“It’s best if you attend a small private college where you can get more attention from the teachers. The larger ones can’t give you that.” What he’d really been saying was that either he didn’t want me around or his wife didn’t want me around, or close to home for that matter.
But I had won in the end. I’d convinced him that having me closer to him was one way to make sure I didn’t bring media attention to the family.
Stupid me.
But Texas was my home. The weather was great, and I didn’t want to live anywhere that had eight feet of snow like I’d endured at boarding school in Michigan. More importantly, Lakemont University had one of the best teacher programs around.
Despite that, my curiosity was piqued. I had to know what my father wasn’t telling me about Ryker. Sure, the guy was popular for his performance on the field and, no doubt, in the bedroom if what the women on campus said was true. But I got the feeling something else bothered my father about Ryker. The only thing I could think of was the election. But that didn’t make sense. How could Ryker affect my father’s election?
Just ask Ryker.
I doubted the hunky jerk would tell me. All he cared about was screwing women and drinking.
Vicki snapped her fingers. “Did you hear me?”
I blinked. “Sorry.”
“You look like your wheels are turning.” She tapped my head. “Reminiscing about a guy with a big dick?”
I busted out laughing. “You’re not helping.”
“Screw what your father says. Find out if the rumors about Ryker in bed are true. Seriously, it’s not like you two in a bedroom with the doors closed is going to be captured on a cell phone video.”
“Pfft. You would be surprised at how creative reporters or even nosy people can get when they want a story or a bribe.” I wouldn’t put it past my father do to something as screwed up as take pictures of Ryker and me in bed. The thought of us tangoing between the sheets sent another lusty chill through me.
She scanned the room as though she were about to tell me a dirty secret. “I recently heard some girls in the dorm talking about Ryker. His nickname is the Foreplay King.”
I snorted. “Please. He comes off as a fuck ’em and leave ’em kind of guy.”
It was her turn to snort. “How do you know?”
“Fair enough. Can we stop talking about him?” Just the mention of his name was getting me all hot and bothered… or maybe irritated.
She tugged me to two empty chairs at the end of the first row by the arched windows.
Whew! At least I could jump out of the window if I had to.
Some brown-haired, heavily made-up girl tapped on the mic on the podium. “Everyone find a seat.”
I glanced around the room as I fidgeted. “I’m out of here as soon as this is over.”
Vicki patted my leg. “Sure.”
I arched a brow at my roomie, debating whether to sandblast her for treating me like I was lying. But I didn’t want to make a scene.
I checked my phone for nothing more than to keep busy. I wasn’t one to sit around, especially when I hadn’t been thrilled about attending this event, although if I were being honest, I did want to see Ryker.
The air in the room was charged with excitement, laughs, and whispers as girls took their seats. I didn’t see any signs of the football team.
I leaned into Vicki. “How many girls in here want in Ryker’s pants?”
She gave me a sidelong glance then rolled her brown eyes. “All of them.”
That was just another reason to stay away from Ryker. I didn’t want to compete with other women. But just as that thought careened across my mind, I spotted Blondie, the girl I’d met at Ryker’s place. The hackles on my neck went up. I would kill her if she was following me.
I nudged Vicki. “Don’t look now, but that blonde who was at Ryker’s house is standing off to our left.”
Of course Vicki leaned forward to look. “The one dressed in a tight pink blouse, showing off her big breasts?”
“Yep.” Upon further inspection, I noticed that Blondie cleaned up well. Her hair was styled on top of her head in some fancy twist. Her makeup was painted on perfectly, and she had meat on her bones. Then I zeroed in on the phone in her hand, and I tensed.
Vicki shook her head. “That’s Beverly Sims. She just became president of this sorority. So she’s the one your father knows?”
“I’m leaving.” The last thing I needed was my father to see me at a sorority meeting, especially one that included Ryker James. That was a double whammy and sure to get me locked in my room at the ranch.
Vicki swung out her arm. “You’ll be noticed for sure. Wait until the meeting is over. No one will be able to snap a pic with you in the front row.”
I begged to differ since Beverly’s phone was in her hand, ready to go.
You’re here to listen. You’re supporting a friend. Your father can’t chastise you for that.
Beverly sashayed up to the podium, adjusted the microphone, and swept her blue gaze around the room. Her eyes landed nowhere near me.
I was sure she was looking for the football players. Then a wild thought flashed before me, and my radar shot up. Vicki could have lured me there because she was helping Beverly get dirt on me for my father.
Stop panicking.
“Hello, ladies,” Beverly said. “Welcome. Tonight is our official kickoff. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be in recruitment mode. So those who are serious, make sure we have your name on the list.”
The women tittered and whispered.
“Once we’re done here, the party begins downstairs. Now on to the official announcement from the football team, the one you ladies are dying to hear.” Beverly stared toward the back of the room, as did most of the women, who turned to check behind them, including me.
I didn’t see one sign of Ryker or his right-hand man, Lucas, or any big guys for that matter.
Maybe the night was looking up. I came. I saw. But I didn’t conquer. That should make my father proud.
Stop worrying about Father Dearest. You’re here to have a good time. You told him you were going to parties. It’s not like you’re signing up to rush for Delta Sigma Pi.
I crossed one bare leg over the other, smoothing my hand down my frayed jean shorts. While most of the women in the room were dressed in what I called clubbing clothes, I wore jean shorts, a camisole beneath a low-cut, see-through blouse, and leather sandals strapped around my ankles.
The natives were beginning to get restless until a door squeaked and men’s voices peppered the air. Some girl in the back shouted, “In here.”
What I wouldn’t give to be in the last row at the moment. Easy in. Easy out.
“Up here, gentlemen.” Beverly’s voice boomed through the speakers.
I held in a laugh as I watched Ryker’s face twist in either disgust or a look that said, “no way am I getting up there with that woman.” Or maybe he was gawking at her voluptuous breasts.
“He doesn’t like her,” Vicki muttered.
“Don’t let him fool you,” I whispered. “He would probably screw a hole in a wall if he was desperate.”
“That man would never be desperate with all the women waiting in line,” a girl behind Vicki said.
I should tell her to mind her own business, but I couldn’t argue with her point. She was spot-on. Nevertheless, the six-foot-four, black-haired, gray-eyed quarterback strutted up to the podium in holey jeans that hung low on his hips and a well-ironed, buttoned-up white shirt stretched across his broad chest. His swagger exuded a sense of purpose.
He certainly owned his shit, and I found my body reacting in a way that was going to surely get me into trouble. I moved my foot back and forth, silently repeating, I want nothing to do with Ryker. I want nothing to do with Ryker.
Maybe if I kept reciting that over and over, my subconscious would kick in and make it happen. The problem was that I knew what was below his belt. I knew how he felt in my hand
, and Father’s rules or not, I was doomed.
Ryker positioned himself next to Beverly, who had her hand on his bicep.
The urge to growl was strong. But he’d had her in his bed once, and I was sure he would again. After all, as my dad had said, she was Ryker’s type.
I switched my attention to Lucas and three other large men who stood next to him.
Lucas was dressed like his buddy, also wearing jeans and a button-up shirt. In fact, the other three men, who were equally buff as Lucas and their quarterback, wore similar outfits. I wondered if that was the football team’s uniform of the day when they were off the field.
When Lucas turned my direction, he winked at me.
I scrunched my nose. What was that for? Did he know something I didn’t?
Vicki leaned in. “Lucas just winked at me.”
Get over yourself, Haven. You’re not the only girl in the room.
I did a quick check of the other women behind me. All had dreamy smiles as they salivated for the big man at the podium.
“Ladies, how’s everyone doing?” Ryker’s voice came through raspy with a slight Southern drawl.
Yummy!
The girls squealed, and words flew around the room.
“Better when I come over to your place tonight,” one girl shouted.
“Are you into threesomes?” another asked.
I wanted to shout that he was. After all, I vaguely recalled him saying something along those lines.
Ryker grinned wide, and I realized he was stone-cold sober. Yet the night was super young.
“Now, now. My buddies and I are here to make our fundraising announcement, which I’m sure you’re going to go fucking crazy over.”
“I want you, Ryker,” a girl in the back screamed.
“Tell us already,” a mousy voice said.
Beverly was trying hard to contain her smile. No doubt she’d known that the women were going to freak.
The voices in the room elevated.
Ryker lifted his arms halfway and pushed down on air with his hands as though he were dribbling two basketballs at once. “Easy, girls.” Once the room was dead silent, he started again. “How do you feel about an auction?” He waved his hands at his buddies. “This year, you’ll have a chance to buy a date with some of us from the football team.”
The room exploded as the ladies began squealing and talking. I would bet the pheromones bouncing around the room were at an all-time high.
I wanted to say that mine were, but the idea of paying for a date didn’t thrill me, although I might drum up some cash if it were for a good cause. I could bid on Ryker.
“What charity are you supporting?” I asked even though no one could hear me.
“I hope I can snag a date with Lucas,” Vicki said. “Maybe this is your chance to get Ryker. Your father couldn’t diss you for supporting a charity.”
Want to bet?
“Ladies,” Ryker said.
The room quieted.
“What charity are you giving the proceeds to?” I asked again.
Ryker’s stormy-gray eyes whipped my way. He studied me for a long second, angling his head one way and then the other as his gaze roamed all over me. And for some reason, I wanted to strip down right there and show him I had the goods even though I wasn’t his type.
I prodded him with my eyes. “Cat got your tongue?”
His buds chuckled. Beverly snarled at me.
That’s right, bitch. Say something now, and I’ll snap a picture of you and send it to a news outlet with the headline “Bleach Blonde Sleeps Around.” Okay, I was a bit crazy at the moment.
“Haven Hale,” Ryker said as though he were mortified over my name.
Yeah, there was something between dear old dad and the hunky quarterback.
“Please stand,” Ryker said to me without tearing away his gaze. “And join me up here.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ll pass.”
One or two or maybe the entire crowd exclaimed, “Are you nuts? Get your ass up there, girl.”
Vicki nudged me. “Go.”
I sighed loudly. “If you have something to say, Ryker, say it. I’m not your dog to command.”
Ryker looked at his buds. “Hey, boys. What if we make the fundraiser a little more interesting and add a girl to the auction?”
The men nodded their approval, grinning.
“Pick me too,” other girls screamed.
Beverly touched Ryker’s arm. “Surely you could pick someone else other than her.”
I popped up. “My name is Haven Hale.” My snarl was lethal as I glared daggers at Beverly.
“Are you related to Senator Hale?” asked a girl somewhere behind me.
For someone who wanted to blend in, I was doing a bang-up job.
I turned to address the crowd. “My father is Senator Hale. I’m not rushing for a sorority. Ryker James is a jerk. And I am not up for sale.”
A few phones flashed, and I noticed one girl holding her phone up, hopefully videoing my outburst so my father could see that I hadn’t violated any agreement.
I turned to Beverly. “Make sure that gets back to my father.”
Ryker’s eyes went wide.
“I’ll meet you back at the dorm,” I said to Vicki.
Then I carried myself out with grace as I’d been taught to do when I was in the public eye.
7
Ryker
As soon as I stepped away from the podium, a swarm of women crowded around me. I felt like one of the dudes from that show The Bachelor.
“Ladies,” Beverly said into the mic. “Head downstairs. Music is on, drinks are flowing, and the guys will hang with us for a while.” Beverly pierced me with her blue gaze. “Right, boys?”
I hadn’t planned on hanging around, but I just might if Haven was lurking somewhere nearby. Man, seeing her squirm and stomp out of the room like a four-year-old who hadn’t gotten her way had put a smile on my face. I liked her spunk. I was also finding I liked messing with her, which was new for me when it came to the opposite sex. Normally, women were only in my bed, not in my head. And Haven in my head was better than thinking about the funeral, which was coming up on Sunday.
I eyed Lucas, Erik, Vincent, and Ajax. They all gave me a nod.
“We’ll be right behind you,” I said to the sea of women, who were chomping at the bit to sign up to be in the auction.
One look at Haven, and my mouth had gotten in the way of my brain. Man, those legs of hers had appeared silky, and her breasts… I hadn’t been able to think straight. The woman was small, and now that I wasn’t drunk or hadn’t just woken up, I’d noticed her tits were bigger than I remembered.
Not only that, her old man had come to mind the minute I’d laid eyes on her, and that had fired me up. The more I thought about the senator and how he’d made my dad’s life hell, the more I wanted to do the same to Senator Hale.
Beverly touched my arm, pushing her chest into me. “You really shouldn’t consider the Hale girl.”
I knitted my brows. “And why is that?”
The five of us guys waited eagerly to hear her answer.
“She won’t bring in much money. No one in this state wants to piss off the senator.”
I did.
“I beg to differ,” Lucas said. “She would bring in more money than Ryker alone.”
Beverly laughed. “I doubt that.”
No question I would bring in some dough for the charity, and so would my brethren. But I had to side with Lucas. A senator’s daughter would bring in a lot, especially one who was beautiful, fun as far as I could tell from my interaction with her so far, and carried herself well except for the childish exit she’d shown us earlier. Plus, she didn’t seem uptight like Beverly.
“So did you take the picture of Haven and me the other night?” Not that I cared as much as Haven, but it would be good to know who Beverly really was just in case she decided to throw me under the bus. Plus, I was curious what the senator was
up to. Maybe he’d had someone at my party to get dirt on me. Maybe he was campaigning to have Coach remove me from football.
She deadpanned. “I’ve done no such thing.” Then she wiggled her ass toward the exit, her heels clicking on the wood floor. “Don’t be long, boys. We have many hors d’oeuvres to choose from tonight.” She sounded like a well-trained madam.
When it was just the five of us guys, Lucas pulled out his phone. “She’s lying, or she knows something.”
No shit.
“You need me to get the truth out of her?” Erik panted. “I’m ready to tap that. She’ll talk.”
I plastered on a half grin as I glanced at Erik. Our tight end was big and wide, and if he didn’t have a woman in his bed every night, he had the shakes. He lived for football, booze, and sex—in that order. He was also a loyal team player and friend.
“Well, I for one would like to see the senator lose this year,” Vincent said. “My parents hate the man.” Vincent, our team kicker, who we called Vin, had a snarl on his angular jaw.
I didn’t follow politics. In fact, I wanted to stay as far away from politicians as I could, but I knew why I hated the man.
Lucas walked over to the window with his phone to his ear. “I’m checking on one last thing for the fundraiser. I’ll be right back.” He was our organizer and party planner, and the role suited him.
“So what’s up with you and the Hale girl?” Ajax, our running back, piped in, sounding a wee bit concerned. “I would stay away.”
I chuckled at the military wannabe with a dark high-and-tight haircut. “Really? Have you seen her tits?”
Ajax slapped me on the shoulder. “Your women have meat in other areas.”
“You want a piece,” I said. “Don’t you?”
He shook his head. “Not going there, dude. Politics and me don’t get along.”
“I feel ya,” I said.
Lucas returned, running a hand through his tamed wild curls. “The other sorority on campus is available tomorrow night. So we should tackle that after practice.”
I pulled out my flask from the back pocket of my jeans and took a swig.
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