Strike: Bases Series (Book Two) Read online

  “How the fuck are we going—”

  “You gonna be a pussy and hide behind your boyfriend, Bases, or are you gonna man up?” She slowly rounds Gavin’s body, her eyes padlocked on me.

  “What do you want, Hayes?”

  I smirk. “Don’t ask me such a loaded question in front of your temporary boyfriend.”

  Gavin takes a step toward me. “Hey, cool it, man. This shit is getting old.”

  I look over at him. “Are you entering the war?”

  “War?”

  “Yeah, the one I waged on your girl here,” I allude.

  “Knock it off, man. Let’s just get along.”

  “Oh, get along, huh? Kinda like you and Brittany Getters were getting along yesterday in the drama hall when you had your tongue down her throat?” My best friend’s face reddens.

  I didn’t make it up, I saw the motherfucker pressing her into the lockers with his hands up her shirt.

  I broke Bro Code.

  But he’s been riding my last fucking nerve, and we both know his mission. Fuck Bases and move on.

  “Stop starting more rumors,” Sawyer snarls with narrowed eyes. “You’re like a freaking girl.”

  Don’t be stupid, Bases, and open your eyes.

  Instead, I shrug, fully conscious of the fact she’d never listen to what I have to say or what I’ve seen. “Remember what I said,” I stress toward her.

  Her eyebrows crinkle.“What?” Maybe she’s already forgotten about me claiming her ass, but I haven’t.

  “Principle McMahon,” I deadpan

  “Quit threatening her with stupid shit,” Gavin barks.

  “Nah, it wasn’t anything like that,” I pledge. “I’m talking about the conversation her and I had after McMahon was escorted out of the building. She owes me something.”

  Her forehead relaxes, and a pinkish blush emerges from her cheeks. There’s that flashback I was looking for.

  If she thinks the physical reaction I got out of her that day was unsettling, wait until I have her exactly where I want her.

  —

  The rattle of lockers rings through the empty halls of school. It’s after hours, but I had to run back inside after practice to grab my Calculus book from my locker.

  The murmurs of voices sift through the air, causing me to wonder if people are fucking like a couple of idiots when they could be easily heard in an empty school.

  I walk toward them, curious because no one hangs out after school besides the drama kids and janitor.

  Another slam sounds, and a louder voice echoes around the corner this time. I can’t make out the words, but I know it’s definitely a female.

  An angry one.

  “You’ve got one of them,” the voice snarls. “Now, you think you can just fuck both of them?” a small voice answers, but I can’t make out the words.

  I’m about to round the corner, but instead, I just peer around it slowly to see who and what the hell is going on. If I can avoid walking into some dumb shit, I’m going to.

  Peeking around, I spot Mandy and her little band of girlfriends that follow her around like shadows all damn day. They stand in a half circle around someone, eyes pinned in a glare. As I scan the scene, one girl shifts just enough so I can see who is on the receiving end of their fury.

  It’s fucking Sawyer.

  One of the minions shoves her back into the locker. “Answer her.”

  “I did,” Sawyer snaps. “This is stupid.”

  Mandy steps forward. “You think this is stupid? Most of the female population here hates you because you just waltzed in from nowhere and started taking our men.” She looms closer. “There are girls in here that have spent years trying to nab one of the—”

  “Then you all have way too much damn time on your hands,” Sawyer fumes. “Literally. Have you guys been following me just to do this?”

  “Got lucky,” another minion says.

  “And we never got to properly welcome you to Freemont,” the other says sarcastically.

  Sawyer takes a step forward. “Don’t bother, let me pass.”

  Mandy chuckles and flips her hair. “Fuck that. We need to teach you a lesson.”

  “A lesson,” Sawyer repeats. “For what? I’m not screwing Colson Hayes.”

  “Then why did you get fired?” Mandy persists. “Tracy Wenthers saw you with your ugly ass skirt pulled up while Colson—”

  “That’s a lie. He made it up to—”

  “A lie? Why would he make up a rumor about fucking you? I mean, God, if he needed to get laid that bad, he could have picked anyone else but you.”

  Sawyer clenches her hands into fists at her sides, and I’m curious. I’ve seen mild attitudes from her, but I wonder if she’s going to finally show me another side of her that I haven’t seen yet.

  “Are you jealous?” Sawyer presses. “You’re cornering a ‘no one’ because Colson hasn’t screwed you yet? If he can fuck anyone then it must mean he just doesn’t want to screw you, and I can see why. You’re a psycho bitch, that’s what your problem is, isn’t it? He hasn’t screwed you yet even though you keep throwing yourself at him, so you’re pissed.”

  A soft chuckle leaves my lips.

  Well, well, well. Look who finally came out to play.

  For months, I’ve wanted this facade of Sawyer’s to be erased so I could see if there was another layer underneath. Everyone saw her as sweet, kind, easy to like, well, they used to until I made that Burger Joint shit up.

  And she really is all of those things.

  But when she glares at me, wanting to fight when I’ve pressed the right button, I see the fire in her emerald green eyes.

  I love seeing it.

  It makes me even more desperate to see her.

  The real her.

  The fiery redhead who needed to be cornered by a group of catty bitches before evolving into a force all on her own. Taking on three girls with no fear or unease, never saw that happening with her this year, but she’s hot. Scrappy ass Sawyer Boyd looks like she’s about to throat punch the cheerleader elite of this school, and I have front row seats.

  “You know what,” Sawyer alludes. “I’m done here.” She starts to make her way down the hallway toward me, but she’s jerked back by her shirt.

  “We’re not done here,” the dark-haired minion says. “We’re just getting started.”

  A loud slap resonates, and Sawyer’s face goes to the side. Her hand flies to her cheek as she looks over all three girls standing directly in front of her.

  My feet start to move, but a low, feral growl leaves Sawyer’s lips, and I freeze.

  “Don’t fucking touch me again,” Sawyer warns.

  God. Damn.

  I hear swearing all day, every day. So, why it sounds so fucking sexy coming off her lips is an unsolved mystery to me. Aggressive Sawyer is something I’d like to be on the other side of so I can see how long it would take me to cool her down with my mouth.

  Mandy looms forward and crosses her arms. “Or what? You gonna tell a teacher on us?”

  The blonde minion narrows her brows. “We dare you to, bitch.” Abruptly, she snatches Sawyer’s red locks and pulls her toward the floor, but Sawyer refuses to fall onto her knees. Instead, she barrel runs into her stomach, knocking the blonde back.

  They fall into a mixture of bodies to the floor when I see Sawyer straddle blondie, throwing back an elbow and slamming her fist into her attacker.

  Normally, I would be over there to stop this, but Sawyer needs this whether she knows it or not. She needs street cred floating around school that she isn’t going to take anyone’s bullshit. Nor is she going to get pushed or cornered.

  Mandy and the other chick rush toward their friend underneath Sawyer 2.0, pulling her off as someone starts yelping. The blonde’s hair is in Sawyer’s hands as she holds on for dear life, inflicting more pain on the bitch below her.

  I blink to make sure that I’m recognizing the right girl. The one who hid behind Gavin yesterday jus
t so she didn’t have to face me. The same redhead who has been evading me because she’s afraid of what my next counterblow is going to be.

  Sawyer Boyd is pissed, scrappy as fuck and holy shit, I want this girl so bad.

  My cock hardens, as I watch her beat off her attackers all on her own. Even with all the hair flying around, Sawyer still stands out like a neon sign, drawing me to her.

  I no longer see the girl whose smile could light up a room and invites someone to return it. The girl who high fives every single person at our games when they score a run. The same one who is focused on school and scheming stupid shit to get back at me because I’ve put her in a few touchy predicaments.

  If I didn’t see the beginning of this, I wouldn’t have known it was her.

  Especially when I see her throw that same elbow into Mandy’s side, causing the girl to release her from her clutches. The dark-haired minion spins Sawyer around, landing a fist into her face before she can even position herself to block it.

  And enough is enough.

  I step out from my hiding spot, seeing that Mandy and the blonde are holding Sawyer’s arms back so the brunette can land another cheap shot. Before the words even leave my mouth for them to let her go, Sawyer throws her weight back and kicks the brunette in the chest, sending her stumbling backward.

  “Let her fucking go,” I bark, striding toward them. All of their eyes land on me except Sawyer’s, who’s too busy rubbing her jaw.

  “Colson,” Mandy coos, releasing Sawyer slowly. “What are you doing here?”

  “Get the hell out of here,” I deadpan, making Mandy’s sweet charade quickly melt, as she narrows her eyes.

  “Excuse me? Who the fuck are you to order me around?”

  I stop walking inches from her. “I’m the motherfucker who will ruin you. Would you like to try it?”

  She tsks. “With what? I'm the captain of the cheerleading squad, I own this school.”

  I raise a brow. “Do you?” A slow, malicious smirk surfaces from my face. “Then damn, this’ll be fun.”

  “Don’t worry about this,” Sawyer retorts, adjusting her jaw. “I had it.”

  I glance over at her. “Shut up, Bases.”

  “Are you screwing her?” Mandy hedges, crossing her arms along her busty chest.

  “And if I am?”

  Sawyer steps forward. “We’re not—”

  “Then you’re gonna wish you weren’t,” Mandy warns.

  I smile.

  This bitch doesn’t realize the kind of shit I’m capable of. I can have her kicked off the squad by just hinting that she’s fucking Mr. Sims, the gym teacher, who’s had speculation surrounding him since last year. He was said to be having “special” gym classes after school with just female students. And even though no evidence was ever found, I could light that story on fire and watch it blaze through the whole school.

  “Sure, I will,” I consent, jerking my head back. “You go get started on that and get the fuck out of here.” Mandy purses her lips before shoulder checking Sawyer as she walks away with her squad.

  And Sawyer’s glare is still pointed at me—shocker.

  I sigh. “You’re welcome.”

  “I didn’t need or ask for your help,” Sawyer seizes then shakes her hand to loosen it up.

  “But you got it anyways,” I reply. She hits me with a scoff then heads for her locker, stomping one of her feet in frustration and probably the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

  What I would do with the adrenaline if given half the fucking chance.

  Fumbling with the lock, Sawyer gets it wrong the first time. Then the second time. And kicks the locker door floor after the third.

  “Need some help?” I prod because she’s going to need it.

  “No.”

  “You might because the combination has been changed.” She freezes as she’s about to turn the knob a fourth time and slowly turns around to face me.

  “You changed it, didn’t you?” I slowly grin. “You’re an asshole.” She reaches down to swipe up her backpack, but I step forward, backing her between me and the metal of her locker.

  “Let me see your face.” I see the red spot where the brunette hit her start to form a dark shade of purple. My fingers reach for her face, but she jerks it away from me.

  “I’m fine.” I ignore her wounded pride and clasp my fingers gently around her chin, tilting her head to examine the damage. “Do you ever listen?”

  “Only to things I want to hear.” She tries to yank her head again, but I hold her still.

  “Stop touch—”

  “Shut the fuck up, Bases, or I’ll think of a way to make you .” She remains mute, letting me take a look at the purple bruise that’s slowly showing on her skin. My thumb brushes over the spot ever so lightly so that I don’t hurt her. “You need some ice.”

  She averts her gaze. “I need something alright.”

  Fuck, so do I, but I quickly dismiss my first idea of crushing her body between me and the locker behind her.

  “You started this,” she seizes, hitting me with a scowl.

  “I didn’t send those girls to attack you,” I counter.

  “No, you just created a rumor that I was fucking you.”

  Geezus Christ.

  I shift my weight to adjust myself in my boxers. “Then you cemented my car to a flagpole, which is still there.” Her eyes light up at the memory. God, she’s fucking beautiful. “Still think it’s funny?”

  “Hilarious.”

  “Hmm.”

  “You done with my face? I’d like to go home now, find another job. Never got to thank you for that by the way.” A speck of guilt hits me, but I shove it away.

  I warned her, she didn’t listen, so she brought it upon herself.

  “Yeah, I’m done.”

  “I need the new combination for my locker, too,” she says, stepping aside for me to unlock it. I fidget with the lock and open it, giving her access to her things. “What is it?”

  “Twenty-four, twenty-three, and forty-seven.” She starts pulling one of her books out of the locker, then she pauses.

  Sluggishly, she turns around to face me. “Those are our baseball numbers.”

  “Yep.” I keep my focus on the books in her locker.

  “And the forty-seven are them...together.” I slowly look over at her, face soft and open mouthed.

  “And?” I ask nonchalantly. She searches my face, what she’s trying to find, I have no fucking clue. The only thing she’s going to discover is my semi-hard cock and the lust that is burning in my eyes right now.

  Her nostrils flare as she turns back to her locker, pulling out another book. “I don’t know,” she recites, shoving it into her backpack so hard that I think she’s going to bust open a seam. “You tell me.”

  “It was easy to remember?” She straightens, blowing a piece of her hair out of her face.

  “Sure, Hayes.” She isn’t fully convinced, I’m not either. “Thanks for the rescue.” Then she walks past me, making sure not to touch me as she rounds my body, leaving me to wonder what the hell I was thinking as well.

  Of course, she’d read deeper into it. Both numbers were easy to remember, and that’s all it was. No deeper meaning laid behind it. I spent nothing but a whole ten seconds telling the janitor what I needed it to be for me to remember.

  It made sense. My jersey number, hers, then add them together.

  Easy.

  I rub my temple with the pads of my fingers, feeling a tightness in my chest. What wasn’t so easy was staying the hell away from her and royally fucking up my future.

  Present day

  Thank God for Fridays and warm mornings. The sun beams its loving rays on my face as I pull my car in front of the office, wearing a light blue romper and a pair of sandals. Gathering my things off the front seat, I mentally prioritize my day.

  Answer emails, check in with lenders on our current buyers’ mortgages to make sure we’re on track for their closing dates, and u
pload a few new listings we got from Wennington, the neighboring town.

  I stride inside the office, feeling good about everything that has transpired in the past few weeks. Hope begins to bloom inside me, a realization that I can survive living in the same town as Colson.

  School starts back up in a week, so I’ll be back and forth from here to Texas three days a week. Plus, I have an internship at Freemont High with Mrs. Benalu, the new history teacher. It’ll give me a few extra credits, hands-on experience with the students, and the flow of how to run a classroom.

  Problem is, well, do I even need to voice it at this point?

  I wasn’t going to let Colson being employed at the same school stop me from what I’m working on accomplishing. He would be outside, I would be inside. If he ate in the lunchroom, I’d eat in my small office. If he tried to trap me in the hallway, I knew every exit in that school.

  I may or may not have studied the school’s emergency routes to refresh my memory.

  Meanwhile, for the next few days, I have to teach Veronica how to walk a buyer and seller through each process. I plan to check in every few days, make sure everyone is doing what they need to, and keep tabs on the title companies for any delays. Veronica will also have to help manage the emails and new listings since I’ll have limited time now.

  My phone bings with a notification, and I pull it out of the front pocket of my oversized Target bag.

  Jake: I made it home.

  Me: I miss you already. Glad you made it safe.

  Jake: I’ll try to make it back ASAP after this emergency. God knows how long this is going to take.

  And by the way, it took me twenty minutes to learn how to use your ancient coffee maker.

  Me: Buy me a new one then :)

  Jake: How about I buy some really expensive lingerie for you to wear when I come back?

  Me: I need to find new friends.

  Jake: No one will suffice in so many different ways, Freshman. I’ll save you the details.

  Me: Lol, thank you. Text me later.

  Jake: I always do, beautiful.

  Jamming out to Ariana Grande through my headphones, I start the coffee maker for any potential or current clients. We keep the first floor of the office homey, there is a small area for the kids with a TV and wine for the parents. Buying a home is a big deal and can be pretty stressful, so I try to make it as comfortable as possible.