Rebellious and Reckless: College Sports Romance Stand-Alone (Campus Hotshots Book 1): Campus Hotshots

by Michelle A. Valentine

  “There’s a boxing gym across town. I’ve been working with a trainer.”

  “Is he the one that got you into the whole secret fighting ring thing?”

  I shake my head. “No. Wes is far too straitlaced for that scene.”

  “Then how did you get involved in it?”

  “A guy I met there used to play ball for Columbus University a few years back but got into some legal trouble and got kicked off the team—completely ruining any chance he had at making the NFL—so he got into fighting for money. He heard about my situation and hooked me up with his contact.”

  She pauses for a moment as she bends her leg and grabs her ankle behind her butt. “Does Luke know you do that?”

  “No,” I say firmly. “And he doesn’t need to know about it either. I never want him or my father knowing my business.”

  I wish I could take the last sentence back, but it’s true. It’s not that I hate my brother, but I have so much anger inside me it sometimes boils over onto him. Luke’s not the main cause of my problems, but he certainly hasn’t helped either. And my father…I can’t think of him without wanting to rage out and break anything in my path. So the new mantra of my life lately is to pretend I don’t have a family anymore. It’s much easier that way.

  The only reason I’ve been anywhere near the places Luke hangs out recently is for Sky’s benefit.

  “Remind me why we’re working out here again? I don’t think I’ve ever been in here before.” Milo questions as he approaches us. His gaze is fixated on Sky, who’s looking smokin’ hot in her black spandex pants and sports bra top. “What’s up, Sky? You sure you don’t want to forget about the Finnegans and jump onto team Milo?”

  I punch him softly in the gut, and he groans. “Cool it, Romeo. She’s off-limits to you.”

  Milo throws up his hands. “Just checking,” he mutters with a playful smile before his gaze wanders around the room, and he spots a girl who waves at him. “I’ll catch up with you two later.” He nearly sprints to the smiling red-head, leaving Sky and me alone once again.

  Sky giggles next to me. “That didn’t take long.”

  “It never takes Milo long to find a willing female. He flirts with anything with tits.”

  “Poor girl. Doesn’t she understand she’ll just be one of many on his girls-I’ve-had-sex-with list?”

  “Oh, trust me. She knows—all of them do—and they don’t care. He’s the starting tight end, and that’s all the cleat chasers care about.”

  “Cleat chaser?” she asks.

  “You know, a girl who only cares about getting with a guy because he’s on his way to making millions. Girls like that are only into what they can get out of you—the status the guy can bring them,” I explain.

  “That’s messed up.” She eyes me suspiciously. “Have you ever been with girls like that?”

  “I could tell you no, but that would be a lie. I’ve been with more than I care to admit to you.”

  Her lip curls. She’s disgusted, and I don’t blame her. It’s not something I’m proud to say I’ve been apart of, but for a time in my life, fucking around was a good distraction. But truthfully? Random hookups are something I still do from time to time because a relationship will never be in the cards for me again. I won’t allow it to be.

  She frowns. “Are all the guys on the team into women like that?”

  I shake my head. “No. Not all of them. Look at Eddie. He’s been committed to Jamie since his freshman year. When you find the one, I guess you know it. At least that’s what Eddie keeps telling me.”

  “They do seem great together. Jamie is awesome.”

  “She is, and she’s good for Eddie.”

  Jamie and Eddie are what the guys around the locker room used to call relationship goals. Those two together are like finding a fucking unicorn, and unfortunately, I’ll never know that kind of happiness.

  13

  Sky

  I can’t believe I agreed to this. My dad would have a heart attack if he saw I have not one but six hunky men in my apartment.

  Miley sits next to me on the couch, eating the popcorn we popped, but neither of us has paid one bit of attention to the movie playing on the television. Instead, our eyes have been fixated on the guys in my place. They are all well-built athletes with bodies most men would kill for, and they make lovely eye candy. Especially Baker.

  Milo catches us staring and grins. “You two want in on this game? We’ll even take it easy on you for the first few hands.”

  I glance over at my best friend, and she shakes her head. I, on the other hand, am curious to know how the game is played. I run back to my room to grab some cash and come back out with a fifty in hand. “I’m in.”

  “Excellent,” Milo says with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

  Baker motions for me to sit next to him, so I grab an extra chair and slide it up by him.

  “Have you ever played before?” he asks.

  “No. But I’ve always wanted to learn.”

  He nods. “Just sit next to me and watch for a few hands before you jump in and give these assholes your money. I don’t want you to gamble until you understand how to play.”

  For a few hands, I sit next to Baker, and he shows me his cards and points at a few of them and waggles his eyebrows. I’m guessing whatever he’s got is good because he seems excited.

  Milo raises the pot, and Baker tosses in more chips to match Milo’s. Soon all of the other guys fold and go out of the game, leaving only Baker and Milo left going for the huge pot in the middle of the table.

  “Call,” Baker says after a while to Milo as he studies his cards.

  Milo lays his cards on the table with a smug grin on his face. “Straight. Beat that.”

  “Full house,” Baker’s smooth voice calls out as he lays his hand down for all to see.

  Milo’s eyes widen. “Bullshit! You didn’t start winning until Sky sat next to you. She’s got to go.”

  Baker laughs as he rakes in the chips. He’s still laughing while Milo continues to complain about losing. Baker throws his arm around me and pulls me into his side. “What can I say? Maybe she’s my good luck charm.”

  Milo folds his arms across his chest. “Well, then you should take her to your next match. You almost lost last time.”

  Baker’s lips twist, and then his gaze points down at me. He knows I’ve been dying to see him in action, but he’s told me no every time I’ve asked.

  “Maybe you’re right,” he tells Milo, and then turns his attention back to me. “I fight again Saturday night? You want to go sit in my corner and bring me a little luck?”

  “Absolutely.”

  A grin lights up his face. “Then it’s a date.”

  “Hell yeah!” Milo hoots. “I’m betting big on our boy next fight. With Sky in his corner, he can’t lose!”

  The table laughs, and I join in. My eyes flick over to Miley, who’s watching Baker and me intently with a grin on her face. I know what she’s thinking, but just because he said it was a date doesn’t mean anything. People toss that phrase around all the time. She knows I have firm date coming up with Luke. A date I’m very excited for.

  I join in the next few rounds but quickly lose all of my money, mostly to Milo. The two times I lost to Baker, he gave me my chips back, only for me to lose them again to Milo. At nearly two, Milo is declared the big winner of the night, and the guys begin clearing out.

  “I’d better get going too,” Miley says as she heads toward my door. “I have class in the morning. We meeting for lunch tomorrow, Sky?”

  I nod as I walk her out. “Yep. I’ll be there.”

  I lock the door behind Miley and turn to help Baker finish cleaning up.

  “Well, I officially think I suck at poker,” I blurt out as I toss an empty beer bottle in the trash.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Even seasoned players have bad nights. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it again if you had fun doing it.”

  “I had a good time
. Your friends are nice and well behaved.”

  “Yeah, well, I kind of threatened I’d beat their asses if they came in here and got crazy and wrecked your place.”

  “Thanks for that. You don’t know how nervous I was that something was going to go wrong, and I would have to explain to my father why you and all your friends were here in the first place.”

  Baker leans his hip against the counter. “I know we said parents were off-limits, but you’ve mentioned being scared of your dad a couple of times…Does he hurt you?”

  My eyes widen, realizing how he could get the wrong impression about my father. “Oh, my God. No. My dad is actually really cool, and we’re super close. He’s just a bit overprotective when it comes to his one and only darling daughter.” I grimace. “I never got the opportunity to date a lot in high school because guys were afraid to lay a finger on me because they thought my dad would break it. He’s a physically big and intimidating man.”

  This earns a chuckle from Baker. “My brother’s never been one for getting along with fathers of girls he dates. It sounds like your dad will want to annihilate him. I would pay money to see that and shake your dad’s hand when he’s through with him.”

  I roll my eyes. “I’m sure if it ever got serious between Luke and me, my father would go easy on him.”

  “I’d like to meet your dad someday. He sounds like a badass.”

  Baker has no idea how right he is about my father.

  “I’m sure you will at some point…after we no longer live together. I don’t want to see you caused any bodily harm for living with me.”

  “Fair enough,” he says as he sits on the couch. “Want to watch a movie?”

  It’s late, but I’m not tired, so I plop down next to him. “Sure.”

  Baker gets to work flipping through Netflix to find us a movie, and I absently begin rubbing my legs. It was leg day for me at the gym, and my quads are on fire.

  He hits play and lays the remote down before patting his thick thighs. “Prop them up here, and I’ll rub them.”

  I’m hesitant. Just the thought of Baker’s large hands on me causes my stomach to flip, but I’m seriously cramping right now.

  “Come on, Sky. I know how much leg day sucks. Let me help you out.”

  With a sigh, I scoot down and lay my left leg in his lap. Baker turns his attention toward the television as he gets to work massaging my aching muscles.

  A small moan escapes me. “That feels so good.” Baker instantly tenses, and when I glance at his face, he’s no longer watching the movie. “What?”

  His eyes are glued to me, and his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard.

  I feel the growing erection in his jeans hard against my thigh and instantly understand exactly what it means.

  My breath quickens, and warmth spreads over every inch of my body. I feel it too—the longing for him to keep touching me, but not just on my leg.

  My eyes widen at my own thoughts, and even though I know he can’t hear what’s going on in my head, my cheeks heat. No doubt I’ve just given away how embarrassed I am to be having sexual thoughts about Baker while my leg is practically wrapped around him.

  He licks his lips carefully as he watches me. “I have great self-control, but I’m no saint, so you’ll have to stop looking at me like that. You’re a beautiful girl, Sky, and hard to resist.” He sucks in a quick breath. “You’re still into my brother?”

  I nod slowly, knowing if I admitted right now I wasn’t so sure I wasn’t also into him, we’d both cross a line that’s very dangerous to our budding friendship.

  “In that case, I better go grab a cold shower.” He moves my leg and shoves himself up from the couch, adjusting the erection in his jeans before heading into the bathroom.

  I throw my head back against the couch and release a huge breath. These Finnegan boys have my head spinning.

  14

  Baker

  The cold water runs down my body, but it doesn’t stop the blood from rushing straight to my cock. I’ve been taking a lot of cold showers living with Sky, more than I’ve taken in my entire life. Everything about her turns me on. The way she walks, talks, and giggles when I tell her dirty jokes. Every fucking thing. It’s been sweet torture living with her this past month, but tonight nearly sent me over the edge. I want her. I shouldn’t, but I do. Her heart doesn’t belong to me, but damn if I don’t want it anyway. Luke isn’t good enough for her. Hell, I’m not either, but I’d treat her better than he would. She’s a virgin, for fuck’s sake. She’s special and not some fucking cleat chaser who only cares about hooking up with athletes for the money they may be worth someday. She needs to be treated like a fucking queen.

  I’ve thrown her so many signs that I’m into her, but she only sees me as a friend. There are times, like tonight, the way she was looking at me, I could tell she was turned on by the idea of me touching her too. When she moaned, I swear to Jesus I was about to come in my pants. It was the sweetest little sound I’d ever heard, and I wondered if she would make the same noise if I rubbed her clit instead.

  I had to walk away because I wanted her too much.

  I rest my forearm against the wall of the shower and lean my head on it while the water sprays on my back. My cock is still throbbing, and the monster isn’t going to calm down until I help him out. Reaching down, I stroke my hard length and close my eyes, allowing my brain to picture Sky writhing beneath me, moaning, begging for me to take her. My breathing picks up, and after a while, I grunt as I come, euphoria sweeping through me.

  I don’t know how much longer I can live here with Sky and pretend I only want to be her friend. I crave her body so damn much it’s actually turning me into a pathetic pussy.

  Sky

  When I pass by the bathroom, I notice the door is open just a crack. The damn thing never stays shut. I’ve told the apartment office fifteen times, but they haven’t come to fix it. I grab the handle, ready to shut it to give Baker some privacy when I hear him breathing heavy. There’s no doubt he’s in there jerking off, but knowing I caused him to get horny in the first place sends a little thrill through me. It’s wrong to spy, but I can’t make myself walk away from this door. He grunts in pleasure, and my panties get wet, knowing he’s coming at this very moment.

  I slip past the bathroom, scurrying into my room, and lock myself inside. I lean against the wall and try my best to slow both my breathing and heart rate.

  Every fiber in me is alive, and I’ll never be able to look at Baker the same again. I turn him on, and as much as I wish it weren’t true, he turns me on too.

  I bite my lip as the most sensitive spot between my legs throbs with desire. I need for Baker to touch me, but I can’t cross that line with him—not if I ever want to have a relationship with Luke.

  I throw myself on my bed and sigh, realizing I’ve never felt this horny in my life. I’m tempted to dig into my nightstand drawer and grab my battery-operated boyfriend to cure this ache inside me, but I’m scared Baker will hear the motor run. So, instead, I strip down to just my bra and panties and climb under my covers and allow my hand to wander to where no man has ever touched.

  15

  Sky

  I set my bag down on the floor and take my usual seat across from Miley in the campus cafeteria. When I take my fork out of the plastic wrap, I glance up to find Miley watching me with a smirk on her face. “What’s that look all about?”

  Her eyes are alive with curiosity. “Are you holding out on me?”

  I furrow my brow as I pour dressing onto my salad. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t play dumb with me, Missy. What’s going on between you and Baker?”

  I raise my brow. “Nothing. Why do you think something is going on?”

  “Because of the way the two of you were together Saturday night at poker—the way he was looking at you…”

  “We’re friends. That’s it.”

  “Does he know that?”

  I sh
ake my head. “Of course he does. Baker isn’t the kind of guy you want to date long term. No matter how attractive I may find him, I don’t think I can trust my heart with him.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You remember the night I went to the frat house party?”

  “Yeah…? The night you and Baker nearly kissed?”

  I nod. “After you dropped me off that night at my apartment, Baker came home later, drunk, with another girl. She was all over him, and he kissed her right in front of me and then went back to her place to have sex.”

  My best friend’s jaw hangs open so low, I’m tempted to reach over to push it back up for her. “Why am I just now hearing about this?”

  I shrug and poke around at my food. “It really wasn’t my business to tell. Baker’s a single guy and can screw anyone he pleases. He’s obviously a player and the kind of guy I don’t want to get involved with.”

  Miley holds up her hands in surrender. “All right. If you say so, but the two of you definitely have chemistry, so you shouldn’t be so quick to write him off. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “Who has chemistry?” Baker’s deep voice catches me off guard as he sets his tray down and sits next to me. His eyes flit from me to Miley, waiting on one of us to answer.

  “No one,” I tell him, not wanting to divulge we were just talking about him. My brain races to find a subject change. “Are you ready for the fight this weekend?”

  Baker swallows down a bit of his sandwich. “Yeah. I’ve been training hard, so I think I have a good shot at winning this one. The guy I’m fighting is pushing his early thirties, so speed will also be on my side.”

  “What’s your record?” Miley asks.

  “I’ve lost two out of fifteen fights, but those were my first two fights, and I learned real quick what I was doing wrong and how to fix it so I would stop getting my ass kicked.”

  “Sounds like you’re a badass. I wish I could come see you in action, but my sister has wedding shit going on Saturday, and she will kill me if I miss anything.” Miley’s sister is really turning into a bridezilla. I never see my best friend much these days because of this upcoming wedding.