The Player: Dark Enemies to Lovers Sports Romance

Chapter 17

Walking away from him, I have to take a deep breath and leave before I slap him. Telling me he’s a millionaire like I didn’t already know. What a load of bull poop! Walking into the kitchen, I bang pots and pans around, trying to get my frustrations out, but it’s not working. Gah! Aaron makes me crazy, and he hasn’t even been here a whole day. Why does he have to be such a jerk?

K

Got my brother?

Me

Yes, and frankly, I should have made him walk home.

K

LOL, you’d never.

Me

Yes, I would.

K

You threatened that every day for our entire senior year and never did. Don’t let him get to you, J.

Me

Easy for you to say. You don’t have to live with him until he can get his own place.

K

Should I come get him?

Me

No. I’m just venting. Ignore me.

K

Love you, girl.

Me

Yeah, yeah. You owe me.

I place the phone down on the counter and pull out ingredients for strawberry muffins.

“Julie!”

I drop the bowl onto the counter and run into his room. “What? Are you alright?” I touch his arms and force him to look at me.

“Why are there pictures of me on this wall?”

Oh, I forgot about the pictures. Dang it. Blushing, I drop my hands from his arms and look down.“Lennox. He’s…he’s a huge fan of yours.”

“Ah, your boy toy likes me, huh?” His words hit me like daggers, and I gasp in pain. How could he think so little of me?

The front door slams, and I close my eyes. “Mom?”

Not answering Aaron, I walk into the living room. “Lennox.” I grab at him and he laughs, dodging my hold.

“Mom, I’m starving.” He throws his backpack onto the couch and stops in his tracks to the kitchen.

“Is… No… Oh… Mom!” I can’t help but laugh at how Lennox is moving his head back and forth between me and Aaron.

“Hey, little man. I’m…” Aaron walks a bit further into the living room, and Lennox bolts toward Aaron.

“Wow.” Aaron chuckles as Lennox wraps his arms around him. God, I hope that Aaron won’t be an ass toward him.

“Aaron Johannsen is in our house. Mom…” I take Lennox by the shoulder and tug at him.

“Let Aaron relax, honey. He has had a long day and needs to rest.”

“This is so cool. I’m going to call Chris and Jake. They aren’t going to believe me.” He whoops, and Aaron laughs as Lennox runs out of the room and up the stairs.

Walking into the kitchen, I pick up the ingredients that I dropped.

“What are you making?”

Looking up at Aaron, I jump.

“Jesus! You scared me.” I scowl at him and grab the flour container that’s now on its side, and thank goodness the lid didn’t pop off.

“You’ve been out of my presence for a total of five seconds, and you’ve already forgotten me?” He raises an eyebrow at me and sits down at the counter.

“That’s not funny,” I snarl at him and open the egg carton. “I’m making strawberry muffins.”

“You think that’s a wise choice of food?”

Gasping, I feel my entire stomach drop. Did…did he really say that? Gulping, I put on a smile and shrug. “Yup.” That’s all I say. As my heart pitches a fast beat, I try to keep my blood pressure down. It isn’t working, but I refuse to cry in front of him.

“Why not try a protein shake or something?” He grabs a strawberry and pops it into his mouth.

“Why don’t you take medication for being an asshole? It might help people like you.” I didn’t mean to say that. Fudge!

“Ju-Ju, I…” Grabbing a spatula, I suck in a deep breath. It’s painful to realize that I’m never going to be good enough for Aaron.

“No, you’ve said enough. We both know you hated my weight back when we were younger, and you hate it now. Guess what?” I put my hand on my hip and point my spatula at him. “I didn’t care then, and I sure as heck don’t care now. If you can’t stand to look at me, the door is always open for you to hightail your butt out of here. But you will not speak like that in front of Lennox. You got it?”

Aaron holds his hands up and gets off the stool. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize. You don’t mean it. Why don’t you call one of your old buddies and see if Holly is around? I’m sure she can make you feel welcome.”

I turn away from him. The more I think about how he’s treating me, the more I get worked up and the worse my headache gets. Gah, why can’t he love me the way I am? Why do I even care what he thinks or says?

“Ouch.” I look back at him, and he holds his hands to his heart. “You aren’t wasting any punches, are you?”

“Nope.” I mix the dry ingredients with the wet ones until the batter is smooth. Chopping up the strawberries, I ignore him. I refuse to let him make me feel inferior like he did when we were younger.

This time, when he moves, I hear his limp. His right foot slides along the floor, and when he gets right behind me, his heat encloses me. “Ju-Ju, I’m sorry. I’m an asshole. I know this. It… I mean… Hell, your body is beautiful. You’re gorgeous, and when I think about you, all I can think about is how perfect you are.”

“Oh please. Flattery will not get you anywhere. I’m not an easy lay, and I’m most definitely not going to fall for the ‘good ole boy’ routine. You’ve been up and down the coast of models and actresses. The world knows you have an image to keep up.”

Okay, even I know I sound bitter. Yet, here I am, facing the one person who I’ve always wanted to love me. The only man to make my heart beat like a drum. His hands touch my arms, and he runs them up and down my skin. My eyes close to the pleasure of being touched by him.

Aaron’s nose touches my neck again, and his lips graze my pulse. “Ju-Ju,” he whispers, and I whimper. Dang it. That’s not what I wanted to do, but he’s pulling it out of me. Trembling, I move my head to the side so his mouth has more of my neck to touch.

“A-bear.” My hands shake as I hold on to the counter and get lost in the feeling of his mouth and hands on me.

The soft chuckle that leaves his throat confuses me. He steps back, and I blink, trying to clear that fog he always seems to create. “You talk a big game, Julie, but we both know you want me.”

He winks at me and shuffles off. Dang him! Embarrassment floods me as I dump the strawberries into the batter. Folding them in, I try not to cry.

Dousing my face with cold water, I try to think about anything other than the need Aaron produces in me. As I look into the window at my reflection, I think about the first time I saw him without a shirt.

“Hey, Ju-Ju.” Aaron runs toward me as I step onto the football field. “What are you doing here?”

My mind short circuits as I look at his muscular chest. He’s sculpted like a Greek god. For the first time in my life, I understand what it is like to be turned on. Of course, I don’t tell him that. It would be too embarrassing, but I secretly dream of us getting married and having babies together.

“Hello? You alright?”

My skin turns bright red, and I look down. “Sorry, um, Kaylee had to go home early and asked me to drive you home after practice.”

He looks around, for what, I’m not sure, and then he touches my cheek. “I’d be happy to have you drive me home. Go wait in the Bronco so you don’t catch a chill.”

Coming out of the thought, I remember how I was on cloud nine, thinking he truly cared for me. What it was, heck, what it has always been, was about his reputation. Aaron didn’t want to be seen with me. What’s worse now is that I want him to be happy here with me and Lennox.

For Lennox, of course. Not for me.