Free Aced (Blocked #2) by Jennifer Lane

my visit to Highbanks, and I couldn’t get Lucia’s teammate out of my head. Not only did Maddie and I have our college athletic experiences in common, we had our futures in medicine. I knew she could reach her lofty goals. She was that kind of talented.
    But what I thought of most was how beautiful she was when she cried. She’d seemed embarrassed by her tears, and I still felt like a total cad that I’d caused them. Still, I couldn’t deny her alluring softness as beads of glass spilled down her smooth, brown skin. The tenderness in her gaze when I’d brushed them away…
    Brad’s wolf whistle brought me back to the vehicle. We were still stopped at the light, and I looked to my left to see Miss Long Boots sashay from the crosswalk onto the sidewalk. “ Day-um ,” Brad said as he watched her walk away. “You can pin me down with that boot any day, sugar. Rub that heel right into my chest.”
    I rolled my eyes.
    The light changed, and Brad pressed on the accelerator. Next to me in the backseat, China leaned forward. “Gettin’ horny as we approach La Casa, Bradley?”
    He laughed. “Sí, mamacita.”
    I pursed my lips. I knew La Casa was the agents’ code name for the White House now that my family had moved in. But why would Brad feel horny?
    We maneuvered around to the back of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I thought we’d enter through one of two heavily guarded gates, but we rolled past them. Marines were everywhere, and I assumed there were many more I couldn’t see. Their stony expressions made my stomach clench. I hadn’t heard from my buddy Jake in a few weeks; communication was a challenge in Afghanistan. If Jake hadn’t needed a Naval ROTC scholarship to afford college, he could’ve joined me at TCU. But he’d attended Texas A&M and was now a second lieutenant, risking his life overseas.
    We rounded the corner of our country’s most notorious house, and I braced my hand against the armrest when it appeared Brad was driving us into a brick wall. But then the “wall” slid to the right, revealing the Secret Service entrance. I glanced at China, who smirked at me. I placed my hand back in my lap.
    “Officers Jansen and Halloway,” Brad told the marine who stopped us.
    The guard checked his computer. “Who’re you transporting, Jansen?”
    “Fernando.”
    “Proceed.” The marine gestured to his left.
    But Brad didn’t move the vehicle. “I expect my fifty bucks before we leave, Richards.”
    “Fucking Jets.” The marine scowled. “You got lucky this time, jackoff.” Then he glanced at me in the backseat, and straightened, resuming his stiff expression. “Sir.”
    Brad cackled as he rolled up the window and drove us down the ramp to an underground garage. “Can’t believe he thought his lame-ass Cowboys would beat my Jets.”
    Neither team had made the NFL playoffs this year, so Brad must have bet him back in December. “Richards cheers for Dallas?” I asked.
    Brad nodded.
    “Is he from Texas?”
    “Yeah.” Brad turned to face me after parking the car. “Why?”
    I shrugged. Sometimes I felt homesick for the Lone Star State, especially on a chilly February day in DC.
    As we headed into the building, I asked, “Why am I called Fernando?”
    “That’s on a need-to-know basis,” China said.
    “Well, I need to know.”
    “And we need you not to know.” Her gelled brown hair didn’t move an inch as she shook her head.
    Oh, China . She lived to antagonize. I understood why Dane had made a break for it last fall. Anything to get away from her for a few hours.
    Brad punched in a code for the elevator, which we rode up to the ground floor from deep underground. “Mr. Ramirez.” China smiled at me during our ascent, which gave me pause. “We’re stopping first at our supervisor’s office. She wants to be sure we’re taking good care of you.”
    That’s why she was smiling. She didn’t want me to complain about her.
    Brad was less subtle. “I’m sure you’ll put in a good