Page 8 of Hate the Game (Playing Dirty #1)

***Savannah***

“No, Cash. It was so weird.” I paced my room after coming back from breakfast and running into a group of cheerleaders.

“I asked one of them if they minded me reaching past them to grab a drink and she didn’t blink.

It was like I wasn’t there and hadn’t asked her anything.

The entire group of them ignored me so thoroughly that I started to worry that I’d died and woken up a ghost without realizing it. ”

Cash was laughing loud enough that I had to pull the phone from my ear. He practically screamed his response. “Like when you were little!”

I stomped my foot, even though he couldn’t see it to know that he was pissing me off. “Y’all were so mean to me!”

He’d almost gotten control of his laughter but it started right back up. “Oh, man! You cried when you thought you were a ghost but then you got this look on your face and you were out the front door before we could stop you.”

“It’s not funny, jerk. I took off my clothes and ran across the road to get to the swimming pool in our neighbor’s yard.

I can still see the shocked faces of all the people in that backyard, Cash.

I’m still mortified. They were having a party!

” Even though I claimed it wasn’t funny I couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out.

“I did a naked cannonball over the head of their grandma. She screamed!”

“I needed this laugh, Vannah. Oh, God. That day was well worth the spanking Sam gave us for tricking you and embarrassing him.”

I read between the lines and got serious. “Is everything okay?”

Cash was the wild brother out of the three of them.

He was probably meant to join a motorcycle gang more than he was a football team but as a Ford, he didn’t really have that option.

He was also the only one out of the three of them that hadn’t been injured.

Weston still wasn’t playing and probably wouldn’t for the rest of the season.

Hayes had played in his first game over the weekend and he’d been so off that he was taken off the field almost immediately.

I knew my brothers well enough to know that it was causing issues.

“Everything’s fine, Vannah.” He sighed. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. Those asssholes need a little bit of their own medicine.”

Speaking of those assholes, I heard a knock on my door and looked through the peephole to see Cole standing there. Just when I thought I’d just ignore him he grinned and leaned closer to the peephole. “I know you’re in there, Sav. Open the door or the big, bad wolf will do what he does.”

I swore and put my hand over my mouth as I whispered to Cash. “I have to go.”

“Is that one of them? What do they want? You’re being safe, aren’t you?” Cash was also the brother most likely to murder someone for me.

“You mean condoms?!” His silence told me that I’d just horrified my brother. “Shit. Don’t tell Hayes or Weston that I even said the word. I’m not using condoms, Cash.”

“What?!”

“Because I’m not having sex!” I looked through the peephole again and knocked my forehead against the door. “I have to go. This was awful.”

“You’d better not be having sex! That was not part of the plan. Don’t let those motherfuckers touch you, Savannah Lane Ford!” Cash was officially pissed. Which meant I’d be getting calls from all three of my brothers soon.

“Gotta go! Love you forty-seven and it could be fifty if you don’t freak out over this!”

I had to hang up on him before I heard his response and it made me feel like shit but I still had Cole to deal with. I checked my reflection before opening the door for him.

Cole gripped each side of my doorframe and leaned into me, a dangerous smirk on his lips. “I wasn’t entirely sure this was where you hide yourself away but the risk paid off. Now I know where to find you.”

I brushed a stray curl out of my face and let out a fake sounding giggle. “Um, hi. W-what are you doing here?”

He raised his eyebrows. “I told you I’d find you for our one on one. You okay?”

I swallowed down my nerves and grinned. “I’m great! I’m so glad you showed up! The lady I’m working for is all over me about getting an interview with y’all and I’m just like, relax, lady.”

His face relaxed as he pushed away from my door and gestured down the hallway. “Care to go for a little drive with me?”

It was still early enough in the morning that my brain was method acting the role of idiot. Also, I’d reminded myself of the email Marla had sent me, demanding dirt on the guys. Anxiety made me dumb, too, it seemed. “Huh?”

His eyebrows were raised again but that time it was surprise by my stupidity that had them lifting, I was willing to bet. “I’m inviting you out for a drive.”

I forced a laugh and nodded. “Oh! Totally. Yeah! Let’s go.”

He rested his hand on my back as we left the dorm and walked to the student parking behind our building. “So, I was just wondering… How’d you get this job? Interviewing us and writing the article, I mean?”

I needed to relax because I was too close to the edge of my temper. “I just got it. Lucky break, I guess. You know how that goes.”

He laughed but it sounded bitter. “No, actually I don’t. Some of us don’t have luck or whatever it was that got you this job.”

His implication was crystal clear when his eyes shifted to my chest. I couldn’t believe he was openly implying I’d only gotten the article because I’d used my tits to get it.

It was too close to what I’d been accused of before because of Charlie.

It pushed me over the edge of ever being able to hold my tongue.

“Or maybe the woman who chose me to write the article didn’t expect much from you or your friends and knew it wouldn’t take the next great American author to write up something on y’all.

She also seemed pretty straight so I doubt it was my tits that swayed her opinion.

” I finished with a sweet smile and turned to go back to the dorm.

I wasn’t in the mood to deal with his bullshit.

Cole caught my arm and pulled me to a stop. “Shit. I deserved that. I’m sorry.”

I turned back to him, still angry. “If you’re just going to insult me I’d rather go back to my room and brush my hair. As another curly-haired person, you know how much fun that would be.”

He smiled then, a real smile that stretched his lips wide and turned him from dangerously handsome to outright gorgeous. “Goddamn. You’re not what I expected. I like this fire, Sav. Where’s this girl been?”

I cleared my throat and looked away. Blinking away the anger in my eyes, I made my face blank again. “I don’t know what you mean, silly. Come on. I was promised a ride. Whatever kind you’re offering, I expect you to pay up.”

Cole frowned as he watched me slip back into my ditzy character but he didn’t call me out. He just grunted and led me to his truck. It was older and a little beat up but it was perfectly clean and smelled like a vanilla cupcake inside.

I inhaled deeply and moaned, unsure if it was oversexualized Sav or the normal me who made the sound. “Are you hiding cupcakes in here?”

That broke the awkwardness that had settled between us. He laughed and nodded to an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. “Good to know that’s all I need to make you moan, though.”

I turned to face him on the bench seat and shrugged. “I’m just that easy to please. Doesn’t mean I don’t like a little effort, though.”

His eyes heated as he looked over at me. “I’m a hard, hard worker, Sav.”