Page 23 of Off Limits PUCK

Kenz sniffs at me, her humor gone. “Well, you should have thought about that before you did… whatever you did with my brother last night.” She shudders and makes a barfing sound.

“You are so immature,” I mumble.

She scoffs. “Well, at least I don’t shit where I eat.”

At that, I groan out a protest, and Jake throws a spare pillow at her. “Get the woman some clothes, Mackenzie Williams,” he barks out.

She takes the hint and slips out of the room, tossing me my phone and swearing that if I ever disappear on her again, she’llgo straight to Ron and tattle on me. And honestly, in her most immature moments, I do think she’s capable of it.

She’s back in five minutes, a smug expression on her face. I see that she’s wiped off last night’s makeup and also taken the liberty of putting some leggings of mine on along with a tank top.

She holds up the clothes as if they’re the last meal on earth and I’m a starving captive. “You’ll never believe who I just ran into.”

Jake is showered and dressed in record time, breezing by me as I stand still wrapped in the comforter. He pulls it apart in the back just enough to smack my naked rear end, subtly enough that only I know it happened. I give him a look and he laughs.

“You are no help at all,” I mutter to him.

He tries to sidle past his sister, but she stops him. “Um, let me guess. Coach.” Jake looks bored, his go to face when he wants to get results fast, I’ve noticed.

“Nope. Strike one. Try again.” Kenz says heartlessly, holding my clothes away from me and Jake.

He shrugs at her.

“Gator. And guess who arranged for everyone to gather outside on the back deck for a nice, cozy little breakfast?” She preens like a queen. “Me. So now you both owe me. You,” she jabs her chin at Jake, “can sneak into breakfast without raising an eyebrowfrom anyone. And you,” she looks at me, “can sneak into your room not in yesterday’s clothes.”

Jake pats her head like she’s five and not in her late twenties. “Aw, look who finally caught up to the plan Allie and I made like half an hour ago. Without you.”

Kenz fumes at her brother while he looks back at me. “You okay?” he asks.

I don’t even know how to answer that question, so I just shrug. As Jake leaves, Kenz throws the clothes at me, making sure I know that while she’s going to play nice, she’s not going to play too nice. She’ll make me earn her good graces again. I groan, grab the clothes as the two of them leave the room, and slip them on before listening hard at the door. Then, when all is silent in the house, I dash to my room, cheeks burning.

***

“You can go outside and eat, you know,” the cool voice of the chef makes me jump.

I am piling eggs and toast into my plate, planning to eat alone in the living room while going over Jake’s rehabilitation plans for the day. Jake, Kenz, Dr. Jones, and Coach, along with Gator and another two players I don’t know well, are all outside talking and laughing while they eat.

I gather my nerve, remembering that no one knows of any lines I crossed with Jake last night. “I prefer to get to work,” I say evasively, glancing up at her. “Sorry, I never caught your name.”

“Jennifer.” She watches me like a hawk. “You’re not his usual type, you know.”

I chortle. What the heck would a chef know about Jake’s type? I feign ignorance. “Dr. Jones?” I say, knowing Coach is too old for me to pretend that she’s referring to him.

She doesn’t crack a smile. “All athletes are the same. I never slept with him or any of them. But my sister is a bartender and part time dancer.” Her eyes look out the window. “Those guys out there are wild. Trust me. And Jake, he likes his women glamorous, skinny, leggy, and very, very busty.” Her eyes drop to my boobs. “At least you check one of those boxes. Sort of.”

I clench my jaw and don’t reply. If she wants to be mean, then let her. But I’m not going to let her plant seeds of doubt in my mind. Jake did do a lot of typical jock things in his twenties. But he’s not that guy anymore. At least, that’s what I’m led to believe. I grip my plate tightly, try to give her a knowing little smirk, and then retreat to the living room.

But I’ve lost my appetite. I feel small. Insignificant. Why does it always come back to this with Jake? We have an amazing connection. Amazing sex. And then someone has to remind me that he’s a player. That he likes to sleep with lots of different women. I’m not sure I want to keep feeling this way.

Jennifer follows me into the living room, holding out silverware. I realize in my haste to leave that I forgot it. She pushes her red hair behind her ear as I take the offered fork and knife.

“Thanks,” I say in a clipped tone.

“Men like him make every sexual encounter feel exciting. They make sure you feel like you’re the only one. But you’re not. Just check his phone. My sister said that they make sport of all the women they lead on and sext with. I’m just a girl looking out for another girl,” she says, holding up her hands as if she’s innocent. And maybe she is. Maybe she’s just a nice girl who doesn’t want to see me get hurt.

I fiddle with the fork and knife, then give up pretending to have an appetite, placing them by the plate.

“I’ve known Jake since I was a kid.” I know I’m not reasoning with her. I’m reasoning with myself, trying to ignore the red flags that everyone else seems to see.

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