14. Cam

CHAPTER 14

CAM

I ’m getting way too attached to Sloane. I need to steer clear of here, keep my distance. But that’s almost impossible while we’re both living under the same roof. I join the only gym in town just to have somewhere to go. Somewhere to hide from her glittering smile, those full, pink lips taunting me.

Every time the tip of her tongue darts out, gliding along the glossy surface, all I can think about is dropping my mouth to hers. Tasting her, sliding in and making her mine.

When she glances at me from across the table, mossy hazel eyes wide and innocent, I instantly see her sprawled naked across my bed, her luscious breasts on display. How I’d love to tease the rosy tips into sharp points until she’s panting for me. Rub up and down her thighs, then sink my fingers into her pussy, stretching her, getting her ready to take all of me. Bringing her pleasure, over and over again.

I’ve jacked off in the gym shower every day and still leave here with a woody .

I need to find a hobby or something before I rub my poor dick raw. I’m also tired of eating take-out in an effort to avoid dinner with her and Coach—there’s only so many options in Thunder Creek and I’ve exhausted all of them.

Or you could grow a pair and tell her how you feel.

I squeeze my eyes shut tight, heavy tension sitting at the base of my neck.

Terrible idea, Crawford. What you fucking need to do is find a new team and get out of town before you screw things up worse.

Taking my own advice, I tap out a text to my agent.

Cam: Practice going great here. Any word on a new team yet?

I sink down onto the wooden locker room bench and wait for his response. Troy, my agent, always has his phone and typically responds within minutes.

True to form, my cell pings.

Agent Man: Had a few nibbles. But nothing firm yet

Cam: Which teams?

Agent Man: Dakota was interested

I suck at my teeth. Not my first pick, given the horrible weather. But beggars can’t be choosers.

Cam: What was the deal?

Agent Man: No deal. They pulled out

Shit .

Dakota would be better than nothing.

Cam: Did they say why?

Agent Man: They saw the video

Fuck me.

Cam: Motherfucker. They know their running back got a DUI last year, right?

Agent Man: Yeah. That’s why they don’t want more problems

This is so stupid. If I would have known I was being recorded, I never would have gone back to the hotel room with two of my teammates and those women from the bar. So fucking rash and na?ve. I had too much to drink and made a mistake.

A fucking costly one. For me and my buddies, who also got kicked.

Not to mention my dating life, which has been non-existent since I got cut. It’s pretty hard to trust anyone after a dupe like that. And it’s not like I have a whole helluva lot to offer at the moment.

Cam: Bro. You can’t explain it away? What if I send footage of me on the field? Running drills?

Agent Man: Send me what you’ve got, I can add it to the highlight reel

Cam: Okay. Any other bites?

Agent Man: Still working the angles. I’ll keep you posted

The muscles at the back of my neck tighten, tension shooting up and pulsing between my eyes. That doesn’t sound too promising.

Cam: You’re supposed to be the best in the business. It was a stupid one-night thing

Agent Man: I know, I hear ya. I’m trying. But the league is cracking down on shit like that. Everyone’s very image-conscious right now, what with all the social media

Agent Man: Maybe do some charity work, give back to the community

Cam: I am

Agent Man: Excellent. Polish that squeaky-clean Boy Scout image to a damn shine. Give me something good to work with

I start to tap out Go screw yourself , but then remember we’re on the same team. Troy’s one of the good guys and he’s on my side. I probably shouldn’t piss him off if I want him working hard on finding me a new team.

Cam: Thanks. Let me know as soon as you hear anything. One way or the other

Agent Man: Will d o

I throw my cell into my backpack harder than necessary, a loud thud echoing through the empty locker room. Hot anger bubbles inside me and the hunger pains from a few minutes ago disappear, replaced by nausea.

I may never get back to the pros.

The realization hits me like a Mack truck. Sure, I had kind of a rocky season last year, didn’t play as well as I wanted to. Had a few run-ins with the asshole tight end on my team and fought with the coach.

But reading between the lines, it seems like my biggest issue is the stupid video. I shouldn’t have gone up to the hotel room with those women. It’s not like I regularly engaged in random group hookups. It was a birthday bash for one of the guys and heavy drinking was involved.

Stupid fucking mistake, a set-up.

And maybe one I’ll never live down.

Troy’s good, but he wasn’t good enough to intercept the video before it landed in my coach’s inbox. And now my entire career’s been reduced to a forty-five second sex video with my teammates and three random women.

A vein throbs at my temple as I regret my life choices. That video could cost me everything I’ve worked for. All the practices, the hard work, the dedication sliding down the drain. And for what? A night out with the boys and a few seconds of fleeting pleasure?

I’ve never felt more awful about anything in my entire life. But the video’s out there now and I can’t get it back.

What if Sloane finds out about it? She’ll never look at me the same way again. I’ll be just another washed-up, bad boy football player who does stupid shit in his free time.

No. I need to do whatever I can to keep that video a secret from her. Because as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think I’ll survive the fall from her good graces .

I kick at the tile floor, hot embarrassment colliding with anger. I really fucked up this time—I only hope it doesn’t cost me everything I love.