JOCK (Boston Terriers Book 5) Read online

  “Apology accepted. Does this mean you’re not going to ask me to see my toes anymore?”

  “I never said that.”

  She giggles, “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  “What can I say? I find your toes fascinating.”

  “Please. Enough about my toes already.”

  “Can I interest you in an ‘I’m sorry’ pizza?”

  “I do love pizza. However, I have some things I need to take care of, so I’m going to pass. I’ll accept your apology all on its own though. No bribes are necessary.”

  “Thank you for being so gracious about it. And if you find yourself getting annoyed with my sense of humor just give me a heads up. I’m an acquired taste for some.”

  “How have you been, son?” My dad hugs me, slapping me on the back. He steps back to look me over. “You look like shit. I hope the other guy looks worse.”

  “I don’t remember any of what happened, but Trevor said that Nolan kicked his ass.”

  “Sit tight for a little while and we’ll take care of it.”

  “Dad.” I shake my head. “I don’t want you, or any of the club members, taking care of anything for me. It’s not necessary and you know I don’t agree with your methods.”

  “I know you don’t, son. However, sometimes our way is the best option to get the job done.”

  “That’s your opinion. I prefer to let the law take care of things.”

  “Come sit down with me and tell me what’s been going on.” He leads me past his desk and over to a broken in couch along the side wall. We both lower to the cushions, me with a restrained groan as my ribs pinch tightly. I shouldn’t have driven up here to New Hampshire where my father runs a garage for The Bastards. It’s one of their more successful legitimate businesses. They do great work and are in high demand.

  “I got suspended from the team for the rest of the season and stripped of my captain status.”

  “Was she worth it?” His green eyes shrewdly stare at me.

  “We weren’t in a relationship. It was just… convenient for both of us.”

  “So, answer the question. Was she worth it?”

  I’m not sure what to say. Hannah is a great person and I wish the best for her, but if I knew going in this was going to happen, I would’ve avoided sleeping with her.

  “Owen?” Dad prods, running a hand over his long, sandy brown beard.

  I shake my head. “No. Our affair wasn’t worth the consequences. I was dumb to let it happen.”

  “You’re young and learning as you go. Hell, guys your age make rash decisions all the time. Fuck, at my age, I still do,” he chuckles.

  “Dad, is hearing about your fuck ups supposed to make me feel better?” I question drolly.

  “Nope, but the apple never falls far from the tree. Don’t forget that.” He winks.

  His words are alarming more than comforting. I’ve always considered myself to be different than he and Jam, but maybe I’m more like them than I realized. Are my recent actions with Hannah proof of this? I took what I wanted and didn’t really take into consideration how her husband would feel if he found out. Or how it would hurt my teammates when I couldn’t play.

  “Don’t worry, son. If football doesn’t work out for you, there’s always a place for you at any one of The Bastards’ businesses.”

  “I think you should know by now that’s not an option for me, Dad. No disrespect to you and Jam for choosing this life, but I want different things for myself.”

  “Sometimes life doesn’t work out how you plan, and the club becomes the best decision you ever made. There’s something to be said about having a small army of guys who would give their lives for you.”

  “Yeah, kind of like having a whole football team who supports you.”

  “I wouldn’t compare the two. It’s not the same.”

  “That privilege comes at a hell of a price. The cost is too high for me.”

  “The option is always there if you need it. Never say never, Owen. Those words have come back to bite me in the ass many times in my life. I didn’t always plan to be part of a motorcycle club either. You know I was a successful businessman for many years and felt much like you do about it. Sometimes life forces your hand.”

  I’ve never asked my dad what made him choose the life he leads, and I’m not sure I want to know. It’s easier for me to see his part in The Bastards as wrong and not ponder over the whys. I need to keep things black and white, right and wrong. Letting shades of gray slip in and change your mind will only fuck you up. The past couple of weeks are proof of that.

  “How’d your classes go today?” Eliza asks, as she pulls her laptop from her backpack.

  “Eh, they were okay.” The classes themselves were fine. It’s the assholes who like to taunt me about sleeping with Hannah that are starting to get under my skin. And I’ve only been back to school for two days. By the end of the week I might have to resort to settling it with my fists. I can only take so much taunting before I’m gonna jump. Sore ribs and a broken arm aren’t going to hold me back.

  “Why just okay?” She tips her head to the side, studying me as if she’s really interested in my answer.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard what’s going on with me. Everyone’s talking about it.”

  She presses her lips together and ticks her head from side to side. “Nope, I haven’t a clue.”

  “I had an affair with my married football trainer and her husband jumped me.”

  “Oh my God.” She covers her mouth. “That’s what happened to you?” Horror filled eyes stare at me.

  “Yep. Are you familiar with that blog, The Boston Terrier Buzz?”

  She flips the top of her laptop open and presses the power button. “I’ve heard of it, but I don’t subscribe to it.”

  “They posted pics of me kissing my trainer and broke the story. Later that same day the coach kicked me off the team. He also took away my captaincy.”

  Her head turns my way. “Wow. All because you had an affair?”

  “Yep. And then when I left the building, her husband jumped me. And later that night I woke up in the hospital after surgery.”

  She leans forward, studying my face. “You got hurt that badly?”

  “Bad concussion, some lacerations, broken arm, and broken ribs. One of them punctured a lung so they had to operate.”

  “I’m so sorry. That’s horrible.” Her alarmed expression is endearing.

  “What are you apologizing for? You didn’t beat me up.”

  “I know, but what you went through is horrible.”

  “It could’ve been worse. At least I’ll heal up good as new.” I rifle through my backpack for my laptop. “Let’s get down to business. I don’t want to take up any more of your time than I have to.”

  She waves her hand dismissively. “No, it’s not a problem. I’m happy to help out. What are we working on tonight?”

  “I have an economics exam coming up and I can’t seem to remember everything. This is new for me and I don’t know what to do to get my brain to retain the necessary information. Do you have any tips for memorization?”

  “Writing definitions numerous times always seems to help me.” She glances at the cast that covers most of my hand. “Even if it’s on your laptop instead of physically writing them. Either way works.”

  “Okay, I can give that a try and see how it goes.”

  “Let’s start now. We can do ten definitions five times each, and then tonight you can review them once more and see if it helped.”

  I smile. “I like that idea. I think it’s a good plan.”

  We work quiet and diligently for what feels like twenty minutes, but when I glance at the clock on my phone, I realize we’ve been working for over an hour. “Hey, we better stop. I don’t want to run over on you. I’m sure you have your own work to take care of.”

  “I did mine already. I’m kind of an expert at organizing my workload so I can get it finished.”

  “That’s impressive. Maybe you’ll rub off on me while we work together.” I ignore the fact that I’d like her to rub all over me. Did she rub all over Nolan? Fuck. Don’t think about that. Keep it professional, Owen. You just came through one fucked up situation. No need to jump into something else, especially if she’s involved with a friend. I won’t go there.

  “I can help you organize your schedule if you want,” she offers.

  “That’s really nice of you, but now that I no longer have football practices or games, I have a lot more free time.”

  “That’s a good way to put a positive spin on it, I guess.”

  “Yeah. I wish I believed it.” I grin.

  She smiles back at me. Her blue eyes crinkle slightly at the outer corners. She’s not wearing her glasses today and she’s beautiful as always. But I miss the naughty tutor look she was sporting yesterday.

  Pushing back my chair, I rise to my feet. She does the same and we both clear the table.

  “Can I take you out for a coffee?” I keep the hopeful tone from my voice, but I really want her to say yes. It’s okay to invite her if it’s my way to show her how much I appreciate her help.

  “I better not. I have a lot to do.”

  “You just told me all your schoolwork was finished. What could you possibly have to do?”

  “I have to help my roommate with a paper she’s writing.”

  I can’t tell if she’s being honest, or if she’s feeding me a line. “Okay. Maybe some other time.”

  We walk to the exit in silence, and once we step outside we pause on the landing.

  “Thank you for your suggestions. I think they’re going to work great. I’m going to go back to my apartment and study some more.”

  She smiles. “I’m glad you think it’s helpful. Th
at’s the whole point of us working together after all, right?”

  “Have a good night. I’ll see you same time and place tomorrow?”

  “Yep, that works.”

  “Actually, would you mind if we worked someplace else? I need a change of scenery.” Holding still, I wait for her to answer. She doesn’t want to go out with me after we work, but if I can get her to agree to try a new place for our study session, I can still get my way. And she won’t realize what I’m doing.

  “Sure. What do you have in mind?”

  “How about C’s pub? We can have a drink while we study.”

  “Yeah, that’s not going to fly. Dim lighting and alcohol are not exactly conducive to doing schoolwork. Try again.”

  “Do you know where Benny’s Sandwich Shop is on Comm. Ave?”

  “Yeah, I love that place.”

  “Awesome. We can meet there at the usual time.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” We jog down the stairs and go our separate ways. I get about ten steps down the sidewalk when I turn around and walk backwards. “Hey, Abu,” I yell. She slows down, but keeps moving. “Abu,” I shout again. Her shoulders go up around her ears as if she has a physical reaction to me calling her that before she freezes in place. Spinning around to face me, I can’t see her expression clearly in the dim light of the evening, but I don’t need to. She’s annoyed.

  “Don’t think I forgot about those toes.” She whirls around without replying. I grin as I watch her storm off down the sidewalk.

  Chapter Nine

  Eliza

  “Hi, mom,” I answer my phone.

  “Hey, honey. How’s my girl?”

  “I’m good and busy. Uncle John has me tutoring a football player every weeknight.”

  “Hmm.” She doesn’t sound impressed. “Make sure you’re not sacrificing your own grades to help out Uncle John. Are you still coming home tomorrow?”

  “Yep, I’ll be there around nine.”

  “That’s what I’m calling about. Your father and I have been invited to dinner with the Jacksons and we’d like to go. Is there any way you can come home by six? Then you can be here with Beatrice and we can do our thing.”

  “Sure, how is she?” I smile and think about her big blue eyes so similar to my mom’s and mine.

  “She’s doing great.”

  “I can’t wait to see her.”

  “Oh, I have to go. The plumber is here to fix the leaky sink in the downstairs bathroom.”

  I snort, “You mean the one dad’s fixed three times now?”

  She giggles, “That would be the one. Love you, honey.”

  “Love you too.” I end the call and drop my phone on the coffee table in our small living room. Lying back on the couch, I dig my toes under Perri’s thigh, trying to warm them.

  She glances at me from her seat at the other end. “Why don’t you wear socks instead of using me as a heater?”

  “Because I love you.”

  “Yeah, sure. You just like to annoy me.”

  “That too,” I laugh.

  “How are the tutoring sessions going with Owen?”

  “Meh. He’s been fine to work with so far.”

  “I don’t know how you can sit so close to him and not jump in his lap.”

  “Yeah, because that would be subtle.”

  “Who cares about being subtle. I wouldn’t leave anything up for interpretation. I’d make sure he knew where he stood with me.”

  “I don’t want to stand with him at all. I’m only doing what your dad asked. After a couple more weeks I’ll probably never see Owen again. And if we do bump into one another on campus he’ll pretend we never met.”

  “I don’t know about that. From what I’ve heard he’s not a jerk. Although he did sleep with his trainer and got his ass kicked for it.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I read it on The Boston Terriers Buzz.” She winks. “Gotta love how that blog always has the details of what’s going on and you know I like to be informed.”

  “He got pretty fucked up by her husband. His face is still a mess and it was two weeks ago.”

  “Wow. So, it’s true?”

  “Yeah, he told me.”

  “He told you? I thought you were only studying with him?”

  “He was explaining why he’d missed so much school.”

  “Ah huh. Sure.” She winks.

  “Seriously? You know my history with football players and you think I’d ever be interested in another one?”

  Perri frowns. “It wasn’t football that made Cameron a douchebag. You can’t hold all players accountable for his actions.”

  “It’s not something I need to think about, because Owen Dawson wouldn’t look twice at me. I’m definitely not his type. Not to mention I’m sure he thinks I screwed his friend.”

  Pushing open the door to Benny’s Sandwich Shop, my eyes scan the small space for Owen. I find him seated in the back booth on the left side of the space, laptop open and already engrossed with whatever’s on his screen. Watching him as I make my way over, I take in the masculinity he naturally exudes. From the cap turned backward hiding his thick, black hair, to the light blue Henley that hugs his biceps like a second skin, he’s striking. A shadow of dark stubble shades his chiseled jawline and frames his full lips. As I watch, those same lips part to reveal even white teeth in a smile that has my stomach somersaulting. My gaze climbs up to meet his amused green stare and embarrassment assails me. I’m mortified I’ve been caught checking him out.

  Setting my bag on the bench seat, I slide into the booth across from him.

  “Hey, I was wondering if you were going to make it or not.”

  I glance at the clock on the wall and notice I’m five minutes late. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be late. I ran into one of the other students I tutor, and he wanted to reschedule our next session. It took a few minutes.”

  “No worries. I just thought you might be sick of me already.” He winks.

  As if. I wish I were. I shake my head. “Nope, not yet. You’ve been pretty agreeable so far.”

  “I’m trying.”

  “Are you usually a handful?”

  He chuckles, “I’m more like two handfuls.”

  My eyes roll before I can stop them. “Pfft. That’s what they all say,” I downplay his sexual reference. But the thought of handling any part of him has my stomach pleasantly fluttering. “What are you working on? You looked like you were concentrating pretty deeply when I got here.”

  “I’ve been using the method you told me, writing things repeatedly.”

  “Has it been working for you?”

  His tongue slicks over his lower lip, drawing my attention. “It has. I’ve been applying it whenever I have to remember terms and their meanings.”

  “Why don’t you keep going and I can quiz you when you’re ready. We can go over the ones you worked on last night.”

  “I also need your help with a paper I have to write.”

  “No problem.” Digging into my bag I remove my trusty laptop. It was a going off to college present from my parents, and I’d be lost without it. As a writer, I carry it with me always.

  “Now that you’re here, I’m going to grab a sandwich. Do you want anything?”

  “Oh.” My eyes flick to the large boards on the wall listing what they offer. “I’d love a BLT and some chips.”

  “Do you want a drink?”

  “A soda would be great, thanks.” I reach into my backpack, searching for my wallet.

  “I got this. It’s my treat.”

  “No, I have money.”

  “I’m sure you do, but it’s no good when you’re with me.” Owen slides from the booth and walks away before I can argue further. My stare locks on his easy gait as he approaches the counter. Even if I’d never met him before, I’d know he was an athlete from the fluidity of his movements. Owen carries himself confidently and all eyes are naturally drawn to him. The poor teenage girl waiting on him practically swallowed her tongue when he approached the counter. She stammered her way through taking his order and there’s an obvious pink flush high in her cheeks. I feel for her. I’m twenty-two and jaded and still not unaffected by him. I’d be hard pressed to find a female who wouldn’t be.