AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Parker took a deep breath, and the hint of a smile crossed his face. “I’ll be here.”
12
Ididn’t know what was happening between Riley and me, but I didn’t want it to stop. If we were caught, both of us would pay the price. Riley would lose all the respect she’d earned, and the athletic director could follow through on his threat from last year.
I couldn’t make myself care. Not when Riley had finally opened up to me.
We didn’t meet every day, but several times a week, she let me into her space—let me hold her while she slept.
Sometimes we actually studied—Riley had a fucking smart mind to go with her fucking fast feet—but more often we watched a movie or talked. She balked whenever I tried to ask about her family or her past, so I’d change the subject and she wouldn’t ask me to leave.
Riley insisted Eva had to be home whenever I came over, but I barely saw her. She’d give me a raised eyebrow and a salute when I walked through the living room, as if she saw something we didn’t.
I saw it.
Hell, I felt it. If Riley weren’t my teammate, I’d have broken my rules against dating in a heartbeat. She fit with me so perfectly, and for once, I was counting the days until the season ended.
In the meantime, I’d take whatever Riley could give me. Which meant making time for “study sessions” whenever Eva was willing to babysit.
This week, fate intervened by sending Eva out of town for a competition. No studying of any kind, and by the time we returned from our away game, which we lost, I was frustrated as all hell.
The atmosphere on the bus was somber as we returned to the school. We’d expected this game to be tough, but we’d prepared for it. Or I’d thought we had. Something had felt off the whole game, like we’d forgotten how to work together. To make it worse, I made a bunch of stupid mistakes that would have made freshman me cringe. I wouldn’t be leading us to a championship with that level of play.
I knew part of the problem was my inability to get my mind off of Riley. If she was on the field, I tracked her. If she was on the sidelines, I felt her watching me. Even on the bus, I’d picked this row halfway back because it offered the best view of the front seats Riley preferred.
The ease we’d developed over the last weeks in practice had disappeared during the game today, entirely my fault. I’d let the frustration of not spending alone time with Riley build, thinking I’d be able to handle it.
Pride was a sneaky bitch, and I’d been a cranky bastard today.
I slumped in my seat, music quietly playing in my ears, and tried to work through the problems I’d had on the field. As usual, my thoughts immediately returned to Riley. Early on in the first quarter, she’d taken a hard hit. I’d controlled myself at the time, but every play after, the image of her going down had frozen me for a split second.
The other team took advantage of my hesitation. With every mistake, the frustration built on itself. I closed my eyes and let my head fall back to the padded seat. This was why I never dated, never took the chance that someone could become large enough in my mind to eclipse everything else.
I’d been a detriment to the team today, and the failure twisted in my gut. Maybe I needed a break. Not from football, but from Riley. I could limit our interactions until I had a stronger grip on myself.
We’d fallen into our current pattern by accident, and Eva’s departure had jarred us out of it. This was my chance to pull away without risking drama in the team—except I didn’t want to. Everything in me rebelled at the thought.
I wanted Riley closer, not farther away.
The bus jostled, and I opened my eyes to see we’d left the highway for the small roads in town that would lead to campus. Low grumbles about plans for the evening came from the guys around me as we started gathering our stuff from the ride. I wasn’t in the mood to party, and thankfully, it sounded like neither was anyone else.
Out of habit, or sheer obsession, my gaze returned to Riley at the front. She felt the loss as keenly as the rest of us. Knowing her, she’d work off her frustration in the weight room, but Coach had forbidden us from moping around in the facility until tomorrow.
Would she go anyway? I didn’t think so.
She respected Coach and his “requests”. Most likely, she’d go back to her apartment—alone. Temptation began to creep into my mind, but she’d been clear about her boundaries. We hadn’t discussed the reason why. I hadn’t asked. If I knew, I might try to change her mind.
As it was, I might try to change her mind anyway. If Mac weren’t sitting between me and the aisle, I might make my way to the front of the bus and take the seat next to her. Might offer to share my They Can’t All Be Winners playlist. Might lean closer and ask her to leave the door unlocked for me.
I didn’t. Mac’s long legs blocked my way, and Riley had been giving fuck off vibes since she boarded the bus. As soon as we’d hit the highway, she’d put in earbuds and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sleeping though.
I knew what she looked like asleep, knew she liked to tuck her hands between us where it was warm, knew she mumbled about plays as she dreamed.
Mac bumped me, his warning that I was staring again. I dragged my gaze away and stopped my music. No parties tonight, but I didn’t want to be alone. Too much temptation to show up at Riley’s door.
I rubbed my face. “Camper tonight?”
Mac studied me for a second, then nodded. “Yeah, man. I’ll let Noah know.”
