“I don’t know if it’s my place to say anything. Baker gets so pissed when we talk about the situation with his father, so I better keep my mouth shut because it’s really none of my business.”
Parents are one of our house rules, and as much as I want to pry, I decide it’s best not to. God knows pissing off Baker is the last thing I want to do tonight. But I still want a little more information about him, and Jamie seems like a girl who knows more about Baker’s past than I do.
“You’ve known Baker a long time?”
Jamie nods and flips her blond hair over her shoulder. “Since freshman year when I started dating Eddie. He and Baker were both on the football team back then. Eddie is the center, you know the guy who snaps the ball to the quarterback, and Baker was the quarterback. They became really good friends. Baker moved in with Eddie after he quit football and his scholarship got yanked. He didn’t have anywhere to go after refusing any more help from his father—the famous asshole.”
I don’t miss the clipped tone in Jamie’s voice. She’s obviously not a fan.
From my internet search of Baker Finnegan, I remember seeing his father is a well-known retired professional football quarterback. Some even referred to Morris Finnegan as a GOAT, which I discovered meant greatest of all time. Baker was expected to go high in the draft because he had a stellar college career as the starting quarterback his freshman year and was breaking records left and right. Some say he could’ve been even better than his father, which is another thing that puzzled me about Baker’s sudden decision to walk away from it all…and apparently any help from his father to finish college.
“Look, Sky. There’s your man,” Jamie says, lifting her chin toward a group of guys making their way through the living room toward the kitchen.
Luke is there in the middle of the group, and I find myself standing a little taller as my eyes drink him in. He’s looking extra sexy tonight in a black button-up shirt and jeans while wearing an easy smile.
“He’s cute. I’ll give him that,” Jamie says next to me. “It’s hard to believe he and Baker are brothers, isn’t it? They’re so different.”
“You know Luke too?”
She takes another sip of her beer. “Yeah. Eddie and Luke work closely together on the field now that Luke’s the QB, but they’re not close. Luke knows Eddie’s loyalty lies with Baker.”
“You say that like there’s a side to take between them. What happened?”
Jamie’s lips twist, and I can tell she’s debating how much she can say to me. She doesn’t seem like the type to gossip, which means she’s probably a pretty decent friend to have. “Look, if Baker asks, you didn’t hear this from me. The two of them are fighting over—”
“Sky! You made it!” I turn to find a grinning Luke heading in my direction.
The smile on his face seems like he’s genuinely happy to see me.
“Thanks for the invite,” I reply.
His blue eyes roam down my body, appraising me. “You look amazing.”
I bite the inside of my lower lip. “Thanks. So do you.”
“Trust me. I pale in comparison,” he says easily. He glances around the room. “Did you manage to get my brother here tonight?”
I nod. “I did. He’s here somewhere.”
“I knew if I had the pretty girl he’s into ask him to take her to a party, he wouldn’t say no.”
“Oh, Baker’s not into me. We’re just friends.”
Luke raises one dark eyebrow. “Baker doesn’t have female friends. If he’s hanging out with you, he’s into you.”
“It’s not like that between us. We’re just roommates.”
“You’re sure?” he asks, eyeing me suspiciously.
“Positive. Baker thinks I’m an undesirable nerd.”
Luke releases a deep belly laugh. “My brother’s an idiot. You are by far the most desirable woman at this party tonight.”
Heat rolls through every inch of my body. I knew once Luke and I got a chance to really talk, we’d hit it off. I’m not sure this is so much talking as it is flirting, but either way, my plan is working. I seem to have his full attention.
Luke inches in a little closer to me. “Since nothing’s going on between you and my brother, we should go out sometime. Get to know each other better. What do you think?”
I smile as butterflies flutter around in the pit of my stomach. “I’d like that.”
“Give me your phone, and I’ll put in my number.” I unlock my phone and hand it to him. He punches in his number, sends his own phone a text, and then hands it back. “Text me and we’ll make plans.”
“Yo, Luke! Beer pong!” Luke glances over his shoulder to the blond guy who’s as big as a tank calling for him.
“Two seconds,” Luke tells him and then turns his attention back to me, still wearing a smile. “Talk later?”
“I’d like that.” I bite my lip as my crush heads to another room with his friends.
That went even better than I’d hoped.
“Damn. He works fast,” Jamie says next to me. “He loves moving in on anything that belongs to Baker. First, the starting QB spot, and now you. Be careful with that Finnegan, Sky. Not all of them are good men. You seem sweet, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
I’m about to ask her what she means by that, but a new song comes over the speakers, and Jamie squeals.
“Drink up, girl, and let’s dance. This is my song.” Jamie tips up her red plastic cup and finishes the contents, and I do the same.
She quickly refills our beers, grabs my hand, and then pulls me out into the middle of the living room, where we proceed to get crazy and dance like we’ve lost our minds.
Three more songs into our dance fest, Eddie and Baker arrive and hand Jamie and I another drink. I expect them to go back to wherever they came from after giving us more beer, but they stand there, watching us, and it doesn’t take me long to figure out why no guys have bothered to dance with us. Who would want to take the risk of dancing with two girls who seem to have boyfriends with them?
I down another beer just as a slow song spills over the speakers.
Jamie grabs Eddie by the shirt. “Dance with me, lover.”
He happily complies, wrapping his massive arms around her petite frame and pulling her close.
I stand there awkwardly, staring at Baker, not sure what to do since we’re in the middle of all these dancing couples.
“Dance with me?” I ask. “It’s the least you could do after scaring off all the other guys in the room.”
He closes the gap between us, grabbing my hips. “What are you talking about?”
I wrap my hands around his shoulders, and we begin to sway to the beat. “You and the whole bodyguard routine. No guy, other than your brother, has come within ten feet of me all night. I know it’s because they saw me come in with you.”
“You’re mad at me for that? You should be thanking me for keeping all these drunk, handsy bastards away from you. If someone approaches you, they need to be worthy. You’re not like all these other girls, Sky, and you deserve better than what most of these assholes can offer you.”
I can’t help smiling at him as the alcohol hits me. “That may be the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me, Baker. You think I’m special?”
He stares down at me. “I do. There’s not one guy in here good enough for you.”
“Except your brother,” I correct him.
He shakes his head. “Definitely not him. I don’t know what you see in him.”
“He’s nice.”
“Until he gets what he wants from you. When you’re no longer of any value to him, he’s through.”
I frown. “He gave me his number. He wants to go out sometime. Jamie thinks he’s only interested in me because of you. Why would she think that?”
“Because it’s probably true. I knew if I showed up here with you, he’d ask you out. He’s gone after every single girl I’ve ever dated after I dumped them.”
“But we’re not dating.”
“He doesn’t know that.”
“I told him we aren’t, but I don’t think he believed me. He said you don’t have female friends.”
“He’s right. I don’t.”
“Then what do you call us? Aren’t we friends?”
“We’re far from friends, Sky.”
I swallow hard as I realize we’ve stopped dancing, and we’re standing in the middle of the room in each other’s arms. Our eyes are locked, and my heart hammers in my chest. Baker’s eyes drift down to my lips, and he leans in. He’s about to kiss me, and I realize in my buzzed state that if I let this happen, it will change everything between us and mess up any chance I have of dating Luke.
I place my hand on his chest, and he rests his forehead against mine. I close my eyes and breathe in his spicy cologne.
The song ends, and we stand there. Neither of us makes a move to separate, and I’m not sure what that truly says about our relationship.
I open my eyes, and when I finally find the courage deep within me to ask what he meant by his last statement, Milo steps up to us and holds out a beer to Baker.
“Thought you said she’s into Luke?” Milo asks Baker with a smirk on his face and then directs his attention to me. “Do you have your Finnegans confused?”
I take a step back, knowing this makes me look bad. I don’t want it to seem like I’m into both Finnegan brothers because I’m not…am I? I’m so confused. Luke and I do seem to have a connection, and he definitely causes me to have the butterflies I’ve always read about, but so does Baker. I need to think about this. The alcohol coursing through my veins isn’t helping the situation.
“I have to go.”
“Sky, wait,” Baker calls after me, but I head for the door, whipping out my cell and calling Miley’s number.
She answers on the second ring. “Why are you calling me? You’re supposed to be making out with Luke by now.”
“Can you come get me?” I try to hold it together, but there’s a quiver in my voice.
“Sure. Be there in five,” Miley says and then hangs up.
I head outside and wait for my ride, knowing there’s a lot I need to figure out. The way Baker was looking at me was so intense. No guy has ever stared into my eyes like that before, and to be honest, I didn’t know how to handle it. Because kissing Baker would ruin everything.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes shut, knowing I won’t be able to avoid Baker forever. Running away is merely a temporary solution.
“You okay?” I turn to find Luke walking toward me.
I plaster on a smile, knowing there’s no way I want to discuss what almost just happened between his brother and me.
“Yeah. I’m good. Just needed some air.”
Luke nods. “Our parties tend to get crazy.”
A shiver runs through me, reminding me summer is definitely over and I should’ve worn a jacket.
“You cold?” Luke asks, and before I can answer, he flicks open the buttons on his shirt and peels it off his body, leaving him in just a plain white T-shirt and jeans.
Luke wraps me in the fabric that’s still warm from his body. “Better?”
It smells like his mouthwatering cologne, and I bite my lip as I stare up at him. “Much. Thank you.”
His large hands linger on my shoulders, and his thumb grazes the exposed flesh on my neck. Tingles erupt all through my body, and it’s not from the chill in the October air. We’ve never been so close before, and I’ve dreamed about what it would be like to be near him. I’ve wondered what his mouth would feel like on mine. Would it be soft and gentle or demanding? I thought this is what I wanted, but I feel confused after that near kiss moments ago with Baker. I can’t stop thinking about Baker, which is crazy, considering I’m standing in my crush’s arms. My sole focus should be on Luke.
Luke brushes a strand of hair away from my face, and then his fingers linger on my cheek. I freeze instantly. For some reason, the confusion in my brain is setting off alarms in my head. I can’t kiss Luke now…not after what almost just happened with Baker.
Miley’s headlights shine down the street, and I jump back from Luke. “My ride’s here.”
Luke frowns and then shoves his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, the muscles in his forearms flexing in the process. “All right. I’ll see you around?”
“Yeah. See ya!” I all but sprint to Miley’s Jeep and then jump in, shutting myself inside. I wave goodbye to Luke and then take one last look at the frat house before Miley drives away. Baker stands on the porch with a deep frown on his face staring right at me. I hadn’t noticed him there, but then again, I was preoccupied with his brother just before Miley showed up.
We pull out of sight, and my head flops back against the headrest. My heart is still in my throat as I replay what just happened.
Miley reaches over and turns down the radio. “Holy shit. You and Luke?! Is it finally happening? Are you wearing his shirt?!” I frown but don’t say anything. Miley notices my expression. “Uh-oh. What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure what happened tonight. Things seemed to be going so well when we first got to the party. Luke gave me his cell number and asked me out, and then I started dancing, and then Baker…”
“Baker, what?”
“Baker and I started slow dancing, and talking, and…I’m not sure, but I think Baker wanted to kiss me.”
“And you didn’t want to kiss him back because you’re into Luke.” She answers the question for me because she knows me so well.
“Exactly. I didn’t think Baker saw me like that…and now things feel weird between us. I thought we were becoming friends. Kissing him would ruin everything, especially now since Luke finally seems to be interested in me.”
Miley ponders on what I’ve said for a moment, and then asks, “There’s no part of you that likes Baker? I mean, you’ve been spending more time with him lately than you have me. Are you sure you’re not into him?”
“I told you. We’re friends and roommates. That’s it.”
Or at least I thought we were friends until tonight. Baker’s making me think otherwise since his comment about us being far from friends.
“Then tomorrow when you’re both sober, you need to clear the air with him. Make sure he knows where you stand.”
I nod. “You’re right. I don’t want the lines blurring between us.”
After explaining every little detail of the rest of my night to Miley, we pull into the parking lot of my apartment complex.
“All right, girl. See you tomorrow,” Miley calls to me as I get out of the Jeep.
I wave to her as I head toward my door and let myself inside. The apartment is quiet without Baker here. I’ve grown used to him being around the past week, and Miley isn’t wrong about me spending all my time with Baker. We eat dinner together and study nearly every night. Surprisingly, I’ve learned Baker is very smart, carrying a near-perfect GPA while working toward a business degree. He’s even offered to tutor me if I need it. He’s not at all what I suspected after the first time I spotted him in the library. There’s so much more to him than just his muscles and tattoos.
The buzz I had at the party has all but faded, and I’m still wide-awake. I pop a bag of popcorn and turn on a movie, ready to settle in for the night. I flip through some of the comforting classics I own digitally and play Can’t Buy Me Love.
I’m almost to the scene where Ronald is getting ready to touch a boob for the first time, and the sound of voices and a key sliding into the apartment door causes me to sit up a little straighter. The door opens, revealing Baker with his arms tangled around a blonde and her lips on his neck.
My mouth drops open as I stare at the scene before me. The confusion I felt earlier this evening is now long gone as it’s obvious the almost kiss Baker and I nearly shared wasn’t as important to him as it was me. My heart squeezes in my chest, and I can’t believe he’s being so cold to the fact we shared a moment e
arlier tonight.
Baker’s glassy eyes meet mine. “Oh. Hey. I didn’t think you’d be here.”
“Well, I do live here,” I snap.
The blonde turns to face me, still clinging to Baker. “Who’s she?”
I swear there’s a hiss in her voice to accompany the look of disdain on her face as she gives me the once-over.
“She’s my roommate,” Baker tells her.
“I don’t want to have sex here if she’s going to sit out here and listen the entire time,” she complains. “That’s weird, and I don’t do threesomes.”
“Don’t worry. Sky, here, isn’t into me, and besides, one of our house rules is no sex in the apartment. Isn’t that right?”
I’m not sure what game he’s trying to play with me, but I can tell by his slurred words and the sway in his stance he’s drunk. I’m not even sure he knows what he’s saying, but his tone isn’t playful at all. This isn’t the sweet Baker I’ve been living with for the past couple of weeks.
Baker stares at me. “Did you have fun with my brother? I saw you with him outside.”
I lift my chin. “I had a great time.”
“That’s what I thought.” A frown etches into his beautiful face.
“Can we go somewhere else, Baker?” The girl bats her eyes at him and then rubs her hand across his muscled chest. “I’m horny and ready to fuck your brains out.”
He pulls his gaze away from me and kisses her lips. “Let’s go back to your place. I didn’t think she’d be here.”
Baker leads the woman back out of the apartment and shuts the door without so much as a glance in my direction. Once I’m alone, silence falls back over the apartment, and the only sound playing is my movie.
A weight pushes down on my chest, and I take a deep breath. Images of the girl’s lips on Baker flash through my mind, and I wish I could forget it. Baker and I are only friends, and we’re not together, but that doesn’t mean I want to see him with other girls. Especially after he almost kissed me.
10
Baker
“Why did you let me drink so much last night?” I complain to Eddie as I attempt to swallow down the pancakes Jamie made for us this morning.
Rebellious and Reckless: College Sports Romance Stand-Alone (Campus Hotshots Book 1): Campus Hotshots Page 6