24. Amber
AMBER
J eff wore sweats and a large sweatshirt that had seen better days and the laid-back look had never looked so good on him.
He was the embodiment of a cuddle and when he leaned against my headboard and motioned for me to scoot right up next to him, I didn’t hesitate.
I had my notebook in my lap and his arm wrapped around my shoulder—if I could’ve stayed in that position for a week without moving I would have been content.
But life had to move on and that meant talking about the demise of my Uncle Martin.
“My uncle explained that Tony, the middle-aged man I saw him talking with at the stadium, is an old friend of his from his college days. I searched online for a good two hours for any pictures of him from the baseball coaching staff, hockey, even football and came up empty.”
“Do you buy it?”
“I don’t know.” I sighed and Jeff ran his hand up and down my arm in comfort. “You’ve seen how charming and manipulative he is. He would’ve had you in the palm of his hand if you didn’t know about all the shady stuff, hm?”
“I could see it. He’s a very likeable guy and, I gotta say, I liked the way he supports you.”
“God damn, I know. It makes this so much harder. I have a feeling that was his intention coming to see me today.”
“To remind you he supports you?”
“Yes.” I leaned my head to rest on Jeff’s shoulder.
“He came here with gifts, saying he was going to surprise me after meeting up with an old friend. Sending me gifts isn’t anything new, but a part of me wonders if this was a manipulative trick to get me to love him.
He went on about how talented I am and asked to see my article on the baseball team. ”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, I explained that it’s still in outlining and I tend to binge-write on the weekends, but I did bullshit enough until you showed up. He knows something’s going on and did a damn good job diverting the conversation to how he’ll always support me.”
“Did you press him on this Tony guy?”
“I tried. I asked if he worked with the baseball team and he ignored it. He asked a lot about my relationship with Brandon and Aaron. That’s why I was so worried when you got there because he didn’t know we were connected.”
He sighed for a second but then tensed. “One of my coaches was asking about me and you today. Said Brandon was going on about you at practice, but that doesn’t sound legit, does it? I talked with him after you left and filled him in on some shit and asked him to be quiet until you figured it out.”
I sat up and turn to start at Jeff. “A coach asked specifically about me?”
‘“You with that Henderson girl?’ That’s what he asked.” Jeff spoke faster. “Fuck. Could he be in on it, too?”
“At this point, anyone could be. What’s this guy’s name?”
“We just call him Coach Tee. Let me think…Humphries. Tee Humphries.”
I wrote the name on my list and circled it. “Any chance his real name is Tony? Tee could be short for that?”
“You’re not wrong.” He moved to grab his phone and started typing furiously. “Let me try and find a picture of him to see if this is the guy you saw.”
I nodded and reveled in the thrill of the chase.
We were close. My blood tingled with the hunt and I shoved any regrets about my uncle down deep.
It wasn’t the time to second-guess my entire relationship with him.
It was time to nail these assholes and get the ball moving—whatever that meant.
“I’m going to start writing it. The only other piece I really need is to talk to the Dean of Athletics, Dean Sanders. ”
“Woah, if he’s involved, it could tip him off about everything.” Jeff’s face tightened and he shook his head quickly. “I don’t like you putting yourself in that position.”
“Jeff,” I said, reveling in his worry over me, “I should be okay if I spin it the right way. My plan is to get my professor’s recommendation to interview him and set it up through that class so it’s less suspicious. Get a couple of email chains going so it’s documented and time stamped.”
“Brilliant.” He pulled me in for a hug and kissed the top of my head. “Anything I can do to help? Our first game is in two weeks and once the season starts, I’ll barely have any free time.”
“Hm.” I sucked my lip into my mouth and thought about what we really needed to guarantee people would take this article seriously.
“Pictures. Evidence. Proof. I know we talked about it before, but any pictures putting these guys places could help. I want to find this Tony guy and how he relates to this.”
“Pictures…what kind?”
“The most incriminating part of this entire thing is these guys—however many are involved—talking to high school kids and/or their parents, securing money somehow, and staging the release from the team. After the fake injury, their part is essentially done.”
His face became grim and he handed me his phone. “I got another text with a warning.”
I yanked it into my hands and frantically read the message.
UNKNOWN: You have too much to lose. Let this go.
“Shit.” I glanced at Jeff and hated the pit of fear in my gut. “When was this sent?”
“This morning…about an hour after you left the stadium.”
I closed my eyes and refused to let fear motivate me. “We’re close. That’s what this means.”
“I know.” He let out a resigned sigh and I felt the weight of his stress in my bones. I didn’t want to ask the question, terrified of what his answer might be, so I took a couple seconds to garner enough courage.
“Is there any chance you could lose your scholarship from this? These guys are high-ups and if you want to wait until your season is over, I don’t mind.” I reached out and ran my fingers through his thick hair. He hummed at my touch and gave me a beautiful half-smile.
“It’s something that has been weighing on my mind and I can’t, with good conscious, not let you write this article because of what maybe could happen to me. This is unfair and illegal. If I lose my scholarship, I’ll financially be okay.”
“But the team?”
“I have less to lose than the other guys. They have the draft to plan for and I don’t. I’m just glad it’s me who figured this out. I can handle some bastards coming after me.”
“Jeff,” I replied softly. He was being the silent leader, suffering so his teammates could thrive. I placed my hand on his chest, right over his heart, and said, “You’re incredible taking one for the team, figuratively and literally, but it’s still your senior season and you deserve to play.”
He covered my hand with his and looked a little broken. “It’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
“I think you need to tell your teammates. Maybe not all of them, but your roommates for sure,” I said, tensing as I waited for his reaction.
If he realized I’d overheard him and his coach talking, he didn’t let me know, but it was bold for me to give him my opinion without him asking.
“I’m not just talking about the investigation. I’m talking everything.”
“I know. They deserve a heads-up if everything changes.”
“They deserve to hear it from one of their best friends. You’re suffering through this whether you want to admit it or not and they’ll support you.
I know it.” I smiled and he cupped my face, leaning in for a soft kiss.
It was pleasant at first, his soft lips connecting with mine, but then it turned heated when he slipped his tongue inside my mouth. “Mm, Jeff…”
He rolled me over so his body was on top of mine, his elbows holding him up just above my face.
He deepened the kiss as a low growl came from his chest. This kiss was different from all the others somehow.
The urgency and passion was there, but the way he took his time exploring my mouth, the way he touched me was softer and the tenderness in his eyes was new.
My body burned at his attention when he slid his hands up my shirt to cup my breasts.
It was too much emotion and I needed a little distance.
“Wh-what are you doing?” I asked, breathlessly. “Shouldn’t we keep…keep talking about everything?”
My voice hitched when he pinched both my nipples and grinned down at me. “We can keep talking.”
He slid my shirt off in one quick pull and brought his mouth down, sucking and biting like he had that morning. He trailed kisses over my collarbone, down the center of my chest, and bit down on the skin over my belly button. “What’s on your mind, Amber?”
“Uh…” I mumbled, unable to form words now that he removed my pants and slid two fingers inside me. In and out, fast and slow. I panted, an orgasm so close, but he stopped when my body tensed. “Hm?”
“Okay, let’s talk.” He stopped touching me and moved to lean against the wall, a coy smile on his lips. “What should we do next?”
My brain lost focus. His bulge pressed his jeans and my nerves were on fire—desperate for the release I craved. Licking my lips, I crawled over him and undid the waistband of his jeans. He stopped me. “You wanted to talk, Amber.”
“Why are you… You’re teasing me.” I pouted and kept removing his pants.
This time, he let me and his beautifully hard cock sprung out.
He wanted to play a game and I was fine with it.
But two could play. I leaned forward and took him in my mouth.
I sucked four times, taking him as deep as my mouth would let me, and he bucked when I carefully bit down on the head.
“Fuck…” he moaned and gripped my hair in his hand. “God, your mouth is fucking heaven.”
I cupped his balls with my hand and continued sucking him and when his legs tensed, I dropped, licking all the way up his shaft and stopped. “Mm, that was a nice taste.”
His eyes looked feral when I got up and licked my lips, all while holding an intense eye contact. Never had I ever stood completely naked in front of a guy in broad daylight and goddamn, it felt good to see him so hungry for me. “Amber,” he warned.