I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 76: Ellie

If angry rage had a physical presence, then it stood behind me at this moment. I knew without a glance over my shoulder that Harper was pissed off, I felt the heated, seething waves that radiated off her worse than Logan's bed-warmth or morning dragon breath.

Uh-oh.

"Dickhead," a sharp tone bit the air over my shoulder with such icy force that my shoulder quivered. "What are you doing here!?"

"Harper," Jake replied in a cool, even tone that I knew sliced right into the top layer of Harper's skin like an irritant by the near feral growl she emitted.

Since they'd called off whatever they were, Harper and Jake had gone from, well, fuck buddies who borderline hated each other at best, to... two people who just hated each other again, I supposed. I wasn't entirely sure what terms they'd parted on because neither had said much other than Harper's assurances that she was absolutely done with all things Jake.

As for his side...

"Missed you, firecracker," his deep voice called out probably the worst choice of words to her.

"Oh no!" The threat I both heard and felt in Harper's voice prompted a quick side step from me.

I'd made the right decision, since Harper stomped right up to Jake, where she stopped two inches away. Her breasts lifted and fell with her near panted breaths as she stared up at him. With her nostrils flared, full lips pursed, and eyes squinted into two narrow slits, none of me envied Jake at this moment.

"Listen here, you walking sack of -" she started when fortunately another familiar, deep voice interrupted her insult with a pacification attempt.

"Harper, Jake, good to see you both," Logan spoke up behind me and rested one of his large, warm hands on the middle of my shoulders. A tension I hadn't noticed had scrunched my shoulders up slightly melted from how his thumb stroked up the base of my neck.

His strong presence pressed gently behind my back when he added, "Thanks for being here for Ellie."

At his words, Harper's head turned slightly and her sky blue eyes flashed directly at me. "Did you know?"

I flashed up both my palms to her. "You just saw my surprised reaction, no."

"And you?" Her eyes narrowed at Logan. "Sprayed on ten-pack?"

"No one knew, except ESPN." Jake's chuckle snapped Harper's head back in his direction. "LT suggested it but thought I'd surprise you and Ellie."

"Surprise is how it didn't rain today in Seattle," she retorted and jabbed one of her index fingers right into the center of his chest. "You being here is as disappointing as a clit block."

A what?

Jake, however, only smirked at her choice of words. "If thinking about me reminds me of your clit, then it's worth my three-hour red-eye back to LA."

At the word 'clit' out of Jake's mouth, I pressed both my palms over my ears and turned my nose into Logan's chest. My cheek bounced with the laugh that vibrated through his dress shirt at whatever the rest of Jake's comment was, which stopped instantly when silence hit my ears.

One look back over showed Harper now stood with her hand clamped firmly between Jake's legs. His eyes were stretched so wide, I wasn't sure how they were still attached.

"Let's get one thing straight." Harper smirked at her own innuendo. "You're still like a living laxative with how much you annoy the shit out of me."

Jake's mouth parted with the response that danced in his eyes, but Harper had just gotten started. If venom had a sound then it was her voice when she spat out, "You don't touch me, talk to me, or even breathe in my direction and you can go home with this -"