Chapter 7 Ash
Feeling much better in the morning than I had the previous night, I was at the training field bright and early the next morning. I was already in my practice uniform when the twins arrived, and I waited for them to get ready.
“Coach is going to try you on runs?” I asked Gray with skepticism.
“Yeah, thinks I’m so good I can play with a splint.”
Exchanging a look with Jett, I took a step forward. “Gray, you can’t play,” I told him quietly. “Your hand’s fucked.”
Gray nodded as he pulled on his practice jersey, and quietly, Jett helped him pull it down. “I know, but he needs to see it,” Gray told us both as he looked at his cleats. “Who’s helping me with my laces?”
“You can’t tie your own shoes? You shouldn’t be here,” Jamie, our defensive end, said as he walked into the locker room.
He was a big guy, he had to be, and I’d been tackled by him many times in practice, punched him a few times too when he got out of line.
He wasn’t on my list of favorite people, but then who was?
The fact that Jamie looked pissed off this morning warned me that we weren’t going to like what he said next.
“Your girls took over the kitchen this morning,” Jamie said with a pointed look at Gray and Jett.
“Ava’s up?” Jett asked as he looked up from Gray’s cleats.
“Yes, she and Quinn hogged the coffee pot, while Quinn lectured me on Pop-Tarts and reminded me of my meal plan.” Jamie’s eyes were hard on Gray. “Why are your girlfriends in my house?”
“Why the fuck you being a pussy?” Gray asked instead.
I wanted to roll my eyes at the obvious response from my cousin, but I knew not to interfere.
“I’m not, but the football house is for football.”
If Jamie clenched his jaw any more, he’d break it. Glancing at Gray, I realized he may break it.
“Dude, it’s young love, they’re in that honeymoon phase thing,” I told him as I clasped his shoulder. “Honestly, I know, it’s sickening, but you know, think of the upside.”
Jamie narrowed his eyes at me. “What upside?”
“Hot chicks in your kitchen at six in the morning, wearing their PJ’s, making you coffee and breakfast, because I know that wrap you finished when you walked in was no Pop-Tart.” I grinned at the DE. “It’s only for a short time. Chill, dude, we’re here to play football.”
“It’s a football house,” Jamie grumbled, but some of his antagonism was gone.
“And Ava’s a walking sports journal, and Quinn’s practically an in-house trainer. We’re not suffering from them being there. Those girls probably have more football passion than half this team.” I wasn’t even lying; they were bigger fans than some of the players, I was sure.
“That’s true.” Jamie looked at Jett, who was standing quietly beside his twin, waiting for me to smooth things over.
“And your girl did tell me my stats from Saturday and what I needed to improve on this morning.” He gave a light laugh as he shook his head.
“I can’t even tell her to fuck off, because she made sense. ”
Seeing Jett’s eyes widen slightly in temper, I stepped in. “She knows her stuff. See? How is this bad?”
“Yeah, you’re right, I just need more coffee. And they are smokin’ hot, so . . .” With a nod to the other two, he made his way to his locker.
Turning my attention back to my cousins, I saw them both glaring after him, and I knew I had more work to do.
“Keep it calm, he’s just talking out his ass,” I warned them quietly.
Identical snorts of derision, and we were heading out to the field. And I would have given myself a pat on the back, but Gray, being Gray, punched Jamie in the kidneys as he passed.
“What the fuck?” Jamie yelled after him.
“For perving over my girlfriend,” Gray called back as he carried on casually. “And Ava.”
Jett fist-bumped him as they walked onto the field like nothing had happened.
“Why the hell do I bother?” I muttered as I followed them. They were both possessive assholes.
“Santo, twenty-two!” Coach bellowed from across the field. “Laps, now.” Gray immediately jogged to the sidelines and then started an easy-paced run as he was told. For once.
“Santo, eighty-seven, drills!”
With a sigh, I made my way to the practice area as I heard Coach tell Jett to take up position.
As I lost myself in the routine of practice, I welcomed the clarity that training provided.
My mind was clear, and I thrived on the burn in my muscles that training gave me.
An hour later, Coach had us running routes downfield as Jett and Ben threw and the defense tried to take them out of the pocket.
He included Gray in the runs, and I was on edge the whole practice.
At eight thirty, the whistle blew to signal us that morning practice was over. Jamie had delivered a hell of a spear to me just before the whistle, and I was lying flat on my back as I heard Coach talk to Gray.
“You can’t play.”
“I know.”
“But you practiced anyway?”
“You told me to, Coach,” Gray answered him easily.
“You do everything I say suddenly?” Coach scoffed. “Like when I said, don’t fuck your hand up more, you then fucked your hand up worse.”
“Accidents happen,” Gray replied smoothly.
“Shit happens,” Coach snapped back. “Eighty-seven, why are you still here?”
“Working up the energy to stand, Coach,” I called back.
“You’re all on weights tonight. I’ll see you fuckers at five,” he barked before I heard him walk off.
“You know about two weeks ago, that was me,” Gray said as he looked down at me.
I remembered it well; it was before everything came out about him and Quinn. I preferred it then.
“Circle of life, or some shit.” I got up and stretched. “Glad he sees you’re not fit.”
“I could probably do it,” Gray told me as we began to walk to the locker room. “I just don’t want to risk it.”
“We have ’Bama on Saturday,” I said as I saw Jett hovering, waiting. “At least his shoulder’s better.” I gestured to Jett, and Gray nodded.
“You’re gonna have to defend.”
Sighing, I looked down at my helmet. “I know, I’ll do my best.”
“I know.” Gray gave me a tight smile, and then the three of us walked into the locker room, the mood more somber.
In our league, only ’Bama and our team had lost one game each.
Saturday’s game was a must-win for us, or else we could kiss the conference game goodbye, especially if Kentucky won their game.
I really wanted the conference game. If we could get to the end of the regular season having only lost one game, we would be in the conference game for sure. Most likely against ’Bama, but we’d cross that bridge when we got to it.
“I can’t believe I’m out for these games,” Gray admitted as we pulled off our practice clothes to get showered. He said nothing more as his brother helped him out of his jersey, his splint limiting his movements.
“I can’t believe you caught three balls in practice,” Jett mumbled as he tossed Gray’s jersey beside his. “Only you would catch three balls with a splint and still outrun the defense.”
“You really are something else,” I told my cousin.
“Or my teammates don’t want to risk injuring me by catching me,” Gray grunted as he sat down and pushed his cleats off. “Fuck, this sucks.”
“Well, next time, don’t hit your brother with a splint.” I watched as Gray huffed out a laugh before he nodded.
“He makes me mad.”
“Everyone makes you mad,” I said with a light laugh as I headed for the shower.
Strolling to class afterward, I said goodbye to the twins as I made my way to computer science.
I shared this class with Red, and I thought about the assignment we had due tomorrow.
I’d read hers last night, and it was fine, but I had tweaked it slightly.
Not much, but she hadn’t mentioned it. I knew she was going to say she’d been sleeping when I emailed it back to her, but I’d put a read receipt on the email, and I knew she’d opened it.
Strolling into class, I knew I was late, but the professor also knew I had training this morning, and he was lenient. He gave me a nod in acknowledgment as I made my way to the back, the desk closest to the aisle empty, as always.
As I settled down, I saw her head bent over her laptop as she worked on whatever he’d posted on the main board.
She had on a black sweater that made her hair appear brighter and her skin paler. Black wasn’t her color. It washed her out and made her look drawn, I thought. She’d looked healthier when she was painted blue.
I smiled in remembrance of her as an alien at Halloween.
Wait, was it an alien? I didn’t remember; all I knew was she looked hot as fuck, even if she was blue.
Halloween had been a shitshow for so many reasons, but seeing Red in that costume had been the highlight of my night.
More so when I left Quinn’s later and hooked up with Red back at the party.
Jett had arrived back not long after me, and without a word, he’d claimed his girl and taken Ava home. Which left me at the party, pissed off and in need of either a fight or a fuck.
I’d gotten both.
The basketball team took offense to the fact that someone, also known as Gray, had taken a swing at their center. Because I’d returned, their pointer had shoved past me as he went outside. I didn’t give a fuck who he was — my fist connected with his jaw just the same.
Once we were separated and I was back in the house, I made my way to a bathroom to run my knuckles under cold water. Coach would lose his shit if I turned up on Monday with damaged hands.
As I headed back to the party, I saw her, hovering on the edge of the room, standing out in her costume, and it wasn’t because she was painted blue. I knew she was off-limits; I knew I would get shit for this, but I also knew that tonight, after everything, I didn’t care.
Moving up behind her and reaching out to hook her by the waist, I pulled her into me, deeper into the shadows.
“You want to split?” I asked as she looked at me over her shoulder.
I watched her consider why we shouldn’t, and knowing she was going to be disagreeable, I turned her so that she was facing me.
Taking another step backward into the darker hall, I took her with me.
When she came willingly, I knew I had her.
When I kissed her, within moments, we were hot and heavy against the wall, her hands tight in my hair as my hands took purchase on her ass.
Suddenly, the fistfight hadn’t been enough to get my aggression out — I needed more.
I’d been in the basketball house many times before, and I knew what rooms I could use.
She followed me eagerly as I half-dragged her to the nearest available bedroom.
Once inside, I locked the door and then almost ripped her bodysuit off her.
I didn’t give a fuck that half of her was bare skin and half painted blue, what mattered was that she was naked, and I wasn’t.
“I should shower,” she whispered to me as her hands went to my jeans and started to unbutton them.
“I don’t mind,” I told her as I sat on the bed, bringing her body toward me, my mouth on her breasts.
“I don’t want them to know I was here.” She pulled away from me as she pointed to the white sheets. “I’ll be five minutes.”
Lying back on the bed, I waited and then realized there was a naked blue chick in the shower next to me. Why the fuck was I out here?
Red said nothing when I joined her. In fact, she never said much at all, and that’s exactly what I needed.
A good, hard fuck against a shower wall to get the mess of this evening out of my head.
No foreplay, no feelings. When I entered the shower, she simply turned around and braced her hands against the tile.
My hand had dipped between her legs and found her ready.
I wasn’t wrapped, and I was feeling reckless.
I entered her slowly. She had trouble adjusting, but when she had taken all of me .
. . she’d bucked back against me like a pro.
Red hadn’t cared that I’d been ruthless when I fucked her; her moans told me she liked it a little rough.
By the time I was finished, she was touching her toes, she was so bent over.
A quick rinse off for both of us, and then I fucked her again on the bed from behind, my hands tight around her waist as I jackhammered into her.
We ended the night with me flat on my back as she sucked my dick, swallowing my load without complaint, and for that, I ate her out, and I think the whole party heard her coming on my tongue.
We’d parted ways after Halloween on the understanding we didn’t need to talk about it. It was a one-time thing. But she was a hot fuck for sure, and it was inevitable that I would want another taste of her.
She must have felt my eyes on her as she turned to look at me over her shoulder, and our eyes met. Her questioning look only made my dick stir, and I saw her skin flush as she stared back at me.
Turning slowly, she faced the front again. Making the adjustment in my jeans, I shifted in the chair.
Yeah, I definitely wasn’t done with Red.