Friend Zoned (Barnett Bulldogs #2) Page 6

  Chapter Five

  “So… any chance you can clear out for the weekend?” Looking hopeful, Mia pauses for just a moment before finishing quickly with, “And FYI- I’m making that request more for your sake than mine.”

  I almost groan because that can only mean one thing…

  “Carter’s rolling into town, isn’t he?” One of my eyebrows slowly rises across my brow. “And you don’t want any witnesses to the depravity that will be taking place for the next forty-eight hours.”

  The sly look she sends my way is rife with meaning. “God, I freaking hope so. Do you have any idea just how long it’s been? Trust me, you do not want to be around for any of that.”

  Okay, one- eww.

  And two- damned right I don’t.

  I made the epic mistake of not finding alternative accommodations for a weekend last year when he stayed with us. Needless to say, I had a really hard time looking Carter in the eyes the next morning.

  Those two are ridiculously loud.

  And just when you think it’s finally over and people can actually catch a little shut eye, they start right back up again. If nothing else, their stamina is impressive. Halfway through the first night, when I couldn’t take another moment of their porn-inspired soundtrack, I ended up dragging my blankets into the commons area on our floor. But I just couldn’t get comfortable on the ratty couch in there because all I could think about was the amount of jizz I was probably sleeping on.

  So no, I won’t be sticking around for a repeat performance of that if I can help it.

  Mia and Carter are like an X-rated show waiting to happen. They’re constantly groping one another and making out… like everywhere. Clothing spontaneously explodes from their bodies. Which is exactly why it’s better to get the hell out of Dodge for the weekend rather than hang around like some kind of voyeuristic perv.

  “Maybe I can crash with Anna.”

  Getting out my phone, I fire off a quick text. A few minutes later her response pops up.

  Sorry, headed home for the wknd. Won’t b around.

  “What about Sydney?”

  I shake my head. “She’s not getting along with Ellie again and I don’t really want to get in the middle of that.” Although… if worst comes to worst, I suppose that’s exactly what I’ll have to do.

  Silently we rack our brains for another alternative.

  Biting her lip, she throws out a suggestion. “I guess Carter and I could rent a hotel room for the weekend. I mean, that would be kind of fun.”

  Neither one of us adds expensive, but that’s what we’re both thinking.

  Making a face, I wave a hand dismissing the idea. “No, that’s just stupid.”

  I’m sure I could just stay with my grand-

  Her voice cuts quickly into my thoughts. “What about Sam?”

  Sam?

  Well… I guess I could bunk with Sam and his roommate, Roan, for the weekend. It would be a heck of a lot better than staying here and having to listen to Carter and Mia going at it like a pair of energizer bunnies. Been there, done that. Bought the t-shirt. Zero interest in a repeat performance.

  “Yeah, I’ll check with him.” I shoot Sam a text.

  Smiling like a Cheshire cat, Mia asks, “And how is Golden Delicious doing?”

  Golden Delicious.

  I can’t help but snort with laughter. That’s Mia’s little pet name for Sam. Not that he knows it.

  When they first met freshman year, she had a massive crush on him. Nothing ever happened between them, but it wasn’t for lack of Mia continuously throwing herself at him. Like every single weekend.

  I have no idea why Sam wasn’t interested. Mia is absolutely gorgeous. Long thick ebony colored hair, mossy green eyes, and an olive complexion that does her Italian ancestors proud. She’s also tall and curvy. Rather strangely, Sam has never even batted an eyelash in her direction.

  “He’s fine.”

  Mia props her chin up on her hand as she purrs out the next words, “Yes, he certainly is.”

  Another small laugh gurgles up from my throat as I shake my head. “And what would Carter say if he heard you talking like that?”

  She sticks out her tongue in response. “Oh stop ruining all my fun. I’m always careful not to scream out Sam’s name when I’m coming.”

  “Mia!” I can’t help the scandalized note that creeps into my voice. I really hope she’s kidding about that. I mean, come on, she has to be. Right? Mia loves her boyfriend. They got together two years ago when Carter was a senior. After graduation, he moved to Philadelphia for a civil engineering job.

  Hence the sexfest that is currently being planned for the weekend.

  My eyes narrow as a huge grin slides its way across her face.

  Sometimes I think she says these things just to get a rise out of me. I’ve grown used to it over the years but I don’t particularly like when she makes comments about Sam. Although I would never say anything to Mia because I love her to death and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her, I’m secretly glad she and Sam never hooked up or got together. They’re both good friends and it would have been weird if they had slept together or ended up in a relationship.

  “Like you’ve never rubbed one out thinking about that sexy bod of his?”

  Again my mouth drops open before crashing into our thinly carpeted floor before I quickly snap it shut.

  I rest my case.

  “Mia!” Even though I should be used to the over-the-top remarks she makes, I feel heat creep into my cheeks. “Of course not!”

  She levels a knowing look my way before adding a little wink for good measure. “Oh, please, that boy is hotness personified. Can’t say I haven’t used my battery operated boyfriend a few times thinking about those massive muscles of his.”

  When I simply shake my head, she spears me with a look of total disbelief. “Are you seriously telling me that you have never, not one damn time, fantasied about him while getting off?”

  Again I jerk my head in denial. “Never.”

  Technically this isn’t a lie.

  I have absolutely positively never gotten off to thoughts of him. But lately… for some strange reason… I can’t stop noticing just how good looking he is with all that thick blond hair and those gorgeous bluer-than-blue eyes.

  And don’t even get me started on that big broad chest of his...

  Plus, he’s just so tall...

  Not to mention hard...

  His body!

  His body is all hard and muscly.

  For goodness sake, I have no idea about that.

  Because thinking about that just feels like it would be crossing some imaginary line of our friendship. Even if he wouldn’t know about it. I still would.

  Thankfully his answering text saves me from the god awful conversation I’ve somehow been sucked into while I wasn’t looking.

  Freaking Mia and her freaking questions…

  “Well? Don’t keep me in suspense. What’s Golden Delicious got to say?”

  “Sam,” I enunciate slowly while skimming over his words, “says its fine.”

  Her grin unfolds into a huge smirk that practically overtakes her face. God but I hate that up-to-no-good smirk of hers. I really do. “I’m sure he does.”

  Huffing out a breath, I give her my best narrowed eyed glare. “He has an extra bedroom because his roommate Dylan just moved in with his girlfriend.” I ground out, “So, I’ll be staying in Dylan’s room for the weekend.”

  Her eyes widen before she flutters her long dark lashes all innocent-like at me. “Of course… wherever else would you sleep?”

  Chapter Six

  Throwing my bags into the backseat of his truck, I slide in next to Sam. “Thanks again for picking me up.”

  His hair is all shiny and wet from his after-practice shower. “No problem. This weekend will be fun.” There’s a slight pause as his eyes cut quickly to mine. “Sure you don’t mind laying low tonight? With a game tomorrow, I need to hit the sheets ear
ly.”

  “Of course not.”

  He doesn’t seem to believe me. “You could always head out on your own, if you want. Just because I’m making an early night of it, doesn’t mean you have to.”

  “No, I’m good,” I reassure again. I’m not really in the mood to go out anyway.

  Biting his lower lip, his eyes stay focused on the road in front of him. “I figured that we could have dinner, maybe watch a movie afterwards. What do you think?”

  Actually....

  “That sounds perfect.” This week has been exhausting. Chilling at Sam’s for the night sounds really good. Plus, I’m sure we’ll end up going out tomorrow night. Especially if the Bulldogs pull off another win. Then Saturday night will be crazy. And it’s not just the team that will be celebrating. The entire university will turn out to help.

  “Good.”

  Once we get back to his place, I dump my bags in Dylan’s room before changing into a pair of comfy black yoga pants and a well-loved t-shirt. Then I pad out in bare feet to where Sam is cooking in the small kitchen.

  “So what are we doing for dinner?” I was thinking we would probably order some take out but Sam already has a whole bunch of ingredients spread out on the counter. Eggs, bacon, heavy cream, noodles, parmesan cheese, and garlic.

  Looks interesting. And, yeah, incredibly fattening. Which I’m assuming means that it will taste delicious. Because those things unfortunately go hand in hand. “What are you making?”

  He wields a knife in one hand while chopping garlic on a cutting board. “Fettuccine carbonara.”

  The easy way he flicks his wrist as he cuts up the garlic has me thinking that this isn’t the first time he’s done it. A big pot filled with water boils away on the stove. A large skillet is heating on a burner with chopped bacon.

  “Fancy.”

  Continuing with his prep work, he gives me a little smirk. “May sound fancy but it’s actually pretty easy. It’s something my grandmother used to make.”

  I nod. “Is there anything I can help with?”

  He points to the refrigerator. “Want to put together the salad?”

  “Sure.” Going the the fridge, I pull out lettuce, a cucumber, shredded cheddar cheese, and a bottle of lite ranch dressing. There’s a ripe, medium sized tomato already sitting on the counter.

  “Croutons are in the cabinet if you want them.”

  Um yeah, I want them. Because who can eat salad without crunchy little croutons? As I finish preparing our salads, Sam drains the noodles before adding the bacon and garlic. Then he dumps the egg, cream, and parmesan mixture over the noodles before tossing it all together. Feeling impressed with his mad cooking skills, I inhale a huge breath as my tummy rumbles in anticipation.

  “Oh my god,” I breathe, “that smells soooo good!” It really does smell heavenly. Other than stopping over to have dinner at my grandparent’s house, I don’t get home cooked meals very often.

  “Tastes even better,” he says with a grin before carrying two heaping platefuls to the small table in the dining room.

  I literally can’t wait to dig in. I’m starving. Pasta is one of my favorites. Total comfort food.

  “You want a glass of wine with dinner?”

  Wine… My eyes nearly cross. “Yes, please!” Oh my god, if he continues treating me like this, I may never leave.

  He brings me a half filled glass along with a bottle of water for himself before we both start twirling noodles on our forks. As I take my first bite, my eyes feather closed in utter delight.

  Holy hell…

  “Sam, this is seriously amazing!” I’m not kidding either. It’s freaking delicious. Cream, garlic, bacon, parmesan, and noodles are like the most awesome combination in the whole world.

  Nodding, he shovels another huge heaping forkful into his mouth. “I’m glad you like it.” He gives me a little wink. “Good thing you decided to stay over on a carb loading day.”

  Damn right I am! And like isn’t nearly a strong enough word for the way I feel about this pasta right now. “I absolutely love it.”

  We gobble up the carbonara and I enjoy my glass of wine as we talk about everything that happened during the week. Once we’re both stuffed, I help Sam clean up the kitchen before we settle on the couch in the living room to watch a movie.

  “Where’s Roan tonight?” I’m kind of surprised that it’s so quiet around here.

  Roan King is Sam’s roommate. He’s also the first string wide receiver for the Barnett Bulldogs who’s looking to turn pro after the season. He’s pretty much treated like a demigod around campus. Actually, the whole damn town treats him that way. About a month and a half ago, he did something that shocked the entire campus.

  Yep… he got himself a bone fide girlfriend.

  People went absolutely freaking crazy… by which I mean girls who were holding out some kind of irrational hope that he would fall madly in love with them. There were a lot of unhappy ladies after Ivy Kaster ended up snagging his heart. A few of them even tried sharpening their claws on her.

  “He’s working at the library. He didn’t think he’d be back until ten or so.”

  A couple weeks ago, Ivy, Roan’s girlfriend, auditioned with the Cincinnati Ballet Company and was given a spot. Making a difficult decision, she decided to drop out of college before the end of first semester. Yesterday she said her goodbyes to everyone. Lexie, Ivy’s roommate, couldn’t afford to live on her own, so Dylan, her longtime boyfriend, moved in with her.

  I nod towards the spare room they now have available. “So what are you going to do with Dylan’s room?”

  “Liam Garrison is thinking about moving in second semester.” He shrugs those big broad shoulders of his. “Guess he’s having some roommate issues.

  Without thinking too much about my words, I say, “Liam’s a really nice guy.” It’s not like we’re best friends or anything, but he’s always friendly when I see him.

  One of Sam’s brows slowly hikes up as he eyes me with sudden interest. “You think so, huh?”

  I give him a small smirk in return before settling onto the couch with my glass of wine. This is turning out to be one of the nicest evenings I’ve had in a long time. But that’s hardly surprising. It’s always like that when we’re together. Everything is just so damn easy. Unable to help myself, I needle him just a bit by saying, “He’s pretty hot, don’t you think?”

  Before I can even blink my eyes, Sam is nipping the half-filled glass of wine from my hand and setting it down on the small end table near the couch. Then he attacks me with his fingers.

  “So,” he drawls, continuing with the torture, “Liam Garrison is hot, huh?”

  A high pitched squeal flies from my mouth as his fingers dance along my ribcage. When I’m finally able to push the words out, they sound all screechy and breathless. “Did I actually say that?” I keep trying to wiggle out of the firm grasp he has on me, but can’t get far enough away. Those damn fingers of his seem to be everywhere.

  “Yeah, I think you did.”

  Gasping for breath, I finally admit, “I was kidding! Now stop tickling me!”

  Instead of ceasing the torture, he keeps moving his hands over my sides until I’m practically to the point of peeing in my pants. “Nope. I don’t think I will.” Finally, when I don’t think I can take another second, he hauls me into his arms, holding me against that rock solid chest of his as I fight to catch my breath. We sit like that for a long silent moment.

  And it feels… good.

  Really good.

  I don’t want to admit to myself that it feels better than anything else has in a really long time.

  Squeezing my eyes shut, I try turning my thoughts in a different direction. The last thing I need is to allow my imagination to meander down this road again. Especially right now. But I can’t seem to help myself. As I inhale a big breath, the outdoor woodsy scent of him assaults my senses, making me almost dizzy with it. All I want to do is inhale another lungful.

 
What the hell is wrong with me?

  I honestly don’t know where all these thoughts keep coming from lately.

  This is Sam we’re talking about here.

  Sam!

  Not some random dude I can crush on without repercussions.

  Sam is my best friend. One of the best guys I know. I don’t want to mess that up with fickle feelings and out of whack hormones. Sam isn’t a guy I can scratch some metaphorical itch with.

  Only when he clears his throat, do my eyes pop open before latching onto his. I hope to hell he didn’t notice me trying to inhale him. How embarrassing would that be?

  His voice sounds a little gruffer when he finally asks, “If you’re finally done drooling over Liam Garrison, maybe we can get to that movie?”

  Even though I don’t necessarily want to, I pull out of his embrace because I know it’s the right thing to do. Strange that it doesn’t necessarily feel like the right thing to do at the moment. I don’t like these little sparks of attraction that keep flaring up within me. All they do is knock me off balance and leave me feeling confused and unsure of things.

  Sam uses the remote to find a list of movie channels before scrolling through them at break neck speed. When an oldie but goodie catches my eye, I immediately jump up.

  “That one!”

  He flips back a few channels before a deep groan slides pathetically from his lips. “Really? Again?” Then he whines like a little boy trapped in a man’s body, “Do we have to watch that?”

  I can’t help the huge smile that spills its way across my face. “Yep, that’s the one.” I’m practically chortling with delight.

  After a few moments, Sam apparently comes to the sad realization that this isn’t a winnable war for him because he grumbles under his breath, “Fine, but you owe me.”

  Ha!

  I owe him nothing.

  I’ve been subjected to way too many freeze-your-butt-off-in-the-stands football games to ever owe him for anything. And he knows it, which is exactly why he capitulated so easily.

  I laugh as Sixteen Candles gets under way. Even though it’s a movie from the eighties, I absolutely love it. We’re talking total cult classic. I’ve actually lost track of just how many times I’ve forced Sam to sit through it. Although it’s enough that we can easily parrot the lines back and forth to one another which makes it all the more enjoyable.