.

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      Adam parked his car and said, "Do you need help getting out?"

      "No." She didn't mean for her answer to come out sounding sharp, but if his raised eyebrows were an indication, she'd failed. She added, "Thanks for the offer, but your car is the perfect height for me to get in and out of on my own."

      "Okay." He picked up their bag of food and their soda tray before getting out. Then he waited on her side of the car while she got herself out.

      Once she was upright, he shut her door, locked the car, and walked in front of her up the walkway. She stopped at the bottom of the porch and watched him take the six stairs in three steps.

      He unlocked the front door, turned around, and frowned at the air beside him before looking down at her.

      Blushing, she mumbled, "Could you spot me while I get up the stairs?"

      "Sure." He set their burger bag and drink tray on the porch and went to stand next to her. "I could just carry you," he offered.

      "Oh…" She was torn. Being carried sounded both romantic and pathetic at the same time.

      After a short indecisive pause, he spoke. "Give me your crutches."

      He held out his hand for them, and she let him take them with a frown. He leaned them against the porch railing and turned to her.

      One moment she was standing, and the next, she was in his arms, bridal style. She gasped as her world shifted, and her arms automatically wrapped around his shoulders to steady herself as he easily carried her up the stairs, through the house, and into the kitchen. He carefully set her down right next to one of the kitchen chairs.

      "There," he said decisively.

      He turned and went back outside, presumably to get her crutches and their food, while she stared at his back, wondering if she should be upset. He came back in, shut the front door behind him, put the food on the table, and handed her the crutches.

      "Thanks," she said, leaning the crutches against the table and pulling the chair out so she could sit. He sat kitty-corner from her and started getting the food out.

      Once they'd both had a couple of bites, she said, "A couple of times during class, you said you were the president of SAK. What happened?"

      Setting his burger down, he leaned back in his chair. "It's in the rules of the fraternity. You can't be president if you've had a misdemeanor or felony, and since my lawyer couldn't get the case thrown out during my arraignment, there wasn't a choice. Most of the guys said they should've changed the rules or made an exception for me, but it's a national rule for every chapter of SAK, so they wouldn't make an exception. If I get found not guilty, then I could qualify to be president again, but my lawyer says that's not going to happen. I did assault someone, and I did it in front of witnesses. I think Rubin deserved it, and everyone I've talked to agrees, but that's not the way our legal system sees it."

      "That sucks," she said. "Are you kicked out of SAK completely? Is that why you're living at home again?"

      "No, I'm still a member, but I've been suspended from the football team, pending the outcome of the charges against me. Living in that house with all the other players and watching them go to practice every day sounded too painful." He looked towards the doorway and added, "But after living with my dad for the past couple of weeks, I'm thinking I might move back."

      "Why?" she asked, genuinely confused.

      "Because if he tells me what a fuck up I am one more time, I'm going to lose it."

      "Wait a minute." She could barely believe what she was hearing. "Are you telling me that he's not proud of you for stopping a rapist?"

      "Proud?" A bitter chuckle came out of him as he shook his head. "Absolutely not. He's pissed that I stuck my nose in where it doesn't belong."

      "What? That's insane! You stopped a rapist! What the hell?"

      Adam shrugged. "True, but I also might have lost my football scholarship, and if that's the case, I lost fifteen thousand dollars in one day. Plus, if I can't play this season, there's no chance I'll get picked up by a professional team, so my potential career could be gone, too. You know how well we did last year at the playoffs. A good part of that was due to having Mack as our quarterback, but this year would have been my year to shine now that he's graduating, and I'm almost as good as he is."

      She put her food down, leaned towards him, and placed a hand on his thigh. "What about your mom?"

      He shook his head and put his hand over hers. "She's not in the picture. My biological mom left when I was two. I don't remember her, but I've seen some pictures. I was an accident. She was seventeen and my dad was nineteen. She wanted an abortion, but her parents and my dad talked her into having me. Dad says he wasn't surprised when she left him for a rich guy who didn't want kids. But her parents, my grandparents, are great. I see them all the time, and my grandma said she was proud of me for catching Rubin."

      "That's good. Did your dad ever remarry?"

      "Yeah, I had a stepmom and an older stepsister for about five years. They got together when I was six and split up when I was eleven. I liked my stepmom well enough, but my stepsister was horrible. She was two years older, and she loved picking on me."

      "I'm sorry."

      He shrugged. "It's not that bad. My dad is usually a decent guy. We share a love of football, so that's always been common ground for us, even when we disagreed on other things. That's part of why he's so disappointed now. Because I had a real shot at getting picked up by a professional team, and now—"

      "Now you still might," she cut in. "When will your case go to trial?"

      "My trial is scheduled for Wednesday the sixteenth."

      "So in a couple of weeks, you might be back on the team and back on track. You shouldn't give up on that. You need to think positively and find ways to make that happen."

      He smirked and leaned forward into her personal space. "Are you cheering me on?"

      His sexy tone and proximity sent a shiver down her spine. She nodded. "It's what I do."

      Leaning in further, he pressed his lips to hers for a short, gentle kiss. "Thanks."

      "You're welcome," she answered breathlessly, wanting more, and unintentionally leaning in further.

      Then his mouth was on hers again, and she responded by parting her lips. Their tongues met, and she felt his hand on the side of her face, holding her still while he tasted her.

      When they broke apart, she said, "I'm not really that hungry."

      "Me either," he mumbled before scooting closer and putting one hand on her back before kissing her again. They were both breathing hard by the time they pulled apart.

      "Do you want to take this upstairs to my bedroom?" he asked.

      "Yes," she answered, but when he started to stand, she added, "But we need to talk about something first."

      He sat back down and nodded. When she didn't immediately speak, he said, "I can carry you up the stairs, and I've got condoms up there."

      "That's СКАЧАТЬ