Breathless (107 page)

He flashed me a grin. “Marissa’s friend, right? You bitched me out on the street by Benson’s house.”

I gave them a wry grin. For some reason, I was uncomfortable that he remembered that. “Yeah, I guess so.”

His gaze flicked past my shoulder to the front desk worker. “What are you doing? You getting a room?”

“That’s cute, thinking you can get a room here.” The girl flicked her red hair over her shoulder and laughed. She trailed a hand down his arm and rested it on his chest.

My eyes narrowed at her, but I responded to him, “My friends already got rooms, but they’re coupled up. It feels weird, you know?”

“Ah. Got it.”

One of the guys nudged him from behind. Cord’s eyes lit up. “Hey, we have a few empty beds with the team. You could bunk with one of us. We’d have to put you with a decent guy.”

“Or one that’s neutered,” a buddy snickered behind him.

My smile strained at the ends. “Uh…” But I remembered the front desk’s snippy words and my fingers let go of my bags. They dropped to the floor. “Sure.” I was desperate at that moment. But then I remembered all of his words. “Wait, you said your whole team? Your whole team is staying here?”

He nodded. “Yeah, we have a game tomorrow. I ran into Marissa at the airport and she badgered me for tickets.” He shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I figured I owed her for what a jackass I was before.”

I nodded. I had guessed that was how she’d gotten those tickets, but some excitement sparked in me at the idea of watching Jesse play again. It’d been too long. It’d been too long since I had felt him too.

Cord’s eyes were thoughtful on me. “I think Hunt got his own room.”

The same guy snickered again, “Golden Boy ain’t going to share a room, not unless he’s banging the chick.”

Cord turned on him and sneered, “The Golden Boy was best friends with her brother.”

His friend’s smirk vanished and his eyes widened. The girl straightened and reassessed me. I ignored both of their reactions. “I don’t want to bother Jesse. I’m sure he has other things to worry about.”

A third guy snorted from the back. “The only thing he’s got to worry about is if he gets enough sleep.”

Cord’s eyes grew hard. “Shut up, Kaseys. We’re damn lucky to have Hunt on our team and you know it. He’s our best damn player, so show some respect.”

The girl had detached herself from his side and migrated over as he had turned towards his buddies. She gave me an intense look now and her voice came out husky, “So you know Jesse Hunt?”

Cord snorted and hauled her back to him. A hand cemented her against his side. “No way, Mel. This girl is off limits.”

Her lips stuck out in a pout. “Come on.”

“No.”

And then one of the guys shouted, “Hunt!”

He was coming in from the sliding doors with a bag over his shoulder. As he looked up, a polite grin was on his face, but then Cord stepped aside and his eyes landed on me. He froze. I watched with a pounding heart as his hand tightened on his bag strap and his eyes went wide with some unnamed emotion. But then a mask came over him and he approached us. “Hey, guys.” His eyes zeroed in on me. “You’re here?”

I swallowed over a painful knot in my throat. “Yeah.”

He frowned. “But your folks are—”

Cord clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, buddy. So this little beauty here is looking for a room to share. She’s here with friends, but they’re all coupled up and the front desk bitch made it clear that there aren’t any empty rooms available.”

The worker’s mouth flattened at her mention, but she didn’t say a word.

Jesse’s eyes had narrowed on me. He didn’t wait a second. “Yeah, she can stay with me.”

My heart skipped a beat and I forgot to breathe for a second.

“Sweet. It’s all worked out. See you around, Street girl.” Cord winked at me as he led his friends to the elevator.

Jesse waited until they had gotten into one before he touched my arm. He asked quietly, “You’re not here with your parents?”

I shook my head. I couldn’t speak. Tears threatened to spill.

“They’re at The Four Seasons.” He had grown so quiet. “You don’t want them to know you’re here?”

My head wrenched from side to side. I couldn’t tell him they had left to escape me and now we were in the same city. It wouldn’t have been fair to them. So I choked out in a whisper, “They’re doing a second honeymoon thing.”

“Who did you come with?”

“Marissa and her boyfriend. Angie and Justin.”

He settled back. “Got it.” His lip twitched at the corner. “Marissa’s got another boyfriend? I pity that guy.”

“Eric Nathan.”

He went still. “What?”

“She’s dating Eric Nathan.”

His jaw clenched. And then he clipped out, “Good. He’s not your problem anymore then.”

“Jesse,” I sighed.

“Come on.” He reached down and grabbed my bag. “I’m tired. We had an early practice and the guys are going out for something to eat, if you want to come with.”

“You had a practice?” I checked my phone. “At six in the morning?”

He flashed me a grin. “Yeah. And it was at five this morning, but Coach is giving us the day off. We just have to show up for a team dinner tonight and promise that we’ll get eight hours of sleep tonight before the game tomorrow.” Then he stopped suddenly.

My heart constricted. A flash of pain came over him. I knew this wasn’t going to be good.

The corners of his mouth turned down, briefly. “Your parents are coming to the game tomorrow.” He took a breath. “My coach knows about Ethan. I’ve talked to him about it and when he found out that your folks were here…they want to do a thing for them during the game.”

“What does that mean?” I swallowed tightly. My throat was burning in pain.

“There’ll be some footage of them, probably just where they are in their seats and they’ll dedicate a song in memory of Ethan. I know most people won’t care, I think it’ll be during half time or something and they’ll do it while other stuff is going on, but I thought you should know. Do you want to go with them? I can get you a ticket.”

I shook my head. Everything was so raw now, again. I spoke in a hoarse voice, “Marissa got tickets from Cord, but now I don’t know.”

His hand grasped my arm. He pulled me close. “I want you to come.”

Oh, God. The idea of my parents being there, of the announcer dedicating something to them… pain of a different level flared inside of me. I struggled to keep from buckling over and crumbling to the floor. They would announce Ethan’s name. He would be remembered by thousands of people. I pulled away from Jesse’s hand and shook my head. I was so tired of crying, so damn tired. As I swiped some of the cursed tears away, Jesse pulled me back to him. He made a soothing sound as he replaced my hands and wiped them away instead.

More slipped out.

He dried them too.

And then he glanced up, cursed under his breath, and ripped himself away.

I looked up, into Angie’s eyes. She seemed horrified and her mouth was open. A strange gurgling sound came out and she raised a pointing finger towards us. “You—you two—what?”

Jesse bent close and whispered in my ear, “Room 2612.” Something was pushed into my hand and he stalked away to the elevators.

I glanced down at the key card in my hand. Nothing was making sense again.

Then Angie was at my side and she whispered, “Oh my god.”

Oh my god indeed.

The elevator opened and he got on. I yelled out, “Wait!”

The door started to slide closed, but it opened again. He stepped halfway out of the elevator and did what I asked. He waited.

Then I turned to Angie. “I’m staying with him.”

“What? But—”

I rushed around and hurried to where he was holding the door for me. As I slipped past and he let go of the door, Angie followed. Shock was evident in her eyes as she merely watched us. Her mouth was still hanging open, but then the door slid closed.

I closed my eyes and braced myself. The cat was out of the bag now. Angie had suspected, she had approved at first, and then disapproved. Then she forgot, but she was fully reminded now. I knew she thought Jesse had moved on from us. He had left us behind, or left me behind, but when she saw the text message he had sent me yesterday, the same disapproval had come back. She hadn’t said a word on the airplane or in the taxi, or at any moment of the trip, but I knew it was only a matter of time. She was going to question me and she would say the same things I told myself every time.

Jesse was going to hurt me. He already had, but she didn’t know that he healed me as well. I needed him, even if it was only in the little increments that I got from him. Because every time, a part of me felt whole, a little more together before he would leave again.

He watched me now, a grave expression on his face, but neither of us said a word. The air was thick with tension, anticipation too.

I wanted to be in his arms. I wanted it so badly now. I could almost taste him.

Then my phone started buzzing. They were text messages from Angie, but I silenced it and put it away.

And then we were on his floor. We walked together to his room. My palms were starting to sweat again. I felt breathless. The door opened and we were inside. I placed my bag down, but then I was pulled back. Jesse pushed me against the wall. I had a second to glimpse the lust on his face. And then his mouth crashed down on mine and I wrapped myself around him.

Thirteen

We had fallen asleep when sudden pounding on the door woke us up. Jesse jerked upright, startled. I flipped to my back and grabbed the blanket to cover me. He grimaced when someone yelled through the door, “Hunt, come on! We’re fucking waiting for your ass.”

When the unmistakable click of his lock sounded, we both threw ourselves into motion. I grabbed the rest of the blankets and pulled them over my head as Jesse threw himself on the ground for his clothes. Then the door opened and I cringed. It sounded like more than one guy entered the room. One of them grumbled, “What the hell, Jesse? You take a nap or something?”

“Uh, Reed…” a guy cleared his throat.

“Oh, shit!”

“Stop,” Jesse barked the last one.

And then there was silence, interrupted by someone snickering, but I let out a breath of relief when I heard all of them leave again. It was so silent for a second until something landed next to me, but I didn’t make a move. No way. I was sure it was a trick.

“You can come out,” Jesse said flatly. “They’re outside now.”

I poked my head out from the blankets. He grinned at me as he was zipping up his jeans, a Grant West University sports blazer on top. Then he disappeared into the bathroom and I heard water running.

I exhaled. Holy smokes. When the realization of what had almost happened settled over me, my arms shook a little. I couldn’t believe a bunch of Jesse’s teammates had almost seen me naked, and in his bed. Well, they did see me in bed, but not the naked part. And I was hoping Cord and his two friends wouldn’t put two and two together, but who was I kidding?

Jesse came back out, a slight whiff of outdoor cologne clung to him; his hair glistening with gel.

Oh dear goodness. I swallowed over a very dry throat again. I was reminded how dangerously attractive he could be at times. And now, with his angular cheekbones, his glossy black hair, the scent of pine trees, and how his blazer molded perfectly from his broad shoulders to his trim waist… I had to hold onto the bed so I didn’t pull him back down.

I wanted to, almost too much now. I licked my lips at the lustful thoughts that swirled in my head.

He flashed me a grin before he tossed the same key card from before at me. It landed beside the pile of clothes he had tossed earlier. “I’d invite you to come with, but it’s a team thing.”

I flashed him a look. Like I would want to have breakfast with all those guys, knowing they knew what I’d been doing an hour before.

“So,” my voice was so husky. I flushed in embarrassment.

Jesse smirked now.

I tried to clear my throat. “What are you doing for the day?” It didn’t work.

He dropped his arms to his sides and straightened from the wall. Then he stalked towards me. I swallowed over the huge lump in my throat. My lips were dry again. He got closer. Oh goodness. No one should look that lethal in only jeans and a blazer. Slowly, so slowly, he leaned down so his face was inches from mine. Both of his hands rested on the bed on either side of me and he held himself there. His lips brushed against mine as he spoke, “Lots and lots of sex.”

My heart was pounding.

“Really?” I squeaked out.

Then his lips moved into a perfect smile. “What are you doing today?”

“Wha—” But I stopped. I reached up and took hold of the back of his hair.

He tensed, waiting.

I started to sit up. He moved back, but stopped when I applied pressure on his hair. Now I was on my knees. The bed comforter was the only thing that covered me. It was tucked under my arm, but as I lifted myself up and pressed against him, it started to slip. His eyes darkened, but he didn’t move. I didn’t let him. And then I grinned. My lips brushed against his. His breathing grew shallow and I felt his heart pick up its pace. It thumped against me. And then I whispered, caressing him at the same time, “Lots and lots of—”

A pounding on the door stopped me. The same guy yelled through it, “Come on, man! You already banged her. Let’s go!”

A mask of fury came over him quickly. He tore himself away from me and was out the door in a second.

“Hey—what the—?”

There was a loud crash against the wall. One of the pictures that’d been hanging up was knocked off its nail from the movement. It crashed to the floor.

“Hey-hey!”

“Hey, man—”

And then someone punched someone.

“Ow!”

“Holy shit!”

“Hey, hey—”

There was more movement in the hallway, more punches were shared, and another crash against the wall.

Jesse’s door was slammed shut. It was loud and sudden. I jumped from the tension and staggered to my feet. Now it was my turn to quickly dress. I pushed my arm through a sleeve, cursed when it caught and ripped a hole, but hurried to finish dressing. When I pulled my jeans up and my fingers couldn’t snap the button, I cursed again, and then pushed my hair out of my eyes. I wanted to chop it off at that moment.