I believe him. He wouldn’t have wanted this any more than I do. He’s got his own press headaches to deal with and they’re far bigger than mine, if I’m being honest. The media’s breathing down his throat. He doesn’t talk about it, but I can see the pressure weighing on him as the hype grows each week. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like by the time we get to the championship game. Or the draft. The worst part is, it’ll never end. Once he’s drafted, his life will become one big spotlight, everything he says and does analyzed by the media and gossip rags.
But Austin will handle it well. He’s not the kind of guy who gets into trouble. He’s one of the good ones.
He rubs the back of his neck. “What’s done is done, so we need to figure out how we’re going to handle it.”
“What’s there to handle?” I ask, belly churning with nausea. I’ve totally screwed up and for what, a few good—okay, great—orgasms? “Coach is going to cut me and pull my scholarship. He told me as much when I joined the team.”
“What?” Austin asks, shock plain on his face. “He said that to you? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why do you think I wanted to keep this thing between us a secret?”
He rakes a hand through his hair as if debating his response. “Coach was bluffing. He’s not going to rescind your scholarship. I won’t let that happen.”
I raise a brow. He might be captain, but I doubt he has that kind of pull.
“I’ve only seen him do it once and it was drug related. Besides, it’s too far into the season for him to pull your scholarship without a damn good reason. He might bench us though.” He pauses, a fleeting look of uncertainty on his face. “We need to be on the same page.”
Baxter comes trotting out of Becca’s room and launches himself at Austin. He scoops the dog up in his arms and begins petting him. How the hell can I be mad at him when he looks so damn cute cuddling that ball of fur?
Besides, this isn’t his fault. We’re equally responsible. We both knew the risks.
“What do you suggest?” I ask, surprised at myself for deferring to him. Then again, his family probably has more experience with this sort of thing than mine.
Mom.
She’s going to kill me.
If she finds out.
“We should—”
The front door opens and Becca storms in, a look of fierce determination on her face and a copy of The Collegian clutched in her hand.
She slams the door and wheels on us, her eyes flitting from Austin to me. “I knew it!” she squeals, brandishing the paper. “I knew there was something going on with you two.” She frowns, the wind momentarily taken out of her sails. Austin arches a brow, but Becca barrels on before either of us can speak, eyes wide with disbelief. “I can’t believe you were holding out on me.”
“That article is bullshit,” I say, searching for the words to placate her. “It’s really not a big deal.”
“Beg to differ.” A wide grin spreads over her face as she holds up the paper again. A hot flush creeps up the back of my neck as I realize just how many people have probably seen the picture of me locked in Austin’s embrace, his tongue halfway down my throat. How stupid could we be, thinking we were safe in the stacks? There’s always someone watching. “I mean, it’s not front page, but it’s still news. News you should have told your best friend.” She pauses long enough to harrumph. “I can’t believe I had to learn about it in The Collegian. It’s all anyone’s talking about on campus and on social media.” She frowns. “Sorry, bae. Some of the comments are pretty harsh. But just ignore the trolls. I’ve got your back.” She sucks in a breath, eyes going wide. “Oh, this is just like a romance novel. You remember that book where the football player—”
“Becca?” I shoot a meaningful glance at Austin, who much to my annoyance looks like he’s about to bust a gut. I suspect his grip on Baxter is the only thing preventing him from losing it. “Can we not right now?”
She glances at Austin and rolls her eyes. “Fine. But we’re talking about this later. In detail.”
Now it’s my turn to groan. Because when Becca says detail, what she really means is excruciating, play-by-play detail. The kind that will leave me blushing like a virgin on prom night. “Fine. Do you mind giving us a minute?”
Satisfied she’s going to get the dirty deets later, she prances back to her room. Austin sits Baxter on the floor and he chases after her, leaving us alone in the living room.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” I rub my temples again, knowing it won’t eliminate the pressure building between my temples.
Austin’s eyes narrow and when he speaks, his tone is sharper than I’ve ever heard it. “Because the worst thing that could possibly happen to you is being associated with me?”
He actually sounds hurt and I realize how careless my words came across.
“That’s not what I meant.” I move closer and rest my hand on his bicep, giving it what I hope is a reassuring squeeze. “It’s just that I hate the idea of people speculating about us.” I bite my lip as the reality of my situation hits home. “And I promised my mom I wouldn’t get involved with a football player. I don’t know how I’m going to explain this to her.”
Because she will find out, eventually. It would be naive to assume otherwise. She’ll hear about it soon enough, either from a news outlet or some well-intentioned friend on social media.
“You think this is any better for me?” Austin asks, frustration lacing his words. His eyes, which are normally clear and bright, rage like coastal storm waters. “I broke my own damn rules and lied about it
