The Wide Receiver Outcast

by Emma Wolfe

  I glanced behind her and then back down. There was this fire in her eyes and pink hue to her cheeks that made her more adorable than I remembered.

  And maybe I was taking a little comfort in the fact that she was so upset with me. It meant she still cared.

  “What was what?” I asked as I lifted my hand to run it through my hair. Anything to keep my hands distracted from what they really wanted to do—reach out and never let her go.

  She studied me and then blew out her breath as if she impatient with my answer. She slipped her hands onto her hips as she glanced side to side. “Why did you say that to me?” she finally asked.

  I furrowed my brow. “Why did I say…?” I stared at her. I wasn’t the one confronting her. She needed to be clear about what she was asking.

  She held my gaze as if she were making her stand. “Why did you tell me that I needed to answer Christopher?”

  I blinked a few times. Was she serious? “Isn’t that what people do when another person asks them to homecoming?”

  Her expression stilled for a moment before she nodded. “Well, yeah.”

  “And you want to go with Christopher, right?” I couldn’t help the dip in my voice at the question. I wanted so badly for her to say no. But I doubted she would.

  She held my gaze for a moment before she began to slowly nod. “Yes,” she whispered.

  I studied her, trying to read her real answer in her gaze. Was that true?

  “Really?” I asked before I could stop myself.

  Her expression stilled, and tears began to form in her eyes. I could hear her strained swallow and the trill of her heart. She was nervous and worried. Which I hated.

  I hated that I brought that reaction out in her. Even though I was hurting, I didn’t want her to feel the same.

  “What do you want me to say, Liam?” she asked as she threw her hands up in exasperation. “Is there any other option?” A tear rolled down her cheek, and I just stood there like an idiot.

  A huge, gigantic, heartbroken idiot.

  And then I just acted. Before I could stop myself, I leapt.

  Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her to me, crushing her lips with mine. There was so much that I wanted her to know and feel, and this seemed to be the only way to do that.

  She let out a gasp, but it only took a moment for her shock to wear off and her hands to find their way to my neck. She grabbed onto me like she didn’t want to let go.

  Losing control, I lifted her up. She seemed to know what I wanted as she wrapped her legs around my waist, bringing her closer to my body.

  I reached out as I made my way to the lockers and pressed her against them. I needed that added strength. Especially when she parted her lips and let me in.

  My heart raced in time with hers. It was as if they were doing a dance that was so right and so familiar, and I never wanted it to stop. Not with her.

  She was my everything.

  Our lips moved in sync with each other. Each of us desperate to feel and to say things we couldn’t say out loud. Our love was forbidden, and in a few seconds, I was going to have to step away. To break her heart once more.

  That’s when regret and worry crashed into me.

  What was I doing? Why was I doing this?

  I started to pull away, but Cora growled and gripped harder to me. I allowed her to take control for a moment longer. Kissing her was so easy. It was the walking away part that challenged my strength.

  “Bronson!” Evan’s voice broke through our kiss.

  We pulled away, and I glanced over to see him standing in front of the locker room, sweaty from practice. He had his helmet in his hand and a confused look on his face.

  Great. Evan was standing-in for Grayson now.

  I gave him a low growl, but I knew what he was meant. I was being an idiot. Again.

  So I nodded and lowered Cora to the ground. I could feel her frustration as she stared up at me.

  “I got it,” I said as I glared at Evan. He held my gaze for a moment longer and then shook his head as he made his way into the locker room, the door swinging shut behind him.

  I forced myself to move to the other side of the hallway, where the temptation to grab her again was a little less potent. We waited for the rest of the team to file in after Evan before we spoke. We filled the time just staring at each other.

  The kiss had felt so right and so complete that I could barely keep myself from her when the hallway finally fell silent.

  “Cora,” I said, my voice low and deep with the emotions that were coursing through me. I wanted to be strong, I did. But I loved Cora so much that walking away felt as if it was going to kill me.

  Cora chewed her lip as she folded her arms across her chest and nodded. “It’s okay. I get it. You have to go. We can’t be together.” Her voice drifted off to a whisper. “There’s not an excuse I haven’t heard before.”

  I stared at her, trying to muscle down the urge to throw caution to the wind and love her like she was meant to be loved. “I don’t—”

  “Please,” she said, holding up her hand. “Please don’t say it. I don’t think my heart can handle that.” She returned her hand to her arm and began to rub it as if she were cold. “It’s better when you just tell me we’re finished. That the kiss was a mistake.”

  But it wasn’t. And I wanted to tell her that. Out of everything I’d been doing this last week, her kiss was the first right thing I’d done in a while.

  However, from the look in her eyes, I decided to hold my tongue. If she wanted me to stay quiet, I would. I could do that for her.

  She held my gaze for a moment before she sighed and nodded toward Mrs. White’s room. “I should get going,” she said as she side-stepped me and started making her way toward the room.

  I whipped around, desperate to say what was on my mind, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t do that to her. Instead, I watched her leave. I watched her walk away.

  And I let her.

  After all, what choice did I have? We could never be together, no matter how much I wanted that to change.

  No matter how much I loved her.

  I was a wolf shifter and she was human. No amount of wishing and hoping was going to change that.

  Period.

  7

  Brielle

  I slipped my keys from the ignition and grabbed my backpack from the front seat. I gripped it to my chest as I reached over and pulled open the driver’s door. I was ready to get out of my sweaty clothes and into the shower.

  I placed my feet on the ground and shuffled to the side so that I could shut the door behind me. I took a moment to look around, allowing myself to see if Grayson had returned.

  But, just as I suspected, there was no sign that he was here. Instead, all I heard was the muffled sound of voices coming from inside my house.

  I stilled, trying to make out who they were and what they were saying, but there were too many walls in between me and them. And shifting in broad daylight was frowned upon.

  Excitement hitched in my chest for a moment as I made my way up the walkway and pulled open the front door. As soon as I stepped into the entryway, it became very clear who was here.

  Mr. Bronson was talking to Mrs. Diggory.

  I caught a few words here and there. Something like “…new in town…” and “…just for now…”

  I furrowed my brow as I dropped my things on the couch and kicked off my shoes. Then I tightened my ponytail and headed into the kitchen at the back of the house. The tension in the air was thick. I could feel it all around me.

  “I’m just not sure how I feel about letting someone stay in Grayson’s room without his permission,” Mrs. Diggory said as I entered.

  That statement caused me to stop in my tracks. I stared at Mrs. Diggory and then slowly let my gaze roam. My heart stuttered to a stop when I saw Mr. Bronson standing next to Matthew.

  “What’s going on here?” I asked as I turned my attention back to Mrs. Diggory, who was worrying her li
ps and avoiding my gaze.

  “Hey, Brielle,” Mr. Bronson said as he stepped forward.

  I glanced over at him and his extended hand, but then I focused back on Mrs. Diggory. Call me crazy, but I really had no interest in shooting the breeze with someone who might be trying to rent out my missing brother’s room.

  “We can’t let anyone stay in Grayson’s room. He’ll be back.” I stepped closer to Mrs. Diggory, forcing her to meet my gaze. She had to know this was a ridiculous idea. Grayson was family. We didn’t give up on family.

  That seemed to appeal to Mrs. Diggory. She raised her gaze to meet mine and held it for a moment before she nodded. “I know. That’s what I’ve been telling Mr. Bronson.”

  Relief flooded through me at Mrs. Diggory’s words. At least I wasn’t going to have to convince her to remain loyal. I was, however, going to have to address why Mr. Bronson seemed so eager to give away Grayson’s room.

  To assume that Grayson wasn’t coming back.

  “He’ll have to find another place to stay,” I said as I dropped my gaze to Matthew. He was smiling at me while he leaned against the table with his legs stretched out in front of him.

  Heat crept across my skin as I furrowed my brow. Why was he smiling at me?

  The desire to help him out that I had felt earlier today was completely washed away. There was no way I felt charitable toward him now. Not when he was here trying to insert himself into my life. Trying to push Grayson out.

  “Brielle, listen. I’ve heard from your parents. Grayson went back to stay with them.” Mr. Bronson’s voice seemed strained, and I could tell from the increase in his heart rate he wasn’t being completely honest.

  Which angered me more.

  “What? Who told you that?” I hated how desperate my voice sounded as the words left my lips, but I couldn’t help it. I was mad.

  Grayson would never leave, and hearing people challenge his loyalty to me was infuriating.

  “Believe it or not, Grayson isn’t coming back. At least, not for a while.” Mr. Bronson extended his hand. “Matthew is in need of a place to stay. I think we could open our hearts and home to him.” Mr. Bronson’s gaze slipped to Mrs. Diggory. “Right?”

  I scoffed as I glanced between Mrs. Diggory and Mr. Bronson. There seemed to be an interaction going on between them that I wasn’t entirely comfortable with.

  It was as if they had some secret agreement, and no matter how I felt about this situation, it wasn’t going to change the inevitable decision.

  Matthew was staying here.

  “I—”

  “It’s okay. I’m sure there’s a couch I can stay on,” Matthew said as he shot me another cocky smile.

  It took all my strength not to roll my eyes at him.

  Mrs. Diggory mumbled something under her breath, which I didn’t quite catch. I was too focused on Matthew and how irritated he was making me.

  Mr. Bronson seemed to hear what Mrs. Diggory had said, and the look that crossed his face was one of displeasure. But it didn’t last long. He cleared his throat and straightened.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to get settled,” he said, nodding in Matthew’s direction.

  I sputtered, trying to come up with a good reason why Matthew couldn’t stay here, but nothing was coming to mind. And Mr. Bronson was leaving faster than my brain could think.

  And then he was gone. Leaving Matthew here.

  Mrs. Diggory sighed as she moved to grab a water bottle from the fridge. “I’m going to go lay down,” she said as she made her way into her room. Right before she shut her door, she called out to me, “Find a place for Matthew to stay.”

  Before I could think of a rebuttal, the door was shut, and I was left alone with Matthew and his ridiculously confident smile.

  I glanced over at him, but when his smile deepened, revealing a dimple on each cheek, I rolled my eyes and sighed.

  “What are you playing at?” I asked as I folded my arms, hoping I came across as formidable.

  Matthew held up his hands as he winked at me.

  Winked at me.

  Gah. The nerve of this kid.

  “I’m just here to learn the human ways,” he said.

  I shushed him as I tipped my head toward Mrs. Diggory’s room. I listened, only to hear the sound of some daytime soap opera playing inside. I could picture her now, cuddled up in her blankets with her forbidden chocolate that she thought we didn’t know she had.

  Satisfied that she wasn’t going to come out and overhear us, I let out my breath and glared at Matthew.

  “Grayson isn’t gone for good,” I said as I extended my finger in Matthew’s direction.

  Matthew’s gaze flicked down to my finger and then back up to my face. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re adorable when you’re angry?”

  I blinked a few times, completely taken aback by his words. “I—um—” I cleared my throat as I tried to calm my nerves and focus on hating him. He was just trying to distract me from what was really going on.

  When Matthew raised his eyebrows, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to continue until I addressed what he’d said about me. So I squared my shoulders and met his gaze head-on.

  “I’m not sure what you are playing at, but it’s not going to work on me.” I glared at him as I shoved my finger in his direction again—then I curled it back into my palm and settled on placing my hands on my hips. Since when did waggling my finger become a thing I did?

  Matthew chuckled as he raised his hands and took a small step back. “Geez, feisty much?” he asked, with that annoying smile returning.

  I sighed as the adrenaline that had been pumping through my body began to settle in my muscles. I hadn’t realized how much I had been on high alert, and the absence of the panic seemed to leave me weak.

  I needed to figure my crap out if I was going to survive long enough to find Grayson.

  Not wanting to stand here and fight with Matthew anymore, I waved for him to follow me. “Come on. I need a shower, so let’s get this over with.”

  Matthew raised his eyebrows. “Are you inviting me into the shower with you?”

  I nearly choked on my own spit as his words rang in my ears. I coughed and wheezed as I replayed the words I had just said in my mind. Had I actually asked that? “No,” I rasped out.

  Matthew studied me for a moment before his smile returned. “Ah, man. And you had me so excited.”

  I gritted my teeth as I almost decided right there to throw him out. I eyed him, taking in his six-foot-something stature against my five-foot-five frame. I doubted I could even move him, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try.

  Especially if he tested me.

  “Oh, goodness, Brielle. Relax. I’m just flirting with you. Has that never happened before?” he asked as he made his way over to the table that he’d been standing at earlier. He grabbed his military-grade duffle bag and turned back around to see me standing there like an idiot.

  The truth was, no, I didn’t have people flirt with me. Being the sister of Grayson meant that guys weren’t allowed around me. He was always there to fight them off.

  So if a guy had ever wanted to flirt with me, I would have never known.

  Matthew studied me for a moment before he sighed and offered me probably his first genuine smile since meeting me. I was taken aback at how sexy and handsome he was behind the curtain of cockiness.

  “Come on. Show me where I’m camping out, and then you can get to your shower.” He held his hand out and waited to follow me.

  I stared at him, feeling quite whiplashed.

  He’d gone from cocky jerk to nice boy. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

  Matthew stepped closer to me, dipping down to meet my gaze. He raised his eyebrows as if he expected me to say something.

  Realizing I needed to snap out of the trance I seemed to be in, I cleared my throat and nodded. “Okay,” I managed to say.

  Grayson smiled—a genuine smile—and nodded behind me. “Let’s g
o, then.”

  Still not sure how I felt about anything that had happened, I turned and made my way down the hall to the basement door. I was grateful for the moment to think that leaving his gaze gave me. I could segment my thoughts when I wasn’t staring into his dark eyes or becoming consumed by the depths of his gaze.

  Once we were in the basement, I flipped on the light and nodded toward the couch. “You can stay here,” I said.

  Matthew’s gaze roamed over the room and finally landed on me. He nodded and shrugged. “Beats sleeping outside,” he said as he threw his duffle bag down on the ground and moved to sit on the couch.

  “My room is upstairs. Where Grayson’s room is.”

  Matthew glanced up at me and nodded again. “Okay,” he said as he started to pull off the zip-up hoodie he had on. His dark blue t-shirt hugged his very broad and very muscular chest. The swift moment caused his scent to waft over to me. For a moment, my entire body went numb as I allowed it to engulf me.

  Despite the warning bells sounding in my mind, I inhaled. Deep.

  Worried that he sensed my change in body chemistry, I blinked a few times, trying to ground myself. I needed to focus my thoughts. I needed to finish what I was doing and get the heck out of here.

  “The bathroom’s upstairs as well. I’m guessing you’re free to eat what’s in the fridge—but the cherry yogurt is mine,” I said as I raised a finger.

  Matthew chuckled as he raised his right hand like he was swearing in court. “I promise not to eat it.”

  I nodded and pinched my lips together as I glanced around the room. I couldn’t think of anything else to tell him, but I felt as if I were forgetting something.

  I narrowed my eyes and stilled my mind.

  “Brielle?” Matthew asked.

  I startled as I glanced over at him. “Yeah?”

  “I’m not going anywhere. If you think of it, come find me,” he said as he kicked off his shoes and lay back on the couch with his hands behind his head. He looked giant compared to the tiny piece of furniture underneath him.

  His feet were up on the armrest and he maneuvered to grab a pillow and shove it under his head. He closed his eyes, and for the first time since I met him, I felt comfortable enough to study him.