Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“Are you going to take that thing for a morning walk? If not, fucking put it away.”
Silas chuckles, scratching his lower belly, his morning erection pressed to the front of his boxers.
“Fuck, man. I had the wildest dreams last night.” He shuffles around his room, gathering up clothes. “I’ll take care of it in the shower. Be back in ten.”
And then he’s gone.
He was hard, like a full-on tent in his boxers and it did nothing for me. He’s a great-looking guy. A lot of the guys on the team are, even Todd Calhoun now that he doesn’t look and smell like he climbed out of the back of a sewer sanitation truck, but they don’t turn me on.
Rick does.
Even before last night, I fought my attraction to him.
“Fuck,” I grumble, pressing my fists to my eyes.
I must doze off because Silas nudges me awake.
“We getting breakfast before the gym?”
“We don’t have practice today,” I grumble, but sit up anyway. “We could skip a fucking day.”
“And have Calhoun make us look bad again? Fat fucking chance. Get moving.”
Breakfast ends up being at I Knead Pizza, which surprisingly has a great sausage and scrambled egg pie. Since I stuffed my face in an effort not to have a conversation with Silas, I may end up puking while doing my workout today again. He’d want to talk about being mature and discussing things with Rick, and I was afraid I’d confess what happened last night, because fuck, I feel the need to talk to someone about it.
He’s still not done after my breakfast is gone, but he surprises me when the conversation turns to the new freshmen we’re going to have this year rather than Rick. Last year wasn’t as great and some of that was due to the seniors we lost the year before, and a huge group of green guys coming in for their first year of college ball. The transition from high school to here is harder than I think a lot of people realize. Those freshmen were showing a lot of potential by the end of the season, but it just wasn’t enough to make up the ground we lost earlier in the season.
The walk back to campus, along with the fresh air, puts me in a better headspace. It doesn’t hurt that people aren’t staring at me, letting me know that rumors haven’t started to fly… yet.
The locker room is already crowded by the time we make it there. This space is shared with all Lindell athletes, and although it’s a massive area, it doesn’t take long for the space to fill up with noise and testosterone.
Chapter 18
Rick
“I’m serious,” I tell Blakely. “What you did last night was dangerous.”
Her nose scrunches up as she takes a bite of her fried eggs.
“I know, Dad.” Her response comes from her full mouth of food.
“I’m not judging. I got just as drunk my first night on campus, but college is a marathon, not a sprint. You don’t have to have all the experiences in one night. You could’ve been hurt.”
She has the wherewithal to look disappointed in herself.
Swallowing, she says, “I didn’t think the drinks were that strong. They just hit me all of a sudden. I got out of there as fast as I could.”
“And ended up in the wrong dorm.”
I found this information out along with her name, Blakely Corrigan, on the walk to The Brew & Chew.
Wanting to be helpful and fill her stomach with greasy food, the best hangover cure on the planet, I invited her to breakfast. It’s not the only reason, though. I needed to know what she remembers from last night in order to prepare for the fallout.
I decided early on that if she doesn’t mention it, we’re in the clear, possibly giving me the chance to convince Landon for more if he’s not worried about anyone finding out. I prayed all night long that he ran away in only fear, not that he was ashamed.
“It was dumb.”
“You just need to party with a responsible friend, someone who will make sure you get home safely.”
“Like you?” She grins. “You could be that person.”
I sigh. “I’m not really the partying type.”
“Which makes you perfect!”
I shake my head but smile at her. “We can exchange numbers. I may not party with you, but I can at least be the person you call if you get into any trouble.”
She nods as she takes another bite of food. “That would be great.”
After breakfast, I make sure Blakely gets to her dorm safely before heading to the sports complex. The chances are slim that Landon will be willing to talk to me when there are others around, but I can’t just sit in the room and wait for him to come back. I have no idea where he went or what he did after he scurried away, but the man isn’t exactly known for thinking before he acts. I’m hoping to get to him before he does something stupid, knowing it could be impossible to talk him off the ledge.