by L A Cotton
He glanced between Mom and me, his eyes clouded with confusion and suspicion. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing.” I forced a smile. “I’m just upset, and I haven’t been eating much. And before you say anything, yes I know I need to take better care of myself.”
Mom shot me a disapproving glare, but I let her warning roll off my shoulders. It was my secret to share and I had no intentions of doing it right now. But Rick was still watching me, his dark eyes searching my face. “You’d tell me, right?” he asked. “If something else was wrong?”
“Of course.” The lie almost stuck in my throat. “I’ll do better. Promise.”
“Can we talk? I can only stay a couple of hours.”
Talk?
I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to go up to my room and sleep. I wanted to sleep until the pain disappeared and the hole in my heart started to fill in.
“The doctor said Summer needs to rest.” For once I was grateful for Mom’s intervention. “Why don’t you go on up, sweetheart, and I’ll be up to check on you soon.”
With a small nod, I leaned into Rick again, hugging him tight. “Thank you for coming, it means a lot.” My voice wavered and he went rigid, but then I was slipping out of his arms and out of the kitchen.
“What’s really going on, Mom?” I heard him ask as I reached the stairs.
“It’s Summer’s business, Maverick. We have to respect that.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. She fainted twice. People don’t just faint because they got their heart broken.”
“Maverick, you need to calm down. She’s only upstairs and she doesn’t need this added stress right now.”
Silence followed, my heart thumping in my chest as I waited to hear his next words. “Shit, there’s really something wrong? Is she... sick?”
My stomach twisted, and I hated myself for making him worry, but I couldn’t tell him.
I just couldn’t.
“She’s fine...” Mom’s voice grew quieter as I tiptoed upstairs and barricaded myself inside my room. I dug my cell phone from my pocket, stuck it on charge, and climbed into bed. It vibrated and I picked it up.
Rick: I’m sorry. I love you and I’m here when you’re ready to talk.
Me: I love you too, and thanks xo
Another text came through and I expected it to be my brother warning me not to take too long, but it was JB. I smiled.
JB: So you didn’t text... I hope they let you out.
Me: They did. Thank you, for everything
The three little dots told me he was replying but I waited and waited and nothing came through. About to put my cell back on the nightstand, it finally vibrated.
JB: It was nothing. If you need anything, you know where I am...
It was my turn to hesitate over my reply. I wanted to tell him to come and get me and take me far, far away from here. Some place where no one knew me. Somewhere I could heal in peace. But I knew I couldn’t ask that of him. So instead, I sent him a smiley emoji and a thank you.
Ready to turn over and sleep away the events of the last twenty-four hours, another text came in. But this time it wasn’t my brother or JB. It was Nick. And it was bad.
Really bad.
Nick: Joey said he saw you at The Shack with JB Holloway... he said he saw you sneaking out the back door... together? What the hell, Summer? Is something going on between you two? Are you with him now?
A strangled sob escaped my lips as I shoved my cell under my pillow and closed my eyes. Nick knew. He might not have known exactly what happened, but he knew something had happened. Which meant it wouldn’t be long before my brothers heard about it.
That’s what it was like living in a place like Wicked Bay though.
Everyone knew someone who knew someone and nothing stayed a secret for long.
Chapter 10
JB
“That’s it,” The Sadist said as she helped extend my arm vertically. It hurt like a motherfucker, but I gritted my teeth and stuffed down the roar building in my throat. I had a little over three weeks left, and I knew I needed to put my all into my rehab.
“Good. Just hold it, hold it.”
My breathing was ragged, muscles tight and body trembling as I focused. A simple action that had always felt so natural now felt all wrong.
“Okay and relax.” Belinda lowered my arm, controlling the movement as a shaky breath escaped my lips. “Better,” she said. “Much better. You’re driving now?”
I nodded, running a towel down my face. Even in her air-conditioned office I still sweated like a sinner in a church.
“Well, take it easy. It’s tempting to think you’ve got full range back, but—”
“Yeah, yeah, no thinking I’m Dominic Toretto, got it.”
She gave me a little smirk. “You’re a good kid, JB.”
“Kid? I’m all man, sweetheart.”
Her cheeks flushed and it was my turn to smirk. “And here I thought there was no breaking down your walls.”
“Go on, get out of here.” She waved me off with a shake of her head.
I grabbed my bag and got the hell out of there. Inside my truck, I checked my cell phone for messages. There were two, but not off the person I’d hoped.
Jenson: Still on for today?
Jenson: Question! It was only your shoulder that got hurt right, because I heard Sasha telling Bea she has BIG plans for you later... goodbye blue balls!
I typed a quick reply, brushing over his comment about Sasha, and hit send. A couple of weeks back, I would have happily let Sasha drop to her knees and help me relieve the tension, but now... now a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, broken beauty consumed every corner of my mind.
And I hadn’t heard from her in two days.
Opening our chat history, I started a message. I’d sent a couple checking in, asking how she was doing, but I’d heard nothing back. And I got it, I did. She needed space. Time to come to terms with what had happened. But not knowing how she was... well, it was fucking killing me.
Me: Hey, just finished a session with Belinda the Sadist. I swear that woman gets off on the pain of her patients. Anyway, I just wanted to say hey and see how you are?
I hit send before I could talk myself out of it. The plan was to drive down to San Diego and hang out with Jenson and some of the guys for the afternoon at the house we shared just off campus. Dad had been surprisingly open to the idea, saying it would be good for me to be around the team. As long as I didn’t get up to anything reckless.
Summer didn’t reply, so I pulled on my shades, fired up the truck, and pulled into the stream of traffic. Before I did something really stupid like go over to her house and make sure she was okay.
“HOLLOWAY,” JENSON STROLLED toward my car and held out his fist. “It’s about time you showed up.”
“Missed me?” I smirked, already feeling lighter being around my friends. My teammates.
“You know it. Summer practice just wasn’t the same without you, man.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. Is everyone here?” I craned my neck to get a look behind him. Our yard was already full of half-naked girls and guys from the team splashing in the pool and sipping from Solo cups.
“Come on, everyone’s waiting on you.”
“They are?” I frowned, but Jenson merely laughed, wrapping an arm around my neck and guiding me toward the pool.
“Look who arrived,” he yelled, and the place exploded with cheers. Before I knew it, I was swamped with people all wanting to say hey.
“Looking good, QB.”
“Nice scar, man.”
“Hey, JB, long time no see.”
“How’s it going, big guy, need any help with your recovery?”
Thankfully, Jenson must have seen my deer-in-the-headlights expression because he told everyone to back the fuck up, handed me a Bud Light, and beckoned me over to the huge outdoors sectional that filled the corner of our yard.
My other housemates—Zac and Michael—lifted their beers in
greeting, and I sat down.
“About time you—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “Jenson has already given me the third degree. It’s good to see you guys.”
A chorus of ‘you too’, filled the air.
“Three weeks, man,” Michael whistled between his teeth. “You think you’ll be ready?”
“Twenty-three days,” I corrected him, knowing every second was going to count.
He laughed, sinking back into the couch, patting his knee for one of the cheerleaders who’d sauntered our way.
“Looking good, JB,” Cheri said, making a beeline for Michael.
“Cheri.” I tipped my chin, scanning the yard for Sasha.
“She’s here,” Jenson said as if he could hear my thoughts.
“She’s probably upstairs, legs already spr—”
Cheri swatted Michael’s chest. “Don’t say things like that.”
“Aww, baby. I’m sorry.” He nuzzled her shoulder, licking a path down to the curve of her tits.
My dick stirred to life like some creeper.
Jesus, I really needed to get laid.
“Dude, take it upstairs,” Jenson snapped, throwing me a sympathetic look.
I sat back and took a long pull on my beer. There had been a time I lived for these parties, the attention, the constant rotation of girls. But after the last few days, it all seemed so insignificant. I couldn’t explain it, didn’t even want to try, but meeting Summer, watching her go through everything, it’d had flipped a switch in me. Or turned one off. I wasn’t sure. All I knew was while sitting there, at a party with my friends, my cell phone was burning a hole in my pocket, and I wanted nothing more than to see her name flash across my screen.
I was losing my fucking mind over a girl so far off limits. I needed to go find Sasha and let her suck my dick—and the blue-eyed beauty—right out of my system.
“There you are,” Sasha said as she sashayed over to us, all narrow waist and flared hips, her tits spilling out of the tiny bikini top she wore. She perched on the arm of the sectional, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “I missed you,” she purred, lust glittering in her eyes.
Jenson cleared his throat, and I flipped him off. “It’s good to see you,” I said, feeling a strange tug in my stomach.
“How are you feeling?” Her nails gently raked down my arm and I shuddered. Her touch was familiar, nice... but there was something missing.
“The Sadist says I’m getting stronger every day, but until I get back on the football—”
“You’ve got this, JB.” Her hand glided up to my jaw, gripping me. She pulled me close, running her tongue across the seam of my lips before kissing me. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t done a hundred times before. We often got hot and heavy in front of the guys. But her touch was like ice, her kiss poison, and before I could stop myself, I grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away.
Confusion clouded her eyes. “Is something wrong?” I didn’t miss the trace of hurt in her words.
“Shit, Sasha, I just...”
“Give the man some space. He’s been out of action for almost three months.”
I gave Michael an appreciative smile.
Sasha was still rigid, but she softened at his words, sliding her arm around my neck, her fingers stroking my shoulder. I didn’t like it. It was possessive. A statement of ownership that in the past hadn’t bothered me too much because it kept the real crazy jersey chasers off my back.
But now it felt all wrong.
“Back up,” I said gently removing her arm from my neck. “I’m going to take a piss and get another drink.”
“Get me one.”
“Me too,” Michael added.
I weaved through the crowd, people clapping me on the back, fist bumping, and cheering my name. But truth be told, something felt different. I felt different. Maybe it was being out of action for the last twelve weeks, or the gnawing anxiety at the thought of not being fit in time for the season, but everything was off-kilter.
Inside the house, I ignored the offers to hang out and celebrate with a shot, playing down my refusal with the fact it was only a drive-by visit, and I went straight up to my room.
It was a box compared to my lofty spacious room back home, but it was mine, and I’d always felt like I could breathe here. I didn’t have to worry about my old man coming home in one of his moods, or Mom fretting over what scandal my sister had caused this time.
College was my freedom or, at least, it had been until I got injured and Dad had to step in to try to smooth things over with Coach.
I’d just sat on the end of the bed, flopping back against the mattress, when the door creaked open. “Hey,” Sasha said, slipping inside. “Want some company?” She slinked over to me.
“Listen, Sasha, I’m not—”
Without invitation, she straddled my thighs, her skirt riding up, revealing inches of smooth tan skin. My dick twitched to life, but the bolt of guilt I felt quickly doused the lust stirring inside me. Sasha was a pretty girl. Tall, slim, with curves in all the right places. But she was hard around the edges. Being cheer captain, she had to be. The competition amongst those girls was brutal. I’d found it attractive once upon a time. But now her predatory gaze was making me squirm, and not in a good way.
“Sasha,” I said again as she leaned down, kissing my neck, trailing her tongue along my jaw and to the corner of my mouth.
“I really missed you,” she whispered, her mouth hovering over mine as she ground against me.
It would have been so easy to let her free my dick and sink down on me. And before meeting Summer that’s exactly what I would have done. But now it felt like betrayal, which was fucking stupid because she wasn’t mine to betray.
“Kiss me, JB,” Sasha begged, all sultry and seductive.
“We need to stop,” I blurted out, snagging her wrists as I sat up, putting us chest to chest.
“Stop?” She blinked as if she’d misheard me. “I came up here to make you feel good and you want to stop? The hell has gotten into you?”
“Don’t, okay, I’m not in the mood.”
“You’re not in the mood? I’ve waited almost three months to see you, to be with you...” She left the words hanging.
“Sasha,” I let out a heavy sigh, running a hand down my face. “It isn’t like that with us, you know that.”
“It isn’t...” her mouth snapped shut, hurt burning in her eyes as she scrambled off me, yanking the hem of her skirt down. “You know everyone kept telling me not to wait for you, that you didn’t feel the same about me as I felt about you... I guess they were right.”
“Sasha, come on, it isn’t—”
“Fuck you, JB. I hope your dick falls off.”
It wasn’t her best moment as she stormed from the room, but I didn’t blame her. I had strung her along. Let her see signs that weren’t there. But I hadn’t done it to hurt her, I’d done it to make my life easier.
And look how that worked out.
Screwing my eyes shut, I groaned. Coming here was a mistake. At least without talking to her first. But it was too late now.
Just then, my cell phone vibrated and call it intuition or some sixth sense shit, but I knew... just knew who it was. So when Summer’s name sat right there, filling up the screen, I wasn’t surprised.
Until I read her text and knew I was about to make a really fucking stupid mistake.
Chapter 11
Summer
“Summer?” The thickness in JB’s voice almost had tears spilling down my face again.
“Y- you came?” I glanced over my shoulder at him.
“Well, yeah.” He rubbed his jaw, moving toward me. “You said...”
I need you. God, I hadn’t meant to text him the words, but Nick wouldn’t leave me alone, asking questions. So many questions I didn’t have the answer to. Making me feel as if I was somehow in the wrong.
“He knows.”
Confusion flashed in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t—�
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“Nick, he knows about... us.”
JB sank into the sand beside me and let out a heavy sigh. “What does he think he knows?” His shoulder brushed mine, sending a shiver skating up my spine.
“Someone told him they saw us leaving The Shack together. He added two to two and came up with five.”
“Shit, Summer, I didn’t—”
“It’s okay.” My hand found his arm. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks he does or doesn’t know. But he won’t stop texting me. I know he’s hurting; I know he’s probably confused, but he...”
“He what, Summer?” JB’s tone chilled me to the bone.
“He was angry, so angry. I know he’s just lashing out because that’s what guys do, right? It’s your defense mechanism or something?” My eyes flicked to his and I smiled sadly. “But I’ve done nothing wrong. I...” An ugly sob ripped from my throat and JB slid his arm around me, pulling me into his chest.
“Ssh,” he said, softer than I ever would have thought possible from the big burly quarterback. “I’ve got you, Summer. I’m right here.”
We sat like that and I cried and cried. I cried until I had no tears left to cry. Drying my eyes with the heel of my palm, I rested my head against his shoulder. “Thank you for coming.”
Silence swirled around us, thick and heavy; a complete contrast to the balmy evening. And then he said the words I’d been terrified of ever since he saved me that first day on the beach. “What are we doing, Summer?” He nudged me away to stare down at me. His bright blue eyes burrowing their way into my soul.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, my eyes darting to the sand beneath us. “All I know is that when I’m with you, the pain feels a little bit less.” Slowly, I met his gaze again. “You make me believe things will be okay again, JB.”
He inhaled a sharp breath, reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ear. “It doesn’t seem like it now, but one day, you’ll be happy, Summer. One day, all your dreams will come true.”
I inclined my head and suddenly our mouths were so close I could feel his warm breath. “Summer, I—”
“You better get the fuck away from my sister, Holloway,” Rick’s voice boomed across the Bay, and JB cussed under his breath, edging away from me.