Chapter 4 4

JAXSON

The sharp crack of shoulder pads colliding echoed across the practice field as our defense slammed into the offensive line. Sweat trickled down my temples beneath my helmet, and the afternoon sun beat against my back while Coach barked instructions from the sideline.

“Again! Run it again!”

I adjusted my grip on the football, scanning the field. Zeke took his position on the right, his long locs tucked beneath his helmet, while the other receivers spread out across the field.

“Ready!” I shouted.

The ball snapped into my hands. I dropped back, planted my feet, and launched a deep pass downfield.

Zeke sprinted past the cornerback, stretched out his arms, and caught the ball perfectly in stride.

“That's what I'm talking about!” he yelled, turning to flash me a cocky grin. I barely acknowledged him before reaching for another ball.

We reset.

The snap came. I dropped back and threw, but the ball sailed several feet over Zeke's head, landing harmlessly on the turf beyond him.

“Shit!” I ripped off my helmet, glaring at the football as though it had personally betrayed me.

“Callahan!” my quarterback coach shouted. “What the hell was that? Your footwork was sloppy. Reset and run the play again!”

I clenched my jaw, shoved my helmet back on, and returned to position.

“Something's eating you alive today,” Zeke muttered as he jogged past me.

“Focus on catching the damn ball.”

He stopped.

“Oh, so we're doing that?” His eyebrows lifted beneath his helmet. “You want to tell me what happened at that party, or should I keep guessing?”

I turned away. “Nothing happened.”

“Really? Because you still haven't explained why you called off the party so abruptly.”

“Drop it, Zeke.

“Nope.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “You barely slept, you've been throwing like shit, and now you're snapping at me. So I'm asking you one last time, Jaxson. What happened last night?”

The whistle blew before I could answer.

“Callahan! Harrington! Back on the field!”

I grabbed another football, grateful for the interruption. Unfortunately, Zeke wasn't the kind of guy who forgot a question just because someone changed the subject.

“Who's the girl, Jax?”

My body tensed when I heard his question. “What?”

“Don't play dumb,” he snapped, his voice heavy with exertion. “I asked who was the girl who screamed during the party. I saw how panicked you were when you heard her.”

“Mind your own damn business, Zeke,” I snapped, launching another pass downfield.

He caught the ball, staring at me like I'd just grown another head. “Dude, it's my girlfriend's apartment!”

I grunted, holding out my hand for the ball. “My cousin's apartment.”

“Whatever.” He tossed the ball back at me. “Point is, I get priority in this case. So stop acting like I'm some stranger asking questions about what went down there last night.”

I ignored him, focusing on the next play, but my quarterback coach's whistle interrupted us before I could throw.

“That's enough! Hit the showers, gentlemen. We pick this up tomorrow!”

Thank God.

I pulled off my helmet, dragging a hand through my damp hair as the linebackers returned from their defensive drills. Kaiser was at the front of the group, his blonde hair sticking out beneath his helmet, the three slits in his eyebrow visible as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

His gaze shifted between Zeke and me. “What the hell happened here?”

“Your boy's been acting weird since last night,” Zeke murmured, leaning closer to him.

I rolled my eyes and headed straight for the locker room.

Unfortunately, they followed.

“Seriously, Jax,” Zeke continued as we entered the changing room. “What I don't understand is why you aren't at your apartment.”

My entire body stiffened.

Evander stood near the lockers, laughing at something one of the guys said. My younger brother had his back partially turned toward us, but that did nothing to ease the sudden panic crawling up my spine.

I couldn't let Zeke keep talking.

“I'm staying for the girl,” I blurted.

Zeke stopped walking while Kaiser looked at me. I forced myself to shrug, reaching for the zipper of my practice jersey as though I'd said the most ordinary thing in the world.

“What?” Zeke asked slowly.

I shot him a warning look. “Don't start.”

“Wait a damn minute.” His eyes widened. “You mean you're staying at your cousin's apartment because of a girl?”

“Can you lower your fucking voice?” I hissed, glancing at Evander.

Zeke's lips spread into a wide grin when he hit Kaiser's chest once. I could hear them snickering behind me when we sat down on the bench. 

Kaiser finally spoke up. 

“Is she that pretty?”

My jaw clenched at his question. The guys knew that I hadn't been in a serious relationship since my ex-girlfriend, Naomi, broke up with me. In fact, I had done a pretty good job of steering clear of women until now. 

Tamara. 

Contrary to what everyone believed, my Alpha wolf didn't have a caring bone in his body. He was protective, yes, but most of the time, he simply didn't give a shit enough to act on his instincts.

But she was different. From the moment I saw her in Simone's apartment, every part of me wanted to wrap her in bubble wrap and keep her safe. She could barely hold my gaze for five seconds, yet she was brave enough to stay in a penthouse with one of the most dominant wolves in the country. 

I stood up and grabbed a water bottle from my locker. All my attempts to get rid of that beautiful brunette out of my mind were failing, and now, my friends digging into my private life in front of my younger brother just made everything worse. 

Tipping my head back, I gulped down a large amount of water before gathering some courage to face my friends again. I needed to get them off my back now, or they'll discover the truth about my living situation. 

“Look, I just want to get to know her,” I said, meeting their gazes. “She is pretty, Kaiser. So, I'll appreciate it if you two dweebs stayed away from the penthouse for now.”

Zeke snickered. “Yeah, but submissive wolves aren't really your type. I mean, Naomi—”

“Stop. Talking. About. Her.”

Zeke fell silent while Kaiser tensed slightly. I had no idea when Evander left the locker room, but now even the nearby teammates were watching us with cautious eyes, and I was too pissed to care about it. 

Kaiser rose to his full 6'3" height, his broad shoulders squaring as he stepped in front of me. His muscular frame blocked my path to Zeke, forcing me to stop short of walking straight into his chest.

“Chill, Jax.”

“Yeah, I didn't mean no disrespect,” Zeke apologized, raising his hand in surrender. “If you like this chick, then I'm glad for you. Just keep us updated about it.”

I nodded grimly before grabbing my stuff and heading straight to the shower room. A part of me cursed myself for losing my temper, but at least everyone now thought something was going on between Tamara and me.

Now, all I had to do was make it real.