ROOMING WITH THE BULLY JOCK

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before you start this, know that I don't have a set schedule yet. I have several other books I'm currently writing, and I will keep my schedule for them first.

Secondly, this is a BULLY ROMANCE. The guy in this will be rude, bullish, and harsh toward the female character at times. They have a past that's complicated, and there are parts that our female main character is unaware of.

I think you need to know that before continuing.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy ROOMING WITH THE BULLY JOCK. Thanks for stopping by. :)

Chapter One – Morgan

I rubbed my palms against my flowery skirt as we rode through the suburbs of Atlanta. This wasn’t where I wanted to be, but what choice did I have?

When the housing department overbooked the dorm rooms at Georgia State, I’d been devastated. I was the poster child for damage and vulnerability. My parents died when I was sixteen, leaving me with my grandmother, who was spacy at best.

My mother’s best friend, Elisa, who was currently driving me to her guest house, was the only sane person left in my life.

She’d been so kind to me, gave me a shoulder to cry on, and now a place to stay.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Elisa.”

She chuckled and waved me off playfully, as if housing me was nothing. “Morgan, you’re more than welcome to stay with us. I’m sure the university will get everything sorted out by next semester.”

I clung to the strap of my thrift store purse in my lap, watching my curly brown hair fly around my face from the cracked window.

Elisa pulled into the driveway of her two-story brick home positioned at the end of the cul-de-sac. They had a great house, I always envied it growing up, since my mother and father both taught school, which everyone knew that teachers’ salaries were crap.

Elisa was a dietician, and it definitely showed. She was at least five eight with long red hair and a body I’d kill for.

My curves were hardly looked at twice, but I hadn’t spent too much time worrying about it. During school, I was always looked over because of my dyslexia. I still struggled with it today, but I’d become such a better reader with my parents’ help. Then, after my parents passed in a plane accident, those thoughts seemed minuscule and unimportant anyway. Who cared what anyone else thought of me?

“Home sweet home,” she said, grabbing her door handle.

But my gaze was settled on the large black Jeep parked in front of us. I knew that Jeep. I’d know it from anywhere.

It belonged to Drake Henderson, Elisa’s son.

With our families being so close, I’d spent a lot of time with Drake in my youth, much to my dismay. He was my biggest bully in elementary school, after relentlessly picking on me as a child.

I almost preferred the bantering and unease over him ignoring my exsistance in high school. You wouldn’t have known we knew one another—most people didn’t.

He was glorious. Six foot three, the school’s star basketball player. Being of mixed ethnicity, he had cocoa-colored skin that rivaled any southern girl’s summer tan. Elisa’s husband, Jason, was African American. And they’d made the most perfect male specimen I’d ever seen.

He had Elisa’s green eyes, but his dad’s everything else.

“Drake is here,” I asked, my voice dry.

Elisa nodded, her lips tight. “Drake was suspended from the university this semester for fighting one of his teammates. Turns out, Drake’s anger management classes weren’t as big a help as we thought. But don’t worry. He’s taking the top floor of the guest house, and you can have the bottom.”

I clung to my bag, fear climbing my throat. Rooming with Drake was the last thing I wanted. “Mrs. Elisa, I don’t want to impose. Would you rather I stay in the main house? Maybe one of the guest rooms…”

“Nonsense,” she said, getting out. “Let’s get you settled. Drake is out running errands with Jason. It’ll give you time to get settled in without him.”

Dear God. This wasn’t going to work. Perhaps I could still beg the university to find a place for me to sleep. I’d take a broom closet over a guest house with Drake Henderson.

Reluctantly, I climbed out of Elisa’s SUV and followed her through the front doors. “Of course, you can have dinner with us anytime. Drake is having dinner with us every night. It’s part of his punishment.”

Dread filled my body. I didn’t think Drake being punished while I was here was a good idea.

No, in fact, I knew it wouldn’t be…

“Mom!”

Drake’s little sister, Ophelia, barreled around the corner of the hallway and stopped in her tracks. We hadn’t been close growing up because of the age gap, but she recognized me. “Hey, Morgan! Mom told me you were staying. It’ll be good to have another girl around.”

She was about thirteen, tall like her brother, but had more of her mother’s features. I stepped over and hugged her against my side. “I’m just happy to have a place to stay,” I told her. “Thank you again, Elisa. I can’t thank you enough.”

She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Let me show you back to the guest house.”

Ophelia stopped abruptly. “She’s staying with Drake?”

“Yeah, she’ll need her own space. Plus, Dad is making the guest room into his office. There is plenty of room out there.”

Ophelia glanced at me so quickly I almost didn’t see it.

Did she know something I didn’t? Like the reason Drake hated me.

“This way,” Elisa called out.

I snapped out of my daze and followed her toward the sliding back doors, where she led me past the inground pool toward the two-story guest house.

It matched the brick of the main house but was much smaller. She opened the door and led me into a small living room with a giant sectional and a TV hanging on the opposing wall.

“I’ll work on getting you a key,” she said. “Drake has the only copy right now. Drake is staying upstairs. You can take the bottom-floor bedroom. It has a walk-in shower and plenty of closet space.”

I stared at the four-post bed with a downy white comforter. This was way better than the dorm rooms, but I knew living in the same space as Drake would ruin all of this.

“Are you sure. I’m not sure Drake will like sharing this space with me.”

Elisa furrowed her light brows. “He won’t mind, Morgan. Your family, and family helps one another.”

She looked down at her smart watch. “Speaking of. Jason just drove up. Let’s go greet them. Drop your bags. He’s bringing pizza.”

The feeling of ice water filled my veins.

I placed my duffle on the bed, pushing my legs to do the right thing, to follow Elisa. Wiping sweat from my forehead, I tried to calm my racing heart.

“Jason always overorders,” Elisa said over her shoulder. “So, you’ll have plenty to eat for tomorrow with Drake.”

She really thought this would work. Would it worsen things if I told her he hated me? Yes, it would.

She opened the back door. “Hey y’all. Pizza smells good.”

Following behind her, I kept my gaze on the floor, watching my worn tennis shoes from beneath the bottom hem of my jeans.

My breathing was labored; my body was numb.

“They actually got our order right this time,” Jason said. “Oh, Morgan, you made it.”

I had to look up now. He was speaking to me.

Daring myself to look upward, I found Jason’s dark gaze first. “Nice to see you, Mr. Jason.”

He smiled that toothpaste commercial smile.

“You, too. I’m so sorry about the university. I can’t believe they screwed you over like that.” He opened the pizza boxes and glanced to his right as Drake walked into the kitchen.

I felt his eyes on me before I gathered the nerve to look at him.

It felt like hot electric wires against my skin. Drake stopped in the open kitchen, his emerald eyes meeting mine. The snarl on his face told me all I needed to know.

Whatever grudge he had against me hadn’t magically disappeared after high school graduation.

No, he still hated me.

I watched him swallow, and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his thick throat. He shifted on his feet; the basketball jersey he wore did little to hide his impressive biceps.

God, I hated how attractive he was.

I wanted him to look like the monster from Frankenstein, to match his heinous personality. His low-cut hair was long enough that he could run his fingers through it while frustrated.

Then again, it was faded and short on the sides.

“Drake!” Elisa said. “Did Dad tell you? Morgan is going to stay with us this semester. The university overbooked the dorm rooms.”

My head began to spin as I watched Drake take in that information.

It was impossible to know what he was thinking, but I knew it wasn’t anything good.

“Drake,” Jason said, slicing through the silence. “Did you hear your mother?”

Drake wetted his lips slowly and nodded. “Yes, I did.” He grabbed a slice of pizza. “I’m going to eat outback. My English professor sent a book she wanted us to read over the summer, and I’m almost finished.”

A shiver raced down to my toes. Not only was his voice dark like melted chocolate, but the fact that he always did his work was a turn-on for me.

Then he would look my way, and that thought would shatter like glass.

“No,” Jason said. “The deal was that you eat with us. You can read later today. It’s early.”

Drake stiffened by the sliding glass doors but did as his father asked. I slid onto the barstool furthest away from him, feeling the heat of his glare on the side of my face.

I answered his parents’ questions as they asked about my major, and if I was interested in an on-campus job.

I was interested in anything that would keep me away from Drake Henderson.

When we finished eating, I offered to help, but Elisa told me to go get settled in. As if someone lit my ass on fire, I nearly jogged to the guest house and rushed through the living room.

My fingers curled around the door to my room when I felt Drake’s hand on my shoulder. He spun me around so fast that my hair circled my shoulders.

He stood several intimidating inches over me when he said, “Stay the hell out of my way.”

Anger formed in my chest, and it tightened with sadness at the same time.

“No problem,” I spat, pulling away from him.

We held an intense staring contest before I backed into the room and shut the door in his face. I had never been gladder for a locked door in my life.

I turned to unpack my things, Drake’s masculine scent moving with me.

An angry tear threatened my eye, but I blinked it back.

I wouldn’t let Drake Henderson ruin my first semester of college.

No matter how weak my legs went from that touch.