Kick (Completion Series) (22 page)

“You okay?”
He rested his hand on mine.

I smiled
. “Quite okay.”

“You ready to get a little more rowdy?”

I had no idea what he was talking about, just nodded my head.

“Hand me my beer when I’m upright.”

I watched in shock as shy Joel stood precariously on the table. He put his hand down for the beer. “Memememememe,” he kind of sang, or more like croaked out in a loud voice. It got everyone’s attention and they all turned his way. I about died when he held his beer out and started singing.

“I know a bear that you all know.”

The crowd shouted back, “Yogi, Yogi.”

“
I know a bear that you all know.”

“
Yogi, Yogi Bear. Yogi, Yogi Bear, Yogi, Yogi Bear.” Their combined voices were deafening.

“I know a bear that you all know.”

“Yogi, Yogi Bear.”

Van’s voice took over as Joel downed his beer and jumped off the table, “Yogi
’s got a little friend.”

“
Booboo, Booboo.” I turned and saw Charlie and Stub yell-singing too.

“
Yogi’s got a little friend.”

“
Booboo, Booboo Bear, Booboo, Booboo Bear, Booboo, Booboo Bear.”

Van kissed the closest woman to him and continued.
“Yogi’s got a little friend.”

“
Booboo, Booboo Bear.”

I caught on to the lyrics as someone else took over another verse.
The next verse was about Yogi’s girlfriend, Cindy, followed by Cindy likes it on the fridge, polar, polar bear. I almost died again when the next guy sang, “Booboo likes it up the ass.”

And the crowd came back with,
“Brown Bear, Brown Bear.”

Um, I missed something in all my research. Joel put an arm around my shoulder and sang with everyone else. From Cindy being a grizzly bear because
she never shaved her pubes to Yogi being a daddy bear because he didn’t use a condom. I was laughing as much as singing.

I had no time to grasp how crazy rugby players and fans were because when that song ended,
another began about a gang bang. Joel sang as loudly as everyone else. More beer flowed and more songs about sex filled the bar. Nothing had anything to do with rugby. I have no idea how many beers I drank, but I had one of the best times in my life.

Insane.

Rugby players and fans were insane. There was no way I could ever write about this night, it was past being obscene and halfway to indecent. The songs continued off and on for hours.

“You’re a true rugby fan now,” Joel said as he kept me from falling on my face, turning me to
the first bus seat instead. I rested against him hoping my head would stop spinning. How he was still walking was beyond me. The man never stopped drinking even after I switched to water.

“Do rugby fans get a kiss?” I slurred followed by a hiccup.

Joel twirled his finger in my hair bringing me closer. He kissed my forehead and pressed the side of my face against his chest.

“You’re going to hate me in the morning.”

“No, never,” I mumbled against his shirt.

Joel practically carried me into our room. I remember him
trying to help me out of my clothes and then my rowdy night ended as the world went dark.

The blackout curtains didn’t show the nine-thirty morning sun when I finally woke
up. My splitting headache held all the memories from the night before. Joel’s hand rested on my belly, and from the sound of his breathing, he was out cold.

What time did the bus leave?
I thought sleepily. I pulled eleven from my fuzzy brain. I was safe. I rolled over and managed to push off the bed. The room spun a little, but I got myself upright without falling.

I heard Joel groan, “What time is it?” He
pulled a pillow over his head, the rest of him deliciously naked, though there was no way I was in the mood to take advantage of it. Such a shame, I thought as I stumbled to the bathroom.

I looked down at myself and realized I wore my bra and underwear. I can’t believe I slept tha
t way. “Nine-thirty,” I finally answered.

“Wake me in an hour,”
he said with another low groan. It was nice to know the beer affected him more than I’d thought. I made it to the bathroom, shut the door behind me, and cringed when the lightning stabbed into my brain when I switched on the light. I took some ibuprofen, brushed my teeth, and stepped into the shower. After about ten minutes, I felt better, though I needed food. Joel slept through me getting dressed and leaving the room. I had to smile. He’d surprised me with his singing the night before. I liked all facets of Joel Stelson. Hell, I needed to admit to myself that I loved everything about the man.

I took the elevator downstairs, turned the corner into the breakfast area, and came
to a sudden halt. Van was the only player sitting in the room. A hotel employee was clearing the last of the food away and my stomach flip-flopped.

“You missed breakfast by ten minutes,” Van said
after he took his last bite of food.

“I’ll go to the diner across the street.” I turned as soon as I said it. I didn’t want to be
alone with Van.

“Hey, wait up. I’m finished here and I’ll keep you company.”

I turned back. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He
was already sitting his empty plate on the counter with the other dirty plates. He walked over. “You still got a thing for me, Cami?”

He was such a jerk. “No.”

“Then what’s the problem? Come on, I’ll buy.”

“No
, thank you. I’ll buy my own food.” God, I sounded like a bitch. He had the right to go wherever he wanted. I just didn’t want him near me. Not alone at least. I walked out and made my way across the street. Van walked beside me and had me hustling when a car got too close.

The waitress seated us immediately. I
hid behind my menu, covering my face, and examined the all-day breakfast entrées. I didn’t lower the menu until the waitress came back with our coffees and took my order. She walked away with my shield and Van knew it.

“What are you going to use now?” He was fighting a grin
, which just ramped up my anger.

“This is such a joke to you. I’m one of too many women who fall for your shit and now that I’m conquered, you need to rub it in. Please leave me alone.”

Van’s hand landed on mine. I tried to pull back, but he squeezed my fingers and pressed them into the table. “I went back for you, Cami. It’s you who turned me down. Now you’re with my brother. What am I supposed to think?” Van didn’t stop there. “He comes after me, determined to rip my head off, almost succeeds, and all because you’re in his bed now. The last thing I think this is,” his hand finally released mine, “is a joke. So tell me, Miss Avesque, what am I supposed to think?”

I slowly drew my trembling fingers into my lap. Shame filled me.
What could I say? My head had lowered as he spoke, but now I looked up, peering into his eyes. Eyes that appeared sincere. An expression that actually looked hurt. “You didn’t wait twenty-four hours before you screwed another woman. I was a one-night stand.”

The intensity in his eyes remained.
“If I hadn’t slept with that woman would you still be with me, Cami?”

It took a minute for me to answer
, but I gave him honesty. “Yes, Van. I would. I fell a little in love with you that night. Stupid, but true.” I noticed Van’s eyes looking over my shoulder and without turning around—I knew Joel stood behind me. I glanced over. Van’s hurt expression a minute before didn’t compare to Joel’s. His eyes searched mine for a moment before he pivoted and walked away.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

What the hell had I done?

At my stricken look
, Van stood up. “Stay here and eat. I’ll go talk to him,” he said with what sounded like frustration.

I was too upset to answer. I should be the one going after Joel. What could I say? Nothing. I’d told Van the truth. It
didn’t take away from my feelings for Joel, but there was no way to explain it. I knew both brothers intimately now. There was no comparison between the two. Joel was it for me and I’d completely fucked it up.

My food arrived. My stomach was too upset to take more than a few bites. I was afraid I wouldn’t keep even that down. I paid the bill and walked across the street. I didn’t see Joel or Van
, so I went to our room. Joel’s things were gone and the door between us was locked on his side. I knocked, but he didn’t answer. I had no idea if he was in there. I had fifteen minutes until the bus left. I packed my things and went downstairs.

I could hear the shouts
from outside before I got to the large lobby doors. Players were trying to hold both brothers apart without much success. I noticed Joel’s bloody face as he managed to tear free and attack Van. He got in a good punch before the guys could grab him again. Van was fighting back too.

“Let me the fuck go,” he yelled, trying to get away from the arms holding him.

Brothers.

I’d done this to them.

I went back into the hotel. “I need to book a room for another night, please.” The fact I hadn’t broken down was a miracle. I took out my credit card and handed it to the clerk.

“Cami
.” It was Mike.

I turned.
“I won’t be going back with the team.” I gave Mike a trembling smile.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s for the best. I’m sorry. When Joel will listen just tell him I’m sorry.” My voice quivered and I turned away to wipe a tear from my eye. When I looked back, Mike was walking through the front door. I watched as the guys pushed Van onto the bus and after a few other players got on, they forced Joel up the steps.

I wasn’t going back. It would probably mean my job
, but I could no longer handle my screw ups. The bus left and I walked dejectedly to my room. I hadn’t thought to ask for a different one, so I was back in the room I’d shared with Joel. I put the do not disturb sign on the door and crawled into the bed that still smelled like him.

I broke down
crying and replayed every minute of my time with Joel. Every touch, every kiss, every time I should have told him I loved him.

Eventually
, I fell asleep. I woke up with another headache, took more ibuprofen, and fell back to sleep. It was three in the afternoon before I crawled out from under the covers. I got online and looked for a plane ticket. I booked a flight out of Morgantown. It cost a small fortune because of the short notice. I called a cab to drop me at the airport and left West Virginia and Ohio behind.

I was on the aisle
, but I got lucky and the seat in the middle was empty. I pulled out my laptop and wrote. Not just taking information from my notes. I wrote about my feelings on sports in general, the change I’d gone through in such a short time since starting my series on rugby. I wrote about Stub’s pictures that she took and money she raised for youth rugby. I wrote about
The Sentinel
—how Charlie took pride in its small readership and wanted to give the community a twice-weekly print run. I tried to capture the essence of rugby fans and players. Their hearts that pumped the insane devotion through their veins.

I didn’t notice the hours go by.
I was lost in turning the vivid pictures in my head into a story. By the time I made it back to my small apartment, I had more than six-thousand words divided into four segments, a resignation letter, and a broken heart. I fell into bed knowing my dreams of a career in journalism would end the following day. That I could live with. Living without Joel was another story.

If any morning required a latte, it was Monday. I dressed professionally
, wearing a form-fitting lace bra that was hiding in the back of my underwear drawer. My shirt was frilly and lower cut than I’d ever worn to the office. I had decided to leave my job without hiding my body.

After
hastily drinking my coffee, I drove to the post office and shipped Stub her camera with a note of apology. I’d downloaded several pictures, including the one of Joel in the locker room. Whether Stub was able to get his permission to sell the photo or not, it was special to me and I was keeping a copy. I also mailed my rental car key to the agency which I’d called so they knew where to pick up the car in Colt.

I drove to the newspaper and
went straight to Miller’s office. “I don’t have an appointment, but could you ask Mr. Miller if he has a few minutes to speak with me?” I said to his receptionist. She showed me into his office a moment later. Miller’s eyes strayed to my chest, but I wasn’t cowering any longer. He could look his fill for the few minutes it would take to hand over my generic letter of resignation. He jerked his gaze back to my eyes, which I gave him credit for.

I spoke to alleviate the awkward silence
. “Thank you for seeing me this morning,” I said handing the envelope over. “I’ll make this short. I didn’t go into detail in my resignation letter, but I owe you the truth. I slept with one of the players and I’m no longer welcome to accompany the team. I behaved unprofessionally and I’m resigning in order to save the
Cleveland News and Journal
the hassle of firing me. I’ve emailed you my completed story, though I’m not sure if you’ll want to run it. You did pay for it and I believe it’s quite good.” I didn’t stop, though I knew I was rushing through this just wanting to get out. “Thank you for the opportunity to cover this story.” I didn’t put out my hand, just spun toward the door.