“It’s cool. It’s really not a place for chicks anyhow.”
Miley raises one of her eyebrows. “What makes Sky so special that she gets to go, then?”
The corners of his mouth turn up. “She’s my good luck charm.”
Hearing him say that causes me to smile, and when I glance at Miley, she’s wearing an expression as if saying “told you so” on her face, but I ignore her.
“Speaking of my fight, I need to hit the gym. You want to come?” Baker asks me.
“Sure. I just have to go home and change first.”
We finish our lunches and make small talk, and just as we’re about to leave, I spot Luke coming through the door.
Luke’s gaze locks with mine, gives me a small wave, and then heads in our direction.
“Hey,” he says to me as he stops at our table.
Baker stiffens in his seat next to me but doesn’t even acknowledge his brother’s presence.
I stare up at him and smile. “Hi.”
“I’m excited to go out Saturday. Hope you like steak because I’ve made reservations for us at Hyde.”
“Sounds perfect,” I tell him and notice Baker wadding up a napkin in his fist pretty tightly.
Luke smiles his perfect smile at me and then directs his attention next to me. “Since we’re talking about dates, Baker, Dad would like to know if you’re going to come home for Thanksgiving dinner this year?”
Without any kind of warning, Baker’s on his feet, glaring at Luke. The situation suddenly feels tense, and I’m literally caught between them.
“You and Morris can kiss my fucking ass. Tell that bastard I’ll never step foot in that house again. I want nothing to do with him…” There’s a pause, and Baker works his jaw muscle back and forth beneath his skin. “Or you.”
Before Luke has a chance to respond, Baker storms off, leaving me sitting here wondering how in the hell things turned so ugly so quickly.
“What was that about?” Miley asks, with a dumbfounded look on her face.
“My brother and father have a lot of issues,” Luke says.
“Clearly,” Miley mumbles.
“Can’t blame me for trying, though, right?” Luke turns his attention to me. “I hate to piss him off, but he won’t even talk about things, so I can’t help make them better. He thinks I’m taking Dad’s side, which I’m not. I know what happened between them is fucked up, but they need to fix it. We’re family, and we’ve only got each other now.”
I stare up at Luke, and it’s clear to me he thinks I know what happened between Baker and their father, but I don’t have a clue. Discussing parents is off-limits per our house rule, and I don’t want to bring up a subject that clearly upsets him. But that doesn’t mean I’m not dying to know, though.
“Guess I’ll get going.” Luke sighs and stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jeans, flexing his toned forearms in the process. “I’ll see you Saturday, Sky.”
“Saturday,” I repeat, earning another smile from him before he turns and walks away.
When it’s just Miley and me sitting at the table, she laughs. “Holy shit. What have you gotten yourself into? Those two are intense, and clearly, they have a lot of family shit going on. You need to be careful, Sky.”
I furrow my brow. “Careful of what?”
“Becoming one more thing for the two of them to fight over. Baker is obviously into you, and so is Luke, and they both know it.”
This is exactly why I haven’t kissed either of them yet. I don’t want to come between them by leading them both on. Being into Luke is what started my relationship with Baker, but the more I hang out with Baker, the more I like him even though I’m not supposed to.
Miley drops me off at the apartment, and I head inside to change into my workout gear. One great thing about the location of my place is that it’s still pretty much on campus. Everything is within walking distance, which is why I wasn’t really concerned about having a car here, but it’s nice Miley always offers to drive me.
When I unlock my front door, I’m surprised to find Baker sitting on the couch with his elbows resting on his thick thighs and his hands hanging loosely between them. He raises his head to look up at me, and there’s an expression of sadness on his face.
“You all right?” I ask as I shut the door behind me.
He nods with a frown etched onto his face. “I’m good. Just feeling like an asshole for running off and leaving you like that after we made plans to go to the gym together.”
I lay my keys on the table and then head over to sit next to him. “It’s okay. You were upset. I understand.”
He sighs. “You’re probably wondering what all that was about back there.”
“I am curious, but I also know it’s none of my business. You don’t like talking about your past or your family…I get that.”
“We didn’t always hate each other, you know.” The sadness in his eyes is clear. “There was a time I idolized my father and wanted to be just like him. I spent my entire life wanting to make him proud of me. I worked harder on and off the football field than anyone else to impress him.” He pauses. “The day the college scouts came sniffing around my high school field to recruit me…God, he was on cloud nine. I made him happy, which is all I ever wanted to do. We had a good life back then. It was the four of us—my mom, Dad, me, and Luke—and we were tight…or so I thought.”
I lay my hand on his arm, not wanting to push him for more details than he’s willing to give me but desperately wanting to know. “What happened?”
“Just before I came to Columbus, Mom got sick. She had cancer when Luke and I were kids. We really didn’t understand then how bad she was or how close we were to losing her because we were so young. When the cancer came back the second time, it came back with a vengeance, and that time we understood. It had no pity on her and ravaged her body quickly and without mercy. She was gone within nine months of finding out her cancer had returned, just after my freshman football season here. Losing her was the worst pain I’ve ever felt.”
Tears fill my eyes as I feel the pain in his story as if it were my own. I picture myself in Baker’s shoes and what it would be like to lose my own mother.
“I played hard because even as sick as she was, she never missed a home game. She fought to watch me play. She got to see the Heisman awarded to me as a freshman, which is such a rare thing to be given to someone so young. I did it for her because I loved her and wanted to make her proud.” He takes a deep breath. “Remember when I told you about the girl who I thought I loved?”
I nod. “I do.”
“I was dating her during the time my mom was sick and when she passed. Megan was who I turned to for support. I thought she loved me, and I trusted her completely…until she betrayed me with my father.”
I gasp, and my eyes widen. “Oh, my God. Are you saying...?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying. My father fucked my girlfriend, and then she had his baby. The bastard didn’t even wait until my mother’s body was cold before he moved on to Megan. They make me sick—both of them—and so does Luke for thinking what our father has done is okay. I’ll never forgive Dad, and if Luke wants to side with him for that, then he’s dead to me too.”
“Baker…I don’t even know what to say. I can’t imagine going through so much betrayal. I’m sorry.” All I can think of is someone owes him an apology.
He shrugs. “It’s not your fault. You did nothing wrong. I need to do a better job of controlling my temper.” He’s quiet for a moment. “Are you not coming with me Saturday?”
I tilt my head as I stare at him. “What do you mean?”
“You and Luke were talking about your date this weekend. I understand if you’d rather go with my brother versus coming to see me fight. I just wish you would’ve told me you didn’t want to come with me.”
My eyes widen as my mistake hits me. “Oh, Baker. I’m so sorry. I was so excited when Luke asked me out and then you asked me to go with
you…the day of the fight slipped my mind.” I frown. “It’s no excuse for me forgetting something so important to you.”
“It’s really okay, Sky. I get it. The entire point of us being friends was for you to score a date with my brother. You don’t have to pretend to be my friend anymore to get what you want. Trust me. He’s noticed you plenty now.”
“I wasn’t pretending to be your friend. I’ll text Luke right now and cancel.” I grab my cell.
Baker places his hand on mine, bringing my cell down a bit. “Don’t do that on my account.”
My brow furrows. “You don’t want me to come?”
“I don’t want you to want to go just to spare my feelings.”
“It’s not like that. You’re important to me, Baker, and I want to see you in action. I can go out with Luke some other time.”
A slight grin pulls up one corner of his mouth. “Since you put it that way, text Luke and tell him you have plans with me that can’t be broken. I need you in my corner, Sky.”
My heart flutters against my rib cage. The way the words he needs me rolls off his tongue makes me believe he’s talking about more than my physical presence at ringside, but I know I can’t read too much into what Baker says. Something inside me is excited by the idea he could want to be more than just friends because the more time I spend with him, the more I find myself attracted to him, but I don’t want to get my heart broken. My mind flits back to the night of the frat party, and the girl he brought back to our apartment. Sex means nothing to him, which is how I know we can never be together. The person I give myself to…I want to be in love with him just as much as he’s in love with me. I want the forever kind of love—not just a physical encounter.
Baker moves his hand off of my wrist. “I’m glad you want to go watch me fight. It really does mean a lot to me.” He pushes himself off the couch. “Text Luke, and then we’ll hit the gym.”
When Baker heads to his room, I shoot Luke a text that we need to reschedule our date for some other time, and oddly, I’m okay with blowing off my crush.
I toss my gym bag over my shoulder and head out into the living room. Baker glances up from the book he’s reading, and I’m shocked to see he’s holding the novel I left lying on the coffee table.
I raise one eyebrow as my gaze flits down to my book. “I thought you weren’t into romance after our little movie-watching session.”
He shrugs, and the corner of his mouth pulls up into a mischievous grin. “I never said romance was a bad thing…just the action movies had better plots. This book, though…let’s just say I’m shocked you read it.”
“Why?” I ask, my defenses up immediately when anyone questions my choice of reading material.
Baker’s grin widens. “There’s a lot of sex in this book. Dirty. Hot. Sweaty sex. I’m surprised the words in this book don’t offend your delicate, virginal disposition.”
I roll my eyes. “Just because I’ve never had sex doesn’t mean I think it’s wrong.”
“Then why have you never done it before?” he questions bluntly.
I lick my lips carefully, a little embarrassed about the truth. “I have my reasons.”
“Which are?” he pries.
“I want the fairy tale. I want everything to be perfect.”
Baker’s eyebrows shoot up. “Life isn’t perfect. Nothing is. The best any of us can hope for is to find someone real who can put up with our shit and still love us despite it. If you keep waiting on Mr. Perfect, you’ll be waiting forever.”
This isn’t the first time someone has told me something along the same lines. Miley is adamant I need to stop living in fantasy land when it comes to sex.
I frown. “I know true love is a long shot, but it’s something I know exists.”
“And you think my brother is your Prince Charming?” he questions.
My lips twist. “I don’t know, but he could be. I want the chance to find out.”
“And what if you think he is, and you have sex with him and he breaks your heart? What then?”
“I’m not sure.”
He sighs. “This is exactly what I was talking about. Luke isn’t the right guy for you.”
“You keep saying that…”
“Because it’s true. He’s not exactly known for a lengthy track record with women. He’s going to break your heart.”
“I don’t want that to happen.”
“Neither do I, which is why I think you need to sleep with someone you have no emotional attachment to. That way, you won’t be upset if you sleep with Luke and he becomes his typical turd self. You won’t be so crushed.”
“That is insane.”
“Life is insane, Sky, and you need to start living in the real world.” He pushes himself off the couch. “All I’m saying is I don’t want to see you get hurt, and things rarely work out the way we want them to when it comes to relationships. You should seriously consider finding a guy to climb like a tree before you sleep with my brother.”
Baker heads for the door, and while I think what he’s saying is absolutely ridiculous, maybe he has a point. What if I am banking too much on my relationship with Luke being my forever one, and it ends up lasting only a date or two? What then?
I hate to admit it, but maybe his idea isn’t so crazy after all.
16
Sky
Baker stands behind me as I finish out the last of my squats and helps me place the weight bar back on the rack. “Damn, girl. You’re a beast and probably the best workout partner I’ve ever had.”
I dab my face with a towel and then take a sip of my water. “What makes you say that?”
“You push me to work harder because you’re all about pushing yourself. Who got you into hitting the gym all the time?”
“My dad,” I say simply.
Baker nods. “Another thing we have in common, then. Mine did too.”
“I figured that with him being a pro football player and all.”
“Yeah. Working out and taking care of your body becomes part of the job. When you’re an athlete, self-care gets ingrained inside you and becomes part of who you are.”
“I get that.”
More than he knows, I get that. My father too is in the public eye with people judging his body and athleticism, but I’m not quite ready to let that cat out of the bag. Like I said before, people treat me differently once they find out who my dad is, and I don’t want things to change between us.
Baker takes a long pull from his water bottle. “I’m going to hit the shower. Want me to cook when we get home?”
I stretch my arms across my chest. “You’ve made dinner for us every night for the past few days. Let’s go out. My treat.”
He shakes his head. “We can go out, but you’re not paying.”
“Baker…” I protest, but he gives me a look that says don’t-argue-with-me. “Fine. But on Sunday, I’m cooking for you.”
“You’ll get no argument from me on that one. The day after a fight I always feel like shit, so I have no problem taking the night off kitchen duty.” He takes a step back. “I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.”
I rush off to the locker room and shower quickly as well, careful not to get my hair wet. When I come out, I find a freshly showered Baker. This thick hair is damp and shoved away from his face, pulling all my attention to his deep brown irises. He really is nice to look at.
“Ready?”
He turns toward me and smiles. “Yep. Let’s go.” He opens the door for me. “Have you decided what you want for dinner?”
“Pizza?”
He nods. “Sounds good to me. Gio Ninos?”
“Perfect.”
We walk across campus together, and it doesn’t take us long before we’re in the pizza shop, sitting in a corner booth.
“Pepperoni?” he questions.
“How do you feel about adding mushrooms?”
“I’m down,” he says. “I love pizza any way I can get it.”
A petite waitress, wea
ring a white apron with her brown hair pulled into a ponytail, approaches our table. “What can I get for you?”
“A large pepperoni and mushroom pizza,” I tell her. “Can I have a glass of water?”
“What to drink for you?” she asks Baker.
“Water also.”
When we’re alone, Baker leans back in the booth with a little grin on his face. He looks happy.
After a long minute, he finally speaks. “This is nice.”
“What is?” I ask.
“Us, hanging out. It’s nice.”
Now it’s my turn to smile. “I think so too.”
And I do. It’s nice we’re becoming so close. Being actual friends with Baker isn’t something I expected to occur when I made the arrangement with him, but it’s a welcome bonus. I like him. I like being around him. And if I’m being honest, I’m going to miss him when we no longer live together.
“I’ll miss this,” I tell him honestly.
He tilts his head. “What do you mean?”
“Spending time together…when you move out, I’ll miss hanging out with you all of the time.”
He swallows hard and then leans in like he’s about to tell me a huge secret. “You know, Sky, we don’t have—”
“Asshole!” Baker’s cut off as Milo smacks his shoulder and then slides into the seat next to me. “You two go out for pizza and don’t invite me? You know this is my favorite spot.”
Baker gives me an apologetic smile from the other side of the table, and I’m left wondering what exactly he was about to propose we do about being apart.
Milo flags the waitress over and orders a Coke, and then begins to play drums with his thumbs on the table. Both Baker and I stare at him, and he stops his tapping in mid thump. “What’s wrong? Did I interrupt something?” His gaze flicks from Baker to me and then back to Baker. “Is this a date?”
Rebellious and Reckless: College Sports Romance Stand-Alone (Campus Hotshots Book 1): Campus Hotshots Page 9