Seeing Red: A New Adult Sports Romance (NE University Book 2)

by Hannah Gray

  “Thank you, Jackson.” She smiles and reaches across the table, squeezing his hand.

  He doesn’t look at her with puppy-dog eyes. He gives her a polite smile but seems uncomfortable by her touch. She must feel it, too, because she pulls her hand back and takes her glass of wine, taking a large sip.

  We eat in mere silence besides some small talk made here and there between Mr. and Mrs. King. Dessert is brought out, which, by the way, is freaking bomb. It’s a flourless chocolate cake with homemade whipped cream. I would debate giving up sex for a year for this cake. It’s. That. Good. And trust me, I really, really like sex.

  Sweet Lord, I’m going to have to run an extra two miles on the treadmill. Totally worth it though.

  Miranda clears her throat. “So, Anna, how is your school year going? How are your classes?”

  “They are going great. Thanks for asking.” I smile through my lie. The truth is, I hate my classes. I don’t want to be a doctor. At. All.

  Mr. King is next. “Mason, word is that you’ll be the starting wide receiver this year. For a sophomore, that’s quite impressive.”

  This man must breed pure athletes. Maverick is the star pitcher already, and he’s only just a sophomore too.

  That leaves me to wonder, How the hell are they brothers?

  Mr. King must have knocked up two ladies around the same time. How scandalous. And here I thought, I was the only one with a fucked up family at this table. Why that brings me comfort, I have no idea.

  “That’s right. Should be a good season for us,” Mason drawls before taking a sip of his iced tea.

  I find myself watching him on more than one occasion. He’s sort of mesmerizing. The way he moves, the way he smirks at Maverick, attempting to get under his skin. The way his bottom lip is slightly full and succulent. I wonder what it tastes like.

  Get a mothereffing grip, Anna.

  “That’s good, son. I hear the quarterback is really something. You two live together, right?” Mr. King asks his son with genuine curiosity.

  Mason nods. “Yep. Trent Kade. Best quarterback that NEU has seen in a long time. You put that with the best wide receiver—you know, me”—he grins and jerks his thumb toward himself—“and we’ll be unstoppable.” He’s obviously cocky. But the way he says it doesn’t come off as rude or distasteful.

  I find him … intriguing.

  “Well, it seems only natural. His father was really something too. Shame about his injury,” Mr. King says, taking a sip of his drink.

  It’s rather stuffy in here. It always is. Mr. and Mrs. King are stuffy people. A better way to put it: they each have a stick shoved up their ass. A big, giant, possibly prickly stick.

  Miranda must be tired of the attention not being on her baby boy. She’s also a few glasses of wine deep. “Well, Maverick certainly is going to have a good season as well. Aren’t you, honey?” She leans over and pats his hand.

  He smiles. “Yes, ma’am. That’s the plan. We’ve got a few new players coming in who are showing great potential.”

  He’s much more arrogant than Mason is. And far more serious. All right, I’ll say it; he also seems to have a stick up his ass as well. Must run in the family.

  “So, Anna, is it? You go to NEU? What year are you?” Mason’s eyes fix on me.

  I can tell by the way Maverick’s body stiffens that he doesn’t like him speaking to me.

  Wiping my mouth with my napkin, I nod. “Sure do. A sophomore, just like the pair of you.” I point back and forth between the brothers.

  His eyes never leave mine. “What are you studying?”

  “Premed,” I reply, trying to seem excited. Though I’m sure it seems forced to anyone who actually knows me. Not that anybody really does.

  “Wow. Impressive. A doctor. That’s sexy,” he says and winks.

  “Enough, Mason,” Maverick practically growls, glaring up at him and tightening his grip on my hand under the table.

  Mason pretends to be surprised and innocent. “What, brother? I’m simply making conversation.” He smirks.

  That smirk of his could surely get me into trouble. It’s like a signature thing.

  “Make conversation with someone else, Mason,” he bites back.

  I’ve never seen Maverick as anything besides overly confident. It’s clear that Mason brings up some sort of insecurities. I imagine they are quite competitive with each other.

  “Now, what fun would that be?” he asks, directing his attention to his brother, only for a moment though before those blue eyes that literally suck you in cut back to me. “So, how’d you two meet anyway?”

  I turn to Maverick, tilting my head as I smile. “At the campus bookstore.” Which is true. We did meet there. But I had been scoping him out for a few weeks prior. Tired of listening to my mother push it on me. Never in a million years would I have figured I’d end up actually liking him.

  Strumming the bit of scruff on his chin, Mason nods. “Now, isn’t that sweet?”

  His eyes watch me intently. It’s almost as if he can read me like a book. But it doesn’t weird me out or make me uncomfortable. No, I find it intriguing. It makes me want to know more about the man sitting across from me even though I know it shouldn’t.

  Luckily, after visiting a bit longer, Maverick tells his parents we need to get going back to campus.

  We say our good-byes to Mr. and Mrs. King and head outside to Maverick’s Escalade. Where I secretly hope to find some answers about his brother. I tell myself it’s because I’m nosy. But I know it’s something more. Something much, much more.

  three

  Mason

  I head out to my truck just in time to see the dark-haired beauty climbing into my tool of a brother’s Escalade. I’ll admit, it seems as though he got himself a good one. Though how good can she be when she’s with a prick like him? She’s sexy as sin though. And obviously smart if she’s studying premed. Although when I asked her about it, her smile didn’t reach her eyes. It felt forced even. I could read her like a book; she doesn’t love what she studies. She’d have to be studying something like that to impress Miranda though, who I can’t stand. She’s nothing like my mom.

  Speaking of, I dial my mother up once I get into my truck and head back to campus.

  She answers on the first ring. Just like she does ninety-nine percent of the time. “Sweetheart, how’d it go?” She sounds worried. She’s always afraid of how these little visits go. I can understand why.

  “It went fine. Maverick was the little bitch that he always is, and Miranda was half in the bag, like she always is. That’s about it. A wasted night as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Sorry, honey. How was your father?” she asks quietly.

  “He was fine,” I answer honestly.

  My dad’s never an ass to me; he’s just indifferent. I’m indifferent. We’re uncomfortable around each other.

  “Well, I know you didn’t want to go. But it’s nice of you to go to these dinners every now and then. One day, you’ll be glad you did.” She sounds so sure of it, though I have not the slightest fucking clue why.

  I nod slowly in the cab of my empty truck. I didn’t want to come tonight. But my dad had called me, and when I mentioned it to my mom, she’d said I should go. I’d skipped the last two dinners that he’d asked me to go to, so I suppose it was time that I got it over with.

  It’s hard, going and seeing his perfect little family and all that happy horseshit. My mom has never moved on from my dad. I think she doesn’t want to risk getting hurt again. Not that I can blame her. It must have sucked. So, it’s always just been the two of us. Which hasn’t been too bad. In high school, I probably caused a few gray hairs on her head. Partying and all that. Thinking I was invincible. But all in all, I try to be a good son to make her life easier. She’s already been through a lot with my fuckface of a father. She doesn’t need two King men causing her pain.

  My mom knows how my father is. Hell, he knocked up Miranda only four months after he left my
mom when he found out she was pregnant. Miranda’s family comes from a lot more money than my mom’s. Social status—that’s all those fucks care about.

  Pathetic.

  My mom has never cared about that though. Although I certainly can’t complain; we made out pretty good. My mom has her own café that does surprisingly well. Nothing like the way my father lives, but we’ve never gone without. At least, not as far as I’m concerned.

  My mom saved all of the money my dad had sent her for child support over the years and put it into an account for me for college. I got pretty damn lucky though because New England University ended up offering me a full-ride football scholarship. Yeah, because I’m that good. What can I say? I was basically born, holding a football.

  What really drew the college scouts to me was my speed and agility. Despite my size, I’m still really fucking quick. Most wide receivers are around six-one, and I stand at six-two, yet I can run faster than any college wide receiver in the United States. It sounds cocky, I know. But it isn’t arrogance when it’s the truth.

  I’m not arrogant at other things in my life. I’m nothing special in my college classes. I pass, and that’s about it. I’m getting a degree in sports broadcasting. Figuring if an injury ever takes me out of the game, I can fall back on that.

  The good news is, the money from my dad that was meant to pay for college is still in an account. I have only taken enough out for things like my truck, clothes, food, and shit like that. I hope, one day, when I make it to the NFL, I can hand him all of his money back to him. He never wanted me anyway, so I don’t want to feel like I owe him a debt. Fuck that.

  I wish my mom would take the money. She deserves it. But I’ve tried, and she won’t. Too damn proud, I suppose.

  “Well, at least it’s over with. That’s a plus. Mom, look, I’m headed back to campus. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, all right?”

  “All right, sweetie. I love you.” I can hear her worrying through the phone. She always worries about me, no matter how old I get.

  I’ll admit, I am a mama’s boy. I’m not ashamed of it either. She’s shaped me into who I am today as a man. Sure, I might sleep around. No doubt about that. But I treat ladies with respect and am always honest with them. I don’t make promises that I can’t keep. Which is the reason why I don’t make promises.

  “Thanks, Mom. Love you too,” I say back and end the phone call.

  My father’s house is about an hour from campus. Maverick lives in the baseball house at NEU. But here’s where it gets really fucking interesting. No one knows that we are brothers. Though I have no idea how we’ve managed that, seeing as our last name is the same. Somehow, luckily, no one has connected the dots. Neither of us wants anyone to know. He’s embarrassed that his family picture could be less than perfect, and I don’t want to be compared to that tool. Although now, I have to ask myself, will little Miss Premed keep our secret? Jesus, I hope so. We’ve gone this long without anyone sniffing us out. I need to get through my college career and out of here before anyone does. Hopefully, her sexy ass can keep her mouth shut.

  Even though I don’t know jack shit about her, I have a feeling she’ll keep the secret for Maverick. She seems like the ride-or-die type. Not that I actually know that. After all, I only met her a few hours ago.

  Anna

  The ride home is quiet. I can tell Maverick has a lot on his mind. I’m guessing it has to do with his brother.

  Wow, that word sounds weird to say.

  He pulls into my dorm parking lot and leaves the truck running. Making me realize he must not want me to spend the night tonight after all.

  Turning toward him, I run my fingers through his short, dark hair. I feel him tense at my touch.

  “What happened to me spending the night? Sick of me already?” I ask.

  He leans back against the headrest. Closing his eyes briefly. “No. I don’t know. He just … fuck! He gets in my head; that’s all.” He slams his fist against the steering wheel.

  I jump at his reaction. I’ve never seen him act this way. Whatever feelings he has toward his brother are dark at best.

  “Your brother?” I ask hesitantly. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable. Well, more uncomfortable than he already is.

  He runs a hand over his face. “Yeah … and about that, don’t tell anyone, okay? Like, no one at all. Ever.”

  “I won’t, but why is it a secret?” I ask, confused.

  He doesn’t have to tell me twice. Airing people’s dirty laundry is not in my nature.

  He sighs. “It just is. Both of us agree it’s for the best.”

  It’s pretty clear his mood is sour. I really don’t understand it either. Then again, I suppose I don’t know the whole story, so who am I to judge?

  I nod. Not wanting to deal with his shitty attitude any further. I know I shouldn’t be this way. I should be more understanding. That’s what you do when you’re in a relationship. Then again, that’s what you do when you’re in a relationship, and you actually love the other person. And, well, that’s not a feeling I have for Maverick. Not yet at least. I’m sure, with time, my feelings of adoration and lust will grow though. I sure hope they do anyway. He deserves someone who actually loves him. So, I hope that I can get there. Though deep, deep down in my soul, I know it’s likely not going to happen.

  I lean in and press a kiss to his lips. He doesn’t respond at first but eventually kisses me back.

  I pull back just slightly and look up at him. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  He presses a kiss to my forehead. “Thanks for understanding. He and I have a difficult relationship, to say the least.”

  I nod, pushing the door open and blowing him a kiss. “Bye, babe.”

  He holds up a hand. “Good night, beautiful.” He attempts to smile. But it’s clearly forced. Not his usual playful smile.

  As I walk into my dorm room, I can’t help but think about the man who sat across from me at dinner tonight, and I know that I shouldn’t be thinking about anyone but Maverick. Maverick is good for me, and after all, Mother knows best … right?

  So, why, instead of Maverick’s green eyes filling my brain, is there a pair of blue ones?

  I need to go to bed.

  four

  Anna

  End of Junior Year

  I dial my mom’s phone number as I run around the room, packing my bag. My stomach is already in knots, as I’m dreading the conversation I’m about to have.

  “Hello?” my mother’s sharp voice answers the phone. Instantly making my heartbeat pick up and my palms feel clammy.

  “Hi, Mom. I was just calling to let you know that Maverick is picking me up in a few minutes, and we will be headed to the Hamptons to his family’s beach house for his grandmother, Amelia’s, service and then a family gathering.”

  If I were going with anyone else, she’d have a cow. But it’s precious, rich, high-society Maverick King, so she’s tickled. Even if it is for a damn funeral, she probably sees it as an opportunity.

  “Oh, okay. Please, Anna, remember there will be a lot of important people there. Don’t embarrass yourself. Act appropriate,” she scolds me like I’m a five-year-old at a restaurant, wiggling too much in my seat.

  Rolling my eyes, I keep my voice polite. “Of course.” I want to quip back to her that I might dance on some tables, maybe play some strip poker, maybe flash my titties and ass to some people, but she’d have an aneurysm. Besides, it’s just not worth it. It’s easier to smile and nod my head. Play dead now. Speak my piece later.

  Wanting to get this phone call over with, I lie, “Well, Maverick is here. I’d better get going. Don’t want to keep him waiting. I’ll be back on campus late Sunday.”

  “All right. Good-bye, Anna. Remember what I said. I’m sure that Maverick is going through a lot after losing his grandmother, and he doesn’t need you making it worse.” Her voice sounds agitated. Like I’ve already pissed her off simply by speaking.


  “Yes, ma’am. Good-bye.” And with that, I hang up.

  I haven’t even left yet, and she’s already afraid I’ll embarrass her.

  I hear a knock at the door. Swinging it open, I take in Maverick. He’s in dark gray chino shorts and a blue T-shirt. He looks good. Then again, he always looks good. With his dark hair, sharp jawline, and charming smile, he could pass for a model.

  He pulls me to his chest, kissing the top of my head. “Hey, beautiful. You ready to go?”

  I look up at him. “Sure am.”

  Pushing up on my tippy-toes, I press my mouth to his. He intensifies it instantly and cups my ass with his hands. I feel his growing erection pushing into my stomach.

  He pulls back, panting. “Goddamn it, you are so sexy.”

  I smile seductively. Tilting my head to the side. “Well, you’re not all that bad yourself.”

  He’s been so busy with baseball lately that we haven’t seen each other as much as we usually would. When we are around each other, all we want to do is rip each other’s clothes off.

  Kissing my neck, he mumbles against my skin, causing my entire body to tingle. “When is Savannah going to be back?”

  Savannah is my roommate and my closest friend here at New England University. We shared a dorm last year, and this year, we decided to get a small apartment. She’s walked in on us banging before. It was more awkward for Mav than it was me. I didn’t care too much. It’s not as though she’s never seen boobs before.

  “She’s in class for another hour, so we have time.”

  I reach down and unbuckle his belt before pulling his shorts down to the ground. He groans in appreciation as I take him into my fist and begin pumping. Wasting no time getting to the point of what I’m looking for.

  “Fuck, Anna. You make me so hard.” He reaches under my dress and pulls my thong off, tossing it to the side.