Page 48 of Hate the Game
I winced as she stormed off. “Shit.”
Cole groaned and scrubbed his hands down his face. “I’ll go talk to her. Make it clear that we haven’t forgotten the plan.”
Ryder motioned for him to go. “Better you chase after a woman who wants you, anyway.”
The burn was so unexpected from Ryder that I laughed. Cole even grinned before his face turned grim. “She doesn’t want me like that, Ry.”
Before any of us could go anywhere there was a rumble from the locker room and then Dad’s voice boomed through the door like he was shouting right next to us.
“Jax Carrington! Get back in here right now!”
I closed my eyes and bit my tongue. Whatever he had to say, I could handle it. Even if I felt like strangling him.
Cole slapped me on the shoulder. “We have your back.”
The three of us moved back into the locker room and I took a deep breath before coming face to face with Dad. The rest of the team was moving around the locker room, doing anything tomake it less awkward that my dad was about to rip me a new one in front of them.
“That last play was absolute shit, Jax! You pass like that and you should go play for some piece of shit unranked team. I’m not going to have that kind of mediocre bullshit on my field!” Dad was really gearing up for a big fight. His face went red and his eyes had a crazy gleam to them. “That’s shameful! You have this position and you need to fucking respect it! Appreciate what-”
I couldn’t hear it. Not for another fucking second. “You don’t want my mediocre bullshit on your field, bench me. I don’t know what the fuck you’re problem is lately but I’m beating my own records right and left. Get off my back,Coach, andyouappreciate what you’ve fucking got. I don’t know if you need to get laid or what, but you need to back off!”
I stormed out before he could respond, the locker room as silent as a tomb. I knew I’d crossed so many lines but I couldn’t care in that moment. I just needed to get away. I was sick of Dad’s shit and I was sick of everything else in my life right then, too. Arguing about who Savannah wanted more when she’d been sent to ruin our reputations, student government, classes, Blaire, Dad, all of it. I just needed a fucking break from being Jax Carrington for a while.
I knew what I needed, where I needed to go. For the first time ever I found myself heading to the dorm to find company to take with me. It was stupid. I knew I was letting my dick make the call but I couldn’t help myself. No matter what I said to myself I still found my feet taking me right to Savannah’s door.
I knocked harder than I meant to and when Savannah opened the door a few seconds later, looking panicked, I knew I needed to stop and take a breath. I couldn’t, though, not until I was away from campus.
“Jax? What’s wrong?”
“Do you want to go for a ride with me? I need to… I have to get off campus.”
Her eyes moved over my face and she was nodding before her lips moved again. “Um, yeah. Sure. Do I need-”
I gripped her elbow and tugged her into the hallway. “Now.”
She flashed me a concerned look and shrugged. “Sure. Let’s go.”
***Savannah***
Iwatched Jax as he drove in silence, his jaw so tight that I worried he’d crack his teeth. He’d seemed damn near crazed when he’d showed up at my door. His eyes were wild and he’d knocked like the building was on fire. Only to ask me to go for a ride with him.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I finally ventured to ask, truly worried that something bad had happened.
“Not yet.”
I heaved a deep sigh and stared at the contours of his strong face. He had beautiful forearms and hands, thick with muscle and veiny. I knew those hands felt nice on my body but when he looked as angry as he did I started to worry. What if he found out about what I was doing at USC and planned on killing me with those sexy hands?
“Are you mad at me?”
That roused him from his anger for long enough for him to shoot me a confused expression. “What? No. I wouldn’t have asked you to come with me if I was angry at you, Savannah.”
“Oh, good.” I faced forward and watched the scenery change as he drove farther away from campus. “That’s good.”
I tried not to wiggle in the silence but it was hard. I was a naturally curious person. I hated not knowing what he was thinking. It was hard.
“Almost there.”
I looked back at Jax and sighed. “Thank god. I’m not cut out for this kind of silence, Jax. I’ve gone through the gamut of emotions over here.”
