Tough Break (FSCU Pitbulls Book 3)

by Stella Marie Alden

  She shakes her head back and forth, wet locks flying. “How did you learn to throw a knife so accurately?”

  “Something I picked up here and there.” I shrug, wondering how much she really wants to hear.

  “Here, as in this bar, here?”

  “Yeah.” My heart beats a bit faster. What does she think of me, this place and my dad?

  “If you guys hadn’t come, God knows what would’ve happened.” Her hand shakes as she brings her coffee mug to her swollen lips.

  I lean through the window and catch her eye. “Good ol’ Mrs. Griswold says what we don’t talk about will fester or some such shit.”

  “Over easy or scrambled?” I hold up a carton of eggs.

  “Scrambled is fine.” She stands, walks through the door into the kitchen area, and opens the steel door of the refrigerator. Squatting, she finds bread and pops two slices in the toaster.

  “So, are you okay with yesterday?” I put a couple plates down on the steel counter and scrape out eggs with my spatula.

  “I guess. It was pretty awful and yet awesome. I think that man wanted to kill me so I guess it’s good he’s dead instead of me.”

  “My thoughts, exactly.” I give her a hug, my cock again coming to life.

  “Tell him to stand down.” She points her butter knife. “We need to eat.”

  I chuckle. “When it comes to you, he has a mind of his own.”

  “Were you shitting me about him being broken?” Her brows raise.

  “No, it was for real.” I cross my heart with the wooden handle. “The doctor thought an artery got damaged after my accident.”

  “Did you try pills?”

  “Yeah, nothing worked. You were my miracle, babe.” I grab our sizzling bacon and plate it up.

  She blushes, grabs our dishes, and walks them back to the bar. “I guess we’re even. You saved me, too.”

  Her pretty ass slides back onto a bar stool. “I never told you about my childhood, did I?”

  “Not much.” I sit next to her, making one knee touch hers. Contact with her is almost as fierce a need as breathing.

  “I have two older half-brothers by my mother’s first husband. Then, she had me with her second. She didn’t bother to marry Karen’s father. And I think there is one other sibling but I never got her to admit it.”

  Her sigh reminds me of the first night we met. “My biological dad and I get along okay but he has a new family and I’m a clear reminder of a past he’d rather forget.”

  Piling eggs on her toast, she takes a bite, and chews thoughtfully. “From the time I was about six until I graduated from high school, every other weekend was spent at his house. It sucked. He really didn’t want me there and I didn’t want to be away from my friends.”

  “What about your sister?” Butter drips onto my beard so Danni grabs a cocktail napkin and dabs.

  “Holy shit. She was a nightmare. She screamed and broke my stuff but my mother let her rule the roost. I couldn’t have friends come over because it was dangerous.”

  “Despite all that, you took her in?” I shake my head. This woman never ceases to amaze me.

  “It wasn’t her fault. Karen didn’t deserve to be homeless. She has ah…” My lover’s brown eyes brighten. “Anger issues.”

  “No wonder I like her so much. We’re obviously in a class set apart.” Grinning, I tuck a lock of pretty hair behind an ear.

  She sighs as she finishes her coffee. “I wish we could stay here longer.”

  “In this dump?” I swivel my chair and glance around the room.

  “Yup. It’s just about perfect.” Her eyes meet mine and my heart constricts like it did when I thought I was going to lose her.

  Holy shit. Have I gone and fallen in love? After my ex, Mia, dumped me, I promised myself I would never be such a sap again. Suddenly, the old wound opens and the pain of her rejection is so real, I gasp.

  Danni would never be so cruel. Hell, she would’ve stuck with me no matter how far I fell. The throbbing in my leg resurfaces worse than it has for months. I’ll probably need to find a physical therapist when we arrive home but I wouldn’t change a damn thing. For the first time since the accident, I feel like a man.

  Standing, I take her in my arms and kiss her with the emotions I can’t yet put into words.

  Motorcycles roar outside and my dad enters, catching us in our heated embrace. “Do you think you can let go of her long enough to drive to the airport?”

  I have no luggage other than a knapsack. Hers was at the hotel and I had it shipped back home. She gets on behind Pops and me behind Blade.

  Outside my terminal, I shake hands with my dad. For years I’ve hated how I had him for a dad but today, I see everything in a different light. We aren’t big on goodbyes so I slap him on the back and shake hands by clasping forearms.

  “Get your ass back home more often. I miss your stupid face, kid.” Faust guns his engine and is about to take off but my girl grabs him in a hug and kisses his cheek.

  “Thank you. If you ever need a biology teacher, let me know.”

  That makes my pops crack up. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Two bikes roar to life, then I slip a hand to Danni’s lower back, and we rush to the ticket counter. Once seated on the plane, I have to set a few things straight between us. I wait until everyone is settled before starting my speech.

  “I, ah… Once we reach Freedham, my schedule gets pretty booked. In addition to finishing my master’s, I have to attend all the games, the practices, and deal with things like equipment, booking flights and hotels and…”

  She lets go of my hand and her thigh muscle wedged next to mine tenses. “What are you saying? Are you breaking up with me?” Tears well.

  “Breaking up? We were never anything to break? Hell, our relationship has been like this hurricane. It just blew in off the ocean and wreaked havoc with our lives. We never had time to think, then this. I don’t want you to assume you owe me anything.” I’m trying to be noble, a man deserving of her love, but I don’t think it came out the way I intended because her brows furrow and her brown eyes narrow.”

  She takes her voice low and slow. “I don’t make love because I think I owe someone something.”

  “Danni, don’t get all riled. I was trying to ask you to wait for me. To be my, I don’t know, girl. Exclusive. I don’t want those brown eyes roving to some other man.”

  The crease above her nose disappears and she smiles. “That’s it? You want us to be a thing?”

  “Yeah. A thing. Does that work for you?” I hold my breath wondering if I asked too soon but my heart is all tied up in knots over her. I need to know if she’s jumping in the deep water with me.

  Her palms cup my beard, and she locks her teary gaze on mine. “I’m a one-man kind of woman. Besides…”

  She leans in and whispers. “After our first time in bed, you ruined me. Any other lover would never measure up.”

  My grin widens to the point my face hurts. “It won’t be easy. I’m not even sure where we’ll steal a moment together.”

  Her mouth finds mine and she kisses me so damn sweetly, I’m certain I’m in love. How the hell will I ever be worthy? I have no idea but I’m going to try my damnedest.

  The first thing I need to do is come clean with CJ. He may fire my ass and I may end up cleaning toilets for a living, but it’s time to start fresh.

  Chapter 22

  Danni

  I sleep with my head on Chris’s chest, his arm around my shoulder and wake with a stiff neck.

  We Uber home and he kisses me soundly at my door. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay the night?”

  “No, you’re in enough trouble with Coach already.”

  “True.” His face turns troubled but he replaces it with a forced smile. “Good night, Danni. Sleep tight. Say hi to Karen for me.”

  “I will.” I open the door and sigh. Thank God I’m home.

  I vow never to do something so foolish again. Next time I
protest, I’m going to have my own personal bodyguard at my side.

  My sister pops out of her bedroom door, rushes across the room, and hugs me. “I was so worried about you. Where have you been? Were you really arrested? Why didn’t you tell me? Did they hurt you? You’re famous. Did you see the news?”

  I laugh, glad she’s being normal. When my mom died, she withdrew and I worried me being gone would set her back. If anything, she seems to have grown in my absence.

  “Well, hello there.” Mrs. Griswold steps out of the kitchen, drying her hands.

  “I can’t thank you enough for helping out.”

  “It’s nothing. I heard what you were doing and wanted to help. We were fine, weren’t we champ?”

  Karen beams. “It was a great weekend. I got groceries and made our dinner all by myself.”

  “That’s great! What did you make?”

  “Spaghetti and meatballs. I had to make the meatballs. Did you know if you make the sauce it’s cheaper than buying it in a jar and it tastes better and has vegetables. You don’t even have to follow a recipe. You can just put stuff in until it’s good.”

  “Is there any left? I’m starving.” Happy, I park myself at my kitchen table.

  “Well, if you two ladies will excuse me, my cats need to be fed.” The elderly woman embraces Karen and then me.

  “What do I owe you?” I look for my wallet, recall it was confiscated, and moan. It was one of the things taken by the guards in McAllen.

  “Me? Nothing. Just make sure Chris doesn’t skip his classes. He’s come a long ways.”

  Again, the knife whizzing by my ear comes to mind. “Maybe there’s cases where anger is necessary?”

  “Agreed.” She takes me into a hug. “It’s a survival mechanism but it should only come out if needed.”

  As she slips on her coat, I grab Karen’s phone and swipe the Uber app. “Do you need a ride home?”

  Mrs. Griswold pats my hand. “No, it’s a lovely night and I need the exercise.”

  After she leaves, Karen and I catch up until she goes to bed. Turning on the news, I hope to hear the protest made some difference in our country’s policies. I switch to CNN where they talk about a bunch of stuff going on in Washington. I’m about to go to bed when a birds-eye view of the Texas detention center flashes across the screen.

  A line of children march out of the all-too-familiar building and onto school buses as the announcer mentions NATO and human rights violations. “The president’s popularity is at an all-time low. He has refused to comment but congress has enacted a law making it illegal to detain children for more than twenty four hours. Texas is demanding their state’s right to govern this issue but the federal government has stepped in ending the standoff….”

  I don’t understand all of the political implications but the bottom line lightens my heart. Children across the lower states are being released.

  Smiling, I wander down the hall to a long hot shower before crawling into bed. So much has happened since last Friday. Was it only a weekend? It hardly seems possible.

  When my alarm goes off, I moan. It’s Monday and time to go back to the grind. There’s a stack of quizzes I never got to and a whole lot of homework to grade.

  I send Karen off to her job, walk to campus, and stop at the football field. Chris has a no-sleeve Pitbull’s shirt on with a stopwatch and whistle around his neck. Today, he wears shorts, something I’ve not seen him do, despite the heat.

  My clit stirs as our weekend’s heated scenes come to mind. His eyes lift, he takes off his cap, and waves. I raise my arm in response and hurry down the sidewalk, already having delayed too long. At my daily meeting with my adviser, I’m surprised to see the college president.

  The man in the designer pinstriped suit glances pointedly at the wall clock then at me. “Glad you could join us, Ms. Hughes.”

  “Yes, sir. I had no idea you would be here.” My eyes flit to my advisor’s but she shakes her head and puts a finger to her lips.

  While she stands at her desk with her hands behind her back, the president slides his hand through his gray, slicked back hair.

  He finally stops and turns to face me. “You’ve put the college in a very embarrassing position.”

  “Those children-”

  “Were none of your concern.” He clips his words as he cuts me off with a swipe of his hand.

  “You were supposed to advise the club, not send them into a war zone. Do you have any idea how many calls I took this weekend? How many alumni have threatened to remove their generous contributions? I even had a call from the NFL association asking me what the Sam Hill is going on. And do you know what I had to tell them?”

  “No sir.” I stare at the paisleys on his tie.

  “That I had no clue.”

  I attempt to meet his furious gray-eyed stare. “Your statement isn’t quite true, sir. I sent our agenda to y-”

  “Quiet!” He leans in until we are nose to nose. “If it wasn’t for the grief from the far right, I’d fire you right now. As it is, you are suspended without pay. You can continue to take classes as long as you don’t even speak to an underclassman. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Perfectly.” I bite my tongue. “Thank you.”

  “You may go. I have a few words to say to your so-called advisor.”

  I turn, face heated, my eyes tearing. I’d expected some fallout but not this. How am I going to pay my bills? Karen’s dad will help me out as best he can, but he can’t afford everything.

  What if I’ve put both of us out on the street?

  My phone buzzes and it’s my sister’s number but when I pick up, another voice who speaks. “Is this Ms. Hughes?”

  “Yes…”

  “You need to come to the hospital and sign some papers. Your sister’s been bitten by a dog.”

  “Oh shit. I’ll be right there. Is she hurt bad?”

  “No, but she’ll need some stitches.”

  “Where?” I picture her pretty face mauled and grow faint.

  “Her shoulder. She’ll be fine. We just need your signature on the payment forms.”

  “She’s covered under my insurance.” Oh my God. I just got fired. What if she’s not? How does that even work?

  By the time I get everything signed, it’s lunchtime and I have a full afternoon of classes.

  My sister insists on going back to work. “It wasn’t his fault. The poor dog was abused. He didn’t understand I was feeding him.”

  They’ll have to put the animal down and someone needs to tell her. “Poor thing. He must’ve led a very unhappy life.”

  “I know. Don’t feel bad, he won’t feel a thing. They’ll just give him something to put him to sleep and then he’ll go to heaven.”

  My mouth drops open. Here’s another case where I was going to try to protect her. Am I doing what my mother did? Treating her as if she’s younger than she is?

  “Karen, I have to tell you something. I lost my job.”

  “Because of helping those children?”

  I nod. “The president said I made the college look bad.”

  “Not so. The news said you were a hero and how the whole nation is proud of Freedham. They stated more students should be so aware. You may even win some noble peace award.”

  “The Nobel Peace Prize?” I snort. “Not likely, but thank you.” I give her a big hug, careful to avoid her bandage.

  “I can find a job, a real one with pay.”

  “I’m sure you can.”

  “Great. I may need a little help but Mrs. Griswold helped me last weekend look online.”

  For the second time in as many days, I say a short prayer of thanks.

  Multitasking during classes, I job search, skip dinner, then head for my parenting class. I want to share some of my successes, thank the anger management teacher, and of course, share a kiss or two with Chris.

  We’re the first to arrive in front of our respective doors and with no one else around share a kiss that heats up the hall
way by at least ten degrees.

  When done he searches my face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Bad day.”

  “Why, what happened?”

  I sigh deeply. “I got fired, almost kicked off campus, and Karen got bitten by a dog. I searched for a job, can’t find shit, and I’m not sure if I still have insurance to pay the emergency room bill. Basically, I’m fucked, financially speaking.”

  “So, come live with me.”

  “Get serious.”

  “You’re right. I have only one bedroom. I’ll come live with you. We could share expenses.”

  “Thank you. You’re so sweet but we’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks. It’s too soon and what if we break up? It’ll be much harder. No, I need to do this on my own. I’ll figure it out. I always do.”

  I turn to Mrs. Griswold as she comes into view. “Thank you again, for staying with Karen.”

  “No worries. Your sister is a delightful young person.” She holds the door for Chris. “Coming?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “I can’t wait to hear your biker stories.” Her eyes gleam with mischief and I wonder how much she heard.

  He pulls on a lock of my hair. “See you after class?”

  “I can’t. I need to go home.”

  His mouth purses. “I got no other time this week.”

  “Well, I need to write my resume, find a job, that kind of thing.” I don’t want him feeling sorry for me and taking our relationship further because I messed up. I want him to want me because we’re good together.

  “Yeah, whatever.” He turns into his room and I go into mine.

  I didn’t mean to piss him off but just because he’s in the mood for sex, doesn’t mean I have to be. Shit. I’m about to be thrown out of my house. That’s not exactly a turn on.

  Chapter 23

  Chris

  Why can’t Danni accept my help? Hell, I didn’t ask her to marry me. I merely suggested we share the rent. I could use a few less bills, too. I guess I should’ve said something about sleeping on the couch but hell, we’re good together. Why not go for it? If we break up, we go our separate ways. My fists clench at the thought of her in someone else’s arms and the move is caught by the ever-vigilant Mrs. Griswold.