Teaching Tucker (Face-Off Legacy Book 3)

by Jillian Quinn

  That’s my man, I think, still wondering how we made it this far.

  After the game, we meet the guys at Gio’s, a pizzeria on campus. Apart from Broad Street Beans, it’s one of the top hangouts for Strick U students. We occupy two tables at the back of the restaurant. At least ten different kinds of pizzas are in the center of the table, the trays elevated on metal stands.

  I have serious imposter syndrome when I’m around Tucker’s friends. When it’s just us, I can forget his father is a famous hockey player and that his trust fund could buy every house in my neighborhood. It’s hard not to feel like an outsider in this crowd. Bex is a scholarship kid, but she’s one of them through and through. She fits in with them as does Taylor and Jemma.

  My guilt and shame over what The Queen has done to all of them keeps me at a distance. I’m a horrible person for helping her. They would hate me instantly if they knew the truth. Instead, they’re kind and considerate.

  I was so wrong about these guys.

  So is The Queen.

  She had me convinced they were horrible, spoiled brats when they’re no different from me. The only difference is their entitlement and money.

  Preston passes a plate down the table for me. He’s like the dad of the group, always taking care of everyone. Jamie helps him add slices to plates and slides them down the table.

  They operate as a unit like a family. The dynamic between this group is somewhat fascinating. I’ve never been part of a real family, at least not for as long as I can remember. You can feel the love they have for each other. They’re brothers even though they don’t share an ounce of blood.

  Now that I know the truth about them, I want to redeem them. But how? I have no idea how to get past The Queen without the threat of her wrath. Even Jamie hasn’t been able to track her down. I don’t even know her first name. If only I knew where to begin, I could make things right.

  “You’re quiet.” Tucker hooks his arm around my back. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah.” I flash a quick smile. “I’m good. Just tired. I was up late writing an article for the paper.”

  He dips his head down to kiss my forehead, his lips creating a fire that dances along my skin. “I hate that you have to work so much.”

  “I don’t have a choice, Tuck.” I lift my pizza, folding the slice in half to allow the grease to drip onto the plate. “Some people have to work for a living.” I shove the pizza in my mouth and take a huge bite, chewing so I don’t have to talk about how much I work.

  Tucker mentions the amount of time I spend working quite often. He wouldn’t like it if I told him not to practice or to skip a game. I don’t expect him to understand my life. He saw firsthand that my dad is an ass and knows that I prefer to live in a fictional world where Jim doesn’t exist.

  Tucker holds my hand under the table against his thigh, stroking my skin with his thumb. I love how he finds the simplest ways to touch me. And the crazy part is I think I am in love with him. He found his way into my heart and hasn’t let go. His grip has strengthened along with our bond, but the secrets I’ve been keeping from him are holding us back. We can’t move forward until he knows the truth.

  Tucker brushes my hair off my shoulder, and his lips graze the shell of my ear. “I want you to come with me to regionals. Do you think you can take off from work next weekend?”

  I consider his offer and nod. “I think so. Let me see if I can switch shifts with Eden.”

  “The girls will be there, too.” He motions toward Bex, Taylor, and Jemma. “You okay riding with them? I have to take the bus with the team.”

  I glance over my shoulder at Bex, who’s telling the guys a joke, moving her hands as she speaks. “Yeah, sure. I don’t mind.”

  “Good.” Tucker kisses my cheek. “Because I need you there.”

  I smile. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Tucker

  Sam slips through the top floor of the library, peeking out from behind shelves as she leads me deeper into the stacks. We were studying for all of ten minutes before she decided to slide her hand up my thigh. I wanted to bend her over the table right then and there. Instead, my girl had other ideas. She ran off, forcing me to chase after her.

  I like games as much as the next guy, but not when I’m this hard and horny. She waits for me with her back pressed against a tall bookcase. We’re hidden out of sight from onlookers. The only person we need to worry about is the librarian.

  I come to a halt in front of her and lift her up, hooking her legs around my back. Her lips crash against mine, her tongue forcing its way into my mouth. She threads her arms around my neck, her fingers producing a spark of heat which dances along my skin. The feeling I get when I’m with Sam has only grown stronger over time.

  Sliding my hand further down her back, I grab her tight ass, and my cock grows harder with each groan of pleasure. She moans my name into my mouth without breaking the kiss, gripping my hair between her fingers.

  Sam digs her heel into my ass, separating her lips from mine. “We don’t have a lot of time, Tuck. The old crone will be up here at four o’clock.”

  I stop my slow exploration of her body and lower her to the floor. She shoves her yoga pants and panties over her hips, the material bunching at her ankles, giving me enough time to unzip and roll on a condom. Within seconds, we resume our position, with Sam’s back pressed against the shelf and my cock now buried inside her.

  She takes my ear in her mouth and sucks, moaning softly with each thrust. “Yes,” Sam purrs. “Fuck, this feels good.”

  “I missed you, too,” I whisper. “And my cock missed your pussy.” I’m trying to be quiet and fast, which is not easy given the circumstances. But she’s fucking killing me.

  She chuckles softly, tightening her grip on my biceps, encouraging me to keep going.

  Two days without Sam, and I’m already confessing how much I missed her. It’s the truth.

  “I love you,” I say against her lips.

  I still for a second, surprised by my confession.

  She stares into my eyes, her mouth open wide. “You love me?”

  I lean my forehead against hers. “Yes. I love you, Sam. This wasn’t how I had planned to tell you.”

  “I love you, too, Tucker.” She strokes my cheek with her thumb. “Don’t stop. I was about to come.”

  I rock my hips, spreading her open, my cock so deep inside her I have to focus not to come. But I have to be quick. We have minutes, at best, before we get caught fucking by the librarian.

  Sam covers her mouth with her hand and leans her head on my shoulder as her insides tighten around my cock.

  “That’s it, baby,” I whisper. “Come for me.”

  She unravels above me, her body shaking through mine, her screams muffled by her hand. The sounds she makes drive me wild. My orgasm builds until it finally hits its peak. I come so hard my body jerks, and a book falls off the shelf at my feet.

  Sam looks down and laughs. “You fucked me so good even the books are excited.”

  Laughing, I pull out of her and set her on the ground. “I fucked you so good everyone in the library felt it.”

  We hurry up and get dressed, careful to avoid anyone seeing us sneak out from the shelves together. Sam meets me at our table where she left her bag and laptop to save our spot.

  Sam flips open a notebook, her eyes pointed down at the handwritten pages. “How much time do we have until dinner?”

  “Our reservation is for seven.”

  “What kind of food do they serve?”

  “Italian. I’ll get the menu for you.” I flip open her laptop and type Dolce into the Google search bar. When I find the menu, I turn the laptop for her to see. “They have a small selection, but they’ll make anything you want. My dad always orders shit they don’t serve.”

  She scans the screen and chuckles. “Well, I’m not famous either.”

  I often forget the massive differences in our upbringing, but Sam n
ever fails to remind me.

  “You’re with me,” I say. “That’s all that matters. I know everyone at Dolce.”

  She smiles. “Yes, that’s all that matters. That we’re together. I don’t care what we eat.”

  I really do love this girl. I gave Trent and Preston shit for turning into pussy-whipped assholes, but that was before I understood how it feels to be in love.

  “I have to run to the ladies’ room,” Sam says, getting up from the chair across the table from me. “I’ll be right back.”

  I tug on her shirt, pulling her face down to meet mine, our lips connecting for a split second. “Don’t take too long.”

  She radiates from the smile spreading across her face, and then she takes off down the stairs to the lower level.

  I close out the web browser about to shut the laptop when I notice a file on her desktop. At first, I only notice my name, but then I see Jameson O’Connor, Jr., Peter “Preston” Parker, Drake Donovan, and Trent Kane. Why does she have folders with our names on them?

  An eerie chill spreads down my arms causing the hair on them to stand at attention. I click on my folder, my fingers trembling. Sam has pictures of me pounding beer at the Delta Sig house. I’m wearing nothing but black boxer briefs in one image with red and pink lipstick kisses spread from my cheek to my chest and into my boxers. That was a fun night. Kiss and Tell, what a stupid name for a party. But it was one hell of a night. It was also at the beginning of the Fall semester.

  Has Sam been following me since before we met? I shake my head unsure of why she has so many pictures of me. There are pages of notes in a Word document detailing every single thing I’ve done since the start of the year. Her last entry is dated last month.

  What the fuck? Why is she keeping tabs on me?

  I open Trent, Preston, Drake, and Jamie’s folders finding similar content. She has notes on all of us, pictures of us with other women who are not our girlfriends, and enough dirt to bury us.

  Does she want money?

  Is everything between us a lie?

  I have no idea what to think as I push the laptop across the table from me as if it’s on fire.

  Sam sits across from me, confused until she glances at the computer screen. All of the folders are open, an image of Jamie kissing a girl on display for her to see.

  She slams the laptop shut. “Tucker, I can explain. Please, it’s not what you think.”

  “Not what I think?” I shake my head, sick to my stomach when I look into her eyes. “Who are you?”

  “You know who I am.”

  “No, I don’t, not really. Did we meet again on purpose? Is this all part of some elaborate catfishing scam?”

  Tears fill her bottom lids. “No, of course not. Are you crazy? It’s not what you think.”

  “I’m not the crazy one,” I shoot back. “Why are you stalking my friends and me? Why do you have folders on us?”

  “I was working for someone who wanted information on you.”

  “Was? And when did you stop?”

  She bites the inside of her cheek. “Technically, I still work for her, but I haven’t given her anything new since we started dating.”

  “Who do you work for?”

  “I’m so sorry, Tucker.” Sam reaches for my hand, but I pull it away from her as if I’m allergic to her touch. “I never meant to hurt you. I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now, but I had no idea how to do it. This isn’t easy for me. I needed the money, and she exploited my weakness.”

  I can’t even look at her. She sold me out for money. I’m so disgusted, her betrayal leaves a harsh sting.

  I ball my hands into fists on my lap, my teeth clenched in anger. “Who do you work for? You at least owe me that.”

  “She calls herself The Queen.”

  I bang my fist on the table, shaking it without meaning to be so loud. I’m so angry I can’t think straight, my vision clouded by my rage.

  “How could you do this to me?” She swats the tears falling from her eyes away, and when she doesn’t answer, I continue, “Did you tell her about the pot brownies?”

  She nods. “I’m sorry, Tucker. We didn’t know each other the way we do now. I hated you for taking my virginity and then treating me like trash.”

  “Because you are trash,” I growl, pushing myself up from the table. “You could have ruined my hockey career. I could have been expelled from school.”

  “Like it would have affected you,” she hisses. “Guys like you are untouchable. You have everything. People like me, we have nothing. We have to work for everything we have and still live in poverty. So, don’t pretend to understand my motives. I never thought I would get close to you. I never planned to take things this far.”

  “Don’t worry because you’ll never get near me again.” I lift my bag from the desk and sling it over my shoulder. “We’re done, Sam. I can’t fucking look at you. You make me sick.”

  She hops up to her feet attempting to hold my hand. I step back to create space between us. We went from our highest high to our lowest low in a matter of minutes. She’s not the person I thought she was. It’s like dating Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, two completely different personalities merged into one person.

  “Tucker, please,” Sam whimpers, sniffing back the tears. “I love you.”

  “I can’t do this. Not anymore.” I turn away from her wishing the last twenty minutes never happened as I descend the stairs to the first floor.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Sam

  Eden holds me against her chest rocking me as the tears slide down my cheeks. I haven’t stopped crying. Hours have passed with us in the same position. She leans against the wall to support our weight, and I move with her, gripping the comforter between my fingers.

  I’ve never loved anyone before Tucker, never understood the pain that comes from heartbreak. I feel as though my heart is cracked into pieces, splitting open with each sob that escapes my lips. My chest hurts from crying. I’ve rubbed my eyes raw from blotting the tears.

  But I brought this upon myself.

  I should have told Tucker when I had the chance. Because there were plenty of times to reveal the truth to him.

  “He called me trash,” I mutter, my voice muffled by tears.

  I’ve replayed the same thing repeatedly for the last hour. It was the meanest thing anyone has ever said to me.

  “You’re not trash, Sam.” Eden cradles my head and shushes me. “Just let it all out. Forget about what he said. He’ll get over it.”

  “He hates me,” I whine. “He’s never going to talk to me. And how can I blame him?”

  “His career wasn’t damaged by The Queen. He didn’t get expelled. None of his friends got in trouble for anything in those posts. He can’t be mad forever. If he really loves you, he will forgive you.”

  “I doubt it,” I shoot back. “You should have seen the look in his eyes.”

  “Give him some time. What would you do if you found out he did the same thing to you?”

  I rub beneath my eyes and lean back against the wall next to Eden. “I would be pissed.”

  “Would you stop talking to him?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. Probably.”

  “You love him.”

  “I do.”

  “So, you would forgive him at some point.” She flashes a closed-mouth smile. “Tucker will, too. But give him space.”

  “I only called him once.”

  “And sent him five text messages.”

  I sigh and slump against the wall. “Okay, I see your point. I’m a total loser who’s chasing after a man who doesn’t want her.”

  She chuckles. “No, that’s not what I said at all.”

  “It’s how I feel.”

  “Just calm down.” Eden sits in the center of the bed crossing one leg over the other. She holds out her palm to me, and I place my hand in hers. “Everything will be okay. Now, take a deep breath and let it out.”

  I do as she says, instantly feeling b
etter with each breath I take. Eden always centers me when I’m lost and in need of her help. Whenever I had a panic attack freshman year, she knew how to soothe me. I was a mess when I first came to Strickland University. The financial stress was killing me. So was supporting my father.

  Not until Eden helped me heal was I able to focus and clear my head. She gets me. No one has ever understood me the way she does. Without her, some days I would be completely lost.

  “What if I out myself?”

  Eden shoots me a worried glance. “No, don’t even think about it. Telling everyone on campus that you’ve been spying on them… that we’ve been spying on them… is not going to make this go away.”

  “What else can I do to make it right?”

  “Nothing,” she hisses. “Time and space are your friend. Let Tucker figure out how he feels about you before you do something stupid and ruin your life.”

  “I wouldn’t implicate you,” I assure her.

  “I don’t care about that. You will become a social pariah if you admit to feeding info to The Queen. We have one month until graduation. If Tucker never forgives you, then at least you can walk away next month and never have to deal with him again.”

  “But he’s my student. I’ll see him in class on Monday.”

  “You can make it four weeks. Don’t pay attention to him. Focus on the other students in the class.”

  “I hope I don’t lose my job over this.”

  “Professor Frazier won’t find out, not unless Tucker decides to be a total tool and rat on you.”

  “Tucker wouldn’t do that to me. He knows how much I need the money.”

  Eden squeezes my shoulder, her fingers digging into my back. “How about we go get a brownie sundae to take your mind off Tucker?”

  I force a smile, my stomach rumbling at the thought of a brownie smothered in hot fudge and ice cream. “Sounds good.”

  After spending the weekend without Tucker, I sit behind the long desk in front of the classroom desperate to see him, focusing on the door at the back of the room. I miss him so much my insides hurt. Every bone in my body aches from the loss. I’ve barely eaten since the breakup, depressed out of my mind and sick with guilt.