Rebellious and Reckless: College Sports Romance Stand-Alone (Campus Hotshots Book 1): Campus Hotshots

by Michelle A. Valentine

  “This is bullshit, Eddie. You’re kicking me out to move your girlfriend in? Where do you expect me to go?” the deep smooth voice argues.

  “Come on, man. The only way Jamie’s dad will help me cover the rent is for her to have her own room. He doesn’t know I’m her roommate. He’d freak out if he came over and found out we sleep in the same bed, so we have to turn your room into her mock bedroom.”

  “Fuck,” the other guy grumbles. “I don’t look forward to sleeping in my car.”

  “You can always crash at the frat house.”

  “Not an option.” The voice is curt.

  “It could be if you and Luke would work your shit out.”

  The name catches my attention, making me even more intrigued.

  “We both know that’s not going to happen.”

  “I know.” The other voice pauses for a bit. “Shit, Baker. I’m sorry. I’d let you crash here, but her parents are due to visit this evening.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Baker says. “I’ll figure something out.”

  The clasp of hands and patting of backs end their interaction, and curiosity has me frozen as I wait to catch a glimpse of Baker, the owner of the sexy voice I just heard.

  Heavy black boots stomp down the steps, followed by a pair of thick, jean-covered legs. When Baker’s face appears, I gasp a little.

  “It’s you.” I swallow hard as I realize I’ve said what I’m thinking out loud.

  Luke Finnegan’s brother’s name is Baker?!

  His deep brown eyes meet mine as he rubs the back of his neck with a smirk on his face. “And it’s you. The girl who’s in love with my brother.”

  My head snaps back. “I am not.”

  Baker laughs as he steps in front of me and flexes his fingers around the black trash bag tossed over his shoulder. “You can’t bullshit a bullshitter. I know what I saw. But you should really follow my advice and stop wasting your time. Luke isn’t into girls like you.”

  I scrunch my nose. “What do you mean, girls like me?”

  “It’s not an insult. It’s just honesty. Luke likes his girls shallow and a little on the airhead side, and judging by the way you look, that’s the complete opposite of you.” He takes a step back, and his eyes flick down at my book nerd sweatshirt, and he smiles. “See you later, Nerd.”

  He winks at me and then turns to walk away. A million things flow through my brain all at once, and then it hits me. The stars have aligned and brought Baker and me together at this moment for a reason.

  “Wait,” I call out to Baker, causing him to stop.

  He pivots on his heel, staring at me expectantly. “Yeah?”

  “I overheard you say you need a place to stay…” When he raises his brow, I quickly blurt out, “I swear I’m not a stalker. It’s just, you all were being loud, and there’s an echo in here.”

  The muscle of his jaw flexes. “So, you’re offering to let me…what? Sleep on your couch out of the goodness of your heart?”

  I shake my head. “Not the couch. You can have the spare room.”

  “What’s your roommate going to say when you invite a stranger to move into the apartment?”

  I lift my chin. “I live alone, actually, so that won’t be a problem.”

  I twist the key as my heart leaps into my throat. This is so unlike me. Inviting Baker to basically move in is ballsy.

  I push the door open and sweep my hand in front of me. “You can check out the place if you’d like. The bathroom door doesn’t always stay shut, but maintenance is supposed to fix it.”

  The reluctance in Baker’s eyes is clear. He wants to turn me down. He doesn’t look like the type to accept charity, but we both know staying here is a much better option than spending the night in his car.

  His lips pull into a tight line, but he steps inside the apartment. While my apartment isn’t exactly huge, it’s typically comfortable, but having Baker’s large frame in my living room makes the space feel tight.

  He glances around, taking in the room, and then he checks out the kitchen. Everything is neatly in place. I take pride in keeping my first place alone clean and organized.

  “Why are you doing this?” Baker asks as he sets the bag down on the living room floor.

  I bite my bottom lip as I think of how I want to phrase my proposition.

  “I’m not sleeping with you,” he blurts out. “Despite how my appearance may come off, I’m not the kind of guy who fucks girls for sport…or places to stay. I’m not a gigolo.”

  Heat assaults my cheeks, and I know I’m blushing. “Oh, my God. I would never ask you to do that.”

  Baker plops down on my sofa. His long legs stretch out before him as he slings his arm casually over the back of the couch. “What is it you want from me then? I’m a smart enough guy to figure out you aren’t doing this without wanting something in return.”

  I sit across from him in the overstuffed chair I love to sit and read in and look him dead in the eyes. I need to be up front with him if my idea is ever going to work. Once I tell him my plan, he may laugh in my face and make a run for the door, but I’m hoping that doesn’t happen.

  He stares at me with curiosity, and I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. “I want to date your brother.”

  His brow furrows. “And me living here helps you do that how exactly?”

  “You can introduce me. Get me into parties or social events where he’ll be. Pretend we’re friends, and maybe he’ll notice me the way I want him to.”

  He holds up his hand, causing me to halt. “Let me get this straight. In order to live here, you want me to be your pretend friend so my brother will notice you? That sounds crazy.”

  I grimace. “When you say it like that, it does sound bad, but I promise it will work.”

  “How do you know that? I told you before, you aren’t Luke’s type.”

  “Well, help me become his type. Help me be the kind of girl he wants. I’ve seen this same situation work out in a ton of movies and books. It’s like we have manuals and how-to guides already written for us. It’s practically foolproof.”

  In all the love stories I’ve read, once the hero realizes how great the heroine is, he’ll fall madly in love with her and he’ll finally see how he was meant to be with her all along.

  Baker sighs and then shakes his head. “This is nuts.” He pauses for a beat. “What if I say no?”

  I shrug, knowing that I’m about to play a little dirty. “Then I hope your car has comfortable seats to sleep on.”

  He scrubs his hand down his face. “Damn. You’ve got me by the proverbial balls, so I’ll do it, but only until I can figure out a different place to stay.” He sighs. “Point me toward my new room.”

  I fight back a smile. “First door on the right.”

  Baker jumps up, grabs his bag, and heads toward his new room.

  Looks like I just got a roommate and a built-in new fake friend.

  4

  SKY

  I didn’t get much sleep last night. Soon after I offered Baker the spare room in my apartment, the reality of what I had done crept into my brain. Inviting a strange man to live with me on the spur of the moment wasn’t exactly the wisest decision I’ve ever made. Other than the fact he’s Luke’s brother, I know nothing about him, which is why I barricaded myself in my bedroom all night and spent some time on Google stalking Baker Finnegan. It wasn’t easy to sleep after the ideas of everything that could go wrong were on my mind.

  “You look like shit.” Leave it to my bestie to point out the obvious. “You sick?”

  I shake my head as Miley stares at me. “Nah. Didn’t sleep well.”

  “I told you moving into that apartment all by yourself wasn’t a good idea. Sleeping alone in a place freaks me out, which is why I like living in the dorms. You need a roommate. I would move in if it weren’t for my father only agreeing to pay for on-campus housing.”

  “About that…” My lips twist. I’m not sure how she’s going to react to
what I’m about to say. “I got a roommate yesterday.”

  Her brow draws in as she sips on her diet soda. “Who is she? I didn’t know any of our friends were looking for a place.”

  “It’s a him, actually.”

  Her eyes widen. “What?! You’re shacked up with some random dude! WTF, Sky? That’s insane. Your dad is going to shit a brick when he finds out.”

  “Which is exactly why I’m not going to tell him.”

  Miley grimaces. “You’re playing with fire, girly. Who is this guy you’re willing to risk life and limb to have live with you? I hope he knows your dad is an animal and will rip him apart if he lays a finger on you.”

  It’s true my dad won’t be thrilled with the idea, but it’s not like I’m into Baker. There will be no hanky-panky going on between Baker and myself, so he’ll be safe…I think.

  I sigh. “He’s just a roommate. Nothing more.”

  She eyes me suspiciously over her cup. “Okay. I’m stumped. Who is this mystery man?”

  “Baker Finnegan. Luke’s brother.”

  Brown liquid flies out of Miley’s mouth as soon as the words leave my mouth. I hand her a napkin and then get to work blotting up the soda from our table.

  Her eyes are wide with excitement. “Holy shit! Are you serious? Please tell me you aren’t playing with me right now.”

  “It’s true. He spent the night in the guest room, and we have an arrangement I suppose that will last a while.”

  “Dish. Now.” She’s clamoring for information, so I fill her in on everything and how I offered my place to Baker in exchange for his fake friendship.

  She leans back in her chair and takes a deep breath after I divulge my plan to her. “When I said for you to figure out how to get Luke’s attention, I didn’t mean for you to get crazy and invite strange men to live with you. I was thinking more along the lines of some new clothes and some makeup. This idea is batshit crazy. Do you actually believe this plan of yours will work?”

  “I hope so. How else am I supposed to get Luke to notice me? He doesn’t even know I’m alive, but being friends with Baker can change all that.”

  Miley takes a deep breath and then blows it all out while she thinks about what to say. “My brain is screaming at me to tell you this is a ridiculous idea and nothing good will come of it, but the hopeless romantic artist in me is cheering you on. I don’t want to see you get hurt, but I know how much you like Luke. Above all things, I want you to be happy, and if that’s getting Luke Finnegan, then count me in to help you in any way I can. At least one of us will land our dream man.”

  The warm words touch my heart. “Aw. Thank you. It means a lot to me.”

  She grins. “Enough to make me maid of honor in your wedding when Luke realizes how amazing you are and how he’ll never be able to live without you?”

  I laugh. “Absolutely.”

  “Speaking of man candy, there’s your target now.” Miley nods toward the cafeteria door.

  In walks Luke with a few of the other football players I’ve seen around campus. His thick, dark hair is styled to perfection on the top of his head. It must’ve taken him a while to get every hair in place like that with a few hairs spiked in just the right spots. He’s wearing a royal blue polo today, which brings out the blue in his eyes as it hugs his toned chest. He’s so hot—like stupid hot—and I can’t stop staring at him.

  I’m so caught up in staring at Luke, I don’t even notice Baker before he’s standing right in front of me, blocking my view of his brother.

  “Jesus. Can you be any more obvious?” Baker growls as he takes the seat next to me and then shoves his hair back from his face.

  I’m instantly annoyed by his presence because I know he thinks my crush on his brother is ridiculous and a waste of my time.

  “Are you always so damn grouchy?” I retort.

  He rolls his brown eyes. “Look, princess, I’m sitting here to keep my end of the friendship deal.” His eyes flick over to Miley, unsure if he should say much more.

  My best friend stares at Baker and me like we have three heads as she takes in our exchange. Baker shrugs off his jacket, leaving him in a T-shirt and jeans, and my eyes are drawn to the intricate tattoos on his forearms as his muscles twist beneath his skin.

  “Baker, this is my best friend, Miley. Miley, this is Baker, my new roommate.” I get the introductions out of the way. “She knows about our deal.”

  Her eyebrows shoot up. “Oh, my God. You’re Luke’s brother?”

  He nods his head as he takes a bite of his sandwich as if it’s no big deal. I suppose this is the reaction he gets when people find out who he’s related to.

  She glances over at me with a sly grin on her face. “You’re in so much trouble.”

  Furrowing my brow, I’m about to ask what she means by that, but she glances at the clock on her phone and hops up from the table.

  “I’m late. Baker, it was nice to meet you. Sky, I’ll call you after class,” she says in a rush as she gathers her things and heads for the door.

  “You have class too?” Baker asks.

  I shake my head. “No. How about you?”

  “Done for the day.” He takes another bite and then swallows it down. “Maybe we should trade schedules, so we know when to expect each other back at the apartment.”

  I tilt my head. “Why would we need to do that?”

  He shrugs his large shoulders. “I don’t want to walk in on you and a guy or anything. I want to be a good roommate while I’m there.”

  I chuckle. “Trust me. That won’t be a problem.”

  He quirks one eyebrow. “It might be. I wouldn’t want you walking in on me.”

  The idea of Baker having sex on my couch pops into my mind, and a tingle runs down my spine. “Ew. No. That won’t be happening either.”

  “It might. That’s why we need each other’s schedules.”

  “No. I mean, there’s no sex in my apartment. For anyone.”

  He lets out a huff like I’m being crazy, but I’m not budging on this. “I said I would help you if I could stay at your place. I didn’t know our living arrangements had other stipulations, like no guests. You should’ve made that clear before.”

  “Well, seems like now is a good time to set up some house rules.”

  “I’m not very good at following rules.”

  “Is that why you don’t play football anymore?”

  His eyebrows tug together. “Who told you that?”

  I swallow hard. The expression on his face tells me the subject of his old football career here at Columbus University is a touchy one. Everything I researched last night told me Baker was well on his way to a career in the NFL…until he quit. I couldn’t find an explanation on why someone with his talent would walk away from a game he was reportedly great at. Baker is a mystery—one I find myself curious about.

  “Did you research me or what?” he demands when I don’t answer him right away.

  “I did,” I admit. “But only because I don’t know anything about you, and you’re sleeping in the bedroom right next to mine. I wanted to make sure you weren’t a crazy ax murderer.”

  “And while you were checking to make sure I wouldn’t kill you, you stumbled upon my football past.” It’s a statement. Not a question.

  “Yeah. I mean, have you ever googled yourself? Your name is in there a million times. Looked like you were a pretty great quarterback. Why would you quit?” Sometimes when I get going on a subject, my words are like vomit and come spilling out of my mouth.

  Baker gathers up his trash. “Our first house rule—my football past is off-limits.”

  The metal legs of the chair scratch against the tile floor as it slides back. He shoves his large frame up from the table, grabs his jacket and moves toward the exit. I’ve struck a nerve with him, and I should apologize, but he doesn’t give me a chance.

  “Hey…” A deep masculine voice trails off.

  When my gaze lands on Luke standing next to the table, star
ing right at me, my back instantly straightens. I’d forgotten he was in here during my conversation with Baker, but he now has my full attention.

  “Hi Luke,” my tone takes on a sugary-sweet tone as our eyes meet.

  He smiles. “It’s Sky, isn’t it?”

  Oh. My. God. He remembers my name!

  Do not freak out, Sky! Keep cool.

  “Yep. That’s me.” I flash him a smile, and hope my cheeks aren’t as red as they feel.

  “How do you know my brother?” Luke jerks his thumb over his shoulder in the direction Baker went.

  It’s working!! The Plan is working. Eeeek!

  I take a deep breath to settle myself down a bit. “He’s my roommate.”

  Luke’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really? In that case, you should get him to come to the Delta Psi house next week for our annual Homecoming Party. The rest of the brothers are ready to kick him out of the frat because he hasn’t shown up at any of our events lately.”

  “I can mention it to him, but I don’t think me asking will make a difference if Baker’s already told you no. I’m sure you have more influence over his decisions than I do.”

  Luke rubs the back of his neck. “I doubt that. Baker and I haven’t really been seeing eye to eye lately if you know what I mean. It would mean a lot to me if you could convince him to come to the party.”

  I bite my lip, loving the idea of doing Luke a favor. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  His megawatt smile comes out in full force. “Perfect. Make sure you’re there too, Sky.”

  “Okay.” A grin stretches across my face.

  He takes a step back. “Later.”

  It takes everything in me not to squeal in delight the moment he turns away. It’s happening like I thought it would. It turns out a lifetime of romance reading and movie watching is paying off.

  5

  Sky

  The television is on when I enter the apartment, and it takes me a minute to remember I no longer live here alone.

  Baker glances up from the textbook in his lap.