Page 28 of Overprotected

“Yeah, I know. I talked to Em last night. She told me about her job and said you did your job warning off the guys.”

Guilt struck me as I leaned against my truck and frowned.

“Yeah, the team got their warning. Emma doesn’t need those assholes pawing at her. As far as the job, she’s usually in the front of the fans. They don’t get too close to the girls and if they do, we have guys for that. She’s safe,” I assured him, knowing that I wasn’t telling him the whole truth.

“What’s her outfit like?” Greg asked.

“Shorts and a shirt. It’s no worse than what the cheerleaders wear. You know how football is. It’s all a gimmick.”

“I guess. I just don’t want her involved in that.”

I realized how overprotective he was over her and wondered if I sounded the same way. “Greg, she’s making friends and having fun. I know them all and she’s okay. I’m watching out for her behind the scenes,” I said, knowing that she wasn’t spending time with any guy but me.

“I know that she’s safe with you there. Thanks for taking care of her.”

I heard the relief in Greg’s voice, and I held in the groan that was stuck in my throat. I felt like such an asshole.

“No problem. I want to make sure that she’s safe here. She deserves this, though. She’s going to learn a lot,” I reminded him and Greg sighed.

“I know. That’s what worries me.”

It occurred to me that Greg might think she was a virgin. I felt relieved when he moved the conversation to other things. We hung up, and I wandered into the diner, seeing the guys in the back as I went to join them.

“Hey, Jackson.”

I looked over to see one of my hookups walking over though I couldn’t remember her name. One quick look said that she worked there as a waitress and her name was Hadley.

Great.

“Hi,” I said as she stepped in front of me and gave me a hungry look. “How are you?”

“I want to see you on the field more.”

She batted her fake lashes, making me want to roll my eyes. Emma was so much prettier than Hadley and she raised an eyebrow as I stepped back.

“Yeah, me too. I gotta get over to the guys.” I nodded in their direction and started to walk away.

“What are you doing later?” her voice floated over. I paused and turned my head to look back at her.

“I have plans,” I assured her, and disappointment crossed her face. How did I ever think she was hot? Hadley wore a lot of make-up and it made her look harsh under the bright lights. She nodded slowly and walked away as I continued to the tables that were pushed together.

“How did it go?” Nick asked me as I sat down beside him. I shot him a glance. Was he referring to the phone call or Hadley?

“She’s old news,” I assured him and Nick nodded.

“How’s Greg?”

“Good,” I replied as someone laughed and brought up something from the game and I focused on that. We chatted as we ate, heading home for a while after we were done. There was a home game tomorrow night and we just had some practices and workouts lined up. I knew that I needed to sleep as well but I wanted to spend more time with Emma.

I took Nick back to his car and dropped him off as he gave me a serious look.

“Think hard about this, Jackson. You’re fucking up a lot if this goes wrong.”

His words stung and I nodded. I knew that he was right and needed to think this through.

I drove home and found the apartment empty. I called out Emma’s name. I wandered back to my room and took a deep breath as I dropped onto the bed. I fell asleep in the quiet, tired from everything going on with football and the emotions that were running through me.

I woke up to the smell of food and turned over. I saw the light on down the hall as I stretched and then a small figure filled my doorway.

“Hey, are you awake?” Emma spoke softly.

“Yeah. What smells so good?” I asked.

She walked in and sat beside me on the bed. I leaned over to kiss her, and Emma moaned against my mouth. I’d throw the food into the garbage if she agreed to just stay in here with me all night. I tilted my head, deepening the kiss as she slipped her arms around my neck. My call with Greg passed through my mind and I winced as I stroked her tongue with mine.

“Are you okay?” Emma asked as she pulled away to look into my face. “I got some Thai. Want to eat and talk about it?”

“I want to keep you in here and kiss the hell out of you,” I murmured. She smiled and pressed her closed lips to mine. “What are we doing?”

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