Page 55 of Overprotected

I kissed him as he looked at me, melting against him. “I’d love to.”

We all woke up early and went to breakfast together, which was when Jackson saw the side of his car.

“Motherfucker,” he muttered as Greg and I moved to see the driver’s side, clearly keyed overnight.

“Same guy as the headlight?” Greg asked.

Jackson nodded, his mouth set in a firm line.

“Let’s go handle it,” Greg said. “What’s his problem?”

“I can’t. I prefer to stay on the team. Let’s just go get some food.”

We talked over breakfast — the upcoming holidays and the plans that my parents were making. Greg told us that he’d let us handle telling them ourselves, laughing when he said that Mom would probably approve. She always loved Jackson.

Greg gathered his stuff when we got back to the apartment and headed home. Jackson decided to deal with his car later.

I longed for this to stop with Joe, but I knew how headstrong Jackson could be.

The following day at the stadium, Joe approached me once Jackson was out of sight.

“I heard how much your brother went off the other night, Em. I suppose it’s over between you and your lover boy?” I shot him a look, and he chuckled. “Everyone knew. Everyone also knows that he was just using you for a fuck. Jackson doesn’t take women seriously, you know. He fucks them and leaves, no matter how much it takes to get it from them. Maybe he should use that aggression on the field.”

“What are you suggesting?” I asked him, horrified at what I thought he was hinting at.

“He’s talked a few into it or forced them. Whatever you want to call it. Jackson has the girls scared to tell on him, so he’ll keep his job here. Politics,” Joe waved his hand in the air.

“I seem to recall you hitting on me in such a way, Joe. Don’t you? Jackson had to stop you. From what I’ve heard and experienced, you’re the aggressive one.” I knew that I had something on him and he sneered.

Steering him to talk about himself was almost too easy.

“The girls want it. They want a football player fuckboy and I give it to them. I know what they want more than they do.”

“I didn’t want you.”

“Yes, you did. Your eyes made it clear that you wanted my cock, even though you were fighting it. I would have worn you down eventually.”

“I didn’t want you. I have never wanted you.”

“That’s what the girls always say afterwards.”

“How many girls?”

“Who cares? They get a ride on my cock and afterwards they change their stories. It’s their word against mine. I’m untouchable.”

“I think the women would disagree.”

“Gossip. Those girls make too much shit up,” Joe said.

“I’ve heard it from a lot of girls.”

“So what? No one can prove anything and it’s just a case of he said, she said.”

“Actually, it’s more like he said, she said, and she said, and she said.”

“Whatever, no one has any proof. As I said, I know what they want more than they do. I know you wanted me that night and your lover boy’s poorly timed entrance only makes me want you even more as I was denied what I wanted.”

“Not if you were the last man on Earth…”

“Seriously, once Jackson is bored of you, I’ll make you mine… for the night.”

“You get up to a lot at night, don’t you?”

“There are no security cameras at Jackson’s place, I checked, and no one saw me. Nothing a body shop couldn’t fix.”

“Are you sure?”

“You aren’t that bright, are you? Of course the keying can be fixed.”

“Actually, I am bright. I didn’t just admit to damaging someone’s property. You just admitted to it. Neither Jackson nor I told anyone. Not even Bella or Nick. How could you know about that? You could have only known if you did it.”

Joe blanched a little.

I noticed Coach walking down the hall.

“Sir? May I have a word with you?” I called out.

I strode forward as Coach gave us a curious look, asking to speak to him in his office. I told him about Joe’s confession about the keying, as well as what happened to myself and to several other women. I said that some would be also willing to come forward. I showed him my phone. I’d recorded it all and suspected that the team would back me up.

I left his office with him and found Joe standing outside looking angry.

“Emma?”

Jackson appeared around the corner to see me with Joe and Coach standing near us.

Coach asked me if he could borrow the phone and I handed it to him, setting it up to play what I had, and he shot a dark look at Joe before walking away.

“I want to see you in fifteen minutes, Joe,” said Coach.

Joe glared at me and then at Jackson before pacing down the hall and out of sight.

---