Between The Tackles: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Pass To Win Book 3) Read online

  “Oh…I’m sorry to hear that.” It was her turn to offer condolences.

  “Thanks, it was tough growing up. It was probably tough for you too.”

  “Yeah.”

  “But, sometimes you get used to it, you know?”

  “Yeah.”

  I rested my hand onto hers to offer her some small comfort. I then had to remove it to shift gears. Also, she seemed uncomfortable having my hand on hers.

  “Oh, sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Oh, no it’s okay. It just took me by surprise.”

  I felt something when I touched her hand. I felt an instant connection with her. She laughed nervously and I thought maybe she felt it too. I hoped she had.

  We continued to talk and I loved how she spoke her mind and wasn’t afraid to talk to me. We talked about every single thing: from food to music to other sports to movies and it really opened up my mind to what a woman could be like. She was so interesting and complex. I had never met a girl who could hold a conversation quite like her. She didn’t just see me as some meathead or a pretty boy jock who just happened to have a lot of money. She saw an actual human being when she talked to me and boy, was that refreshing. I loved how confident and comfortable she seemed around me and she was also funny. I haven’t laughed so much in a long time. She was great company. Normally girls would be so afraid to talk to me that it seemed that I would be doing all of the talking and they would listen to me prattling on and on, until I would make a move. A part of me had become really tired of it. I didn’t think I would find another girl who was different and so close to being perfect.

  I finally arrived at her door and I couldn’t understand why, but I got out of my car and opened the door for her. I was thankful that it stopped raining and she got out.

  “Thank you so much for opening the door for me. You seem to be quite the gentleman.”

  I laughed. I really wasn’t at all. But I figured she deserved it.

  “Well, for the right girl, I can be. Don’t tell anyone,” I laughed.

  She grinned at me, “Well, thanks for the lift.”

  “No problem,”

  I was about to head back to my car when I stopped myself.

  I asked her, “Hey, would you like it if I brought you a jersey?”

  She smiled at me, “I’d love it.”

  “Great, I will drop one off at the stands for you,” I promised.

  “Cool. Thank you.”

  “No problem. See you soon,” I waved goodbye.

  “See you,” she waved back.

  As I sped off towards the party, I began to think about April. I wanted to hold her and kiss her goodbye. I wanted to be closer to her and talk to her for hours.

  I had to stop myself. This wasn’t like me. I couldn’t believe that I could feel like this about someone else.

  I could hear the loud music coming from the speakers a few blocks away. I was told that it was going to be an epic party and so far, it sounded like that. I finally arrived and parked my car.

  I walked through the door and all eyes were on me. I was used to all of this attention being the star player and what not.

  I saw some of my teammates hanging out near a beer keg and some of the sorority sisters dancing to the music.

  “Hey, Nick. What’s up?” they greeted me.

  Ryan, who was one of the outside linebackers, handed me a drink and gave me an update about the party. We then began to walk around the house. People cheered and congratulated us when they saw us.

  “Great game guys!” One of the guys called out.

  “Best all season!” Another said

  A really pretty girl came up to Ryan and asked if he wanted to dance with her. Ryan, being the ladies’ man that he is, followed her to another room and they began to dance. I decided that it might be good if I was on my best behavior. I wasn’t too sure if Jennifer was going to be here, but word had it she and her girlfriends were celebrating the big win here.

  Some girls saw me and laughed. As usual. Not even one had the nerve to come up to me. And it was in their best interest that they didn’t. Jennifer was insanely jealous and had threatened a few girls who attempted to flirt with me at the initial stage of our relationship. She refused to have anyone take what was hers. I rolled my eyes at the thought of it. I was my own man. Before I had met Jennifer, life was much easier and less stressful. I could have any girl I wanted and I did. I thought Jennifer would have been much different and that we would have been perfect together.

  We had met in high school. She was the hottest and most popular girl at school and was the head cheerleader in high school and also at university. She was also wealthy and privileged, so we did have something else in common. But once I got to know her, she began to get on my nerves. I felt like I had a nagging wife rather than a girlfriend. She had so many demands and always wanted attention. She was the longest girlfriend that I had ever had. I stayed with her not only because I thought I couldn’t find a better woman, but also because of our status at school, we were a bit of a power couple and I thought it could ruin our reputation if we broke up.

  But after meeting April tonight, it made me think of the possibilities of being with someone who could truly understand that life was more than makeup, designer bags and money. I saw that some girls could actually be nice without being boring.

  As I walked around, I finally saw Jennifer talking and drinking with her friends. She spotted me, ran up and hugged me.

  “Hey, congrats on winning the big game!” she gushed.

  She then kissed me. I wanted to roll my eyes at her.

  “Thanks.”

  Her friends were giggling and staring at me. It was safe to assume that they were drunk. They kept giggling. I knew for a fact that when Jennifer wasn’t looking, they had tried to hook up with me on several occasions. Her friends were fake and apparently only hang out with her to know more about me. Who could blame them?

  Jennifer then pulled me aside and whispered into my ear.

  “So how will we celebrate the big win?” she smirked at me.

  Normally we would have sex after a big win so that, according to her, there would be two big wins. But recently, we haven’t been having sex. We haven’t been having anything at all. We haven’t been spending much time with each other. It was a relief to be away from her and not constantly hear about dates and shows and beauty products.

  “Not tonight, Jennifer,” I refused her blatant hint.

  “Aww, why not?”

  “Just not in the mood.”

  She stopped hugging me and glared at me.

  “What do you mean you aren’t in the mood tonight?”

  “I’m just not. Okay?”

  She looked at me like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “How could you not be in the mood? You are breaking our tradition!” she yelled.

  I looked at her and said, “Look it’s not really a tradition. Plus, don’t you think you are making a big deal out of this?”

  I could see her becoming enraged. She pulled me away from the crowd and the party.

  We were outside and she looked like she needed an explanation.

  “Look tonight is just not the night, okay?”

  “Nick, we have been doing this for years! Why is it all of a sudden you don’t want to have sex with me?!” She is getting louder with every word.

  I remained silent. I didn’t want to tell her that it was because I met April and I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  “Nick! Answer me!” she demanded.

  “Jennifer, aren’t you a bit tired of all of this? Aren’t you tired of this pretending like we actually care about each other?” I tried to speak calmly hoping she would bring it down a notch.

  Jennifer was taken aback by what I had said.

  “Pretending?! What the hell has gotten into you?” she screeched.

  I asked, “Don’t you think we should just end this?”

  “What is going on, Nick?” Jennifer
was beginning to whine now.

  “I don’t know. I’m just tired…,” I tried to explain myself

  “…. Of being with me? Really? After all that we have been through? You’re going to just break up with me!” She started screeching again.

  “I didn’t mean it like that. I mean…,” I tried again to placate her.

  She glared at me and asked loudly, “You want to break up with me?”

  I did want to break up with her. I knew it was the right thing. But it didn’t make it any easier.

  “Huh? Do you?” She was demanding now.

  She was getting impatient.

  “Yes, I want to break up with you,” I confirmed.

  “But you can’t do that Nick. You can’t do this to me,” she cried.

  “I can do what I want now.”

  “You can’t do this! Nick what is going on with you?”

  She then proceeded to cry. I wasn’t sure if she was being genuine or was manipulating me to stay with her. I remained quiet. I hate seeing women cry.

  “I’m sorry, but I think it’s for the best.”

  She continued crying.

  “Great. Now my mascara is running,” she began to sniffle.

  “You know what? I will give you some time to think about it. Maybe, it’s just the game. Maybe there is still some testosterone running.”

  “No, I don’t need any more time to think about it.”

  “Wow. I can’t believe this. Nick. You can’t be serious.”

  “I think I am going to go home now.”

  ‘No!” She pulled at my sweatshirt and demanded that I stay and fix things. I tried to pull away from her.

  “Nick! I demand an explanation. What is it?”

  I remained silent as she was trying to figure it out.

  “Is it another girl Nick?”

  “No,” I lied, “It’s just that I want more than this.”

  “We have been together for three years. I have given you everything I had. I gave you my heart, my time and so much more than that. What more do you want?”

  “Jennifer. Stop lying. You never really cared about me or anyone else. You only care about yourself.”

  “So you are not only breaking up with me, but you are also insulting me?”

  This has been the first time that I have ever seen her display any deep emotions. She just sat on the sidewalk and began to cry. I tried to comfort her but she just brushed off my hand.

  “Leave me alone, Nick.”

  She continued to cry. I could only look at her.

  “Get out of here!” she shouted.

  I then hopped into my car and sped off. I had really wanted to enjoy the party, but I knew Jennifer would have told everyone and I couldn’t bother to explain to everyone what had happened. I was free of her drama and I wanted to keep it that way. I then began to think about April and how much I wanted to see her and talk to her again. And now that I was single, maybe we could do more than just talking…

  Maybe this thing with April could go somewhere, after all.

  3

  April

  Today, there was another game going on and I was stuck at work. There were no customers and I really didn't see any point in my being here. I had an exam coming up and really needed to do well on it. I flipped through my law book trying unsuccessfully to study. I just wanted to leave.

  Once again I was missing another game. Turning another page, I prayed for some excitement or at the very least, some customers. My boss reluctantly paid me yesterday and was not so mean to me. I wasn’t sure why but I didn’t want to question it. Maybe she was finally seeing someone…or getting some. I didn’t know and didn’t care. I was just glad that she was more pleasant.

  Finally, I found my focus and I began to absorb the information. Completely immersed in learning litigation, I didn’t even see when he walked up to the stands and stood right in front of me.

  “Hi, what are you reading?” Nick greeted me.

  I looked up and was surprised to see Nick smiling at me. I felt a rush of excitement as I stared at him. I couldn’t believe that I was looking directly into those deep hazel eyes and at those muscles and perfect hair. My heartbeat began to speed up. I mentally took a few deep breaths and kept my composure. I hadn’t expected to see him today. If I had known I would have put a lot more effort into my appearance. so that I would feel a bit more attractive right now. As it was too late to worry about it, I just flashed a smile at him.

  “Oh, I’m just studying for my law class. I have an exam coming up soon.”

  I showed him the book. He nodded. I don’t think he thought learning about the criminal justice systems was interesting.

  “Ah okay. Well I decided to visit you at work and I brought you a little something.”

  He then handed me a signed jersey and some merchandise from the team. I smiled as I looked at all of the items in the bag. There was a pen and a water bottle and also a stuffed version of the school mascot, which I found to be quite adorable. I was so happy that he kept his promise and delivered the items to me. It was always a pleasure to see him.

  I looked up at him and said, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” he replied

  “Hmm…maybe I can help you with your studies? I know exams are coming up and I’m a really good study partner,” I offered.

  “Yeah. I could use all the help that I can get. It’s hard sometimes balancing academic work with the games,” he accepted.

  I smiled playfully. “Sounds like someone also needs help with time management.”

  He laughed, “Maybe I do.”

  “I can help you with that as well.”

  “Hmmm....Maybe you can.”

  I couldn’t understand why those words began to ripple through me. His deep, masculine voice sent shivers up my spine. He couldn’t take his eyes off of me. It almost felt like he was seeing into my soul.

  “Okay, sure. So what are you studying?” she asked.

  “Oh, me. I’m studying business. It just seemed to make sense to me. You know? Just in case, I get injured. It’s a fallback plan.”

  Wow, normally I would expect jocks to only be focused on sports, but Nick seemed to have a plan.

  “Oh I see. Well that’s good, but I am pretty sure you are going to play in the big leagues. But, when it’s time to retire, you can use that degree to do something else.”

  Although honestly, I didn’t know if he even needed the degree. He already came from a wealthy family and had almost everything a man would want. I had to admit I was a bit impressed that he still wanted to work hard, although his father could provide him with all the money that he needed.

  “I know most people see me as some spoiled little rich kid, but there’s so much more to me than that. I actually have plans for my future. I want to live my own life and do something great.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

  “So, what are your plans after school?” he asked.

  “Oh, I want to move to New York. There are some good law firms out there and I want to make something of myself.”

  “Well, it has been said that if you make it there, you can make it anywhere. Thinking of moving there myself.”

  I laughed at him.

  “You love making corny jokes, don’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t make them if you weren’t laughing.”

  Touché.

  “Maybe I am just laughing so that you can feel good about yourself,” I chuckled.

  “Ouch! That hurt!”

  I winked at him, “You’re a big boy. Go walk it off.”

  He smirked at me.

  “I’ll forgive you this time, only because I think you are cute.”

  “I didn’t say sorry though,”

  He smiled. I could tell he was enjoying this.

  “So let’s stop talking about school and the future. What do you like to do?”

  I froze for a moment. I lived a very boring life no thanks to my job. But I wasn’t going to pretend or
try to impress anybody with a lie.

  “Well, I used to play sports and have a social life, but I don’t do that anymore since I have a job and school,” I said dryly.

  “Wow. You don’t even go out?”

  “Yeah. I try to find time to have fun. I don’t want to be completely boring.”

  Then he asked, “So what do you do to have fun?”

  “Eat. Sleep. You know the usual?”

  He laughed at her.

  “Sounds like someone needs a change in their routine.”

  “Maybe.”

  “So there’s this party that I’m hosting. It’s going to be pretty good. It’s at my house. There’s going to be good music and food. I think you should come and actually have some fun.”

  “I think you think too harshly of my ‘fun’ routine.”

  He laughed again.

  Wow. I haven’t been to a college party since my first year. I was excited, but slightly nervous as there was a good chance I wouldn’t know anyone there.

  “Yeah, I will be there. Is it okay if I bring someone? I don’t think I would know anyone there.”

  And I knew exactly who I would bring. Mark was my good friend and we were really close. He would be the perfect friend to accompany me.

  “Sure, unless it’s your boyfriend. He can stay home,” he said tongue-in-cheek.

  He smirked at me. Oh! He was so handsome and attractive when he was flirting.

  “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “Really? A pretty girl like you? You sure you don’t have a boyfriend?”

  “No, I just have this friend. We grew up with each other. I only see him as a brother.”

  “Good, I would really hate it if you did have a boyfriend and he got jealous seeing the both of us together. Plus,” he said as he pulled back a few strands of my hair, “I want to have you all to myself.”

  His soft whisper was extremely seductive. I could feel the goosebumps on my skin and my heart began to race. I almost thought it would jump out of my chest.

  “I’m not sure you can handle me, though.”

  “Oh, I would surely try.”

  He then handed me a flyer and I thanked him.

  “See you later, April.”