Page 6 of Heartbreaker
“I thought we weren’t discussing our private lives.” Even though we’d done just that on the drive back from the bar.
“You started it, Sweetheart.” He winked, disappearing into the bathroom.
“Cheerleader,” I answered, lifting my arms into the sky and leaning from side to side in a much-needed stretch.
He poked his head back into the bedroom, about to put his toothbrush in his mouth. “You’re a cheerleader?”
“Wildcat.”
He stared at me a moment longer, lifting his brows in surprise, before he stuck the toothbrush in his mouth. I climbed out of bed to get dressed, and looking down at the clothes I had readily available, it dawned on me that I’d be late for my shift at the café. I couldn’t wear a crop top, and I certainly couldn’t wear high heels.
“You don’t remind me of any cheerleader I’ve ever met,” John said a minute later, putting his toothbrush into his bag. He pulled out two white shirts, extending the second one to me.
Wait, was he giving me one of his shirts?
“You meet a lot of them?” I asked, fingering the fabric, but I didn’t take it immediately, unsure of the protocol in that situation. I was never supposed to see him again. I couldn’t take his shirt…could I? I looked up to meet his gaze again. “Cheerleaders, I mean.”
“No.” The answer came quickly and made me smile. He pushed the shirt toward me again. “Here, take this, you’ll be more comfortable.” John’s attention returned to the bag after he pulled his own shirt over his head, methodically packing things into the suitcase that had barely been unpacked to begin with. He was leaving already? That was a quick trip…
“You’re never getting this back, by the way,” I said, tying the back of the vastly oversized shirt into a small knot and tucking it inside the back.
“It’s yours now.” John laughed. “I’m sorry I have to run, but…I can drop you off at home first.” His face when he looked at the clock said otherwise, though.
“You don’t have to. I can manage to get a cab.”
He smiled weakly—grateful almost—which told me he didn’t have the time to drop me off, but the offer was sweet. “I really should go.”
“It’s okay, go.”
He stooped down to capture my lips in a deep kiss, snaking his arm around my waist to pull me further against him. That was not how one-night stands end, but you want to know something? I wasn’t complaining. Not when it felt so right being in his arms. The way he made me feel…it was like walking on air while being tethered to the Earth at the same time. Standing there, his lips pressed firmly against mine, it started to hit me that I’d never see him again…
“C’mon,” John said. “Least I can do is get you a cab.” I didn’t argue, following him out of the room, his fingers interlaced with mine as the door closed behind us.
And when I walked into Adler Training Center that afternoon to begin what I liked to call hell week—the week leading into preseason—it was the furthest place from where I wanted to be…How was I supposed to worry about following routines and working on tightening up our weak spots when my head was in the fucking clouds all day? It was fair to say I’d been on autopilot most of the day, going through the motions at the café and barely able to comprehend the words I put on the page for the paper due for my single class of the summer semester. Despite my attempts to put it on the back burner, I hadn’t been able to get him out of my head.
A loud bang echoed from the other side of the locker room door of the training center, and I stopped short right before it burst open. One of the only blonde girls on the squad stormed out, and another followed two steps behind. I rolled my eyes as they passed by. I should’ve known it was them. They were always fighting over something—usually over a guy. The same guy. A similar situation happened two months prior, and I just hoped it didn’t take the coaches to separate them.
The rest of the squad seemed to be in good spirits when I finally walked into the locker room, despite what awaited us on that field. Wide grins split their faces as they filled each other in on the latest drama and gossip. I waved at them when they called my name before I dropped my bag on the floor, sinking into the chair in front of the mirror near my locker.
“So, how was last night?” Kingsley appeared out of nowhere, leaning back against the lockers. I glanced her way but rolled my eyes. “Oh, c’mon, Sav! You go home with one of the hottest guys to find his way into the Valley in like…ever, and you give me the silent treatment?” Her freshly manicured hands fell to her hips. “Cass and I tried to text you, but…Oh my gosh. Wait, was it bad? Tell me it wasn’t bad. Oh, sweetie! I’m so sorry. Your first one-night stand, and it sucked.”
“Kins, breathe!” I laughed, pulling my hair into a ponytail. “It wasn’t bad. I just…I don’t have anything to say.”
“That’s all I get?” Kingsley’s blue eyes narrowed, and she groaned dramatically when I shrugged. “What am I going to do with you, Savannah Williams?”
“You wouldn’t have me any other way,” I said, swapping out my long sleeve for a tank top. “Look okay?”
“Yeah, just don’t let Cathy see that thing on your chest.”
What is she talking about?
The smirk that spread across my friend’s lips made me paranoid. Turning back to the mirror, my eyes were immediately drawn to the dark discoloration of skin on my shoulder. If either coach saw it, I’d never hear the end of how having a hickey in such a prominent place was not ladylike and not appropriate Wildcat behavior. The idea to curse John came to mind, but as soon as I thought about his mouth on my skin, it killed the impulse entirely.
“I’ll take that as evidence you had agreattime last night,” Kingsley said, trying to hide her smirk.
I glared at her, replacing the tank top with my long-sleeve practice top. “Shut up.”
“Hey, mission accomplished, right?” She looped her arm through mine after I double-checked my appearance in the mirror to make sure no more surprises were waiting for me. “We went out to take your mind off Conner, and it seems like we succeeded. So, mission accomplished!”
