Page 90 of Trick Play
“What happened?”
Sighing, he looks away from me, his jaw clenching as he runs his hand through his hair again and pauses with it resting on the back of his neck. “There was a big group of us who went out to dinner, and some of the guys weren’t ready to go back to the hotel, so we were exploring a bit. There were these guys singing some dumb song, and I recognized them saying the name of the frat that …” he gestures lamely at me.
“The frat Brent belongs to,” I supply.
He nods, his face pained. “Your brother made his way to the front of the group, and I followed behind him.” He shakes his head. “I’m not sure exactly what he and Brent said to each other, but Brent shoved him, he punched Brent in the gut, and when the guy went to tackle your brother, I grabbed him and yanked him off.” He shrugs again. “I punched him too.”
“In the face.”
He flexes his right hand. “Yeah. It was just a glancing blow off his cheek. I was hoping to break his nose.”
The bald statement provokes an unexpected bark of laughter from me. “Too bad you didn’t.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “That’s what I thought too.”
“How come you took the blame for starting the fight?” That’s the real question I want answered. Much as I like the idea of Brent puking and bleeding from my brother and my … Cal taking their revenge on him when presented with the opportunity, the biggest thing I don’t understand is why he wouldn’t take advantage of the opportunity to start in the game.
He sighs like this question is too heavy for him to hold. “Because,” he says, lifting his hands and letting them drop back to his sides.
“Because why?”
“Because he didn’t deserve to get suspended for defending his sister.”
“But you deserve to get suspended for defending your girlfriend?”
He freezes, staring at me. “I didn’t think you were still my girlfriend,” he whispers.
“But you only cared because I was. You only cared because you care about me. Why do you care about Gray, though? I thought you hated Gray.”
He looks away. “I never hated him. I resented him, yeah. But I never hated him.”
“But you wanted to date me so he’d get mad and mess up. So you could have your spot back. You had that chance. Why not take it?”
“I didn’t want it that way,” he says, all gruff hesitation gone now, replaced by laser-focused determination. “I wanted it because I deserved it. Because I was better. Not because he got in trouble for provoking the asshole who abused his sister. If anyone treated Ellie that way—” He cuts himself off, his chest puffing out and his shoulders appearing to get more broad. Shaking his head, he continues, “Let’s just say, if anyone did that to Ellie, I’d want to do a lot more than punch them in the gut. And I dare anyone to tell me that that douchebag didn’t deserve more than a gut punch and a bruised cheek.”
I hold up my hands. “You won’t hear any argument from me.”
His shoulders fall, and he seems to resume his normal size, that crooked smile coming back to his face. “I just didn’t think Gray should suffer for something anyone would do in his shoes. Besides, the other guy laid hands on him first. It’s dumb he’d get in trouble for defending himself in the first place. My punch was arguably gratuitous. It made more sense for me to get in trouble for it. And all I got was suspended from one game. I’ll still be applying to the draft in the spring. No long-term harm done.”
“Good. I’m glad.” I stare at him. He stares at me. I’ve had my questions answered. He’s apologized. But I still feel like there’s this gulf between us, and while I want to cross it, I don’t know how.
He takes a tentative step in my direction, his eyes falling to my lips. “I really am sorry, Piper,” he whispers. “I wish you could forgive me.”
“I can,” I whisper back. “I do.”
His eyes jerk up to mine. “You do?” His voice is so achingly full of hope, it almost makes me want to cry.
When I nod, he closes the remaining distance between us, his hands moving up and down, outlining my shape like he wants to touch me but isn’t sure where. “God, that’s all I’ve wanted to hear since you stopped talking to me.” When I put out my hands and twine my fingers through his, he sighs and takes a deep breath. “I wasn’t out bragging about how I’d bagged you in an effort to fuck with your brother,” he says. “I want you to know that. And for real, that was my plan. But I couldn’t do it. Your brother was yelling at me, though, saying that was the only reason I ever got with you, and I didn’t deny it, even though by then that wasn’t what being with you was about at all. I explained that to Trey, but Foster must’ve left before that part.”
He removes one of his hands from mine, reaching up to brush a strand of hair off my forehead and tuck it behind my ear, his fingers trailing along my jaw. “I’ve wanted you for you since the first time I saw you. But when I found out you were Kilpatrick’s sister, I convinced myself there was no way you’d go for me. And then I thought maybe you would and I could use that to my advantage.”
Hearing him lay out his entire thought process and motivations is a lot. But it’s the kind of honesty that just makes his apology feel even more genuine. He could lie or downplay things. But he doesn’t. Not even to spare my feelings.
“I could tell you were attracted to me, even if you refused to acknowledge it. So I bet you that you couldn’t kiss me and not enjoy it.” A smile touches his lips, and he tips my chin up and brushes a kiss across my lips. “And oh, did you enjoy it,” he whispers, his voice all husky and full of promise. “So did I. I was so hard just from one fucking kiss. I wanted to pick you up and carry you to a bedroom then and there and have my way with you. But I think it was our date that really pulled me all the way under your spell. That was when I was lost to you, and no matter how much I tried to remind myself of the reason I was supposedly dating you, the real reason was that I wanted you. I only wanted you. Always.”
I can’t take anymore of his sweet, whispered declarations. Having him this close, touching me, telling me he wants me and no one else, and not kissing me? It’s too much.
Wrapping my hand behind his neck, I pull his mouth to mine. And then he takes over, one arm yanking me against his chest, hard, his other hand gripping my ass, tilting my hips and sliding down to lift my leg so he can grind against my center.
