Gage (The Player Book 6)

by Nana Malone

  She was all business during the study session. And Gage threw himself into everything he did. If he worked his ass off, maybe she'd see how good she was for him.

  Becker looked through his paper while he took another one of her infamous quizzes. Funny thing was, they were getting easier for him. The idea of listening to audiobooks had been genius. It was so much easier for him to process all the information.

  He'd spent every spare moment in practice listening to the audiobooks. Hell, for the last two weeks, all he'd done was go to practice, class, and study with Becker. They'd made it a habit to study for all their midterms together. Well, not together, together. Because, if they weren't studying for English, she just tucked in her earbuds and got to it.

  The family had kept the steady stream of calls coming, and he'd mostly kept the conversation to safe topics, like practice. He wasn't lying, exactly. He just wasn't telling them anything bad.

  Whenever someone asked him about school and his friends, he tried to change the subject. Echo was the worst. She was like a damn sniffer dog. And of course, they kept pressuring him to come home. Just for a weekend, even. It was easy to lie on the phone. No way he could do it person. He'd rather stay on campus at least until Thanksgiving.

  When he finished with the exam, he handed it over and she didn't bother to check it. Instead, just tucked it in her binder. “Aren't you going to review my answers?”

  She shook her head. “Why? Please, you passed,” she assured him. “You know you did. I was watching you. You knew the answer to every single question. You were writing up to the end here. And, heads-up, that's a sample midterm your English Professor used to use. I just rearranged the study guide. You'll be fine.”

  That was supposed to make him happy, right? Then why did he feel like doing well would cost him her? “But I did all that work.”

  “Yeah, you did, and I don't think you understand how far you've come. Relax.” She fidgeted with her highlighter. “Uh, so you deserve a reward.”

  Her teeth grazed her bottom lip, and Gage sat raptly staring at her mouth. He knew exactly what he wanted as a reward. “Oh, yeah,” he croaked out.

  She nodded. “Yep. A night off.”

  His heart sank. “You trying to get rid of me?”

  “No. I just thought you'd have somewhere else you wanted to be. I know I've been riding you pretty hard the past few weeks.”

  Gage couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. “I wish.”

  Becker blinked, then he saw the pink flush under her skin, and she sputtered. “That is not what I meant.”

  “Believe me, I know. Look, let's keep working.”

  “Oh, come on. There has to be a de-stress-from-midterms party happening somewhere.”

  He shrugged. “There probably is. It doesn't matter. I'd rather be here.”

  Thirteen

  Gage had to reluctantly admit that he'd been looking forward to the Legacy Sports fundraising event. As he was actually in the city, his father had asked him to be part of it.

  Dax and Asha were on their way, too. He was excited to see them. And, frankly, today would be more fun than anything for him. He didn't have to do much, really.

  Dax had more to do than he did, as he was actually playing on a viable team. The press would want to talk to him. He was going to have to do the pictures and the interviews, and then he'd actually be out there playing football with some kids. Dax was great at the media stuff and Gage realized he probably should pay attention and learn some of it, especially if he hoped to go pro.

  All of his siblings had to do some form of PR and publicity stuff. But Dax was the best at it. When he wanted, his brother could turn on the charm. Of course, when he didn't feel like it, he could also be an ass.

  All Gage really had to do was play basketball with a bunch of kids, and there'd be a photo op. But as he hadn't even had his first college game yet, no one was really there to see him.

  Every year, Legacy Sports—their parents' company—held fundraisers all over the country to raise money for awareness campaigns that encouraged kids to get out and get active. All of his siblings had taken part.

  Gage noticed when Dax entered the room. Dax saw him right away too, and gave him a wide grin.

  “What's up little brother?”

  Gage grinned. “Not much, man.” They clapped each other on the back. And then Gage turned to Asha, enveloping her as well, lifting her clean off her feet.

  “Put my woman down,” Dax growled.

  Gage grinned, thoroughly amused. He had never seen Dax so protective before. The moment he'd met Asha, everything changed for him. Dax had been notorious. Some of his exploits with girls were like family lore now. His mouth was almost always getting him into trouble, too. Gage had been in awe of him when he'd been in high school. Hell, he was a little in awe of him now.

  While he had no interest in being a troublemaker like Dax was, he admitted that his brother had flair. But he was different now, more settled almost. And the way Dax looked at Asha, it was pretty clear he was off the market for good.

  Gage gently put her down. “It's good to see you guys.” Turning to Asha he asked, “You think I'll be able to talk my brother into a little game of one-on-one basketball?”

  She laughed. “You know, that would be an interesting match. Obviously, basketball is your arena. But you know Dax. He hates to lose at anything. He may kill himself trying to beat you.”

  Gage shrugged. “In that case, I'll let him live.”

  Dax grinned. “You might let me make my own decisions. Let's not get too cocky yet, Gage. You're untested. For all we know, despite the height, and the high-school skill, you might suck at this.”

  Asha smacked Dax on the chest. “Shut up.” She turned a level gaze on Gage. “Ignore him. He's an idiot.”

  “Oh, Gage knows I'm just teasing him. He pretty much came out of the womb with a basketball. Did you see his senior year stats in high school? He could have easily gone pro right away.”

  Gage shook his head. “Well, that was high school. I'm not even sure I'm starting yet. So let's just wait and see.”

  Dax replied to his comment, but Gage wasn’t listening. His attention was too focused on the west entrance. The dark hair sweeping down the girl's back caught his attention, first. And then, there was that no-nonsense walk. Not intentionally sexy, but something strong and determined in the stride. Becker? Becker was here?

  “You want to tell me what the hell you're staring at?”

  Gage blinked rapidly and dragged his attention back to his brother. “What do you mean?”

  “You're staring off into space. Where'd you go?”

  Gage shook his head. “Nowhere.”

  His brother laughed knowingly. “Yeah, I've been to nowhere too. How bad is it?”

  Gage frowned. “What you mean?”

  “Oh, come on, you've obviously got a girl. You've been edgy and distracted since we got here. And now you're watching the entry, searching every face. Who did you invite?”

  “I didn't invite anyone.” Then Gage's eyes double-crossed him as they flitted over to where he'd last seen the Becker lookalike. Where did she go? “I just saw someone.”

  “What kind of someone? Your girlfriend?” Dax teased.

  “Oh my God, you're worse than Mom. Or Echo,” Gage admonished. “And Echo is crazy about this stuff. If I had some girl, Echo would already be making her a room in the house.”

  His brother grinned. “You're not wrong. But you're trying to deflect. Introduce us to your friend.”

  “And I'm telling you, there is no—”

  “Gage?”

  His heart hammered against his ribs again. What was it about her when she was within his vicinity? “Hey, Becker.” He turned to face her.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Legacy Sports is a primary sponsor of the event. That's my family's company.”

  She frowned. “How did I not put two and two together? I've been doing this event for years.”
/>
  Dax wasted no time and stuck his hand out. “Hi, I'm Dax.”

  Becker blinked, recognition clear on her face. “Oh, hi, Dax. You're Gage's older brother, right?”

  “Yep.” He nodded and turned his attention to Asha and brought her forward. “This is my girlfriend, Asha Wix. We were just saying to Gage that we wished he'd brought someone along. You know, so we could meet his friends.”

  Becker opened her mouth. “Oh. I'm not—” she cut herself off. And Gage held his breath. What was she going to say? He'd made it clear he didn't want any of his family knowing about the tutoring. She stood like that for several moments, and he could practically see her brain going into overdrive. He had to step back in.

  “Okay, that's enough, Dax. Don't be an asshole about it. Becker, meet my brother. Dax and Asha, this is Becker. My girlfriend.”

  Dax's eyes went wide as they ping-ponged between Gage and Becker. “Well, this is fantastic. Gage, I was worried about you, about handling everything on your own, but I see you've already gotten it right. Well done, little brother.”

  Asha rolled her eyes. “Don't mind him.” She said to Becker. “He actually can't help it. It's a medical condition or something. What he means to say is, well done, Gage, good choice.”

  Becker laughed. The sound went straight to Gage's dick. “Somehow, I think this trait runs the family. Gage has a way of doing that, too.”

  Dax grinned at her and threw an arm over her shoulders, as he led her deeper into the complex. “Becker, Gage didn't even tell us anything about you. Or that you'd be joining us today.”

  “Well, I didn't tell him. I wanted it to be a surprise. Volunteering is a huge deal for me. I do it a lot, but I didn't want to insist he add me to a family thing. I wanted to just come in and lend a hand. I didn't think you guys would notice me.”

  Gage couldn't help but mutter under his breath. “Yeah, as if that would ever happen.”

  Why hadn't he found out she was volunteering? It never even occurred to him to ask about her hobbies and what she did in her spare time. Just like he hadn't been willing to risk the rejection the other day. And then they ended up on that disastrous date.

  He shook his head. It went downhill because you were an idiot and didn't tell her you actually wanted to ask her out for real. Besides study sessions, they hadn't had much time together. Any wishes about having a minute with her alone evaporated.

  As Asha walked with Becker over to where the volunteers signed in, Dax leaned in closer. “She's adorable. I see you have a thing for cardigans.”

  Gage ground his teeth. “Shut up.”

  Dax held up his hands. “Strictly an observation. You two kids are being safe, right? Or does she do the naughty-librarian thing with you and you employ safe words?”

  Gage wished he was anywhere else but here right now. “Dax, please stop. Please don't turn this into some awkward sex conversation I was supposed to have with Dad when I was thirteen, but never actually had.”

  Dax laughed. “Dude, I know full well you don't need the talk. You've had groupies since you were a freshman in high school. I'm just saying she's cute. And from the sounds of it, smart. And it looks like Asha likes her. Which means she's more than likely a decent human being. So, lucky you. Don't fuck up.”

  “I won't.” Too late for that.

  “You know, I find it interesting that I didn't get a single call from Echo about this. You learn faster than the rest of us. Echo would be all up in this. PS, she would love her, too.”

  Gage shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I know.” His sister would like Becker almost as much as he did. The whole family would. But he wasn't here today to focus on her. He had to try and focus on why he was here. Being around her messed with his cognitive thinking.

  Once the first round of photo-ops were done, he and his brother took the kids for their respective sports, and ran little mini clinics. Though Gage loved this part of the volunteering, he could barely focus. He kept looking for Becker. Every time he saw her she was with the kids, playing or helping them fill out their skills sheets, and he couldn't help but stare.

  The problem was, while he was looking at her, she was not looking at him. Which was disconcerting, and a kick to the ego.

  Finally, when he had a break, he found her at one of the watering tables, handing out water pouches. When she was done, he waved. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  She nodded to one of the volunteers, indicating she was taking a break, and then followed him to the bleachers where they had a little more privacy to talk.

  “You doing okay? I know my brother can be a little much.”

  Becker smiled up at him. “Yeah, it’s awesome. And your brother and Asha are great. You don't have to apologize. I think he's funny.” She rocked back on her heels. “So, uh, about the other night. I know we didn't talk about it.”

  “No. I do. I like you.” She whispered. He grinned and she rolled her eyes. “Don't let it go to your head. It's a shitty excuse, but when I'm freaked out, I go into automatic protective mode. And I know that under normal circumstances we wouldn't even have crossed paths. Hell, I'm hardly your type. I don't have the big boobs or blond hair.”

  Shit. Crystal. “Fuck. Becker, that night. It didn't mean anything. I wasn't even really into her.”

  She sighed. “I'm saying this wrong. You don't owe me an explanation for that night. You didn't even know me. Nor were you my fake boyfriend.”

  He was going to lose her if he didn't talk fast. “Look, that night…I didn’t even want to be out. I was feeling the pressure. The shit with Ransom and Gramps was blowing up. I had just gotten that email from my professor that I was failing and I needed academic counseling. And fuck, I didn't even want to be there. Crystal was an easy way to forget for just a minute and ease the damn pressure, but I couldn't even make that work until I saw you. I don't know what happened. But it's like the connection was instant.”

  She flushed. “Gage. Please don't. All I'm saying is, I like you. But I know you're busy. And I'm busy. You've got schoolwork that needs attention, which is what I'm supposed to be here for. Not kissing you at parties, and going to the roller rink. I'm your tutor. And you are pretending for me. I can't afford to believe the fantasy is real.”

  “Becker, you know it's not exactly like that.”

  She shrugged. “I know. But, when I'm with you, I get confused, and things get really unclear—”

  He swallowed hard. Not what he wanted to hear. His heart squeezed. He needed her. He took a breath, grasping for the last remaining straw. “So, friends, then?”

  She sighed with a smile. “Yep, friends. Friends who study together.”

  “Yeah, study.” Because that's what he wanted to do with Becker.

  Fourteen

  Gage stared down at the current grade assessment. He'd done it. Holy hell. A freaking B. And he had Becker to thank for it. The last few weeks had been hell, but they'd done it. Together. He called her automatically.

  “Hello?” Her voice was soft.

  “Becker? Guess who got a passing grade?”

  She laughed. “I told you.”

  “I know. You’re always right.”

  “Well, this calls for a celebration. Dad's having a party tonight. My presence has been requested. Maybe if you come, we can do something after?”

  “Like a Halloween thing?”

  “He hates Halloween, so no dressing up.”

  “Okay. Tell me the time.” His pulse raced. He was getting another chance. As friends. Yeah, whatever. He'd take it. He hung up with her and headed for practice.

  But when he reached the gym, the upperclassmen put a damper on his hopeful mood. Tom Bradford, one of the seniors, broke the news at that afternoon's practice. “No scoring off the court until you score on the court,” he said with a grin. “Defensive players have to get to at least twenty points before they can have sex again, offensive players have to get to one hundred points. Got that? No one touches your dicks but you until we see some points on
that scoreboard.”

  “But…” One of the freshman players who was almost certainly going to be riding the bench most of the season started to object. He shut his mouth when the team's co-captain raised an eyebrow at him.

  “If you've got a girlfriend, you should let her know now, though it's hardly a secret that we do this every year,” the captain continued. “If you don't have a girlfriend…well, it shouldn't be as hard for you boys,” he teased. “Seriously though, if you wanna hit your point goals, you've gotta perform in the games, and to do that, you've gotta do well enough to get on the court. We help each other through this, and keep each other in line.”

  “What about…taking matters…into our own hands?” someone off to Gage's right inquired to a round of half-hearted laughs. Too many of the newest team members knew they'd have a hard time getting the playing time necessary to even have a chance at making those numbers; some of the seniors would probably hit them in the first five or six games.

  “Taking care of yourself that way is allowed, but it gets old real quick, trust me,” one of the captains joked.

  Gage stayed quiet, but one of his teammates walked out with him, elbowing him in the side. It was Daniel.

  “Gonna be tough for you, having put so much time into Becker. That girl is an ice queen. But for some reason, she seems to like you, and here you are with this standing in your way,” Daniel laughed. “Tough break, man, but if the choices are getting it on with Becker and being ridiculed by the team for the rest of the season, or lose out on all the time you've put into getting her to open her legs, I say go for the tail. Take that pussy while you can.”

  Gage's first, immediate instinct was to hit him. There was an edge to his words that needled Gage. He knew the asshole was looking for a way under his skin. He didn't like the dig at Becker, or the implications regarding his sex life with her. That they were dating was generally accepted, but it was also no secret that he'd been reluctant to divulge any details of the areas of their romantic life that most of the guys on the team bragged about every chance they got.