Pregame

by Taylor Wade

  Pregame

  By Taylor Wade.

  Copyright © 2013 by Taylor Wade

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means electronically or mechanical, without prior written permission of the author except where permitted by law.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events, or occurrences, is coincidental or unintended.

  Prologue

  She was nothing like I had thought she would be after that first night I had seen her. She was different; there was something about the way she held herself together that showed that she was strong. Yet, at moments, you could see her vulnerability. She had a way about her that drew people towards her, but she was unaware of the affect that she had on people, especially men. She was beautiful—sexy as hell, but she didn’t realize just how stunning she truly was. She was the kind of girl I wanted to get lost in, and for the first time, I was interested in more than just an easy lay.

  There were secrets that she kept hidden behind her striking hazel eyes, demons that she tried her hardest to keep at bay. I wanted to know what troubled her, and I wanted to take that pain away.

  The more I was around her the harder I started to fall. The harder I fell, the more I realized that there wasn’t anything that I wouldn’t do for this girl. I would go through hell and back just to see that smile light up her face.

  Before I knew it I was lost in her. I was scared as hell at the feelings I was experiencing for the first time, and I was worried I’d screw up and lose her. But none of that mattered because I was already in too deep. I completely and fully belonged to her. She had my heart and she didn’t even know just how strong her hold on me was. I was in over my head.

  I would do anything for her. Anything at all…

  ONE

  According to my fake ID today was my 21st birthday, and my best friend, Elle, was determined to make it a great one. By the time we arrived at Dusty’s I was already feeling tipsy from pre-gaming in our apartment. As I tried my best not to stumble through the doors of the local bar, I felt finger nails digging into my arm and looked down to see our third roommate, Savanna, clutching onto my arm as she tried her best not to fall face first onto the gravel in front of the bouncer.

  “Please remind me to never again wear stilettos after taking shots of tequila.” She whined with a slur, and I laughed, disregarding the statement, because I knew she’d do the same the next time we went out.

  We handed our fake IDs to the bouncer who looked at them briefly before giving them back to us and followed after Elle and her boyfriend, Colin, who had walked in just before us. Elle tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder as she peered back at us and motioned Savanna and I to follow her and Colin over to an empty table. After pushing our way through what seemed like hundreds of other students, we sat down and gave our drink orders to Colin.

  I scanned the room to see if I recognized anyone from my classes but bodies were packed so tightly together it was difficult to recognize anyone in particular. Classes had only started two weeks ago and the large lecture halls made it impossible to get to know anyone in such a short period of time. I sighed acknowledging the differences between my new school in comparison to the much smaller university I attended last fall during my freshman year. While I was happy with my decision to transfer it was weird to be in such a different environment. The two universities were only a couple of hours from each other, but the different lifestyles made it seem as though the schools were on different coasts.

  “Thank you, Colin.” I took the Jack and diet coke Colin handed me and winced at its potency as I took a sip. Elle laughed as she saw my face knowing that I’ve never been able to adjust to the taste of hard liquor in all the years she’s known me. Elle and I had gone to high school together and became close during our sophomore year. Despite going to different colleges freshman year it was easy to remain best friends. When I decided I had to transfer I knew where to go.

  “Brookelyn! It’s our song!” Elle stood up and grabbed my arm with one hand yanking me towards the dance floor while she grabbed Colin with her other hand. “Dance with me, baby!”

  Colin just smiled and shook his head as he followed behind us, used to Elle’s energy and free spirit.

  Savanna had disappeared a few minutes earlier, and when Elle dragged us to the middle of the crowded dance floor we found her clinging to a tall, lanky guy as they danced with his hands on her ass and her tongue in his mouth. I saw Elle roll her eyes at the scene she’d witnessed numerous times since being assigned Savanna’s roommate freshman year. While the two girls were good friends, Elle got easily annoyed at Savanna’s drunken tendencies. Thankfully, in the three weeks that the three of us have shared an off campus apartment together, Savanna hadn’t brought home any strange men for Elle and I to get to know through the thin bedroom walls.

  Feeling more of the alcohol in my system, I was eager to dance, throwing my hands up and swaying my hips to the music, mirroring Elle’s similar dancing. Colin stood behind her and gripped her hips as the two danced in equal rhythm. I locked eyes with Elle as we belted out the lyrics to the song. Her brown eyes gleamed happily and I could see her tanned skin start to glisten as we danced into the next song. Across the room I met a pair of dark green eyes that belonged to a beautiful, sculpted face. Dirty blonde hair flopped across his forehead in a perfectly disheveled way. I took in his white button up shirt stretched across a lean but toned body, with the sleeves rolled up at his elbows. I turned my gaze back to my friend when I realized the stranger was smirking at me, obviously aware of me checking him out. We danced to three more songs until we were sweaty and in need of another drink and I made sure my attention stayed away from the hot guy that had just caught me staring at him like a deer caught in headlights.

  We got back to the table and ordered another round of drinks when Savanna came back with her new friend close on her heels. Up close I could see that he was quite cute if not a little too pale with glassy eyes and a crooked smile that could only belong to a stoner. He introduced himself as Oliver Tate but told us to call him Ollie. It turned out that he was a junior, like Colin, and the two were part of the same fraternity. The two men started prattling on about sports and the frat’s upcoming party to kick off the school year, which is supposedly notorious for being one of the best parties of the year.

  After my third Jack and Diet Coke Elle had finally convinced me to wear the ‘Birthday Girl’ tiara and sash she had bought for me and I was blissfully ignorant to how ridiculous I looked. We danced for a few more songs, and the more people that noticed my new apparel, the more celebratory shots that were thrown in my face and numerous people—mostly guys—had sung me happy birthday. I felt a little bad lying to everyone but decided I was too drunk to care. I sat back down at the table and took a few breaths to regain my focus since my head had started to spin. I noticed someone approach the table and my gaze traveled upward past a well-fitted white button up and locked onto a pair of green eyes. The hot stranger from earlier was now greeting Colin and Ollie with that guy handshake that I can never figure out how to do.

  “Is he really that hot or am I just really drunk?” I whispered to Elle beside me. She threw her head back and laughed and I gave her a curious look until I understood what was so funny. Apparently I was.

  “I hope it’s not just the alcohol.” I turned to find him now sitting at our table with an arrogant smile on his face and it turns out my whisper wasn’t very quiet. My cheeks caught fire and I forced a smile hoping he couldn’t tell how mortified I was.

  “Happy birthday,” He nodded to my tiara, still smiling like he was knew just how embarrassed I was and enjoyed every bit of it. “I’m Gabe.”

  “Brookelyn L
ane. Its not my birthday,” Why did I even allow myself to speak? Here I was making a fool of myself in front of a gorgeous guy and then I go and tell him I’m a liar. Good work, Brooke.

  Gabe smiled, confused, “are you sure about that, beautiful? Because your crown says otherwise.”

  The only thing I could focus on in my drunken haze was that he called me beautiful. I just stared at him, obviously for a second too long because I felt Elle nudge me in the ribs.

  “Oh, um, yeah it’s not my birthday. And it’s not a crown, it’s a tiara.” I stuttered over my words like a lovesick idiot and I didn’t even know this guy’s last name. What the hell was wrong with me?

  Elle started giggling at my behavior and then Savanna joined in and I couldn’t help but giggle as well at my own ridiculous behavior.

  “Baby, I think we should probably get you guys home,” Colin looked over at Elle, amused. “You’re all pretty drunk.”

  “It’s not even that late!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air like she was blown away by his statement.

  “It’s almost two o’clock, Elle.” Colin held his watch up to her face and she scrunched her nose trying to see the tiny numbers. She sighed, signaling it was late and time to go home. We packed up our things and headed for the door, Colin’s arm wrapped around Elle in both support and affection, and Savanna was now clutching to Ollie as she had to me when we came in. I frowned as I stumbled by myself, irrationally upset about being left alone on my birthday. It wasn’t even my birthday. Suddenly a sun kissed, toned arm pointed out to me and I looked up and smiled appreciatively at Gabe.

  “Need some help, beautiful?” Gabe smirked down at me and I couldn’t help but think that he seemed to do that a lot. My heel getting caught, almost causing me to trip if it wasn’t for Gabe’s arm, was all the answer he needed.

  We got to Colin’s car and Ollie hopped in the front while Elle and Savanna crawled into the back. I looked up at Gabe to see him looking down at me, his trademark smirk still plastered to his face.

  “Thanks.” I said quietly as I turned away from him so that I wouldn’t be caught staring at his ass while he walked back to whomever he came here with. I hoped it wasn’t a girl. Not sure why I would care whether or not this guy I barely knew had come to a bar with anther girl, I chalked it up to the alcohol. This was certainly a night for the books.

  As I opened the back door to get into Colin’s car I glanced up, for no reason in particular. Standing against a car across the parking lot smoking a cigarette with a few other guys talking and laughing around him was a man even more breathtaking than Gabe. He wore a black t-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and toned body and I could see black designs trailing along his arms. His dark hair was cut short and he had a light shadow across his perfect jaw line like he hadn’t shaved today. He was the epitome of ‘tall, dark, and handsome.’ I lifted my gaze to his to see that he was watching me with an expression I couldn’t decipher.

  “Helloooo? Earth to the fake birthday girl!” Savanna slurred, sticking her freshly manicured hand up from inside of the car and waving it in my face. I looked away from Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome and got into the car telling myself that I wasn’t really attracted to either of these two men and it was just the alcohol talking. It had to be. I didn’t come here to get away from my past just to let history repeat itself.

  As we drove away I turned in my seat to find that he still had his eyes on me.

  TWO

  “Well hello again, beautiful. How was yesterday?” I looked up from my political science textbook to see Gabe slide into the seat opposite mine. His ever-present smirk was in place and his eyes showed his amusement that he likely knew just how horrible yesterday had been.

  I had woken up yesterday morning—well, afternoon, technically—with the mother of all hangovers. There were parts of Saturday night that had been a little foggy in my memory but I remembered every mortifying second with Gabe perfectly. When I was finally able to tear myself out of bed I took a long hot shower, but not before noting my less than stellar appearance in the bathroom mirror. My long blonde hair was tangled and matted to the right side of my face, my hazel eyes looked dark, and the eyeliner that I had expertly applied before celebrating my fake 21st birthday was smeared all over my face. If someone had told me I had been mugged the night before I might have even believed him or her. Yeah, I looked that bad. I hadn’t been able to eat anything all day, and even the smell of Savanna’s famous ‘hangover breakfast’ made me run to the bathroom with a queasy stomach.

  “It was just peachy, thanks for asking. What are you doing here?” I rolled my eyes when his smirk deepened. He was quiet for a moment and I could see that he was scrutinizing me. I cleared my throat, uncomfortable under his gaze, and returned to reading my textbook. I was hoping to get ahead of the syllabus so that I would have extra time to go over whatever I didn’t understand. I was determined to make sure that last year’s mistakes wouldn’t become a habit.

  “I was printing out an assignment for my psych class when I saw you sitting over here by yourself. Thought I’d keep you company.” The smirk was replaced with a well-rehearsed smile that I’m sure worked on every female he used it on. If I’m being honest, it sure as hell was working on me. I had to remind myself that my plans for the year did not include a boyfriend, even if he does look like that. Then again, who am I to assume he’s even into me?

  Gabe was wearing a pair of loose fitting dark jeans that hung low on his hips, and I could see the waistband of his briefs peeking out from his denim. He wore a lacrosse pinny with the number four on the front along with the university’s name. The sleeveless athletic wear showed off his lean yet muscular biceps and I couldn’t help but notice the way his muscles flexed when he shifted his body. I hadn’t taken him for a lacrosse player, but his lazy grin and his constant smirk that screamed arrogance started to make sense.

  He didn’t seem to be one of those preppy New England boys that vacationed on Martha’s Vineyard during the summers and spent their free time playing golf at the rich folk’s local country club. He didn’t act as if he came from an abundance of wealth, but I could tell by his David Yurman watch and Ray band sunglasses that his family was privileged. I began to feel awkward in my Boyfriend jeans and cropped t-shirt. Guys like Gabe were supposed to surround themselves with girls who wore designer brands bought with their daddy’s black amex, not girls like me. However, I couldn’t deny that from what I knew of him, he was humble unlike most guys that had money. I respected him for that.

  I didn’t reply to him as I continued to skim through the bullet points and definitions in the textbook, highlighting the information I knew I’d have to rememberfor Wednesday’s class.

  “So how does tonight sound? We could grab a bite to eat, play a round of mini golf. Your call. What do you say?” Had he been speaking this whole time? Dinner and mini golf…was he really asking me out? I feel like I had stepped into the twilight zone.

  “I’m sorry, what?” the confused expression on my face made him smirk again which was really starting to piss me off. “I am not going on a date with you.”

  “Why not?” The fact that I had just turned him down didn’t seem to affect Gabe, his expression never changing from arrogance. He seemed to expect me to fall at his feet. Maybe he thought I was playing hard to get, which I was not.

  “Because I don’t want to. I’m sure there are plenty of girls who would love to go out with you Gabe, but I am not one of them. Sorry.” I rushed my words before slipping my textbook into my shoulder bag and getting up from the table. As I headed towards the library doors I heard footsteps trailing behind me. I was tempted not to turn around, knowing it was Gabe following me, but my curiosity got the better of me. When he approached me I had somewhat expected him to tell me it was all a joke, or even ask me again to see if I changed my mind in the last thirty seconds. I wasn’t expecting him to lean into my ear and slip something into the palm of my hand. I closed my eyes at the feeling of his hot breat
h against my skin.

  “I’ll pick you up at seven, beautiful.” He whispered. My eyes snapped open to see him wink at me before walking away from me, out of the library doors and into the bright sunshine. I opened my hand to see what he had given me and found a small piece of paper folded into a square. Still standing dumbstruck halfway towards the library exit, I unfolded the note to find four words written in a messy scrawl across the paper.

  You look beautiful today.