Chapter 40
Guinevere
I don’t know why I decided it would be a good idea to come to the rugby game tonight. It’s so cold out I actually think I might freeze to the stands.
I’m wearing my thick winter jacket, a scarf, a hat, and gloves along with my thickest Ellington U sweatshirt and I’m still shivering. Ellie and Lainey were smart and brought a blanket to huddle under, but it’s difficult to fit all three of us under it, so we keep taking turns.
Damian doesn’t seem to be bothered by the cold as he sits next to me sipping on a large soda and popping m&m’s into his mouth.
The stadium lights illuminate the field and stands where faculty and students are chatting and laughing, waiting for the teams to take the field. The energy is charged, and my adrenaline is running high.
Last time I was here, I didn’t really understand much of what was going on, but this time I know a bit more, so it’ll be easier to follow. Plus, Ryker looks hot as hell in his jersey.
Lainey wanted to paint his number on my cheek, but I shut that down quickly since I’m not even sure what Ryker wants. He’s been confusing as of late. We fuck, we talk, and it’s great. But the other night, it was more than just fucking.
It was something else entirely. More intense, heated. Something I wasn’t even sure Ryker was capable of. Actually, I was fully convinced it wasn’t something he’d be capable of. But it felt like a lot more than hate sex, or pent-up tension, or jealousy. It felt real… and that kind of scares me.
I know Ryker already believes I’m his, and knowing his possessive streak, he might’ve been happy to see his number on my face. But I’m not sure I’m ready for the whole campus to know. Because trust me, when one person finds out, that shit will spread around campus like a bad STD.
The rumors and the attention will drive me insane. Ryker is one of the most popular and feared guys on this campus, and anyone in his circle is up for judgement and ridicule.
I don’t think I could ever willingly put myself in the spotlight. I like being alone too much to be bothered by stupid people who only want to be near you to gain something for themselves. But I would do it for Ryker. I’m learning that I’d do just about anything for him.
“Damian, be a doll and go grab us some popcorn,” Lainey demands, giving Damian her best puppy dog eyes. He rolls his and scoffs as he pops a brown m&m into his mouth.
“Go get it yourself, Princess,” he mocks. Lainey huffs and leans back in her seat, crossing her arms.
“Fine, then you don’t get to share the blanket with us. Good luck when your legs start to freeze off,” Lainey’s snarky tone makes me giggle.
“I don’t need your blanket. It’s not even that cold. You guys are just babies.”
I elbow him in the side, making him drop some of his snack on the ground.
“Hey! What was that for? M&m’s are expensive you know,” he whines.
Shaking my head, I laugh and turn back to the field .
The crowds’ cheers get louder, and the stadium lights flash as both teams rush the field. Weston U in their purple and black jerseys and Ellington U in their green and white.
I’ve overheard a few people say that Weston U is a hard team to beat, and that they can get pretty violent. I’ve also heard a lot of people talking about some guy on Weston U’s team named Connor Walsh. They’ve said he’s a monster on the field, and a few even said they heard he was going after Ryker tonight.
I’m not sure why, and I didn’t feel the need to ask. I know Ryker can handle himself and I’m sure it’s all just gossip anyway.
My eyes follow Ryker as he runs to his position. After I left the last game, I did some research. Ryker’s position is called the fly-half. It’s a weird name, but then again, all of them kind of are.
Ryker’s job is to lead his team’s defense and attacks on the other team. According to Google, the fly-halves have to be aggressive, they have the best kicks, and they have to be aware of everything going on at all times to make the right calls.
It seems like a really stressful job, and apparently, it’s one of the most important positions. I can see how Ryker could be the best fit for it.
When he’s in position, I see his head turn to search the crowd, and when his green eyes land on mine, my heart stutters, and I can feel my cheeks heat. His smile makes me clench my thighs because holy shit balls, he’s so freaking sexy.
Jesus, who am I?
“Your man looks mighty happy to see you,” Damian nudges me lightly, winking. A small laugh leaves my lips.
“Shut up,” I say, not even correcting him for calling Ryker ‘my man’.
Ryker turns back to focus on the start of the game, and when the whistle blows, the crowd goes nuts. Two girls behind me stand and scream as they jump up and down. One cheers for Holland, and the other cheers for Ryker.
To my surprise, my blood boils and jealously rages through my veins. I know he has fans, and I know most of them are girls, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it .
I know being with Ryker is going to be challenging. Girls throw themselves at him, and that’s just something I’ll have to get used to. It’s not really something he can help.
Watching the guys run across the field, my heart pounds and my hands tap against my thighs nervously. Rugby is a contact sport. It’s kind of scary to see the way these guys get tackled, and seeing Ryker get hit is making me cringe.
The last game I went to, I was hoping he’d get thrown to the ground. Now, I can’t stand to see him hurt.
My eyes follow him up and down the field, every so often landing on his roommates. I believe Pat is the team’s captain, and according to my rugby research, Holland is the hooker, and Mason is a fullback.
I really didn’t look into those positions much, but it seems like each of them has an important job, and they’re all doing really well.
“You hungry?” Lainey leans into my side, yelling in my ear so I can hear her over the loud voices. My stomach growls at the thought of food. I hadn’t realized I was hungry until she mentioned it.
I nod, yelling back, “Yeah.”
“What do you want? I can go get us food from concessions,” Lainey offers. I feel the need to stretch my legs, so I offer to go instead. I have to pee too, so I might as well.
Standing up, I tug my coat on tighter and begin to make my way down the aisle. Ellie’s hand shoots out to grab my wrist, her blue eyes peering up at me.
“Can you grab me a slushie? The red one?” she smiles sweetly. I nod, chuckling.
“Yeah. Lainey, cheese fries?” Lainey nods enthusiastically without looking away from the field. I follow her gaze and find it landing on Holland. My eyes narrow with suspicion, but I keep heading for the concession stands, shoving away my curiosity.
The line for the bathroom was surprisingly short, but most people are still watching the game, so I guess it makes sense.
Unfortunately, the concession stands are all outdoors, so I have to wait in the cold for our food and drinks. I only ordered some popcorn for myself, Lainey’s cheese fries, and Ellie’s slushie, so it doesn’t take too long to before everything’s in my hands and I’m walking back to my seat.
My phone buzzes in my coat pocket but I can’t reach for it with the food in my hands. Setting everything down on one of the empty concession booths, I pull my phone out and see my mom’s name on the screen. I decide to call her back in the morning, hanging up and shoving my phone back in my pocket.
“Hi Gwen,” the familiar throaty male voice sends a feeling of dread down my spine. “Enjoying the game?”
Reluctantly, I look up slowly to see Ashton Davis standing in front of me with his hands in his pockets. His blonde hair is falls in his eyes, and his soft brown eyes look harder, more focused.
My fists clench at my sides and my jaw tenses. I feel my nerves beginning to take over as the last time I saw him replays in my head over and over again. He threatened me.
I don’t really know him, and I don’t know what he’s capable of, but I did find out he’s on the hockey team. I don’t think he’d be stupid enough to risk getting caught doing anything to harm me.
All Ashton wants is to get back at Ryker for embarrassing him at the Halloween party. I’m not sure why he’s decided that targeting me would be his best bet, but here we are.
“I am, thanks for asking,” I say sardonically. Ashton quirks an eyebrow and smirks.
“Good, I’m glad,” his rough voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard. It makes me uneasy, and I don’t like it. I hate that I have no control over this situation. And I hate that Ashton keeps showing up. “You look good.”
Ew. “Thanks,” I retort, grabbing the food and beginning to walk away. Ashton, the stupid prick, steps in front of me, blocking me from continuing to my seat.
Wonderful. Maybe he is stupid.
“Get out of my way, Ashton,” I order. Ashton just laughs it off and shakes his head.
“No need to be so hostile, just having some friendly conversation,” Ashton sneers. I scoff .
“Nothing about you is friendly. Now move,” I demand again, hoping my voice doesn’t sound as shaky as it feels.
Ashton reaches out to grab my arm, and Ellie’s slushie almost falls to the ground before I catch it. I shoot a glare at him.
He can’t do anything here, Gwen. We’re in public. There are people all around us. He can’t hurt you.
I keep repeating this to myself as his face falls into a deep scowl, and even though I’m wearing a coat, I can feel goosebumps rise on my skin.
“I’m sure you told your boyfriend about our chat the other day,” he starts, “It wasn’t smart of you to come down here alone,” Ashton’s voice lowers into a threatening tone. My body shivers involuntarily and I want to run.
I look back to the stands where my friends’ eyes are locked to the guys, and then I look to the field to see if maybe by some miracle Ryker sees me. Not that he can do much since he’s in the middle of a game.
Ashton’s right. It was stupid of me to think I could come down here alone knowing he was out there with his threats. I guess I just assumed they were empty threats and that he wouldn’t act on them.
He must have been really embarrassed about getting knocked on his ass, because he’s taking this revenge thing a bit too far.
I silently give myself a pat on the back for refusing to sleep with him that night because who knows where I’d be now. Ashton is clearly a hot head with impulse control issues, and I can’t imagine how he would have acted if we’d slept together.
“I can handle myself,” I say with fake confidence. I can handle myself in most situations. But I’ve never been in this situation. I’ve gone my whole college career without getting into any trouble, and as soon as I meet Ryker Steele, my world’s turned into something I don’t recognize.
Not all of its bad, but this part? This is bad.
I feel my phone buzz in my pocket again. It’s probably Lainey asking where I am with her food, but I can’t reach it. I have to get out of here .
Moving my gaze from the field to Ashton’s menacing brown eyes, I glare at him so hard I’m surprised lasers don’t come out of my eyes.
“Touch me again, and you’ll regret it,” I threaten, taking some of the control back.
Ashton is twice my size, and I could never actually harm him myself, but I can’t let him believe he has all the power. His eyebrow cocks.
“We’ll see about that,” his grip on my arm loosens and he takes a small step back, but not far enough.
Ashton plucks one of the cheese fries out of the tray and places it in his mouth, closing his eyes as he chews and moans.
“Delicious,” he drawls, taking his thumb into his mouth and sucking it sensually.
I think it was supposed to have an effect on me, but the only thing it did was make me nauseous.
Why the hell am I here?