Rough & Tumble (2 page)

Chapter 2

I was startled awake. I had been falling fast in my dream and right before I hit the bottom, my eyes flew open. I quickly started to look around the foreign room. I couldn’t remember anything past seeing Brit and Roxy’s empty seats next to me at the club the night before.

I was in someone’s bed in a room I had never been in in my life. I was dressed in a large black shirt and my underwear and that was it.

How’d I get that fucked up last night?

I rolled out of bed. Hoping to figure out where the heck I was, I peered out the window. I knew that I was downtown somewhere, but for the life of me I couldn’t place the streets and landmarks in my view.

I spun on my heels as I heard the door to the strange room open. My heart was pounding and I was holding my breath as I waited to see who was coming in.

What the hell?

Of course, Bo Briggs slowly started to make his way over to me. I was paralyzed. He was engaged. What in god’s name was I doing in his room?

“How are you feeling?” He handed me a bottle of water and a couple Advil. His light blond hair was shorter than it had been, and he looked downright military with his defined muscles, sleeves of tattoos, and crooked grin that always brought me to my knees.

“Fine.” I took the tiny pills and water from my hunky ex and chugged them down fast. In all reality, my head felt like it had been run over by a Mack truck. “What happened last night? Did we…?” I sunk onto the bed. Except for a few times in passing, it was the first time I had seen Bo in a few years. All the old buried feelings flooded me. I had known for a long time that I wasn’t over my ex, but I didn’t want him to ever know that.

“You were drugged last night at the club.”

My face felt hot, my palms turned clammy, and my head felt like it was about to explode. “What the fuck?” My voice crackled.

He grabbed my hand, sitting down next to me. His thick, deep drawl was low as he started at his comforter. “Yeah, I saw the guy slip it into your drink while it was sitting at the bar. Well, I didn’t know it was yours until I followed the server to your table, but by the time I pushed my way through the crowd of people trying to talk to me, you had already taken a few sips. I couldn’t let you be prey to some slimeball, so I brought you home and made sure you were ok.”

It was a hard thing to wrap my head around. I hadn’t ever worried about being drugged in a bar before. We lived in a pretty safe town and Vixens seemed to be an all right place. “Thanks,” I muttered as I stared blankly at his dark wood floors. “What were you doing at a strip club anyway? You hate those places.”

He smirked a little, shrugging. “Some of the guys from the team wanted to check it out. Believe me, it was not my first choice, but the new guy doesn’t get to pick where we go.”

Bo scooted closer to me, pulling me into his side. He was the same Bo I remembered from years ago: tough guy exterior with a heart of gold and a soft spot for people he loved.

“Well, I should probably get a move on before your fiancée figures out you spent the night with your ex.”

“You know we didn’t do anything last night, right?” His warm brown eyes were looking down at me and a frown pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“Yeah. I do. You’re a good guy, Bo. Let’s not ruin your reputation with a tabloid scandal of a two-timing rookie.”

He let out a big sigh as he fell back onto his blush sheets. “Zara left me for some C-list celebrity she costarred with not too long ago on some dumb ass hemorrhoid commercial. We haven’t made it public yet because the dude is an asshole and still married. Supposedly he is getting a divorce, but I think he is a dick stain, just stringing her along with his money and fancy cars.”

I heard my phone ringing from the nightstand. It was “Baby Got Back”, Brittainy’s ringtone. “How many times has she called since last night?”

He smiled. “For sure, over a hundred.” He tossed the phone over to me and shoved up from the bed. “I’ll leave you be for that call.” He laughed a little as he walked out of the room. “Brit is going to f-ing kill you.”

I nodded and smiled as I hit the accept button on my phone. “Hey.”

With a wink, Bo shut the door behind him.

“Hey?! That’s all I get is fucking
HEY
? Where the hell are you? I have been worried sick all night. Not to mention I was stranded at the club! Did you forget you drove us and my car is still at your damn place?”

“Were you really stranded?” I chuckled a little.

“Well, no. I went home with Roxy. But that’s only because you vanished into thin air! I was so freaked out about what happened to you I was up all night calling hospitals and shit.”

“Brit, I am really sorry. Someone tried to drug me, and get this: Bo rescued me. I woke up in his bed this morning.”

“Shut the fuck up! Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s meet for lunch and I’ll tell you everything.”

The smell of coffee being brewed wafted into the room.

“Ok. Call me right when you leave there. Or better yet, I’ll come pick you up.”

“I’ll text you soon.”

I threw my phone into my clutch and called through the door, “Bo?”

He hollered back, “Yup?”

“Where are your shorts? I’m half naked over here.”

I glanced down at the clock on his nightstand and gasped a little—it was already half past eight.

He made his way back into the room. “Everything ok?” he asked as he handed me a pair of black Soffe shorts. I grabbed them and threw them on the bed.

“Really? Your fiancée’s shorts?”

“Ex.” He sat on the end of the bed, a light red starting to dust his cheeks and the back of his neck. “And they’re yours.”

I checked the tag in the back and sure enough, “Peyton West” was scrawled in my mother’s handwriting.

“Why’d you keep them?”

He shrugged. “Maybe I knew that someday you’d be back for them.”

His hand landed on my hip as our lips naturally started to drift for each other, but against everything my body was begging me to do, I pulled away from him.

“Bo, there is nothing I want more than to curl up in this bed with you right now, but I have to get home to Molly.”

“Molly?” His eyes grew three sizes as he scooted back from me.

“My dog. I have a chocolate lab. She has been alone all night and is probably crossing her legs by the door begging to be let out.”

“Oh fuck, okay. That’s a relief.” He grabbed his keys off the dresser and started lacing up his sneakers.

“What did you think I meant?” I pulled my shorts on and grabbed my clothes from the night before.

“Well, honestly? I thought you were about to tell me you had a damn kid at home.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that left me. “Seriously? You have to have sex to get pregnant.”

Right as the words fell from my lips, my cheeks and ears stung.

His stare smoldered as he grabbed my hip again. “How long has it been, babe?”

Babe.
That word sent shivers down my arms. I missed him so much more than I had in years now that he standing next to me. His lust was palpable as I pulled away from him, making my way for the front door.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Right as I was about the grab the door knob, Bo grabbed my arm and spun me around into his arms. Before I knew what was happening, his lips were connecting with mine. If fireworks are really a thing people see when they have a magical kiss, then his apartment should have exploded right on the spot.

He pressed me up against the front door, kissing down my jaw to my collar bone. “I’ve missed you so fucking much, Peyton.” His voice was breathy, lust-filled, and turned me on instantly.

“I guess Molly can wait just a little bit longer.”

Bo and I made quick work of tossing our clothes off and making our way to his large leather couch next to us. He knew exactly what to do to send chills up my spine and make me ache for more.

Standing behind the couch, he bent me over, gripping my hip firmly with one hand and sliding the other softly around my neck.

“Oh, Bo,” I moaned. Just feeling him positioned behind me was enough to send me over the edge. It really had been too long since I had been with someone that could make me feel that way.

“Are you still on the pill?” He let his dick press softly at my opening.

“Yes.” That’s all it took for him to thrust into me forcefully, making me cry out from the most enjoyable pain I had felt in years.

“What the fuck is this?” A woman’s strongly accented voice broke into my pleasure-induced haze.

I felt Bo pull away from me and immediately throw a blanket around my body.

“I should be asking you what the hell you’re doing here, Zara.” Bo’s drawl was thicker than normal, gravely and strong, his words dripping with disdain.

I was frozen in place, gripping the cream colored throw for dear life.

“I came back, baby.” She took a few steps closer to him and I could see she was still wearing the ring he’d given her.

I felt like I was going to vomit. Bo backed away from her, pulling his boxers back up.

“Zara, you need to get the fuck out of here. We’re done. And leave that, too.” He pointed to her hand, and then turned his back to her to make his way over to me.

“Are you ok?” he asked, putting his hand on my shoulder. My wide eyes were still locked on the gorgeous model as she took her ring off, put it on the counter, and started to march her way over to Bo with determination.

“Bo! You piece of shit!” she yelled, tears starting to stream down her face.

He turned to her. “I told you to—”

SLAP!

It rang out through the apartment and I looked down at my hand. I couldn’t believe I had just slapped a fucking supermodel to defend my ex-boyfriend, the star rookie quarterback.

This all escalated far too quickly.

“You damn slut! Do you know who I am?”

“A dumb bitch?” I crossed my arms over my chest, praying that the blanket would stay in place.

Zara stared at Bo to get him to defend her, but he just shook his head. “Weren’t you leaving?”

He walked over to the front door and held it open for her as she huffed out. “Fuck you.”

“Good luck with your sugar daddy.”

He slammed the door behind her and made his way back over to me. “That was one of the sexiest, most badass things I have ever seen you do, babe.”

“I don’t know what came over me.” I started to put my clothes back on.

“Well, I think I need to call a locksmith.” Bo chuckled, trying to make light of the situation while I fumbled with my high heels. I felt like an idiot, about to do a walk of shame out of a pro-football player’s apartment wearing a shirt that was drowning me, Soffes that barely covered my ass, and bright turquoise pumps.

“I need to get you home now don’t I?” Bo zipped up his pants with pouting lips playfully smirking at me.

I nodded. “I think this is all the excitement I can handle for one day.”

With a sigh he grabbed his shirt. “Fine, but have dinner with me tomorrow night.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

He kissed my cheek. “Come on, Peyton. You owe me. I did save your life.”

I handed him his keys from the counter. “Fine. But it’s not a date.”

“Whatever you want to call it to make yourself feel better is fine with me.”

The ride to my home was pretty silent. It was awkward to be so close to Bo again. Our breakup had been mostly mutual, but it hadn’t been my idea. For a while I believed that he had broken with me for Zara, and part of me still believed it, but it was all in the past and the universe had handed us a second chance. Who was I to push him completely away?

“That’s it right there, the third one in on the right.” I pointed out my house as he pulled off to the side of the road.

“Is your number the same?” he asked, grabbing my hand so I couldn’t bolt out of the car like I had planned.

I nodded. “Same as it has been since high school.”