Fair Catch (Love and Sports Series) (29 page)

             
Lexi leaned over and hugged her friend. “That’s amazing Margo. Congratulations.”

             
“Yea, Margo that is quite an accomplishment. So what exactly will you be doing?”

             
“Raising money for those amazing animals. I was the lead on the Christmas fundraiser and brought in five thousand more dollars than any other year they had the fundraiser as well as tripled the amount of donations and I did it in three weeks which was what sealed the deal for the director. I will be doing some light projects here and there until I graduate but after that I will be setting up office downtown. The pay is not as much as I would have hoped but it’s an opportunity I don’t want to pass up.”

             
“That’s amazing.” Parker leaned over and gave Margo a hug. Lexi watched how Margo buried her head in Parker’s shoulder and closed her eyes as if it was the last time she was going to see him. Parker turned to Lexi and kicked her foot under the table. “That leaves you, kid. What do you plan on doing after you graduate?”

             
The dreaded question, she hated that question more than anything. She smiled at her friends and said, “I will be traveling with Jake.”              Parker motioned his hand as if telling her to continue with her statement. “That’s all.” As she hoped she would be traveling with Jake. They never really talked about it.

             
Parker and Margo both exchanged worried glances. “But what are you going to do?” Margo asked, concern dripped from her mouth.

             
“Be with Jake.” Her answer felt stupid but they didn’t understand, they didn’t need to understand. She and Jake needed each other. “I can help him train and be there for him at events. Plus, if he gets a big enough contract, he could fly me to some of the away games so I can still be with him.”

             
Completely talking out of her ass, Lexi wished she could turn the conversation away from her because sweat started to build up at the base of her neck.

             
Parker shook his head at her. “Jeeze Lex, seems like you’re giving up your life for a guy.”

             
Rage started to fester in her body but she tamped it down before she let loose on her Parker and Margo. These were her friends, they were just concerned about her. She took a sip of her coffee and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I’m not giving up my life, Parker. I want to be with Jake. This is what I want.”

             
“It seems like it’s what Jake wants.” Margo intervened, not really knowing that Lexi really hadn’t had a conversation with Jake about their future. “What are you going to do if this doesn’t work out? Being with a soon to be superstar can only cause trouble and possible heart break. What will you do if that happens?  You’re going to need something to fall back on. You need a career.”

             
Lexi now was seething and her cheeks felt hot from the anger that boiled inside of her. “We are not going to break up. We love each other.”

             
Parker placed his hand on hers as a calming gesture. “Lex, we’re not trying to be mean. We are just watching out for you. We want to make sure you’re going to be ok. We don’t want to see you get lost in Jake.”

             
Lexi slapped her hand on the table. “Why does everyone keep saying that? I’m not going to get lost in Jake. That is ridiculous. What does it even mean anyway? I am fine!”

             
Then, as if all their talk conjured up the man in question, Jake came through the doors of the coffee house and headed straight for their table. He looked amazing as usual. His eyes twinkled when he made eye contact with Lexi and his smiled stretched from ear to ear.

             
“Hey baby. I was just going to call you. Do you want to help me run some fifties on the indoor track?”

             
Lexi was happy for the escape from an infuriating conversation between her friends that once was pleasant. She grabbed her purse and coffee which was thankfully in a to-go cup. “Sure. Sorry guys but I have to cut this short.” She said to Margo and Parker. She gave Margo a hug and said another congratulations in her ear. When she gave Parker a hug he whispered in her ear.

             
“This is what I’m talking about, kid. You can’t drop everything, including your friends for him. Don’t forget who you are. I love you and don’t want to see you get hurt.”

             
Lexi took his advice with a grain of salt and nodded. She waved goodbye and linked her hand with the one Jake was holding out to her. He felt so warm and safe, exactly what she needed. Anything out in the real world was too scary. Jake had turned into her home and her protection. She wasn’t getting lost in him like everyone thought. She was becoming one with him. They were forming an unbreakable bond.

             
Jake pulled her in close and kissed her on the head as they walked toward her car. “Mason dropped me off, so you don’t mind driving do you?”

             
“Not at all.” She smiled up at him and gave her a quick kiss on the nose.

             
“What did Parker say to you? I saw he was whispering to you in your ear. He wasn’t trying to tear you away from me, was he?” Jake used a joking tone. Lexi shook her head and tried to come up with something to say but couldn’t think of anything on the spot. He stopped her and lifted her chin up so they were looking each other in the eyes. “Everything ok?”

             
“Of course.” She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down for a kiss. She felt the tension he had built up in his body from her uneasiness float right out of his body. He met her kiss with his more powerful one. She felt her body tingle from his touch and the magic his lips made when they were on hers.

             
He pulled away and opened her door for her. “You’re amazing.”

             
“I know.” She said with a smile. He swatted her ass before she got in the car causing her to squeal like a little girl. She pointed at him. “Don’t get fresh with me or I might have to punish you.”

             
He waggled his eyebrows at her. “I like your punishments. I wouldn’t mind getting tied up again.” He shut her door and climbed in the passenger seat. She laughed at his comment and remembered how incredibly hard he got when she tortured him with a feather.

             
“Oh no, we are not talking about feather time.”

             
He swept her hair to the side and started kissing her neck. She leaned her head to the side to grant him more access. “But I liked feather time.” He said in between kisses.

             
She felt her breath start to kick up from the way his mouth skimmed across her bare skin. “Then it’s not much of a punishment is it? I’m talking about you running one hundred yard sprints while I get a tan in that itty bitty red bikini I have”

             
He stopped kissing her and looked her in the eyes. “That’s not a punishment, that’s torture.”

             
She laughed and put the car in drive. “Then you better be on your best behavior, Taylor.”

             
“Yes coach.” He said while placing his hand on her thigh, slightly rubbing the inner side with his thumb. She was in heaven and she didn’t care what her friends said. They didn’t understand the dynamic between her and Jake and no one had to. All that mattered was they were together.

                                                        ***

              Margo and Parker watched in shock as Lexi quickly excused herself from their little gathering and took off with Jake. She didn’t even give them a second thought when Jake asked for help, as if he trained her to be his little puppy that jumped at his calling.  Margo shook her head in bewilderment and looked at Parker. He was still staring after Lexi’s wake with his mouth open.

             
“That was kind of crazy.” Margo said, breaking the silence between the both of them.

             
“Kind of?” Parker shook his head and downed the last drops of his coffee, tossing the empty cup in the trashcan behind him. “That was scary. We’ve known Lexi for a while now and have you ever seen her listen to a man like that before, or anyone for that matter?”

             
Margo thought about the last three years and how strong willed, hard headed and stubborn Lexi had been. No one ever told her what to do besides her coach and she didn’t take crap from anyone but when Jake came into the coffee house and snapped his fingers it was like she was hypnotized. She instantly got up and left whatever she was engaging in and went to Jake’s side. It was a little nauseating to watch.

             
“I feel a little baffled. I don’t know what to say. It makes me nervous.”

             
Parker nodded. “I agree. It’s not like her to not have a plan for after college, she always has a plan and a goal to accomplish.”

             
“Do you think Jake is pressuring her, you know, controlling her life?”

             
Parker took a second to think about her question. Margo tried to ignore how sexy he looked while pondering his thoughts. She was still extremely attracted to him but knew their physical paths would never cross. They were strictly in the friendship zone which over break she came to terms with. Working at the shelter opened her eyes to a whole new world. Petty things like crushes and long legged blondes seemed so juvenile compared to the thousands of animals that needed help in the area. She found a place to be a part of, something that was bigger than her. She had never felt so good in her life. Especially after the rumored semester she had just lived through.

             
Parker interrupted her thoughts. “I truly don’t think Jake is like that. He supports Lexi, you can tell. I think Lexi is terrified about graduation and is taking the easy way out by tagging along with Jake.”

             
Margo concurred with his statement. Lexi was panicking about graduation and what to do with her life, but Margo never thought she would see her independent friend saddle up with a guy and live his life, not her own. It was so strange.

             
“What should we do?” She asked Parker.

             
He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t think there is much that we can do. If we push her on the subject its very unlikely that we will change her mind and she will only grow to resent us. I think we need to just sit back and watch her make her own mistakes. And hey, you never know, this might be the best thing that ever happened to her.”

             
Margo finished her drink and Parker took her trash from her. “Thanks. I just wish she had a back-up plan you know. I wish she had something for herself because I’m afraid once Jake starts traveling and she realizes how lonely life is going to be, she is going to lose her mind and Lord knows that’s never good.”

             
They walked out of the coffee house and toward the parking lot where their respective cars were parked. Margo felt his arm around her shoulder, a friendly gesture, something he always did with her and Lexi. His arm felt so strong and so protective, she was going to miss him, terribly.

             
When they got to Margo’s car, Parker turned toward her. “I’ve missed this, you know.”

             
“Missed what?”

             
“Our friendship. Last semester seemed like we really drifted apart.”

             
Margo felt guilty, that was her fault but she also blamed the leggy blonde basketball player. “I know, I’m sorry.”

             
“Did I do something wrong?”

             
Yea, go out with the blonde bitch from hell, Margo wanted to say but she refrained from letting the words loose from her mouth. “No, it was all me but I’m over it.”

             
“Do I get to know what it was?”

             
Margo felt herself turn beat red. Parker nudged her shoulder and egged her on.

             
“Fine, you might not want to hear this but I had a crazy idea that we would…you know be something of a fling.”

             
Margo watched pure and utter shock cross his face. She didn’t think she would catch him so off guard. She thought he picked up a little on her slight flirting but according to the look he was giving her, he picked up on no such thing.

             
“Jeeze, don’t look so shocked. I’m not a cow or anything.”

             
Parker smiled and shook his head. Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand he looked down at her still with astonishment. “You are definitely not a cow. I just, wow. I guess I never knew.”

             
He just stared at her making her uncomfortable so she decided to make her escape before things turned even worse.