CHAPTER 2

JACKSON

I dried my hair and wrapped the towel around my waist, still a little wet from my shower. I worked out for a long time today and needed it. I walked through the apartment, glancing the guest room as I made a mental note to clean it for Emma. It was hard to believe that I was letting her move in to go the university here. Wasn’t she just a kid?

Well, nineteen was not a kid. I knew that and Greg knew that, although he still saw Emma as a kid. He overprotected her. I appeased him on the phone when we discussed her staying here for a bit, not wanting to burst his bubble.

I listened to ESPN talking about football season as I got ready. I knew that this season would be different.

Fuck the commentators for going on about the Patriots. They had a great season last year and nearly made it to the Super Bowl, but it didn’t happen. This was a new start, and I wanted my shot. I watched the screen for a minute before getting a water from the fridge.

I thought about what I should do to prepare for Emma even though I had a few days before she arrived. I needed to stock the fridge, clean the second room and tidy everything else.

I shook my head at the idea of her living here. She was just a kid for the longest time and then suddenly I was graduating, and she was getting tits and a great ass. I hadn’t seen her too much since I started playing professionally, but she was a cutie last time.

I wondered if she was the kind of girl to have guys over at the apartment a lot. Greg swore that she was a good girl, but women could hide things. Greg had never stopped being protective of her.

Emma had always been sheltered. I suppose it paid off since she was great in school and going to college for engineering now, but at some point, she was going to go crazy. I could step in to some degree if she was living with me, but Emma was an adult who deserved to live her life. Who was I to stand in her way?

The commentators said something positive about the Patriots again. Enough, already. What the hell did they know? I could think of a few years they weren’t right, and a team just proved them all wrong. This year, it would be my team.

As much as I bashed these guys, I listened to what they had to say and let it get to me. I was just a backup for the team right now, but I trained as hard as anyone else, ready to step in when needed. I was still a valuable part of the Trojans and proud of that.

I wondered what it would be like with a roommate here. I hadn’t had one of those since college, much less a woman.

Most women didn’t even get the chance of staying the night with me, much less seeing the morning light here.

I made it clear that I was in it for casual sex and nothing more. They weren’t going to spend the night, move in or date me. I was also careful about safe sex. I knew that stuff got to the media about players, but I didn’t worry about that. I didn’t have a bunch of kids running around or any felonies, and in pro sports that was something. I was doing great.

I woke up later to the sound of knocking. I realized I fell asleep in front of the TV. I grabbed the towel to answer the door.

A hot blonde was staring at me in shock.

“Hey, Jackson. Did I arrive at a bad time?”

It took me a moment to recognize the hot blonde as Emma and not some woman that I’d brought home once.

“Em? I thought that you were coming next week.”

“No, it was today.”

She stared at the worn mat on my doorstep, blushing deeply. “I’m sorry, Jackson. Want me to get a hotel until you’re ready? I thought that Greg arranged this better.”

“No. Not at all. I just spaced out. Come in, Emma. I’ll get some clothes on and clear your room.”

I ushered her in, keeping a tight hold of the small towel before I darted back to my room.

Fuck, Emma was gorgeous now. Her body filled out with some great curves and those big brown eyes could make a man do just about anything. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a dark purple top.

I dropped the towel and looked around the bedroom for something to wear. I grabbed a clean pair of workout shorts and a T-shirt, tugging them on before I looked at the mirror to see my dark hair sticking up in complete disorder. I ran some water through it and arranged it into a quick version of the spiky look that I mostly went for.

The living room was empty when I reappeared, but Emma had dumped her stuff near the kitchen and I presumed she was getting more things from the car.

I opened the door to the spare room and groaned. There was a queen-sized bed, but it was covered with stuff. I made quick work of clearing it so I could wash the sheets. I’d had a few parties and who knows what happened in here. I pulled them off and dragged them down the hallway to see Emma standing in the living room with a box.

My eyes slid down her sexy body.

“I’m going to wash these. Let’s get the stuff from your car and bring it up. Then I’ll tackle the room.”

I could see how uncomfortable she was and I smiled at her. “I’ll take you to dinner to welcome you. We can stop by the grocery store on the way home.” She bit her lip. I knew that she hated being an inconvenience. “Emma, this is my bad. I forgot but it won’t be that hard to fix.”

I went to the washing machine in the hallway and turned on the hot water before dumping the sheets inside.

“Let’s get the rest of your things.”

We walked out together and I spotted the old blue car. Inside were a couple of suitcases and a couple more boxes. I was glad I didn’t have a lot of furniture in the spare room.

“You still have this car?” I asked.

She wrinkled her nose and nodded. “It runs fine and I’d prefer not to have a payment until I have a decent job.”

I pulled open the back door and took out a suitcase. Emma grabbed its handle and start to pull the luggage to my downstairs apartment. I made quick work of getting the other one and bringing it in before we both came out to get the rest from the car.

I eyed the stuff taking up space in my tiny apartment and pushed away the thought that I was irritated. Greg would have my ass if I turned Emma away.

I told her that I was going to clean the room. I acknowledged I was a slob as I made it all fit and went back into the room to get it ready for her.