JOCK (Boston Terriers Book 5) Read online

  I spend the next five minutes watching Clancy and Trevor shoot looks at each other.

  “What’s going on?”

  “What do you mean?” Trevor plays dumb.

  “What are you guys not telling me? I know something’s going on. I’m not stupid and you two are acting weird. Whatever it is just tell me and get it over with.”

  Clancy places his bottle down on the end table and scoots forward on his seat. He rests his elbows on his knees, his hands dangling in front of him. “You know that blog, The Boston Terrier Buzz?”

  “Yeah.”

  “They posted an expose about you and Hannah on the same day you were jumped. There were some incriminating pics of the two of you.”

  His words trigger something in my mind. It’s right there, why can’t I remember? Focus damnit.

  “What? Nothing to say?” Coach leans forward in his chair and the leather creaks with protest.

  Slowly shaking my head, my eyes stay pinned to the handful of images on the screen. This is bad. This is so fucking bad.

  “How long has this been going on? And don’t bullshit me.”

  Fuck. I rub a hand over my forehead as I remember Coach already knows and he spoke to me about it. Focusing on my memories from that day I peck away at them until I’ve chipped down to the most necessary details.

  “You’re stripped of your captaincy for the rest of the season and suspended from the team for the final three games. Unfortunately, that means no post-season play for you either.”

  “Say something, dude. What’s going on in that head of yours?” Trevor speaks up.

  “I just remembered Coach pulled me into his office at the end of practice that day. He knew about the affair and he showed me the blog post.”

  “Oh, fuck. This isn’t good,” Clancy mutters.

  “Yeah, I got kicked off the team for the rest of the season along with the post-season too. I also got my captain status revoked.”

  “Jesus. That sucks,” Trevor grumbles. “We’re so fucked without you as our quarterback.”

  Pain engulfs me. And not the physical kind I’ve recently become accustomed to. God it hurts to think about all that’s happened in the last four days, and there’s no one to blame but myself. Admitting that doesn’t change the outcome, though. And I have a feeling it’s going to physically hurt like hell for a long time, but emotionally even more so. Now that I remember, I’m not sure which is worse, being unable to play because of the injury, or the humiliation of having the captaincy revoked.

  “Dude, that must’ve been some amazing pussy for you to risk football.” Clancy holds his fist out for me to bump and I flip him off instead.

  “Don’t be an insensitive asshole, Clancy,” Trevor scolds and then turns to face me. “So, how long were you two fucking for?”

  Clancy chuckles and Trevor smirks at me.

  “Six months.”

  “Six months?” Clancy barks. “What the fuck, dude? That must have been some prime pussy for you to last more than a couple of nights.”

  Raking my teeth over my bottom lip, I think about Hannah. I tried to call her yesterday as soon as the hospital discharged me, but her number had been disconnected. At this point the next move is hers. She knows where I am if she wants to get in touch with me to say goodbye. But our affair abruptly hit its expiration the moment Coach spoke to me.

  Clancy snaps his fingers. “Earth to Owen. Are you thinking about fucking her right now?”

  “No.” I smile and shake my head. “Hannah and I became friends first and then we got physically involved.” I shrug. “It wasn’t anything serious, but we both enjoyed it for whatever it was.”

  Clancy raises a brow. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “It means we didn’t label it. She was still married, and we went with the flow. Neither of us wanted more than what we had.”

  “So you got comfortable having consistent pussy without a relationship to go along with it,” Clancy interjects. “Even though she was married?”

  “Yep, pretty much. She told me her marriage had been rocky for a long time and they were splitting up. I believed her, and it didn’t hurt that she was fun to spend time with.”

  “And hot,” Clancy chimes in.

  “Yep, definitely hot,” I agree.

  “Dude, I hope it was worth all the shit that’s about to come your way.”

  “Clancy,” Trevor growls. His eyebrows draw together like dark angry slashes on his forehead. “Now’s not the time.”

  “He needs to know what he’s walking into. If the situation were reversed, I’d sure as hell want to know.”

  “Tell me what’s going on. I don’t need to be blindsided with anything else.”

  Trevor sighs, “Everyone’s been talking about your affair with Hannah. It’s the biggest gossip to hit campus since I drove Sandy home when she was drunk, and the blog posted that I was cheating on Grace.”

  “There’s nothing I can do but ignore it. I really don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks. I have bigger things to worry about right now.”

  “I know. I get it, man. I feel the same,” Trevor agrees.

  Clancy glances at Trevor. “Couldn’t you get them to post a retraction now?”

  “Maybe, but what’s the point? Grace knows she’s the only girl for me. Anyone who wants to believe the shit they posted about me can suck my ball sac.”

  “And mine too,” I jest.

  Clancy chuckles. “Don’t say that too loud around some of the cheerleaders. From what I’ve heard there’d be a line forming in front of you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “They were in tears when they found out what happened to you. A bunch of them showed up at the hospital and Jam had to escort them outside. Of course, he collected all their numbers before they left.”

  “Of course, he did,” I chuckle and then my mouth twists into a grimace as a knife-like pain slashes across my ribcage. “Okay, no more making me laugh. That hurt like a motherfucker.”

  Chapter Four

  Eliza

  “How could you do this to me?” Studying myself in the floor length mirror I throw my hands up, frustrated with the situation. “I look ridiculous.”

  My cousin, Perri, strolls slowly around me, studying me from every angle. “No, you look sexy and you should be thanking me for choosing this costume.” She pauses behind me, placing her hands on my upper arms and resting her chin on my shoulder, meeting my eyes in the mirror. “Say thank you, Perri.” She smiles.

  My hands tug on the mid-thigh hem hoping to make the black material magically lengthen. “This is not what I had in mind when I told you to get me a costume that was comfortable and wouldn’t make me perspire.”

  “Well, technically I did find something that met both of your criteria. Next time you’ll need to be more specific.”

  “There won’t be a next time. Ugh, I might not survive this Halloween party. And who has a Halloween party in mid-November?” I pull away from her hold and stomp over to my bureau to grab my cell phone.

  “The frat had charity work on the thirty-first, hence the party tonight. And don’t be so dramatic. You have great legs, what’s wrong with showing them off?”

  “I’m more worried about showing my panties off. I can’t even bend over in this thing.” Glancing down at myself, I search for a pocket, but come up empty. “Where am I supposed to put my phone?”

  “What do you think your bra is for in situations like this?”

  I grimace. “Seriously?” She gives me a nod of encouragement. Tucking the pink rectangle in my bra, I shiver at the cold feel of it against my skin.

  “I can’t wait until everyone catches sight of you. This costume will be so unexpected.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. I wouldn’t be caught dead in this getup, so why did I agree to go with you?”

  “Because I’m your favorite cousin?”

  “You’re my only cousin.”

  “Yep, but that doesn’t negate that I’m still your favorite. I swear you’re going to thank me. I can’t wait until all the frat guys see you in this outfit. You’re like one of their sexual fantasies come to life. A gorgeous maid to serve them before servicing them.”

  “Bleh. It sounds like a cliché porno.”

  “Exactly. And who watches more porn than anyone else? College-age guys.”

  “Excellent. I’m so glad they can wank with me in mind. All my dreams have come true,” I snort.

  “There are worse things that could happen.”

  “Such as?”

  “I almost got you an M&M costume.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  Perri arches a dark brown brow. “First of all, because yellow isn’t your color. And secondly, I didn’t think you’d appreciate hearing how you’d melt in their mouths, not in their hands for the duration of the party.”

  I giggle and press a palm to my forehead. “Oh God, that’s horrible. And you’re right, if anyone said that to me, I would die on the spot.”

  “Come on, cuz. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  “You mean freak show.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I think we look hot.”

  Sweeping my eyes over her costumed form, in her case I must agree; she looks amazing. “You do the naughty schoolgirl thing well.”

  “Pfft, I have experience in that area. And I didn’t even have to buy a costume. All of this came from my closet.” She runs a hand down her white button-down shirt. Knotted into a belly shirt beneath her boobs, the tight-fitting cotton shows off her flat stomach and sparkling piercing. Her fingers continue, plucking at the ultra-short, red, black, and white plaid skirt. “Who knew our high school uniform would come in handy someday?”

  Scrutinizing the a
mount of leg showing, I state, “I don’t remember the hem being that short when we wore them.”

  “They weren’t, silly. I raised it about ten inches.” She nods proudly before tugging up her white knee socks. She raises a leg, looking down at her foot. “What do you think of the Chucks?”

  Glancing at her red sneakers, I give her a thumbs up. “Thanks for reminding me.” I head to the closet and grab my own black pair of high-top Chucks. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I lace them up.

  “You cannot wear those. It ruins your costume.”

  “I don’t care. This is the one concession you’re going to give me if you want me to go with you. I’m practically bare assed, but at least my feet will be comfortable.”

  Leaning back against the wall, I take in the sights surrounding me. My ears are ready to bleed in protest from the cacophony of sounds assaulting them. Music blares so loud, the bass thumps in my chest. Go home now. Go home now. At least, that’s what I imagine it’s saying.

  Voices shout to be heard above the music, but it’s useless. Nothing can compete with the eighties rock roaring out of the huge speakers set up in each corner of the living room. Every piece of furniture has been pushed against the front wall, creating a makeshift dance floor in the center. Party goers thrash around, bumping and grinding and spilling their overflowing drinks on the wooden floor. Things should get interesting soon. Wet floors and drunken dancing don’t mix. Maybe that will prove more entertaining than what I’ve seen so far.

  I run a hand over my forehead and exhale a pained sigh. I thought drinking would help me loosen up and forget about my horrible costume, but my head is pounding. All the racket isn’t helping. Crap. I don’t have any of my migraine medicine with me and it’s coming on fast. I need a dark room, stat.

  Moving toward the hallway, I glance at the doors lining both sides of the long stretch. No freaking way am I going to knock on those doors to see if they’re vacant. My rapping would be lost with all the noise and even if the room was empty, who knows what kind of bacteria could be found on the sheets. I shiver with revulsion. No, thanks. Not to mention, I don’t want to witness something that can’t be unseen. I learned that the hard way at a high school party when I opened a closed door and saw the head cheerleader giving one of the football players a blow job. Talk about embarrassing. Especially when he asked if I wanted to join in. I ran out of there so fast I almost set the carpet on fire.

  What am I going to do? This headache is about to become unbearable and I won’t make it home in time. Where can I go to find a few minutes of quiet? There’s always the bathroom, but do I really want to sit on a dirty toilet in the dark? I have no idea where Perri disappeared to. My heart starts to race anxiously from the torturous squeezing in my head.

  “Hey, Eliza. What’s wrong?” Nolan, one of the frat members I know from one of my classes, touches my arm. I look up into his eyes and see concern.

  “I’m getting a migraine and I need a quiet place where I can sit in the dark and relax.”

  “You can go downstairs and crash in my room if you want. Come on. I’ll show you where to go.” He leads me to a closed door he unlocks with a key. “I can’t be too careful with all these people here.”

  “I don’t blame you.” I’m not sure why, but Nolan’s someone I felt comfortable with the moment we met. He’s never given me a weird vibe of any sort.

  Opening the door, he flicks on a light and ushers me down the set of carpeted stairs. He closes the door behind us and follows.

  “There are a few bedrooms down here. Mine is right over here.” He walks to the left and produces a key to undo another lock. Pushing the door open, he flips on the light and gestures toward a neatly made bed. “Make yourself at home for as long as you need. No one will bother you here.”

  I glance at his thick, black comforter and hesitate, pressing my bottom lip between my teeth.

  “It’s clean,” Nolan chuckles, reading my mind. “I’m the only one who’s been in this bed and that’s a brand-new comforter. My parents came to visit last weekend and my mother was worried about me freezing down here during the winter.”

  I cover my eyes for a moment, overcome with embarrassment. Lowering my hand, I giggle. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a bit of a germaphobe.”

  “No worries. I get it. And maybe you can keep my lack of action to yourself. The guys will never stop ribbing me if they hear about it.”

  I raise my right hand. “My lips are sealed.”

  “I’ll be back later to check on you. Stay as long as you want. If you’re not well enough to go home, I have a twin mattress under my bed I can pull out and sleep on.”

  “I don’t want to kick you out of your own bed. I can lie on the smaller one.”

  “Don’t be silly. Get comfortable. I’m going to head back upstairs.”

  “If you see my cousin, Perri, will you tell her I’m down here?”

  “What does she look like?”

  “A naughty schoolgirl.”

  “You just described most of the girls here.”

  “No. I mean she’s dressed up as one.”

  “Dark hair and big….” He swallows noticeably. “Brown eyes?”

  I smirk because I know it’s not her eyes that caught his attention. “Yep, that sounds like her.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  I sink down onto the bed, undoing my shoes and kicking them off. He turns to face me once he’s in the doorway. “I hope you feel better.”

  “Can you please shut that light off for me? Oh, and Nolan? Thank you for everything. You’re a lifesaver.”

  He flashes me the quickest of grins. “I’m glad to help out.” He flips the light switch and closes the door. I fall back onto the pillows with a relieved sigh and close my eyes. Darkness, please work your magic. I can’t take much more of this pain.

  My eyes slowly blink open and I stare up at the white ceiling tiles. Immediately, I realize I’m not lying in my own bed. My own ceiling is a textured plaster. Where the hell am I? I scan the space and realize quickly that I’m still in Nolan’s bed. I must have fallen asleep and he didn’t bother to wake me. I feel breath on my right cheek and turn to find Perri asleep on the other side of the bed. Searching for my phone, I find it under my pillow and check the time. Ten o’clock. Damn. I slept for about eleven hours. Sitting up, I turn my head from side to side with no pain whatsoever. I guess all I need was some rest.

  Flipping back the blanket covering me, I reach over and shake Perri. “Wake up. We need to get home.”

  “Mm,” she moans, but doesn’t open her eyes.

  “Perri,” I say her name slightly louder, shaking her harder. “We need to go.” When she still doesn’t wake up, I raise the pillow I slept on and powder her right in the face.

  “What? Huh? Who’s there?” she mutters. Opening her eyes, the brown irises are glazed with confusion at first. “What the fuck, Eliza?” she barks once she’s fully awake. “Why would you do that?”

  “You weren’t waking up and we need to go.”

  “Fine. But you’re buying me breakfast on the way.”

  “I’m not going out to breakfast dressed like this. I look like a prostitute.”

  “Well maybe someone else will want to buy our meal in exchange for—"

  I slam the pillow into her face again. “That’s vile. Don’t even joke about it.”

  “Okay, okay. Too much for this time of the day?”

  “Too much in general. Now get your butt up so we can get home.” Sliding over to the edge of the bed, I grab my Chucks and slip them on my feet. I tuck my phone back in my bra and run my fingers through my bedraggled hair.

  “Are you guys leaving?” Nolan sits up from the twin mattress and scares the crap out of us.

  “Jeez, Nolan.” I place a hand over my heart. “You made me lose ten years of my life.”

  “I’m too tired to be scared,” Perri comments, still lying on the bed.

  “Perri, come on. We need to hurry.”

  “What for? Nolan doesn’t mind us being here, do you?” she coos.

  “Of course not. But I’d be happy to take you girls to breakfast.”

  “I’ll pretty much bear your first child for you if you feed me and find me a cup of coffee,” Perri retorts.

  He laughs. “There’s an awesome diner not far from here. Let me take you guys.”