty-five million on TikTok.
He’s a huge sensation. Big. The girls love him. Guys love him too.
And he’s our friend. It’s so crazy to think about how big he’s blown up over the last year.
Tony eventually comes inside with a platter full of barbecued chicken. We all make plates and eat outside at the makeshift table Tony and Hayden put together. The night air is cool and I’m sitting next to Caleb, our sides pressed into each other since it’s so cramped out here. I don’t mind though. It’s nice having him by my side. Swiping food from my plate because he’s so damn hungry all the time. He burns lots of energy on the field and with me.
The Junior (College Years Book 3) Page 23