“It sounds important.”

His hands pause in the act of undoing his zipper. “It’s a ringtone. How can it sound important?”

“Because whoever it is already rang twice.” Whenever someone rings like that, it sets off a panicked flutter in my chest that something is wrong. “Just answer it,” I urge.

With a roll of his eyes, Brody climbs off the bed. Lifting up on both elbows, I watch him stride over to my desk. He picks up the phone where it rests beside my laptop and checks the screen. His brow furrows. “It’s my uncle. Professor Draper.”

Being his uncle, the reason for the call could be anything, yet my stomach ties itself in knots. “Are you going to call him back?”

Brody rubs the back of his neck, and I know he’s feeling the same tension I am. “Later. After the game.”

“No.” I shake my head. His next game is two days from now. “You should just do it now. Get it over with.”

When he just stares unhappily at the screen, I scoot off the bed and quietly pad over. Coming up behind him, I rub his shoulders and he lets out a deep sigh.

“If it was anything urgent he would’ve left a message,” he reasons.

Taking the decision out of Brody’s hands, his uncle rings again.

“Answer it.”

Brody grits his teeth, but he hits the little green button and puts it to his ear. “Hello?”

I can’t hear the professor talking. Instead I turn my head to the side and rest it against his back. My hands move from his shoulders and down, sliding around his waist until I’m hugging him from behind. He settles into my hold as if he likes it, his free hand coming to rest on mine, his way of telling me to stay put.

“What about it?” Brody asks, his body going tight.

There’s a pause where his uncle speaks again. As he listens, Brody’s body locks tighter, his chest beginning to rise and fall in a heavy rhythm.

“Fuck,” he bites out.

My eyes flutter closed. Whatever it is, it’s not good. I knew it wouldn’t be, and Brody’s physical reaction confirms it.

“I can’t. I have training all day. In case you might have missed it, we have an important game in two days.”

Another pause.

“Fine,” Brody grounds out. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

He hangs up the phone and tosses it back on the desk.

Sighing deeply, I draw away, letting my arms fall as I take a step back. He turns, his expression pained as he faces me. “I failed the course.”

My indrawn breath is audible. “Brody.”

Brody shrugs, but I can see the slight tremor in his lips. He’s struggling to hold back the wave of frustration. One step forward, two steps back. He casts his gaze down, blinking hard as he chokes out the next words. “I passed the final, but the midterm and casework grades weren’t enough. It’s going to lower my GPA and I’ll lose my eligibility to play football.”

Taking hold of his arms, I tug them toward me, wrapping them around me. “So what do we do now?”

Brody huffs a bitter laugh and shakes his head, somehow holding it together. “Never say die. That’s your motto, right?” His hands glide down, setting off shivers as he cups my bare ass. “You should have that tattooed right here.” He squeezes firmly.

I moan. I can’t help it. Even now, with this devastating bit of news, my body can’t get enough of him.

Brody responds by dropping his head to my neck, planting kisses along the line of my throat. “I need you,” he rasps, ignoring my question about where we go from here. “Right now.”

He trips me backwards toward the bed and pushes me down. I fall back on it with relief. I would’ve expected Brody to push me away with anger, but instead he’s pulling me closer, his need so palpable it makes me ache.

“Yes,” I tell him. “Now.”

He tears his zipper down. A bare second later Brody’s lifting my legs. Curling me into a ball; my lower half rises up and he pushes his thick cock inside me. It’s not sweet or intimate, but rough, and it feels good. He pumps hard and fast, driven by an animalistic need. All too soon, he’s groaning my name, his hips slamming against my ass. I don’t come, but I don’t care. Brody took care of me earlier. This is his turn.

Brody lets go of my shins and my legs fall open. He drops down between them, his skin sticky as he lands on top of me. My hands run down the damp skin of his back, soothing and gentle as he sucks in air. “I’m sorry.”

“No more apologies.”

He shakes his head. Planting his palms flat on the bed above me, Brody pulls out with a regretful groan and steps back off the bed. “I have to go.” Tugging up his pants, he yanks the zipper closed.

“You never answered me before. What do we do?”

“I have to do extra credit, make up the grade before he turns them in to the college.”

It makes sense. Brody’s lucky the professor is his uncle and willing to extend the offer. But we’re in the middle of championships. There’s no time to do what I know he has to. I sit up on the edge of the bed. “What can I do?”

After tugging his shirt down and into place, he leans over and smacks a loud kiss on my lips. “Baby.” He draws back and looks at me, his hands on my knees. His cheeks are tinged pink, but the exhaustion in his eyes worries me. “I’ve got this. All I need is to hold you at night. Can I do that?”

I have to fight to keep the waver from my voice. “I’m all yours.”

When he leaves, I make for the shower, my anger rising steadily. If Brody hadn’t failed that midterm, he would’ve passed the course. All I can think right now is that this is on Kyle, and I need to put my plan into action. Tonight.

Brody

After leaving Jordan’s apartment, I head straight for my uncle’s office, eager to get this meeting over with. After passing the final, I hadn’t even considered failing the course. The news was a monumental blow, but right now I’m calm. It’s at odds with the way my temper has been raging out of control of late. I need to track down Damien and ask him about the side effects of these pills. Something I didn’t even think about before I started chewing them down like candy.

My knuckles rap sharply on his door.

“Come in,” Patrick calls out.

After taking a deep breath, I turn the handle and step inside. My uncle looks up from his desk, pulling his glasses off and tossing them on top of a pile of papers. He stares at me for a long, hard moment. “You look like crap.”

I’m sure I do. I haven’t slept a single wink in over twenty-four hours. I don’t feel tired though. It’s like I’ve had a solid eight hours already. My body isn’t giving me any signs that its sleep deprived, and that’s a huge positive. I have training all day and we’re down to the wire. Every minute has to count, but I know I’ve got it covered now thanks to Damien.

I smile lazily, taking a seat opposite my uncle. “Well I feel great.”

His eyes narrow as they look me over. My body shifts uncomfortably beneath the scrutiny. “What the hell are you taking, Brody?”

Fuck. How does he know? My knuckles turn white as my grip tightens on the arms of the chair. I force a confused furrow to my brow. “What do you mean?”

Patrick pushes back his chair. Getting to his feet, my eyes follow as he stalks around the desk. Stopping in front of me, he leans down and gets right in my face. “You think I don’t recognize the signs of drug abuse? You look exhausted, and yet you’re wound up tighter than a spring. I’ve been through law school, Brody. I’ve seen it all, and everything I’ve seen?” He leans in further, eyes flaring hard and fierce. “It never ends well.”

A huff of laughter escapes me and I roll my eyes. “Seriously. Drugs? I don’t—”

My uncle pushes back, his voice a harsh command, veins straining his neck. “Shut the fuck up!”

I sit back in stunned silence as angry tension forms in the room. Patrick swipes a hand down his face, shaking his head. “What are you taking, Brody?”