The Other Game: A Dean Carter Novel (The Perfect Game #4)
Read The Other Game: A Dean Carter Novel (The Perfect Game #4) Online
Authors: J. Sterling
The Other Game
A Dean Carter Novel
by
J. Sterling
The Other Game
Copyright © 2015 by J. Sterling
All Rights Reserved
Edited & Formatted by:
Pam Berehulke
Cover Design by:
Michelle Preast
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Digital Edition
License Notes 2015
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Please do not participate or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-1517051150
ISBN-10: 1517051150
Please visit the author’s website
to find out where additional versions may be purchased.
This book is for everyone who fell in love with the Carter Brothers and always wanted more of them. I’m so happy that I could give this to you. I hope you love it.
Note From Author:
Please note that this is The Perfect Game from Dean’s point of view. It follows the timeline of that story exactly, but from a whole new perspective. Please keep that in mind while reading. Enjoy!
I glanced down at the red plastic cup in my hand, still filled with just as much beer as I’d started with when my brother and I first arrived at the frat party. Only now it was lukewarm instead of ice cold. I wasn’t sure why I continued to clutch the cup like it was some sort of safety net. Or maybe it was—as long as I held it, no one bugged me and tried to get me to drink anything else.
Lord knows I had enough to deal with just being the brother of Jack Carter. It was my responsibility to make sure we got home all right. Not that Jack tended to drink all that much during baseball season, but still.
“Hey, Dean.” A leggy blonde wove her way through the crowd in the fraternity house’s front yard to reach me. I had no idea who she was.
“Hey,” I said back, not wanting to be rude, but knowing from experience what would come next.
“Where’s your brother?”
And there it was, the one thing that ninety-nine percent of the female population at Fullton State cared about—my older brother, Jack.
Without saying a word, I pointed in the direction of the driveway where he stood with a few of his teammates, watching another blond girl dancing.
“Wanna introduce me to him?” She batted what had to be fake eyelashes at me, and I blew out a long breath.
“Not really. He’s not hard to talk to, I promise. Just go say hi.”
I gave her a little shove, which was probably rude, but hell. Sometimes it was annoying being the younger brother of a future major league baseball player. That was part of the reason why everyone wanted a piece of him, especially the girls. They knew he was going places, and they wanted to hitch a ride.
Girls were weird, and I’d never understand them.
I looked back at my brother, realizing he held a short girl by her arm for half a second before letting go. The little pixie stood there, apparently annoyed, scowling up at him as she tapped her foot on the concrete. Jack leaned toward her, saying Lord knows what.
That was when I realized who she was.
Melissa.
Please, God, if you care about me at all, don’t let Jack be interested in her. Or vice versa.
I had a class with Melissa, and often found myself staring at her tanned legs instead of paying attention to the teacher. I’d caught her staring back at me too, and on the few occasions she sat next to me, her leg would occasionally bump mine, or her shoulder brushed against me, and I’d get a whiff of the fruity scent of her shampoo.
We flirted, that much I knew. And she seemed interested, but so far I hadn’t worked up the nerve to do anything more than ask for her name. I’d thought of those big blue eyes and silky brown hair more often than I cared to admit.
Hell, maybe I was more like Jack than I realized, I thought, but then gave myself a mental slap.
No, no way
. I didn’t want to sleep with Melissa and then never do it again. That kind of shit wasn’t in my DNA the way it was in my brother’s.
Melissa passed by me in a huff as she stormed into the frat house, and I smiled to myself before chasing after her. Being pissed off suited her. Her blue eyes practically gave off sparks when she was mad, making her look like a pissed-off Tinker Bell.
“Melissa!” I shouted over the music, but she didn’t seem to hear, so I shouted her name once more as I reached for her arm.
She instinctively yanked out of my grasp and whipped around to face me, her eyes narrowed and blazing, ready to do battle. But once she realized it was me, everything softened. Her expression, her body language, everything relaxed. Then her pretty face broke out into a big smile.
“Dean, hi!”
When she launched herself into my arms and gave me a big hug, I hugged her back and breathed her in, trying not to look like a douchebag. She smelled like summer and sunshine. After a beat, I reluctantly released her.
“Was my brother bothering you?” I nodded my head in the direction of the front door.
“Your brother’s an asshole.”
Thank you, God
, I thought, assuming that this meant Melissa was not, and never would be, interested in him. He could have all the other girls in Southern California, but not this one.
“He’s not so bad,” I said, defending him out of habit.
Melissa groaned. “I don’t care. Apparently his latest conquest is my best friend, Cassie. I don’t want to deal with that fallout.”
“The blonde dancing in the driveway?”
“That’s the one.”
“She looks tougher than most,” I said with a smile, hoping to calm her fears a little.
“I hope you’re right,” Melissa said, but she sounded unsure. “I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll see you in a bit.” She gave me another quick hug before she disappeared into the crowded hallway.
I walked back outside and saw the leggy blonde who’d wanted an introduction still hadn’t moved. The girl’s eyes stayed trained on my brother, and I wondered what on earth could be so interesting.
That was when I noticed what appeared to be a verbal battle. The girl who’d been dancing in the driveway wasn’t leaning into my brother as he spoke to her like most girls did. No, Melissa’s best friend—Cassie, I think Melissa said her name was—appeared annoyed, disinterested, and disgusted.
Suddenly she spun away from him, shaking her head.
“I like you,” Jack shouted after her as Cassie stomped away.
“So you’re dumb too,” she shouted back at him over her shoulder. “I’ll add it to the list of your many redeeming qualities.”
Surprised, I let out a belly laugh. This chick was too much. I’d never seen any girl act that way toward my brother, and I got way too much pleasure from it.
Jack saw me laughing and headed toward me, a perplexed look on his face. “You think that’s funny?”
“Hell, yes, I think it’s hilarious. What was that?”
“I don’t even know,” he said, shaking his head. “But I liked it. She was hot as hell, and her sassy little mouth just turned me on.”
“But, what happened? Was she actually not interested in you?”
Shocked, I glanced up at the sky, looking for pigs flying. All the girls at Fullton were interested in Jack. Well, apparently all except for Cassie and her best friend, Melissa.
Thank God.
“She’s interested,” Jack said smugly. “She just doesn’t know she’s interested. Lucky for me, I’m very persistent.”
I’d forgotten all about the other blonde standing near us until she cleared her throat.
“Um, Jack,” she said tentatively, and then bit at her bottom lip.
“What’s up, sweetheart?”
“I’m interested.”
“Of course you are,” he said with a smile before grabbing the girl’s ass and pulling her mouth to his.
I walked away from the two of them, shaking my head.
Welcome to being Jack Carter, I thought. It’s a rough life.
I practically freaking skipped into class on Monday, knowing that I’d get to see Melissa. After I ran into her on Friday night, she’d plagued my thoughts all weekend.
Jack had even mentioned Cassie a few times in passing over the weekend, which surprised me, especially after he’d hooked up with that other chick after pissing Cassie off. I figured he’d forgotten all about Melissa’s roommate, but apparently he hadn’t. I wondered if Cassie had consumed his thoughts the way Melissa had haunted mine.
Scanning the small classroom, I didn’t see her, so I took a seat in the middle of the room and hoped she’d show up. It would be the worst kind of torture for me if she skipped class today.
Within minutes, a pink bag was tossed in the seat next to mine, and my little pixie sat down. I closed my eyes for a second, taking a discreet whiff¸ and smiled. Today she smelled like strawberries.
“Hey, Dean.” She pulled a pen from her bag and bit at the cap.
I stared at her mouth before getting a hold of myself. “Hey. Did you have a good time Friday?”
Melissa narrowed her eyes. “Friday, Friday, what was on Friday?”
My heart sank a little before she laughed.
“Just kidding. It was all right. Typical frat party, you know. Dumb drunk guys. Even dumber drunk girls. And your stupid brother to round it all out.”
I laughed at her assessment, thinking how right she was. “Yeah, pretty much. It was good to see you, though,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound stupid.
“It was good to see you too. I still don’t understand how you’re related to Jack, though. Are you sure they didn’t mix up babies in the hospital?”
She smiled, but it seemed a little forced. Something was different. Her leg didn’t accidentally touch mine, and her body language seemed closed off. I wasn’t sure why she was being this way, but I knew I didn’t like it.
Before I could answer, the professor cleared his throat, signaling the beginning of class.
Melissa nudged me with her shoulder, and when I glanced at her, she offered me a cute smile. God, she was truly adorable. How could I be expected to pay attention to the teacher when this pint-sized goddess was sitting next to me, smelling like summer.
Somehow I managed to get through the class. Not only did I pay attention, but I took notes as well. When the class ended, Melissa hopped out of her seat and told me good-bye before I could stop her.
Disappointed, I gathered my things. As I stepped out of my row and into the aisle, a hand on my shoulder made me pause. I turned around to see an unfamiliar pair of brown eyes looking back at me.
“Can I help you?” I asked, staring at the girl as other students filed out around us.
“You . . . you’re Jack Carter’s brother, right?”
I had to force myself to respond. “The one and only.” I faked a yawn.
“Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, um.” Seeming nervous, she twisted her hands together as she asked, “Do you know if he’s seeing anyone right now? I mean, is he single?”
Confused, I studied her through narrowed eyes. “He’s always single.” If this girl was as big of a groupie as she appeared to be, she should know this already.
The poor girl actually blushed. “Oh, right. Of course he is. Well, I just think he’s really hot and so good at baseball. I mean, he’s so, so good. And it must be so cool being related to him.”
Is this chick for real?
“The coolest,” I said sarcastically, hoping she’d catch on.
Instead, she let loose a thrill-filled mini scream. Horrified, I looked around before realizing thankfully that the class was empty.
Her eyes bright, she said quickly, “Well, can you give him this for me, please? Just tell him it’s from Tarah. We met at the party last weekend.” She thrust out her hand to hand me a folded piece of purple note paper.
I looked at her face, trying to place her as the chick Jack had made out with after Cassie left, but this girl’s hair was light brown, not blond, and she wasn’t nearly as tall or leggy. It wasn’t her. I would have sworn I’d never seen this girl in my life.
Not wanting to be rude, I took the note. “Okay. I’ve gotta go, though.”
“Oh yeah, of course. Thanks. Thanks a lot.” Tarah flashed me a grateful smile as she squeezed her binder against her chest, and then brushed past me and ran up the stairs.
Shaking my head, I trudged up the same stairs, wondering if I should trash the note or actually give it to Jack. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d had to act like his personal assistant.
Curious, I unfolded the paper, which smelled like bubblegum for some reason, and saw a phone number written in black Sharpie. Underneath the number was her name surrounded by a bunch of red hearts and hand-drawn swirly things. I felt like I was looking at a note written by a twelve-year-old.
I belted out a laugh. Oh yeah, I was definitely delivering this to Jack.
I walked into the student union and headed down the stairs to the pizza joint. Once inside, I scanned the room, searching for my brother’s table. It usually wasn’t very hard to find considering he sat surrounded by a bunch of girls acting like fools.
They pawed at him, each trying to get a hand or two on some part of his body like he was a rock star. I would say it was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever seen, but since this had been a regular occurrence since we were in high school, I’d be lying.
“Make room for Dean,” Jack demanded as I neared, and the girl closest to him begrudgingly moved her things out of the seat so I could sit down.
After tossing my backpack onto the floor, I sat, my stomach grumbling.
“Here, bro, eat.” Jack shoved some pizza toward me before tossing his arm around my neck. “You’ll never get big like me if you don’t eat,” he teased, and I wrapped my arm around his neck in return.
“I don’t wanna be big like you. I wanna be little forever,” I said, laughing since Jack and I were almost the same size and build.
“Shit, you’re already as big as I am.”
I grabbed a slice of pizza and had just taken a bite when I noticed Melissa and Cassie watching our table from a distance. Half tempted to wave at the girls, I stopped myself, not wanting Jack to notice them if he hadn’t already.
My eyes locked with Melissa’s just as I was about to look away. I sent a small smile her way before I focused on filling my stomach with food.
“Oh, I almost forgot. I have a present for you,” I said as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the purple paper.
Jack took it out of my hand with a puzzled look on his face. “What’s this?”
“Just open it,” I mumbled, my mouth filled with food. I chewed as he carefully unfolded it, and tried to stifle a laugh.
He glanced at it and scowled. “Who the hell is Tarah?”
“Some chick in my class,” I said as the laugh I’d been trying to hold in burst free. “I figured maybe you knew her.”
“I don’t,” he said with a shrug. “Is she fourteen?”
“She might be.”
I swallowed the last bite of the slice before remembering that Melissa and Cassie were seated just a few tables away. I glanced back at their table, but they were both gone.
Jack crumpled up the note before tossing it across the table at Brett, one of his teammates.
“What’s this shit?” Brett asked as he unfolded it. “Is this for me or you, Carter?”
“You can have it,” Jack said with a sly smile.
“I just might. What’s she look like?”
I clenched my jaw. It was one thing to make fun of Tarah with my brother, but it was another to involve the damn baseball team. I knew firsthand how cruel their pranks could be, and didn’t want the poor girl to get harassed by these assholes.
“Don’t call her, Brett. Give it to me,” I said with a tight-lipped smile, and held out my hand.
Brett didn’t argue, which surprised me. I figured I’d have to battle him for the damn thing. Instead he balled up the note and chucked it at my chest.
After pulling it from my lap where it had landed, I stuffed it back into my pocket, determined to throw it out after lunch.
“Are you heading home after this?” Jack asked as I chewed my pizza.
“Yeah, why?” Where else would I go?
“Will you ask Gran to make lasagna tonight?” he said with a stupid grin, then added, “Please?”
“No way. You know how long that takes her. I can’t ask her at four in the afternoon to whip up some homemade lasagna for dinner tonight.”
Thank God for Gran and Gramps. They showed up when our parents abandoned us when we were little, and have been there for us ever since.
Our parents bailing on us the way they did affected Jack and me in different ways. I was on my best behavior from that moment on, hoping that somehow if I was extra good, maybe she’d know and come back home.
But Jack went the opposite route, determined to get into trouble whenever possible. He picked a lot of fights and kept everyone, except for the three of us, at a distance. He refused to let anyone in—not wanting to be vulnerable, I guessed—and started treating girls like crap pretty early on. Truth be told, the girls allowed it and almost encouraged it, so I wasn’t sure if it was all our mom’s fault.
Baseball was the only thing that saved my brother from completely going off the deep end. He wasn’t allowed to fight on the field, and once he started pitching, he was like a whole other person on that mound. It was the only place he felt like he had any control, and he was always something to watch.
Jack used to confide in me that he was terrified one of our parents would come back around one day, wanting money or to be a part of our lives if he got drafted. When I asked him what we would do if that ever happened, he always said,
“Nothing. Just like they did for us
.”
“Come on. Don’t I deserve lasagna?” Jack turned toward one of the girls still pawing at his bicep. “You think I deserve lasagna, don’t you?”
“I think you deserve whatever you want,” the girl said, and then deliberately ran the tip of her tongue over her lips.
I wanted to ask what the hell was wrong with all these chicks, but stopped myself. There was no point. When it came to my brother, they simply didn’t care what it took to get him, even if they knew it wouldn’t last longer than one night.
When Jack cocked an eyebrow at me, I pointed at his cell phone on the table. “Then you ask Gran.”
“She’ll tell me no. But she won’t say no to you, Dean. You’re her favorite.”
I choked out a laugh and raised my eyebrows, pretending to agree with him. “That’s because I’m nicer than you are.”
It wasn’t true, though. Gran didn’t have a favorite.
Jack frowned, considering. “Will you ask her to make it tomorrow then? For after my game?”
I huffed out a dramatic exhale. “Fine. That I can do. But if she says no, you’re out of luck.”
“Love you, little brother.”
“Yeah, yeah. I love you too.” I smiled as I snagged another slice.
• • •
The next afternoon I entered the student union to find Jack with his harem of girls right at the entrance. He flexed his muscles for a couple of them, who screamed when they grabbed his bicep. “Hold on,” he said as he lifted them into the air before putting them down again.
There were days I couldn’t believe I was related to him. Maybe Melissa was right.
“Show us your pitching motion again, Jack!” one of the girls said with a squeal, and he showed off his moves in slow motion, much to the girls’ pleasure.
I looked up and noticed Cassie and Melissa watching the spectacle with disgusted looks on their faces. Without a second thought, I walked over toward their table and leaned down close to Melissa.
“Hi, Melissa.”
“Oh . . . hi, Dean.”
“Would you mind if I sat with you?” I smiled at Melissa’s soft and sweet response, and kept my eyes locked onto her beautiful baby blues.
“No. We’re much better company than your brother’s table, anyway,” she teased as she poked me in the ribs.
Glancing in Jack’s direction, I shook my head and placed my food on the table before I sat down. “It just gets old sometimes, you know?”
I stretched my hand across the table and reached for Cassie’s since we hadn’t been introduced yet. “Hi, I’m Dean.”
“I’m Cassie. I’m Melissa’s roommate.” She took my hand and squeezed with a small smile. “It’s nice to—”
“Dean! What are you doing over here?”
Jack’s voice echoed throughout the student union, and I suddenly was sorry I’d come over here. Both of these girls seemed to hate Jack, and my presence only drew him over. When I mouthed
sorry
to Melissa, she just shrugged as if she’d been expecting it.
“Oh, Kitten. I see you’ve met my little brother.” Jack winked at Cassie before placing his hand on my shoulder and squeezing.
“Thank God he seems nothing like you,” she said. “I might actually be able to tolerate him.”
Cassie tilted her head and smiled tightly before taking a bite of her sandwich, and I fought off the urge to laugh. I noticed Melissa and Jack sharing an amused glance, and I didn’t like the idea of them having some sort of inside joke.