Page 30 of Score to Settle
I nod and Jake flashes me another smile before disappearing through a door and into the locker room.
I lean against the wall and wait, feeling like I shouldn’t be here, but no one pays me any attention. After a while, the door opens and I’m already smiling, but it’s not Jake. It’s Gordon. He’s wearing a shirt and sweater combo and looks like he’s about to waltz into his first day of lectures at an Ivy League college.
“It’s Harper, right?” he says, eyes twinkling like he’s glad to see me.
I nod. “Hi.”
“A few of us are heading to The Hay Barn. You’re welcome to join us.” He leans an arm against the wall, getting in my space. I remember Jake’s warning about him and shift away. “I hear you’re writing about Jake. The guys and I can tell you some stories. Although more than a few aren’t for the delicate eyes ofSports Magazine’s readership.” He adds a wink at the end just in case I don’t catch the meaning in his words.
“Maybe another time,” I say as the door to the changing rooms opens again and there’s Jake. His hair is wet, almost black from the water, and pushed away from his face, and his tee is clinging to those broad shoulders, a gray sweatshirt in his hand. I still can’t get used to being in the company of someone so hot.
“Everything OK here?” he asks, voice husky from shouting in the game. He throws a glare toward Gordon.
“Yep,” I say.
Jake steps closer, his clean woodsy scent enveloping me. “Enjoy the game, Cassidy?” he asks.
“Yes!” I smile and it’s goofy, and Jake tips back his head and gives a throaty laugh. I feel myself glow at the sound of it. “Seriously,” I say. “You blew me away tonight.”
Gordon makes a scoffing noise from beside us. “Jake knows all about being blown away, don’t you, Sullivan? You’ve been blown by half the cheer team last I heard.”
Jake seems to grow a foot in height as he rounds on his teammate. “You and I both know the rules, Gordon. No fraternizing with the cheer team. Or have you forgotten? Don’t take your sorry excuse for defense tonight out on me. I carried your ass in the game and we both know it.”
There’s a beat of tense silence before Gordon chuckles to himself, having got the rise he was looking for from Jake, and strolls away. I take a step back, too. I’m begrudgingly starting to see that there’s more to Jake than his reputation. But Gordon has reminded me that Jake is still the man who broke my heart. Even if it’s getting harder to keep hold of that knowledge with every passing day. Even if I can still feel heat tingling on my hip from where Jake’s hand touched me earlier, my heart can’t afford for me to forget why I’m here.
THIRTEEN
JAKE
The drive home is frosty and it has nothing to do with the cold December wind blowing through the open window of my truck. I should be buzzing from the win tonight. All anyone can talk about is the playoffs and what it would mean to reach them for the first time in four years. With our last two wins and only four games left, it’s finally feeling possible. But instead of being happy, I’m pissed.
Beside me, Harper is staring out the passenger window, her jaw set, her arms folded across her body. Tension radiates in the silence. She hasn’t said a word since we left the stadium and I shot down the question she was halfway through asking. No way am I in the mood to chat.
I grip the steering wheel tightly as I drive, my knuckles turning white. I saw the change in her expression and the way she looked at me after Gordon’s bullshit comment about the cheer team. I don’t care what people think, so why am I letting this get to me?
I glance at Harper as we speed down the dark highway back to the ranch. No one has any business looking so damn attractive when they’re mad. The thought surprises me and so I focus on her anger instead. What the hell has she got to be mad about?The only person who has any right to be pissed here is me. We’ve spent two weeks together and one comment from a prick like Gordon and she’s fixing me with that look. The one where she thinks she’s got me all figured out and there’s nothing I can say or do to change that.
We leave the city behind and my headlights cut through the inky darkness. The mountains in the distance are lost to the night, shadows against a sky littered with stars. Not even the crunch of my wheels on the drive and the sight of Buck galloping out the back door eases my mood. I jump from my truck with only one thought in my head—getting as far away from Harper as I can. I whistle to Buck and we stride into the darkness in the direction of the lake.
A moment later, the passenger door slams and even in my current mood I feel like an ass for not opening it for her.
“Hey,” Harper calls. Her footsteps hit the ground behind me. “Why are you so angry with me?” she asks, grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop. An electrical heat pulses from her touch. I’m pulled back to the moment on the field when I saw her cheering from the sideline. How close I came to sweeping her into my arms and spinning her around.
“I’m not angry,” I growl. It’s a lie and we both know it.
“What is this then?” Her breath leaves a puff of air in the chill of the night. She shivers a little in her leather jacket. The fit suits her but it’s doing nothing to ward off the cold.
“Don’t I get to be a little annoyed that my team is celebrating another win at my favorite bar and I’m not?” I sigh and shrug off my sweatshirt before handing it to her. “Put this on. It’s freezing out here.”
She looks like she’s going to refuse but a second later she’s pulling it over her head. Damn, she looks cute with her arms lost in the sleeves.
“Come on, Buck.” I whistle and make a step to leave, but Buck remains sitting by Harper’s feet, tail wagging, ears pricked with interest. I have to swallow back a groan. Of course my dog loves Harper more than me.
Harper closes the gap I’ve made between us. Can’t this girl take a hint? I’m not in the mood.
In the light from the ranch house, her eyes are fierce. “This is about more than missing a few drinks with the team. Tell me what’s going on.”
I rake a hand through my hair, hating that she’s right. “Fine. You know what, I never said I was perfect. I like women. I like sex. And I’m not going to deny that I’ve enjoyed a few one-night stands in my time. But I told you I’ve changed. So don’t look at me like I’m a bad person, Harper.”
