Between The Tackles: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Pass To Win Book 3)

by Roxy Sinclaire

  “See you.”

  As he left the stadium, I began to squeal! I couldn't believe I was invited to an actual party. The first and last party I had been to was an orientation party. I shuddered just thinking about it. It was the first time I really had some actual fun and the first time I realized that other people couldn’t handle their liquor. One boy threw up on me and I left feeling completely embarrassed. I hoped that there wouldn’t be another embarrassing moment at the party.

  As soon as my shift was over, I left the stadium. I still couldn’t believe that I got invited to a party! By the most handsome and popular guy on campus. I was grinning from ear to ear. These type of things never happen to me!

  I hummed as I walked from the bus stop to my house. I was already trying to figure out what I should wear. Then I saw Mark sitting on the porch waiting patiently. I smiled. Mark was the best friend a girl could have. I was fortunate that I could always depend on him and that he was always around. Ever since we were younger, we looked out for each other and we could talk about anything with each other.

  “Hi Mark.”

  “Hey April,” he said with a big smile.

  I could see that he was eager to hang out. It had been a while since we did. We were both busy with school and jobs.

  As I made my way to the porch, he got up and hugged me.

  “How are you? What’s been going on?”

  “A lot.”

  I sat down on the porch, smiling.

  Mark noticed how happy I was.

  ‘Why are you so happy?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I replied.

  “Try me,” he persisted.

  “Okay, but I know you won’t believe me. Remember the big game that took place the other day?”

  “April, as much as we are friends and have almost everything in common, remember I don’t keep up with sports.”

  I rolled my eyes at him.

  “Anyways, after the big game. It began to rain and I missed the bus.”

  “Wow. That sounds terrible. So how did you get home?” he wanted to know.

  “Nick drove me home.”

  “Nick? Who’s Nick?” he insisted.

  “Oh, Nick Barrett.”

  ‘Wait, he drove you home?” he asked incredulously.

  “Yeah. He was such a gentleman. He saw me and stopped by the bus stop and offered me a ride home. Then we talked and talked.”

  “Are you okay? He didn’t try anything with you, did he?”

  I laughed. He could be so protective!

  “No! He didn’t. In fact, he was extremely polite and it turns out that we have a lot in common.”

  “Oh…okay.”

  “Yeah, then he came to my stand and brought me some stuff.”

  I showed him the merchandise that he brought me. He didn’t seem to be impressed by the free gifts.

  “And he invited me to a party. I told him I would bring you with me. So, please come with me. I don’t know anyone there and I don’t want to be all alone.”

  “I don’t think I should go. I don’t really fit in with that crowd. Also I am not so sure about Nick. I have heard things about him. He’s a bad guy, April.”

  “Well, I don’t think he is. He seems like such a sweet guy and I did come home in one piece. Also, I can take care of myself. Aww, come on Mark. Go with me. Let’s go out and have some fun.”

  “I…don’t know, April. What if they start to make fun of me? I mean I am not some pretty boy jock or extremely rich. I don’t exactly fit in with that crowd,” he worried.

  “Look, what they think about you doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I get to spend time with my best friend and I actually get to have some fun. Come on, Mark. Please go!’

  “Oh, alright. I will go with you, but it better be worth it,” he says.

  4

  Nick

  Everything seemed to come together tonight. The party was off to a great start. Everyone was having a great time, dancing and drinking with one another. I, on the other hand, couldn’t stop pacing up and down the room. I was becoming impatient and anxious, as almost all of the other guests had already shown up.

  “What was taking her so long?” I thought to myself. She was supposed to be here an hour go. I kept checking my watch and checking the front door. There was no sign of her. I was beginning to wonder if she was still coming.

  I decided to try to have some fun and not to worry too much. I pretended to be calm. I knew she would eventually show up. As I drank with some of my friends and tried to distract myself, I couldn’t help but glance at the door every once in a while. We haven’t even gotten to first base and already she was driving me crazy.

  After an antagonizing wait of ninety minutes, she finally arrived. When I saw her, my heart stopped for a moment. She looked really beautiful. She wore a tight, black dress which showed off her curves with some black sandals. I stared at her long, black hair which was draped over her shoulders. It also looked like she had put on a bit of makeup. She didn’t even need any of that, especially the dress.

  I then noticed her ‘date’ for the night. I watched the guy she had brought with her. He was lanky and looked like a nerd. He wasn’t that bad looking but didn’t seem to fit in with the crowd. I could also tell that he really liked her and couldn’t stop glancing over his shoulder to admire her. His behavior was a bit funny and creepy and a part of me felt sorry for him. I was sure that April didn’t ever realize that her so-called ‘best friend’ was secretly in love with her.

  I watched as the two of them engaged in deep conversation. I wanted to laugh at April’s naivety and how unobservant she was. I couldn’t believe that the smartest girl that I knew couldn’t figure out Mark was deeply in love with her. There were girls here who were pretty hot and were pretty easy that he actually had a chance with, but instead his attention was fixed on her; the one woman who I was interested in.

  It seemed that we weren’t the only ones. The other guys in the room began to stare at her. They looked at her like they had never seen her before, although I’m sure that some of them had seen her before but didn’t pay attention. I decided to swoop in before any other guy at the party could do so.

  I made my way towards her and I almost startled her.

  “Well, you look lovely tonight,” I complimented her.

  I flashed a smile at her. I was playing it cool, but honestly I wanted to take her, rip off that dress and smudge the make-up on her face.

  “Thanks. Great party.”

  “Thanks.”

  We stared at each other for a while. We could both feel the chemistry between us and we became nervous around one another. Oddly enough, we weren’t uncomfortable, but just didn’t know how to put our feelings into words. It seemed like this would have gone on for a while, until her friend interrupted us. I wished that he hadn’t.

  He stuck out his hand and I shook it. Honestly, I wanted to break his hand. I was pissed off that he interrupted our moment.

  He introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Mark.”

  “Hi, I’m Nick. Nice to meet you.”

  He had a firm handshake. I saw the jealous look in his eyes. I could tell he was very protective of April and I couldn’t blame him. She was an amazing girl and I know he wished that they were more than friends, but clearly she didn’t see him like that. He needed to back off.

  He gave me a threatening look as I let go of his hand. I wasn’t the slightest bit afraid of him. I had taken guys half of his size down already. He was clearly threatening the wrong guy. I decided to ease the tension a bit. I had to be a gracious host and I wanted to get into April’s good graces and then into something else. I decided to be the perfect gentleman.

  “So Mark, are you enjoying yourself?”

  He looked at the crowd nervously and looked at April before he responded, “Yeah. Great party.”

  I could tell that he was lying. He was in a room of people who had teased him in his first year, but I had to hand it to him for pl
aying it cool. I guess on some level it still bothered him. Anyways, he wasn’t the important person here tonight. I was more interested in April’s company.

  “So you guys want something to drink?” I asked them.

  “Sure,” said April.

  We then headed to the bar that I had set up for the party. Mark decided on a beer, whereas April wanted a white wine spritzer. I got them their drinks from the bartender and handed it to them. I then remembered that this was my party and I needed to attend to all my guests’ needs. I stared at April for a minute and then went off into the crowd of people. I’ll leave her needs for later.

  Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, but at most parties, some people just didn’t know their limits. I had to break up a few fights and help a few of the patrons who became intoxicated. I also had to stop people from breaking things and using several valuable items such as my family’s trophy for a beer mug. Once order was restored, I knew I needed a plan. I needed to get April alone and get rid of her best friend. I then saw Mandy. She was extremely beautiful, but wasn’t the smartest tool in the shed. She also was quite easy.

  I walked up to her and began to strike up a conversation.

  “Hey Mandy.”

  “Hey Champion.”

  I didn’t know how she could do it, but even two simple words sounded like she was flirting with me. Then she continued speaking and then I knew that she wanted me.

  “So, me and some of the other girls on the squad heard that you and Jennifer broke up. I just wanted you to know if ever you need some company, I am here for you.” She then gently rested her hand on my shoulder and looked at me with those blue seductive eyes. If I wasn’t so interested in April, maybe I would have taken her up on her offer. We did hook up a few times before, but it just felt too easy. It just felt like we were doing it just to do it. I longed for something more and that something I might have found in April.

  “Mandy, thanks for the offer, but I am going to have to pass.”

  “Aww…”

  I was surprised that my rejection even had an effect on her. Knowing her, she would probably have sex with another random guy. And I knew just who she should sleep with.

  “Yeah, maybe another time. I have someone I’d like you to meet. Come with me.”

  We walked towards April and Mark. Mandy was already sizing up Mark.

  “So, April and Mark, this is Mandy. Mandy, April and Mark.”

  “Nice to meet you. Hey Mark can I see you for a second?”

  She then pulled Mark aside and began to talk to him.

  “So, having fun?” I asked her.

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  I watched her take another sip. I needed to find a way for us to be alone.

  “Doesn’t sound like you are,”

  “Oh, it’s just that I haven’t been to many parties before.”

  She seemed nervous. I wanted to put her at ease.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, girls like me don’t normally get invited to the parties,” she said.

  “That’s a shame. I thought they always invited the pretty girls.”

  She blushed and thanked me. I grinned. I did mean what I said. She was pretty and I think others really missed out on someone special. Well, their loss is my gain.

  “I guess they kept forgetting to add my name to the guest list.”

  She shrugged. I laughed at her.

  “Are you enjoying your own party?”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty good.”

  Honestly, I wanted to skip the conversation and head right upstairs, but I had to ensure that she was comfortable. As much as I was attracted to her, I also respected her. She was a woman who seemed to know herself and demanded respect. I wasn’t completely used to the idea of it. Not because I didn’t know how to respect a woman, but because I never had to put it into practice before. Most girls I dated were easy or just direct and knew what they wanted. It was so easy to just sleep with them, but she was so different that all I could do was play it cool and hope that I would eventually get somewhere with her.

  We struggled to have a conversation over the loud music. The party was really going. Everyone was having a good time. At a distance, I could see Mandy flirting with Mark. He seemed to be enjoying himself. She then pulled him away and they disappeared for a moment.

  Although sex was on the brain, I was enjoying the conversation with April. Before, I was trying to suppress the animal instinct to tear her apart, but now I wanted to make passionate love to her and feel every inch of her skin on mine. I wanted to be gentle with her and really take care of her. I wanted to stroke that face of hers and gently run my fingers through her hair. I wanted to make her feel special for she truly was special. She just made me feel things that I never knew existed and I was afraid to have such strong feelings for another person. But I felt comfortable around her. I was only at ease with her when I saw her or spoke to her. If anyone knew how I truly felt about her, it could ruin my reputation. Still, as I laughed and spoke to her, I knew she would be worth it.

  As we headed back again to the bar, I took her hand and held it. Her hand fit perfectly in mine and I wondered if this was meant to be. I mean for a football player; romance was the furthest thing from my mind. Also, I grew up thinking all of that was crap and only for girls, but April was changing my mind. Others watched as we walked hand in hand. Guys kept ogling at April and I wanted to tell them off but there were so many of them that I didn’t know what to do. I could tell that April was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

  “Wow, there are a lot of guys here. They are just staring at me like a piece of meat. I have never experienced that before.” April commented.

  “Maybe you were too busy with your head in a book to notice that there are some men who find you attractive?”

  She smirked at me, “You mean, like you?”

  Dang. I forgot how smart she was. I thought this whole time that I was playing it cool and that she didn’t even realize. Then again, there had to be a reason for her getting into law school.

  I squeezed her hand, “Maybe. So what do you think about me?”

  “I think you are okay.

  “Just okay?” I asked her playfully.

  She smiled at me. I squeezed her hand again but while I laughed and talked with her, I realized that perhaps, it wasn’t so far-fetched to feel something so strong with someone else. And that scared me. It meant she had the power to hurt me and I hated not being fully in control. I never had to worry about romance before. Most of the girls that I dated were normally easy or direct and told me what they wanted. With April, I still felt like I was playing a guessing game and it drove me crazy. Everything about her drove me crazy. I wanted to feel her skin on mine and touch her face and kiss those lips of hers. I just wanted to pounce on her and no longer have to suppress the passion I had for her. And yet, at the same time I was comfortable and relaxed around her. I had never experienced anything like that before.

  I wanted to be upset at her, but she was so cute that I wanted to actually kiss her.

  As we walked back to our spot, eyes were still on her. I wished I could do something about it, but there were so many men staring at her. We were close to our spot, when someone bumped into her and spilled her drink on April’s dress. April was horrified by the incident, but not as horrified as I was at the person who spilled her drink.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  I was trying to figure out what Jennifer was doing here. I didn’t invite her and had no intentions of doing so. I was trying to figure out how she managed to get invited.

  She stood there and looked at me. April was trying to clean up herself. She seemed really disappointed that her dress was ruined.

  “By the way, nice party Nick.” Jennifer said.

  I didn’t even know how to respond to her.

  April could see that she wasn’t really sorry. She kept her composure and ran upstairs to the bathroom.

  Jennifer was about to walk off, when I grabbed her arm.r />
  “What are you doing here?” I insisted on knowing.

  “Oh, I was invited,” she replied airily.

  I was becoming angry with her nonchalance.

  I retorted angrily, “I didn’t invite you. You weren’t on the guest list.”

  “You are right. YOU didn’t invite me,” she taunted.

  She then walked off. I was still curious to know who did. She then came back and wrapped her arm around someone who I knew quite well. Apparently, she had persuaded one of my teammates to bring her. When he did ask me for a plus-one, I was curious to find out who was his date. He told me it was a surprise. And it sure was.

  Ryan grinned as Jennifer entwined her arm with his. I was in shocked that he would do that. I knew Jennifer was attempting to make me jealous by coming here with him. The best way that I could retaliate would be to act completely calm.

  She asked him coyly, “Ryan, isn’t there something that you wanted to show me upstairs? Didn’t you want to show me how you made that magnificent pass last week to help win the game?”

  She looked at him seductively. I wanted to hurl at the both of them. I knew it was all an act. I watched them flirt with each other painfully. Ryan didn’t seem to enjoy it, but just went with it. After all, Jennifer was a woman who wielded tremendous amounts of power on campus. Being with her was a status symbol. Fortunately, I was my own man and had power and money of my own. Ryan on the other hand, was on a sports scholarship and came from a rough family. Being with Jennifer meant he could meet the right people and make the right connections, especially because his dream was the same as mine: to go pro after school.

  Jennifer then pulled him away and I was relieved. I felt sorry for Ryan. He didn’t have to be dragged into this. However, they weren’t as important to me as April was. I decided to go upstairs and check on her. I made it upstairs to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

  “April, are you in there?”

  “Yeah, just a minute,” she responded. I could tell that she sounded sad. I headed into my room, which I had locked. I had learned that parties could really bring out the hormones in others and I wasn’t taking any chances. I grabbed a t-shirt and headed back to the bathroom.