Smiling, I get out of my chair and walk around the table until I’m standing next to him. If we’re friends with benefits, then I can do this. “Thank you.” I lean down, grab his handsome face, and plant a kiss on his full lips. “I’ll always owe you.”
Before I can back away, his arm whips out, and he pulls me into his lap. I let out a squeal of laughter when he wiggles his fingers against my ribs and whispers, “How soon before I can introduce you to my boner?”
18
BILLY
Roxy’s puttingon a brave face, but her hand is clammy. As we walk up the driveway to her parents’ house, I squeeze it. “Everything will be fine.”
Santos might strangle me and bury me in a shallow grave, but he won’t hurt his daughter.
She nods but doesn’t say anything. It’s been twenty-four hours since we wrote that ridiculous contract, and even though it was kinda fun to do, I’m not really taking it seriously. Roxy is stressed out, and if writing that made her feel better, great. I’ll go along with whatever she wants, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she backs out once things calm down.
She’s been really… chill. Almost numb, if I had to guess.
Coach took two personal days off, which is weird as fuck. The man never leaves the athletic department. I almost wondered if he slept there.
But no, he has a nice house with a huge yard in a quiet part of town. His sleek black Lexus and a shiny silver BMW sit in the driveway.
When we get to the porch, I whisper, “If you get freaked out, just think about that time Jinxy laughed so yard, he puked Jell-O through his nose.”
Smiling, Roxy shakes her head as she pulls out her keys and unlocks the door. “Here goes nothing.” Then she yells, “Mom! Dad!”
“We’re back here!” a female voice shouts back.
“Have you spoken to your mom yet?” I ask her quietly.
She shakes her head. “She called, but I wasn’t ready to talk.”
So Rox does that to everyone and not just me. Good to know. I’m learning that every woman has their quirks. Roxy likes to “process things” in her head.
The two-story house has a grand staircase, vaulted ceilings, and a marble floor in the entryway. Roxy leads me through an airy great room and kitchen, back to a dark den, which is obviously her father’s man cave. A beautiful woman with Roxy’s thick hair and smile greets us.
Mrs. Santos opens her arms to her daughter. “Oh, baby. Come here.”
Roxy rushes to her and they hug.
I start to relax. Mrs. Santos is clearly the more rational parent of the two.
Hanging back, I shove my hands into the pockets of my letterman jacket. I wore this today because I figured it couldn’t hurt to remind Coach that I’m one of his players. That I’m not some rando off the street, hoping to lure his daughter down a path of destruction.
With an ominous creak, the executive leather chair behind the enormous mahogany desk slowly turns, and there’s Coach, glaring. At me.
I fight like hell to keep from smiling. I won’t deny a part of me enjoys getting under his skin. It probably stems from all the shit my father and I have argued about over the years.
There’s one thing my father and Santos have in common—neither of them like me.
I haven’t even had sex with Roxy and I’m standing before the firing squad for a crime I didn’t commit. I’m a fucking idiot. Who gets themselves in these kinds of situations? Me. That’s who.
Mrs. Santos keeps one arm around her daughter as she extends a hand to me. “Hi. I’m Marlena, Roxy’s mom.”
“I’m Billy. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Aren’t you adorable. I can see why my daughter likes you.”
Roxy laughs, and I turn on my full-wattage smile. “Well, she’s an amazing woman. She must take after her mother.”
“Cut the crap, Babcock,” Coach barks from behind his desk, making us all flinch.
