Mostly, I wanted him to stay for me. I couldn’t imagine life without Shawn. If he became some big shot in another state, I would still be the undergrad student, stuck here for another two years. I could always transfer schools to be closer to him, but I had made so many good connections here that going anywhere else would be like starting over. I couldn’t do that to my career. I was likely going to get chosen for the research scholarship, and I couldn’t pass an opportunity like that up. I had worked too hard.
I felt like a jerk telling him what I wanted. I wanted to be supportive and not be the one who made the decision for him. When it came down to it, I was scared of losing Shawn.
By the time finals week was over, I was more than ready for our relaxing weekend at the lake house. I had been there a few times since our first date, and it had become our special place. We even stayed there with the rest of his family. We had to sleep in the bunk beds, but we still found ways to sneak around together. A blanket on a secluded beach is not quite the same as a king-sized bed, but we made it work.
As we drove, I scrolled through the news on my phone. When I came to one particular headline, I nearly dropped my phone.
“Oh my God, Shawn,” I gasped.
“What?”
I read the tiny print on the screen.
“Chris Lane, twenty-two, has been sentenced to fifteen years in prison for the crimes committed against three young women he had dated over the span of three years. Lane has been convicted on numerous charges including assault, kidnapping, and false reporting. Lane, the former college student, will be serving his time in Lakeview Correctional Center. Only one of the three victims has filed a civil suit against Lane.”
“Thank goodness,” Shawn said. “Though it’s too bad that he didn’t get a longer sentence. He definitely doesn’t deserve to get off easy.”
“I don’t think he will,” I said. “He has a particularly punchable face.”
“You’ve got that right. I still regret not letting him have it when I had the opportunity.”
“I’m glad that all that is in the past,” I said. “I honestly hadn’t even thought about him for months.”
“Yeah. It all seems like a bad dream.”
“But without all that, I don’t know if we’d be together.”
He laughed. “You’re right. If you’d never felt the need to make him jealous, you would have never talked to me at that party.”
“Can you believe that was almost two whole years ago?”
“I know,” he said. “We’ve come a long way since then.”
We drove in comfortable silence for a while. He was humming some tuneless song and I was checking for final grades every other minute.
“Hey,” he said, breaking the silence. “Can we talk about something? I want to get this out of the way before we get there so we don’t spoil the weekend with serious talks.”
My stomach hurt just imagining what he was going to say. “Sure,” I replied.
“I’ve been thinking about the pro thing a lot lately. I think I’ve made a decision, but I want your input before I give my final answer.”
“You know that it’s not my decision to make, Shawn. I want you to be happy.”
“Part of my happiness depends on your happiness. That’s why I wanted to tell you that I’ve decided to stay here for another season. Then after I graduate, I’ll enter the draft.”
“That’s your decision?”
“Is that all right with you?”
“Of course it is! All this time, I was so worried that you were going to leave me here while you’re off making money and having a great time. I’m so glad you’re staying.”
“Me too,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what you were going to say about me turning down so much money. I’m actually really relieved that you approve.”
“I’m so happy right now.” I beamed. “Like, I don’t think I could be any more pleased than I am at this moment.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” He grinned.
I had another year with Shawn, and that was all I needed right now. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
When we got to the house, I immediately sniffed out Shawn’s mom’s cookies and scarfed one down. I could get used to this life. I loved spending time at the lake house.
“We’re going to eat supper soon,” he scolded me as he put a foil-wrapped pan into the oven.
“What are we having?”
“Do you remember what we ate on our first date?” he asked.
I thought for a moment. “Honestly, no. I do remember drinking some horrific wine, though.”
“Wow, and you give me shit for not being romantic enough,” he joked. “Don’t worry about the drink selection. I found a bottle that we can both enjoy.” He pulled out a bottle of champagne. I didn’t recognize the label.
“That looks really expensive,” I said.
“It is,” he said nonchalantly. “But it’s a special occasion.”
He had that right. Surviving another year of college with my workload deserved all the booze in the world.
“Do you need any help?” I called into the kitchen.
“No, I’m fine,” he said. “Why don’t you just relax?”
“Okay,” I replied. “I’ll be upstairs. Let me know when it’s time to eat.”
I dragged my overnight bag to the master bedroom. I thought about taking a nap, but instead, I washed my face and redid my hair and makeup. I liked making myself look extra good for Shawn, especially on romantic nights like these.
To finish my look, I slicked on some red lip gloss that Shawn always complimented. I had worn shorts and a tank top to the house, but it was chillier by the water and I knew that Shawn would want to eat outside. I dug around in his bag, looking for a sweatshirt to borrow. I loved the way his baggy clothes fit on my petite frame.
As I was blindly digging through, my hand felt something hard. I grabbed it and pulled it through the zippered opening.
I immediately pried open the tiny box and let out an involuntary screech.
He had a diamond ring.
I froze when I heard his footsteps running up the stairs. I shoved the box back in and tried to act natural.
He knew what had happened the second he walked in the room. His face fell when he saw me in his sweatshirt.
“You found it, didn’t you?” he said.
“Found what?” I feigned ignorance.
“This is what I get for trying to surprise you.” He chuckled. Shawn let out a small groan and grabbed the box from the bag.
My heart started racing. I had no idea he was even thinking about marriage. Of course, I did regularly, but we hardly entertained the notion.
“Alice Harper, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re the most incredible person I know, and I can’t bear the thought of not being with you forever. Will you marry me?”
I got so choked up that I couldn’t do anything other than nod enthusiastically. I had everything I wanted. Our futures looked bright, and there was no one I would rather have by my side every day of my life.
We embraced as rays of red and gold filtered in through the wide window. We had our whole lives to look forward to, and nothing was going to stop us.
“Well, my sweet fiancé,” Shawn said when we finally broke apart. “What now?”
I looked at my beautiful ring on my finger and watched the light dance off every facet.
“Can we eat supper? I’m starving.”
He smiled and picked me up into his arms, carrying me out to the candle-lit dinner where he had meant to propose to me.
Thank You
Roxy Sinclaire writes steamy, suspenseful romantic stories as the main genre, and this includes a variety of different topics. Some of these include dark romances, action packed romances, mafia romances, and many more. She currently works in customer relations in New York City, but is trying to fulfill her passion in writing and eventually have her dream job become a reality
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Also by Roxy Sinclaire
Pass To Win Series:
Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 1)
Line of Scrimmage: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Book 2)
Between The Tackles: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 3)
Object Me: A Bad Boy Lawyer Romance
Dirty Fighter: A Bad Boy MMA Romance
Fast and Loaded: A Bad Boy Sports Romance
Tempting Me: A Bad Boy Romance
The Devil’s Dream: A Dark Romance
Trapped In His World: A Dark Romance
Deceived By The Hitman: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance
Preview
Excerpts:
Excerpt from Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance
My head was still buzzing from the weekend’s excitement on Monday morning. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that I saw a vulnerable side to Alexa Hall. She tries to appear so perfect, but it was nice to see that she’s human too.
I was excited to see her in Sociology class. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was thinking about what I would say to her.
She always sat directly in front of me, so maybe I would lean down and whisper something in her ear. It would be like an inside joke between us. Or, I could just flash her a seductive, knowing smile and watch her blush. I don’t mean to brag, but it’s too easy for me to make girls blush.
Maybe I’d just go for it and ask her out. Say something about how I want to spend another night with her that ends with both of us being conscious. I was nervous, but it was the perfect moment. I really felt like we made a special connection Saturday night.
I got to the classroom a little earlier than normal to make sure I had enough time to talk to her before the lecture started. I was feeling a bit anxious, but ready. It was now or never.
A few minutes passed. She was usually in her seat by now, with her notebook and pen out, ready to take notes. Her hair always draped over the back of her chair. Sometimes, a few locks would fall onto my knees and I would carefully brush them away with my finger.
The professor entered and began the lecture. No Alexa. I figured she must be sick. Maybe her hangover was so bad that she was still not feeling well today. I was a little concerned. I pulled out my phone and texted her.
Are you sick? Do you want me to take notes for you? We can meet up later and I’ll fill you in on what you missed in class.
I hit send. This was just as good. It would give me a perfect reason to see her again. Because it had to do with school, she would never accuse me of trying any funny business with her.
I checked my phone a few minutes later. No response. Poor girl, maybe she was really sick. Would it be weird if I showed up at her dorm later? Maybe with flowers or chicken soup and apologize to her for getting her so drunk?
I tried to take good notes, but I kept getting distracted. I was daydreaming a hundred different scenarios where I approached Alexa and she was so thankful that I took care of her that she wanted to show her appreciation. Any possibility from a nice dinner, to a kiss, to a night in my bed—I thought of them all.
Before I knew it, class was over. I followed the herd of students exiting through the door in the back of the classroom. That’s when I saw Alexa, quickly stuffing her books in her bag. She never sits in the back row of classrooms. That’s where the slackers sit, and she was definitely not that. I called out to her, but she was already lost in the crowd.
I felt confused. I was so nice to her and I really thought she had a good time with me. She wanted to come back to my place, and when that obviously didn’t happen, she told me I was nice. That’s a lot coming from this girl. She seemed to have a general mistrust of men, and I thought I had finally broken through by proving to her that I just want to be good to her.
Now I was angry. I texted her with concern about her well-being and she didn’t even have the decency to respond? She deliberately avoided me and ignored me when I wanted to talk to her. I could have any girl I want, and she knows that. Did she hate me so much that she couldn’t even look at me?
I was right. My friends told me that she was worth pursuing, and they were totally wrong about that. She was a cold person. She only cared about herself. Of course she would, though. Girls who come from money never have interest in guys like me. I was stupid to think that this was going to work out.
I fumed the whole way back to my dorm. It was probably better this way. Before long, the school year would be over. I didn’t have time to chase girls, anyway.
I needed to focus on finishing up my degree and preparing for the professional football combine. With any luck, I would be moving, and she’d go back to her hometown, or wherever rich girls go when they graduate with a degree they’ll never use.
I was done with Alexa Hall. I had been turned down by plenty of girls in my life, and it was no big deal. I was just so surprised that she, of all people, wanted nothing to do with me.
In my anger, I typed out a text, my fingers shaking.
Sorry I made sure you got home safely the other night. I didn’t think it would upset you this much. Next time, I’ll leave you on the street, puking your guts out.
My finger hovered over the send button before I quickly deleted it. I didn’t need to make things worse than they already were. I decided to take a page from Alexa’s book and just ignore her too. I’ve been dumped many times for doing the wrong thing with girls. This was just the first time I was ever rejected for doing the right thing.
Click HERE to continue reading Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance
Excerpt from Fast and Loaded: A Bad Boy Sports Romance
It had been three days since my world started to spin that night in the bar. I kept blaming it on the alcohol but in my heart, I knew it was a lie. Since then, I had done everything in my power to stay busy and avoid Desmond. I didn’t want to become another notch on his belt. Plus, no one would take me seriously for the next few weeks if I slept with my boss.
I needed to keep my head in the game and steer clear of him and any chance of complications. Each time that I saw him, I repeated to myself, “I’m here for my shop,” over and over again in my head until I was able to calm down my burning desire for him.
Today was no different, between each press release he would come in to see how the new improvements were coming. Each time he came in, he seemed more determined than the last to pull my attention away from the car.
I was starting to lose my battle of wills against him. I wanted to spend time with him, but I wouldn’t risk my reputation to do so. As the shop door opened, I braced myself for another round of banter.
“Can I help you?” I said in a friendly tone when the man who walked in wasn’t Desmond.
The man grinned, “I bet you can. I just came to meet this famous mechanic Desmond has.”
I smiled, “You must be looking for someone else then, I’m just doing my job.” I said politely.
I knew who he was, he was Luke Chambers. I also knew that Desmond despised him above all other racers. He was attractive, but not like Desmond.
“I don’t think so,” he said politely, “I believe you are more than what I have been looking for.”
“Boy, you know how to charm a girl, don’t you?” I asked playfully.
He smiled, “I wouldn’t know a thing about that. I just call it as I see it; beautiful, smart, and talented. Desmond is a lucky man.”
“I’m just doing my job, but thank you,” I replied.
“That’s a shame, if I had you on my team, I would treat you like a queen,” he cooed.
My senses were tingling, “He treats me ju
st fine, thanks. Is there something I can help you with?”
My temper was starting to show. I didn’t like Luke being in the shop or around the car. He seemed a little too interested in me and my skills for my liking.
“Oh now, there’s no need to get upset. You never know, after this race there might be a future for us,” he said slyly. “Professionally, of course.”
I didn’t believe that he meant only professionally, and in any case, I didn’t want anything to do with him in either way.
“Sorry, but I have my own shop,” I replied as I started working on the car again.
I could see how interested he was in what I was doing, but I also knew that he wouldn’t be able to tell what was happening for the most part. He didn’t strike me as they type to work on his own cars or even to know how they were running. When the door to the shop opened for the second time, I looked up and let out a sigh of relief. Desmond was back, and he looked angry.
“What the hell are you doing in here Chambers,” he said, without even looking at me.
Luke smiled, “Now Desmond, I was just coming to meet the mechanic that I have heard so much about. No harm in that.”
“With you, there’s always some harm,” replied Desmond, glaring at the man.
“Now, that’s not very good sportsmanship Desmond, I was just paying a little professional visit, for now,” replied Luke with a wink to me.
I could see the anger building up inside of Desmond and knew that this wasn’t going to go anywhere good.
“I don’t think that drivers are allowed to be in the competition’s tents Luke, you should go,” I interjected, hoping to avoid bloodshed.
He smiled at me again, “You’re right. I should go. Hopefully though, I will see you around after the race Amber. I would love to spend some time with you, professionally, of course.”
Fourth and Goal: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Pass To Win Book 4) Page 16