If You Were Mine Read online

  I hate to admit that I’m a twenty-one-year-old virgin, but…

  Yeah, I’m a twenty-one-year-old virgin.

  It’s not like I planned for this to happen. I didn’t set out to save myself for someone special. I guess I’ve just been so focused on school and spending time with my brother and his family, that it hasn’t been a priority for me.

  But now, suddenly, I’m a senior in college. And I’m still a virgin. It’s like I blinked and realized that I’ll be graduating this spring. When I confided in Holly, my roommate, she just about died before telling me that kids graduating from high school aren’t even virgins anymore. She claims I would be hard-pressed to find a junior or senior in high school who was still a virgin.

  I think she might just be right about that.

  So, yeah, I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I’m finally ready to be de-virginized.

  Is that even a word?

  Anyway, with the way things are going, I’m pretty sure Ryan and I are headed in that direction.

  Just as I’m about to answer Gia, my eyes once again become ensnared by green ones. Another shiver slowly slinks its way down my spine as I yank my gaze away yet again.

  I really wish he would stop watching me.

  Forcing a bright smile, I say, “I’m going to head out and say hello to Ryan.” I tickle the baby still being held within Gia’s arms. At this point, Max’s eyes look to be a gorgeous deep gray. Even though they could still change at this point, I don’t think they will. Both Liam and I have the exact same shade of eye color.

  “Want me to take Max?” There’s nothing I love more than being with my niece and nephews. The two older kids are bundles of boundless energy. I don’t know where they get it from. They’re exhausting, but in a good way.

  Almost as soon as the words are out of my mouth, she’s dropping the baby into my arms. “Sure, why don’t you give him to Liam so I can get more food out onto the table. Looks like things are running low.”

  “No problem.” I cuddle his soft little four-month-old body close to mine before inhaling a great big breath of baby in the process. As I do, everything within me instantly settles, just like it always does.

  Max is like taking a handful of Xanax.

  Totally addictive and completely necessary.

  Especially when JT Higgins is in the vicinity.

  Chapter Two

  JT

  I bring the bottle of ice-cold water to my lips before taking a nice long swig. Not once do my eyes deviate from her. I don’t think I could yank them away even if I wanted to.

  Which, just to be clear, I don’t.

  Now that I’ve pulled on a pair of aviators, I can just sit back and stare at her.

  Kind of like a creeper.

  I should probably be a bit more careful about that. Liam would kick my ass right out of the state of Wisconsin if he knew I was sitting here with dirty fantasies of his little sister rolling around in my head.

  What the hell is she wearing anyway?

  A teeny-tiny bikini, by the looks of it.

  My brows draw together as my eyes slowly lick over the upper portion of her body. The bottom half is submerged beneath the crystal-clear water. She shouldn’t be wearing something like that in front of all these dudes. That notion has me pokering up, glancing around to see if anyone else is scoping out her hot little body. Realizing that no one is paying any attention to Claire, all of my muscles instantly loosen.

  You’d think her brother would have something to say about what she’s got on, but apparently not. Liam seems completely oblivious to the fact that his sister is practically naked in front of his teammates. Of course, the guy does have three kids running around here. So yeah, I guess he’s got his hands full with that.

  At the moment, Claire is in the pool with Charlotte. She’s got floaties on and is splashing around like she just might be drowning. There’s a wide circle around Claire and the child because some of the women hanging out in the pool don’t want to get their blowouts wet.

  Guess they shouldn’t be in the water then.

  I’m half tempted to climb in myself. It’s hot as balls out here. Even though I’m relaxing in the shade, the sun continues to beat down. I don’t think there’s a single cloud in the azure colored sky today.

  I glance over at the guy who I’ve only recently learned is Claire’s boyfriend. I’m not just saying this because I’d hate any guy who Claire brought around, but this one specifically has tool written all over him.

  For one, he’s not paying any attention to Claire. At the moment, he’s busy yapping with some of the guys from the offensive line. I almost snort. He looks like a child standing next to them. We’re talking three hundred pound dudes who could stop a freight train in its path. I’m guessing Claire’s boyfriend weighs a whopping buck ninety.

  Soaking wet.

  I think if Collin McTavish or Grady Bradford asked him to lick the dirt off their shoes, he wouldn’t hesitate before dropping to the ground and doing just that. If I wanted to be a real dick, I’d go over there and mess with him.

  I can’t say that I’m not tempted, because I am.

  Sorely.

  But I won’t.

  It’s just too damn hot out to put forth that kind of effort.

  If that guy had any brains whatsoever, he’d be glued to Claire’s side. Not yipping and yapping the ears off those guys.

  If she were my girlfriend, that’s exactly where I would be. Stuck to her side. I sure as shit wouldn’t be hanging out with a bunch of dudes who won’t even remember my name in the morning. Hell, McTavish won’t remember his name thirty minutes from now, if he even knows it to begin with. Which I’m willing to lay odds that he doesn’t.

  I glance over at him again. Yup, still transfixed. I almost shake my head. There’s nothing sadder than seeing a grown-ass man getting all fangirl. I’m more tempted than ever to get in the pool before trying to strike up a conversation with Claire. Except I know exactly how that will go.

  Which is precisely why my ass is still firmly planted in this chair.

  I’ve never met anyone who despises me more than Claire Garrison. I can’t be totally sure about this, but I’m willing to bet that hitting on her over the last few years could be the reason behind it. Quite honestly, I’m not sure what the big deal is. In my experience, women enjoy it when I hit on them. Claire is the only one who has ever said no to me.

  I’m not going to lie- in the past I’ve usually been pretty shitfaced when I’ve finally worked up the courage to approach her. It’s an unspoken rule on the team that everyone stays away from Liam’s sister. Which is precisely why I end up hitting on her when I’m drunk off my ass. Because I know all too well that Liam would beat the piss out of me if I ever laid one solitary finger on her.

  That knowledge alone should be enough to keep me from eyeing her up.

  It’s not.

  When my ass was in a sling at the end last season, it was Liam who stepped up and offered to help me out. And you know what? The last eight months have gone surprisingly smoother.

  When I first got drafted by Green Bay, I went a little crazy. Okay, the entire city went nuts. It was like the prodigal son had finally returned home. And I’d already earned quite a reputation the four years I played in college.

  My family is Green Bay royalty. My father, Joe Higgins Senior, played for the team back in the day. My older brother, Joe Jr., plays for Minnesota. He’s the golden child of the family while I’m more of the black sheep. Which suits me just fine. My parents expect me to fuck up and I certainly hate to disappoint them.

  Sitting down with Stu, the GM of the organization, at the end of my third season was a real kick in the balls, to say the least. Since I had another year left on my contract, they begrudgingly agreed to give me one more season to pull my shit together. If I wasn’t able to do it, if I couldn’t stop creating a PR nightmare for the team and being a constant source of embarrassment, they were cutting ties and trading my ass.


  Which is exactly when Garrison, our QB, decided to take me under his wing. He kept me out of trouble, and invited me over for family dinners. I don’t think he meant to, but he’s given me a glimpse into what I could have for myself if I controlled all of the bullshit in my life.

  I can’t say that what he has isn’t attractive.

  It is.

  The man is settled in a way I can only imagine. A beautiful, supportive wife. Cute kids. A rising career. Nice home. Comfortable lifestyle. For all intents and purposes, he’s living the dream.

  For whatever reason, Claire’s face pops into my head whenever I think about settling down. Which is… yeah… it’s utterly ridiculous. In case I haven’t mentioned it before- that chick hates my guts. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that she hates every damn thing about me.

  Fuck it- I’m getting in that pool.

  Just as I stand up, ready to peel off the T-shirt that’s sticking to my back with early September heat, Garrison plops himself down in the chair next to me. He’s not alone. He’s got a baby in his arms.

  The newest Garrison.

  Max.

  I can’t help the disappointment that surges through me as I lower myself back down again.

  “It’s freaking sweltering out here, man.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure my sweat is sweating at this point,” I say in response.

  He glances down at the little man in his arms.

  I do the same before taking another slug of water. “So, this one do it for you? You finally gonna let your wife relax for a while?”

  Not taking offense to my words, a huge grin lights up his face. Almost as if we’re conspirators, he closes the distance between us. “I’m gunning for at least one more.” He gives the infant in his big tattooed arms a gentle kiss on his downy head. “Usually right around the one year mark, Gia starts missing the newborn stage. So for now, I’m just biding my time, waiting for the right moment to spring it on her.”

  Yeah, I’ll admit it… Watching them together has something loosening within me. I’m not made of stone after all. That being said- does it make me want to go out and impregnate the first woman I see?

  Hell no.

  I snort. “You’re freaking nuts. Look around you, dude, you’re already overrun with kidlets. They’ve outnumbered you. Mark my words, you have any more and you’ll have a coup on your hands.”

  He glances at Claire in the water with his daughter and Ty, the five-year-old, who is running around with a water gun. “One more,” he muses, “maybe two.”

  Five freaking kids…

  That’s some craziness right there. I can’t even begin to imagine it. Total and utter chaos.

  Unable to stop myself, I change the subject by nodding nonchalantly towards Claire’s boyfriend. I have zero idea what his name is. “Looks like your sister has caught herself a cleat licker.”

  A cleat licker is precisely what you’d imagine the euphemism to mean- someone overly impressed with footballers. A groupie. A person who wants to hang with us simply because of who we are.

  Obviously, calling someone a cleat licker is in no way a compliment.

  And just like I suspected it would, that has the smile dropping clean off Liam’s face as his gray eyes arrow to the guy in question who is still, as we speak, chatting it up with a few of our teammates. I haven’t seen him give Claire more than five or ten minutes of his attention the entire afternoon.

  I can only shake my head at that. Seriously. The guy must be a real idiot.

  The longer Liam watches him, the more his lips flatten.

  I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of loving it.

  Does that make me a terrible person?

  Probably.

  But guess what?

  I don’t care.

  Claire can do way better than that dude.

  Needless to say, Liam is crazy protective of his sister. Just as he should be.

  Claire Garrison is stunningly beautiful. Long straight mahogany colored hair that flows down her back like a thick, rich curtain. Piercing gray eyes that I seem to get lost in whenever we come into contact. Legs that start somewhere in the general vicinity of her armpits. They’re ridiculously long. I’d be lying my damn ass off if I didn’t admit to wondering how they would feel locked around my waist as I pump in and out of her.

  She’s got curves, but they’re more subtle than a lot of the other women I’m used to going out with. And she’s tall. If I had to guess, I’d say around five foot nine. Rather surprisingly, I like the height.

  It’s sexy.

  Especially since I’m six foot three. I kind of like that when she looks at me, she doesn’t have to get a crick in her neck to hold my eyes. Mine may burn hot when I’m gazing at Claire, but hers are usually stone cold.

  Liam’s voice is decidedly grumbly when he finally mutters, “Yeah… I’ve met him a few times. He seems to like Claire well enough. Treats her alright from what I can tell.”

  Ummm, why wouldn’t he? She’s absolutely perfect. There’s no reason on God’s green earth for him to treat her any other way.

  Although I’m smart enough not to voice that opinion out loud.

  The guy would absolutely flatten me if he caught me looking sideways at his sister. He’s let it be known to everyone on the team, repeatedly, not to mess around with her. And me… well… needless to say, I don’t have the best reputation. I may be trying to rectify that, but it takes time.

  Looking a little conflicted, Liam’s voice drops to a hushed whisper. “She, ah, doesn’t have much dating experience. So, I’m kind of hoping this guy doesn’t stick around for long. She could do a lot better than him. I wanted to say something to her, but Gia told me that I’m not to open my mouth about it. Apparently who Claire sees is Claire’s business. Not mine.” He shoots me a look. One that says- can you believe this crap?

  Those last words are muttered as if they’re stuck on repeat inside his head. But I’m not thinking about them. I’m more interested in the whole- doesn’t have much dating experience part of what he just said.

  I can’t help but raise a brow.

  Not much experience?

  What exactly does that mean?

  Just because I personally have never seen Claire with anyone in the last three years doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Up until six months ago, I only saw her sporadically when we were at team functions, or when Liam invited everyone over for a get-together.

  I just assumed she’d been dating people all throughout college. The woman is absolutely gorgeous. She must have a legion of guys trying to get with her on a daily basis.

  Alright…

  We’re going to shut down that particular line of thinking because it’ll just piss me off.

  Even though there are about a thousand questions I’d like to bombard him with, I don’t. Nope. I’ve got to play this cool and not give myself away. The last thing I need is Liam catching a whiff that I’m into his sister. That would definitely be bad for business. Can’t imagine the guy would be extending any more invitations if he knew just how much I wanted to bone her. Plus, Claire can barely stand to be in the same room with me, so… there seems to be very little point in trying to get anything going with her.

  But I’ll tell you this, if that douche does anything to hurt her, I’ll break both his legs. Then Stu can bitch about what a real freaking PR nightmare looks like. I can’t help but snort at that thought.

  Liam cocks a questioning brow in my direction. I have to clear my throat as I try remembering what we’d just been talking about.

  Right.

  Claire’s dating habits.

  Or lack thereof.

  Can’t say that thought doesn’t leave my cock twitching.

  “That’s, er, hard to believe.” There. Perfectly executed, if I do say so myself. A completely innocuous statement. Nothing that reveals my true thoughts or feelings.

  Liam is quiet for a long speculative moment. I can’t tell if he’s picked up on something in the tone of my vo
ice or if he’s just mulling over my comment. After a while he says, “Claire has always been focused on school to the exclusion of almost everything else. Up until this point, she hasn’t allowed herself to have much of a social life.” Then he’s nodding his head towards Jackwad.

  Hmmm.

  Jackwad seems like a damn good name for him. And personally, I think it fits him to a T. From here on out, we’ll simply refer to this guy as Jackwad.

  “I think this is the first guy she’s ever seriously dated.”

  I can’t help but frown at that.

  This guy is the first guy Claire has dated?

  Ever?

  What the hell does that even mean?

  Like… are we talking ever-ever?

  I’m doing my damnedest not to leap to conclusions here, but is he seriously suggesting that Claire Garrison is a… virgin?

  I mean… she’s gotta be like twenty-one years old.

  Nope.

  Uh-uh.

  There’s no way in hell that girl is still a virgin.

  My cock stirs at the idea as my eyes narrow again on Jackwad.

  If what I think Liam is trying to say is the truth, then it’ll be over my dead fucking body that the cleat licker is her first.

  Over.

  My.

  Dead.

  Body.

  Chapter Three

  Claire

  “Did you have a good time today?”

  Why am I even bothering to ask this?

  I know that Ryan did. He was totally in his element, standing around all afternoon with some of the guys from the offensive line. Needless to say, Ryan is a huge Green Bay fan. He grew up about an hour and a half away. His family are season ticket holders and have been for two generations.

  Ryan grew up playing football and even played at UW- Green Bay for the first two years before deciding to call it quits. He said it was because he needed to devote more time to his studies, but I kind of think it’s because he wasn’t getting much in the way of playing time.

  Being part of a college athletic team is both grueling and time-consuming. You have to absolutely love it and be a hundred percent committed otherwise there’s just no point. I saw that with my own brother when he was playing at Barnett University.