Staying on Course (13 page)

“Absolutely, I need a shower ASAP.” She fans herself. “Why don’t we clean up here in the locker room and meet y’all at the bar?”

“Perfect idea!” I sing a little too cheerily, smiling at Bryce.

He’s not amused. The heat and energy from his glare surrounds the small space. His body is stiff and rigid. He breathes in deeply, exhaling slowly. The bright blue of his eyes darkens, and I’m suddenly hot all over.

Dean picks up on the tension and grabs Quinn’s hand, leading her away. “We’ll see you later. We’re going back to the apartment.”

I break the trance and start to back away, but he’s quick. Instantly, I’m over his shoulder with my ass in the air, his hands behind my knees. He holds me tighter when I squirm against him.

“Let me down!”

“No,” he growls and slaps my ass hard. “You want to tease me, you’re going to pay.” He stalks over to my bag. Blood rushes to my head, and I beat his back, trying to get loose.

“Stop hitting me.”

“Let me down. You are acting like a barbarian. What if someone sees?”

“We’re practically alone.”

“Bryce, please,” I beg, feeling light-headed.

He stops and helps position me upright then slides me down his body, holding me steady. His eyes now liquid and swimming with desire.

“Bryce, please is exactly what I want to hear out of your mouth about two seconds after we walk through your door. You think it’s funny, knowing I’ve been hard for you in that uniform for the last seven hours, to tease me? Your idea of punishment was to send me to a bar and deprive me from peeling you out of these clothes? Think again.”

My body betrays me, and I lean into him, kissing the underside of his jaw. “It was an attempt at payback.”

“It was a poor attempt. Get over it. I scheduled lunch to surprise you.”

“Sort of like Dean’s surprise for Quinn?”

“Who do you think gave him the idea?”

“She’s going to kill you.”

He turns my chin, forcing my eyes to his. “You two really need to learn how to deal. I can’t speak for Dean, but I truly want to meet these people. Learn more about them, tell them about me. I’d like to know you have a thick support system while I’m so far away. You’ve explained they will most likely be in your life for the next few years. Let me get to know them.”

The scorching sexual tension from earlier is replaced with a deeper intimacy as he speaks. My arms wrap around his neck as my cheek lands on the hard planes of his chest. “It’s times like this that I forget we have so many differences in our lives. It never crossed my mind you’d like to meet Eric, Kenny, and Crystal. But when you put it rationally, I want to meet the people you work with, too.”

“You will soon.”

He pulls me flush against him and kisses my hairline. An idea pops into my mind. The field is mostly deserted and the stands empty. I know the athletic facilities are probably thinning out as well.

“What are you thinking, beautiful?”

“You really dreamed about having sex with me in this uniform?”

“Oh, yeah. As soon as we get home, it’ll be a reality.”

“Why wait?”

“What are you saying?”

“Why wait?” I repeat. “Let’s do it here.”

He studies me, and I don’t flinch at his hard stare. His eyes close as his hand grips mine. He spins us and stalks toward the tunnel. .

“You think we can do this without getting caught?” My adrenaline spikes.

“Absofuckinglutely.” He looks at me and winks. “Trust me.”

“I do, always.”

Bryce and I walk through campus hand in hand, talking about my course load and upcoming projects. He insisted on coming with me today, planning to use the ROTC facilities to workout while I’m in class. He carries my bag, chatting as if this is normal, but I’m uneasy. Girls’ heads turn when he passes by and mouths drop. Eyes slice to me and back to him in disgust. Granted, we were running late, so I threw my hair in a bun and only put on mascara and lip gloss. I feel inadequate next to him.

He’s wearing a skin tight NAVY t-shirt with loose running shorts. His hat is on backwards, which carries its own level of sex appeal. I clutch his hand when we get to the building, and people openly stare.

“Babe, you’re cutting off my circulation.” He lifts our linked hands to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “What’s wrong?”

“I really should have showered. I’m ratty next to you.”

He looks around and gives me a seductive grin, sending a tingle down my spine. “You look fucking awesome. And if you’d taken the time to shower, I wouldn’t have been able to make you scream my name twice. I still taste you on my tongue.”

Heat creeps up my face, and skin starts to warm. “Stop. People may hear you.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” he asks, searching my face. “If I wouldn’t have fucked up, this could have been our life—waking up together, walking to class, kissing goodbye—all of it. You’d have been in my bed and me in yours for years at UT. I want those memories, so give me a little here. I’m trying to fit those years into a few days. When I’m on shift, and you’re in class, I want to visualize exactly where you are.” For a brief second his eyes swim in pain then clear, filling with undeniable love.

I lean into his touch, trying to control my racing heartbeat. “Why do you do that? Why do you say the sweetest things, making me want to cry and jump you at the same time?”

“Because I’m talented,” he whispers against my lips. His phone buzzes in his pocket, but he ignores it.

“You may need to get that.”

“Whoever it is can wait.” The phone buzzes again, and he takes it out, glancing at the screen. Annoyance flashes across his face as he hits ignore again.

Curiosity piques, and I’m about to ask who it was when he dips down to kiss me quickly.

“Be back to pick you up here in three hours, Devon.” He walks away with my eyes pinned to his ass.

Crystal comes over and ushers me into the building, laughing the whole time. I sink into the seat and blindly go through the motions of arranging my laptop.

“Bryce is really nice. You’re a lucky girl.” She points to my ring. “He’s also got great taste.”

“I am pretty lucky. If you’d have told me a year ago that this would be my life, I’d have called you a liar. We weren’t exactly on speaking terms.”

Her breath hitches, and her chin starts to tremble. She looks away and wipes her eye quickly to catch the tear that leaks out.

“Hey.” I reach for her hand. “Did I say something?”

She looks back, and I recognize her expression too well—the look of heartbreak.

“I was engaged once. Well, probably not by society’s standards, but to us, it meant something. Morgan didn’t give me a ring but promised me one as soon as he had the money saved.” Her voice breaks.

“What happened?” I ask softly.

“I’m an idiot and forced him away, but at the time, it was the best decision.” She shakes her head and lets out a cruel chuckle. “What a load of bullshit. That’s what I’ve been saying for so long, it now spews out automatically. The truth is, I was a prima-donna princess who was scared of Mommy and Daddy. They knew my weaknesses and threatened what meant the most to me.”

“Morgan?”

She nods in confirmation. “We dated all through high school. He was such a good guy—played sports, volunteered with local charities, excellent grades. We were going to come here together. He got a soccer scholarship to UVA. But it all fell apart spring break of our senior year. Even as hard as he fought for us, I tore us apart. It was my only choice.”

“What happened?” My heart lurches in my throat because, no matter what her story is, it crushed her. Years later and the emotions are pouring.

“His father owned a high end Auto & Body Shop in town. Morgan worked part time for him. Spring break, he and I went white-water rafting with a group of seniors. While we were gone, his dad died of a heart attack. He was alone in the shop. Morgan’s only sister found him. It hurt the whole family, but Morgan carried an enormous burden of guilt. In his mind, even if he couldn’t have saved his dad, he would have been there instead of his sister.”

My own eyes start to sting. “That’s horrible.”

“It was. But he was part of my family, and we all banded together to help. My parents helped in every way they could. The other shops in town shut down the day we buried Mr. Drake. He was so respected. The church was standing-room only. I still remember seeing the only two tears Morgan allowed himself that day. He insisted on being strong. I vowed to be his strength.”

“You’re a good person, Crystal. Not many eighteen year olds could find that within themselves.”

“It wasn’t enough. We got through the rest of our senior year, but Morgan never fully recovered. I tried so hard, and to this day, I believe I’m the only one he let see him suffer. He broke down with me several times. It was crushing, but I never allowed myself to break. He needed me, and ultimately, that’s why I left.”

She takes a deep breath and pulls some tissue from her purse, handing me one. “We were supposed to leave and come to Charlottesville in August. He started acting cagey. Our time together became limited because he worked longer hours in the body shop. Finally, he told me he was staying home to take care of the family business until he felt they could hire someone trustworthy enough. He also wanted to be with his mom a bit longer.

“I was crushed but supportive. It was my idea to stay with him, but my parents threw a fit, and they were largely vocal about it. My dad tried to reason with us, but we stuck with our decision. Until, one day, Daddy threatened me with the largest ultimatum of my life. Either I break things off and go to college, or he’d blackball the Drake Family Garage. They’d lose everything.

“Usually, this is the part of the story where people roll their eyes because it so cliché.”

“I’d never mock you,” I assure her.

“The threat wasn’t only a threat to the Drake family; it would affect so many people. But eventually, it would kill Morgan. The family business was well respected, but most of their clients came from referrals. My dad is in insurance and sent all his clients to the Drakes. If they lost Dad’s referrals, then Morgan and his mom would have to let staff go. That would start an avalanche of problems that would devastate Morgan. He already felt so much guilt, so I told him I was leaving without him and that it was best if we ended things.”

“He let you walk away?”

“Yes, I said some pretty ugly things to convince him this was my decision. I used words straight from my father’s mouth that I knew would shatter any hope of a future relationship. I told him I couldn’t be linked to a ‘grease monkey’ for the rest of my life. My goals had changed. He had nothing to say after that.”

“Was that the last time you saw him?”

“That was the last time he saw me. I’d get up at daylight and drive to the park across from his shop. I’d sit for hours after he opened and watch him work. It was pathetic. The week after I broke it off, his mom cornered me at the grocery store. She was livid, but once she was done reaming me, her pain was evident. I promised to stay away and never hurt any of them again. Then I went home and made arrangements to come to school the next week. I started Summer B classes.”

“The academic band-aid to extreme heartache,” I say confidently. “I know that maneuver very well.”

“You do?”

“Oh, yeah, I left Nashville with the same broken heart you suffered.”

“But it worked out, obviously.”

“Not without years of pain.”

“I know about years of pain.” Her eyes glisten again.

“It’s none of my business, but what about your parents?”

“I practically severed my relationship with my dad the day I drove away. He’s an arrogant asshole who thinks I’ll see his logic when I get my degree and start my career. My mom has spent the last three years apologizing. She tries to reason with me that he was trying to do what was best, but it’s pure bullshit.

“The only way I could be so stubborn is to stand on my own two feet. I am completely financially free of them, so they have no say so in my life.”

“Jesus, you’re my hero. That’s incredible.”

“It gets lonely. I don’t socialize much because I’m married to school and work. But no one will ever have the power to control me again. Morgan’s shop now has two locations and three managers. They’re doing amazing. That’s what matters.”

“Crystal, Bryce flies out tomorrow night. I opted not to be on the travel team this year for cheer, so I have a free weekend. Plan on coming over to have drinks with Quinn and me. I’ll tell you my story. My tale involves a pregnant fling, a fake engagement, and a lovesick teenager who had a crush for six years.”

Her lip tips up in a small grin. “You’re on.”

The professor comes in and starts a video, and my mind starts to wander.

First Shana, now Crystal, both gave up the love of their young lives. After finally having Bryce in my life, I’m pretty sure it would destroy me to lose him.

*****

“You know our story is going to have a happy ending, right?” Bryce runs his fingers through my hair gently. I just finished telling him Crystal’s sad story. Even repeating it hurt my heart.

“Yes, but she’s my age. She’s busted her ass to graduate this year and get into the Master’s program. She has no one supporting her. It makes me sad. I had no idea in Brazil.”

“She obviously covers her sadness well.”

“Why didn’t he come for her?”

“I can’t speak for him… hell, I don’t even know the guy, but my guess is pride and love.”

“Pride and love?”

“Yeah. If they loved each other as much as she relayed, then he knew within hours that she didn’t mean what she said. He figured out it was coming from her father. At that point, any man’s pride would take a hit. He also may have been betrayed by a man he respected and thought highly of.”

“What about the love part?”

“He loved her enough to let her go. His role in life changed. He was trying to take care of his family.”

“But she was his family!”

“Maybe so… but she was going to give up an opportunity for a college degree for him. He was looking down the barrel of an unknown future. Learning the everyday business of his dad’s shop was going to consume him. He figured it out and let her walk away, knowing he was doing what was best for her. Pretty much, he was as selfless as her.”