Torment

by Chloe Fischer

  The next week passed in a rush. Practice and his school schedule seemed extra grueling and suddenly, Darien realized they were in the middle of October as the leaves changed color and Greek Row started decorating for Halloween. His final year seemed to be flying by and he knew it was only going to get worse.

  Somehow, he had managed to tuck away the event with Odette into the corner of his mind—at least during his full, waking hours. At night, when he was trying to sleep, however, it was a different thing. He found her face etched in his mind, making it fully impossible to sleep until he succumbed to the fantasy of finishing what they had started.

  On Friday morning, he and the team boarded the bus to head into Ohio to play the Buckeyes on their turf. Michigan and Ohio had been long-running archrivals and these games were always more charged than others but Darien didn’t want to leave.

  He’d received a text on Thursday night.

  Melody had the flu.

  Darien texted back right away, frowning as he did.

  I have a game out of state this weekend. I can’t come home.

  Message bubbles appeared right away and he held his breath in anticipation, sensing that she was not going to be happy.

  I guess we should get used to it. It’s gonna be worse when you’re in the NFL.

  He knew she wasn’t trying to sound embittered but even through the text, he could feel the resentment oozing out of her.

  All morning, he’d been trying to think of something to say to make her less upset but after asking how Melody was feeling, he wasn’t getting much of a response.

  I’ll text her when I get to Columbus.

  He hoped he had something of value to offer her then but as he loaded his gear onto the tour bus and took his seat onboard, he suspected that there was very little that could be said about his lack of being in Chicago that weekend.

  Mel will just have to learn to understand. This is our life now. It sure beats the hell out of the alternative. At least I’m striving toward something here.

  He sank down at a window seat, lost in his own thoughts, almost completely oblivious to the loud, bantering voices around him. It was difficult to join into their camaraderie that day, as much as he wanted to suck in the school spirit that was spreading around.

  It wasn’t until he heard a loud whoop and a series of whistles that Darien turned his head away from where he was staring out in the parking lot.

  “Odette!” Sawyer yelled from the very back of the bus. “Are you coming with us?”

  Darien’s blood ran cold and he craned his neck to look as he saw the brunette standing in the aisle, between the two front seats.

  Oh God, please no, he thought, watching as she continued through the bus, a smile broadening on her face. She paused at his seat and turned her grin on him but he could clearly see the ire in her eyes.

  “Yes, Sawyer,” she replied happily, flopping into the empty seat at Darien’s side. “I am coming with you to cover your game this weekend.”

  Darien gaped at her, wondering if she intended to sit there for the entire trip. The rest of the team cheered in appreciation—all but Darien who was sure that this was going to be a recipe for disaster.

  “What are you doing?” he hissed. She eyed him innocently.

  “Me? I’m working,” she retorted. “What are you doing?”

  Darien shook his head in disbelief.

  “No, I mean, what are you doing here? Right here.”

  He gestured at the tiny space between them and she snorted.

  “Are you seriously going to kick me out of my seat?”

  His impulse was to tell her to go but the scent of her honey and vanilla shampoo wafted into his nostrils and suddenly, he was back at her place on the sofa, her ass in his face. Immediately, he felt his cock react.

  Oh come on. Not this again, he groaned silently. How could the mere thought of her have such a profound impact on him?

  “Oh my God.” Odette sounded pissed. “I didn’t think you were that immature. So what, we had a little thing. You don’t have to be a baby about it.”

  Darien balked and whipped his head around, hoping that they hadn’t been overheard.

  “Keep your voice down,” he growled. “No one needs to know about that!”

  Instantly, he regretted his word choice, seeing the look of hurt in her face as her mouth became a firm line.

  “Don’t worry,” she hissed, rising. “I won’t embarrass you.”

  Contrition shot through him and he reached out to grab her arm before he could think about it.

  “Just sit down and shut up,” he growled. “I don’t care if you sit here. Just don’t bother me.”

  She scoffed lightly but she did reclaim her seat, instantly reaching for her laptop as Darien turned to look back out the window. But now, his thoughts weren’t on Melody or Chicago. They were on the unbearably overwhelming presence of the reporter at his side. With a grunt, he realized that ignoring her wasn’t going to work but when he turned back around, Odette had already stuck earbuds in her ears and was pretending to ignore him.

  Why doesn’t she just move?

  He secretly admitted that he was glad she’d stayed but she didn’t seem happy about it, almost like she had no control over her own actions.

  I kinda know how she feels.

  “What?” Odette snapped, wrenching the earbuds out of her ears to glare at him.

  “What what?” he retorted.

  “Why are you staring at me?”

  He flushed slightly. He hadn’t realized he had been.

  “Still trying to figure out what I’m looking at, I guess.”

  “Oh. Wow. Creative and mature, Fowler. It’s a good thing you’re an athlete because you’d never have a career in anything else.”

  Darien bristled, more over the use of his last name than the insult.

  “You know, I could probably write a better article than you—”

  “And your material is getting old,” she cut him off, moving to put her earphones back in. “You could use some new stuff.”

  “Why are you really here?” he demanded quickly before she could shut him out again. “It’s for me, isn’t it?”

  Odette’s head whipped around and she gaped at him in utter disbelief.

  “You really are full of it, aren’t you?” she breathed. “You really think you’re that irresistible!”

  “We don’t usually get reporters from the State traveling on the bus with us,” Darien informed her matter-of-factly. “If they come at all, they take their own transportation. I know you have a car. Why aren’t you using it?”

  “And you inferred that had something to do with you. Wow. Seriously. Maybe I’m trying to be environmentally sound. Maybe I want to talk to someone else on the bus. Maybe I’m screwing the bus driver.”

  Darien guffawed but inside he was beginning to get angry. She lowered her voice and leaned in, her eyes flashing with annoyance.

  “This may come as a surprise to you, Fowler, but I haven’t spoken to you since that stupidity happened. Don’t think that you’re avoiding me because I haven’t looked for you either.”

  Darien found himself slightly stung by her wording but instead of letting her see it, he flashed her a warm grin.

  “And yet, instead of sitting next to your lover, the bus driver, you’re sitting here with me. I wonder why that is.”

  Indignation flooded her face and she opened her mouth to retort but no sound came out. Instead, she pursed her lips and stared at him for a long moment, unspeaking. Darien raised his brows, waiting for her response.

  Slowly, she gathered her Mac Book and tucked it back into her bag before ambling to her feet and Darien looked up at her in surprise.

  “What are you doing now?” he grumbled, wishing she’d stop being such a brat.

  “Rectifying a mistake,” she replied haughtily before leaving to find another seat. Darien could only stare after her, wishing he’d kept his mouth shut.

  No. It’s good riddance. Let
her go.

  He needed time to himself, not a distraction from a wannabe reporter. But even as he thought it, Darien knew that Odette was going to prove to be a very big distraction that weekend whether he liked it or not. He just had to decide which it was going to be.

  Chapter 9

  Odette had begged Marcus not to have her go on the trip to Ohio.

  “Please,” she cajoled. “I’ll do anything else but go with the Wolverines on tour.”

  “It’s one weekend,” the editor-in-chief said flatly and Odette could already tell that she was losing the battle. “After that tripe article you wrote about Michigan fans, you owe me already. You’re in no position to ask to be let off the hook on this.”

  To her horror, Odette felt tears of frustration building in her eyes.

  Oh my God. If you cry in front of him…

  She steeled herself, forcing the waterworks to stay where they were.

  “Marcus,” she tried again. “I can watch the game and live tweet the updates. I can—”

  “You can do that too—from Columbus.”

  She didn’t know why all the men in her life were making it so miserable those days but Odette felt like she was on a sinking ship when it came to winning any of them over.

  “And you still didn’t get that exclusive you swore you were getting with Darien Fowler, what, two weeks ago now?”

  She flushed at the reminder but she knew her blush had nothing to do with the interview and everything to do with what had happened the day she’d tried to get it.

  And thank God we didn’t let that go too far, she thought, even though she knew it had gone far enough. After he’d left that day and Tempy had exhausted her diatribe, Odette had been left with a terrible sense of shame. A part of her wondered if she hadn’t tried to seduce Darien if only to get him on her good side. After all, she had gone in for the first kiss.

  But she knew that attraction she felt for him had nothing to do with guile…did it?

  She was a jumble of emotions as she boarded the bus, forsaking the idea of driving, knowing that it would be too easy an escape.

  When she’d seen Darien sitting alone, looking outside the window, a spark of compassion had filled her heart for him. He almost seemed vulnerable at that moment and she wanted to know what was going on in his head. After all, he had certainly shown her that he had a decent side to him already.

  There was nothing decent about what went on with the two of you, a little voice reminded her but that didn’t stop her from heading toward him. She decided her best course of action was to confront him head on. Avoiding him after what had happened, especially after they were bound to see one another a lot over the next few days, seemed silly.

  But now, as she sat alone at her own window seat, she wished she hadn’t attempted to reach out to him at all.

  He is an ass. Even Mussolini had his tender moments, I’m sure. I won’t make the mistake of falling for that again.

  Yet her new resolve did nothing to alleviate the problem of the exclusive interview she’d promised Marcus nor about the tension that was sure to build throughout the weekend.

  Nor would it do anything to ease the fact that even those two minutes sitting next to Darien had reignited the fire inside her again, something she thought she’d managed to get under control over the past few days.

  “Can I sit here?”

  Odette looked up and nodded as Allister grinned down at her. Not that she particularly wanted any company but she was going to have to talk to the players anyway. Allister plopped down beside her and gave her a sidelong look.

  “So?” he drawled. “You single?”

  Odette’s back tensed but she maintained the fake smile on her lips.

  “Define single,” she replied lightly.

  “Well I’m guessing you’re not married yet,” he deducted. “Boyfriend?”

  “You offering?” she teased.

  “Maybe. You could do worse than me,” Allister told her.

  “She could also do a lot better,” a voice growled from the seat behind them. Odette didn’t need to turn to know who it was and she swallowed a smile as Allister snorted.

  “Look who’s talking, Fowler. You go through women like Kleenex.”

  Of course he does, Odette thought with a slight bitterness. And now you’re one of them.

  “Name one!” Darien fired back, standing to lean his long arms between the seats and glower down at his teammate.

  “I can’t!” Allister quipped. “You go through them so quickly, there’s never any time to learn their names!”

  Odette kept her eyes carefully trained on the seat in front of her, taking in their edgy banter with a slight smile on her face. She knew they weren’t really fighting, that this back and forth was commonplace in such a testosterone-permeated environment but at the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder why Darien had moved seats.

  Don’t wonder. Don’t think about it. Forget about Darien and focus on the rest of the team. It’s only three days. You can get through three days without being hassled by Darien Fowler.

  Or maybe not if he was going to follow her around and listen in on her conversations. She wished he’d just make up his mind about what he was doing.

  As the two players continued, Odette started to tune them out, suddenly realizing that she wasn’t part of the conversation anymore.

  Coach Wilder appeared and signaled for everyone to quiet down before announcing that the bus would be leaving in five minutes.

  “If anyone needs to take a piss, now’s the time,” the man told his team before resting his eyes on Odette. He gave her an apologetic smile.

  “Sorry. I didn’t see you there, Ms. Stinson.”

  “No problem, Coach,” she replied lightly. “I’ve heard fucking worse.”

  The bus erupted into laughter and Odette sank back, catching a glimpse of Darien as she did. For a weird moment, she thought she caught a look of appreciation on his face but she didn’t investigate, nor did she look at him again.

  The bus rolled into the first rest stop at one o’clock, almost two hours after they’d left the university parking lot.

  “Move, move!” Grayson howled, pushing his way down the aisle.

  “There’s a bathroom on the bus,” Odette heard herself mutter, wondering why he’d waited.

  “Gray is a bit of a germaphobe,” Allister confided, leaning in. He rested his hand brazenly on her knee and Odette brushed it off like it was a crumb. It wasn’t the first time he’d tried the same move on the trip nor was it the first time she’d turned him away but it didn’t seem to stop him from going at it again. Darien had returned to his original seat but when she looked, Odette realized he had a clear view of the two of them from where he sat. Even though she never caught him overtly staring, she was sure she could feel his eyes on her almost constantly.

  “I’m going to grab a Red Bull,” Odette announced, rising. Allister also stood and nodded.

  “Yeah. I could use a snack. I’ll go with you.”

  It was hard not to grimace at the suggestion but as she disembarked, she was almost instantly steered aside by Darien.

  “What are you doing?” Allister grumbled after them as Darien ushered her further away from the bus and toward a group of picnic tables.

  “What he said,” Odette agreed, staring at him in annoyance. “I need to grab some things from the store.”

  “You should stay away from Allister.”

  Odette blinked and looked at Darien, unsure if he was threatening her or warning her.

  “What?”

  “You shouldn’t be flirting with him.”

  Odette’s mouth parted but in her shock, nothing came out.

  “I’m trying to do you a favor. He’s got a girlfriend and she’s going to be at the game this weekend. If she sees you hitting on him—”

  “I’m not hitting on him!” Odette snapped defensively, folding her arms over her chest. “We’re just talking.”

  “Well, you can try
explaining that to Angel but I’m pretty sure in Texas, when a man puts his hands on a woman, they call that cheating. That’s where Allister and Angel are from, by the way. Texas. It’s an open carry state, in case you’re wondering.”

  Odette’s mouth was fully agape now, a dozen excuses ready to fall from her lips but they all died on her tongue as she stared at Darien’s earnest face. She couldn’t detect a single falsehood in his eyes.

  “I wasn’t flirting with him,” she muttered, dropping her gaze.

  “Well, you can see how it might have been construed as such,” Darien replied, shrugging. “Just thought I’d warn you.”

  He moved away from Odette then, leaving her to watch after him.

  “Why do you care, Darien?”

  The question made him pause and for a moment, he didn’t turn, like he was contemplating her question with seriousness before meeting her eyes. Only then did he pivot.

  “I don’t,” he said flatly.

  You liar!

  “For someone who doesn’t care, you certainly keep close watch on me.”

  She waited for his response expectantly.

  “Look,” he grunted, darting his gaze away. “I may not like you very much, Odette but I don’t really want to see you murdered. And trust me when I say that Angel will murder you if she thinks you’re hitting on her boyfriend. I once saw her dump a sizzling fajita tray on a waitress who dared to stick her cleavage in Al’s face when she was setting it down. It was purely accidental on the server’s part but Ang didn’t care. She flew into a frenzy.”

  Odette blinked, processing the tale.

  Is there a story there? The wives and girlfriends of players? Or is Darien just making this up to keep me away from Allister?

  She dismissed the latter thought. Darien had made his feelings about her clear from the day they’d met. They may be hot for one another but there wasn’t a modicum of like between the two of them.

  And yet, he pulled her aside to warn her, he interrupted Allister’s flirting, he put himself between flying beer and her computer…