This would be the last time we'd get to be like this, free to be together. I didn't want to miss a second of it, but the lull of her warm body next to mine and the exhaustion from the game earlier were pulling me under, and despite my best efforts, my eyelids fluttered closed as sleep overcame me.
8
Scarlet
Standing on the doorstep of my mom and Ian's house, I pounded on the door.
Olivia and I had left early this morning to drive the several hours home. I'd told her all about my night with Rush, the kissing in the hot tub and the talking afterwards in the hotel room. She hadn't known either that my stepdad had told the entire team that they were to stay away from me or get benched. Wilder hadn't said anything to her about it, and I could tell she'd been frustrated he'd kept that from her.
Thinking of what Rush had told me last night had me both elated and mad.
I was ecstatic that Rush wanted to be with me as much as I wanted to be with him, that he only stayed away because he had to.
I was furious at my stepdad. How dare he tell the whole football team that I was off limits? He had no right to decide whom I dated and whom I didn't. If I wanted to date a football player, that was my decision.
Being with Rush last night had been amazing. Finally talking about what had happened between us so long ago and clearing the air had been like a weight lifting off my shoulders. I hadn't realized until then that it had been such a heavy thing I'd been carrying around with me.
Hearing the remorse and longing in his voice had had me instantly caving. He'd never truly meant to hurt me. He had been caught between keeping a rule so he could continue playing football to make his own dreams, as well as his family's dreams, come true, and wanting to be with me. How could I stay mad at him for that?
I hadn't planned on crawling in bed next to him, but my body had acted on its own and I hadn't minded. I'd wanted to be close to him, to let him know that I forgave him, and to enjoy a moment of the two of us alone without the fear of being seen together.
I'd slipped out early this morning before he woke up. I hadn't been ready to face him yet, especially since I didn't know where we stood now. We couldn’t be together in a couple sense, but were we going to try and be friends? Or would that be too hard? I planned on giving him some space to see what he wanted. It wasn't my future that would be affected if we dated. I didn't have a coach breathing down my neck or a family counting on me.
My mom opened the door with a surprised look on her face upon seeing it was me. Her blonde hair was in a French twist, her long-sleeved floral dress pushed up to her elbows, and an apron was tied around her waist. She looked like she'd stepped out of a Southern cooking magazine. "Oh, hi, sweetheart. I wasn't expecting to see you tonight. Everything okay?"
I pushed past her and barreled into the entryway. "Where's Ian?"
She gave me a questioning look. "He's upstairs. Why?"
"I need to talk to him. Now." My anger made my voice louder and it echoed in the large entrance.
She closed the door behind us and laid a hand on my arm, her eyes roaming over me. "What has you madder than a wet hen?"
"Ian." I searched her face, wondering if she knew about all of this. "Were you in on it too, mama? Did you know?"
"Know what?" she asked, clearly confused. "What are you talking about?"
Before I could explain, Ian came down the stairs.
"What's going on down here?" he asked, concern etched on his face.
Me yelling must have drifted up the stairs.
"Ian, tell me it's not true," I commanded. "Tell me you did not demand all the football players stay away from me and tell them they couldn't date me. Tell me you didn't threaten to bench them if they did."
His face turned serious. It was the look he usually wore on the sidelines during a game, never giving any emotions away. "You're damn right I told them to stay away from you. You think I want my whole team panting after you? I know those boys. They think being a college athlete makes them gods and that they can get away with anything. They're conceited and wild and reckless, which when channeled correctly can make an amazing football player, but out in the real world, with my stepdaughter, it can be dangerous. I will not have you be one of the floozies they pass around."
Anger and hurt filled me with his words. "You really think that little of me? That I'd jump from bed to bed to be with the coveted football players?"
His face cracked at my accusations. "That's not what I meant, Scarlet. I know you're a good girl. But those guys are charming and popular, and I don't want to see you get hurt."
"You think that's the only way I could get hurt?" I asked incredulously. "What about my stepdad being an overbearing brute who thinks that if some good-looking guy comes my way that I'll fall in bed with him immediately? Or what about if one of these so-called awful football players is actually a really nice guy who is sweet and caring and wants to get to know me better but can't?"
His brows pushed down, and a scowl covered his face. "Who? Who told you that I don't want my players near you?"
Crap.
I vaguely remembered Rush telling me that Ian had told them not to say anything to anyone about how he didn't want them around me. I hadn't even thought about how coming here would immediately alert him to the fact that someone had told his secret.
