2

Adam

No Need To Thank Me

Believe it or not, that wasn't the first time one of my epic parties ruined a relationship. Or the second. Or third.

Let's just say we could keep going.

The football team was three days away from the Birchwood Bowl, and after we won that, it was going to be beer rager after beer rager. I'd been promised a full weekend of uninterrupted partying, and I was going to take advantage of it.

Sometimes those kinds of parties end lifelong commitments - it happens.

But that was kind of hard thinking about, looking down at the wide, gray eyes of Piper, previously thought to be Piper Sullender, Thomas's sister.

We met at a high school party when we were both sophomores. I was a dumb, na?ve kid, fresh on my high school varsity team. I could remember it like it was yesterday. Her light blonde hair pinned down her back and an excited smile on her lips. She'd bounced from one corner to another, fetching drinks with a little turn of the heels she wobbled in.

In the kitchen, Piper needed a break from them and I offered to trade shoes with her. I could still remember her laugh. Genuine and sweet and breathless from the party.

Back then, I had zero experience with girls. And she was so beautiful. That laugh twisted my words into knots and left me fumbling for something else to say.

I'd hyped myself up in the bathroom for fifteen minutes to get her phone number.

But when I found her in the backyard, starting up a cotton candy machine, Thomas Sullender stopped me with a firm hand to my chest and the news that Piper was his sister. Off-limits.

That was in the past. I wasn't a kid clawing my way up the ranks of a team anymore.

I'm Adam fucking Russell .

I nodded at the guys with me to keep moving.

Dropping my voice, I tried to explain. "Piper, Thomas told me you were his little sister."

Disbelief touched her eyes, and I couldn't blame her. Looking back, I was a moron. Piper was five-foot-ten, but Sullender was built like an ox. His little sister?

That's why Thomas punched me at last semester's game.

He wanted to keep his cheating under wraps, and I never thought to investigate. Well, not my fault. He shouldn't have been so goddamn stupid.

Piper took a moment. "There's—um—we have a pie-throwing contest right now in the lobby." She tried to brighten up her voice. "It's going to be super fun, and I spent an hour working on the playlist yesterday, and—"

"Yeah, I'm not going to that." I chuckled.

Was Kennedy Young University visiting for some kind of promotional thing? I couldn't imagine why. We hear that you're starting your new semester! Why not join your school's biggest rival?

The KYU event was the last thing on my mind, especially with a second chance at the beautiful blonde standing in front of me. I'd seen those long legs at KYU pool parties. It was enough to get the blood revving my engine.

"I am sorry about the whole shitstorm with Sullender," I apologized again, not really feeling all that sorry. "But just to make the options nice and clear, I'm available twenty-four seven if you ever want to make him jealous. Whatever that plan is, I'm all ears."

Piper stared at me. Her gray eyes narrowed. "Is that a joke?"

"Not a joke. Whatever you want, however you want. I'll be there."

It wasn't like I was misreading signals. The closeness of our bodies, the flush to her cheeks when I raised an eyebrow.

This girl wants me.

I could read that like a book. I could practically taste it.

Someone walked by, and she took a clear step toward the wall, hiding our conversation. I could keep quiet too. My nickname might've been Marrs Manwhore but that was usually from the girls bragging about how they'd bagged someone off the football team. I could delete photos.

Piper swallowed. "That's not appropriate, considering—"

"What you do in your bed is your decision." I rested my arm on the wall above her. "Or in your shower. Or on the kitchen counter. Or a hotel jacuzzi, off-campus. I have handcuffs in my room if you want to use them."

The images flashed over my eyes. Sweet, adorable Piper, with her eyes rolled to the back of her head, legs wrapped around my waist. The catch in her breath was a nice touch too. I grinned down at her, feeling the heat between us.

It's not just on my end.

Piper was into me too.

"I'm not your ex. I'm not Sullender," I murmured. "I can keep my mouth shut."

It was like I doused Piper with a bucket of ice-cold water. An unfamiliar look of irritation flashed over her eyes. Piper had put together the KYU parties and chaos had been unleashed nightly at those, but I'd never seen her angry.

"Let me make one thing clear," she said with the coldest tone on campus. "I've sworn off football players."

"Damn. Like, right now? Or tomorrow?"

"I have zero interest. And you are how I found out my boyfriend cheated on me."

I frowned. "Shouldn't you thank me?"

"Excuse me?" Her mouth fell open. "Are you serious?"

My direct messages were full of them, paragraphs with girls thanking me for getting their so-called boyfriends tagged in pictures and being the final nail in the coffin.

"I helped you find out what a douchebag your boyfriend is. Congratulations."

" Helped me?"

"Yeah, helped you." I shrugged, nonchalant about it. "You're welcome."

Instead of landing a dinner invite, or maybe a way for me to de-stress before the Birchwood Bowl, Piper stormed off, blonde hair flying behind her. I couldn't understand what the problem was, but I trailed after her, walking into the pie thing she'd been talking about.

It was empty. Nobody ever showed up for dorm events at RV.

But my almost sister-in-law was there. I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Hey, Big Z!"

Zariah Contractor and I had become fast friends last semester when my team captain fell in love with Zariah's best friend, Kassie. We used to spend time together. With Zariah's new job as an RA and Ryan and Kassie making it official, I barely saw the three of them anymore.

At the table with Zariah, Piper crossed something off a clipboard. I tried to catch her eye, but she purposely ignored me.

A woman ignoring me? A day of firsts.