114

Adam

New Introductions Needed

Last day of spring training, baby.

Classes ended two days ago. For the first semester of my life, I could celebrate my grades not sucking ass. All thanks to my girlfriend.

My incredibly hot, incredibly smart girlfriend who sat on the bleachers at practice, sporting a number forty-five jersey and octopus earrings from her boyfriend—me—who introduced them as octopi earrings. She quickly corrected me that they were octopuses, not octopi, and octopi was a mistake from people assuming it was a Latin-based second-declension noun instead of a third-declension noun.

Did I have any idea what she was talking about? Nope.

That wasn't my role though. If you're a guy dating a girl who's fifty times smarter than you, all you need to do is nod along, try not to drool at her lips while she's correcting you, and adjust your dick—rock hard in your pants with every excited jump she makes at another fun fact, connected to yet another fun fact.

I was a goddamn professional at it.

If anybody asked, Piper and I were just good friends. Good buddies. And she was my RA, right across the hall. Or usually, right across my bed, completely naked, which her bosses didn't need to know about.

King and I walked across the field together. With another look over my shoulder, I caught sight of my secret girlfriend again, chatting with a few other girls on the bleachers. I glanced back. "It's three days in Dallas, June and Zariah have housing bullshit, they can't make it."

He hesitated. "I was thinking of going back home before summer really starts."

"They're fine, dude. You can take three days off to fuck around.

"I might actually do it." King made a noise at the back of his throat. "My dating profile sucks here. It's just all girls who ask about football and June." He threw me a glance. "And before you ask, I'm not looking to just get laid."

"I get it."

He raised his eyebrows, surprised.

"No, dude." I shook my head. "In-love sex is the best. Piper can make me come now without even touching my dick. It's insane. Forget everything I used to say, this is the shit to be aspiring to."

He gazed at me, stunned, and I was about to continue when a single word stopped me.

" ADAM! "

The excited yell took my attention back over to the bleachers. Piper stood along the railing. Her blonde hair shone in the sunlight and my jersey looked damn good on her. There was a huge blush on her face—she didn't mean to shout—but that just made it even better.

Any other day, I would've taken a full minute to enjoy the amazing painting that slept in my bed but my focus wasn't on that, my focus was on the phone in her hand, lit up for me to see.

Holy shit .

Without hesitation, I sprinted across the field.

My heart pounded and my sneakers tore up the astroturf. It felt like my chest was going to explode. It was the news we'd been waiting for. Piper's very real confirmation into Roman Hall. The key for me to finally parade her around.

I stumbled out to the bleachers and there she was, talking excitedly to the other girls.

"Give it to me," I demanded.

A huge grin crossed my face when I saw hers.

"We got it?" I belted out.

"We got it!" She confirmed, throwing her hands in the air. "Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be an RA at Roman Hall!"

The girls on the bleachers burst into chatter, melting into each other, everyone pumped for Piper's promotion, but I strode across the walkway and brought her up to the guardrail. She was so gorgeous and amazing and mine . The gray eyes, so bright in the sun, the pink flush to her skin, and how soft she was when I put my hand on her waist, all of her, mine .

"Holy fuck, I've been waiting for this," I muttered and crashed my lips to hers.

Piper curved her body to meet mine, throwing her arms over my neck.

Finally .

You would've thought that the football team would've understood this was a sensitive, private moment, out in front of everyone on a Tuesday morning, but they immediately started hooping and hollering, wolf-whistling at the two of us from across the field.

She pulled away from me and a heavy blush crossed her face.

"Shit." I frowned. "I have to introduce you."

"Introduce me?"

"Yeah. Introduce you!" I belted out. I tugged her away from the guardrail and pulled her closer to me, gesturing to her for everybody to see. "Ms. Kassandra Ragar?"

Kassie laughed from four seats away with a drawing pad in her lap. "Yeah, Adam?"

"I don't know if you've had the pleasure, this is Piper Fontaine. She's my girlfriend."

Piper tried to duck against me, laughing too, but I tugged her out for the spotlight again. Any other day I would've hidden her from it but I needed one day to show her off to everybody who already knew her.

"Wow," Kassie said in mock surprise. "Didn't see that coming for a mile away. Hi, Piper!"

"Hi, Kassie." Piper was completely embarrassed. "Adam, are you done? Is this done?"

"No, not yet, give me a minute." I turned back to face the football field, completely without shame. I cupped my hands over my mouth. " This is my girlfriend, Piper! Right here! My girlfriend is right here! "

"Oh my god, Adam ." Piper groaned and put her head in her hands.

"Adam!" Ryan called from the field with a couple of the assistant coaches.

"Yeah, captain?" I shouted back. "Boss? Captain boss? Boss captain? Have you met Piper? My girlfriend, Piper?"

"Adam," Ryan yelled. "Get the hell back on the field!"

The bleachers erupted in laughter but I just grinned, pulling back from her. I gave her one more quick kiss and stepped away. "Duty calls, ice princess. Sorry, your boyfriend—who is me—has got to go down there and throw some balls and kick some ass."

Piper couldn't blush harder.

"But we're moving you out tomorrow. Are we moving you out tomorrow?"

"Oh my god." Piper couldn't blush harder. "Adam, I can move today but— please ."

"Please what? Be your boyfriend? Already done, filled out the paperwork. They approved it on a deadline." I threw her two thumbs-up, grinning like a moron and Piper snuck a smile back at me, shaking her head. She could shake her head all she wanted, she still had the title stamped on her. I sprinted up to kiss her again. "I will see you after practice."

She laughed, giving me about as exasperated look as she could. "Why are you saying it like that?"

"Like what?"

"You're saying it like I'm leaving! I'm not going anywhere."

"I know," I replied breezily. "That's the best part."

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Thank you so much for reading Playing for Keeps!