Friend Zoned (Barnett Bulldogs #2)

by Jennifer Sucevic

  As we push through the doors, the bar is already jammed packed. The lights are low and the music is all but vibrating off the walls. In the back of the bar, I see a few tables have been pushed together and some of their teammates are sitting around enjoying a beer. As usual, there are a ton of scantily clad girls hovering around the guys.

  Ugh.

  Jersey chasers…

  There never seems to be a shortage of them vying for male attention.

  Finding open seats, we plunk ourselves down. Sam is to my left and-

  “Hey Violet, how you doing?”

  I smile at Liam Garrison, the Barnett Bulldog’s first string QB. Even though he’s only a junior, he’s super talented. I just know he’ll end up playing in the NFL once his college career is finished. And he definitely has his fair share of admirers. Even though it’s still early, they’re already buzzing around him, trying to secure his attention for the evening. Instead of checking out all the available talent, his gunmetal gray eyes lock on mine.

  “I’m good. Congrats on the win today. That was an awesome forty yard pass to Roan in the third quarter.”

  “Thanks.” He grins, flashing beautiful white teeth. “I knew there was some good luck coming from the stands today.”

  If I haven’t already mentioned it, Liam Garrison is absolutely gorgeous. In a completely dangerous kind of way. He looks more like a rock star than a clean cut athlete. He’s got short mahogany colored hair. It’s shaved close on the sides and spiked up on top, styled in a fauxhawk. Tattoo sleeves run down the length of both muscular arms. There’s also colorful ink peeking out from beneath the collar of the black Bulldog t-shirt he’s sporting.

  Am I curious as to just how much of his body is covered in ink?

  Yup, I kind of am... And I’m certainly not alone in that curiosity either.

  He’s definitely the bad boy of Barnett football.

  And the girls go freaking wild for him.

  Out of all the football players on the Bulldogs, Liam and Roan are showered with the most female attention. Although, now that Roan is officially off the market, Liam seems overrun with women.

  I roll my eyes. “Oh please, you don’t need luck, you’ve got talent.” Tons of it. He has an amazing arm on him.

  Liam gives me a little wink. “I love a girl who knows what she’s talking about.”

  A small smile tugs at the corners of my lips as I shake my head. I’ve known Liam since he was a freshman rookie player. He’s always been a terrible flirt. Sliding an arm across the back of my chair, Sam leans around me before giving Liam a silent chin lift in greeting. Liam’s gleaming smile widens right before he hoists a brown bottle of beer to his full lips, taking a long slow swallow.

  The waitress, already looking harassed by the thick crowd, stops by to take our order. I suppose not having to fight your way to the bar for a drink is one of the perks to being with a table full of hot college athletes.

  “What do you want, Vi?”

  With all these bodies pressing together, it’s already getting warm in here. My eyes swing to Sam as I shrug out of my jacket before throwing it over the back of my chair. “Beer is fine.”

  When the waitress looks over at Sam, he orders drinks for both of us. I can’t help but notice the way her eyes linger on him before she takes off again.

  The tiny spark of jealousy that flares to life within my body takes me completely by surprise. Feeling slightly knocked off balance, my eyes immediately arrow to Sam to see if he’s checking her out as she makes her way back to the bar. Instead, I find him pinning me in place with his steady blue gaze. Something indefinable settles within me at that knowledge.

  What the hell is up with that?

  I’ve never felt territorial where Sam is concerned.

  Hell, half the time I’m trying to hook the dude up so he’ll stop cock blocking me every chance he gets. These strange feelings that have taken root are seriously starting to freak me out. I thought if I gave it enough time and just ignored them, they would simply fizzle out. But that hasn’t happened.

  When our liquor finally arrives, I grit my teeth as the pretty brunette with a shoulder length bob focuses way too much attention on Sam. Normally Roan and Liam are the big draws. That’s not to say Sam isn’t good looking, because he definitely is. But he’s quieter. Instead of seeking out the limelight, he shies away from it. He seems happier to hang back, allowing his teammates to be swamped by all the female attention.

  Part of that is because he worries about things ending up online and affecting his father’s reputation. Opponents would snap that shit up and use it against his dad in a heartbeat.

  But this girl isn’t overlooking Sam at all. In fact, she seems to have her sights locked on him. Which yeah, is really starting to piss me off because I’m sitting right here next to him. In fact, his arm is draped across the back of my chair.

  Is she totally blind?

  Or does she just not care?

  Because, believe it or not, I run into those kind of girls all the time. Hell, they’ll join the pair of you for the night if that’s the only way they can sleep with an athlete.

  Freaking jersey chasers…

  Some of them have absolutely no self-respect.

  Irritation, hot and swift, pounds its way through me as her big blue eyes continually dart to him the entire time she’s passing out our drink order. As she slides past us, her hand brushes against Sam’s huge bicep. Even when her fingers trail lightly across him, he doesn’t glance her way. It’s like he’s not aware of the fact that she’s trying her damnedest to flirt with him.

  Instead of giving her the attention she’s obviously looking for, his eyes stay focused on me before suddenly closes the distance between us. A little shiver of awareness shimmies its way down my spine as his warm breath brushes against my ear.

  “I know that look. What’s wrong?”

  Feeling flustered by the possessiveness flooding rampantly through my system, I quickly pick up my beer before hosting it to my lips, practically downing the entire contents. I’m trying to buy some time because I have no idea what to say.

  I can’t exactly tell him the truth.

  That I feel…

  That I actually feel…

  Crap…

  There’s absolutely no denying it. I’m freaking jealous right now. Hot spikes of possessiveness are careening through my veins like fire. Sam would probably laugh his damn ass off if I told him what was going on. Can you even imagine how awkward that would make everything between us? Nothing ruins a friendship faster than unrequited lust.

  That’s for damn sure.

  Christ…

  I don’t want to feel this way about Sam. I don’t want to look at him differently. I don’t want to be sexually aware of him. I don’t want my breath catching when I’m close enough to inhale a great big whiff of him. I don’t want to fantasize about that rock solid body of his. Nor do I want to feel this gut wrenching jealousy when some other girl is flirting with him right in front of my face.

  I don’t want to feel any of it.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” I finally mutter before slamming the bottle back down onto the scarred table in front of me.

  Even though I’m doing my best to avoid eye contact, his narrow gaze continues to carefully search mine. It’s like he’s trying to pick through everything I’m desperately trying to hide. Sam knows me well enough to realize that I’m, for whatever reason, not being completely truthful with him.

  I just want him to drop the entire thing before I somehow manage to out myself.

  Rather abruptly he angles his head towards the back door of the bar. “Let’s go outside and talk for a few minutes.”

  Oh hell no.

  The last thing I want to do is discuss this. For the love of all that’s holy, I’m not even sure what this is yet. What I do know is that if he starts pressing me for answers, I’ll cave. Like a cheap stack of cards.

  I can’t lie to him.

  I’ve never been able to
hold anything back from Sam. It’s like I have some strange form of tourettes where he’s concerned. I can’t help but blurt out the truth. It’s terrible. Even his mom, Beth, knows better than to confide in me anything important regarding Sam.

  Don’t even mention Christmas of two thousand and fourteen to her. I’ve yet to live that one down.

  Instead, I do my best jack-in-the-box impersonation by popping out of my chair, nearly knocking it over in the process. “Let’s dance.”

  Yes… dancing.

  Loud music.

  Lots of quick paced movements.

  Elbow to elbow crowd.

  Zero time to converse.

  Or, even more likely, interrogate me until he’s gotten to the bottom of my odd behavior. FYI- Sam will make an excellent trial lawyer. He’s good at asking questions and ferreting out the truth. Especially where I’m concerned.

  One brow slowly arches its way across his forehead in response. When he doesn’t immediately get to his feet, I grab his hand, trying to haul him up. Which is, yeah, a fruitless effort on my part. The guy is all muscle. Like two hundred and some pounds of it.

  “Hey, if Harper doesn’t want to dance, I’d be more than happy to fill in. Although, to be honest, I’m way more-”

  Liam doesn’t even get a chance to finish that sentence before Sam is shooting out of his seat, fingers tightening around my hand, towing me out onto the dance floor. As my eyes catch Liam’s, I notice his are simmering with barely suppressed humor. It’s not lost on me that Liam is, for some reason, trying to get a rise out of Sam.

  Thankfully it’s a fast paced upbeat tune, which is absolutely perfect. Exactly what I need. I don’t think I could handle the feel of Sam’s muscular arms wrapped around me right now. Not with the way my body is buzzing with awareness. All of my emotions feel strangely close to the surface.

  Instead, I let myself go as Shut up and Dance by Walk the Moon spills loudly from the speakers. Within moments of getting out there, we’re both throwing our hands up in the air and when the chorus plays, we pretty much scream the lyrics in each other’s faces with huge grins spilling across our faces.

  See?

  This is exactly what normal feels like between us. Just us goofing around. Having fun. Being silly. Not whatever weird bullshit that was back there. Those feelings have been totally messing with my head lately and I’m tired of it.

  Jealousy has absolutely no place in our relationship. At least it never has before. So it makes zero sense why it would start playing a part now.

  Three more songs come and go and the dance floor gets even more crowded with writhing bodies pulsating to the heavy beat. Even some of Sam’s teammates are out here shaking their asses. Which means there are tons of groupies in skimpy little shirts over barely contained breasts and teeny tiny skirts shaking theirs as well.

  Ugh.

  Now that I can do without.

  But where the team goes, the jersey chasers follow.

  That’s just the way it is.

  As that song ends, a slower one begins. Instantly people scatter from the dance floor in search of liquid refreshment as my eyes arrow uncomfortably to Sam. For just a moment, I contemplate what to do.

  Head back to the table?

  Stay frozen in place like a deer in headlights?

  Unfortunately indecision keeps me rooted in place.

  Just as he opens his mouth to say something, a girl wedges her way in between us. She gives me a quick friendly smile before turning her big brown eyes to Sam.

  Wait a minute… I know this girl. She’s the one I gave Sam’s number to.

  “Want to dance?”

  Looking ill at ease, Sam’s gaze immediately slides back to mine before bouncing to the pretty blonde now standing between us.

  “Umm…” His voice trails off.

  “I’m Allie. The one who texted you after the game today.” Tipping her head towards me, she gives him a wide smile. “Violet gave me your number after class last week.”

  His brow slowly rises right before his gaze arrows to mine. Within the blink of an eye, his expression becomes completely shuttered. I have absolutely no idea what he’s thinking.

  Which is odd. I always know what’s going on in Sam’s head.

  But not this time.

  The three of us continue standing there as the haunting notes of Unsteady by X Ambassadors begins to play. The dance floor has totally cleared out except for about a dozen couples who are now wrapped up in each other’s arms, swaying intimately to the music.

  Well… this is definitely starting to feel awkward.

  I should really head back to the table before it becomes anymore uncomfortable. Not knowing what else to do, I take a hasty step backwards, just wanting to flee. With Sam’s eyes holding mine captive, I take yet another step back.

  Right into someone’s rock solid chest. Almost immediately strong fingers grip my upper arms, stabilizing me.

  Sam’s blue eyes go flat as a husky male voice whispers near my right ear. “So how about that dance, Violet?”

  I know exactly whose embrace I’ve now become entangled in. Even though Sam’s gaze is still pinning me in place, I watch Allie wrap herself around Sam. Liam turns me around with gentle hands until his arms are able to slide around my waist before pulling me close.

  As my eyes catch his, there’s a spark of humor dancing around within his warm gaze.

  We sway to the music for a while before he asks, “So what’s up between you and Harper?”

  Hmmm. Excellent question. Wish I knew.

  Clearing my throat, I tell him what should be the truth, “We’re just friends.”

  When exactly did that become a lie?

  He tilts his head to the side as if assessing me or the answer I’ve just given. I have the strange feeling that he doesn’t quite believe me. Okay… so maybe I’m not being one hundred percent truthful with him. But whatever’s going on between Sam and me is hardly any of his concern.

  “Is that so?”

  His gunmetal gray eyes have a way of knocking me off kilter. “We’ve been friends since eighth grade,” I add as if that somehow makes what I’m saying more legit.

  Nodding, he tugs me even closer to his body. So close that I can feel all his hard lines. Liam has to be a little over six feet tall. Compared to most of the other guys on the team, he’s a little leaner. Which makes perfect sense because he’s a quarterback.

  And, yeah, he’s definitely hot as hell.

  But…

  Rather surprisingly, it’s not doing anything for me. For some reason there’s only one guy I can’t stop thinking about. And he just so happens to be holding another girl in his arms right now.

  “You sure there’s nothing going on between you two?”

  Shaking my head, I repeat, “We’re just friends.” Although I have to wonder just who I’m reiterating the words for- him or me.

  “Good.” His next words catch me completely off guard. “Then there’s no reason for you not to go out with me… right?”

  My wide eyes snap to his. “What?”

  A slow smile spreads its way across his handsome face. “You heard me. I want to take you out.”

  By the way his smile widens, I’m guessing my facial expression says it all. “Like… a date?”

  His eyes light with sudden humor. “Exactly like a date.”

  Needing more clarification, I blurt, “With me?”

  In all the years I’ve known Liam, he’s never once shown any interest in me. He’s certainly never tried hooking up. Don’t get me wrong, he’s always friendly and nice. But he’s never acted in a way that would lead me to believe that he’s at all attracted to me. None of the guys on the team have. More or less, they treat me like Sam’s little sister. As if there’s a no fly zone around me.

  He snorts. “Umm yeah, you.”

  I’m not going to lie… I’m still having a difficult time wrapping my head around this one.

  “But why?”

  I’m sure I do
n’t need to reiterate this again, but Liam Garrison could literally have his pick of women. He leaves a trail of broken hearts in his wake. But unlike Roan King, he’s actually been known to have relationships. Which makes him even more sought after. Sure, he’ll enjoy a one nighter from time to time, I’m certainly not saying he doesn’t, but girlfriends are sprinkled in there as well. He may ride a motorcycle, have tattoos, and look like a bad ass, but he’s not.

  He’s actually a real sweetheart.

  So why, knowing all this, is it on the tip of my tongue to decline his unexpected offer?

  Thanks… but no thanks, not really interested.

  When I don’t immediately respond, he pulls me just a bit closer until his warm breath can feather across my ear. In his most convincing voice, he wheedles playfully, “Come on, Violet. It’s just one date. Absolutely no pressure, we’ll just have fun.” Pulling back, his eyes rake over mine. “Promise.”

  Arrrgh. I don’t know what to do.

  Okay… Is there really any reason I shouldn’t go out with Liam?

  None that I can think of.

  And Sam isn’t an excuse either. Because we’re nothing more than friends. And maybe… maybe going out with someone else will get my mind off him and all the weird tension I’ve been feeling lately.

  I mean… it can’t hurt, right?

  “Okay,” I hear myself agreeing.

  “Great. We’ll do something fun.”

  When the song finally comes to an end, I immediately step out of Liam’s big strong embrace. Relief floods through me as I do. Unconsciously my eyes search the surrounding vicinity for Sam.

  But he’s gone.

  And so is Allie.

  Chapter Nine

  It’s well after one in the morning when we finally decide to call it quits for the night. Even though we’re heading out, there’s a rowdy bunch who decide to stay and close down O’Brien’s. And just to show us how lame we are for leaving early, they boo us as we leave.