Broken and Screwed

  but Coach is giving us the day off. We just have to show up for a team dinner tonight and promise that we’ll get eight hours of sleep tonight before the game tomorrow.” Then he stopped suddenly.

  My heart constricted. A flash of pain came over him. I knew this wasn’t going to be good.

  The corners of his mouth turned down, briefly. “Your parents are coming to the game tomorrow.” He took a breath. “My coach knows about Ethan. I’ve talked to him about it and when he found out that your folks were here…they want to do a thing for them during the game.”

  “What does that mean?” I swallowed tightly. My throat was burning in pain.

  “There’ll be some footage of them, probably just where they are in their seats and they’ll dedicate a song in memory of Ethan. I know most people won’t care, I think it’ll be during half time or something and they’ll do it while other stuff is going on, but I thought you should know. Do you want to go with them? I can get you a ticket.”

  I shook my head. Everything was so raw now, again. I spoke in a hoarse voice, “Marissa got tickets from Cord, but now I don’t know.”

  His hand grasped my arm. He pulled me close. “I want you to come.”

  Oh, God. The idea of my parents being there, of the announcer dedicating something to them… pain of a different level flared inside of me. I struggled to keep from buckling over and crumbling to the floor. They would announce Ethan’s name. He would be remembered by thousands of people. I pulled away from Jesse’s hand and shook my head. I was so tired of crying, so damn tired. As I swiped some of the cursed tears away, Jesse pulled me back to him. He made a soothing sound as he replaced my hands and wiped them away instead.

  More slipped out.

  He dried them too.

  And then he glanced up, cursed under his breath, and ripped himself away.

  I looked up, into Angie’s eyes. She seemed horrified and her mouth was open. A strange gurgling sound came out and she raised a pointing finger towards us. “You—you two—what?”

  Jesse bent close and whispered in my ear, “Room 2612.” Something was pushed into my hand and he stalked away to the elevators.

  I glanced down at the key card in my hand. Nothing was making sense again.

  Then Angie was at my side and she whispered, “Oh my god.”

  Oh my god indeed.

  The elevator opened and he got on. I yelled out, “Wait!”

  The door started to slide closed, but it opened again. He stepped halfway out of the elevator and did what I asked. He waited.

  Then I turned to Angie. “I’m staying with him.”

  “What? But—”

  I rushed around and hurried to where he was holding the door for me. As I slipped past and he let go of the door, Angie followed. Shock was evident in her eyes as she merely watched us. Her mouth was still hanging open, but then the door slid closed.

  I closed my eyes and braced myself. The cat was out of the bag now. Angie had suspected, she had approved at first, and then disapproved. Then she forgot, but she was fully reminded now. I knew she thought Jesse had moved on from us. He had left us behind, or left me behind, but when she saw the text message he had sent me yesterday, the same disapproval had come back. She hadn’t said a word on the airplane or in the taxi, or at any moment of the trip, but I knew it was only a matter of time. She was going to question me and she would say the same things I told myself every time.

  Jesse was going to hurt me. He already had, but she didn’t know that he healed me as well. I needed him, even if it was only in the little increments that I got from him. Because every time, a part of me felt whole, a little more together before he would leave again.

  He watched me now, a grave expression on his face, but neither of us said a word. The air was thick with tension, anticipation too.

  I wanted to be in his arms. I wanted it so badly now. I could almost taste him.

  Then my phone started buzzing. They were text messages from Angie, but I silenced it and put it away.

  And then we were on his floor. We walked together to his room. My palms were starting to sweat again. I felt breathless. The door opened and we were inside. I placed my bag down, but then I was pulled back. Jesse pushed me against the wall. I had a second to glimpse the lust on his face. And then his mouth crashed down on mine and I wrapped myself around him.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  We had fallen asleep when sudden pounding on the door woke us up. Jesse jerked upright, startled. I flipped to my back and grabbed the blanket to cover me. He grimaced when someone yelled through the door, “Hunt, come on! We’re fucking waiting for your ass.”

  When the unmistakable click of his lock sounded, we both threw ourselves into motion. I grabbed the rest of the blankets and pulled them over my head as Jesse threw himself on the ground for his clothes. Then the door opened and I cringed. It sounded like more than one guy entered the room. One of them grumbled, “What the hell, Jesse? You take a nap or something?”

  “Uh, Reed…” a guy cleared his throat.

  “Oh, shit!”

  “Stop,” Jesse barked the last one.

  And then there was silence, interrupted by someone snickering, but I let out a breath of relief when I heard all of them leave again. It was so silent for a second until something landed next to me, but I didn’t make a move. No way. I was sure it was a trick.

  “You can come out,” Jesse said flatly. “They’re outside now.”

  I poked my head out from the blankets. He grinned at me as he was zipping up his jeans, a Grant West University sports blazer on top. Then he disappeared into the bathroom and I heard water running.

  I exhaled. Holy smokes. When the realization of what had almost happened settled over me, my arms shook a little. I couldn’t believe a bunch of Jesse’s teammates had almost seen me naked, and in his bed. Well, they did see me in bed, but not the naked part. And I was hoping Cord and his two friends wouldn’t put two and two together, but who was I kidding?

  Jesse came back out, a slight whiff of outdoor cologne clung to him; his hair glistening with gel.

  Oh dear goodness. I swallowed over a very dry throat again. I was reminded how dangerously attractive he could be at times. And now, with his angular cheekbones, his glossy black hair, the scent of pine trees, and how his blazer molded perfectly from his broad shoulders to his trim waist… I had to hold onto the bed so I didn’t pull him back down.

  I wanted to, almost too much now. I licked my lips at the lustful thoughts that swirled in my head.

  He flashed me a grin before he tossed the same key card from before at me. It landed beside the pile of clothes he had tossed earlier. “I’d invite you to come with, but it’s a team thing.”

  I flashed him a look. Like I would want to have breakfast with all those guys, knowing they knew what I’d been doing an hour before.

  “So,” my voice was so husky. I flushed in embarrassment.

  Jesse smirked now.

  I tried to clear my throat. “What are you doing for the day?” It didn’t work.

  He dropped his arms to his sides and straightened from the wall. Then he stalked towards me. I swallowed over the huge lump in my throat. My lips were dry again. He got closer. Oh goodness. No one should look that lethal in only jeans and a blazer. Slowly, so slowly, he leaned down so his face was inches from mine. Both of his hands rested on the bed on either side of me and he held himself there. His lips brushed against mine as he spoke, “Lots and lots of sex.”

  My heart was pounding.

  “Really?” I squeaked out.

  Then his lips moved into a perfect smile. “What are you doing today?”

  “Wha—” But I stopped. I reached up and took hold of the back of his hair.

  He tensed, waiting.

  I started to sit up. He moved back, but stopped when I applied pressure on his hair. Now I was on my knees. The bed comforter was the only thing that covered me. It was tucked under my arm, but as I lifted myself up and pressed against
him, it started to slip. His eyes darkened, but he didn’t move. I didn’t let him. And then I grinned. My lips brushed against his. His breathing grew shallow and I felt his heart pick up its pace. It thumped against me. And then I whispered, caressing him at the same time, “Lots and lots of—”

  A pounding on the door stopped me. The same guy yelled through it, “Come on, man! You already banged her. Let’s go!”

  A mask of fury came over him quickly. He tore himself away from me and was out the door in a second.

  “Hey—what the—?”

  There was a loud crash against the wall. One of the pictures that’d been hanging up was knocked off its nail from the movement. It crashed to the floor.

  “Hey-hey!”

  “Hey, man—”

  And then someone punched someone.

  “Ow!”

  “Holy shit!”

  “Hey, hey—”

  There was more movement in the hallway, more punches were shared, and another crash against the wall.

  Jesse’s door was slammed shut. It was loud and sudden. I jumped from the tension and staggered to my feet. Now it was my turn to quickly dress. I pushed my arm through a sleeve, cursed when it caught and ripped a hole, but hurried to finish dressing. When I pulled my jeans up and my fingers couldn’t snap the button, I cursed again, and then pushed my hair out of my eyes. I wanted to chop it off at that moment.

  I couldn’t let him get hurt, not because of me.

  I reached for the handle, ready to yank it open when a loud voice boomed outside. “What THE HELL is going on out here?”

  All the fighting stopped.

  “Hey, Coach…” a voice strangled out.

  “Hunt?”

  “Yeah, Coach?”

  I heard the hostility that was still in Jesse’s voice.

  “Camden?”

  A grunt was his response.

  “You two, in Hunt’s room. Now.”

  I sucked in my breath.

  “Uh, Coach…”

  “Now!” he barked.

  I heard Jesse’s groan and grabbed my bag. Then I looked for a hiding spot. What the hell was I doing? I had no idea, but this was beyond embarrassing. I snatched my bra from the dresser and threw myself into the closet, just as the door opened again.

  I could see through the crack between the doors. Jesse was the first one in. He paused as he scanned the room, then he hesitated to go further in.

  “Hunt, let’s go.” The impatience from his coach was evident. “We don’t have all day and I don’t want my two best shooters to be fighting. I want this fixed and I want it done now. Camden, sit your ass down.”

  He grunted again, and passed Jesse.

  I couldn’t see where they all sat, but Jesse stood by the counter. I could see him clearly; he kept glancing towards the bathroom.

  “Okay.” The coach let out a deep sigh. “What the hell is going on between you two?”

  “Coach, he came out of nowhere—”

  “Don’t give me that bullshit, Camden. I heard what you said to him. My room’s across the hall and if I had a girl I cared about and you said the same thing, I’d beat the shit out of you too. This has been going on for awhile now. I want it dealt with, now.”

  Jesse’s shoulders dropped down. He sounded regretful. “He’s got a problem with me—”

  “He’s a fucking freshman and he acts as if he’s the entire team, Coach.” Camden was on his feet now. I saw his shadow grow in size. “I’m the captain. I call the shots—”

  “I call the shots. Now sit down, Camden.”

  He didn’t.

  The coach stood now. His tone took an authority that made me grip my bag tighter. “You will sit down now, Camden. Now!”

  He sat.

  I almost sat.

  He let loose with a string of curses. “I can’t believe my two best are pulling this shit now. Now! We have a big game tomorrow. We’re in Las Vegas and the two of you are trading punches in the damn hallway like teenagers who learned what their penises are for. Have you gone nuts? Are you high?” He shot a hand out. “Don’t even answer that. I don’t want to touch that with a ten foot pole.”

  Jesse spoke now, softly, “We’re not doing drugs, Coach.”

  “Then what the hell is going on?”

  “He’s threatened by me.”

  The statement was spoken softly, but clearly. There was no ego attached to it, and the simplicity of it had the rest of the room in silence.

  “Camden?”

  There was no response.

  The coach prodded again, “Is that true?”

  Then a fourth guy cleared his throat. “Walt, we should get going. We’ve probably missed our reservation anyway, but the rest of the guys are waiting outside. These two idiots can fix this later tonight.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” But the coach didn’t sound as if he was sure of it. Then he grunted, “Camden, if that’s true, that you’re doing all this shit because you’re threatened, then you aren’t the captain I thought you were. Straighten it up, lead the team, and leave your damn ego courtside. I don’t want this affecting us tomorrow.”

  A soft curse was heard now.

  “And Hunt?”

  Jesse straightened.

  “Keep doing what you do. You keep your head screwed on right. You come and play every time with the same consistency, and when you’re riled up, you dominate everybody. You hear that Camden? This ‘freshman’ can’t be beat when he’s pissed off. You really want to play that card with him? You the captain or not?”

  There was silence.

  “I didn’t hear you, Camden!” the coach roared. “You the captain or not?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Do you lead this team?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Then lead it, Camden. It’s not going to be the first time you’ll run against someone better than you. It’s how you handle it that’ll determine your future. That’s for you to fuck up or get it right. Just don’t fuck it up when you’re on my team, you hear me?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Yes, sir what?”

  “Yes, sir, Coach!”

  He grunted in approval and passed the closet for the door. He stopped and sounded so close, I closed my eyes. I could’ve pissed my pants at that moment.

  “And Hunt?”

  “Yeah, Coach?”

  “Get the girl out of the closet.”

  It wasn’t long before the door slammed shut again. Everything on the wall and closet doors rattled from the strength of it.

  Someone walked to the closet door, but I heard Jesse growl, “Reed, touch it and die.”

  The doors swished open. I found myself staring at a tall guy, lean build, with striking blue eyes and blonde hair that looked styled to perfection. He was dressed similar to Jesse. He frowned at me, but offered his hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any