Pass Protection (Quarterback Sneak Book 3)

by Natalie Brock

  Brittany settled into bed. The spirit coaches had strict rules when the cheerleaders and the players were on the road. They all had to be in their rooms by ten. No booze the night before a game. If they were caught with beer, liquor, drugs, or a member of the opposite sex in their room, it was instant suspension—no excuses, no exceptions.

  She hoped she was tired enough to sleep through the night. Long bus trips normally wore her out, but these nightmares she was having lately forced her awake in the middle of the night and she often couldn’t fall back to sleep.

  Tonight she woke up during the night for an entirely different reason. Derek, one of the Barracudas’ tight ends and Sofia’s newest boyfriend, paid her a midnight visit. Ugh! Brittany pulled the covers over her head, but it didn’t do much to mute the grunts and moans and bed squeaks coming from her friend’s side of the room. Every time she thought they were finished, they’d go at it again. She popped her head out from under the covers and got an eyeful. Okay, so that explained why they called him a tight end.

  She was getting ready to tell them off when something caught her eye on the floor. Derek’s key card. Yesss!

  Brittany quietly got out of bed, although she doubted anything she could do would divert their attention from each other. She scooped up the key card and left the room. The card was in its original sleeve with the room number written on the outside. It was one floor up, so she rang for the elevator. Hopefully the conveyance would be empty, because she didn’t want to have to explain why she was walking barefoot through the motel corridors wearing only a heather gray sleep tank and sleep shorts. She also didn’t want to get into trouble for going to the guys’ floor during the night, and she certainly didn’t want to get Sofia into trouble for having a nocturnal visitor. It was against the rules to fraternize during overnight stays, but since the coaches normally didn’t patrol the halls during the night, it was an easy rule to break.

  Brittany supposed she could knock on the door of one of the other cheerleader’s rooms, but she didn’t know who was in which room, and she couldn’t take a chance that someone else wouldn’t blow the whistle on Sofia. Most of the girls were cool, but one or two had a tendency to be catty and jealous, and she didn’t want to take the chance.

  She stepped off the elevator and headed down the hall, hoping Derek’s roommate would be a cool guy and not make a big deal out of this. She desperately needed to get some sleep. But if this was Bennie’s room, she’d turn tail immediately and either have to suffer through Sofia and Derek’s lovemaking or kick Derek out.

  She found the room and inserted the key. She stepped inside and quietly closed the door. The room was pitch black, so she opened the door again a crack to see inside. It looked exactly like her room downstairs. There were two beds and they both looked empty. Hmmm. Maybe both players were out paying nocturnal visits.

  She closed the door and flipped on the light switch. Oops, not empty. Someone was in one of the beds. She quickly turned off the light and tiptoed toward the empty bed. She climbed in and pulled the covers up. Ew. The bed could definitely smell better. Derek was a very good looking black man, and she could definitely see what Sofia saw in him. Girl must be nose-blind though. Brittany just might have to give Derek a bar of soap and some less-obvious cologne.

  Suddenly the light came on. Brittany’s eyes widened at the same time as the eyes of the man who had flipped the light switch. “What are you doing here?” they both asked at the same time. He folded his arms and waited for a reply.

  Brittany sat up in bed. She was still in shock to find that Derek’s roommate was none other than Matthew Warner, standing there in a white T-shirt and boxers. She obviously knew Derek’s roommate would be another player, but it didn’t occur to her it might be Matthew.

  “Uh. Derek, your roommate. He seems to like my roommate better than his own. No offense,” she added. He folded his arms and squinted, like he didn’t believe her. So she started talking faster. “Okay. Lookit.” She slapped the blanket covering her lap. “I couldn’t sleep with all the, um, activity going on downstairs so I figured there was a bed up here going unused.”

  He continued squinting at her. “Why didn’t you just bunk with another cheerleader? Wouldn’t that have been easier?”

  With a deep breath, she shook her head no. “Then it would just end up being someone else's problem and when they asked me why I can’t stay in my own room, I’d have to cover for Sofia and I don’t like to lie. You don’t sell out one of your own, not even to another cheerleader. We have an honor code. I presume you guys do too.” He eyed her skeptically. “Don’t look at me that way. I didn’t plan this. I swear.” When his expression didn’t change and he didn’t move, Brittany presumed he disapproved, so she threw back her covers and got out of bed. “Sorry I woke you. I’ll go back downstairs.” She tried walking around Matthew, but he unfolded his arms and held one arm across her body, touching her upper arm and blocking her way to the door.

  “Don’t. It’s fine. You don’t have to leave.”

  “You sure?”

  “You don’t snore or anything, do you?” She thought she saw a small smile on his face. “I guess you’ll find out.” She turned around and climbed back into bed.

  As soon as she got into bed, Matthew flipped off the light switch and went back to his own bed across from hers, with a lamp table separating the two.

  Brittany closed her eyes and thoughts began flooding her brain. It was a little weird to be sleeping in the same room as the guy she had a crush on. She was surprised he didn’t protest more than he did. He was actually pretty cool about her staying over. What was he really thinking? Did he think she manipulated the situation? Or did he already know about Sofia and Derek?

  “Did you know about Sofia and Derek?” she asked out loud.

  “Huh? What’d you say?” he asked groggily.

  “I said, did you know about Sofia and Derek being a couple?”

  “Oh. No. I don’t get up in anybody’s business.” There was a long pause before he asked, “Did you know?”

  “Yeah, I knew, but I didn’t know he’d be paying her a midnight booty call.”

  “Hrmph.” Matthew grunted.

  “What?”

  “What what?”

  “Sounded like you disapprove. I know you don’t believe in having sex—”

  “I don’t care what anyone else does,” he said sharply. “They can do what they want. No skin off my nose, unless it affects me. And my sleep,” he added.

  “Well that wasn’t subtle,” she pouted.

  “I’m tired, Brittany. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day,” he reminded her. “It’s game day. We have a morning meeting, field orientation, and a quick practice.”

  “Us too.”

  “And there’s the game itself, then the bus ride back. I need to get some sleep.”

  “Sorry,” she whispered.

  A few minutes went by and now she was wide awake. Staring up at the ceiling, she blurted out, “I hope things work out for Sofia and Derek. I’m a sucker for young love.” She rolled onto her side in his direction. “Have you ever been in love?”

  “Huh?”

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  “Brittany,” he said wearily. “I was sleeping.”

  “Oh, sorry. Go back to sleep.”

  After a few minutes, Matthew rolled onto his side and faced Brittany’s bed. “Have you?”

  “Have I what?”

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  Brittany rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling again. By now, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. She wasn’t expecting Matthew to ask any personal questions, especially after saying he didn’t get into anybody’s business, but she guessed it was only fair. After all, she asked him first. “Yes. I’ve been in love before.”

  “What happened?”

  She paused for a long minute, wondering if she should be honest or come up with something that made her sound less pathetic. She was too tired to d
ream up a story and she didn’t like to lie, so she played it straight. “You know Philip Mason, right?”

  “You mean the Barracudas quarterback who was drafted by Miami? The Gold Standard kid? The guy every other Barracudas quarterback gets compared to?” Matthew’s voice revealed a hint of resentment. “Yeah, I know who he is. I was on campus for a meeting with the coaches the day Mason graduated. Coach Fairchild dragged me to the graduation so I could meet the rest of the team. I met him briefly. Shook his hand. That kind of thing…So, you guys dated?”

  “Um no. Not exactly. We hung out together, mostly in a group I guess. He was always so nice to me. Truth be told, he was nice to everyone. Before I knew it, I fell for him.” The memory of the feelings she had for Philip pushed a lump into her throat. A tear rolled down her cheek when she said, “But he wasn’t into me. I guess I just wasn’t his type.” She forced herself to laugh. “I know that’s hard for you to believe,” she added sarcastically to lighten the mood.

  “That’s rough,” Matthew said sympathetically. “I’m sorry.”

  Brittany swiped at her cheek to wipe the tears away. The sympathy in his voice made her feel even worse. She immediately regretted telling Matthew about being rejected by a potential love interest, especially since he himself was a potential love interest. Well, maybe not anymore. Letting him know she was rejected by a fellow football player certainly wouldn’t make her more desirable. It would probably make him think there was something wrong with her and he’d been right to spurn her advances. “No biggie. I mean, it’s old news.” She tried to sound nonchalant. “He’s a hundred miles away now and I’ll probably never see him again anyway.” But he wasn’t a hundred miles away. She was in Miami, the same city where Philip’s team played, but he might as well be a hundred or even a thousand miles away. The fact remained, she’d probably never see him again. She turned her head and looked in her roommate’s direction. “Matthew?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Good talk.” She rolled over and faced away from him. “Good night.”

  He laughed a little. “Good night, Brittany.”

  »»•««

  Morning already? Matthew rolled over to turn off the alarm app on his phone. It felt like he’d just gone to bed. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his eyes. He opened them and looked at the lump under the covers in the other bed. It was bigger than when he had fallen asleep. “Brittany?”

  When the figure rolled over, Derek’s arms flung out of the covers over his head and he yawned loudly. Huh? Did he just dream Brittany spent the night here? Could he have imagined it?

  “Where’s Brittany?”

  Derek scowled at Matthew. “What the hell you talking about?”

  Matthew squinted, not sure if he could even repeat the question without sounding crazy. But before he decided, Derek said, “Oh yeah. Sofia’s friend.” Derek got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. “She left when I came back,” he mumbled over his shoulder.

  Matthew exhaled. At least he hadn’t imagined the whole thing. “I can’t believe I didn’t hear you come back.”

  “You were sawing logs,” Derek called from the bathroom. He made some loud snorting noises meant to imitate Matthew.

  “I don’t snore,” Matthew retorted good-naturedly.

  “Yeah, not much,” Derek chuckled. “Neither do I, and if you buy that, I’ll sell you my fake Rolex.”

  As Matthew pulled on his workout pants, he found himself feeling disappointed that he didn’t get to say goodbye to Brittany. How weird was that? He barely knew her and he didn’t much like her, yet he felt sad last night after Brittany told him about her unrequited feelings for Philip. Up to now, he thought of her as almost cartoonish. Too much makeup and hair dye. Too quick with the quip. Way too pushy. But that story she told—it humanized her. Funny, when he first saw the girl in the room, it took him a minute to even realize it was Brittany. She had no makeup on and he’d never seen her without makeup. He thought she actually looked prettier without all the adornment—sweeter and more innocent. She had a natural beauty and didn’t have to gild the lily. It made him wonder why she needed the facade. What was she hiding from? He shook his head as he finished dressing. Maybe he’d never know.

  Time to put on his own facade, the one that made him look like he was a football player, when in reality, all he really was these days was a bench-warmer. “I’m going for a quick run,” he called to Derek. “See you on the field.”

  Chapter Five

  EFU had a couple of community service days each year where students and faculty who participated in charitable activities were excused from class for the day if they produced a proof-of-participation form. The first Wednesday in October was designated as one of those days.

  There were probably a hundred people heading to Bradenton to work on Tony Ramos’ Youth Sports Center. The team’s starting quarterback was spearheading a project that included renovating an abandoned elementary school building and turning it into an after-school facility where boys and girls could learn football, basketball, martial arts, and gymnastics from athletes and professionals who would donate their time and expertise. The building had been gutted, and cleanup and painting were now underway.

  Several busloads carried EFU coaches and athletes from various sports disciplines at EFU, along with the team cheerleaders. There were rumors that professional athletes from area teams including Tampa Bay, Miami, and Orlando might be there too.

  Most of the kids were wearing old T-shirts and jeans, but that wasn’t Brittany’s style. Too grungy. She wore a fitted pink tee and tight white shorts, topped off with a pink baseball cap she’d embellished herself with golden studs in the shape of the letter B. Her long ponytail was threaded through the opening in the back. “Hey Sof?” she said to her seat mate, intending to start a conversation.

  “Uh huh,” Sofia answered, but she was fixated on her phone, busily texting back and forth with Derek, who was on one of the other buses.

  “Never mind.” Brittany sighed. She might just have to be alone with her own thoughts for the two-hour trip. She’d uploaded some tunes to her music app, so there was that, too. From her aisle seat, Brittany’s eyes fell on Tony and Allison in the front row of the bus. Even from ten rows back, she could see how much in love they were. Their shoulders were so close, it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. He kissed her hair like every other minute and she rested her cheek on his shoulder. Brittany was glad things seemed to be working out for them—glad for them, but kind of sad for herself. Sure, she had encouraged and supported their relationship, but she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. When would it be her turn? When was she going find a love like that? Why did things always work out for other people? What did Allison have that Brittany didn’t? A boyfriend, that’s what. An attentive, devoted boyfriend who was head over heels in love with her. Brittany never had a relationship like that, and more and more, she thought she never would. Too much baggage.

  Seeing Allison and Tony as cozy as peas in a pod made Brittany think about Matthew. Then again, everything made her think of him lately. She had hoped they’d be on the same bus to Bradenton, but it didn’t work out that way. As it turned out, she hadn’t seen him at all since the Barracudas won their game against Miami College, but she’d been thinking about him almost constantly. She felt like they made a tiny connection the night she slept in his motel room, which was more than they had before. But she was also concerned the impression she left was less than positive.

  When they reached their destination, the buses parked in the schoolyard and the riders filed out. As soon as she entered the brick building, she was handed a khaki coverall by someone at the door. Definitely not her style. She crinkled her nose but slipped it on anyway.

  Most of the EFU crowd funneled into the room that was going to be the gymnasium. The wooden flooring had yet to be installed and they were standing on the concrete foundation. The place positively echoed. The room smelled chalky, and the light
through the windows illuminated the white dust that hung in the air from all the construction work going on.

  “Come on Brit,” Sofia nudged her. She followed Sofia to a lineup of scrub brushes, buckets, and gloves, and they began scrubbing the walls. She slipped in a pair of ear buds to help make the work more pleasant.

  About an hour into it, Brittany heard an uproar behind her and slipped the ear buds out. One voice cut through the cacophony, a voice she’d know anywhere. She turned around and found the source of the voice. As soon as she spotted him, her stomach twisted. It was Philip, Philip Mason, the object of her affections for a year and a half. He was surrounded by his former coaches and teammates, claiming the center of attention, as always.

  Setting down the scrub brush, she found herself walking toward him. Her heart began to beat a little faster—make that a lot faster. When she got close enough, she tapped his arm and smiled at him. It seemed to take him a minute to place her. “Brit, hey.” Brittany gave him a hug. He felt so warm and he smelled so good—like citrus fruit—just the way she remembered. She didn’t want to let go, but she didn’t want to look like an idiot, so she leaned away and locked eyes with him. He flashed his multi-million-dollar smile and lit up the room. “Hey sugar.” She touched his chin. “You look amazing. Looks like being in the big leagues makes you really happy.”

  “I can’t complain. Life is treating me well.” His deep, rich voice reverberated down to her toes. “How are you doing?”

  “Philip, come here,” a voice called from a few yards away.