I pinched my eyes with my index finger and thumb, already tired of the phone conversation I was having with my ex girlfriend.

"Marnie, I already told you at the club. You know where I stand on this."

"But Emmett. You're already getting scouted by the Patriots, it's all over the news. We could finally be the power couple you always wanted us to be!"

"Oh, so that's what all of this apology act is about then? You saw that I was being scouted by the Patriots and now you want to make up for what you did to me? Do you forget that you're the reason I wasn't with the NFL sooner? They wanted me three years ago and I deferred because you wanted me to. I did it for you and look what I got in return? You cheating on me with every dick you could find."

"No Emmett, that's not even the reason at all and you know it! I was going through some really hard stuff and-"

"I went through shit in my life a million times harder than your parents getting a divorce. I get that it sucks but fifty percent of marriages end that way, that does not compare to what I had to deal with in my childhood and you don't see me out here cheating on you or anyone else!"

"Oh please, you haven't had anyone to cheat on. What's that I hear from my friends at school? You've been single and fucking any girl who'll give you the time of day? What about that girl hanging all over you the other night, another one of your meaningless conquests right?"

"I don't have time for this Marnie. I'm late for practice and as you somehow already know, every practice counts because of my scout process. I'd say see you later but that's not something I really want. Goodbye."

She started saying something but my finger was pressing the red end button before she could try to stop me and squirrel her way into another monologue of how stupidly sorry she was.

Her arrogance and annoyance was working its way onto my last nerve and I knew I had to do something about her before she became even more of a nuisance but my only priority in that moment was focusing on not injuring my hamstring even more during practice and putting football before everything else in my life in that moment, including Lydia, which was easier said than done.

Sweat dripping into my left eye, I focused on the ball in front of me as stains from the colored turf seeped into my practice jersey with each slam tackle that visited me to the ground.

It wasn't until the fifth tackle that practice that I realized I really hadn't put everything to the back of my mind like I'd really hoped.

My father's disappointed face flashed in my head and I grunted in exertion as I threw the ball once more, my body making contact with another player as if on cue and slammed down, but at least the ball had sailed through the air and landed in the intended player's hands before earning my side a touchdown.

"Scott, I need a word with you."

I followed my coach to the bleachers off to the side and gulped down my sports drink from the spout while I awaited what he had to say, the spring sun beating down stronger by the moment.

"What's up coach?"

"That scout from the Patriots called, he said he wants to send some important people out to your next game. If they like what they see, they're going to want you to go to some camp to train with the team for final selections once the college season is over, but that won't be for a while, especially since your skills should be taking us to the SEC Championships which will stretch into December."

"Wow...I'll have to call him Monday to thank him. Thanks coach."

"Now don't let this get to you, make you overthink. You've been struggling all practice, just wanting to make sure you're in the right place so that's why I wanted to tell you the good news, give you some confidence?"

"Eh, actually I think it's more of a personal issue than anything with the NFL, but thank you for telling me."

"Course. Now get back out there and win for the blue team, Larson is on the red team and he's been pissing me off lately."

I laughed and gave him a half salute and decided to put Lydia in the back of my head once and for all...at least for the rest of practice.

I'd have plenty of time to think about her later when I got home and shared a roof with her.

Getting into Rafael's Tesla wasn't the only thing intimidating about hanging out with him.

His imposing stature, blinding good looks and complete sex god aura that he exuded was more than enough to make me feel off balance.

The whole ride had been pleasantly quiet, the radio playing quietly in the background and his eyes expertly trained on the road before him.

We stopped at my house so I could grab a change of clothes like he'd said but once we pulled up I asked him to come in so I could shower there as well as I wasn't very comfortable going over to his house alone as we'd just met.

At least this way, Reed or Lucas or Emmett would be around in case he turned out to be a psycho.

"I'll just be a few minutes. Please, feel free to hide in my room if my roommates start to bother you," I told him as we crossed the threshold into the home.

"Huh, that's weird. I guess everyone's out."

Reed and Lucas were nowhere in sight, and I knew Emmett wasn't there the second I noticed his missing black truck.

"Guess we have the place to ourselves, then."

"I guess so..."

He towered over me in height and I gulped at his sudden closeness.

"Okay, well I'm gonna go grab a shower."

A smirk crossed his features but was replaced soon with a gentle smile and I left him sitting on the couch in the living room, looking more than displaced in his semi-formal attire on such raggedy looking furniture.

I disappeared into the bathroom with fresh clothes and a towel, taking the world's quickest shower and blow dry of my hair but cursed to myself when I heard the front door open, knowing I was going to get an earful about bringing strangers into the house.

I slid on my dark skinny jeans and white flounce top while applying a tiny flourish of makeup and escaped the bathroom to find none other than Emmett Scott giving my date the third degree, but both of their heads whipped their way as soon as I exited the bathroom, and neither of them looked happy.

I gulped down the lump in my throat and approached them carefully as if they were both hungry, predatory lions and I was an innocent and savory looking gazelle who just happened to cross their paths at the local watering hole.

Emmett looked so much more powerful standing in front of the couch, while Rafael just looked bored, neither seeming intimidated of the other.

Emmett was dressed in his workout gear, swear slicking his forehead and clumping up in his hair making him look as if he'd just gone running in the rain.

There was a fierce intensity behind those gorgeous icy blues and I was scared for just a second, wondering what exactly he must've thought of me in that moment but after looking upon Rafael's patient face I made up my mind that I didn't care what Emmett thought of me, he was the one who ditched me for his ex, after all. Not to mention he hadn't apologized for that 'bet' nonsense nor explained what any of it was about in the first place.

I braced myself as both men began speaking at once.

"This is one of your roommates?"

"This is your date?!"