Chapter Seven NICO

Chapter Seven

NICO

I’ve loved football my entire life. There are photos of me as a baby holding a mini blue football. I dressed up as a San Francisco 49er for Halloween when I was three. I started in youth football when I was five and have been playing ever since.

I’ve played a variety of positions. Defensive lineman. Offense. Hell, I was the quarterback my last two years in youth football before I started high school.

Despite helping get us to a league championship my eighth-grade year, that wasn’t my favorite position. I much prefer being a wide receiver. Catching the ball and running it into the end zone? A total glory moment. Helps that I’m fast as fuck.

Hey, it’s the truth. No point in being modest.

I’m tall and solid, but Coop has me beat size-wise. But he’s an offensive lineman who protects our QB, so that makes sense. Dollar is shorter than me but bulkier. He’s a defensive lineman but didn’t get much play last season due to injuring his shoulder, which ended up requiring surgery. He’s hopeful he can get back out on the field and play the regular season, but I don’t know. He’s not as quick as he used to be and a little tentative on blocking. I think the shoulder injury fucked with his head a little bit, making him wary on the field.

All these thoughts run through my mind as I sip a beer and pretend to listen to the multitude of conversations happening in our living room. Coop’s sister is chatting a mile a minute with a couple of other girls who just magically showed up with some of the guys from the team. I don’t even know who they are, but a few of their pretty faces are familiar.

Groupies. We’ve got them. That they’re even in our house I’m sure feels like a major win to them.

I kind of hate that they know where we live, but too late to worry now. What’s done is done.

“Where’s Gav?” I ask when there’s a lull in the conversation. I’m referring to our quarterback and one of the team captains, Gavin Maddox. One of my closest friends, and not just because we work so closely together on the field. He’s also a good guy. A solid leader. Smart as hell and already being courted by a few NFL coaches, the lucky bastard. He almost dropped out of school at the beginning of the year to go into the NFL draft in the spring, but he decided to stick with the team one more season and try to win that championship.

We got so close last year and worked so hard for a repeat of what happened our sophomore year, when we won our first national championship. He was so incredibly frustrated at not winning this last season.

Can’t blame the guy. Last season was frustrating as fuck. There were mistakes made. Injuries that couldn’t be avoided, like Dollar’s. Other teams were coming for us. Eager to destroy us so they could be the ones to say they took us down.

Fuck that. We’re not going to let it happen again. This season we’re making sure our heads are on straight and in the game. We’re more focused than ever and doing everything it takes to ensure we’ll meet our goal.

And gain another national championship before we graduate from college.

“Gav texted me earlier that he’s coming over,” Coop says with a nod, glancing over at Sienna. “God, she’s loud.”

I chuckle, watching Cooper’s sister’s mouth move about a hundred miles a second. “She never stops talking.”

“Tell me all about it. She’s driven me crazy since the day she was born.” His voice is full of affection—he loves his little sister and is very protective of her too. They’re pretty close, and I like Sienna a lot. Even contemplated hooking up with her once or twice a couple of years ago when she first arrived here on campus, but realized what a mistake that would be.

Mostly because if I ever unintentionally broke his sister’s heart, I think Coop would destroy me with his bare hands. It’s easier to just keep her in the friend zone.

Hell, all of us on the team keep her in the friend zone out of respect for Coop, who is one of our team captains. I’m a team captain as well, but not everyone loves me like they love Coop. Everyone also cares about Coop’s hot sister.

But none of us touch her, much to her disappointment.

“She’s not so bad,” I finally drawl, shifting my gaze to the hallway, wondering when our new roommate is going to make an appearance. “You think she’ll be friends with Everleigh?”

“I already told Sienna about her.” That’s Cooper. Always one step ahead of me. “She’s eager to meet Everleigh and warn her about us.”

“Is that what she said?”

Coop nodded. “I think she might be referring to Dollar.”

“Right.”

“And you,” he adds on.

I glare at him, making him crack up.

“Face facts, my friend. You have a reputation that you consistently hold up,” Coop says with a grin.

“Don’t remind me.” Player. Manwhore. Fuckboy. I’ve been called all those names and more, and I’ve never cared about it. What does it matter what people think about me when it comes to my sex life? Most of the rumors that swirl around me are not necessarily true, anyway. For some reason a threesome story always seems to spread like wildfire every season, and truth be told .?.?.

I’ve never been in a threesome in my life. That’s just too much work. I’m more of a one-on-one-for-one-time type of guy.

“Girls are gonna flip the fuck out when they find out you have a female roomie,” Cooper says conversationally.

My gaze slides back to Coop. “Won’t they flip when they find out you have a female roommate?”

“Nah. No one talks about me like they talk about you. It’s all that rizz you’ve got.” He’s smiling. Looking real pleased with himself for saying it too.

I roll my eyes. “Rizz. What the fuck ever.”

“It’s true and you know it. All the women go freaking crazy over you. All you gotta do is just stand there and smile that stupid smile of yours, and they lose it. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are three women standing in the kitchen right now with my sister, and they all look like they’re barely holding back from launching themselves at you,” Coop says.

Oh shit.

As discreetly as possible I glance over at the kitchen, where I spot Sienna standing with the three other women, who are listening to her carry on about .?.?. whatever. Every few seconds they glance in my direction. All three of them at various times. And all three of them look like they’re practically vibrating with excitement, which is .?.?.

Kind of weird.

“No way,” I mutter when my gaze meets Coop’s once more, even though I know what he’s saying is true. “Maybe they want you.”

“Uh-uh. They didn’t start acting like that until you showed up.” Cooper leans over and bats the back of my head. “Which one you like the most?”

I don’t even look at them. “They’d all do.”

Cooper starts laughing. “You finally going to make that threesome rumor come true? Though if you like all of them, it’ll end up being a foursome.”

“Maybe.” I’m grinning. Chuckling. “Think I could convince them?”

“My guess is yes.”

This time I do glance over at them to find they’re all three blatantly staring at me. One of them even licks her juicy red lips. “Wonder if they’re into girl-on-girl action?”

I mean, that shit is hot. Again, I’ve never witnessed it live and with my own eyes, but I watch porn. Who doesn’t?

“To get into your bed? They’d probably be up for anything,” Coop drawls.

We’re laughing together, and I’m about to finish off the rest of the beer when I catch sight of our new roommate emerging from the hallway, her expression unsure. She’s even wringing her hands together like she’s nervous, and I wonder if this is going to be a problem. Us having our teammates over for a casual hangout.

I sure as hell hope not.

I let my gaze roam over her for a moment as she stands there, taking her in. Admiring the view, even though she’s obviously uncomfortable. If I was a nice guy, I’d run right over to her and introduce her to everyone.

But in this scenario, I’m not the nice guy. I’m the player. The manwhore.

The fuckboy.

I’ll leave all that simp-nice-boy action to Dollar, who’ll slobber all over her like an overeager puppy to the point that he’ll start to annoy her. Because that’s what he does.

That’s who he is.

And that’s not who I am.

“I’m going to go talk to the girls,” I tell Cooper as I rise to my feet. “Watch and learn.”

“Whatever, jackass,” he calls to me as I start for the kitchen.

I’m about to pass Everleigh, and for a second, I’m tempted to say something. Check on her. I may have been reluctant to have her as our roommate, but I can play nice. And I meant what I said about her using my stuff when she’s in the shower. She got herself into a shitty predicament, and I’m not a total asshole. I can be helpful when necessary.

But she’s not my responsibility.

The moment I open my mouth to say something to her, Dollar magically appears, stepping in between us and placing his hand on her arm.

“Want to meet everyone?” he asks her, steering her away from me.

“Sure,” she says, quickly glancing over her shoulder so that our gazes meet for the briefest moment.

Something unrecognizable passes between us. Quick as lightning. Hot as fire. Searing me where I stand, leaving me immobile and my mouth hanging open like a fucking dog.

I snap my jaw shut the moment she looks away, offering that pretty smile to Dollar instead of me. Yet again my gaze roams over the length of her. Her wet hair is in a knot on top of her head, and her face is devoid of any makeup. She’s wearing baggy black sweats and a fitted, cropped black tank that shows off a slice of her flat, tanned stomach.

Simple outfit, yet somehow, she’s the hottest thing in the room—

No.

That single word runs through my head, and I realize what’s happening. It’s what always happens.

I want the one I can’t have. The one I shouldn’t touch. I’ve always been tempted by the forbidden. I felt this way briefly about Sienna too. Like the rational part of my brain knows messing around with my new roommate would be a huge mistake—yet I want to.

Yeah. I really want to.

The problem? I can’t fuck her and then kick her out of my bed, never to hear from her again. She’ll still be here. Every single day, cooking us dinner and invading my private space. My freaking bathroom, for one.

Yeah. Can’t do it. Big mistake.

Huge.

Instead of focusing on what I can’t have, I pause in front of the three women staring at me hungrily and put on my best, most dazzling smile. The one that makes the panties fall off with a snap of my fingers.

“How’s it goin’, ladies?” I drawl.

They all giggle. Sienna rolls her eyes, but I ignore her. What she thinks doesn’t really matter to me either. She knows what I am. Everyone does.

I’m just giving them all what they want from me.