ROMANCE: SPORTS ROMANCE: The Playmaker (Bad Boy College Football Romance) (New Adult College Alpha Male Sports Romance) (48 page)

Chapter 2

“Of course it’s me. Don’t you remember me? You practically lived at my house since I was little and now you don’t know who I am?”

“I just, your hair and …” Chris closed his mouth, knowing that he was gaping at her. Out of everything, he had not seen that coming. She had grown up since he had seen her last, filled in with edible curves and he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. How could she have changed so much?

“Yes, I dyed my hair. Can’t get nothing past you.”

She may have changed on the outside, but the girl still had one of the smartest mouths he had ever heard. “I see some things haven’t changed Cassie.”

“Yes, well perfection shouldn’t change. So did you come out with a boyfriend?”

He gave her a dirty look, but Cassie just smiled bigger. “Okay, touchy subject. I got it. I won’t mention showers or soap either if it makes you feel any better.”

Chris growled at her and then watched her walk away laughing. It was not what he had expected when he came back. Chris was not supposed to be attracted to his best friend’s sister, but how could he not be?

Shaking his head, Chris was convinced that it had just been too long and he needed to find a woman to get rid of some of his aggression from. Looking around, his eyes kept narrowing on the blondes and when he saw one talking that had a nice, round ass, his choice was made.

Walking up to her, he introduced himself and Amber was quickly ready to drop her panties for him. It was what Chris was used to and when he started to pull her in the house, he smiled back at Cassie that was staring at him. There was something in her eyes, loathing or something like that and she made a disgusted sound as he went in the house passed her.

Chris looked back once and sighed to himself. It seemed that James was right, some things had changed. They hadn’t changed in the way he had figured they would, but he didn’t have time to think about that then. All he could think about was the young blonde that was walking in front of him. His hand went to her ass, squeezing it as she squealed. “Patience Chris.”

“It’s been a long time, so you are going to have to keep up.” Chris didn’t even know the woman’s name, but it didn’t matter as he pushed her into his old room. It was just like James had said, the same and he quickly had her naked and she went to her knees in front of him.

He closed his eyes to the pleasure, unaware that the door was slightly ajar. Chris couldn’t focus on anything but the woman below him.

***

Cassie followed the couple up the stairs. They weren’t paying any attention to her, much like they hadn’t when she was younger. Cassie had always wanted to be included, but she was always told to go away because no one wanted her involved. But now she was an adult and they still treated her like she was a child.

It was the changes that her brother saw, the ones where she didn’t listen and didn’t do as she was supposed to anymore. Cassie had learned that the good girls never got what they wanted, never got the guy. It was always the slutty ones that found it hard to put a sentence together.

When she saw Chris again and he didn’t even recognize her, it was the last straw as far as Cassie was concerned. She was furious that he didn’t even know who she was, especially after all of the years she had thought about him. Now he was upstairs with that woman and she could already hear him groaning as she got closer to the door.

Peeking in, she had to cover her mouth not to make a noise. All she could see was the darkened profile of him and the girl that he was pushing his length into her mouth. Cassie watched for some time, but when he finally pulled her up to her feet and bent her over, Cassie was finding it hard not to make a noise. He started to slam into her with such force that the blonde’s whole body was pushed forward.

Hearing something behind her, she turned to find someone looking for the bathroom. She showed them the one downstairs, her eyes on the door she was leaving behind, the screams still in the air as Chris pleasured the woman. She wondered what it would be like to be her and to have Chris in such a way. It was what she had always wanted, but like before he left, he was not paying any attention to her.

Cassie walked away in a daze and grabbed a beer off of the table. She caught her brother’s eye and he made it clear that she wasn’t supposed to be drinking. James didn’t want her losing herself again as she had before. Cassie ignored him and looked around for a cute guy that wasn’t in the gang. No one in the gang would even talk to her because of James and the men were not many that didn’t know who she was, or the consequences that came with touching her.

She spotted a man that she hadn’t seen before and started to talk to him. Cassie was laughing at one of his jokes when James came up and told Johnny to go somewhere else. Cassie watched the man walk away, looking back only once with fear in his eyes. “Why do you have to do things like that James? I was just talking to him.”

“Why can’t you leave the gang members alone? You know what dad would say if he seen you talking to some hoodlum like that.”

She waved him away. “Dad’s not here and I am not a kid anymore James. I just turned 21 so I am old enough to drink and whatever else I want to do.”

“Well no one here is going to look twice at you Cassie. You are my sister and they all know better.”

Cassie sighed and started to walk away. He grabbed her arm to stop her. “Stop it Cassie. I mean it or you are going to stay up at school all year round.”

She yanked it back. “It’s not a boarding school James. You can’t make me stay there. Why are you acting like this? I thought you would be in a better mood now that your precious Chris was home.”

“I am in a good mood that he is home, but I don’t want him seeing you like this. It’s bad enough we have lost half of the city, what will he think if I can’t even keep control of my own sister?”

Cassie was sick of his protection and his control. She turned away and didn’t look back. She tried to fight the tears that threatened to fall. He was always so mean to her, treating her like she was a child and she was sick of it. If Chris was going to be more of the same, she may very well stay upstate in college. At least no one there was afraid of James and ignored her because of it.

After she got back in the house, she passed the blonde on her way up the stairs and she pushed passed her in a huff. Going to her room, she slammed the door and finally let her sadness come out in liquid form. Was it always going to be like this, she wondered to herself?

Chapter 3

Chris tried to push the heaviness from his eyes and the pain thudding in his head. He hadn’t drunk in years and he was starting to wonder why he did at all. He felt sick to his stomach and as he made his way downstairs, he passed Cassie at the kitchen table. She was eating some cereal and barely looked up at him.

“Morning Chris. Did you have a good night?”

He shrugged. “From what I remember from it, it was alright. What about you?”

“Tiring and dull like all of the HR shindigs that James puts together. Maybe there will be someone interesting one day. I was hoping that you would have changed, but I see that jail has just institutionalized you.”

Chris turned to say something to her and then James came into the conversation. “Don’t bother with her Chris. She is just sore that I am making her go back up to school today. My sister gets into too much trouble her and she needs to go back before it’s too late.”

She rolled her eyes and took a bite of her cereal. “Just because they passed by last night, doesn’t mean anything. What would dad think if he saw the way you were acting about it, after they took over your turf.”

Chris was confused and the two siblings argued for several minutes before James gave up and told her to go get ready. Cassie stomped off and he looked at her leaving, still trying to get his mind around the changes that had taken place in her body. She was beautiful and had filled out so well.

“Put your tongue back in your mouth Chris. She is still my sister and off-limits.”

He chuckled with Chris’ guilty look. James knew that more of the gang was having the same reaction. She was no longer a kid and she looked like a woman. The fact that other men were treating her like a woman was hard to contend with. He didn’t want her to grow up, but she had to.

“I know James. Geez, I have known her since we were kids. It would be weird at best, but you have to admit, she has changed.”

“Yea, I know. That is what I want to talk to you about. I need you to do something for me and I know you aren’t going to like it.”

“Anything. I was waiting for you to tell me what was going on with that other gang. Do I need to go pay them a visit, make an example of a couple of them?”

James nodded his head. “No, nothing like that. I need you to go upstate with Cassie.”

“What?” Chris had been thinking of many requests, but going with the leader’s sister was not one of them. Especially not the sharp-tongued one that he knew. “Why?”

“She has been having trouble at school and since we are being pushed in from all sides here by our rivals, Cassie is going to be an easy target. You know that.”

“You are serious?”

“Very much so. I don’t know who else I can trust with her and you know her best. You won’t let her get over on you. I had Jacob on her detail and she ran off and got arrested. Let’s just say that I need someone I can trust, but also someone that doesn’t see my sister as all the other girls. She isn’t.”

Chris knew what he was talking about and after seeing Cassie change, he was even more thankful to not have any sisters of his own. She had been giving his friend hell for years and by the looks of things, she hadn’t stopped yet. “I will James, but I don’t know what I am supposed to do up there.”

“Get some connections so we can branch out up there. She has a few more weeks of term and by summer I am hoping to have a few more of us up there. We might lose the city to them and I can’t let us have nothing.”

Chris didn’t like the way it sounded. It sounded as if James was already giving up. “You can’t let them have the city. Send a couple people up there with her and I will help you take care of this other gang. We can’t let this stand or they are going to just keep pushing us right out.”

James could understand his reluctance, but it was not just about Cassie. Chris had a target on his back since he was still on parole and the cops would use that to their advantage. If Chris got into any trouble, he would be locked up for another four years and James couldn’t handle his friend being taken away again. He just got him back. But James couldn’t talk about that. Chris wouldn’t want to hear about that.

“Come on Chris. You know that I need you to do this or I wouldn’t ask. Cassie is my responsibility and I can’t do what I have to do with her here. Just take her up to school and sleep on her couch for a week or so. It will give me enough time to get things straight here and then you can come back. You just have to trust me.”

“I do, it’s just. I wasn’t planning on taking off once I got here. I mean, it’s been a long time and I still haven’t seen my family.”

“Go see them on the way. I really just need you two out of the city today. That’s all I can say right now Chris, just promise me you will take care of my sister.”

“You know I will.”

James sighed, seeming to finally be able to calm himself. He had been worried about it for days. He should have known that Chris still had his back and he had meant what he had said. Chris was the only one that he could trust with her.

***

“I am not going anywhere with you Chris. You are just like James and all the rest of them thugs that are in the gang.”

“Cassie, it’s happening and you shouldn’t talk about your family like that.”

“Why? Just because they are family, doesn’t make them any less criminal.”

“You’re being harsh Cassie. Even for you. I am just doing what James wants. He wants you to be safe with the other gang trying to take over. Aren’t you worried about it?”

“No and I don’t need my brother’s guard dog drooling all over me anyways.”

“Don’t flatter yourself Cassie. You are not my type.”

“I know you Chris, if it is female and breathing, it’s your type.” She tried to push the images of him from the night before from her mind. What she would have given to be the woman that he plowed into in such a way. Shivering she looked out the passenger window of her own car as he drove the three hours back to campus.

“Well I am coming, whether you like it or not. I will try to control myself around you.”

He was smiling and that just made her mood even worse. “Don’t make fun of me Chris. It’s not fair and I am sick of James running my life. That was why I went upstate to school, to get away from James and all of his gang buddies.”

“It won’t be for long Cassie. Do you really think I want to be here babysitting you instead of getting my freak on with half of the city? I don’t want to be up on campus any more than you do, so let’s just get through this so we can go our separate ways when it is all over.”

Cassie pushed the straw-colored hair back from her face and nodded her head. She knew that what he said was right. If it wasn’t Chris, then James would have sent someone else and there was no telling who she would have had to deal with. But she didn’t want to let it happen. Cassie felt like she should say more about it.

“Well I don’t know where you are going to sleep. I have roommates you know.”

“I can sleep on the couch. It won’t be for long.” He hated the idea of it, but in all honesty, it would be much softer than the small concrete bench that he had been laying on for the last couple of years. “It will be fine, you’ll see.”

She didn’t believe him, but as it had been made clear to her, it wasn’t like she had another choice anyways. Chris had almost put her in the car bodily and she knew that whatever her brother said, he would listen to. It didn’t matter what she said or did. James would get his way.

“Fine, it’s not like I have a damn choice anyways. I just hope that you two are happy with yourselves. I can’t wait till I graduate and I can move so far away from all of you Hell’s Riders.”

Chris smiled back at her, happy that she was finally getting the hint that it was happening. He felt a little bad for her, but it had to be done and she had to know that deep down. It wasn’t like James would have asked him to come with her, if he didn’t honestly think that she was in danger.