Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 125852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
“I’m sure it will work out.”
Paige nods, climbing to her feet. “I have to go. I have an early lesson tomorrow.”
We nod, waving as she walks off, her head ducking as she passes the guys, who are all on their way over here.
“What was that about?” Chase looks in her direction, Deaton hanging half over his shoulder.
“Parental drama.”
He only nods, passing the little man over to Brady, who passes him down the line until Little D is smiling and sitting beside his mama, a small bowl of sherbert in his hands.
Mason helps Payton pack up her things, buckles Deaton into his stroller, and they head off. Chase hangs around a little while but then makes his way over to the other side of the cafeteria, where the other football players who came out tonight are lounging.
Brady drops down beside me on top of the picnic-style table, leaning back on his palms to mimic my position. “Kind of crazy we’ve only got a year and a half left, right? Only one more of these things.” He looks around. “Everything we do this year will be the second-to-last.”
I bump him with my shoulder. “Getting all sentimental, are we?”
He gives a half smile. “I just want to enjoy it, you know? Before real life comes in and changes things.”
Real life.
I swallow, the words twisting in my gut for some reason.
My gaze travels the room, and I smirk, shaking my head at all the team tables. Be it basketball, baseball, football, they all have a buffet of beasts hanging around—male and female. Hell, even the track team seems to have their own groupies.
I watch, chuckling when a girl slides her ice cream cone across one of the football player’s lips, leaning in with a smirk to lick it off.
Behind her, I spot Alister. He’s smiling and chatting with his teammates, his own bowl in his hands. Someone says something, and he throws his head back, laughing, the others around joining in. He glances this way then, doing a double take and catching my eye.
He smiles and I give him one in return.
From the corner of my eye, I spot Brady watching me, so I turn toward him.
“Want to get out of here?” I ask him.
He stares a moment, then nods, hopping off the table and tugging me to my feet.
We’re headed for the exit when a few squeals catch our attention, and we look over to see a different guy dragging an ice-cream-covered finger down another girl’s neck.
“Don’t you miss that?” I tease.
“Nah.” Brady shakes his head.
“Not even a little?”
He glances my way, his eyes on mine. “Not even a little.”
“You sure? We can go somewhere off campus where no one knows about us, take home a couple strangers from a bar?” I tease, but the moment it leaves my mouth, images of the other night flash, Brady’s words rolling through my mind with a heavy dose of desire.
His eyes flare as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking about, and he sinks his teeth into that bottom lip of his.
Fucking hot.
“I have been cockblocking you for nearly the entire season so far,” I say suddenly. “Do you want a hall pass?”
His brows snap together. “I should whoop your ass for suggesting that.” He lunges for me, drawing a scream from my lips as his arms circle my thighs and he throws me over his shoulder. “Now shut it.” He smacks my booty nice and hard. “’Cause what I want is all of them to watch me carry my woman out of here like a caveman.”
I laugh, sliding my hands in his jean pockets, and let him carry my ass out while pretending I’m not enjoying the firmness of his own against my palms.
Shoes come into view as we pass the threshold of the building, and I look up, eyes locking onto a familiar pair for a split second before the door slams closed behind us.
Alister standing on the other side.
Alister
I crack my neck, then crack it again, shaking my limbs out as I pace back and forth in front of the training center doors.
With each passing minute, the sun gets higher in the sky, and every part of me grows even antsier. I couldn’t sleep last night, and I knew this was where I would end up in the morning.
I’ve been out here, freezing my ass off since six a.m.
I look to my phone, my back muscles clenching—six thirty on the dot.
I blow out a long breath, rolling my shoulders. I’ve been patient, sat back and let her have even more space than I’d already given her, figuring that was all she needed—distance from the jerk who treated her like anything less than the prize she is.
Being it was me who screwed up, I knew I had to play by her rules. I was the one in the doghouse and she held the key to the collar that would set me free.