Convenient Fall (Players of Marycliff University Book 2) (20 page)

Megan tugged at Abby's sleeve to get her attention. “I’m going to stop at the concessions and get a hot chocolate. I'm freezing after standing out here in the cold rain.”

“Good idea. I'll come with you.”

Abby told Lance, who nodded and kissed her. “I’ll meet you guys at the usual place.”

They split off from Lance once they were inside and headed to the coffee stand. Abby tugged Megan into the bathroom on the way there. “Better pee now while we have the chance!”

Megan grinned and followed her in.

Abby watched Megan in the mirror while they washed their hands, waiting for the restroom to empty before she spoke. “So, how are things going? I haven't heard from you much lately, and you seem to avoid answering questions.”

Megan groaned. “Now, Abby? You want to talk about this now?”

Abby shrugged. “Like I said, you dodge my questions on the phone and over text. I have you trapped now, and we still have to wait for Chris and Matt to come out. As covered in mud as they got, I’m sure they'll take longer than normal.” She reached for a paper towel and leaned her hip against the sink while she dried her hands. “Out with it. I know something's going on with you. What's up?”

Megan reached for a paper towel of her own, avoiding Abby's probing gaze, deciding what and how much to tell her. Finally she blurted out, “I’m falling for Chris and I don't think he feels the same way about me.”

Abby froze, her mouth hanging open. After what felt like a hundred years, but was probably more like ten seconds, she closed her mouth with a snap. “Wow. That's not what I thought you were going to say at all. I'm happy for you, but concerned about the fact that you don't think Chris feels the same way. Any particular reason why?”

Megan shrugged and turned away to toss her paper towel in the trashcan. She took a deep breath. “At the Halloween party I saw some chick trying to make a move on him. I'm pretty sure he turned her down.”

“The slutty devil girl?” At Megan's nod, Abby continued. “Yeah, I saw that too. He definitely turned her down. I think he tried to be nice, but she was pretty persistent, and not at all happy to get rejected if the look on her face was anything to go by.”

Megan nodded again. “Thanks. That's good to know.”

“Was that it? Feel better now?”

Megan shook her head. “No. While I was watching them—and I do appreciate you clearing that up, because I didn't see all of that from where I was standing. Anyway, some other chick dressed as a Playboy bunny—” Abby snorted at that, and Megan broke off, a grin on her face. “I know, right? Anyway, she came up and started telling me how Chris doesn't do relationships and he was only with me because we live in the same house, and it was just a matter of time before he got bored and moved on, especially once the season ended.” Abby took a breath to say something, but Megan kept going without letting her talk. “And then Charlie called me trying to convince me to go home for Thanksgiving and I was hoping that Chris might ask me to go home with him, but that night when he and Matt were talking, it seemed like the thought of asking me never even crossed his mind.” Megan let out a breath and shook her head. “It's just a big mess, and I don't know what to think or who to believe.”

Abby leveled a look at her. “Okay, first things first. Have you talked to him about any of this?”

Megan looked down at her hands, fiddling with the ring she wore on her thumb, and shook her head. “No.”

“Okay, well, you can't expect the guy to know what's going on with you if you don't talk to him. You said yourself that you know he hasn't ever had a girlfriend, at least not in college.”

“So?”

Abby raised her eyebrows. “So? Chris is a nice guy when he wants to be, but he's clueless about members of the opposite sex.”

Megan snorted. “Are you kidding? Have you seen him flirt?”

A grin split Abby's face. “Yes, and that's not what I'm talking about. Sure, he knows how to flirt, but he doesn't know anything about sustained relationships. I seriously doubt that he left you out of his Thanksgiving plans on purpose.” Abby paused for a moment, playing with her lower lip for a second. “He's different with you. I know I haven't known him for much longer than you have, but you've only known him since you moved in, really. He doesn't act the same since you guys got together.”

Megan took that in without saying anything.

Abby stepped closer and rubbed Megan's back. “Just don't read too much into anything without talking to him, okay? And don't believe what some skank dressed like a Playboy bunny says to you at a party. Those jersey chasers can get jealous and catty. You should've figured that out by now.”

“Yeah, okay.” Megan blew out a breath and forced herself to smile. “Can we get out of here and get our hot chocolate now? We can talk about this later when we’re not in a stadium bathroom, okay?”

Abby laughed. “Okay. If you decide you can't handle going home for Thanksgiving you can come hang out with Lance and me. Either way, you should come over during the break since you'll be alone. We can watch movies and hang out like we used to.”

Megan hooked her arm with Abby's as they walked to the coffee cart. “Sounds good. Thanks, Abs.”

Abby squeezed Megan's arm. “Anytime.”

* * *

Walking out of the locker room to find Megan, Lance, and Abby waiting for him and Matt at their usual meeting spot eased the knot of tension that still twisted in his gut. Wrapping his arms around Megan and having her meet him partway for a kiss soothed the frustration and disappointment still zinging through his veins. She tasted like chocolate, and he didn't want to break the kiss, but the others were waiting, so he pulled back. He couldn't help dropping one more little kiss on her mouth and nuzzling her hair, breathing her in.
 

His last game and they fucking lost. He swung between bitter disappointment at ending his football career this way, and wild hope that maybe it wasn't all over. Maybe he'd do well at the Regional Combines and make it all the way to the NFL draft. He didn't care if he didn't get picked up until the last round. Of course, earlier would be nice, but since he wasn't being courted by scouts, realistically, his chances were pretty low for getting that far at all.
 

Megan's presence steadied out those emotions and brought him back down. A few drinks at a party to commiserate with his teammates, then getting home to bury himself inside her would make him feel much better. He was tempted to skip the party altogether. They could have a few beers at home and he could get her naked that much sooner. But he'd already promised his teammates he'd come out. This was their last post-game party. Their last night as a team. He couldn't bring himself to bail completely.

Lance lifted his chin at Chris when he looked up. “Ready?”

Chris glanced at Matt who raised his eyebrows, then down at Megan. She grinned. “I’m driving. You guys can safely drown your sorrows, and I'll take you both home and put you to bed.”

Chris laughed. “Babe, I better be the only one you're taking to bed.”

Megan smacked his chest and stuck her tongue out at him. “I’m not going to leave Matt on the floor or stumbling his way to bed and breaking something. But I'm not going to climb in with him, either.”

“Fine, whatever. Just so long as you end up in bed with me, I don't really care.”

Megan smirked at him but didn't say anything, and they all headed out to the parking lot. The rain had finally let up some time during the fourth quarter, and hadn't started again, even though the clouds remained, a gloomy ceiling making it prematurely dark outside. They dodged puddles on their way to their cars, keeping their heads down against the wind that had picked up.

The party was at Sullivan's place, not too far from campus. Chris always felt a little weird when he rode in Megan's car. He preferred to drive but was grateful she'd volunteered to be DD. He didn't know if he'd get that drunk tonight, though, still just wanting to get home and spend time with Megan. Maybe they could foist Matt off on Abby and Lance again. That way they could leave early if Matt wasn't ready to go yet.

He sat in the back being his usual calm self, but Chris knew that he was pissed about the way the game had ended. Matt had tried to strip the ball during those last minutes of the game, and almost managed to do it. The running back had bobbled the ball, but had managed to bring it in before Matt could tip it again and bat it away.
 

The party was well underway by the time they got there. Sullivan must've had people there to get things started before the game even ended. They had to park a couple of blocks away, which just cemented Chris's plans to only have a few drinks and head home. He didn't want to make Megan get his and Matt's drunk asses all the way to the car in the cold when she was parked that far away.
 

A round of cheers greeted their entrance, and they grabbed their drinks before settling on the couch in the living room, him in the corner with Megan on his lap and Matt next to them. Lance and Abby walked in just as they were getting settled, and they kicked a sophomore off the couch to make room for them. They spent time drinking and dissecting the game and what went wrong, bemoaning the end of the season, the seniors talking about their plans for next semester or after graduation. Someone got out a bottle of tequila, lime quarters, and a salt shaker and they took turns doing shots.
 

After a few rounds, one of the guys called out, “Let's do body shots!” A girl squealed, whether in anticipation or not Chris wasn't sure.

He grinned at Megan, who laughed and pulled her shirt to one side, exposing more of her shoulder for him, handed him the salt shaker, and put a lime wedge in her mouth. His grin grew wider, and he leaned forward, licking and sucking where her shoulder met her neck. He sprinkled the salt on the wet spot he'd just made, taking the shot from the redhead who was doling them out. He licked the salt, knocked back the tequila, and sucked the lime out of Megan's mouth. He spat it to the side before taking her mouth again, kissing her deeply. A round of cheers went up around them, and Megan pulled back, laughing.

She leaned forward to talk in his ear so she could be heard without shouting. “I’m going to go use the bathroom and get something to drink.”
 

He watched her ass as she picked her way through the crowd until she rounded the corner and he couldn't see her anymore. Laying his head against the back of the couch, he closed his eyes for a moment, the adrenaline from the game long since burned out of his muscles, and the alcohol making him pleasantly tired.
 

After what seemed like just a moment, he felt someone climb onto his lap, straddling him. Soft hands gripped his cheeks, then lips were on his. A tongue forced its way into his mouth.
 

This was wrong. She was taller, heavier, and tasted like liquor instead of soda. He couldn't pull his head back because he was trapped against the back of the couch. His eyes popped open, but he could only make out a halo of red hair.
 

Who the hell was this chick? He gripped her hips and tried to push her away. She seemed to take it as encouragement and ground her pelvis into his lap. He got his hands up to her wrists and managed to push her back enough to break the kiss.

The redhead that had handed him the shot stared down into his face, smiling. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place her.

Rage worked its way past the alcohol. “What the fuck?”

The smile on her face slipped, but she tried to reach for him again. He pushed her backward and stood up, letting her fall to the ground.

Shock and anger took over her face, her features pinching together. “What the fuck, Chris?” She scrambled up off the floor and pulled her dress down.

“That's what I want to know! What the fuck? Who the hell are you and why are you climbing in my lap and kissing me?” He towered over her, yelling, causing her to back away from him. Hands on his arms started pulling at him, but he shrugged them off, crossing his arms and waiting for her to answer. “Well?”

She looked around, trying to find support. “You were interested in me at the pool party. We kissed. You acted like you wanted to hook up, but then you got busy and I wanted to pick up where we left off.”

“And watching me make out with someone else made you think tonight was the night to make your move?”

Her eyes flicked over Chris's shoulders, then she put her shoulders back and firmed her sneer. “Aren't you done with that bitch yet? You've been fucking her for months. Everyone knows it's time for you to move on.”

Chris's mouth fell open, and he drew a deep breath, prepared to tell her exactly what she needed to know, but Matt's voice in his ear stopped him. “Dude. I know. But Megan just left. She was on her way back and saw that bitch trying to shove her tongue down your throat. She turned around right before you dumped her on the floor. I just heard the door slam. She's gone. You need to go after her. Now.”

Chris closed his mouth and nodded once, not sure what to do. He was too buzzed to try to drive. Maybe he could catch her before she got to the car. God, he hoped so.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Megan froze. There was some chick on Chris's lap, kissing him. He had his hands on her hips and wasn’t protesting. She swallowed against the lump in her throat, fighting to keep down the contents of her stomach that threatened to make a reappearance. Everything she'd feared unfolded right in front of her eyes. It was like talking to Abby about it tonight had put it all out there, and here was the proof she'd been wanting.