I collapsed into the beige carpet. The moment I hit the ground James seemed to startle awake.
“Brook, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” He was at my side in an instant. His hands on my shoulders. His eyes darted across my body.
I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.
“You’re bleeding! What happened?”
“I’ll tell you everything, Jay. I promise,” I whispered. “I just—I need water. And can you help me take my shoes off please?”
He stared into my eyes for a second longer before releasing his hands from my shoulders and pulling off my boots. As soon as he saw my feet, he balked. “What the hell? What happened to you?”
“I’m okay.” I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Water,” I reminded him gently, my voice barely a whisper. My eyes filled with tears seeing how swollen my feet were and the amount of bruising on my legs.
Jay handed me a bottle of water and then left the room again. I twisted off the cap and gulped it down. He came back with alcohol, bandages, and a towel. With a shake of his head, he went back down the hall to the bathroom. I heard water running and by the time he returned, I was finishing the last huge mouthful.
“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he mumbled as he squatted, wrapping his arms around my torso to help me to my feet.
“Jay,” I whined, wincing as I stood.
He pushed off my jacket and it dropped to the floor softly. “I was going to try to put alcohol on your wounds.” He secured his arms around me and lifted with relative ease. Walking down the hall, he continued, “But some of your bruises are just dirt so I’m putting your dirty ass in the tub.”
“Shut up,” I groaned with amusement, squeezing his neck as he maneuvered us into the narrow doorway of the bathroom. I wanted to laugh but everything hurt.
“And you know I love your hair,” Jay started, staring at my kinky curls pushed back with a headband. “But with the sticks and leaves…”
“Shut up,” I grumbled, stifling a giggle.
“It looks like a bird’s home.”
“Just call it a nest! You’ve made your point.”
I didn’t want to look in the mirror, but I knew I looked bad. My thick, coarse hair was usually styled to perfection. When I caught a glimpse of myself, I quickly looked away.
Jay was looking at me with a pained expression. I could tell he was trying to keep his cool, but his eyes always gave him away. “What happened to you?”
I smelled the sandalwood in the air and immediately knew it was the bubble bath I’d given him for Christmas. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply. “Mmm.”
“I’m about to put you down,” he warned before lowering me to the black and white tile.
My feet hurt, but the coolness of the tile and the anticipation of the bubble bath made them hurt a lot less.
“Thank you.” I glanced at the bottle on the side of the tub. “Is this your first time using this? I got it for you months ago.”
“You’re welcome.” He chuckled under his breath as he walked out the door. “You always have something to say.”
Stripping out of my romper, I climbed into the deep tub and leaned back. My body sank into the water as my muscles and skin felt instantly soothed. The water was hot, the scent was intoxicating, and every inch of me was relaxed.
Jay knocked. “Are you covered?”
I pulled the shower curtain to shield myself. Checking to make sure bubbles covered my chest, I moved the curtain back fractionally. “Yeah, come in.”
His 6’6” frame always took up a lot of space, but it wasn’t until he entered the bathroom that I realized how little he had on. His broad shoulders, muscular chest, and six-pack abs were on display. With his smooth skin the color of terracotta clay, he looked like he was molded to perfection by a skilled sculptor. His basketball shorts sat low on his hips and showcased a rather large print in front. Without trying, Jay had a raw sexual energy that emanated from him.
Whenever that energy tried to draw me in, I would stamp it out immediately.
We were often alone together, but I tried to make sure that even in our fun flirtations, a moment never developed between us. I averted my eyes as he pulled on a UFIT t-shirt to cover himself. I hated when I’d catch glimpses of him and unexpectedly feel something. He was undeniably sexy, but he was one of my best friends—and my ex-best friend’s ex-boyfriend.
So, he was off limits.
I met James Williams and Carter Yates at the exact same time during a UFIT athletics summer program right before senior year of high school. We were put together in a group and became fast friends—mostly because UFIT was comprised of entitled snobs. Even though we were all on different sports teams, we spent a month doing everything together and became The Trifecta.
By the end of the program, I could tell they had a little thing for each other. By the end of the summer, they were in a long-distance relationship for their senior year of high school. By the end of the first semester of freshman year, their relationship was completely over. She was convinced he was going to cheat on her as his star quality and popularity soared. He said she was high maintenance and spoiled. I always assumed it was because of her parents. But the reason didn’t matter because I loved them both equally and refused to choose a side.
James “Jay” Williams was smart, good-looking, popular, and fiercely private. He was a basketball phenom and a complete homebody. Carter Yates was
