The Score
Page 35
“Oh, you’ll like this one!” Her hand stills as she turns to beam at me. “It won an Oscar.”
A groan slips out. “No, baby doll. No. I refuse to watch another one of your ‘Oscar winners.’”
She clicks the remote with her free hand and my eyes widen in delight.
“The Exorcist?” I blurt out. “The fucking Exorcist?” The hand job I’m getting doesn’t even register anymore. I’m too pumped that she chose a horror movie, and Little Dean is paying the price for my non-sexual-based happiness.
“See what a good girlfriend I am? I’m all about the compromises.” She grins. “This relationship rocks.”
“Damn right it does.” I kiss her cheek, then suck in a breath when something occurs to me.
“What is it?” she says in concern.
I turn to her with even wider eyes. “Babe…are we boring?”
Allie hoots. “Did you really just ask that?”
“Yes, I fucking asked that.” I wave a hand around the room. “Look at us. It’s Friday night and we’re on the living room couch, talking about how great our relationship is. That’s the most boring thing we can be doing.” I sigh loudly. “Is this our life now? Doomed to stay in and cuddle every night? Is the excitement over?”
“The excitement isn’t over,” she assures me.
“Are you sure? Because it kinda feels like—”
“Hey.” Tucker’s voice cuts me off, and we both look up to see him standing in the doorway.
“Hey.” I wrinkle my brow. “I thought you were hanging out with Hollis tonight.”
“Plans changed.” He enters the room, taking in the sight of us under the blanket. “G and Logan around?”
I shake my head. “At the dorms.”
“Shit.” He drops his hand to his side. His strained expression is alarming. So is the way he keeps shifting his feet, like he can’t find the right position he wants to be in.
“Everything okay?” Allie asks lightly.
Tucker hesitates. “I… Fuck, I was hoping the others would be home so I could tell everyone at once.”
“Tell us what?” My uneasiness grows.
“I…uh…” He stops, closes his mouth. Opens his mouth. Stops again. Then he lets out a breath that sounds like it’s sucked right out of his soul. “I’m having a baby.”
Silence crashes over the room.
From the corner of my eye, I see the wide O of Allie’s mouth. Her shock is as palpable as mine.
Like an idiot, I stare at Tucker’s abdomen for a good ten seconds, before remembering that we don’t live in a world where Arnold Schwarzenegger can carry a child.
“You’re having a baby?” My mind continues to spin like a carousel, making it hard to speak without stuttering. “With…with who?”
Tucker meets my confused eyes and says, “Sabrina James.”
And beside me, Allie starts to laugh.
I swivel my head toward her, but her laughter keeps sputtering out, low and wheezy, until finally she catches her breath and gives me a wry look. “The excitement is over, huh?”
Well, fuck me.
Other Titles by Elle Kennedy
If you enjoyed Dean’s story, make sure to check out the other titles in the Off-Campus series:
The Deal (Garrett’s book)
The Mistake (Logan’s book)
The Score (Dean’s book)
The Goal (Tucker’s book, coming 2016)
For other retailer links and information about print or audio versions of these titles, visit the series pages on my website. Signed paperbacks (US/Canada only) also available on the site.
And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to receive updates and exclusive excerpts from the Off-Campus series when they become available.
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For all the m/m fans out there, check out HIM, my New Adult hockey romance co-written with the fabulous Sarina Bowen.
If you’re interested in my erotic contemporary romance and/or romantic suspense titles, check out these bestselling series:
Killer Instincts
Outlaws
Out of Uniform
After Hours
DreamMakers (with Vivian Arend)
More titles also available on my website.
Author’s Note
I’ve been dying to tackle Dean’s book since I first introduced him as Garrett’s roommate in The Deal. I couldn’t frickin’ wait, because I just KNEW he was going to be so much fun to write—and he did not let me down. I had a blast with this story, and I’m so thrilled you guys took the time to read it!
Note: I fudged the timing in regards to the hockey team’s holiday schedule. Most Division I teams play through December and January, but I wanted Dean to have a longer stretch of time off, so I cheated with the timing of it. But I loved every second that Dean and Allie spent together in New York. So…I regret nothing! Nothing, I tell ya!
As always, I want to thank my early readers/cheerleaders/besties for helping me whip this book into shape: Viv, Jen, Sarina, Katy, Monica, Nicole, and Sophie. I love you guys.
On the business end, I couldn’t survive without Nic and Natasha (friends and assistants extraordinaire!) Gwen (don’t ever leave me!), Sharon (we still need to plan the wedding) and the person who keeps me sane: Nina Bocci.
Special thanks to Sarah Hansen (Okay Creations) for the gorgeous cover.
To all the bloggers and reviewers who helped with cover reveals, posted reviews, and pretty much talked up the series to anyone who would listen—you are rock stars. Rock. Stars.
And to all my readers—you have no idea how honored I am that you continue to support/love/gush over this series. You guys are awesomesauce to the degree of amazeballs!
About the Author
A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a BA in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
Elle loves to hear from her readers. Visit her website www.ellekennedy.com or sign up for her newsletter to receive updates about upcoming books and exclusive excerpts. You can also find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter (@ElleKennedy).
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Score: An Off-Campus Novel
Copyright © 2016 by Elle Kennedy
Kobo Edition
Edited by Gwen Hayes
Proofed by Sharon Muha
Cover Art © Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations
All rights reserved. No part of this book may reproduced, scanned or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.