Player (What Happens on Campus Book 1) (5 page)

“I told you, I’m fun to be around,” he smirked, pushing his hands deep into his jeans pockets as he leaned his body back slightly. For a moment, they just stood there, neither of them really sure how to end the night. Suddenly he said, “I suppose a goodnight kiss is off the table?”

Instantly serious, she frowned. “Parker, I’m not interested in being in anything less than a serious relationship. I’ve been straight with you from the start and, since the idea of committing obviously gives you the heebie jeebies, I’m happy to be friends, but nothing more. I want love, Parker. Maybe that’s stupid, but it’s what I want and I won’t settle for anything less.”

The curse of being a book lover was that she was also a hopeless romantic.

Nodding slowly, he reached out to brush her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “It’s not stupid and I kinda wish I was the guy who got to love you, but I don’t think I have it in me.” Smiling sadly, he turned and walked away.

All Chloe could do was watch him go, standing there in a shock like state as his words echoed in her head. How could he say stuff like that, then turn around and act the way he did? It didn’t match up. God, he confused her!

When he was gone from sight, she shuffled backwards into the room and eased the door shut. Riley was already asleep, sprawled awkwardly across the bed, her legs dangling over the edge. The nights were warm here, she’d already discovered, so instead of putting a cover over her, Chloe just slipped off Riley’s shoes, got changed into her own pyjamas, turned out the light and crawled into her own bed.

She was exhausted, but as usual she had trouble getting to sleep; her mind just kept spinning and spinning and spinning. Kicking off the covers, she clambered to the end of the bed so that she could reach over on to her desk and lift the lid of her laptop. Selecting her ‘Sleep Playlist’, she lowered the volume so that the dulcet, soothing tones of Katie Melua and Norah Jones were barely audible and then hooked her arm under the bed to retrieve her hot water bottle. It was electric, therefore, didn’t need water, despite the name, and she cuddled it to her chest as she waited for it to warm, concentrating on the music flowing around the room.

The two combined helped her drift off into an uneasy, restless sleep, which she was awoken from with a jolt a short while later when Riley bolted for the toilet, slamming the bathroom door behind her.

Sitting up groggily, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Should she go in and see if Riley was okay? Would Riley mind if she went in there, Chloe knew she sure as hell wouldn’t want anyone seeing her puking her guts up?

When her friend didn’t come out after a few minutes though, she went and opened the door a crack, poking her head inside and asking, “You okay?”

Hunched over the toilet, her hands gripping it on either side, so tight that her knuckles had gone white, Riley shook her head. “No,” she managed to say between retching.

Going to kneel beside her, Chloe pulled her hair back from her face and rubbed her back soothingly. “Get it all out, you’ll feel better afterwards.”

“I’m dying,” her friend groaned.

“Well, next time you’ll know not to drink so much.”

Turning her head to look at her, Riley wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said stoically, “I regret nothing.”

The effect was somewhat ruined however by the next wave of vomit that came spewing from her mouth.

Getting up the next morning for practice wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. He was tired, but he’d only had one beer last night, so at least he wasn’t hung-over. Chloe’s friend wouldn’t be so lucky, he thought, wincing in sympathy. She had been throwing them back like a demon – he was actually quite impressed she hadn’t passed out. Chloe didn’t drink though, so at least he didn’t have to worry about her getting drunk and landing herself in trouble. But he did wonder what the real reason for her abstinence was because he was almost certain she’d been lying to him last night.

For once, Jet wasn’t up before him and Parker left the room quietly so as not to wake him, heading down towards the field at a jog. In the locker room, he found Dawson sitting on the bench with his head in his hands, his usually tanned face looking startlingly pale.

Turning his head slightly, to watch him walk past with bloodshot eyes, Dawson moaned, “Why do I do this to myself? I should have learnt by now…”

“Rough night?”

“I woke up with two girls in my bed and I don’t remember any of it,” he replied mournfully.

“If you were that drunk, I’m sure there wasn’t much to remember.”

Groaning, Dawson dropped his head back into his hands, “Thanks, man, way to make me feel even worse.”

“What are friends for?” he smirked, opening his locker and pulling out his uniform.

Coach obviously knew that half his team were hideously hung-over because he worked them especially hard that morning. Parker got tackled by one of the newbies and ended up limping off the field at the end of practice, holding his bruised ribs.

“Go get that checked out,” Coach hollered after him before turning on the newbie, pointing one thick, stubby finger angrily at the blushing freshman. “You’re a lineman, not a fuckin’ steamroller! Who bloody taught you to play like that on the practice field? You could have taken out our star quarterback, then what would we do when game time rolls around?”

Wincing in sympathy for the other guy, because he’d been on the receiving end of Coach’s rage more than once, Parker headed back towards the locker room. Inside, he awkwardly pulled his skirt off and looked down.

“Nasty,” someone commented and he nodded in agreement. A bruise was already forming, a bright red smudge against his skin, but it didn’t feel like anything was broken. He shifted experimentally and felt a twinge of pain, but it wasn’t crippling.

Head hung low, his assailant slouched into the locker room and someone shouted, “Get a little excited, did ya Coleson?”

Shooting the other guy a glare, Trent Coleson came over to stand in front of him. “Parker, I’m really sorry,” he apologized sincerely, shamefaced, “I didn’t realize how hard I was hitting.”

“It’s okay, Trent,” Parker waved his words away, “it’s football, people get hurt, and no matter what Coach says, you’re supposed to practice hard otherwise we won’t be ready.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Seriously, don’t worry about it. I’ve had worse.” They shook hands and Parker grinned at him, “It’s good to know you’ll have my back when the season starts.”

A hot shower eased his aches and pains. Standing under the spray, he blinked soap out of his eyes and stared at the fogged up glass, replaying the previous night in his head. Remembering the heat of Chloe’s curvy body pressed against his as they danced, he groaned and switched the shower to cold.

When he finally finished and went into the room, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, it was to find Terri sprawled on Jet’s bed, aimlessly flicking through a book.

“Jeez, can’t you get some clothes on?” she grumbled.

“You’re in my room,” he stressed, dropping the towel and walking bare-assed naked over to his wardrobe. Unfortunately, she didn’t react; Terri wasn’t the kind of girl who blushed easily. She was practically one of the guys.

Pulling out a pair of sweats, but foregoing a shirt, he asked, “Where’s Jet?”

“Gone to get coffee,” she answered, putting the books back on top of the pile of novels crowding her best friends’ bedside table.

“Hope he’s gettin’ me one,” Parker grumbled, laying down on his bed, careful of his ribs.

“Probably, he’s nice like that. What happened to you? You look like you got run over by a bus.”

“Thanks,” he huffed.

“My pleasure. So come on, clue me in. Did someone beat you up for sleeping with their girlfriend?”

“I’m not a total dick, you know? I do have standards,” he defended himself, pushing up on one elbow to glare at her.

She shrugged, “Not that I’ve seen.”

His glower deepened, but when she did nothing but stare impassively back at him, he sighed and lowered himself back down onto the bed, muttering, “Got tackled at practice.”

“It looks sore, you should put some ice on it.”

“Can’t be bothered to get up.”

This time it was her turn to sigh in exasperation. “I’ll text Jet to get some on his way back.”

“Thanks.”

He must have dozed off for a couple of minutes, because the next thing he knew something cold landed on his stomach, startling him out of sleep as he jerked upwards, fumbling to get the bag of ice off his bare skin.

Jet snickered and Parker whipped his head around to snarl, “Asshole.”

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” he grinned, totally unrepentant. Holding up a cup of coffee from the campus café, he asked, “Forgiven?”

“Give that here,” Parker grumbled, taking the cup and glowering at the pair smirking at him from across the room.

“Riley’s coming over in a minute,” Terri informed him, “so you better get a shirt on, otherwise she’ll be drooling all over you.”

Instantly, he perked up at the snippet of information. “Is Chloe comin’ too?”

Sipping her own coffee, she shrugged. “Dunno, maybe.”

“Well ask,” he waved his hand impatiently.

Crossing her arms, Terri scowled at him, her cell remaining on the bed next to her. “I’m not going to let you mess her around.”

“I’m not goin’ to,” he snapped, “just ask if she’s comin’.”

“Parker…”

“For fuck sake,” he snarled, reaching over to snatch her phone. He swiped his thumb across the screen, realized there was a passcode, faltered, then handed it back to her, reduced to begging, “Come on Terri, what harm’ll it do if we’re all hangin’ together?”

Sitting beside her, Jet was watching him closely. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you chasing a girl,” he said speculatively.

Surprised, Terri glanced from Jet to Parker and back again. Her nose screwed up in thought. “You really like her, don’t you?”

Uncomfortably, Parker shifted around, lifting a hand to scratch his head as they both stared at him, waiting for an answer. “We’re friends,” he replied pathetically after a minute.

A wicked smile spread across Jet’s face and he nudged Terri with his elbow. “Go on, put him out of his misery.”

“Fine,” she grumped, clearly not happy about it. Unlocking her phone, her thumbs tapped out the message and a few seconds later it dinged to announce a response. She looked up at him, “Riley said she’ll ask her.” Another wait that seemed to last forever, before it dinged again. Parker waited with baited breath as Terri read. “Yep,” she said after an agonizingly long second, “she’s coming.”

A broad, cheesy smile pulled at his lips. “I think I’ll keep my shirt off a bit longer. It’s a bit hot in here.”

Terri was still glaring daggers at him over his last comment, when the girls knocked on the door. “It’s open,” Jet called.

A second later, Riley waltzed in; a total knockout in a tiny denim skirt and tight tank top. The girl wanted to be noticed and she’s have no problem getting the attention she craved. He guaranteed that by the end of the first week of classes, she’d have most of the heterosexual guys on campus sniffing around her. Risking a quick glance at Terri, who was scowling, he prayed that none of his teammates decided to pursue her, though he knew it was hopeless. Terri would be like a dog with a bone if one of his guys fucked with her sister.

Vaguely, he wondered what the deal was with those two; Terri didn’t seem particularly happy to have her twin here, however, his attention was immediately snatched away as Chloe walked into the room.

Damn, she was fucking hot.

Wearing a strappy, white summer dress, she closed the door behind her and then looked around for a place to sit. His desk chair was piled high with clothes, Riley occupied Jet’s chair and so, unless she wanted to cozy up with Jet and Terri on the bed, the only other option was to sit beside him. Smirking inwardly, he patted the mattress, shifting over slightly so that she’d have room.

Without a word, she sat down, folding her hands in her lap, all prim and proper – it made his inner smirk widen until his jaw ached from containing it, because he remembered how she’d dirty danced with him last night. It made his cock twitch just thinking about it. Across the room, Riley crossed her legs. Jet’s eyes followed the movement and judging by the look on Terri’s face he’d better stop before he got his eyes gouged out.

“So,” Riley chirped, “what’re we doing today?”

“Well, we can’t go out,” Chloe sniffed, flicking her gaze over his chest and then towards the dirty clothes around the room, “Parker clearly doesn’t have anything to wear.”

The others snickered and he was smart enough to feel a little ashamed of how he’d let his half of the room get so messy in such a short period of time, but that feeling quickly passed.

“They’re clean, actually. I just couldn’t be bothered to hang them up.”

“So, you’re messy
and
lazy.”

Putting an arm around her shoulders, he leant in close. “I guess I need a woman to whip me into shape.”

Shrugging off his arm, she put some space between them. “Keep looking.”

There was a blush in her cheeks, but the look she shot him was pure pissed-off female. He grimaced; already he’d broken the implied promise to stop flirting. He knew what she wanted and he knew what he was prepared to give and the simple truth was that it didn’t match up, yet he couldn’t stop pushing for more than friendship.

They ended up going down to the quad, after Parker found a clean shirt to wear, so that they could lounge in the sun. Laying on the grass, listening to the others talk, he almost drifted back to sleep several times. A shadow passed over him and he opened his eyes to peer up at Jet.

“We’re going to get a burger, you coming?”

“Uuuhh,” he grunted, taking the hand the other guy offered him and letting Jet yank him to his feet. His ribs ached and he lumbered up with all the elegance of a bull. “Thanks.”

As they headed towards the diner, Parker fell back to walk alongside Chloe. “You’re looking a bit pink here,” he commented, running a finger over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” she frowned, “I put sun-cream on, but I think I need to buy a stronger one.”

“Probably,” he agreed, “you’ve got really pale skin.”

Lips twisting wryly, she shrugged, “I’m English, we don’t get the sun like you get here.”

When they got to the diner, Jet stole his thunder and held the door open for the girls. A waitress showed them to a booth; since it was so early there were only a few other people there and he edged in front of Riley so that he could slide in next to Chloe. Both girls shot him a look, but he feigned innocence, picking up a menu to study, not that he needed it. For the last two years, he’d ordered the same thing every time he came here – the homemade bacon burger, packed with extra cheese and onions. It reminded him of the burgers they served in the diner back home.

When the waitress came to collect their orders, Jet, Terri and Parker all asked for milkshakes and burgers, while Riley ordered a salad, much to her sister’s disgust.

“And what about you?” the young waitress asks Chloe, cocking a hip.

“I’ll have the chicken burger and chips, please.”

For a moment, the waitress looked vaguely confused, before Jet said, “She means fries.”

“Oh. Anything to drink?”

“Coke, please.”

As they waited for their food, more groups of students began to filter in for lunch and the noise level rocketed, so much so that Parker had to lean towards Chloe slightly to hear her when she spoke. Every time he did so, he caught a whiff of whatever shampoo she used, something faintly fruity.

When there was a lapse in the conversation, he rested his arm along the back of the booth and angled his body closer to hers. “So, whereabouts in England are you from?”

Either not noticing his arm, or deciding to ignore it, she turned slightly to face him, forming their own little cocoon. “You probably won’t have heard of it. Lindfield?” At his blank look, she expanded, “It’s a town in Sussex. At the bottom of the country, near Brighton.” She grinned at him, “I told you that you wouldn’t have heard of it. Where are you from, I’ve been trying to figure out your accent?”

“I’m an Alabama boy, born and raised.”

“Do you like it there?”

He shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. “It’s nice enough, I guess.”

There was an awkward pause, before she said, “Well, Sussex is beautiful. The country side, the forests. Most the year round it’s full of color and if you stand at the top of the Downs there are fields rolling out for miles and it’s as if you can see across the whole country all the way to Scotland.”