by L. P. Maxa
“Pizza it is then.” He shut his laptop and got to his feet.
“Are you allowed to eat pizza?” Blake reached out and patted his stomach. “Spring training starts as soon as you get back from break. Don’t you need to go on some kind of baller diet?”
Riley was a shifter, it wouldn’t matter what he ate, he’d still have rippling abs and bulging arms. It was genetic, and he was more than blessed. He couldn’t tell her that. He’d decided from the get-go to keep Blake as far away as possible from his other life: the supernatural one. The shifter world could be a dangerous one, as he’d learned over the last few years. Blake existed here at UNC, and that’s where their friendship would stay.
“I don’t diet, doll face.” He tapped her chin, making her snort out a laugh. “But when I get back from Haxton, it’s two-a-day extra batting practice, and better meals than burgers and pizza.”
He worked out with his new teammates now, running and putting in time in the weight room. He always parted ways with them immediately afterward. He’d been so against making new friends, he’d been so bogged down in his own grief and sadness, he’d become antisocial. He wrapped it around him like a security blanket, like him missing his pack was the only way to keep them with him. Blake had lifted that weight off him.
“When the season starts, the girls are going to flock like flies.” She sighed, like the thought alone was tiresome. “You’re going to be impossible to deal with. I’m sure your ego is going to inflate and I’m going to have to knock you down every five minutes.”
“Awe, doll face, don’t be jealous.” He slung his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close. “You’ll still be my number one, no matter how much ass I get after games.”
She laughed, shoving him away playfully. “Just remember to wrap it before you tap it, stud. These girls would love nothing more than to hitch their future to a rising star.”
He wrinkled his nose, the idea making him uncomfortable. “I always wrap it.” He tapped the side of his head. “It’s like rule number one, Barbie.”
And it was. Shifter mating was a big deal, and the only female he’d ever bang without a condom would be the one he was destined to be with forever. Like, actually forever.
“You’re going to have to stop calling me doll face and Barbie.” She rolled her eyes, but reached for his hand, tugging him out the door and down the hall. “All your little admirers are going to think we’re together, then their jealousy is going to spiral to a very dark place.” She shrugged, dropping his hand and spinning to walk backward to face him. “And then the next thing you know, I’ve been replaced, my rabbit is going to be boiling in a pot on the stove and we’ll all be a made-for-TV special about stalking, murder, and mayhem.”
He threw his head back, chuckling loudly. “Number one: you are so fucking dramatic.” He held up two fingers. “Number two: you don’t even have a rabbit.” When she opened her mouth to comment, he cut her off. “And no, I don’t want to get into another discussion about your vibrators.”
She giggled. “Okay, well, then is there a number three in there?” She spun back around, facing forward and pushing open the double glass doors that led to the front of the building.
“Number three.” He put his hands on her shoulders, shaking her lightly. “You have big blue eyes and bouncing blonde curls, you look like a doll, and I call ’em like I see ’em.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved off his accurate description.
“Wait, there’s a number four.” He slung his arm back over her shoulders. “You, Blake ‘Barbie Doll Face’ Anderson, are one of my best friends. And my best friends? Are irreplaceable.”
Chapter Six
Three days. Riley was actually counting them down on this little calendar he hid in his desk drawer. He was so excited to go home for a few weeks. He didn’t care if that made him a pussy, and he didn’t care if that made him a kiss-ass. He missed his pack; he missed his family. They were all still together, they couldn’t possibly understand the way he felt.
He glanced over his shoulder when his door burst open, Blake bouncing in with her blonde curls and pretty blue eyes. “Sorry I’m late, I had to pack a bag. I’m bunking here tonight.” She tossed her duffle on the floor by his closet and then jumped onto his bed. “My roommate’s stupid boyfriend is staying in our room and if I had to spend another minute with them, my brain would explode into a million pieces.”
He eyed her stuff, pursing his lips. “What if I had plans later?”
Blake threw her head back, propped up on her elbows and giggling her ass off. “Yeah right.”
“I do stuff without you.” Riley grabbed a pillow, hitting her lightly.
She held one finger. “You go to class.” Then added a second. “And team training.” She waggled her eyebrows, shimmying her shoulders. “Is that who your plans are with, stud? You got a date tonight with one of your teammates? If I were you, I’d go for that pitcher with the sideburns.” She licked her lips like she wanted a taste of him as well.
He ignored her obvious interest in his teammate, because he was never jealous when it came to Blake and the guys she lusted after. “I could have a real date. It’s possible.”
She waved her hand in the air casually, then lay back on his pillows. “If you want to get your dick sucked tonight, walk down to the quad in your baseball jersey and I guarantee at least three girls will drop to their knees.”
He snorted. “You aren’t actually serious, are you? That doesn’t happen in real life. Only in the porn you downloaded on my computer.” Porn he’d watched, and thoroughly enjoyed.
Blake shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know. I’m sure there are girls here who would be more than happy to blow a hot baseball player in front of half the school.”
He shook his head, knocking her with the pillow again. “You’re so weird.”
“I’m entertaining and delightful. There’s a difference.” She pushed her head into the pillows, kicked off her shoes and brought up her feet onto his bed. “Did you really have plans?” She wrinkled her nose like she might actually feel guilty for assuming he didn’t.
Riley shook his head, closing his biology book. “No, I didn’t have plans. I was going to get a jump on my reading for next semester and then start packing for winter break.” He climbed on the bed with Blake, lying beside her with his shoulder touching hers. “When are you headed home?”
As excited and ready as he was to go back to Haxton and see his family, a small part of him knew he’d miss Blake while he was gone. He was so used to seeing her every day, her constant texts and laughter. His life was better with her in it, no doubt about that.
“I’m taking a bus, leaves tomorrow.” She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. “With all the snow headed our way, my dad is afraid my tires aren’t up to the drive.”
Riley liked that her father worried about her. It made him feel good to know that when she was home, she’d still have someone making sure she was safe. He put his cheek on the top of her blonde curls. “Why don’t I drive you home? I can’t leave ’til Friday, but it’s not far out of my way, and I don’t mind.”
Blake sat up, smiling down at him. “Really? You sure you don’t mind?”
“Nope. Don’t mind at all.”
“You’re the best.” She clapped her hands and peppered his cheeks with sloppy kisses. “I know I’d end up sitting next to some creeper on the bus who would fall in love with me and then subsequently stalk me until New Year’s Eve.”
He got off the bed, reaching under it to grab his giant duffle bag. “Were you born this dramatic? Or is it a skill you acquired over time?”
She pursed her lips, like she was seriously contemplating his question. “I’d say a little of both.” She turned on her side. “I was born with a bit of a dramatic flair, but I’ve definitely honed it as I’ve aged.”
Riley didn’t doubt that at all. “You want to pick the food or the movie?” He moved to his closet and started pulling some things out to pack. They’d come up with
a system over the last few weeks. Blake could either pick what they ate or what they watched. Riley couldn’t do 90s action flicks and greasy cheeseburgers every time they had a sleep over.
“I want movie pick. It’s almost Christmas, so a Die Hard marathon is very on point.” She grabbed his remote control from his desk and got comfortable on his full-size bed. “I’ll order though. Whatcha want, sourpuss?”
Riley didn’t mind that the nickname stuck. “Grilled chicken and sala—”
Blake started making gagging noises before he could even finish his dinner order.
“You said it yourself. Spring training starts as soon as we get back. It’s time I start eating like an athlete again, doll face.” Blake didn’t like healthy food, and getting her to eat anything green was a chore. “I pick dinner, those are the rules.” He pointed to her cell where it was lying on the bed beside her. “Start dialing.”
“You’re the worst.” She picked up her phone to place their order.
Riley rolled his eyes. “I’m the best when I’m offering to drive your ass home, but I’m the worst when I’m trying to get you to put something healthy in your body?” He threw one of his sweatshirts at her, knowing she’d ask for one to sleep in regardless of the overnight bag she packed. “Make up your mind.”
“You’re the best of the worst.” She winked at him from under his covers as she slipped his shirt over her head. “Is broccoli still healthy if I smother it with cheese?”
“It’s a start.”
Chapter Seven
Riley was zipping up his duffle, more than ready to head back to Haxton for a few weeks. He couldn’t wait to see Hadley, and he couldn’t wait to meet Linc and Maddi’s baby girl, Allison. But the thing he wanted to do the most? Run with his pack. He hadn’t been able to shift since the last time he’d been home around Halloween and he was feeling a little twitchy.
Pen, Baze’s mate, taught Shifter Culture at St. Leasing and she was always stressing how important it was for the guys to shift. To spend time in their wolf form. But here at UNC, Riley didn’t know any other shifters. Didn’t mean they didn’t exist. It simply meant that there was no super-secret encrypted database showing him where all shifters went to college.
He tossed his bag across the room when it landed with a thud by his door. He was packed, he’d already filled his truck with gas, and now all he needed to do was load up the presents he’d bought for his family. Blake and he had gone shopping over the weekend, cramming the massive gifts search into one frantic afternoon. She’d insisted that it could be done, and she’d been right. He’d found presents for sixteen people in less than eight hours’ time, Blake included. She’d picked hers out herself: a bubblegum pick cropped sweatshirt. It said Nobody’s Toy across the chest. A nod to the fact he called her Barbie Doll.
His arms were piled high with perfectly wrapped gifts, complete with glittery bows, when his door burst open. “Hey, fucker.”
Riley peered around the pile, shocked. “Jasper? What are you doing here?” He stepped backward, piling the presents on the top of his desk. “What… Is something wrong? Did something happen? One of the leaks, did they retaliate, is it—”
“Geez. Bro, calm the fuck down.” Jasper chuckled, hugging Riley. “I figured since I was coming back to Greenly with you after the holidays, I’d leave my car here.” He stepped back, shrugging before collapsing down onto the bed. “We can make the drive home together, and then in January, we won’t be driving two cars back here.”
“You drove two hours to drop off a car so you could get back in the car and drive another two hours with me?” Riley crossed his arms over his chest, eyes narrowed. “What gives, because I know you better than that.”
Jasper grinned, stretching his arms up and behind his head. “I also figured we could push the trip home back a day.” He sighed. “I’ve been on that compound for four months. I need to get some ass.”
“There it is.” Riley pulled the chair out from his desk, sitting down and facing his best friend. “All ready to plow through the single girls in Haxton?”
“And some not-so-single ones.” Jasper smirked. “I figured one night on campus, a little play time with my best friend will tide us both over until the holidays with the pack are through.”
Riley was beyond happy to see Jasper. He’d missed him the most. Well, second to Hadley of course. But Jasper’s surprise visit meant he’d be meeting Blake a lot sooner than Riley had anticipated. He’d been worried what their relationship would look like, and now, it seemed, he was about to find out.
“I’m giving Blake a ride home too. We can’t push the trip off another night.” Riley didn’t want to push the trip off. He didn’t want the two of them getting drunk together. He knew their personalities, and he knew the chaos that would ensue. It’d be like a match meeting a crate of dynamite.
“Okay, no big deal. At least I’ll get to meet him on the ride back.” Jasper clapped his hands together. “I finally get to meet the man who has replaced me.”
Oh, and about that. Riley had yet to tell Jasper Blake was a girl and not some dude he’d been palling around with over the last few weeks. He sighed, pulling out his cell and texting his new best friend to inform her his OG best friend was in town.
Riley: Hey, you packed?
Blake: Yeah, you ready to hit the road? I got road trip food and I even made us a playlist. Super dope of me right?
He glanced at the stack of gifts on his desk, then to Jasper, who was scrolling through his phone on Riley’s bed. He wished he was ready to hit the road.
Riley: Do people still say dope?
Blake: Thinking of bringing it back. You want me to come to you or you picking me up?
Riley: Actually, I have a last-minute surprise for you.
Blake: Ooooo is it a puppy?
No. It was two fucking wolves. The irony made him chuckle to himself. “Is this guy funnier than me? I’m trying not to be jealous, dude, but damn.” Jasper’s narrowed gaze was on Riley’s phone, like he could see through the back of it to find what made Riley laugh.
Riley: Jasper surprised me, he came to drop his car off and make the drive home with me. He didn’t know I was giving you a ride.
Blake: I get to meet the infamous Jasper? Wow. A puppy would have been better, but this is a close second.
Riley: One more thing…
Blake: And you call me dramatic? What’s with the ominous?
Riley smiled at her text, calling him out for his loaded pause. Her dramatics were rubbing off on him. That was the only explanation.
Riley: Jasper thinks you’re a dude.
Blake: Uh, should I be offended?
Riley: He assumed and I never corrected him.
Blake: Why? Is he a sexist douche who wouldn’t accept a chick as your best friend?
Riley: No. He’s a horny douche who would’ve wanted to meet and bang you immediately.
His eyes cut to Jasper, who was still playing on his phone.
Blake: I’m bang-able. It’s a blessing and a curse. But I can assure you the last thing I want to do is mess up my friendship with you. You’re my favorite, sourpuss.
Riley: He’s going to hit on you the whole ride home. Let me apologize in advance.
Jasper wouldn’t be able to help himself where Blake was concerned. She was gorgeous and witty. She could dish it out as good, if not better than she could take it. Jasper had already admitted he was in the middle of a dry spell back in Haxton. Which meant he’d be hornier than usual.
Blake: I can handle him, no worries. You going to tell him I’m dickless? Or just let me show up and shock the shit out of him?
Riley: Leaning toward shock.
Blake: Again. You call me dramatic?
Riley: I’m picking up your bad habits.
Blake: Whatever you say, sourpuss. I’ll be there soon.
Chapter Eight
Jasper was still relaxing on Riley’s bed, his eyes assessing the dorm room. Riley knew what he was seeing, knew his r
oom was bare and void of any personality. This place wasn’t home. Until Riley met Blake, he’d hated being in Greenly without his best friend. The only thing he’d added to the space when he’d moved in was his own bedding and the framed picture of his pack. There was a picture of him and Blake taped to the bathroom mirror of them at a party, her on his back laughing. She’d printed it and told Riley the bathroom was where it belonged since his toilet was the reason they’d met in the first place.
“I’m assuming Jace is having the guy next door booted out so we can be neighbors next semester?” Jasper sat up. “Guess it pays to have a tech-savvy evil genius as a twin.” He placed his booted feet to the floor. “Next year we’re moving off campus though.”
Another reason Riley hadn’t made an effort to meet his neighbors. He knew Jace would have whoever lived next door now moved down the hall so he and Jasper could live next to each other. Riley was happy to get a house with Jasper next year. He was sure Jace would help them qualify to buy the place since the pack beta didn’t believe in renting. He said it was flushing money down a proverbial drain.
“Sounds good to me, bro.”
Maybe they could find something on the edge of town, close to the woods. That way they could shift and run whenever they had the urge. Riley hadn’t really given much thought to his wolf while he’d been at UNC without any of his brothers. Now that Jasper was here, he felt an itch in his skin, like it was too tight for his body. He suddenly couldn’t wait to get home and let his wolf out to play.
“Your boy Blake could move in too, granted I think he’s cool as you make him sound.” Jasper was jealous of Blake, even if he joked about it. Riley knew his friend well enough to sense those undertones, supernatural abilities aside. Jasper was pissy about being replaced, even though staying in Haxton for the fall semester to help Jace and Axie had been his idea. Jasper had FOMO, in any and every situation. If he’d have come to Greenly when Riley had, he would have wanted to be home with his twin fighting the evil men of the shifter underworld. “Speaking of your new bro crush, where is he?” He glanced down at his watch, like making them wait was a point against Blake.
