Campus Player

When I’m done filling the duffle bag, I zip it up and hoist it over my shoulder. “I’ll be back late Sunday afternoon. Call me if you change your mind and want to stop over.”

She rises to her feet. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yup. A break will do me good.”

Fine,” she mutters, “but I’ll miss you.”

I pull her in for a quick hug. Sydney has always been a good friend. I’m lucky to have her. “Plus, you’ll have the apartment all to yourself. You can be as loud as you want.”

“You know that I’m always loud.” She squeezes me before stepping away. “It’s never good to hold your feelings inside. It messes up your Chi.”

She’s right about being noisy. The girl has no shame.

Sydney walks me to the door. With a wave, I slip into the hallway and out of the building. Once I settle in the front seat of my white Jeep and start the engine, relief courses through me. Every mile I put between myself and campus has the tension leaking from my body. By the time I pull into the driveway of my house, I feel almost normal again.

My plans for the weekend include—ordering pizza, binge watching Supernatural, and taking a dip in the heated pool. Dad will be closing it up in a few weeks, so I want to enjoy it while I can.

As I shove the key in the lock and walk through the front door, I realize that I made the right decision. This is exactly what I needed. A little time to myself to relax, rewind, and reset.

With any luck, by the time I head back to campus, my perspective will be restored.

17

Rowan

I lift a bottle of beer to my lips as my gaze coasts over the crowd. The music is pumping, a group of frat guys is playing a game of cups near the makeshift bar, and some underclassman threw up all over himself in a corner. In other words, it’s another weekend here at WU. Under normal circumstances, my ass wouldn’t be out on a Friday night. I would have eaten a carb-loaded dinner to give me energy and hit the sheets early. But it’s a bye week, so there isn’t a game scheduled. I spot a few teammates, it’s only nine o’clock, and a couple of the younger guys are already shitfaced.

It’s not a good look. Coach would have their asses if he realized they were out partying it up. Bye week or not.

During the season, I’ll have a beer or two. But no more than that. Getting tanked lost its appeal a long time ago. Maybe when I first stepped foot on campus, I went a little crazy and enjoyed the freedom, but it didn’t last long. I have too much riding on the line to throw it away on partying. I’ve spent years working toward my dreams of turning pro. Now that I’m so close to making it a reality, there’s no way in hell I’m going to jeopardize it.

There’s one particular face I’ve been looking for. So far, she’s remained elusive. This week has given Demi a swift kick in the ass. I wouldn’t blame her for sitting this one out. Although, for obvious reasons, I’m hoping that’s not the case.

As I continue to search from where I’ve taken up sentinel, slender arms snake their way around me from behind. A moment later, breasts are squashed against my back. “Hey, Rowan,” comes a silky voice against my ear, “I was hoping to run into you tonight.”

Great...Harper Davenport. Just who I didn’t want to see.

“Hey, Harp.”

Now I need to figure out an extraction plan. Sooner rather than later. There are definitely times when an escape hatch would come in handy. This is one of them.

“I haven’t seen you around lately.” As she presses closer, her nipples pebble through the thin shirt she’s wearing. “It’s almost like you’re avoiding me.”

Yeah, well, there’s an excellent reason for that.

I made the epic mistake of fooling around with Harper freshman year, and she’s been stalking my movements ever since. That’s not me being egotistical. It’s the truth. I’ve tried my best to let her down gently, but she refuses to take the hint that I’ve moved on and am not interested in a repeat performance.

When her fingers migrate south of the border, I grab hold of them to stop their descent before they reach their intended destination. Maybe some guys are cool with getting a handy in the middle of a crowded house party, but that’s never been my style.

“Wanna take this somewhere private?” she asks, voice full of sultry promise.

Hell, no. That’s the last thing I want. I’ve given this girl zero encouragement, and she refuses to leave me alone. There are plenty of guys who would give their left nut to spend a little one-on-one time alone with her. She’s gorgeous with a banging body.