"Sorry, my brain is shot."
"I can tell."
Why the hell am I thinking about Sara? He closed his eyes and called up the image of Jane at her door. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. Her tousled hair spilled over her shoulders in all directions; her shirt and jeans fit nice and snug. And barefoot too. Very sexy. Very....
Damn it! Something else bothered him. Sara had said she'd be the one picking up the pieces when he left Jane, but right now, he couldn't imagine doing that to her. Most of his relationships didn't last through next Tuesday, but he couldn't see an end to this one yet. Hm... do I like that or not?
"So other than the psycho roommate, how was your night?"
"Great. She's an amazing cook, even better than my mother."
"Wow."
"Don't tell my mom I said that."
"Hey, if I lie to her, she won't feed me anymore."
"I got no problem with that. More for me."
"So how far did you get with her?"
"You're talking about Janie, right?"
"Yeah, dumbass."
Austin held up three fingers. "And then psycho roommate walked in on us."
"Oh, man, that had to hurt."
"Uh-huh."
"But anticipation can be a lot of fun."
"Anticipation makes you insane."
"That explains a lot."
"Yeah."
He'd never dealt with anticipation before. He couldn't wait to see her again, but not just because he wanted to finish what they'd started. No, he couldn't wait to talk with her and laugh with her. He wanted to argue with her some more. He'd fought with women before, but when Jane fought back, she challenged him and made him think. Fighting with her excited him... almost as much as foreplay.
Austin frowned and wondered if he should enjoy that as much as he had.
"You okay, man?"
He jumped. How did Jack know? The guy had a gift for reading people. "Yeah, I'm fine." He got up and headed to his bedroom. "I just gotta figure out how to get some sleep tonight."
"No running around the football field?"
"Nope. That's not gonna cut it."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Austin looked back at his friend and laughed. "Jack, you're way too sensitive. Are you sure you're a guy?"
"Angie says so. You didn't answer my question."
"I don't even know what to talk about." Austin shut his bedroom door then opened it again. "That means no."
"I got it."
But before the latch clicked, he popped the door open again and spun back to the living room, pacing and snarling at Jack. "Why am I so...? Why can't I find the words?"
"Confused?"
"Yeah, that's one word." He plopped down on the couch and ripped his hands through his hair. "I promised Janie a good time—nothing more."
"But you want more."
"Yeah."
"And that scares the shit out of you."
He growled at Jack, but his friend wouldn't retreat. "I promised Natalie I'd wait for her to graduate."
"I remember."
"One year. I'd wait for her to join me here, and I swore I wouldn't see anyone else."
Jack nodded. "Shocked the hell out of me, but I knew you'd do your best."
"But she didn't care. My leaving for college wasn't the problem. She said my future was too uncertain. I had no plan. 'What if you get hurt and don't make it in the NFL? What will you do then?' I couldn't answer her."
"You can now."
"Yes, I can."
"So why is that keeping you from being with Jane?"
"It isn't. It's something else."
"You don't want to get hurt again."
"Stop reading my mind, Jack."
"I can read you like a freaking book. Want to know what I think?"
"You're gonna tell me, whether I want to or not."
"True. I think you might get hurt again."
"That's comforting."
"But I think you've gotta take the chance. Jane's worth it."
"I know she is." Austin looked straight into his best friend's eyes and saw his uncertain face mirrored back at him. "Am I ?"
"You are, and you always have been. You got me through some pretty horrible shit when we were in high school. You're good enough for me. But if you don't believe that, Jane won't either." Jack punched Austin's shoulder and yawned. "Goodnight."
Austin sat on the couch until he
"I can tell."
Why the hell am I thinking about Sara? He closed his eyes and called up the image of Jane at her door. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. Her tousled hair spilled over her shoulders in all directions; her shirt and jeans fit nice and snug. And barefoot too. Very sexy. Very....
Damn it! Something else bothered him. Sara had said she'd be the one picking up the pieces when he left Jane, but right now, he couldn't imagine doing that to her. Most of his relationships didn't last through next Tuesday, but he couldn't see an end to this one yet. Hm... do I like that or not?
"So other than the psycho roommate, how was your night?"
"Great. She's an amazing cook, even better than my mother."
"Wow."
"Don't tell my mom I said that."
"Hey, if I lie to her, she won't feed me anymore."
"I got no problem with that. More for me."
"So how far did you get with her?"
"You're talking about Janie, right?"
"Yeah, dumbass."
Austin held up three fingers. "And then psycho roommate walked in on us."
"Oh, man, that had to hurt."
"Uh-huh."
"But anticipation can be a lot of fun."
"Anticipation makes you insane."
"That explains a lot."
"Yeah."
He'd never dealt with anticipation before. He couldn't wait to see her again, but not just because he wanted to finish what they'd started. No, he couldn't wait to talk with her and laugh with her. He wanted to argue with her some more. He'd fought with women before, but when Jane fought back, she challenged him and made him think. Fighting with her excited him... almost as much as foreplay.
Austin frowned and wondered if he should enjoy that as much as he had.
"You okay, man?"
He jumped. How did Jack know? The guy had a gift for reading people. "Yeah, I'm fine." He got up and headed to his bedroom. "I just gotta figure out how to get some sleep tonight."
"No running around the football field?"
"Nope. That's not gonna cut it."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Austin looked back at his friend and laughed. "Jack, you're way too sensitive. Are you sure you're a guy?"
"Angie says so. You didn't answer my question."
"I don't even know what to talk about." Austin shut his bedroom door then opened it again. "That means no."
"I got it."
But before the latch clicked, he popped the door open again and spun back to the living room, pacing and snarling at Jack. "Why am I so...? Why can't I find the words?"
"Confused?"
"Yeah, that's one word." He plopped down on the couch and ripped his hands through his hair. "I promised Janie a good time—nothing more."
"But you want more."
"Yeah."
"And that scares the shit out of you."
He growled at Jack, but his friend wouldn't retreat. "I promised Natalie I'd wait for her to graduate."
"I remember."
"One year. I'd wait for her to join me here, and I swore I wouldn't see anyone else."
Jack nodded. "Shocked the hell out of me, but I knew you'd do your best."
"But she didn't care. My leaving for college wasn't the problem. She said my future was too uncertain. I had no plan. 'What if you get hurt and don't make it in the NFL? What will you do then?' I couldn't answer her."
"You can now."
"Yes, I can."
"So why is that keeping you from being with Jane?"
"It isn't. It's something else."
"You don't want to get hurt again."
"Stop reading my mind, Jack."
"I can read you like a freaking book. Want to know what I think?"
"You're gonna tell me, whether I want to or not."
"True. I think you might get hurt again."
"That's comforting."
"But I think you've gotta take the chance. Jane's worth it."
"I know she is." Austin looked straight into his best friend's eyes and saw his uncertain face mirrored back at him. "Am I ?"
"You are, and you always have been. You got me through some pretty horrible shit when we were in high school. You're good enough for me. But if you don't believe that, Jane won't either." Jack punched Austin's shoulder and yawned. "Goodnight."
Austin sat on the couch until he
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