by Ali Parker
"I thought his dad owned this place?" I lifted my hand and moved it around, referring to the pizza parlor we were huddled up in. The idea of Jacob's mother abandoning him stung me. I understood all too well what being left to fend for myself was like. Where my mother was still physically there, she was mentally miles away. Her liquor made sure of that.
"No, it's his stepdad. He's loyal to the man because Mr. DeAngelo raised him like he was his own son." Jayce threw in his two cents. "Where I don't really agree with Jacob's treatment of women, I can respect him taking care of his father as well as he does. They're almost inseparable."
"The women, that will change." Layla glanced up. "When he finds a good woman that doesn't treat him like a piece of meat, he'll melt. He's a softy."
"No way. I don't believe that." I glanced up to see him headed straight for us. His dark hair and well-trimmed beard made him look like someone in their late twenties. The dark circles under his eyes didn't help much, but for some strange reason, they didn't detract from him either. He was impossibly handsome. The warmth that filled me when he moved to my side of the table and touched the top of my back was disturbing on far too many levels.
After we ended the day before with a fight, I didn't think he would want much to do with me. He obviously thought I didn't respect myself enough to leave Brody, and had been quite verbal about it.
"Hey peeps." He lifted his hand and gave everyone but me a high-five. "Party at the Omega House tonight, but it will be censored. You guys should come on out."
"Isn't there a party every night at the Omega House?" Jayce snorted and everyone laughed.
"Excuse me." I moved out of my chair and slipped by him, trying not to concentrate on the hint of his cologne or the way he watched me like he already owned me. I didn't need anything else tying me to the bastard. The few things we had in common were far too much as it were.
I walked toward the bathroom and stopped by the dartboard, checking out the hiring sign with details below. Working for Jacob's father couldn't be that bad, especially not with the way everyone was talking about the guy moments before.
"Hey." Jacob's voice was soft and affected me way more than I wanted it to.
"Oh, hey, Jacob. What's up?" I turned toward him and put my hand on my hip.
"Thank you." He licked his lips subtly and my stomach contracted. The things his tongue could do.
"For what?" I dropped my hand to my side, realizing the bitchiness in my stance.
"For telling Diaz that you were with me all night."
"You didn't hurt anyone, right?"
"Do you really have to ask that?" The hurt in his eyes tore at me.
"Of course I do. I took up for you without hesitation, but after thinking about it some, I really don't know you at all."
He moved to stand right in front of me, far too close for comfort.
"See, that's the problem, Em. You do know me. You made love to me three years ago and opened up my soul. You didn't take time to peer down into it and see the man behind the mask?"
I didn't know what to say. If his words didn't steal my breath, his mere presence did.
"I guess not. Your loss." He turned and walked back toward the kitchen, leaving me panting softly. I was going to end up in his arms again if I wasn't careful, and this time, there would be no walking away from him.
Chapter 12
Six Days Later
Jacob
Somewhere over the last week I'd lost my positive attitude about helping out my dad at the pizza place. It had to be exhaustion. Between everything that was required of me with summer soccer and trying to maintain a social life so my nuts didn’t shrink up into my body and fall off, I was sucking at life.
I walked into the pizza parlor and headed for the back as a long list of mantras ran through my head. I needed to get into a better mood, or I was going to rip someone's head off for no good reason.
"I understand that Sheila, but can't we just talk-" My father had his back to me, but the sound of his voice let me know something was off. "Right, but-"
I stopped at the door and thought about turning around and giving him some privacy, but we'd been sharing our pain since I was a boy. It sounded like he was headed for another round of it. There was no way I was leaving him alone to deal with it by himself.
"All right. I'll help pack up your stuff tonight." He let out a long sigh. "No, it's fine. Thanks for being honest with me."
He hung up the phone as his shoulders rolled in and he pressed his hands to his face.
"Dad?"
"Oh, hey, buddy." He turned and forced a smile on his face. "How was practice? Everything going good for you?"
I took the seat across from his desk and shook my head. "It's fine. What's going on? Something up with Sheila?"
I hadn't liked the woman since he’d introduced me to her a few months back. Where I was fine using women for all they were worth, my dad still seemed to have stars in his eyes where love was concerned. Every woman he'd dated since my mother had taken advantage of him had torn his heart out, leaving me even more guarded than I was before.
"Yeah. She's leaving me." He shrugged and sat down in his chair. "It's just part of the story of my struggle, hm?"
"It doesn't have to be." Anger burned deep inside of me. Why couldn't a good man like him find love? All he wanted to do was provide for some bitch and love her senseless, but no. Every time he tried, the whore would cheat on him or leave without reason. It was always something.
"No? You know of a good woman looking for love?" He chuckled, but the sound fell flat. "You know I hate talking to you about this stuff. You've become hardened toward women, and that's no way to live your life."
"Hell yeah it is. It's the safe way."
"There are a lot of great girls out there, Jacob. You're wasting your time if you think you're going to be satisfied with a hundred of them taking turns in your bed at night. That's going to get old fast."
"It's already old, but I'm good with it." I shrugged. "What happened this time? Why is she leaving?"
"She slept with an old boyfriend a few nights back." He glanced down at his hands. "At least she was honest about it."
"And would you forgive her and give her another chance if she wanted one?"
"I don't know. I care about her, but I'm not in love with her anymore. She's mean spirited."
"Every woman you date is a total bitch. I swear I'm going to start picking out girls for you, Dad, or maybe you should just do like me. Use them and kick them out."
He sat back in his seat and watched me for a minute. I hated it when he did that shit. It unraveled me.
"What?" I barked.
"You know what." A smile pulled at the side of his mouth.
"We're not talking about my stuff right now. You have your own problems to worry about." I got up and ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry this shit keeps happening. It's like Mom put a spell on you or something."
"Naw. I just haven't met the right woman, but I'm going to. You know how?"
"An online dating service?" I chuckled and walked to the door.
"Nope. I'm not giving up. I'll help Sheila pack up and after I get over the heartache of losing another woman, I'll get back on the horse."
"I don't know how you do it, Dad. I couldn't stomach being hurt more than once."
"Have you been hurt once?"
"Yeah. The same heartless bitch that left you, left me, remember?" I walked out, not wanting to see the sad look on his face. He'd forgiven my mother a long time ago, but I hadn't, nor would I ever.
*
I finished making another batch of dough later that day and took a few minutes to check the messages on my phone. The fucking thing had been going off in my pocket for the last thirty minutes.
A note from coach that the money was due for uniforms.
"Great. That's not happening yet." I would have to pull the guy aside to see if there was any leeway on getting the money in, and ask for scholarships, which I hated to do.
Being poor was my own person hell, and I covered it up pretty well, but it never failed to have a sharp reminder raise up and poke me in the side from time to time.
The other text was from Lucas White, asking me to call.
I wiped my hands on my apron and walked through the restroom, exiting through the back door in the alley and moving down enough that the stench of the trash didn't smack me in the face. He answered on the first ring.
"Hey buddy."
"Hey, man. What's up?" I glanced up at the sky between the two buildings and felt a stab of longing. I hated being inside, but helping my dad and earning a few extra pennies in the process was a must.
"Jayce and I are going to see Bare Naked Ladies tonight. Aubrey was supposed to go with us, but she had something come up with Layla. I got an extra ticket. You down?"
I growled and closed my eyes. "No. I wish I could go, but I'm at the pizza parlor, working for my dad. See if Micah wants to go with you guys. He's a cool cat."
"Yeah, I know him a little bit. All right, I'll check in with him. No way you can weasel your way out of working? Where is the Jacob Wright I know and hate?"
I laughed and pressed my back to the wall behind me. "He's stuck working all damn summer to scrape up enough money to buy uniforms and gas for PDL."
"I heard you got in. Congrats, not that any of us are surprised."
"Yeah, thanks. What's up with the Cavs? When are you heading up there?"
"I went this last week. It's gonna be amazing." The tone of his voice didn't match his words at all.
I snorted. "Why am I picturing you crying over a pitcher of beer when you say that?"
"Because I should be?"
"Do I even wanna hear this?"
"Probably not. I'm sure you'd tear up my man card over it, but I'm just sick over leaving Aubrey. We've talked through the possibility of her coming with me or me staying here, but neither of them really work for our long-term goals." He grunted. "But staying apart for a year sounds like hell."
"That's because it is." I ran my hand over my chest. "Are you going to be able to visit each other a lot?"
"I hope so. Once the money starts rolling in, I'll have more opportunity than I do now, but you know how that shit rolls."
"Yep. I wouldn't tell anyone else this shit, but if Aubrey's a good woman... hang on tight. They seem to be rare."
"Not as rare as you think. Emily Campbell was asking about you last week. She's a damn good woman."
"Yeah. Too good for me." I turned and gripped the door handle to go back into the restaurant. "You guys have fun tonight."
"We will. You guys having another party?"
"It's summer and I run the Omega House. Of course we're having another party."
*
"Maybe you should sit this one out tonight." Micah walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge as I leaned back in my chair.
"Why's that?" I yawned loudly and almost busted my ass.
"Because you're beat and you have another full day of killing yourself tomorrow. Something has to give, man."
"Stop acting like my mother and get out of here. Have fun at the concert."
"You sure you don't wanna go? You're already off. Just take the ticket."
"No way, dude. I'm going to drink a few cold ones, sink my dick deep into some chick and go to sleep early if I can help it." I wagged my eyebrows as the doorbell rang.
"Anyone in particular?" He lifted his water bottle to his lips.
"Nope. I'd prefer not to even know her name." I got up and walked to the door, moving back and letting a huge group of people into the house. Some of the girls mixed into the crowd looked a little young, but the older I got the more the post-high school chicks did.
"All right. Have fun, and try not to do anything I wouldn't do." He patted my back.
"What a boring ass night this is gonna be." I smiled and glanced down at a busty brunette that stopped in front of me. "Hey baby. What's your name?"
Her smiled faded. "Jacob. We slept together several times this past spring."
"Right. Nice to see you again." I touched the tip of her nose with my finger and moved around her. I wasn't looking for anything more than a bedmate, which was all most of them were after anyway.
I couldn't help but scan the house in search of Emily, though I knew she had no intention of coming back out to the house, unless...
It was devious and would probably land me in more trouble than it was worth, but I couldn't help myself. I pulled out my phone and shot Brody a text, inviting him and his boys to come have a few beers on me. We had a big ass stash of liquor, and if I knew one thing, it was that Emily Campbell's boyfriend was a complete lush.
Even better... where he went, she was usually quick to follow.
Chapter 13
Emily
"I don't see why we have to cheer for these fucking scrimmages during the summer." Nancy moved up beside me and waved her pom-poms at the crowd.
"It's just part of the new initiative Coach has to get us in front of people as often as possible. I hate it too." I moved to the front of the group and positioned myself to start us in another cheer. Jasmine was off visiting family, and technically her time at Providence was over. Why they hadn't lined up the cheer captain tryouts with the end of the year was beyond me. They were usually much more on the ball than they had been this past year.
We wrapped up our cheer and moved over toward the sideline as Brody and his guys scored the final touchdown to win the scrimmage. There couldn't have been more than twenty people in the stands, but all twenty of them went wild like they'd been some big part of the win. It was almost comical.
"Grab my stuff from over there and meet me at the car. I wanna talk with coach for a few minutes before we head home." He popped my ass and turned to jog back toward his friends.
"You're so damn lucky." Nancy moved up beside me and let out a girlie sigh.
"You think so?" I watched Brody's butt jiggle in his tight football pants and wished I could feel something besides disgust. I wasn't sure if it were more for him or myself, but either way... it sucked royally.
"Hell yes. I'd love to date Brody Jackson. Outside of Lucas White and Jacob Wright, he's the hottest thing strutting around this campus."
"Looks aren't everything," I mumbled and walked over to the pile of shit Brody had slung around when trying to get ready for the game. Why the guys didn't use the locker room during the summer was a mystery, and a bit of a pain. I couldn't go in the locker room, so it saved me from having to be Brody's maid, which ground against my nerves like nothing else.
"Good job today, Emily." Coach Rhodes stopped beside me and tugged at my ponytail. "Did I tell you that we're letting a few other girls from other colleges try out for cheer captain?"
"No, but someone else mentioned it. Jasmine, maybe?"
"Oh good. I didn't want you to be caught off guard, and honestly, it's just politics. I'm sure you're going to come out on top like you always do."
"Thanks, Coach." I finished putting Brody's shit in his bag and stood to lug the heavy-ass thing over my shoulder. I wanted something to eat and a nap. It was Friday night, so going out was almost always a must with Brody.
I wasn't ready to move out from under his financial assistance just yet, but the plan was to stop by DeAngelos sometime that day and apply for a job. I'd been meaning to do it all week and hadn't made it over there yet.
Brody walked up about the time I made it to his car and pulled me flush against him.
I grimaced and pushed at his chest. "You smell horrible."
"That's the scent of success, sweetness." He leaned down and kissed me a few times, working to make himself look desired and important, no doubt. "We're going to the Omega House tonight. There's another big party."
"There's a party every night out there." I moved to the back of the car and put his bag in the trunk while he got in and started the car. "You're welcome, asshole."
"Wear something sexy too." He glan
ced over at me as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Like that little blue dress you have that makes your breasts look huge. I love that one."
"I'm not going out to the Omega House, and you're not either. The last time we were there, you slept with three women."
"I did not." He shook his head. "Don't start this shit again, Em. I messed up and I'm sorry. We're going out there tonight as a couple. Just keep your hand in mine and everything will be fine."
"No. It won't, because I'm not sleeping with you at some dirty ass frat house."
"It's not dirty, and we don't have to fuck out there."
"Yeah, we do, because you'll get drunk and want someone to fill up. If it's not me, it's going to be some nasty hockey whore or Omega slut." I leaned back in my seat and tried to still the swirling sickness in my stomach. "Can you swing by the pizza place, please? I think I left my wallet there last week."
"You left your wallet somewhere last week? How have you been paying for things?" He chuckled and made a sharp turn to head back toward campus.
"I haven't been paying for anything. I'm broke, remember?"
"Aww, poor baby." He reached out and grabbed my hand. "I'll write you a check for all the stuff on your cheerleading list if you come with me tonight."
"What?" I glanced over at him, hating the smug look on his face. He knew he had me.
"Whatever. Just don't expect me to hang out when you start getting stupid. I have to have some small measure of self-worth."
"Stop being dramatic." He pulled up to the pizza parlor and squeezed my hand. "Hurry. I wanna get home and take advantage of you in the shower a few times before we head out."
"Awesome," I mumbled and got out of the car, wondering if I was completely out of my mind for wanting to make a run for it. "And where would you go exactly?"
I walked into DeAngelos and glanced around, a little worried that there were only a small handful of people eating. It was four in the afternoon, so that had to be some part of it, but still... there never seemed to be many people in the place. How Mr. DeAngelo was keeping the door open was a good question.
