Jock Row (Jock Hard #1)(56)

“If you need anything else—”

“Didn’t you just hear us say no?”

Jesus Christ, I’m so irritated. Is she hard of hearing? Why won’t these fucking waitresses leave us alone? We were having a goddamn sex talk!

“Sterling,” Scarlett’s voice intones kindly, and she glances up at the girl, smiling apologetically. “We’re good, but thank you.”

She scuttles away.

“Was I being rude?” I deadpan.

“A little?”

I let out a sigh. “Look, we have shit to talk about, and I don’t want to keep getting interrupted.” I glance toward the front counter. “Now that waitress is going to bitch about what an asshole I am, and no one will bother us. See how that works?”

Scarlett’s lips part.

“It sucks, and I’m sorry. I was a dick, but we’re leaving for break in two weeks and I just found you. I’m being selfish.”

She’s the only thing I’ve been thinking about since she left for home, and I’ve been jerking off to images and the idea of her every night, ever since.

My wrist is actually sore; I had to get it wrapped this morning by the athletic trainer.

Her eyes go wide, lashes fluttering. “Just found me?”

“Yeah.” I reach across the table, grabbing her hand. “How the hell am I supposed to freaking enjoy winter break without you? Friday nights are going to suck.”

“I…hadn’t thought about it.”

“I have. Being home sucks. What day do you leave for the holidays?”

“When do you leave?”

“We have a mandatory team meeting with the coaching staff the last night of classes. I’ll get a conditioning schedule from the trainer, see PT one more time, then fly home that Sunday.” I pause, grab a fistful of sandwich, and shove it in my mouth, take a big bite and chew.

The servers might be a pain in the ass, but goddamn this sandwich is good.

I moan, stuffing it farther into my mouth, rolling my eyes.

“God, Rowdy, have some manners!” She laughs, coughing, reaching for the water in front of her to clear her throat. “Stop it or I’m going to choke and die.”

“Too good, can’t help it.” I caveman my voice, chomping down. “So, when do you leave for winter break?”

Down goes her water glass. “Well, I get done with exams early, so I’m leaving on that Wednesday.”

Two more weeks until we won’t see each other until January. Winter break is going to seriously suck; my parents are going to drive me nuts, and I won’t get to see Scarlett. The idea of it is so fucking weird, considering we’ve spent the past six weeks’ worth of Fridays together.

Teasing and talking and making out like teenagers.

It’s been awesome.

“What are you doing while you’re home?”

Scarlett shrugs. “Me? Working if I can pick up hours. It’s hit or miss when all the college students flood the town during their breaks. What about you?”

My shoulders shrug. “I don’t know, whatever my mom has planned—it’s different every year. We don’t have a big family so it’s really uneventful, really fucking boring.” I finally take another bite of sandwich. “My dad bitches every year about all the tourists in town, and this year they mentioned wanting to skip town.”

“It’s Florida! What could be better than that?”

“A last-minute cruise? It’s so cheap leaving from the port in town since we don’t have to fly to get there. Its less than an hour to the coast.”

“That sounds like heaven.”

“I can’t wait to sit on my ass.”

“You sit on your ass?”

“Well, no. I’ll still work out, hit the gym and shit.” My eyes rest on the dark hair falling over her right shoulder, quickly doing a scan, hitting all the points of her body. Delicate shoulders. Blue eyes. Gracefully shaped hands.

This is stupid.

I’m Rowdy fucking Wade for Christ’s sake. I’ve played in stadiums full of thousands of people—I don’t get nervous, and I sure as hell am never at a loss for words.

Scarlett smiles, offering up a piece of her muffin. “You want some?”

I suddenly want it all.

“You know,” she says, peeling off the muffin liner. “This holiday is going to suck and it’s partly your fault, being from Florida and all. I mean, who chooses Iowa over the Sunshine State?” She scoffs, envy filling her teasing tone.

I hesitate, weighing my words. “Why don’t you come home with me?”

Scarlett laughs, tipping her head back, the fabric of her shirt straining across her tits. “Go home with you—ha ha, very cute.”

Shit. She thinks I’m joking, and my stomach drops.

“It’s not the worst idea in the world.”

The idea takes root in my brain, and I immediately accept Mission: Get Scarlett to My House in Florida Over Break.

Plenty of couples do that, right? Visit each other and shit? It’s not unreasonable for her to come down for a vacation, is it? Spend time with me, get to know my friends? Meet my parents?

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: I’m fucking crazy about this girl.

Plus, she loves the ocean and I have the ocean, so why not give it to her? If she doesn’t see the logic in that, then she’s more unreasonable than I thought.