Page 32 of Forever Relentless

He actually looked affronted.

Noah exchanged a look with Dustin, who was definitely trying not to laugh. “You were in a room with an orgy—”

“Laurie-Anne is the love of my life,” Jason said fiercely. “She will be my wife. I promised her my virginity, and she promised me hers.”

Sounded . . . restrictive.

“What were you doing then?” Dustin asked him. “You kissed someone?”

Noah gave him a look that was pretty much ‘he’s an idiot.’ “He’s not getting blackmailed over a fucking kiss.”

Dustin sniffed. “Depends on how good the kiss was.”

“I didn’t kiss her.” Jason looked appalled.

I was definitely lost; thankfully, so were the others.

“No kissing, no sex, so . . . a blow job?” Dante guessed.

Jason squared his shoulders. “Hand job. I’d only ever done it . . . you know, myself,” Jason mumbled.

This guy was going to marry someone who’d never even jerked him off? Was he crazy? What if they had zero chemistry?

I couldn’t stop the squeak of laughter, and I quickly got myself back in control, hoping none of them had heard me.

Shit. Too close.

I held my breath and lay flat out, my face inches from the concrete.

“How good is the picture?” Dante asked after a very tense moment when I was sure my lungs might burst. Luckily, he sounded no different than he had been before, which was a good thing for me. But I opted to keep my head down. I had been too close to letting them know I was listening.

Jason sounded miserable. “There is no doubt what’s happening, who it’s happening to, and it’s not my long-term girlfriend delivering.”

“How are they blackmailing you?” Dustin asked him. “What did you mean earlier when you said they told you this was how it was?”

“I told Coach. I showed Coach the picture. He told me he’d handle it.” He sounded so defeated; I felt sorry for him.

I heard a scoff but wasn’t sure who it was, and then Dante spoke. “You took a picture like that to Bobby Ray?”

“Yeah. Who else could I turn to for help?” Jason asked.

“That’s where I went when I got the picture of me. Straight to the stadium,” Dustin commiserated.

To Coach Sutherland? Why the fuck would any of them trust that man?

“You went to Coach?” Dante asked.

“Initially, but in reality, I was looking for Briar. Then I went to my QB.” I heard a thud, and from the dull oomph that followed, I guessed Dustin just punched Jason. “Why the fuck didn’t you go to your QB man? Or me?”

“Coach always says if there’s an issue, you tell him.” Jason sounded clearer. Surer. “This was an issue.”

“And in exchange, he what? Asks you to look the other way at stuff that’s happening on and off the field?” Dante pressed.

Jason sighed long and loud. “I thought he’d help me.”

The four of them were quiet, and I knew now wasn’t the time to tell them that Coach Sutherland had never helped anyone out except himself.

“Let’s get these pictures he wants. We need to get Briar,” Dante said, sounding as if he were walking away. “We can figure out how to help you later. I don’t want him to come looking for us.”