I Dare You (The Hook Up 1)

“And it is now?”

“I’m not perfect, but I know what I want.” My eyes go heavy as I run my gaze over her, taking in the way her breasts push against the fabric of her dress. “You’re the one that got away, Delaney, the opportunity I missed.”

My hand goes to her back and strums across the bare skin of her shoulder. Her skin feels like silk, soft and velvety.

“And you think you can just sweet-talk me into giving another football player a chance?”

I grin. “Yes.”

A little laugh comes from her. “Sometimes I’d like to just slap you.”

I smirk. “That means I have an effect on you.”

“You drive me crazy,” she murmurs, her eyes going low.

Our faces are closer now, and her scent washes over me, light and fresh, like lemons.

I touch her face, tracing the line of her jaw.

“What are you doing?” she asks, her voice whisper soft.

“I’m going to prove that this heat between us…it’s got to be dealt with,” I say.

“Why?”

“Because I can’t sit by you in class one more day without doing something about it.”

Just before I’m about to press my mouth to hers, someone barks out my name.

Delaney

He’s going to kiss me…until he doesn’t, his head turning sharply at the sound of his name.

Anger clouds his face, and I look over to see Alex and Ryker and several other football players striding toward us. Suddenly the room seems full of people swiveling their heads in our direction. Maverick stands, and I do the same. Martha-Muffin is here too, huddled in the corner with some of her sorority sisters, her eyes darting from me to Alex.

I stiffen my shoulders and tilt my chin up as he stops in front of us, his eyes bouncing from me to Maverick. Ryker trails behind him, a worried expression on his face as he looks at Maverick.

“Everything okay here?” Alex says, his chest rising rapidly. A muscle ticks in his jaw.

Maverick towers over Alex, his body coiled like a snake, his face tight. “She’s fine. Why are you asking?”

“One of the freshmen said you were getting cozy with Delaney,” he snaps. “That isn’t cool—not at all.”

Maverick scowls and takes several steps away from me, forcing Alex to move backward. In a matter of seconds, the space between us has been filled by other players surrounding them, waiting to see what’s going to happen.

“You aren’t dating her. What’s the problem?” Maverick bites out.

“The problem is I know you aren’t Delaney’s style, and I wanted to check on her. Besides, it’s a shitty guy that hits on a teammate’s ex.”

I’ve pushed my way through the throng of people and I see Alex crossing his arms. His face is red with anger.

Shit. This is escalating fast.

Maverick inhales a deep breath, his fists clenching. “That’s up to her. She can make up her own mind.”

Ryker steps in between them, his voice low. “Hey, hey, look, this is just a little misunderstanding. No one is angry here. Everything is cool.”

Some of the other players grumble out an agreement, but neither guy seems to be listening.

Maverick’s eyes have narrowed in on Alex. “There’s no misunderstanding. I was sitting with Delaney. Everything was fine until he showed up.”

Alex puffs up his chest. “She still cares about me, and you’re just getting in the way.”

Maverick bristles and leans his face into Alex’s. His index finger pushes at Alex’s chest, forcing him to take a step back. If a fight is about to happen, it’s clear who would win. “Stay out of my way, kicker, or you’ll regret it.”

Alex pales and is fumbling for a response when Maverick spins on his heel and stalks out the back door into the yard. I exhale, watching him go.

I should let him cool off.

But I don’t. I head out the door, chasing him to the back gate that connects to the front drive.

“Maverick! Wait.”

He halts and flips around to face me, his jawline taut with repressed anger. There’s about ten feet between us, but I can read him like a book. He’s coiled like a tiger, ready to spring.

His gaze brushes over me, and I think I see a flash of regret flicker across his face.

“Delaney…go back inside.”

I lift my hands up. “Why? Where are you going?”

He exhales slowly as he sticks his hands in his pockets. “I just need to cool off, okay?” His eyes flick back to the house. “I can’t go back in there. I’m on the verge of kicking Alex’s ass, and I can’t do that.”

Oh.

I get it—he wants to flirt with me, but I’m not quite important enough to go against his teammates for.

Fine. Football is king, and nothing else matters.

Disappointment hits me. “So you’re just giving up?”

His lips flatten and he doesn’t meet my gaze. “Later,” he says, and then he’s walking away from me.

I stalk back into the house, my hands clenched, disappointment churning. Part of me is…hurt. Just when I’d been softening to the idea of a football player, he goes and blows me off.

It’s been almost an hour, so I decide to go upstairs and meet He-Man. Careful to avoid Alex, I head upstairs to the hallway to wait outside the bathroom while a myriad of people come and go.

I’m anxious to see He-Man, but when he’s fifteen minutes late, I’m starting to look like a bathroom stalker. I pull out my phone.

I’m here and you’re not. Are you standing me up?

No reply.

You suck, I send, typing the words.

I can’t make it, he replies. Sorry. Something came up.

My stomach drops as I suck in a breath. Why is everyone letting me down?

Feeling more devastated than I should about a guy I’ve just been texting with, I shove my phone back into my clutch.

Alex is a cheating dick, Maverick ditched me, and now He-Man is a no-show.

All men are jerks.

Maverick

“I’m sorry I had to call you to come get him,” Mick says as I march up to the counter of a local bar, aptly named Mick’s. It’s a rather seedy, dusty place that plays old country songs, and it’s my father’s favorite, even though he’s been kicked out of it at least half a dozen times that I know of.

My hands clench. I didn’t see Mick’s voicemails until two hours after he left them because of football practice.

“What happened?” I ask, looking around and assessing, not seeing Dad or Raven. It’s a Monday evening and the place is dotted with a few worn faces.

His head nods to a back booth and my eyes follow, landing on my father. “He’s been here drinking since six. He fell pretty hard and hurt his hand. Nothing too serious, I don’t think, but Jackie played nursemaid back in the office.” I see the large white bandage. “He begged me not to call you, but I knew you’d want to know.”

Anger curls inside me. “Where’s Raven?” I ask, my eyes scanning the room once again.

“In the office with Jackie.” Mick sends me a sympathetic look. “Look, I know things are busy at school, but something needs to be done.”

My entire body tightens. “I’m doing the best I can.”

What I don’t tell him is that I’m driving out to the trailer multiple times a week to take care of her, even though it’s half an hour from campus. In a perfect world, I’d just move back in with Dad and Raven, but Coach Al requires us to live in the dorms.