Second Chance: A Military Football Romance

by Claire Adams

  "Yeah. We can do that. I love you. Have fun, okay?"

  "Okay, Mom. I love you, too." I dropped the call and flopped back on my bed, letting out a long groan.

  The door to my bedroom opened, and Emily stuck her head in. "Hey, grumpy butt, we're heading out for a ride on the boat. Get on your suit and come with us."

  "Yeah, alright." I sat back up and let out a long sigh. I hated fighting with her. We both were good about letting things go when we could. Now was one of those times.

  "What's up?" She came in and closed the door behind her as I stood and walked to my dresser.

  "Just my parents and their plans for me." I shrugged and pulled out a pink and black bikini. I didn't expect to see Brody, so there was no need for wearing something too terribly sexy.

  "Well, you're not supposed to be thinking about that shit. It's the Fourth of July on Monday and we have plans to party like it's 1999, remember?"

  "Yeah, but they're wanting me to come back into town in a couple of weeks, instead of the end of the summer like we talked about." I tossed my swimsuit beside her and pulled off my t-shirt and shorts.

  "What? No. That's not how this works." She handed me the suit. "I'm jealous that you're already getting a tan."

  "Well, at least it's not my boobs making you jealous anymore." I smirked, thinking back on all the times when we were younger when she would rant over me having boobs and her not.

  "I have my own now, thanks." She lifted her eyebrow at me and smirked. "Wait... You're getting off subject."

  "I think it's better if we do. I don't want another reason to feel like shit. Just drop it and we'll figure it out later. I'm not sure what I'm going to do." I tugged my shorts over my bathing suit bottoms and worked my hair into a short ponytail. "I should grow my hair back out. This shorter cut makes me look too young."

  "You look great. You always do." She got up and stopped behind me in the mirror. "No more being bummed out, okay? Especially not if you think you're leaving us in a few weeks. Brody isn't worth all that. You guys didn't even date."

  "Yeah, I know." I shrugged and reached over to grab a tube of ChapStick from the top of my dresser. "I just wish we would have. The sexual tension between us is so delicious. I haven't felt so aggravated over a boy in a long time."

  "Aggravated? And, this is a good thing?" She laughed and walked to the door, opening it and watching me.

  "Yeah. You know," I turned to face her. "Where you want him so bad it hurts, and yet you know it would be a horrible decision, so you act like a bitch and flirt a little here and there?"

  "No. Sorry. This one is new for me, but it makes sense seeing how you've been acting the last week or so." She gave me a look. "Come on. Let's go have some fun and forget all of this shit. I didn't mean to snap at you out there. You mean the world to me."

  "I'm sorry, too. Let's get out of here. No more moping. Especially not over the town whore." I left my phone on the bed, not interested in talking with anyone that might call or text for the next few hours. Brody was out of the picture from what I could tell, which was for the better. He'd made it quite obvious that he was interested in the chase, but that was all. Once I started to give in... He pulled back. Hard.

  Funny how sweet he was at dinner, talking about the future and seeming genuinely interested in knowing more about me. All part of the game.

  "There you guys are. We thought you were going to sleep the day away." Dedra stood up and picked up her towel. "You're starting to worry us."

  "What? You guys are being mother hens." I grabbed my sunglasses off the table and walked outside, breathing in deep and deciding then and there that I was good. No more being upset about Brody. It was childish and stupid. Rejection stung like a bitch, but whatever. Maybe he was doing it because he wanted to save me from the havoc that he thought himself capable of reeking all over me.

  "You look good in that suit." Cindy moved up beside me and wrapped an arm around my back. "And you know what?"

  "What?" I glanced over at her and smiled.

  "We can stop hanging out with the guys so much. There are loads of guys out here to hang out with. We're all being a little clingy with this group. It's getting old." She winked and released me.

  "Are things not going well with the cowboy?" I chuckled and followed her down the stairs.

  "No, they're good, but I'm here to meet lots of different people and have some fun. I'll settle down soon, but I'm not ready to do that over the summer, I don't think." She slowed down as I caught up to her.

  "I agree." Dedra walked up on my other side. "Daniel and I are going to get a bite to eat tomorrow after I go to church, but it's just going to be a friendly date. Getting involved with anyone right now would be stupid, you know? A fling would be fun, but I think I need to keep it to that."

  "Not me. Clay is exactly the kind of man I've been looking for most of my adult life." Emily skipped out in front of us in her short shorts and tank top and spinning around, which was so far out of character for her that I stopped in the middle of the road to watch her.

  "Dear Lord... she's in love." I glanced at my other two friends as we cracked up laughing.

  She turned to face us and put her hands on her hips. "Alright... keep it up!"

  "We will." Dedra laughed and pulled me toward the boat. "Come on. You slept through most of the afternoon. Let's enjoy what's left of the sunlight."

  I jogged down to the dock with them and moved to the front of the boat to lay out while someone else drove us around. The wind and waves stole my thoughts, and a few minutes later, all thoughts of Brody's rejection or my parents' demanding personas was all but gone.

  "Hey. There's the guys’ red boat." Emily sat down next to me, forcing me to sit up and scoot over.

  I blinked a few times and let out a yawn as I turned to see Brody in the boat with a pretty blonde in his lap.

  "Is he..." I scrambled to my feet to try to get a better view of him. Was he making out with the girl? No, surely not. "Move closer."

  "What? Why?" Cindy stood up and turned toward the island. "Oh, shit."

  "Move closer to their boat,” I barked and moved to the edge of our boat, standing on railing. I had to extend my arms to keep my balance, and though I probably looked like a dork, I could not have cared less. I needed to see if he had already moved onto his next victim. Where it would hurt like crazy, it would be a good thing, too. It would force me to abandon the what-if game playing in my head.

  We got close enough for me to see the blonde in his lap, and they were laughing, but not making out from what I could tell. Obviously, I'd missed that part. He glanced my way and his eyes widened.

  "Good day for boating." I smiled and tilted my head to the side.

  He stood, almost dropping the poor tramp on the floor. "Hey, Cora. How are you?"

  "I've never been better. Where is the rest of the group? We were thinking about skinny dipping tonight." I pulled my glasses off my face and kept my expression friendly. "I see you're busy, but can you give them the message? We just wanted to have a bit of risqué fun before the big event on Monday night."

  "Skinny dipping?" The girl beside him moved up to his side and put her arm around him. "I wanna go."

  He ignored her. "I'll be there. We'll all be there. What time?"

  "Around 10? Bring your friend, too." I waved at her. "I'm Cora. Brody's little sister."

  His expression turned sour as he shook his head. "Alright. Keep it up."

  "Seems you have no problem keeping it up yourself." I chuckled as if we were old friends. "See you later, playboy."

  I turned and dropped down into the seat beneath me as my heart contracted painfully.

  "What the fuck was that?" Dedra turned to me, whispering roughly.

  "I don't know." I shrugged. "But you guys have to go skinny dipping now."

  "So do you." Emily pressed her arms to her legs as she leaned toward me. "And, you know he's coming now."

  "No, he's not." I glanced up at her. "And no, I don't. I'm not
going anywhere near him."

  "Then, he wins." Cindy pulled off her hat and started the boat.

  "Fuck, fine." I glanced back over my shoulder to watch him watching me intently. "He's not winning. I'll go."

  "Of course, you'll go." Dedra patted my leg. "It was your damn idea, anyway. Crazy girl."

  Chapter Twenty

  Brody

  Skinny dipping? Shit.

  "So, what time are we meeting up with your sister tonight?" Veronica squeezed my middle as she held on tightly to me.

  "I'll let you know later." I unwrapped her arms from me and took her hand. "Come on, let's get you off the boat and let me go find my friends. I'm sure I'm going to get an ass-chewing for not being there when the game started."

  "Sounds good. I can play if you guys need me to." She gave me a warm smile as my stomach sank. I didn't want her touching me, or hanging around me, or anything. I wanted Cora. I'd wanted Cora since first laying eyes on her. Just the thought of pressing my lips to hers drove me toward need like I couldn't remember ever experiencing.

  Why though? What was it about her? Was she really so different than every other girl I'd tried to get in bed? Was I trying to get her in bed? If so, I'd fucked that up royally a few days back.

  "Come on. We'll see if they need extra players." I pulled out my phone and wrapped my other arm around me to ensure that Veronica wouldn't grab it. We weren't together, nor would we be. I had no doubt Cora would have assumed that I was trying to seduce the girl beside me, but it was just another strike in my corner.

  I texted the guys to let them know I was headed their way and that they needed to help me get rid of my new tag-along.

  "Veronica?" a girl called out and waved wildly.

  "Tanya?" She turned to me. "Oh my God. Come meet my old friend from high school."

  "No, you go ahead. I'll see you in a little bit." I smiled, grateful for the chance to slip away without hurting her feelings.

  Since when the fuck do I care about anyone's feelings?

  "Oh-okay. Or just wait here and I'll be right back." She left me there as if I was going to wait for her return.

  "Right," I mumbled and walked toward the volleyball courts. The guys were knee deep in a game with another group of guys, but called me in the minute I walked up. I dropped my phone into my back pocket and moved onto the make-shift court.

  "We're going skinny-dipping with the girls tonight. About time we got to see some tit. Jeez. How long have you guys been working this group? A week?" I moved into place and ignored the looks I got.

  "We are not going skinny-dipping." Clay glanced back at me. "Who told you that, or are you back to being your dickish self?"

  "Well, there is that, but Cora and the girls came by the boat while I was dropping the anchor and shit."

  "You mean while you were making out with that hot blonde?" Derek chuckled. "Your depravity knows no bounds, my friend."

  "Right. Fuck you, too." I winked at him and turned to spike the ball. "We're meeting them at 10. One of you in a committed relationship can text and ask them where. I've yet to get the girl's number...remember?"

  "First time for everything, right?" Daniel glanced back at me. "Stop mulling over seeing Cora naked and help us win this game."

  "I'm not the one sporting a boner." I laughed as Daniel glanced down toward his shorts as if checking to see if he had an erection. The ball hit the side of his head and knocked him back.

  "Dick." He looked over at me with a smirk on his mouth. "I'm going to get you for that."

  "What? No fucking way. You've never threatened retaliation. Is this a new man I see coming into the light?" I could feel my emotions settling.

  Cora wanted me.

  Her request to go skinny-dipping was a bitch move. It was something I would have done if I wanted her attention. If I wanted to drag her out to the lake and then deny her. I had no clue what the night held for us, but I was all in. I owed her an apology regardless if things were going to go anywhere with us.

  The tension between us had gone from hot and palpable to uncomfortable. Time to right at least that much.

  *

  "Did you grab the marshmallows?" Clay dropped down in the sand near the lake and worked on the fire Derek had started. It was just a small flame at that point, but we would have it roaring within a few minutes.

  The girls had decided to meet us just after nine across the lake where not too many people went that late at night. We'd offered to pick them up in our boat, but they wanted to drive their own, so we grabbed the stuff that would be needed for a weenie roast and got our asses over there. Each of us seemed to want to make the night perfect for the others.

  "Yeah." I bent over and pulled them out of the bag, wagging them around. "You alright?"

  "Me?" Clay stood up and dusted his hands against his shorts. "Yeah, just a little concerned over how this night is going to go. Emily and I have been avoiding the discussion over you guys, and I'm sure it's coming."

  "What?" I smirked, knowing exactly who he was talking about.

  "Right." He turned to face me. "What's going on, anyway? Anything happen since the date night that went belly up, thanks to you being a dick?"

  "No, dude." I pressed my hands to my hips. "And, I wasn't being a dick. I was trying to be a good guy for the first time in my life. It worked out really well for me. See if I do that shit again."

  "I really like this girl, Brody. I'd rather you not fuck it up for me." He walked past me, popping me in the stomach with his hand.

  "What? That makes no sense, at all." I turned to follow him, tired of him acting like I was the only jackass in the house. "The only one that's going to fuck things up is you, when you pull out your miniature cock and scare her."

  Clay turned and moved toward me aggressively. "She likes my cock, so you shut the fuck up."

  "Whoa... what the hell?" Daniel moved in between us as Clay lifted his fist. I was almost looking forward to putting a hurting on him. It would have felt good for both of us to release some of the tension we had in our lives. Funny how it wasn't really related to the other and yet we were going to act like it was. We'd been doing the same song and dance our whole lives. It was one of the many reasons why we were best friends.

  "What's up?" Derek jogged toward us as I backed up.

  "Nothing. We're just tense." I turned to Clay. "Sorry, dude. I'm not going to fuck anything up, alright?"

  "Wow." Daniel laughed. "Who are you, and where is our friend? What have you done with him?"

  I smirked. "Maybe I'm growing up. Nawww... just not in the mood to explain to the girls why Clay is missing a tooth."

  "Just be cool tonight, alright? Don't upset anyone. Can you do that?" Clay barked at me, still pissy over something, but I wasn't going to dig to find out what it was. He could figure that shit out on his own.

  "Yep." I turned and walked back toward the fire as I rubbed my chest and watched the flames dance in front of me. I could be completely chill, or so I hoped.

  The sound of another boat approaching caused my stomach to tighten as nervousness blasted through me. I glanced down the length of my body, brushing off the sand I'd gotten on me and making sure I looked as good as I could.

  The girls’ laughter lifted in the air, and I could pick out the sound of Cora as if she were standing beside me. I turned to watch Derek help her out of the boat and couldn't help but groan. One week. It had been a little over one week, and I could feel myself changing. Why? And, how the fuck did I stop it?

  Her eyes met mine, and a cocky smile lifted her lips. One stained my face, as well.

  "Don't you look like you're up to something over here?" She walked toward me, and I was grateful that everyone else stayed near the boats for a few minutes. Her white dress looked amazing on her in the firelight, and with her hair down and playing along her shoulders, I could have sworn she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.

  "I'm always up to something. I'm the black sheep, remember?" I gave her a cheeky grin.

>   "Where's your friend?" She glanced around as if she really had expected me to bring Veronica.

  "I don't have many friends." I moved around the fire to stand beside her. "That girl just needed a ride to the island. Nothing more."

  "Right." She glanced over and smiled at me, not showing a hint of jealousy or being upset. "And, the ride included a seat in the captain's lap?"

  I lifted my eyebrow at her. "Don't all rides?"

  "Not the ones I've been on." She chuckled, and I was surprised by her calmness. Was she upset over Veronica, or did my dealings with other women really not matter to her?

  "You've been tricked." I licked at my lips as my pulse spiked. The smell of her perfume rolled over in as the breeze picked up. Vanilla. Clean. Delicious.

  "Clearly." She smirked.

  "You look good… really good." I let my eyes run around her face, taking in the intensity in her warm brown eyes.

  "Thanks." Her eyes moved down to my arm, and she turned, pressing her hands to my shoulder. "What's this tattoo mean? I meant to ask the last time we were together."

  I pulled up the sleeve of my white shirt and glanced down at it. "It's a symbol of brotherhood. It's the sign my fraternity back at Arizona State uses."

  "I like it." She brushed her fingers by it and smiled before stepping back and breathing in deeply. "It feels great out here tonight."

  "Cora. About the other night." I turned as she lifted her hand.

  "No. It's good. I came onto you and overstepped our friendship boundaries. It's okay. Really. It's better that we're just friends. Sleeping together and me breaking your heart after a good night of fucking would leave the rest of the summer a shitty mess." She smiled as if she were good—right as rain.

  "You, breaking my heart?" I reached out and took her hand before lifting it to my face and kissing her palm. "Actually...that's probably exactly what would have happened."

  She pulled her hand back slowly. "Then we'll just have a good time acting like fools while the rest of our friends pretend to have found everlasting love."

  I glanced over at the rest of the group who had split off into couples. Couples that looked happy. Thrilled, even.