Friend Zoned (Barnett Bulldogs #2) (14 page)

Hell, it’s encouraged. 

That being said, it doesn’t mean I can’t be riled up when the occasion calls for it.  Because I can.  Back in high school, I punched some asswipe in the nose who was giving Violet a hard time.  Needless to say, no one bothered her again after that.  And yeah, I caught a shitload of trouble from my dad… his image consultant… and his PR dude…

But it was totally worth it.  And furthermore, I would do it again if I had to.  But in all these years, I sure as hell haven’t experienced the urge to lay out one of my own freaking teammates.

Until now.

“I’m talking about Violet.”  My teeth clench as I force out the words.  “What the hell are you doing?”

Even though I feel like I’m radiating tension, all but vibrating with it, he shrugs his broad shoulders like we’re just sitting around shooting the shit.  Instead of answering my question, he says, “Did she tell you that I asked her out last night?”

I poker up at that.  My eyebrows all but hit the ceiling in response.  “You did
what?
”

He did
what
?

His wide grin continues to grow.  It’s getting harder and harder to hold myself back and not take a swing at him.  “I asked if I could take her out sometime.”

My eyes are so narrowed, I can barely see.  Of course, I can barely see through all the damn smoke pouring out of my ears.  Yep, I am definitely going to kick the living shit out of him.  Liam has never showed any interest in Violet and now he’s suddenly taking her out?

Well, it’ll be over my dead fucking body!

Garrison is a player.

Maybe not like Roan used to be.

But still…

He’s enough of one that I wouldn’t want Violet anywhere near him.  Even if I didn’t have feelings for her, I still wouldn’t want them together.  I’ll be damned if I allow him to get his hands on her.  He’ll just mess her up.  Liam is nowhere near good enough for her.

When I’m finally able to wrap my lips around the words, I grit them out succinctly, “And what did she say?”  Just barely am I holding it together.

His smirk slides its way into a big fat lazy grin that I’m oh-so-tempted to punch off his face.  “She’s totally into it, man.  Just have to pick a time and place.”

Feeling deflated, I mutter under my breath, “No shit.”

Folding his hands in front of him, he leans towards me.  His gaze holds mine steadily.  There’s no smirk in sight.  “Any reason why that shouldn’t happen, Harper?”

Why that dirty little son of a -

“Okay, I’m ready to go.”

Before I can say anything- hell, before I can even blink my damn eyes, Liam is sliding out of the booth, invading way too much of Violet’s personal space. 

“What are you up to for the rest of the day?”

She looks startled by the question that’s suddenly being hurtled her way.  “Oh… ah, just a little studying later this afternoon.”

He cocks his head towards the entrance of the diner as I sit there like a total dumbass watching him make a play for my girl right before my fucking eyes.

And what do I do?

Nothing.

Abso-fucking-lutely nothing.

“I’ve got my bike with me, how about I take you for a ride?  I’ll have you back in plenty of time to get your work done.”

Looking indecisive, Violet gnaws that plump little bottom lip until it’s practically pulp before her eyes slowly drift my way.  Silently she holds them for a heartbeat, maybe two.  But I feel completely immobilized to do anything that will actually stop this impromptu date from occurring.

And even if I weren’t, what am I supposed to do?

Tell her that she can’t go?

If she wants to spend time with Liam fucking Garrison, she can do it.  Right?  And there’s not a damn thing I can do to stop her.  It’s not like she’s ever hooked up with any of my teammates before.  By unspoken agreement, all the guys pretty much steer clear of Violet.

It’s quietly that she asks, “Do you mind if I leave with Liam?”

Fuck.

Jerking my shoulders into a tight shrug, I mutter under my breath, “Nope.  Not at all.”

I couldn’t be more of a freaking pussy if I tried.

Yeah, I’m totally pissed at Garrison.  But I’m angry at myself for not doing something to put a stop to this ridiculousness.

After another moment of scrutiny, she turns back to Liam who is grinning like a damn Cheshire cat.  I’m seriously going to pound the crap out of him next time we’re on the field.  Or better yet, I’ll let him get the piss knocked out of him by the other team.  I don’t give a damn if he’s our first string QB.  The guy is going down.

“Great.  I’ve got an extra helmet on the back of my bike, let’s go.”

When his eyes finally slide my way, there’s a taunting smugness that fills them.  “Catch you later, man.”

Not giving her a chance to change her mind, he tows her right out of the restaurant before I can say or do anything else.  Violet’s soft brown eyes catch mine one last time before she disappears through the doors and out onto the sun filled street.

Scrubbing a hand through my hair in irritation, I sit there for a moment or two before finally throwing a few bills onto the table.

Because guess who just got stuck paying the check?

I’ll give you a clue- it’s the very same chump whose damn ass is sitting alone at the table.

I swear to god, when I get my hands on that little shit, he’s going to rue the day he ever looked sideways at Violet.

That’s a fucking promise.

Chapter Twelve

He tucks my long hair behind my ears before carefully pulling the helmet over my head.  His gunmetal gray eyes hold mine.

“Feel alright?”

I give a quick nod and in return, he gifts me with a lazy smile.

Yup.

There is absolutely no denying it, Liam Garrison is one hell of a sexy guy.  The man oozes sex appeal through his pores.  It’s ridiculously intoxicating.  That being said, I’m not quite sure what I’m doing here with him.  And part of me feels like crap for just walking out on Sam.  Maybe I should have said no to Liam’s offer and just headed back to the apartment with Sam.

But then we would have ended up discussing last night… and the weeks leading up to it.

Which is just another bullet dodged, as far as I’m concerned.  It’s not a conversation I want to engage in until I have a better handle on my feelings.  So, for the time being, I’ll avoid Sam by spending a little time with Liam.  Then, later, I can grab my stuff from his apartment and head back to the dorms.

Straddling the bike… and yeah… that’s totally hot as well, he tells me to climb on behind him.  Once I do, he grabs my arms, wrapping them firmly around his middle.  Which is rock solid, just in case you were wondering.

“Hold on tight.”

Licking my suddenly dry lips, I whisper, “Okay.”

Without any other warning, the motorcycle roars to life and we’re suddenly taking off.  Zipping easily through the tree lined streets near campus.  After a few minutes, I feel a smile stretch its way across my face as the wind whips past us.  All of the issues that have cropped up with Sam slowly fall to the wayside.

I simply enjoy the feel of the wind as I press myself against Liam.  Even though it’s mid-November, and the sun is bright and shining, it’s still cold.  But there’s something amazingly freeing about being on the back of a motorcycle.

Especially when you’re clinging to a hot guy for dear life.

For the next thirty minutes we wind our way lazily through the busy city streets until he pulls up in front of a battered cream colored brick building on the east end of town.  Parking the bike, Liam cuts the engine before climbing off.

As I try standing, I realize that my legs are all rubbery and loose from the vibrations.  Almost instantly his arm slides around me as I stare at the rundown single story pool hall in front of me.

A simmering grin tugs at the corners of Liam’s lips as if he’s able to read my mind before nodding towards the place I’m still busy sizing up.  “You play?”

I snort.  “Once or twice.”

Or just once.

“Good, then I can instruct you as to the proper way to sink a ball.”

Now why that sounds so dirty, I have no idea… but it does.

And the devilish glint lighting up his gray eyes tells me that it came out sounding precisely the way he intended it to.

Five minutes later, we’ve peeled off our jackets and Liam is racking the balls in the middle of the table.  Glancing around, it’s hard not to notice that the inside is just as derelict and forlorn looking as the outside.  There are about ten pool tables scattered around the small space.  Even with the bright sunlight pouring in through the grimy windows, there are flashing neon beer signs hanging from the walls.

A few men are parked at the bar, beer in front of them as they watch whatever sports program is on the TV.  Considering that it’s barely noon on a Sunday, I’m wondering if they’re die-hards from the night before or already starting out their morning with a little hair of the dog that bit them last night.

Grabbing a pool stick off the rack on the wall, Liam looks it over carefully before handing it to me.  Taking hold of it, I half wonder if I should inspect it as well.  Although it’s not like I’d know what I’m looking for.  So I don’t bother.

Then he picks one out for himself before arranging the balls in a triangle.  Once he lifts it, the balls stay perfectly placed.  His eyes settle on me expectantly.  “You want to break?”

Eyeing the table, my brows draw together as I try deciding exactly how to go about this.  I must look as lost as I feel because I hear him chuckle before leaning his stick against the wall and walking towards me.

He gives me a little wink that should probably leave my pulse skittering.  Oddly enough, it doesn’t.

“Come here.  I’ll show you what to do.”

Standing behind me, he arranges my body near the table.  His big arms wrap loosely around me, positioning the stick against my fingers so that the wood can slide easily back and forth between them.

Even though it has nothing to do with sex, the slow purposeful movements have me suddenly thinking about other things that were sliding against me only a few short hours ago.  Gulping, I try pushing the memory away before it can tangle around me.

“Okay,” he says softly, his breath feathering against the outer shell of my ear, “just like this.”  Pressing his chest against my back, he pushes my upper body forward until I’m able to hover over the rectangle table.  “Spread your legs a bit wider.”

That low sounding command whispered near my ear should leave my breath hitching.

But it doesn’t.

Absolutely no hitching takes place.

“That’s it.”

I concentrate as the stick moves effortlessly through my fingers a few times in preparation.

“Ready?”

Nodding, I take aim at the white cue ball, hoping it will crash into the triangle and scatter the colored balls.  I’m not completely clueless about pool.  I know that if I sink either the solid balls or the striped ones, that will be my color for the rest of the game.

“Nice and easy, baby, nice and easy.”

Barely do I hear the words he murmurs against my ear.  I’m too focused on hitting the white ball. 

My stick strikes the cue ball which then propels it into the neatly placed triangle shape of balls in the middle of the table.  They careen in every direction.

Instead of moving away, Liam continues standing behind me.  His arms are wrapped loosely around me, holding me to him.  My back is pressed up against his front.  We both watch as the balls roll across the green felt before settling.  The red number three slides into the far right pocket.  As it does, I turn, grinning up at him.

He smiles back at me.  “See?  You’re a natural.”

Rather unattractively I snort.  “Let’s not get carried away here.”  But it is kind of fun.  Especially since we pretty much have the place to ourselves.  Other than those guys at the bar, the place is completely empty.  Over the next hour and a half, we end up playing three games.

Even though this is kind of a date… I guess… I’m not nervous around Liam at all.  It feels more like two friends just hanging out.  Easy and relaxed.  Low key.  There’s absolutely no pressure at all.  No thick tension that leaves the nerves prickling uneasily at the bottom of my gut.

Which is exactly the way it used to feel with Sam.

Of course, that only has my thoughts drifting back to him.

For the first time in my life, our relationship feels full of complications and pitfalls.  Not to mention the weird sexual tension that vibrates between us whenever we’re together.

After a while, Liam grabs a couple of sodas from the bar.  And since I’m avoiding the whole Sam situation back at his apartment, I’m more than happy to start up another game.  Not that I’ll ever be a pool shark, but I’m holding my own against Liam.  Or… maybe he’s just letting me think I am.