Page 48

My body felt heavy as I slowly woke up and tried to peel my eyes open.

I snapped them closed and groaned when the light from the window burned my pupils.

My mouth felt dry and chalky with the lingering tang of whiskey on my tongue.

Fuck, I hated hangovers. I pulled Charlotte's soft body into my chest and squeezed tightly to try and go back to sleep.

The fluffy squish between my arms felt nothing like what it was supposed to. Cracking my eyes open I glared at the pillow that had replaced Charlotte's warm body in my arms. I stretched my aching muscles and looked around for her, it was then that I heard the water running in the bathroom.

Stumbling out of bed, I stripped my clothes off as I walked into the bathroom.

I paused and smiled when I heard Charlotte singing under her breath in the water.

She wouldn't be recording an album anytime soon, but her shower performances were my favourite thing to listen to.

She always managed to pick the most outdated pop music that normally I'd hate.

Coming out of her beautiful mouth though? It sounded like heaven.

She squeaked when I pulled back the shower curtain and stepped behind her. She had just lathered her body with soap and her curls were twisted into a conditioner-covered bun on top of her head.

"Good morning," I smirked as my manhood saluted her soapy breasts.

"Morning," she replied lazily then turned back under the stream.

If I thought her breasts were the best sight I could wake up to, I was not prepared for her rounded ass glistening as though it were on display just for me.

I stepped closer behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. My hand covered her stomach and I massaged her soapy skin softly.

"Don't you dare, mister." Charlotte swatted my hand away and turned to face me.

She lifted her arms to let down her bun in the water and I was dazed by the soft arc of her spine and her perfectly rosy nipples.

She was still talking but I didn't hear a word as I stared at her chest, thinking about 100 dirty things I wanted to do.

"Archer, are you listening?"

"Yes of course," I responded quickly.

"Good so you agree?"

"Mhmm definitely." I grabbed her waist and pushed her gently against the tile wall. She let out an exasperated sigh and I flicked my eyes up to her face. "No?" I asked when I saw her raised eyebrow and pursed lips.

"No." Her definitive response made me let go and step back. I leaned my head forward to catch some water on my hair then grabbed the shampoo.

"Madeline is on her way with the Plan-B.

That's what I was trying to tell you," she explained as she went back to rinsing her hair.

I chided myself internally that I already forgot about our lapse in judgement last night.

Never before had I ever forgotten the condom.

I'd been blacked out on my ass and it was still the first thing I thought about.

I couldn't really bring myself to feel that guilty though when I thought about how mind-blowing it felt to be inside of Charlotte bare.

We finished up quickly after that sobering moment then went back into the bedroom to find clothes.

I threw on some sweats and tossed Charlotte a clean shirt while she dug leggings out of her duffel bag.

I once again imagined how great it would be if Charlotte and I lived together.

She wouldn't live out of a bag, she would have her things mixed with mine.

Like so many things with this girl, I hadn't planned on asking her to move in with me.

I just felt something and had no choice but to act on it.

But the second I had, it felt overwhelmingly right.

I'd come to appreciate my teammates much more in the last year, but I had never loved living with them.

The constant parties and girls in and out of the house were getting tiring.

I couldn't pressure her though. I knew this would be a huge decision for her and she would agonize over how it affected everyone else around her. Selfishly, I really hoped she would end up caring only about herself and me.

We walked down the stairs together and I cringed at the state of the house. The furniture was shoved all over the place, and the floor was sticky with spilt beer and God knows what else. Crushed cans and red solo cups were littered everywhere and a pungent musky odour stung the air.

"Oh my gosh," Charlotte said in a hushed tone. I followed her line of sight and chuckled when I saw Emmett.

He was passed out on top of our table, with his arms and legs spread wide-eagle.

Those stupid tiny shorts were all he managed to keep on himself, which put the smudged writing on full display.

As we got closer it became evident that more people had written on him throughout the night.

By the attention to his abs, I was going to assume girls.

Charlotte gently shook Emmett's shoulder and spoke softly in his ear until he slowly opened his eyes. A wide grin spread across his face as his loopy stare fell on her.

"G' morning, Smalls." Emmett rubbed his eyes to clear the sleep from them and groaned as I'm sure the pain of sleeping on a table hit him.

A knock on the front door pulled all of our attention, a moment later the knob jiggled and Madeline walked in. Just another reason to move out... whatever drunk idiot was the last to bed didn't lock the door.

"Hey, hey, y'all." Madeline chirpily glided over and passed each of us a coffee.

I nodded gratefully at her then took a large gulp of the scalding black liquid.

I rolled my eyes when Charlotte grimaced at me.

It completely blew her mind that I could drink my coffee black.

In her words, "Without milk or sugar, it's just bean-water. "

Madeline pulled a small, white, paper bag out of her purse and handed it to Charlotte. Emmett perked up from his spot on the table and eyed it.

"What's that?" He asked.

Madeline shot me a glare. "Apparently someone got a little too excited last night and skipped the condom."

It was almost comical how fast Charlotte's face went bright red. I'd gladly take the fall for us but her guilt-filled eyes were giving herself away.

Emmett sat a little straighter and looked at me incredulously. "Dude, what the fuck? Don't make me beat you up again."

"First of all." I held one finger up and wagged it at him. "You didn't beat me up. I just didn't fight back."

"Uuuhhm nope. No that's not how I remember it at all," Emmett dramatically rubbed his chin and stared at the roof.

"Wanna go again then?" I challenged.

"Okay no!" Charlotte said quickly, putting her hand on my chest. I smirked over her head at Emmett and mouthed, "It's on." A laugh got stuck in my throat when the little shit mouthed back, "Bring it."

"Either way, Archer is the innocent one here." Charlotte put her hands over her eyes as though she couldn't bear to look at us as she continued. "It was me. I'm the horndog who got too excited."

It was silent for a beat then Madeline and Emmett both burst into laughter. Charlotte pulled her face away from her hands and looked at me confused. I pulled her to my side and kissed her temple. "It's nothing baby, you're just so fucking sweet," I whispered in her hair.

After that, Charlotte and Madeline both went into the bathroom together to deal with the Plan B. When they came back out they declared that today would be a hangover day. Apparently, that entailed a lot of greasy food and movies. Face Masks were also thrown out as a necessity but I axed that idea.

Charlotte went into tyrant-mode when I pointed out that the house wasn't in the best shape right now.

I had offered to call a rookie to come clean but the little smart ass reminded me we didn't have any rookies anymore.

That's when she doled out jobs to each of us and I got stuck picking up garbage with Emmett.

The girls disappeared into the kitchen and I only saw them when Charlotte heard Emmett and I goofing around. I had just sunk a cup into the garbage bag from across the room when she poked her head out and glared at us. That was how we also got mop-duty.

An hour later Emmett and I pushed the furniture back into place and flopped down on the couch.

I dropped my head back against the cushion and drooled a little at the smell of bacon.

It must have drifted upstairs too because slowly all my roommates started coming downstairs.

James stumbled into the kitchen and came back out with a mug of coffee and a big smile.

"Those two angels are making breakfast."

"Hey!" Emmett pouted. "We're the angels, we cleaned this whole damn place."

"For some reason, I just can't picture Johnson in a white dress and a halo," Tyler ribbed while he fell into a recliner.

Soon all the guys were in the living room groaning about how good it smelled in the house. A few had gone into the kitchen for coffee and to sneak a few bites but they were quickly kicked out.

Finally, right before I thought a riot could break out, the girls came out of the kitchen with large plates of food. They lined them all up on the two dining room tables we had pushed together and called for us to come eat.

I rushed forward ahead of everyone else—mostly to protect the girls from the stampede of hungry football players—but also because it smelled damn good. I swallowed my drool and stood in front of them as I eyed the platters of bacon, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and pancakes.

After some shoving and a few choice words between the guys we all eventually sat down with our plates. For the first few minutes, the only sounds were grunts of appreciation and the clatter of cutlery.

I became suspicious when Madeline cleared her throat and gave Charlotte a pointed look. Charlotte nodded and then carefully lowered her fork and knife.

"Boys," she said and waited for everyone to look up.

Her delicate but commanding voice drifted over all of the barbarians and made them turn to her.

"So Madeline and I have decided that we should all have a movie day!

" The guys reflected differing ranges of excitement to the idea but they all agreed.

"Great." Charlotte's sugary grin made me raise an eyebrow.

She winked at me then turned back to the table.

"We were hoping you all wouldn't mind watching Tangled? Since we made breakfast?"

She. Fucking. Would. This girl has tried for months to get me to watch that damn movie.

Plus the one about ice. So far I had found a way to avoid it each time.

Usually, I had to cover my eyes like she was a fucking medusa because I can't say no to her puppy-dog face.

The same face that she was currently aiming at my roommates.

I looked around at all the boys, silently begging one of them to be the bad guy. I sighed as I watched each and every one of them fall victim to her round glassy eyes and adorable bottom lip.

Fucking weaklings.

Emmett grunted and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach. "You guys are gonna love Tangled. It's the best."

I'd never been more grateful for Tyler then when he reached out and cuffed Emmett in the back of the head.

When we were all done eating, Madeline went into the living room to set up for the movie. Apparently, there was a science to a 'Movie Day' and it wasn't just... you know, watching movies. Charlotte disappeared into the kitchen so I grabbed some dishes and followed her.

"Don't you fucking dare," I said when I walked in and saw her in front of the sink. "We'll clean up later."

I crossed the room and grabbed her around the waist. I lifted her onto the counter so I didn't have to bend down as far to look her in the eye. She smiled impishly when I caught her eye and glared.

"You little sneak." I nestled my hips between her thighs and locked her in with my fists. "I can't believe you are actually making me do this."

I didn't snap my eyes closed fast enough and got lost in her big eyes. "Don't you love me?" She asked with a tantalizing pout.

"I love the shit out of you." I kissed her pouty lip to prove my point. I ran my fingers up her thigh and trailed them around to her ass. "I can just think of much more fun things for us to do upstairs instead of watching a Disney movie."

A smirk tugged at my lips when her eyes darkened.

She might be able to dazzle me with her damn puppy-dog eyes, but I had my own tricks.

I slowly massaged her soft curves and bent to press my lips more firmly to hers.

Her body melted against mine as she opened her mouth as an invitation for me to deepen the kiss.

Another few seconds and I'd have her right where I wanted her. My bed.

"Hey you guys coming?" Emmett walked through the archway to the kitchen. Charlotte jumped and pulled away as she inconspicuously wiped the edges of her mouth.

"I wish," I said under my breath then stood back to glare at Emmett. He had enough decency to smile sheepishly and avert his eyes for a moment.

"My bad," he chuckled and slowly backed out of the room.

Charlotte jumped off the counter and grabbed my shirt to tug me into the living room. I purposefully let myself droop back and slow my walking so she'd have to work a little harder.

When we got to the living room all of the guys were sprawled out on the floor.

Madeline had laid out blankets and pillows on the floor and even a few mattresses that must have been grabbed from upstairs.

I tried to go to a couch but Charlotte dragged me to an open spot on the floor and gave me a pointed look to sit.

I narrowed my eyes at her but sat down with my back against the seat cushion of a couch. I was at least rewarded with Charlotte nestling herself on my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and tugged a blanket over her waist. Once she was covered I slipped my hand back to her ass and squeezed.

"If I have to watch this dumb movie at least let me go to my happy place," I reasoned when she glared at me. She huffed but nodded her head and settled against me.

"This is a fucking musical?" I cringed when the movie started and this chick began singing.

"Yes. Now try to enjoy it, you need more freaking joy in your life," Charlotte hissed.

I relaxed and tried to forgive the main girl for breaking out into song every five fucking minutes.

Once I did, I couldn't help but notice she was kind of like Charlotte.

It was cute how she used that frying pan to beat the shit out of people, kind of like how my girl used her tiny little pinchers to inflict pain.

Plus she made those sketchy guys in the bar love her, just like Charlotte had charmed all of the football beasts in this house.

Once I made that connection, the movie became pretty bearable.

I wasn't particularly fond of how gooey-eyed Charlotte got over the main guy, but I had to remind myself a cartoon wasn't really competition.

There were even a few funny moments but I had enough self-respect to keep my laughter quiet.

Only Charlotte would be able to tell since my chest was pressed against her shoulder.

I loved her even more when she just gave me a small smirk then ignored it.

Turns out a movie day really was the best cure for a hangover.

We all relaxed on the floor for hours, some of the guys even ended up cuddling into each other's legs and falling asleep.

James was the hero we all needed when he quickly jumped up to put a new movie on once Tangled was done.

I liked it and all, but I couldn't handle another cartoon.

The chances of lightning striking twice were rare.

Later in the afternoon, the living room was pretty quiet. Most of the guys were sleeping or playing on their phones. Charlotte had passed out an hour ago and I'd stopped watching the movie to watch her instead. I would never get sick of holding her while she slept.

Madeline whispered that she was heading back home to do homework, but she knew Charlotte had done her's ahead of the party. I cradled my perfect girl carefully and managed to stand up without waking her. Nodding to the guys who called quiet goodbyes, I went back up to my room.

My phone vibrated in my pocket but I ignored it as I crossed the room to my bed. I bent slowly over the mattress to gently put Charlotte down then dug into my jeans. I glowered at the unknown number on the call-display.

"I thought I told you I would reach out when I was ready?" I snapped as I lifted the phone.

"Well you're taking your sweet time and I need an answer." My dad's lazy tone set my teeth on edge. "I'm already fielding offers but I can't get far without the formality of a contract."

I walked away from the bed and took a deep breath to stay calm. Mr. Avery and I had made a plan and my losing control didn't help. "I know," I sighed in resignation. "There's a lot on the line and I just needed some time to decide what I want."

"And have you decided?"

"I want you to answer one question, then I will," I said carefully. This was going off script and I hoped it wouldn't bite me in the ass, but suddenly, I really needed to know the answer. "Don't bother lying and giving me the answer you think I want. I only want the truth then I'll sign."

"Okay, go on."

After a deep breath, I asked the question that had been nagging at my brain for months now.

"Do you care about us?" My question was met with a heavy silence.

I hated the little prick of nerves I got in my stomach.

It felt like I was a little kid again, begging for my Dad's love.

"I mean, I know you obviously don't care about us as much as you care about yourself.

Otherwise, we wouldn't be here. But you're asking me to sign my career over to you. I want to know if you care."

I didn't breathe while I waited. I could practically hear my Dad's inner conflict of how to answer the question.

"I do care—about you anyways." I wanted to snap at him that he had a daughter too but I stayed quiet.

"The truth is your mother and I never loved each other.

I never wanted a wife or kids. She was a one-night-stand that turned into more when she got pregnant with you.

Things were different back then. I had a prominent reputation, the only option was marriage.

We had clear expectations of each other in the beginning.

She knew I didn't want her. She also knew I had no interest in raising children.

Obviously somewhere along the line, she let herself fall into a fantasy world that I'd change my mind. "

I resisted the urge to scream and throw my phone.

Anger and indignation on behalf of my mother raged through my veins.

The disgust I felt for my father made my skin crawl so badly I would rip it off if I could.

He must have mistaken my silence for contemplation over our contract because he sighed and continued.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way. But believe it or not, I was happy to find out I'd have a son. Especially when I saw your potential in football. I may not have been the best father but I'll do my best for your career."

Bile rose in my throat as I played my part. Mom and Annie needed me. They needed me to put my pride aside and bow down to him.

"Thanks, Dad. I'll sign the contract, but I want to do it in person. I'll text you a location to meet." Then I hung up.

"What was that about?" I spun around to see Charlotte staring at me with concern. "Archer... what did your dad want?"

Mr. Avery made me promise I'd keep her out of this.

He still wasn't my biggest fan and I had upheld that promise in hopes that he'd come to respect me.

I'd hated avoiding her questions when she asked about my dad, and I'd hated not being able to talk about my problems with her.

Charlotte was my calm in the storm, and this was the biggest storm of my life.

My legs acted on their own and carried me over to her. I sat down on the bed and opened my arms. She took the hit and came over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck while she stared at me intently.

My heartbeat slowed down when I breathed in her sweet smell.

Her cold delicate fingers kneaded at my neck until I relaxed my shoulders.

I wanted to protect her from all of this, but at the same time, I needed to tell her.

I might be bigger than her, but she was the stronger of us two.

She was strong enough to get me through this, and I needed that.

"My dad wants me to sign a contract making him my agent," I said quietly.

"After you graduate?"

"No. Now."

She stilled in my arms and I cringed, knowing what was about to come. "But Archer," she said in a panic, "you're a college athlete you can't have an agent! The NCAA could kick you out! You'd lose your scholarship and get kicked off the team—you'd lose any chance at the NFL!"

"I know shhh it's okay," I brushed my fingers through her curls, the action calmed me down as much as it did her. "He thinks he has enough business-savvy to keep it all quiet. But it doesn't matter because if everything goes as planned with your dad, I won't be signing anything."

"And what is the plan?" She asked quietly, the fear for my future still lingered in her eyes.

"Bryan is a bastard, but a smart one. He hasn't put any details into texts or emails, at least not enough to hand anything substantial to the lawyers.

Your dad was hoping if we waited him out he'd get frustrated and slip up.

But now he thinks our best bet is to meet in person and try to record my dad's plan.

Then we can give it to the lawyers and prove my dad's playing dirty.

Or worst-case scenario, we can threaten his precious reputation by releasing it. "

Charlotte stayed quiet as she absorbed everything I had said. I continued to pet her hair and hoped she wouldn't be too mad that I kept all of this from her. I was surprised when she leaned forward and kissed me.

"I'm so sorry you've gone through this alone," she whispered against my lips.

I dropped my forehead to hers and relished in the warmth that spread through me at her words. My beautiful girl. My selfless girl.

Her soft hand stroked my cheek as she pressed one more kiss to my lips. "I love you. That means that you aren't alone anymore Archer. I'm here, ready to be your partner. You just have to let me."

"I love you so much," I declared as I blinked away tears that I hadn't been expecting.

She laid down, pulling me with her. I relaxed against her breast and pressed my cheek to her heart.

The pain of my father's secrets still lingered in my heart.

They mocked me for being childish and still caring about the words of a man I'd cut off long ago.

Charlotte was right though. Her heartbeat was a reminder that I wasn't alone.

I would die to protect her, I would fight every day to keep her safe and happy. But I needed her protection too.