Friend Zoned (Barnett Bulldogs #2) (3 page)

Sadly, I know he is.

Not bothering to answer, because doing so will only perpetuate the conversation, I glance around the Sigma party which is just as ridiculously jam-packed and out of control as I suspected it would be.  We’re talking elbow to elbow crowd, music at an ear shattering decibel, a few games of strip beer pong already in progress, drinks galore from the makeshift bar, and, if my nose isn’t deceiving me, a few bowls of pot being passed around.

Hell, it’s not even ten yet.  This party is just getting started.  But none of that stops me from zeroing in on Violet like a heat seeking missile.  Even though she’s clear across the room, I continue to keep sights locked on her.

Hoisting the beer to my lips, I take a long swig.  “What?  You keeping tabs on me or something?”

Because that’s not creepy…

A knowing brow slowly slides its way across his forehead.  “I don’t have to, dude.  You’re coiled tighter than a freaking spring.  It’s completely obvious what your problem is.  You need to get all that poison out.  Mark my words, it’ll end up messing with your mojo out on the field.”

I nearly laugh at that.

Fucking poison?

Is he serious?

Stupid question… of course he is.

Hoping to stifle any more questions or unsolicited advice regarding my current
poison
situation, I shoot Dylan a look before my eyes bounce right back to Violet.

And the fucktard trying to make moves on her.

Christ… just look at him over there.

He’s so damn close, he’s practically mauling her.  And watching him run his fingers up and down her soft-as-silk cheek has me grinding my molars together in silent aggravation. Not a moment later, her lips curve upwards before she laughs at whatever the hell he’s yammering on about.  She may be a good forty feet from me, but I can still tell she’s got those damn fuck me eyes going on.

Yeah… that is
so
not going to happen on my watch.

“Uh oh,” Dylan chortles, “looks like it’s just about time for you to run off another one.”

My head snaps towards him.

Finally.

That’s got to be the first sensible thing that’s come out of his mouth all night.  “You’re abso-fucking-lutely right.”  I down the rest of my beer before shoving the empty plastic cup into Dylan’s hand.  “Good call.”  Not wanting to waste another minute, I clap him on the shoulder before taking off.

“Dude, I was freaking kidding!  Get your pathetic ass back here before you embarrass yourself even further!”

I don’t bother responding.  I think we both know that it’s too damn late for that.  At this point, I’m a man on a mission.  And that mission is to get the encroaching usurper away from my girl.

Now, whether or not she wants me to is totally up for interpretation.

After all, this isn’t the first time I’ve run off some dude and it certainly won’t be the last either.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I totally understand the attraction.  I’d have to be blind not to. Violet Winterfield is absolutely gorgeous.  She’s got all this long thick blonde hair.  Not to mention big brown almond shaped eyes fringed with dark lashes.  And I’m not even going to start talking about the sweet little body she’s rocking because getting a woody at this point in the evening would only further solidify my pathetic status.

And I don’t really need that.

Uh-oh.

The guy looks to be making a move.

The move
.

He’s on the verge of leaning in and planting one right on those luscious lips of hers.

His face is lowering, inching closer.  Hers is turned up towards him.  Her eyelids are starting to lower.  People scurry out of my two hundred pound way as I barrel through.  I have to consciously flex my balled up hands a few times because I just want to punch that douchebag in the face for daring to touch what’s mine.

Unfortunately all that will do is piss off Violet.  I’ve learned through a whole lot of trial and error that I can’t come in all hot, ready to tear some guy limb from limb.

Nope.

I have to be more subtle than that.  Trust me, it’s a fine art I’ve perfected over the years.  This guy won’t even know what’s happening until it’s much too late.

Something must alert Violet to the fact that I’m incoming, because her deep mocha colored eyes widen as they ensnare mine right before I wedge my way in between them, snaking an arm around her body in the process.

As I do, everything within me settles.  Her proximity has a way of doing that.  It always has.  My life can be a raging fucking mess, but when I’m with Violet, when she’s in my arms or I’m just touching her, the world around us quiets to a barely perceptible hum.

It’s more addictive than crack.

And I crave that stillness like nothing else.

With a lazy smile tilting my lips upward, I press a kiss against her temple before hauling her even closer.  With that simple action, I feel my pulse begin to settle.  Rational thought slowly seeps its way back into my brain as my tense muscles instantly release.

And then I nearly swallow my tongue at the feel of her soft full breasts pressed up rather deliciously against my t-shirt covered chest.

Damn… but that freaking gets me every single time.

At the moment, I’d give my left nut to just toss her over my shoulder and stroll right on out of here.  Take her back to my place and immerse myself in that gorgeous body of hers for a full forty-eight hours.  I don’t even know if that would be enough time.  I really don’t.  I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want her.

The way I
need
her.

But first things first.

“Hey, babe.”

Not waiting for Violet to respond, because I know precisely what kind of retort my greeting will elicit, I immediately turn my attention towards the jack-wad whose jaw looks slightly slack at my sudden arrival on the scene.  It takes almost everything I have inside not to snort with laughter because he looks completely confounded by the fact that the girl he was just hitting on is now wrapped around some other dude.

He’s blinking his eyes all slow-like as if he’s trying to play mental catch up.  You can almost see the gears in his head gradually shifting as he processes the fact that his odds of getting laid tonight just plummeted into the single digits.  For just a moment, it seems like he might actually put up a fight before taking a good long look at me.  And yeah, I’m not going to lie, I flex my biceps just a bit so he won’t get any foolish ideas that will end badly.

For him.

Although, in all honesty, I might just enjoy channeling some of the pent up sexual frustration currently careening through my ramped up system by plowing my fist into this guy’s face.  Because even though he isn’t going to get laid tonight by Violet, neither am I.

I see the precise moment recognition dawns.  “Harper, right?”  He shifts his weight from one foot to the other before the pissed off look completely vanishes from his face.

I give him an easy smile.  “Yup, that’s me.”

“Dude,” he shakes his head apologetically before jerking it towards a now frowning Violet who is still smashed up against my body, “I had no idea this was your chick.”  Rather hilariously, he shoots her a look rife with silent accusation.  “She didn’t say a word about it.”

Because this is usually the part where Violet will try to protest, I tug her just a bit closer.  “No worries.”  I smack another kiss against her head.  If the low growling noise emanating from her small body is any indication, then my guess is that she’s pretty pissed off that I’ve managed to foil yet another hook up attempt on her part.

I can only grin evilly at that.

Because you bet your damn ass I have.

“So what do you think your chances are against Miami Ohio this weekend?”

As her no-longer-going-to-happen one night stand begins to question me about the upcoming game, Violet slides an arm around me before snaking her hand beneath my t-shirt.  Under different circumstances, that kind of thing would be entirely welcome, except I know exactly what she’s up to.  I have to steel myself for it right before she proceeds to pinch a huge chunk of my flesh between her forefinger and thumb before twisting the shit out of it.

Think massive titty twister minus the titty.

Fuuuuuck!

I hiss out a sharp breath as her fingers continue digging into me.  I can only imagine the considerable damage she’s doing to my body.  “I think our chances of coming out of it with a win are solid.  They’re running a tough offense but there are some holes in their defensive game that we’ll be able to exploit.  Especially since they have a few injuries right now.  We’re operating at one hundred percent and King is playing the best ball of his life.”

By this point, the guy has all but forgotten about Violet as he rapid fires questions at me.  He’s talking stats, playoff picks, and bowl games.  And hey, I love talking ball as much as the next guy but Violet is clearly steaming over here.

Plus, she’s bruising the shit out of my skin.

When I can’t take another damn moment of those brutal instruments of torture, I extricate us quickly from the conversation.  Luckily for me, Violet is more than happy to exit the situation which, thanks to yours truly, has now been thwarted.  My arm is still wrapped tightly around her.  I’m thinking about attaching myself to her like a barnacle for the rest of the evening.  That way no one else will get ideas in regards to her availability.

Leaning down, I murmur softly in her ear, “You can stop pinching me now. I’ve sufficiently saved you from the fumblings of that drunken idiot.”  I wait a heartbeat before adding the kicker, “You’re welcome.”

I know my words are only going to crank her up at this point.  But I kind of like when she gets all heated up.  I like the way her eyes flash with fire and the pulse in her throat thrums.  It’s fucking hot.

Violet doesn’t disappoint either.

My words have her screeching to an abrupt halt, refusing to budge a single inch further.  Her dark brows lower over eyes that are sparking with anger.  Her hands actually fist together like she just might throw a punch.  Goddamn sexy alright.

She grits between clenched teeth, “He was
not
a drunken idiot!  He was actually a really nice guy and you chased him off.”

Fine… maybe he was.

But still...

I give her a look before stating the obvious, “He didn’t seem to mind that I stole you right from beneath his nose, now did he?” 

Violet makes that little growling noise deep in her throat again.  Damn, but she’s adorable when she’s all riled up.  She really is.  It makes me want to wrap her up in my arms and carry her right on out of here.  But I don’t.  She’s liable to cause even more physical damage to my person if I were to attempt something along those lines.

“
Sam
!”  My name explodes from her lips in frustration.  “That’s only because you let him think we were a couple!”  She throws her arms wide in aggravation.  “Of course he was going to back down.”

Maybe.

Maybe not.

I shrug my shoulders.  “Listen, if I was interested in some chick, I’d pursue her until she told me herself that she wasn’t into it.”

FYI- Violet has never come out and said that she wasn’t interested or into it.

I’m just saying…

She rolls her dark brown eyes at my guy logic.  “I think you do this just to mess with me.”

I’m tempted to shake my head, but don’t bother.  Violet’s a really smart girl but she is totally clueless sometimes. 
Especially
where I’m concerned.  She doesn’t get that I have feelings for her.  That I’ve always had feelings for her.  It’s like she’s put me in some little box marked with big bright colors-
just a
friend
and refuses to let me out. After eight long years, it’s driving me fucking crazy. Something’s got to give.  And I don’t want it to be my sanity.  Because I’m precariously close to snapping.

Short of spelling it out for her, I don’t know what else to do.  I want this girl so damn much and yet, here she is trying to hook up with some random dude rather than consider for one freaking moment that the friendship we have could be a solid basis to starting something more, something deeper, something infinitely more meaningful.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her why I’m constantly cock blocking her but I rein it back in at the last moment.  Instead, I say in my best cajoling tone, trying to placate her, “I just don’t want to see you get tangled up with the wrong kind of guy.”

For instance- one whose name is not Sam Harper.

Sounding exasperated, she huffs, “I wasn’t exactly looking for a long term commitment…” she raises her brows before adding, “if you know what I mean.”

Fuck yeah, I know
exactly
what she means.  Hence my sudden arrival on the scene.

Just like I said before- totally clueless.  It would actually be cute if I weren’t so sexually frustrated by the situation. 

Pulling her into a darkened hallway off the living room, where the flow of people is a little lighter, I finally spin her towards me before asking with just a touch of heat filling my voice, “So you’re just on the prowl, looking to get laid?”  My teeth are actually gritted because, needless to say, the idea of her doing that just pisses me the hell off.