The Next Contestant (14 page)

I STEP OUT
of the shower, dry off, and exit the bathroom. The first thing I notice is the empty bed. Where’d she go? I enter the closet thinking she might be in here, but no Timber. What the hell? I’m finding it hard to believe she’d go down and mingle with the boys. After all, she’s stated time and again that she wasn’t comfortable here, especially since her ex, Kolby, lives here. But where else would she be?

In the kitchen, Nick, Jaden and Kolby all raise their heads as I enter. Kolby’s lips are turned down and his brows are furrowed. He’s tapping his fork on his plate and I can tell by the way he’s eyeing me that he’s pissed. Maybe now is the time to ask if ex-girlfriends are off limits, but then I’m not sure what I’ll do if he says yes. I’m already too deep into this girl to consider ending it. No fucking way.

“So,” Kolby says and points his fork at me. “Who’s the blonde who’s got you all pussy fucking whipped?” He grins deviously.
Shit.

“Ah. That. Well. Hmm. How do you feel about a brother dating a brother’s ex?” I grab a mug and distract myself by pouring a cup of coffee.

Kolby laughs. “Not a problem as far as I’m concerned. I don’t have any strings tied in with any of my exes. So, whose ex are you dating?”

The million dollar question. Who’s ex. “Yours,” I answer and slowly turn to face him. He’s just shoveled a bite of eggs into his mouth, his head raised, eyes locking on mine.

“Hmm,” he grunts, then swallows his food and takes a swig of coffee. His eyes level on me when he asks, “Which one?”

“Timber.”

Kolby laughs. “Oh yeah? Timber, eh?”

I can’t gage his reaction. “You okay with that?”

“Yeah, man. No problem. No hearts broken where her and I are concerned. Break-up was mutual. Have fun, but I wouldn’t let her cost you the game, or maybe so.” He pats his pocket.

I’m certain Timber snuck out while I was in the shower. I stroll upstairs before more questions are hurled my way. I don’t see her purse and I’m positive it was lying in the middle of my bedroom floor by the bed. Stepping into the bathroom, I see her clothes piled on the floor where we stripped them off. Even her white mesh bra is lying by the toilet. I scoop them up and toss them into the laundry basket in my closet. She must have borrowed my clothes.

I plop on the bed and call her.

“Hey you,” she says sweetly.

“Hey yourself. You left without saying goodbye. I’m a little hurt over this,” I tease. “I’m wondering how you made it home in only your panties since your clothes are still here.”

She giggles. “Sorry. I couldn’t risk running into… you know… Kolby. I borrowed some sweats and a hoody. I promise I’ll give them back.”

“I’ll make you a deal. You can keep ’em until I see you next. I’ll want you to wear them so I can strip you down. Wear those white mesh thongs again. I like them very much, especially when they hide nothing when wet.”

“God. I’m sorry. How embarrassing. I haven’t been that drunk in a long time. I never, ever—”

“Sh. Sh. No big deal. It happens, and I liked taking care of you. There are a lot of things I’d like to do to you… in those white thongs.” I’m getting hard thinking about what I’d like to do to her.

“Yeah,” she says barely above a whisper.

“You have no idea.” Then I remember my recent conversation with Kolby. Do I tell her he’s cool with me dating her?

“Hello?” she asks timidly. “Are you there? Hello?”

“Sorry. I’m here.”

“What’s wrong?”

Might as well tell her. “Nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking about a conversation I had with Kolby earlier.” I hear her breath hitch.

“Oh?” she whispers.

I can’t help it. I laugh. She seems worried and she has no reason to.

“What’s so funny?” she snaps abruptly.

“Sweetheart, you have nothing to be angry about. No need to worry your pretty little self over. I told Kolby I was dating you. He’s cool with it.”

The line is quiet. I wonder what was so bad about their relationship to get her all worked up. Or silent. “Timber, please don’t worry. The boys have been hounding me, wondering why I’m no longer…” Shit. I can’t tell her about the bet we have—or I
had
going on previously. No girl would appreciate that, even if it was before I’d met her.

“No longer what, Jax?” she says harshly.

Great.
“All right. I don’t want you to take this wrong because it has nothing to do with you and it was before I met you. I’m no longer actively seeking or dating other women. I’ve found someone I really,
really
like.” I hope she understands that she’s the one.

“Oh,” she says barely above a whisper. “So you’ve found… someone. Okay, well, I’ll let you go now.”

Shit! She took that all wrong. “Wait! Don’t hang up. You’re obviously not getting what I’m saying. That someone is you. I don’t want to date anyone, haven’t wanted to since I met you.”

“Oh,” she says in a lighter voice.

“You’ve got me all wound around your pretty little fingers. When can I see you again? How about now?” I can’t help but give her crap. I do want to see her, but I know it’s not appropriate.

Again, she’s quiet and I wonder if I’ve said too much, or if she doesn’t feel the same for me.

“Wow. Really? You feel that way about me?” she finally says, almost excitedly.

“I don’t lie, Timber.”

“I do.”

“You do… what? Lie, or?”

She hesitates. “I feel the same way about you,” she says shyly.

“Thank god. You had me worried.” There’s noise downstairs. The guys are yelling my name. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay. I miss you already.”

“Same here. Gotta go,” I tell her. She says bye and we both hang up.

I SIT ON
the sofa opposite of Nick. He glances over at me and I note the smug smile on his face. I can’t stand him and would love nothing more than to punch that smile off his face. He’s such a loser and brags about nobody but himself.

“So, Jax?” Nick asks.

Fucking great. What the fuck does he want? “What?” I say, aggravation clear in my tone. Nick smirks.

“Haven’t seen you rooming any chicks lately. You pussy whipped? Out of the game?”

I flip him off and turn toward the TV. He doesn’t deserve an answer. I hear him laugh under his breath.

We watch the soccer game and I finally begin to enjoy myself, but I can’t stop thinking about Timber, her body, and the fact that she was in my bed last night. In only her thong.

I can’t wait to see her again.

Nick begins to run his mouth, ruining the game.

“Dude, did Timber tell you why Kolby broke up with her?”

I wish he’d shut the eff up. “No and it’s not my business, so shut it and watch the game, will yah?”

God, he can’t stop and continues to prattle on. “She fucked Kolby’s sister’s ex! And dude, it was after that loser stabbed Kimber. Punctured her intestines. Left a scar, a constant reminder, on her abdomen. Dude was messed up on Testosterone.”

Okay, now he’s got my attention.

“Yeah, he blamed Kimber… said she nark’d him off. Guess she busted him shooting up,” Nick says and shakes his head.

I turn toward Kolby. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Kolby looks away and continues to watch the game as he speaks. “Figured you were just messing with her. And you’d eventually see what a bitch she is without me informing you. No harm no foul, right?” He turns away from the game to face me. “Also figured she’d get what she deserves… you being a player and all.”

I want to know more, but Kolby looks irritated so I don’t ask.

Everyone finally turns their attention back to the game, but I can no longer focus on it. I don’t know what to believe. Is Timber really that bad? She’s been nothing but sweet, and beautiful, and sexy as hell. I’m sure she did whatever she did to Kolby for a reason. He’s not exactly old faithful himself.

DANCE PRACTICE HAS
been hell. Sandy has been less of a bitch, but still glares at me when I offer suggestions. A few days ago, I pulled Coach Step aside and told her my ideas. She likes them and wants to try them out.

Several practices later, coach throws it out there and damn if Sandy doesn’t scorn me with her eyes.

The following week, I think Sandy has cooled off a bit. Until coach has Sandy and I front and center, says we will be the leads… and yeah, we have to shimmy our fronts together, as in chest to chest, and then twist into a back to back.

After many stiff and stubborn practices later, I can’t help myself. We’re doing the back to back, and I butt bump her, hard. She inhales sharply, like she’s shocked and doesn’t know what to do about it, so I do it again, and again, and… yes, again. I start laughing after Darcy starts laughing, and Tiffany, Diana, Angela, Janice, and pretty much everyone is sniggering. And then… I feel the force of Sandy’s ass bumping mine and she doesn’t stop! She bumps me halfway across the room before I collapse from laughing so hard. To my dismay, or shock, she falls on top of me and she’s… get this… laughing her ass off!

From that moment on, we’ve discovered we actually get along really well, sometimes too well, as in Sandy’s a little too frisky, so much that our sweaty bellies rub together as we’re practicing the front to back scenes. I up the ante by grabbing her hands, pulling them straight above our heads, which brings us tit to tit, and then I shimmy against her.

Coach clears her throat. “Okay, enough now. Kimber, Sandy, I like that move, hands drawn up together, almost a face off mixed with passion in your dancing.”

Sandy glides her fingers down my sides, wraps her arms around me, snaps me against her, and in a sarcastically sweet tone she says, “Oh, Kimber, my love. Do you feel the passion?” Then she gyrates her hips. It all goes silly after that. All the girls are grabbing each other, even Tiffany and Darcy, Diana and Angela, Trena and Karina, all feigning love and lust.

Coach whistles. “All right. I think we’ve had enough entertainment. Let’s call it a night and get out of here.”

Sandy whistles from behind Tiffany and I as we’re exiting the building.

“Hold up,” she says. Tiffany and I stop and wait for Sandy and Darcy to catch up to us.

“Bitches, we’re going to kick ass in the competition.”

“Hell yes,” we all say in unison.

“So, since we’re all on speaking terms now, why don’t you two join Darcy and I in my dorm room?”

I look at Tiffany and we both smile. I answer. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Come after y’all clean up. I’m in building 7101, third floor, room 301.”

Then we’re all off to our dorms to shower and ‘clean up’.