RHINO: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (With FREE Bonus Novel OFFSIDE!)

by Abbey Foxx

  “Too much hassle.”

  “That’s romantic.”

  “Alright, I haven’t met the right girl yet.”

  “Plenty of good looking girls in Moxlin.”

  “You might have to show me where, now that I know you’re out of the game.”

  “You wouldn’t want to date the boss’s daughter anyway, it’s a hell of a responsibility.”

  “Someone’s got to do it.”

  “That’s not what my dad has always thought.”

  “So what’s with that then? You just a tomboy or what?”

  “My brother hated the game growing up, so Dad and I always used to throw the ball to each other. It’d drive my mom mad. Each time she’d try and make me act like a girl but I wasn’t having it. In the end she just gave up. Football’s in my blood. Dad used to play for Moxlin back in the seventies.”

  “Back when they were good, right?”

  “Hey!”

  “It isn’t much of a secret. That’s why I’m here, right? To save your asses.”

  “It’s harder than you think.”

  “You going to pick me up when I fall?”

  “Depends whether you carry on running again when I do.”

  Jasper’s finished his beer and I’ve barely touched mine. When he comes back to the table he does so with two fresh pints and six bags of crisps.

  “Hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  “I’d invite you over for dinner, but Topher might get a little jealous.”

  “He might get jealous anyway.”

  “I’m sure he’ll cope with it.”

  “So, you’re getting married, that’s nice.”

  “Always wanted to marry a quarterback.”

  “That reminds me, I don’t know where you want me to play, or even what options there are. Am I going to look like a fool tomorrow?”

  If he’s concerned, he doesn’t look it.

  “We’ll go through all of that tomorrow, don’t worry about it. Everyone knows this isn’t your game, they know you’re going to need some time to get up to speed with it.”

  “It’s a hell of a gamble. You know I’m what they call a bad boy, right?”

  “I read the papers.”

  “So why the risk?”

  “Because I think you’re worth it.”

  “You’re just saying that because you like me.”

  “I don’t know you. Not the real you, anyway.”

  “You want to though, don’t you?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself, I need to.”

  “You know rugby players are better looking, stronger, fitter and generally just a lot more fun than American football players?”

  “Is that right?”

  Jasper nods. Any more confidence in his own ability and he’d go round full circle.

  “You need to know anything about me, just ask.”

  “I’ll bear that in mind.”

  “Topher’s a lucky guy.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You’re a good looking girl, you know how to drink, you speak your mind. You seem like fun.”

  “We’ll have this conversation again the day you have to leave and we’ll see what changes between then and now.”

  “You think appearances can be deceptive?”

  “I think you don’t know me well enough to say.”

  Jasper raises his glass into the air.

  “Well, let’s make sure we change that. What time do you have to be in bed?”

  “Earlier than you are going to like.”

  “That’s no fun.”

  “You want to change your mind about me?”

  “Give me a few weeks and we’ll see.”

  “Don’t cause me trouble, Jasper. I brought you here so I could officially welcome you to the Moxlin Tigers.”

  “And because you wanted a drink.”

  “And because it’s been a busy few days organizing this and I needed to unwind. Moxlin have zero money. We are fucked. If we don’t start winning, the club goes under. That’s a lot of pressure for a club my father has been involved in for most of his life.”

  “Then we just have to make sure we don’t lose.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Don’t worry. Now that you’ve got me, we’ll be absolutely fine. I just need a few things to keep me happy along the way. A few drinks, the love of a good woman, and somewhere decent to sleep.”

  “We’ll sort that.”

  “Was that seriously the best you could find?”

  “It was short notice.”

  “I could have stayed with you.”

  I don’t know whether he’s jerking around or he’s being serious. Whatever, he’s got some balls.

  “Like Topher would have agreed to that.”

  “Come on, you make it sound like I wouldn’t have been able to keep my hands off you.”

  “You’ve already said I’m a good looking girl. What am I supposed to think?”

  “Maybe if you weren’t already out of the game you’d be thinking a little differently. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that’s what attracted you to the game in the first place. It must be fun being surrounded by hot and sweaty men all day long.”

  “Believe me, it’s not.”

  I don’t know whether he does believe me, but whatever. As many men as I’m surrounded by at the club, I’ve only got eyes for Topher. Sure we’ve got our problems like everyone else, and Topher can be a dick and it’s true that he hasn’t always had eyes for me but when we are good together we are absolutely solid. That’s why we are getting married, and that’s why, despite myself, I forgave him for the last two times he strayed.

  “It must be a bonus though.”

  Jasper nudges my arm affectionately. I hold up my hands in defense.

  “If I find myself in the locker room, I’m there purely in a professional capacity.”

  “That’s usually my excuse.”

  “Yeah well hopefully you won’t need one this time around.”

  I take the pint Jasper has bought for me and pour half of it into his empty glass.

  “Thanks.”

  “I can’t drink it if you want me to drive you back.”

  “No, thanks for this. It’s kind of you.”

  “I’m your chaperone. What kind of a welcome would it be if I took you right back home and dumped you there without a second thought? You don’t know this city, and I’ve seen enough players come through from outside of Moxlin to know that everyone needs a friend to help them settle in.”

  “And you wanted to get to know me right? I can see that twinkle in your eye.”

  Jasper’s going to be trouble, I can tell. I like him already, he seems like fun, which is usually a terrible sign.

  “Purely in a professional capacity.”

  “Of course.”

  “Dad’s relying on you.”

  “He looks like he’s going to take some convincing.”

  “You wait until tomorrow.”

  “Your boyfriend going to give me a hard time?”

  “He can be an ass sometimes, especially with new players. It’s a competitive jock thing, don’t let him rile you. I shouldn’t even be telling you.”

  “Maybe I ought to get in early and surprise them.”

  “You don’t want to come across as too much of a nerd.”

  “And you don’t want to get out of bed too early.”

  “More to the point.”

  “I’m going to need a car.”

  “I’ll sort your cell phone your bank and a brand new hotel out this week, a car might have to wait.”

  “You’ll have to keep picking me up.”

  “You can get a taxi.”

  “How would we get to know each other better?”

  “Perhaps we shouldn’t.”

  “Is that because you reckon you won’t be able to resist me.”

  “I’ll tell you that when I know you’re trying to seduce me.”

  “Don’t
tell me you didn’t expect it.”

  “I didn’t expect it so soon.”

  “Maybe I’m just playing around to be nice.”

  “With any luck, you are. I don’t think I could cope with another jock in my life.”

  “English men aren’t jocks.”

  “And American women aren’t that easy.”

  “I’ve got sixteen weeks.”

  “Then you better start showing me your true intentions.”

  Jasper isn’t the first sportsman to hit on me and he’s not going to be the last, even if I know he’s only semi serious. He’s got the tattoos, the tight ass and the perfect smile, but he’s not for me. Even if I wasn’t with Topher, he wouldn’t be able to convince me, not after only one day. I can see potential right away, but Jasper is here in a completely different capacity, and my life has already gone off in a different direction. Jasper’s probably plying it on thick just on the off chance, plus he’s probably looking to get laid anyway and hasn’t got any other nearby opportunities. I reckon it’s just a competitive thing for him more than anything else, like a dog marking its territory. It probably has nothing to do with me at all. The phrase anything in a skirt comes to mind.

  Jasper wants another drink but I need to get home. If this wasn’t the first night of him being here I might be tempted to stick around and get a taxi home, but I know I’m going to get shit from Topher for staying out late anyway, and I don’t want to push it. Maybe in a month I’ll trust Jasper enough to leave him here, but right now he’s got that look in his eye that tells me he wants to create mischief and on my head it’ll be if this gets out of hand.

  We settle up, get back in the car and head out on the interstate towards his motel.

  “We should do that again.”

  “Let’s just concentrate on one thing at a time. When you’ve settled into the club, you’ve got a bit more settled into your new surroundings and Moxlin are winning again, I don’t see any reason not to.”

  “Is that it now then? You ease me in and then leave me alone.”

  “Tomorrow I’m releasing you into the wild.”

  “They that bad?”

  “No, not at all. You’ll fit right in.”

  “What time are you coming round for me?”

  “Be ready at eight.”

  “You’re going to get sick of seeing me.”

  “You might find it’s the other way round.”

  I leave Jasper Stone on his doorstep, and he waves at me as I pull away from his motel. I don’t do that with every player, but it isn’t everyday we get a transfer in from across the pond, and I wanted to get a few hours with him before this season begins and the shit hits the fan. Jasper seems upbeat, relaxed, not at all fazed by what’s around the corner for him, but I guess there isn’t all that much pressure on him compared to the rest of the team and Dad and I.

  If he fucks up, it isn’t his game. If he does well, he’s a hero. The boy can’t lose. Whatever happens, he’s a perfect sell for Moxlin. Shirts with his name on are going to fly off the shelves. He’s smoking hot, he’s English, he’s covered in sexy tattoos, he’s well built and he’s in better shape than most of the players we’ve got already.

  Even before he starts tomorrow I can tell they are going to hate him, and none more so than Topher. Topher’s jealous of every single player in the team that even so much as talks to me, so I know for a fact as soon as he sees Jasper fooling around to get my attention, whether he means to be flirting or not, he’s going to throw his fucking toys right out of the pram.

  Like Topher’s got anything to worry about at all. If anything, it should be the other way round.

  Jasper

  Well that was unexpected. Alright, I could easily have sunk three or four more pints and then carried on again somewhere else, but Penny didn’t have to take me out at all, so anything was better than nothing I guess.

  She’s a fun girl. Hot, sexy, tight little ass, cute eyes, curly little ringlets through her hair I’d love to grab on to. It’s a shame she’s out of bounds. I bet her boyfriend, sorry her fiance, is a complete dick as well. All quarterbacks are dicks, especially ones that have agreed to marry the boss’s daughter. Talk about sycophantic. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow. It’s going to be fun flirting with Penny in front of him if he is, even if there’s no chance she’s likely to be affected by it.

  I order take away and get it charged to the hotel bill. A thick ass pizza that’s more dough than topping, half of which I have to leave because I just can’t manage it. It tastes alright, but the portion size is way off the scale, even for me. That’s the last time I order ‘family’ in this country and think it’s right for me.

  When I’m done with that, and I can’t find anywhere close by to have a nightcap, I decide to call it a day, climb into bed and get some rest before the training session in the morning. It’s not exactly rock and roll, and in this piece-of-shit motel I feel less like an international sports star than I ever have in my life, but I know it isn’t permanent and pretty soon I’ll be making Moxlin my own, just like I did London.

  They can try and keep me down, but I’m not going to let them do it for long. I’m just too upbeat for it. I’ve always been able to turn a bad situation into a positive one and look for the silver lining in every grey cloud.

  I reckon the silver lining here is going to be Penny, and as I climb into a bed that’s too hard and too short for my liking, it’s her not the game that I begin to think about. I’ve always been a sucker for a good looking girl, but that isn’t just it with this one. She seems cool, like she could be a good friend, and that feels just as important right now as getting laid does.

  If the rest of the team turn out to be dicks, which is highly likely, at least I’ll have Penny on my side. It could be a long season without her, especially if this game is as different to rugby as she makes out.

  I don’t know how it can be, but I guess we’ll see tomorrow.

  Also, that better not be the only bar in Moxlin. If we win at the weekend, I’m going to make Penny agree to take me out clubbing. As a friend, of course. I’m going to have to get laid at some point, especially if I’m going to have to make do playing football not rugby.

  I’m a simple man and I’m not satisfied in my life unless I’m running with a ball into a wall of people, fucking good looking girls or getting drunk and going wild. That’s the Jasper Stone philosophy. Have a good time while you can. I suspect Penny’s got a similar philosophy too and if she hasn’t, she just might come round to my way of thinking.

  I wonder who we’re meant to be playing this weekend. I wonder too, whether they’ll want me to start.

  I hope Dougie’s working on getting my ban lifted, because if this goes to shit, which it clearly has the potential to do, I’m going to need something to keep me busy when I get home.

  Before all of that though, I need to get myself a new place to stay. I bet Topher’s having the time of his life curled up next to Penny’s perfection, while I have to stick my legs out of the side of this sorry excuse for a bed, just so I can fit in it. Let’s see if we can get that changed and if we can, how long it takes me.

  Two.

  Jasper

  I’ve met the boss, the boss’s daughter, the press, I’ve officially sworn my allegiance and become a Tiger and today is the first day my career as a professional American footballer begins for real. I don’t expect it to start at six am. I don’t expect it to be Topher pulling me out of a dream about his fiancee instead of Penny herself, waking me up with cookies and milk and driving me to the training ground.

  “So this is you.”

  “This is me.”

  “You’re way smaller than I thought you’d be. Fatter too.”

  Topher looks like he’s just stepped out of the pages of a magazine. Perfectly coiffured hair, square jaw you could bang tent pegs in with, annoying shit-eating grin.

  “Where’s Penny?”

  “Word of advice for you, hotshot. The sooner you start forgett
ing about Penny, the easier it’s going to be for you here.”

  What an absolute dick. I knew it already. I knew he was going to be that guy. How the fuck did he make Penny fall in love with him? She seems far too sweet and intelligent to fall for an asshole like this.

  “That how it’s going to be?”

  “That’s how it’s going to be. None of us invited you here, and the last thing I want is to babysit. When I say jump-.”

  “Yeah I get it, I say how high.”

  “Boom. You and I are gonna get on alright, English.”

  “Jasper.”

  I try and get in the car but Topher holds up his hand to stop me.

  “I take it you’ve come to pick me up.”

  “I came to train you. You look like you need it.”

  “So let’s get to the ground and train.”

  “That’s what we’re doing, English. Moxlin Tigers training ground is ten miles that way. I’m going to drive and you’re going to run.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Do I look like I’m joking you?”

  “Penny know you’re here?”

  “Harrison put me in charge of you. If you don’t perform, I get it in the neck.”

  “Running ten miles isn’t American football.”

  “Listen, I need to know I can trust you on the field. Penny reckons you can run fast, which means I need to know that if I hand you the ball you can cope with the responsibility of it.”

  “What else did Penny tell you about me?”

  “That you’re here because you can’t stay out of trouble.”

  “I’m here because you can’t win. Something about a quarterback firing blanks.”

  Topher’s face sours and I know I’ve riled him.

  “I can take the long way round if you want.”

  “Fuck it.”

  “Ten miles, English. Don’t waste all of your energy before we’ve begun.”

  Topher winds up the window and pulls away, out of the parking lot of the motel and up the road. I watch him for a while until he pulls up about a hundred meters away and aggressively beeps his horn.

  “Well come on, Harrison’ll be pissed if you miss your first session.”

  I guess I should have expected this. I would probably have done the same myself if the situation were reversed, so I figure I just have to get on with it. It’s better that he’s not a good guy anyway. If he were, I’d feel much worse about stealing his girlfriend.