The Wrong Quarterback (The Wrong Player, #1)

by C.R. Jane

Themes include football, stalking, manipulation, dark obsessive themes, grief after the death of a family member, drugging (not of the heroine), captor/captivity, and sexual scenes. There are no harems, cheating, or sharing involved. Parker Davis only has eyes for her.

Grief is like that, I guess. You think the world should stop, should fall apart with you, but it doesn’t. It keeps going. And you’re left standing in the middle of it, feeling hollow, watching everything move on like the person you loved wasn’t the very center of it all.

“I’ll wait for you to get older. But in the meantime, you don’t have to worry about being alone, okay? I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“It’s alright, Mom. You rest now,” I whispered, that choked, tight feeling still in my chest and throat. I tucked her in, pulling the sheets up to her chin. I could barely remember her doing that for me. And now here I was, long before she was old and gray, doing it for her now. It fucking sucked.

First steps to becoming a stalker: figuring out everything I could about my girl.

Casey Larsen. It would sound even better as Casey Davis. A grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. Okay, crazy…

I wondered if she felt it too—that emptiness inside of her, like something was missing. I hoped she did. Because then I could swoop in and fill all the empty parts up.

“When I find the girl of my dreams, you can bet your exquisite ass I’m going to find out everything I can about her.”

“I can’t believe you’re real, baby girl. You’re perfect.” His words came out like a groan as his hand, rough but careful, traced the curve of my jaw.

“There’s no ghosts,” I told Matty. “Jace is way too annoying. They’ll get fed up immediately and leave the premises until we’re gone.” That had to be the dumbest argument that a person had ever made, but Matty seemed to be considering it, finally turning his head to look at us.

“I feel like I’m forgetting you,” I whispered. “I can’t hear your laugh anymore. The way that you smiled is fading from my memories unless I look at a photograph.” A hiccuped sob lurched from my mouth. “And I’m so afraid of the day that it’s all gone, you know? Because you deserve to be remembered, Ben. I wish the whole world could have known you, how special you were. It feels like I’m letting you down every day that goes by.”

“You can’t steal something that belongs to you,” I told them, and they both blinked at me…looking concerned. “The delusion is setting in. We’d better call a doctor,” Jace whisper-yelled. “We can’t. They would lock him up,” added Matty.

“Are you going to be a good girl and let me eat that perfect pussy?” he asked roughly,

“Good, then I’ll be your first and your last, Casey Larsen, and I’ll get to ruin you, baby, starting right fucking now.”

“You don’t get to regret this. You don’t get to regret me. I’ll let you run tonight, but get ready for me, baby. It’s go time tomorrow. You let me taste you. There’s no ending to this story where I don’t get it all.” I gaped at him, because he sounded so serious. “I’m still—I literally just broke up with someone.” “Bullshit. You and I both know this was inevitable, the kind of inevitable that gets tattooed on your skin until the day you die. I’m not going to be your rebound, Casey Larsen. I’m your end game.”

“You are not responsible for a man’s bad behavior, Casey. Now repeat that for me, right the fuck now.” “I am not responsible for a man’s bad behavior,” I repeated obediently.

But unfortunately, pretending you weren’t a psycho meant you couldn’t do things like that—yet.

“Holy fuck,” Nat said, gripping my arm. “Please tell me his dick is just as good as the rest of him. And please tell me he’s just as growly as that in bed.”