Punt: A British Bad Boy Football Romance (19 page)

M
addie was much more calm
the next afternoon as she stood beside Jace, watching as Shaw and Spade helped put Jasper’s things into Mr. McDonough’s Jeep. The Alabama alpha was a tall, whip-thin man with whitish-blond hair and dark, cruel-looking eyes. Jasper had shrugged off the goodbyes of most of the rest of the pack, and the grownups were now just standing around awkwardly as Mr. McDonough prepared to leave.

Just as Mr. McDonough was gesturing to Jasper to get in the car, Jasper looked over and locked eyes with Maddie. His expression was desperate and anxious. He broke away from the adults to run over to Maddie and Jace. Jasper gave Jace a measured look and a cool nod, then knelt in front of Maddie. He gave her a brief hug, then reached in his back pocket and produced a slightly-charred book. Her paper copy of
Great Cities of the World
, the one she’d tried unsuccessfully to burn last night. She’d tossed the book in the trash last night after her attempted arson, disgusted with herself. Jasper must have seen it and dug it out of the trash.

Confused, she looked up at him.

“You’ll still need it,” Jasper said, giving her that sad lift of the lips again. He ruffled her hair again, stepping back when Maddie leaned toward him. Then he was gone, slipping into the big black Jeep.

Maddie stood and stared until everyone else had gone, but no matter how hard she wished differently, he didn’t come back.

N
o way
in hell was that son of a bitch going to beat her. Maddie flew along, all four paws striking the ground with perfect precision as she rocketed through the trees surrounding the Louisiana Den. She didn’t break from her stride to look back at Jasper, but she could feel him closing in on her right flank. Stubborn-ass male.

Maddie had the physical advantage, though. Her wolf, a stunning chestnut timber breed, was smaller and more lightly muscled than Jasper’s. He was a sight to behold, all gorgeous Arctic white with black markings and those eerie blue eyes, but he was bigger and slower.

At least that was what Maddie was hoping. Her so-called ‘mate’ had been dogging her every step for a month, bullying her nonstop. He had strong ideas about how everything should be done, about what ‘their’ future would be, about how Maddie should behave. He insisted that they would work something out sooner or later if she’d only quit being so stubborn. The only thing Maddie wanted to work out was her wolf, and so she’d taken herself on a solitary run miles and miles further than she’d ever been outside the Den.

And of course there he was, right behind her. He’d probably follow her right into the gates of hell without a second thought, if she had a mind to go. Not out of dedication or anything like that, but just to annoy the hell out of her. Jasper was determined to bring her to heel, and Maddie was getting tired of all the hard work it took to drive him up the wall. At this point she was every bit as stir-crazy as he was, and yet here they were again.

Maddie gritted her jaw and tried to keep her mind focused on her breathing, the placement of her paws, on avoiding small obstacles on the ground. This run was supposed to be a refreshing break from the simmering tension of her little bungalow, a way to free her mind. Instead it was more of the same.

With a final burst of effort, Maddie barreled through the tree line of her yard and skidded to a stop. Her jaw dropped, tongue lolling out as she stared. There was Jasper, panting hard as he sat on her front porch. He gave her that wolfish grin of his, the one that made her want to punch something. She wheezed out a growl.

How the hell had he managed to beat her here? Not to mention the fact that he’d spoiled her run. He didn’t just have to be the best at everything, he had the nerve to look good while he did it. Bastard!

Crouching, Maddie closed her eyes and released her wolf’s form. Her body gave a violent shudder, but the change was over in a flash. She got onto her hands and knees and stood up, ignoring Jasper as he crouched to change.

She walked right past him into the house and grabbed the towel she’d left hung up next to the door, slipping it around her body. As a Shifter, she wasn’t too sensitive about being naked in front of other people, but somehow Jasper managed to ruin that too.

She could feel his heavy gaze as he entered and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist. She’d had to insist that he start dressing after shifting back to his human form. Otherwise he was content to walk around nude, distracting her from whatever she was supposed to be doing. It was a pain, not to mention a bit too stimulating.

That stimulation could only lead her mind in one direction, and Maddie was determined that she wouldn’t be so weak again. Still, she found her eyes wandering over his sleek, muscled shoulders and taut back as he headed over to the couch where he currently both slept and stored his duffel bag of clothes. She felt like a bitch for making him sleep on the foldout couch, but it was his own damned fault that he was still here in her house. She’s to get him out of her space on day one. Having him in her house was just too intimate. He hadn’t listened, of course, which meant that he slept in the living room every night.

Averting her eyes, she went into her bedroom to get dressed. She shut the bedroom door and went to the closet, flipping through a few garments. She needed to get off her own property for a little while, get Jasper off her brain. She owed her brother Jace a visit anyway, although she doubted Jace would appreciate her current mood.

Good thing she didn’t much care what Jace wanted right now. Maddie had saved his stupid neck just last month, talking him down off the proverbial ledge when things with Tessa hadn’t been going so well.

Maddie frowned at the thought of her brother’s new mate. Pretty, blonde, petite Tessa. She was always smiling at everyone, being all funny and smart and charming. It made Maddie feel like Eeyore, walking around with a permanent thundercloud over her head.

Tessa was nice enough, and it was clear that she loved Jace to death. In truth, Maddie and Tessa had quite a bit in common; they both loved to read, they loved their pack mates, and they’d both lost their parents at a tender age. Still, Maddie just couldn’t bring herself around to enjoy the other female yet.

Her issues with Tessa, coupled with her issues with Jasper, were about to drive her up the freaking wall. If she was going to go visit her brother’s house, she needed to put on something nice in order to look presentable next to Tessa.

She went to look in the mirror first, dropping the towel and examining her bare body. She was tall, almost six feet barefoot, and slender from regular runs in the woods. She had waist-length dark hair, streaked with a subtle mahogany tint that shimmered in the sunlight. Her darkly-lashed eyes were big and bright, a shade of violet-blue that made people stop and stare. A pert nose and full, pouty lips complemented her high cheekbones and finely turned chin.

She kept herself lightly and evenly tanned, since it was perpetual summer in the Den. Her limbs were long and graceful, her ass nice and plump, and yet…

And yet, despite her looks, Jace and Jasper still treated her like a child. With one last look in the mirror, she reassured herself that she was nothing but bona-fide, grade-A woman. She had to giggle at the ridiculousness of her pep talk, shaking her head as she went to her closet to dress.

She found a pair of soft leather leggings, nice and black like her mood. Coupled with her patterned black and white silk blouse, it’d be a good look. She pulled the leggings on and then dug around for the top, pulling it off the hanger. Good enough, she decided. She put the shirt on and added her favorite pair of Converse, then checked her reflection in the mirror.

Not bad at all, Maddie thought. Not that she’d ever really had much doubt about her own attractiveness. Ever since the age of thirteen, when Maddie had shot up in height and begun to show the promise of shapely curves, she’d never had a second to doubt it. She was all long, lean legs and toned torso, topped by a balanced C cup rack. Men propositioned her in bars and malls alike, wolf-whistled her on the streets, made constant comments about her ass. Never about the soulfulness of her eyes or about her sexy brain, Maddie thought with a smirk.

If only her body would suit her purposes now. Too bad for her that Jasper was immune to her curves and their resultant charms. She caught him looking now and then, but he wasn’t drooling and tripping over himself to get her in bed again. It was almost enough to make Maddie doubt her own prowess in the bedroom. Except that the only time they’d hooked up had been earth-shatteringly good, and she knew damned well that the enjoyment hadn’t been one-sided.

Satisfied with both her reasoning and her outfit, she flounced out of her room and straight to the front door. He’d started this whole mess, getting in her face when she’d headed out for her run, asking where she was going. She kept her eyes off Jasper, knowing without a doubt that he still wanted an answer to his question. Too bad, because she wasn’t the least interested in answering it.

“Are you just planning on not talking to me, then?” Jasper asked, following her.

“Why don’t you do us both a favor and fuck off?” Maddie snapped, flinging open the front door to her Den bungalow. Let him chew on that, she thought with a grin.

J
asper sighed
and followed his new mate as she went over to her motorcycle. Jasper had hated the thing on sight. He’d been shocked to find out that the bike was a gift from her normally sane older brother. Motorcycles were unsafe in themselves, and adding Maddie’s reckless attitude on top of that… the damned thing had to go. That was a battle for another day, though.

He watched as Maddie bent over to attend to something on her bike, giving Jasper a nice view of her leather-clad ass. Her style was simple but effective, the tight-fitting pants hugging the sleek muscles of her legs and rear. She wore a pretty blouse, and he could see a hint of her red bra through the thin white fabric. Sometimes Jasper thought that her clothing was chosen just to provoke him; knowing that fact to be true was often the last thread of his sanity, keeping him from pouncing on her and ripping those clothes right off her body.

In a way, her very sexiness was the best in his war against his own lust. There was something youthful about the way she wore her attractiveness, something that said she was much more self-conscious than she let on. It reminded Jasper that she was still only twenty six to his thirty years, and she was still very young in a lot of ways.

“I asked where you were going,” Jasper said, reining himself in. He wanted to grab her and shake her, make her listen when he spoke. It might be satisfying, but he imagined that tactic wouldn’t work well. Maddie was the most stubborn female he’d ever met, determined to do whatever she saw fit and nothing else.

“I’m going out,” she snapped, picking up her helmet. At least she wore that much protection, Jasper thought.

“Out where?” Jasper asked, trying to keep his voice calm. Yelling rarely made Maddie compliant, but nothing else really worked on her either. She was so damned frustrating. Her prickly attitude inflamed him, provoking the anger he kept in check.

Maddie tossed her long hair over her shoulder, reminding him of an untamed filly. The thought made him smirk, and Maddie huffed at his expression. Gods knew what she imagined he was thinking; surely nothing nearly as lighthearted as the truth.

“Just out. I need to be somewhere other than under your magnifying glass for a little while. Unless you’ve decided to move into your own house?” she asked. The hopeful tone of her question annoyed him.

“Not a chance,” Jasper said, crossing his arms as he regarded her.

“
F
igures
,” Maddie said with a roll of her eyes. “You’re just being stubborn. You know you’re climbing the walls just as much as I am.”

That was certainly true, but probably not for the same reasons. Jasper was going nuts because he’d been cooped up with the hottest woman he’d ever laid eyes on, and in the last month she had barely spoken to him, much less given him leave to touch her incredible curves.

It seemed to him that she should be at least a little interested in his body, more than the occasional secretive glances she gave him. Jasper had no question about his physical attractiveness; he was almost six and a half feet tall, packed with lean, sculpted muscle, and his face had all the sharply-hewn angles that females swooned over. He was a blond, blue-eyed, All-American Southern male, and he was often told that his smile could make panties drop.

Still, his feisty little mate barely bothered to glance at him, though he stripped at every opportunity just to make sure she remembered what he looked like.

He knew, from the one and only time he’d gotten Maddie in bed, that she had an affinity for his ass. She’d gripped his ass hard with both hands, marveling aloud at how the muscles moved while he’d fucked her senseless. Literally, senseless. She’d actually fainted mid-orgasm, which was a new level of personal accomplishment in his book.

Jasper sighed and shook his head, pushing away the vivid image of their coupling.

It was better this way, of course, for a thousand reasons. All of which boiled down to the fact that the less intimate they grew, the better. Maddie had offered herself up as his mate and he’d jumped at the chance, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t turn his moment of weakness into an advantage.

By bringing Maddie to heel, he would seal up the chink she created in his armor. Jasper was aware of the darkness lurking just below the surface of his cool facade; a deep well of violent anger hid there, waiting to spill out and hurt anyone foolish enough to get close to him.

Every time Maddie turned her tart tongue against him, that darkness rushed up within him and threatened to overflow. No one could rile him quite like she could, and that made her dangerous. Jasper had no idea why Maddie had chosen to take him as a mate, but he felt it was better to keep her close, where he could keep an eye on her. It wasn’t quite the same as keeping one’s enemies close; he adored Maddie, and always had. Still, it was better to keep the one person who could truly bring out his dark side nearby rather than let her belong to another.

That, Jasper knew, he could not handle. He’d been holding his breath for years, fearing that Maddie would meet a suitable mate and settle down. Watching another male enjoy her would have been untenable. Some days he couldn’t believe that fate had brought them together, rather than forcing them apart. Luck had never been on his side before, and he had trouble accepting that it had this time. There must be some catch, something about her that was going to hurt him, ruin him. So far, though, nothing. She was beautiful and sexy and feisty, and he couldn’t get enough of her.

That didn’t mean that she vexed him any less, though. Maddie tried him at every turn, pushing and pushing, never taking less than her expectations. Jasper rolled his eyes, considering how long it was going to take to tame her. Years, possibly.

Still. Once he had her under control she would make an excellent Alpha’s mate, complementing his strength and representing him well. He just had to figure out how to make her submit to his will without seduction, without unnecessary entanglements.

The crux of his plan lay in keeping a certain distance between them, both emotional and physical. They’d consummated their mating bond just once, unable to resist the potent hormones flying between them.

That afternoon, she’d given him more than he’d ever dared to fantasize about. Later he’d woken alone in her bed, finding her side ice cold. Where she’d slept that night, he had no idea. Jasper had searched her things when she’d returned, only satisfied when he found no other male’s scent on her clothes. Though he hadn’t said as much, his only rule for his new mate thus far was that he was the only male in her life now. She’d never have another lover, never so much as embrace another male. He couldn’t tolerate it, wouldn’t do so. The very thought of it made him see red.

Thus the current argument, he supposed. Perhaps another tack would be better in this case.

“We have to leave today,” Jasper said. “I got a call earlier saying I was needed in Alabama immediately. We’ll leave as soon as I can get my car brought around.”

All his good intentions were nearly swept away in the next moment, because Maddie laughed right in his face.

“I don’t see what’s funny,” Jasper said, his tone clipped.

“We are not going anywhere! I offered to be your mate because I thought you’d leave me the hell alone, not drag me all over the country to do your errands,” she said, giving him a hateful look.

“I’m sorry to disappoint. You’re my mate, Maddie. We sealed it with a bite. Now my responsibilities are yours too.”

“Please,” Maddie said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “One bite doesn’t change anything. I’m not some little girl tagging along after everything you do anymore. I thought I had made that clear.”

“Our past didn’t keep you from offering to be my mate,” Jasper said. He heard his tone and almost winced at the harshness. Gods, but the woman knew how to push his damned buttons.

“We both had our reasons. I needed freedom and an end to the pressure to find a mate. And you needed a pretty female to show your Alpha-ness or whatever,” Maddie said, a haughty glint in her eyes. “You know as well as I do that this is a fluke. So go to Alabama, and leave me in peace.”

“The only thing that’s making this a fluke is your complete unwillingness to—” Jasper cut himself off before he could say something he’d really regret.

“Do you really expect me to just lie down at your feet and await your instructions? If so, I have some really sad news for you. I’m not changing who I am just because I agreed to some sham mating bond. We’re a paper marriage, and I intend to keep it chaste,” she said, lifting a defiant brow.

Jasper coughed into his hand, covering his harsh laugh.

“Need I remind you that it’s already been consummated? And what an incredible consummation it was,” he smirked.

“That was a mistake. I was— I was trying to protect my brother and his mate,” she said. She licked her lips, dropping her eyes to cover her lie.

“Madeline Copeland, you have got to be out of your damned mind to say that to me. You offered yourself to me. You bit me back. Then, you halfway dragged me back to your house and proceeded to get naked while you straddled me. Don’t pretend it was anything else,” he said, his face darkening in rage.

“You had a gun pointed at Tessa. What was I supposed to do?” Maddie insisted, her face turning red.

“Uh huh. And what about when we got back to your house? I don’t recall there being a gun around when you begged to suck my cock.”

“Jesus, Jasper! You don’t have to— You know, I don’t want to talk about it. It was just hormones. As I said, it was a mistake. As in, not to be repeated,” she said. Turning, she began adjusting something on her bike.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Jasper asked, exasperated. He’d thought for a minute that this was some elaborate catch-me-if-you-can thing, but no. She was really planning to cut him off forever.

“As a heart attack,” she quipped, flashing him a false grin. She was ten kinds of odd today.

“What are we supposed to do then? Open relationship? Each of us just turns a blind eye? Is that what you really want? Cause I’ll tell you right now, any man stupid enough to touch you is going to find himself ass-deep in alligators, darlin.”

“This isn’t your pack. I’m not some simpering female that you can just order around. Just go back to Alabama, Jasper. If they’ll even still have you as Alpha,” she snapped.

Jasper sucked in a breath. That particular arrow hit too close to the heart. His place in the pack remained questionable, mostly due to his own hatred of being Alpha.

“So that’s it, then? There’s nothing between us, there never will be, and you won’t be sitting here keeping a tally of my screw-ups?” Jasper seethed.

Maddie didn’t say anything, just fiddled with her bike’s instrument panel. Just like a female. No, she didn’t want him, but that didn’t mean he was free, either.

“Fine. I have to leave, anyway,” Jasper hissed.

“Don’t overreact,” Maddie mumbled.

“Shit, woman. Not every damned thing is about you! I have to go back to Alabama and take care of some things in my pack. I’ve been chasing your ass around the Den instead of running my pack, and it’s been over a month. Too long for me to be gone.”

“Oh,” Maddie said, seeming to deflate a bit. He’d said the wrong thing again, somehow. What the hell did she want from him? She pushed him away at every turn. Surely she didn’t expect pretty words and promises that he could never hope to keep.

The worst part of it all was that he couldn’t stop himself from seeking her approval and desire for his company. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

“Unless there’s a reason for me to stay?” Jasper said, trying not to sound hopeful. Maddie’s expression softened for half a moment before she managed to blank it, shutting him out. Whatever the emotion she’d felt, she’d shut it down without hesitation.

If only Jasper could do the same in regard to her.

“No, there’s no reason,” Maddie said, then pulled her helmet onto her head. End of the conversation, it seemed. Jasper watched as she mounted her bike and sped off, leaving nothing but a huge dust cloud in her wake.

Cursing, Jasper turned and went back inside. He really did need to return home posthaste, and it would take less than an hour to shower and pack up the duffel bag of personal items he’d brought from home. Pulling out his phone, he made the only other preparation he needed.

“Hey, Cord. It’s Jasper. Can you go ahead and pull my car from the pack’s auto pool? Great. How soon can I get it?”

He waited with great impatience, tapping his foot as he listened to the other man’s calculations.

“Tonight at seven? Alright. I’ll meet you at the Grass. Yeah, thanks,” Jasper said, hanging up.

He needed his car sooner, really, but it seemed like Cord was busy. He was pretty sure he’d heard a female’s voice in the background, which meant Cord had company. Jasper wasn’t enough of an asshole to cock-block the friendly blond Shifter. The Louisiana pack seemed hard-put to take the surfer seriously, but Jasper suffered no such illusions. Behind the shaggy haircut and all-American good looks was an extremely powerful Shifter.

Jasper wasn’t about to get into it with the man over something so minor, especially when he was sort of dragging his feet on leaving anyway. Part of him kept thinking that if he stayed just a little longer, Maddie might change her mind. Of course, it was the same part of him that’d had his ass sleeping on the couch for the better part of a month now.

He had to let her go, at least for the time being. Once he got back home he might be able to come up with a plan to win her over, but sitting around her house gathering dust wasn’t working. He hoped that being back with the pack would clear his mind of all the clutter, especially if Maddie wasn’t so close. Perhaps if he wasn’t surrounded by her scent, living among her things… maybe then his mind would be clearer.

Shaking his head, Jasper turned and started packing.