by Amelia James
"Good night and good riddance," Sara growled. "I hope you're not planning on—"
"Don't you ever treat one of my friends that way again!" Jane advanced on Sara, her voice low. "Do you understand me?"
"So he's a friend now?"
"He's a better one than you are tonight."
"I'm trying to protect you."
"From what? From having a good time? From laughing, from kissing, from possibly having the best sex of my life?"
"From getting your heart broken."
"Okay. I get that. If I'm making a mistake, if I end up getting hurt, so be it. I can take care of myself."
"But you're not thinking straight. You're not thinking about the future. There is no future with him."
"I don't care about the future. All I care about is right now, and right now, I'm having a good time with Austin. I'll go out with him whenever I want, as often as I want. I don't need your protection."
"Fine, but don't come crying to me when he runs off with the next pretty thing." Sara stomped off to her room and slammed the door.
Jane dropped her head in her hands. Would she see Austin again? She wouldn't blame him if Sara had scared him off. She didn't know Sara could be that mean.
She sighed and sank down on the couch. Still warm from their body heat, it brought back not just memories of his touch, but all the sensations that went along with it. Her body started to throb again.
Maybe doing the dishes would help distract her. She went to the kitchen, smiling as she set the dishes on the counter where he'd kissed her and touched her thighs. Oh, she was distracted all right, but not the way she'd intended. Without thinking, she slipped her hand inside her shirt and brushed her fingers across her nipple. Ooohhhh. It felt much better when he touched her, but....
Oh, screw the dishes! She needed a stronger distraction.
She went to her room, locked the door, took off her clothes, and finished what Austin had started. She would welcome sleep with a smile.
***
"You look like you could use a beer."
Austin said, "I could use something a lot stronger than that." Like a certain hot-blooded soccer goddess.
Jack opened a bottle and handed it to him. Austin sat on the couch and downed half of it in one swallow.
"What happened?"
"Her roommate happened."
"That sucks. Roommates can be a real pain in the ass."
"Ya think?" Austin polished off his beer. "Sorry, man, I wasn't talking about you."
Jack got him another beer, but opened a bottle of water for himself. "I know."
"The woman hates me."
"Jane?"
"No, Sara."
"Why?"
"Beats the hell out of me." He shuddered. "And she looked like she wanted to."
"Gonna go out with her again?"
"Sara?"
"No, Jane."
"Oh. Yeah, definitely." Austin took a drink. "Sorry, my brain is shot."
"I can tell."
Why the hell am I thinking about Sara? He closed his eyes and called up the image of Jane at her door. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. Her tousled hair spilled over her shoulders in all directions; her shirt and jeans fit nice and snug. And barefoot too. Very sexy. Very....
Damn it! Something else bothered him. Sara had said she'd be the one picking up the pieces when he left Jane, but right now, he couldn't imagine doing that to her. Most of his relationships didn't last through next Tuesday, but he couldn't see an end to this one yet. Hm... do I like that or not?
"So other than the psycho roommate, how was your night?"
"Great. She's an amazing cook, even better than my mother."
"Wow."
"Don't tell my mom I said that."
"Hey, if I lie to her, she won't feed me anymore."
"I got no problem with that. More for me."
"So how far did you get with her?"
"You're talking about Janie, right?"
"Yeah, dumbass."
Austin held up three fingers. "And then psycho roommate walked in on us."
"Oh, man, that had to hurt."
"Uh-huh."
"But anticipation can be a lot of fun."
"Anticipation makes you insane."
"That explains a lot."
"Yeah."
He'd never dealt with anticipation before. He couldn't wait to see her again, but not just because he wanted to finish what they'd started. No, he couldn't wait to talk with her and laugh with her. He wanted to argue with her some more. He'd fought with women before, but when Jane fought back, she challenged him and made him think. Fighting with her excited him... almost as much as foreplay.
Austin frowned and wondered if he should enjoy that as much as he had.
"You okay, man?"
He jumped. How did Jack know? The guy had a gift for reading people. "Yeah, I'm fine." He got up and headed to his bedroom. "I just gotta figure out how to get some sleep tonight."
"No running around the football field?"
"Nope. That's not gonna cut it."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Austin looked back at his friend and laughed. "Jack, you're way too sensitive. Are you sure you're a guy?"
"Angie says so. You didn't answer my question."
"I don't even know what to talk about." Austin shut his bedroom door then opened it again. "That means no."
"I got it."
But before the latch clicked, he popped the door open again and spun back to the living room, pacing and snarling at Jack. "Why am I so...? Why can't I find the words?"
"Confused?"
"Yeah, that's one word." He plopped down on the couch and ripped his hands through his hair. "I promised Janie a good time—nothing more."
"But you want more."
"Yeah."
"And that scares the shit out of you."
He growled at Jack, but his friend wouldn't retreat. "I promised Natalie I'd wait for her to graduate."
"I remember."
"One year. I'd wait for her to join me here, and I swore I wouldn't see anyone else."
Jack nodded. "Shocked the hell out of me, but I knew you'd do your best."
"But she didn't care. My leaving for college wasn't the problem. She said my future was too uncertain. I had no plan. 'What if you get hurt and don't make it in the NFL? What will you do then?' I couldn't answer her."
"You can now."
"Yes, I can."
"So why is that keeping you from being with Jane?"
"It isn't. It's something else."
"You don't want to get hurt again."
"Stop reading my mind, Jack."
"I can read you like a freaking book. Want to know what I think?"
"You're gonna tell me, whether I want to or not."
"True. I think you might get hurt again."
"That's comforting."
"But I think you've gotta take the chance. Jane's worth it."
"I know she is." Austin looked straight into his best friend's eyes and saw his uncertain face mirrored back at him. "Am I?"
"You are, and you always have been. You got me through some pretty horrible shit when we were in high school. You're good enough for me. But if you don't believe that, Jane won't either." Jack punched Austin's shoulder and yawned. "Goodnight."
Austin sat on the couch until he couldn't keep his eyes open. Was he good enough for Janie? Maybe. Could he risk that rejection again?
He wasn't going to figure this out tonight, not with his body still revved-up and his brain spinning its wheels. He dragged his sorry ass to his room, undressed, and crawled into bed exhausted—completely drained, and not in a good way. Every time he closed his eyes, images of purple lace, pretty toes, and perky nipples bombarded him. Sweet dreams.
A goodnight blessing? No, a curse.
Sweet dreams, yes. Sleep, no.
***
Well then, she could wait and wish and hope Austin would find her, or she could go
find him herself. So she did.
All day, Jane searched for Austin, but she never found him. They didn't have any classes together, and he never went to the library. Where would he be? The football field, dummy. Now that she thought about it, she'd only ever seen him around the gym and the athletic fields.
She got away from soccer practice as soon as she could and hurried over to the football field.
Austin spotted her right away. "Hey, Janie, go deep!" He launched the football at her.
Jane kept her eye on the ball, took two steps to her left, one step back, and caught it with ease.
"Nice moves." He jogged over to her.
She laughed. "I just came from soccer practice, so I had to resist the urge to kick it back to you."
"I'd love to see that." He lifted her face in his hands and touched his lips to hers—soft and gentle—promising more in the right time and place.
That kiss erased any doubt that Austin wanted to see her again. She didn't even mind that he'd kissed her in front of the entire football team. She'd said she didn't care what other people thought of her. Start living up to it, Jane. "I, um, came over here for a reason, but I can't remember what...."
She raised her lips for another kiss, and he responded without hesitating.
"You just can't get enough of me."
"Besides that."
Austin laughed.
"I wanted to apologize for Sara, for the way she treated you."
He nodded but didn't say anything.
"She's not usually that mean. I don't know why she doesn't want me going out with you."
"She's just looking out for you." He shrugged, but avoided her eyes.
"Not the first overprotective friend you've pissed off?"
His smile held a tinge of remorse. "It's the price I pay for choosing to play the field."
She decided to let that go. "I told her I could take care of myself."
"You don't need to."
"Yeah, because if you do hurt me, I'll kick your ass through the goal posts."
His eyes turned playful again. "You can try."
"Don't tempt me." Such a cute ass too.
"Ah, Janie, I know so many ways to tempt you."
"I believe it." His standing there looking at her with those dangerous blue eyes was doing the trick quite well, thank you.
"Hell, I was awake all night thinking of ways to tempt you." He moved closer and ran his fingers through her hair. "And thinking of ways to make you give in."
Her heart beat faster. "Really?"
"I got no sleep at all. How about you?"
"I slept great." Her skin suddenly felt as if she'd stepped into an oven.
"Huh."
"After I... um...." What am I saying? Do not tell him about that! "Never mind."
Austin cocked an eyebrow. "After you what?"
"Nothing." She clapped her hand over her mouth to hide the naughty little smile coming on.
"After you took matters into your own hands...."
Jane shook her head, but her quick breath and hot face betrayed her dirty little secret.
"Why you little.... Do you have any idea how big a turn on that is?"
Is that just his cup or...?
"Was it good for you?" He gave her a sinful smile. "Too bad we're not alone, or I would definitely—"
"Hey Austin!"
"Kill someone." Austin swore, and shot a look at Jack that stopped him in his tracks.
"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. Aaron and Greg want to know if we want to pitch in for pizza tonight."
"Sure. Sounds good. See you later."
Jack waited.
"I don't have any cash on me, so go away."
Jack shook his head. "Aren't you going to introduce me?" He winked at Jane.
"No."
"No class." Jack took Jane's hand and lifted it to his lips.
Austin rolled his eyes.
"I'm Jack, this idiot's roommate and lifelong friend. You must be—"
"Mine." Austin pulled her hand away from Jack.
She laughed. "I'm Jane. It's a pleasure meeting you, Jack."
A few inches shorter than Austin, he had broad shoulders and thick muscular legs. His blue eyes were playful and his dark brown hair a bit on the long side, but she liked it. Maybe Austin saw him as competition. He certainly could be.
"The pleasure is all mine." He turned to his roommate. "She's even prettier than you said. Be good to her or I might have to steal her away from you."
Austin laughed. "Good luck with that."
Jack leaned close to her, but not so close that Austin couldn't hear. "When you get tired of this guy, let me know." He winked at Austin. "I know how to treat a lady."
Austin pulled her close. "It's a good thing you're no lady or— Ouch!" He got an elbow to his ribs for that. "Jack, go away. Janie—" His eyes hid nothing. "—you need to be punished."
She caught her breath. His smile made her ache.
"I see you remember that."
"Okay, I am outta here." Jack slapped Austin between the shoulders.
"It's about time," he grumbled.
"Jane, nice meeting you. I'm sure I'll see more of you." Jack gave her a suggestive smile.
Austin stepped between them. "Not if I can help it."
"Do something about her knee, will ya? She's bleeding all over the place."
"Holy hell, Janie. What happened?"
All three of them looked at her right knee—bruised, swollen, and dripping blood all the way down to her cleats.
"Oh, I got kicked in practice. Soccer hazard."
"You just noticed that?" Jack cuffed Austin upside the head. "Some sports doc you're gonna be."
"I wasn't looking at her knees," Austin growled through his teeth. "Janie, sit down. Jack, get me a towel, a bandage, and an ice pack."
He helped Jane to the bleachers, then flexed her knee up and down, making sure nothing was broken, and that she had full range of motion. He wiped the blood with the towel and sent Jack for some soap and water.
"This will sting a little." He cleaned the dirt from the wound and wrapped her knee with the bandage.
A tear escaped her tightly closed eyes, but she didn't complain.
"Keep the ice on as long as you can. Walk on it, but don't put your full weight on your knee. Don't let it get stiff."
"Yes, doctor," she teased him.
"I mean it. You have to keep it moving if you don't want any permanent damage."
She laughed.
"What's funny? Did you get kicked in the head too?"
"I'm sorry. There's a dirty joke here somewhere about playing doctor with you." She wiped tears from her eyes. "This isn't quite how I imagined it."
"You won't be laughing when this thing wakes you up throbbing in the middle of the night."
They both laughed at that one.
"Believe me, I know." He winked. "All right, woman, get off your ass and try to walk."
Austin and Jack took her arms and helped her walk to the gym.
"It doesn't really hurt that much." She hadn't even noticed she was injured until Jack pointed it out.
"It will," the guys said in unison.
"I gotta hit the showers," Jack announced, breaking up the party. "I'll see you two later."
"Bye," Jane called after him. "I like him. He's a lot nicer than my roommate."
"Can't argue with that."
"So you're interested in sports medicine?"
"Yeah. I blew out my knee during a game freshman year, and Coach took me to a clinic specializing in athletic injuries. The doctors were amazing. They helped me recover fast enough to finish the season and start again the next year, but...." He looked at her, and then held her arm a little tighter. "I'll never play beyond college. I'll never make it to the NFL."
"I'm sorry." She put her arm around him.
Jane remembered that game. The whole school feared they'd lost their most promising quarterback, and everyone cheered when Austin came off the injured rese
rve list.
"I can't scramble like I used to. That's why I depend on my arm and a good running back like Jack. So when I had to figure out what else to do with my life, I decided I wanted to help other athletes like me."
She hadn't expected Austin to be the one with a plan, with goals, with a purpose. "And here I thought you stayed in school for the cheerleaders."
"Yeah, that's a definite perk." He leaned back against the gym wall, taking her in his arms. "I'm a pre-med major, so I don't spend all my time at the gym. I even go to class now and then."
"That's why we never see each other. I'm a business major."
"What kind of business?"
"I haven't decided." She had an idea, but she wasn't ready to tell anyone about it, so she changed the subject.
"So, have you changed your mind yet?"
Chapter 10
"About sleeping with you?" Austin nuzzled her neck. "Hell yes, first chance we get—"
"No!" Jane laughed and pushed him away. "Have you changed your mind about lo—" Good lord, what am I asking him? Her smile faded and she looked down at her bandaged knee. Of course, his first thought was about sex. What had she expected? "Forget I asked."
"No, I won't forget." He frowned, his blue eyes penetrating her. "Did you think you changed my mind already?"
She shrugged, not looking at him. "I hoped."
"Hope is a useless emotion too."
She stepped back and searched his face. "What made you so cynical?"
"Life did. Real life, Janie." His eyes narrowed. "There was this girl in high school...." He shook his head and started over. "The night my parents split up, my dad told my mom he loved her, but it didn't do any good. They still got divorced and they still hate each other."
"It doesn't have to be like that."
"Does anyone have a choice? Do I?"
"I believe we can choose to be happy." She looked into his doubting eyes, hoping he would see her confidence and believe it too.
He shook his head. "I'm glad you believe that, Janie, because I don't."
"What do you believe in?"
A wicked grin lit up his face as his gaze slid over her body, stripping her defenses. "Hot sex, cold beer, and the last-second Hail Mary pass."
But his grin faded all too quickly.
"I believe—I know—that dreams can be shattered in a moment." He took a determined step toward her. "I believe in taking what I want with both hands and never letting go."