Page 63 of Merry Mischief List
“Blow Santa?”
“Listen, if Kensington Knox had been before me in his Santa suit, I would’ve checked that item off too.”
“Mm-hmm, excuses, excuses.”
“So what does that mean for the Arizona streak?” Stella asks.
“Looks like we’re both getting naked.”
23
PORTER
Glendale, Arizona – New Year’s
“I can assure you it won’t happen again,” I tell the front desk receptionist, blood reducing to a simmer. As if the day weren’t stressful enough, a few of the guys thought it was a good idea to throw a party in their tiny hotel room and, of course, there were noise complaints. Luckily, I was able to talk the hotel out of calling the cops.
“Thank you, Mr. Porter,” he replies.
“Please let me know if there’re any further issues,” I tell him. “I’ll handle them directly.”
“Yes, sir,” he says. “And congratulations on winning the Desert Bowl.”
“Thank you,” I say and walk away towards the elevators, reflecting on the day. Winning was for damn sure a career highlight, but the aftermath definitely was not.
There’s a buzz under my skin that has me feeling a little reckless tonight. As much as I’ve tried to convince myself Andi and I can go back to being strangers, pretending we didn’t spend last week making merry mischief, I think I’ve severely underestimated my willpower.
The past few days have been absolute torture. Every time her eyes landed on me, it was like I could feel her saying,I know what you look like naked. And then I’d picture her stripped bare and spread wide, ready for me.
I glance out the glass front doors and spot a CBU football hoodie. Blowing out a heavy breath, I make my way outside into the chilly Arizona night air.
Theo Schroeder stands on the edge of the parking lot, holding some type of towel in his hands. I clear my throat, and his head whips in my direction, eyes wide as saucers.
“Uh, hey, Coach,” he sputters as I check my watch.
1:12 a.m.
“I know it’s New Year’s Eve, but may I remind you we’re still on a school-affiliated trip, which means curfew was twelve minutes ago.”
“I’m…” He darts his eyes toward the sidewalk.Waiting on someone?I want to ask but opt to keep it to myself.
I fold my arms over my chest. “Must I really escort you to your room?”
“Can I just have like… five minutes?” he asks, still glancing nervously at the same spot. “I’m getting some fresh air. That’s all.”
“How about you go to your roomnow, and Iwon’trequire you to get that extra fresh air by running drills till you drop next week?” I say, cocking a brow. He presses his lips together, and if I didn’t know why he was being so squirrely, I’d be seriously concerned. “Schroeder?”
“Fine, I’ll go. I’m just gonna…” He sets the stuff he was holding on the bench next to him, and lucky for the girls, I’m not gonna question it. “Goodnight.”
“Night,” I say as he hustles inside.
Two flashes of bare skin come around the corner, and I avert my eyes.
“Girls!” I shout in an authoritative tone, and they stop dead.
“Shit,” Andi’s friend Stella mutters.
“Cover yourselves, and then we’ll have a talk about public indecency,” I say, gesturing towards items on the bench, trying to maintain a serious face. There’s a bit of shuffling, and Andi clears her throat.
