The Relationship Pact: Kings of Football

by Locke, Adriana

  I can’t make sense of her or the craziness inside me—least of all rationalizing all of it at one time. So I laugh and ignore as much of it as I can.

  “Well, at least let me pay you for it. And my sandwich and this bracelet.” I hold the jewelry up in the air. “I’d like to get this, please.”

  She smiles. “For your girlfriend?”

  I give her a playful warning glare. “No. For my friend.”

  She winks at me. “But I need to make sure she’s good enough for you. Bring her by so I can meet her.”

  The box starts to slip in my hands. Luckily, I catch it just in time.

  This is the first fucking thing I’ve caught all year.

  Her mouth opens to talk, but the phone rings instead. “I need to get that.”

  “What do I owe you?”

  She swats my shoulder. “Go on. Enjoy your day. And come back and see me before you leave town.”

  I watch her walk to the back again and lift a phone to her ear. After a few minutes, it becomes apparent that she’s not going to come back. I have to wonder if it’s not an excuse to get me to leave without paying.

  I sit the box on the counter with the bracelet on top. Then I take out my wallet. I fish out thirty dollars because I’m not sure the price of any of the food or what’s in the box and lay it on the cash register.

  “Hollis!” Judy chastises me from across the store.

  I laugh. “Have a good day, Grandma!”

  “You little rascal!”

  I pick up the box and stick the bracelet in my pocket. The bells chime as I leave.

  Twelve

  Larissa

  “What do I do now?” I ask an empty kitchen.

  I’ve asked myself this question a hundred times since Hollis kissed me senseless and then left like some kind of libido assassin.

  My head continues to spin from his abrupt switcheroo—going from a difficult yet playful pain in the ass to a straightforward yet confusing man who I’d like to kiss me again.

  And that piece of the puzzle is why it’s complicated.

  And frustrating.

  It’s also why I was up all damn night.

  My lips stung from the memory of his being pressed against them. I tasted the heat of his mouth until the sun came up. I can still, even all these hours later, recall exactly the way his palms were prickly but his fingertips were soft as they gripped my cheeks.

  I liked it. I like him.

  Even at the Landry’s house when he was quiet, I was glad I was there with him. In the car when he was refusing to cooperate, he made me laugh. And even when he walked away and left me hanging, I wasn’t upset.

  And Lord knows I wasn’t mad about him coming back to kiss me, nor was I anything but shocked that he shared the crux of his refusal to talk.

  I tidy up the countertop and rinse my bowl. I’m too preoccupied to get it in the dishwasher, so I leave it in the sink next to the plate that housed my cheese and crackers at two this morning.

  I check the clock on the oven before making my way to my bedroom.

  “You just have to keep your head about you,” I tell myself. “You can’t really walk away now. But you can remember that this isn’t a repeat of your past boyfriends where you should be worried. You know how it ends. And you hate it.”

  I groan. Flashes of Sebastian and his superiority complex come blitzing through my mind. I’m reminded of Charlie and the way his phone would be lit up like a Christmas tree after away games and of Benny’s mercurial position on monogamy.

  “Yes, I freaking do hate how it ends. And it always ends with those guys,” I say with a groan. “At least the ending with Hollis is planned out. That makes this doable.”

  My stomach twists as I slip on the emerald-green dress I chose to wear tonight. It’s a stretchy velvet that gathers on my left shoulder and leaves my right one bare. The waist is hugged with two braided pieces that cinch me in and deepen the curve of my waist without the strangulation of a corset.

  Even though I bet Hollis is hot as hell in a suit, I’m not wearing a corset.

  I glimpse down at my phone to check for missed calls. It’s only the two-hundredth time I’ve looked since he texted me around midnight that he would be here to pick me up this evening. I was quick—maybe too quick, in retrospect—to return his message and then waited for a follow-up that didn’t come.

  Naturally.

  Ignoring the lump of uncertainty in my stomach, I find a pair of diamond earrings and put them on. I slip on my nude heels and exaggerate my breathing in hopes it evens out.

  “You should’ve just had him leave the Landry’s and bring you home as soon as you found out he was a baller,” I chastise myself. “All of this was too easy. You were attracted to him because he’s your weakness all summarized into one frustratingly handsome package.”

  I stand straight and look at myself in the mirror.

  I imagine Hollis standing next to me. With the heels, I’ll probably come up to just under his nose. I envision his broad shoulders filling out a black suit jacket and his handsome face smiling down at me. I shiver.

  A sound squeaks from the hallway, pulling me out of my daydream.

  “Hey, Riss! Where are you?” Bellamy’s voice shouts from the foyer.

  “My room.”

  “Are you decent?” she asks. “Boone is with me.”

  “I’m dressed.”

  A few seconds later, my cousin walks into my bedroom. He stops in his tracks.

  “Holy shit, Riss.”

  “What?” I look down to see if there’s a hole in my dress somewhere, or maybe I have on two different shoes or something. “What, Boone? Does this look bad?”

  When I look up, he’s smiling.

  “In a purely I’m-not-your-cousin-and-just-a-guy opinion, I really hope you’re trying to drive this dude crazy tonight because you look gorgeous.”

  I scrunch up my shoulders and grin. “Thanks.”

  “Here.” He thrusts a box my way. “Looks like I made it just in time. It’s from Mom. She said this is a prototype, and she thought you might need a little good juju tonight.”

  I take the black box from him and open the lid. A delicate rose gold bracelet with a tiny heart lays inside.

  “This is so pretty,” I coo.

  I slide it out of the box and onto my wrist as Bellamy comes bursting into my room like a hurricane. She holds a box of Cheez-Its in her hand.

  “Did you bring those with you?” I ask.

  “Nope. Got them from your pantry.” She sits on my bed and reclines back. “I don’t know why I never buy these. They’re so good.”

  “Why would you when you just get them for free from me?” I ask.

  “Good point, Riss. Good point.”

  Boone and I exchange a look. He shrugs.

  “Did you guys come together?” I ask.

  “Nope. We pulled up at the same time,” Bellamy says. “What’re the odds of that?”

  “Wade left this geeky magazine at my house the other day,” Boone says about one of his brothers. “I was flipping through it, and they suspect that people who spend a lot of time together can sense what the other person is doing and feeling.”

  Bellamy tosses a Cheez-It into the air and catches it in her mouth. “What am I feeling right now then?”

  “Hungry, I’d guess,” Boone says.

  “Exacto.” Another orange square goes up and comes down with precision. She crunches it loudly. “I think Riss is feeling like she’s gonna get some of her football player boy toy. You look hot.”

  I avoid Boone’s eyes and set the jewelry box on my dresser.

  “Football player?” Boone asks, lifting a brow.

  “I didn’t know,” I groan.

  Bellamy chomps on another cracker. “She doesn’t even have to know. She just walks to the athlete dumpster and starts digging like a brain-dead raccoon.”

  I glare at her.

  “I don’t even want to know what that means,” Boone says, eyeing Bellamy.


  “You’re right. You don’t,” I agree.

  Bellamy puts the snack box to the side and sits up.

  I heave out a breath. Turning back to the mirror, I pretend to be engrossed in smoothing out a nonexistent wrinkle in my dress.

  “I’m going to be okay this time,” I say as much to myself as I do to them. “I have this one under control.”

  “That’s probably a lie, but I’m all for you embracing your heart’s desires,” Bellamy jokes. “And I get why your heart is desiring that.”

  Boone rolls his eyes. “What kind of football does he play?”

  “College. Somewhere …” I say, unable to come up with the name of a university. “He’s getting some recognition from Lincoln Landry’s nonprofit. I went with him to Lincoln’s house last night.”

  Boone’s eyes light up. “That’s a good sign.”

  I turn to face my friends. “I think he’s a good guy. He’s nice. He’s funny. He’s—”

  “Incredibly good-looking,” Bellamy adds.

  Ignoring her, I continue. “He’s a little guarded, but that’s normal for some guys, I think. Right?”

  “Can be,” Boone says.

  I look back and forth between them. They’re both watching me, waiting on me to continue my take on Hollis. I don’t know what to say, though—mostly because I’m not sure myself.

  I grab a roller of perfume and dab it on my wrists and behind my ears.

  “You know what,” I begin again, “he’s only here for a few days. I didn’t know he was a football player, or I would’ve abstained from all things him. But here we are, and I’m not mad about it.”

  “But you will be,” Boone points out.

  “I will not.”

  I look at Bellamy. She’s sitting on the edge of my bed, pursing her bright red lips. She’s sending me telepathic messages of encouragement. I feel it. When I grin at her, she laughs.

  “You will be fine,” she insists. “Trust your gut.”

  “I am. And it’s telling me to just remember this isn’t real. We’re just going to be faking things tonight for Mom’s benefit, and I’ll never see him again.” I look back at the mirror. “I can handle this.”

  My reflection looks back at me. I look self-assured and confident, and I try to absorb as much of that as I can.

  Before I can add anything to my little pep talk, the doorbell rings.

  My head whips to Bellamy’s.

  Boone heads toward the doorway. “I’ll get this.”

  I start to object but stop because it’s pointless.

  Boone’s steps fall down the hallway. The door opens. His voice mixes with Hollis’s as they exchange hellos.

  My blood pressure spikes as Hollis’s presence infiltrates my house. A rush of excitement sparks through me as I stand tall and motion to myself.

  Bellamy does a quick once-over and gives me a thumbs-up.

  I grab my nude-colored clutch, take a deep breath, and head for the hallway.

  My heart is beating so hard that I think I might pass out.

  “I had a friend who went to Braxton,” Boone is saying as I make my way toward the foyer. “He played lacrosse. There was some bar there that he was always talking about that had something to do with aliens.”

  I can’t see Hollis, thanks to the way Boone is standing. But as soon as I hear Hollis’s voice, a chill causes a flurry of goose bumps up my arms.

  “The Truth Is Out There,” Hollis says with a laugh. “That’s our favorite place. It’s kinda crazy with all the alien bullshit, but it’s fun.”

  Boone steps to the side to look out the window. As soon as Hollis is in my line of sight, I almost die.

  “Holy shit,” Bellamy whispers from behind me.

  Holy shit is right.

  “Look at him,” I whisper back.

  Hollis is in head-to-toe black—suit, pants, shirt, and long, skinny tie. His shoulders fill out the jacket and make him look wider and stronger than even before. His waist is wrapped in a black belt.

  He looks polished and sophisticated with a side of rogue thanks to his hair. It’s a sight that I wasn’t ready to behold.

  He looks absolutely divine.

  His eyes grow wide as I grow closer. “Wow, Larissa. You’re … fucking gorgeous.”

  Boone turns around. His brow is crinkled. “We can go with beautiful.”

  “Beautiful, then,” Hollis says with a smile. “That works.”

  We stand like two teenagers going to prom, facing each other but scared to actually touch. Suddenly, this seems like a terrible, rotten idea because I have no idea how I’m going to keep my wits about me tonight.

  I don’t think I can.

  My brain screams at me to stay in check while my body begs for a free pass. My mind can’t deny that a free pass—especially under the circumstances I just carefully laid out to my friends—wouldn’t be the end of the world.

  If the opportunity presents itself.

  What do I have to lose?

  “Boone,” Bellamy says, “this is our cue to go, good buddy.”

  He sticks a hand out to Hollis. “It was nice to meet you. Nice car, too. Is it fast?”

  “Oh, hell yeah,” Hollis says, giving his hand a shake. “I’ll take you for a ride when we have more time. It’s a twelve-second car.”

  “No shit?” Boone asks.

  “Yeah. River and I did it on this abandoned stretch of the way just off the campus. It used to be an old mine road or something, and we ran it just to see what it’d do. Quarter-mile in twelve seconds. Not too bad.” He smiles proudly.

  “That’s awesome,” Boone tells him, side-eyeing me before turning back to Hollis. “Hey, are you coming to our New Year's Eve party?”

  Hollis looks at me. I can see the hesitation in his eyes because we haven’t discussed that. We haven’t discussed anything after tonight because our relationship pact ends after Jack’s party.

  “I haven’t brought it up,” I say so that Hollis doesn’t have to stumble his way through it. “He might have plans.”

  “You gotta come,” Boone says. “We’ll all be there.”

  “Not me,” Bellamy says.

  I look at her. “Really, Bells?”

  She shakes her head adamantly back and forth. “Not if Coy is coming.”

  “He’s my brother. What are we supposed to do? Not invite him?” Boone asks, rolling his eyes.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” she says.

  “Just avoid him,” Boone tells her.

  “Trust me. I try. I avoid him like the fucking plague, but he is the fucking plague. I’d rather just avoid him from my house.”

  I’m not entirely sure what happened between the two of them, but it’s been going on for a long time. Coy seems less hateful about Bells than she does him, but it doesn’t matter. She loathes Boone’s brother.

  Or so she says.

  Boone sighs. “Anyway, I hope to see you there, Hollis. It’s a great time. I promise.”

  “Yeah. Okay. Thanks.” Hollis smiles at Boone. “We’ll see how things go.”

  Boone looks at me and grins. “Call me tomorrow.”

  “I will. And tell your mom thanks for the bracelet.”

  Hollis looks at the gold circling my wrist and gulps. His hand goes into his pocket, and he frowns. I can’t think about it too much because Bellamy is hugging me.

  “If you get Cheez-Its on this dress ….” I warn her.

  “I hope that’s not all that gets all over this dress tonight,” she whispers in my ear.

  I shove her away, making her laugh. “Get out of here.”

  She exchanges a quiet goodbye with Hollis, and I’m glad I can’t hear it. The mischief in his eyes tells me it was something that would’ve embarrassed me.

  As soon as the two of them are gone, the energy in the house changes. It gets hotter. Thicker. More alive.

  “You look beautiful,” he tells me. The grit of his tone scratches wonderfully over my ears. “I meant it when I said that earlier.
”

  “And you clean up well. I love the suit and tie on you.”

  “Do you?” He looks down at himself. “I don’t wear this shit often. I feel like a monkey.”

  I laugh. “Well, you look handsome.”

  He reaches for my hand. I hesitate before putting my palm inside his.

  I hiccup a breath as our skin makes contact, and I feel the warmth of his hand as he closes his fingers around mine.

  “Ready?” he asks, looking so deeply in my eyes that I think he can see my soul.

  “Yup.”

  “Let’s go then.”

  With a final exchanged grin, we head out the door. And even though I know where we’re headed, the rest of the night is a mystery.

  Like the man holding my hand.

  Thirteen

  Hollis

  Holy shit.

  I mumble the words under my breath as I take in the activities around me. I don't know what I expected when I agreed to accompany Larissa to her stepfather's event, but I think it was all along the lines of something like a football banquet. A table of food with caterers, even. I figured there would be a stage for people to get up and talk about a bunch of shit nobody really cares about.

  This is not that.

  A large ballroom in a ritzy hotel in Savannah sits in front of us. It’s filled to capacity with men and women whose Audis and Mercedes surround my Mustang in the valet.

  I look down at Larissa.

  That fucking dress has given me a hard-on since the moment I saw her. It was difficult to hide in front of her cousin, and it made the car ride here uncomfortable. Every time I look at her, I have to battle not throwing her over my shoulder and carrying her out of here.

  The fabric is soft and hugs her body in a way that makes me jealous. Her exposed shoulder showcases a swath of tanned skin, and the slit up her right leg is a tease if I’ve ever seen one.

  I might not have had the nicest car in the parking lot, but I have the hottest date. Period.

  Larissa looks up at me through thick, dark lashes and smiles nervously. “Hanging in there?”