Page 8 of Bad Call
EIGHT
STELLA
“Fuck, you smell good,”Emmett says into the sensitive skin of my neck as we sway to the music. “I can’t wait to taste every sweet inch of you when we get back to my dorm.” Like they always do, his words elicit a full-body shiver, causing him to pull me even tighter into his body with a chuckle. He knows exactly what he’s doing to me right now, and as nice as it’s been meeting everyone, I’m desperate for him to deliver on every whispered promise he’s made since we arrived at this party.
“I can’t wait,” I moan quietly. “It’s been way too long.” We’ve carved out time for each other to the best of our ability since we’ve been apart, making ourselves feel good together on FaceTime, but there’s no comparison to the way Emmett touches me. Our connection is visceral all the time, but when we’re making love,that’swhen it becomes otherworldly. We spent the summer exploring new kinks, not getting nearly enough time once we figured it all out, before we were headed to school on opposite sides of the country. But I’m here now, and I don’t want to waste another second.
“I think we’ve been here long enough,” he rasps. “What do you say we get the fuck home and you let me remind you why you married me?”
I giggle. “Your dick isn’t the only reason I married you. You also load a mean dishwasher, and you might be the only guy on the planet who puts the seat down after they pee. Really, I said yes to a lifetime of knowing I’ll never fall into the toilet in the middle of the night.”
He tightens his fingers around my waist, digging in and making me squeal with laughter as I quickly dodge the assault. His smile is so bright, it practically lights up the dim room before he yanks me back in and drops a chaste kiss to my lips. “I need to go find Dexter and tell him to stay somewhere else tonight. As much as he’d probably love to watch the things I’m about to do to you, I’d have to kill him for looking at your tits. That might put a damper on our weekend.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s fine. That last beer went through me anyway. I have to use the ladies’ room again. Meet me back here when you’re done.” He lifts his chin in affirmation, turning on his heel and taking off toward the kitchen while I go in the opposite direction. As it has been all night, the line to the bathroom is long, girls in their skimpiest party clothes talking amongst themselves while they wait for their turn.
Standing quietly, I grin to myself when I think of how amazing the night has been. I met so many of Emmett’s teammates, all of whom seem to love him already. They’re like one big, crazy family, and I love that so much for him. His parents have become increasingly unsupportive since our wedding, so it’s nice to see him being accepted with open arms here.
“Oh my God, you were just making out with Emmett Hayes,” a gorgeous redhead says, bringing me out of mythoughts. “He’s so fucking hot. My friend, Amber, tried to get him to take her home last weekend, but he turned her down. I was totally going to jump on that tonight, but it looks like you got there before I did.” She shrugs, her long lashes fluttering before she winks coyly. “There’s always next time, though. Right?”
My jaw practically hits the floor at the sheer audacity of this girl when she’s clearly been watching us all night. I can’t stop my fingers from flexing into fists at my sides for just a moment before I remind myself that this is my husband’s school. All of his friends are here. I need to handle this with grace, no matter how much I’d like to make this girl eat a punch.
I take a slow, soothing breath, a fake, yet convincing smile pasted across my face. “I’m Emmett’s wife, Stella. It’s nice to meet you.” She scoffs at my extended hand, so I pull it back, rage bubbling up to the surface as she flips her long curls behind her shoulder, looking completely unbothered.
“Funny,” she replies nonchalantly. “He never talks about you. We’re with him every weekend, aren’t we, Steph?”
“Yep. I sat with him in the backseat of Dex’s car last Saturday. He sure didn’t seem like a married man then,” the curvy blonde next to her adds. She’s taller, with crystal blue eyes and sun-kissed skin. Her perky breasts are pushed up, the material of her black dress stretched tightly across them. They both look like they stepped right off the runway to come here, as opposed to me, who’s still wearing the same black leggings and off-the-shoulder crewneck that I had on when I arrived. I wasn’t feeling insecure until just now, standing next to these two bombshells who seem to have no trouble telling me how amazing they think Emmett is.
“Well, he is,” I snap. “So, maybe you should go find a guy who’s single.” I’m using every ounce of self-control not to fly offthe handle, but the way they’re grinning like I’m some kind of a joke is pissing me off. I’m all too familiar with the look, unfortunately. It’s the same one the women of Tinsville gave my mother every time my dad would cheat. For years, she acted like she was oblivious, never standing up for herself because she was afraid of how our family would be perceived. Instead, she pretended like it wasn’t happening right under her nose, pasting on the fakest happy persona she could muster. I vowed to never be like that—weak and stupid, staying with a man who disrespected me in such a hurtful, embarrassing way.
“He isfor now,” the redhead says with a condescending laugh. “He’s quite the hot commodity around here. I’m not sayingI’mgoing to go after him, but plenty of other girls will. Maybe they’ll be respectful to your face, but as soon as you leave, they’ll act like you don’t exist. He’s probably going pro someday, so if you think a wedding ring means anything to anyone, you’re wrong—and college is nothing compared to what you’ll be up against when your husband has actresses and supermodels showering him with attention. You’ll be at home taking care of the kids while he’s fucking someone new in every city.” She looks me up and down, making me feel like a bug under a microscope. I want to crawl out of my own skin as she slides her eyes up, finally locking her green gaze onto mine. “Be honest with yourself, Stella. You’ll never be able to compete with them. You’ll always wonder if the next road trip is the one where you lose him.”
I choke on a gasp, my body jolting up straight as I take in my surroundings. The familiarity of my belongings pulls me to reality, reminding me that I’m in my bedroom, not at a UCLA house party. I release a shaky breath, trying to slow my racing heart. It’s been a couple of years since Ihad a nightmare about that weekend—when I made the worst mistake of my life. I have, however, had plenty where I watched helplessly as Emmett removed his wedding ring before closing himself inside a hotel room with a beautiful woman. In every one of them, I’d scream and cry, begging him not to do it, but he’d just look right through me as if I wasn’t even there. Thankfully, my brain was never cruel enough to conjure up an image of what happened next, but it hurt all the same to think about.
The best part of being a travel nurse was that I was always fucking exhausted. Even on my days off, I was trying to play catch-up with all the other parts of adulthood, which left me with very little quiet time. Maybe that’s why I was so attracted to the job in the first place. It filled the empty space in my life with something meaningful—making a difference in the lives of people who were sick or injured. But now that I’m here, with nothing but the deafening silence to keep me company, I can’t stop my mind from wandering to him. He was so close, the familiar scent of his cologne permeating the air around us, yet it was like I was looking at a stranger. The resentment in his eyes as his words crashed into me was a brutal reminder that the Emmett I used to know—the man who would’ve given me the world, had I just been able to accept it—no longer exists.
Idon’tsee you, Stella. I don’t evenknow you.
I’m not sure what I expected to happen if we ever crossed paths again. There were so many events in Tinsville I was sure he’d come home for after our divorce was finalized. I’d prepare for it every homecoming weekend and Christmas break, berating myself for drivingby his parents’ house just to get a small glimpse of him, but he never came. Although it was probably for the better, because seeing him hurt a lot more than I thought it would. And the worst part of it all is hoping that he comes back, for Austin’s sake.
Sure, I’m here at his disposal twenty-four hours a day. I do my best to offer him a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on, but I can’t even begin to relate to what he’s going through. One minute, he was on top of the world, giving the city of Cleveland something to be excited about. The next, his life and career were hanging in the balance. There’s no guarantee that his shoulder will be what it was before his surgery, and he’s well aware of that. Being surrounded by other athletes—people who have the same thoughts and fears as he does—will make him feel like he’s not alone right now. So, no matter how bad it hurts to have Emmett this close, I need to suck it up and let him be a comfort to his teammate.
Lifting my phone from the nightstand, I’m grateful that it’s almost time to get ready for work. Austin has a post-op appointment this morning, and since he can’t drive yet, I’ll be taking him. It’s good, though, because the man is stubborn as hell, and he’d probably try to bamboozle me into letting him do more around the house if I don’t hear with my own two ears that he’s not allowed. Just yesterday, he argued that he was well enough to ride his ATV around the property so he could, in his exact words,get some fresh air. I opened a window and told him that was the extent of his fresh air for the day, which earned me an eye roll and the silent treatment for about twenty minutes. Normally, light activity would be good for recovery, but Austinstruggles with the concept of taking anything slow, and it’s my job to make sure he rests when he should. Lauren chose me for this position because she knew I wouldn’t allow him to get away with anything, and I’m not going to let either of them down. He’ll thank me later—I’m sure of it.
I find the floor with my feet, stretching my back as I stand. My entire body aches, probably from a mixture of poor sleep and the fact that my period is on its way. But there’s no time to focus on either as I make my way to the kitchen and turn on the coffee maker. My phone buzzes in my hand, so I unlock it, my heart doing somersaults in my chest as Arden’s photo lights up across the screen. We used to FaceTime often, but with her busy schedule, we haven’t seen each other in weeks.
Smoothing my wild hair, I hold the device up, answering her call. “Oh my God!” I say, faux excitement lacing my tone. “I can’t believe it! The pride and joy of the Sunshine State, Arden Levine, is calling me?”
She rolls her eyes. “Shut up. I’ve had late practices all week and three away matches in a row. It’s my first day off in months.”
I smile softly, so full of pride. She had a tough rookie year, with a coach who was an absolute bitch to her. But now that she’s gone, my little star is shining for the whole world to see. She’s an inspiration to young girls everywhere and the best setter the Professional Volleyball Association will ever see. Maybe I’m a little biased, but still.
“Are your boys taking good care of you?” I ask. “Reminding you to slow down every now and then? Because I’ll come beat their perfectly sculpted asses if not.”
She giggles. “They are. Last night, Hawk showed me how to make chocolate soufflé, and Jackson followed it with a massage before bed. I woke up between them, and none of us had to rush out of the house for the first time in what feels like forever. How about you? How’s the new job?”
We talked briefly the day I met Austin, and even though I should’ve told her who he was, I didn’t. Part of me was still trying to process the fact that he was Emmett’s teammate, and the other part of me didn’t want the inevitable questions about what I’d do if I saw him again after all these years. I preferred to live in the delusional world where I could hide from anyone who came to visit Austin, which was quickly proven to be exactly that—delusional—just over a week later. But nobody knows my situation better than my best friend, and I really need her right now.
“About that…” I say, a subtle cringe twisting my features. Her smile falls, brows pulling tight like she knows I’m about to drop a major bomb. I hesitate for a second, nerves washing over me as I swallow the lump in my throat. Knowing I’ll feel so much better once I say it out loud, I throw caution to the wind, telling her everything. “My new boss is—orwas—the starting quarterback for the Rock City Renegades.” Her eyes go wide with surprise, jaw hanging slack, but she doesn’t say a word. “He got injured at the beginning of the season, but the doctors wanted him to be more stable before they fixed everything. At first, I didn’t know who I was meeting with, but by the time I figured it out, his story had already pulled at my heartstrings. He literally has no one andneeds somebody who knows how an athlete’s brain works. I couldn’t say no, Arden.”
