Thorn Read online

  Thorn

  Bad Boys Love Book One

  Savina Joyce

  Copyright © 2020 by Savina Joyce

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design by Low Creek Designs

  Formatted by Nina Morse, VA

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Check Out Book Two: Marcus

  About the Author

  Also by Savina Joyce

  Chapter One

  Thorn

  Thorn Thompson put the videotape in the old busted VCR. It was old technology, but he didn’t have the heart to transfer these tapes to DVD. He wanted to believe that someday he would stop reliving his past. He knew no good would come from watching them again, but he had to remember a time when he meant something. Anything.

  Now he was a has been. Thorn never thought it would come to this. He never had any plans to come back to Rhode Island, but here he was. Every day hoping that he wouldn’t run into anyone that he knew from high school or college. Even grocery shopping was an exercise in anxiety. There was no avoiding it.

  As his highlight reel began to play, he mouthed along with the words of the announcers. Watching himself race down the field was exhilarating. In between swigs of his beer, he called the plays along with the announcers.

  Thorn had been such a strong player. Football was his life. He played ball since he was big enough to enter the peewee league. He was a standout from the start. It only made sense for him to continue it through high school and college. Most of the people raised around here never left. Thorn wanted to be the exception, and he grew up hoping that football could take him there.

  In no time, he was a local sports star. Thorn was always making amazing plays and being featured on the local news. No one was surprised when he got picked up by The League. He had more rushing yards than anyone else on his draft list. He’s been training for the NFL since he was old enough to walk. It was all he ever wanted.

  It still was. Even after all these years. Too bad he would never play again.

  Watching his highlight reel was the worst thing he could do. It hurt him more each time. If he ever told anyone about it, he knew they would tell him to stop. Especially a therapist. Thorn didn’t do therapy. That’s what beer was for. Not that all he drank was beer. But he tried to keep it light during work hours.

  Every interception he watched gave him a stinging sense of pain and pride. He involuntarily twitched his arms in time to the movements he made on the screen. Sometimes he felt a twinge in the bad shoulder that took him away from the life of his dreams. Frowning, he took another sip of his beer. Then another.

  The only reason that he ended up back in Rhode Island was because of his older sister, Stacy. She was a nurse and insisted that he have a career to fall back on. Thorn still had some money left over after his football career blew up, but even he had to admit that he was bored. He had taken classes towards his physical therapy degree while he was in college. It was interesting at the time. He never thought he would have to finish it.

  He was drafted into the NFL in the middle of his college career. As soon as the call came down, he left. His college courses were a faint memory.

  After he had the labral tear in his shoulder, he had to have surgery and months of physical therapy. At the time of his injury, Thorn was signed as a free agent. His team had taken that as an opportunity to drop him, and no one else picked him up. He couldn’t blame them. His game was off no matter how hard he tried.

  That’s when he started drinking. It didn’t matter the type of alcohol as long as it was wet. The cheap stuff was always available. Thorn didn’t think he had a problem. After all, he only drank on his down time. Alcohol did nothing to improve his mood, though. He spent more time feeling sorry for himself than he would ever care to admit.

  Stacy refused to let him destroy himself. At his sister’s insistent nagging, he had finished his education. He did it like he did everything, in a hurry. He took on a heavy course load to make sure to get it done as quickly as possible. He didn’t have a social life to speak of, so he just buried himself in the work and his drinks. Soon after he graduated, he got this damn job. He didn’t even apply for it, but someone reached out to him and now he was playing doctor for some female soccer players.

  Soccer.

  It wasn’t even a real sport. Who would make a team full of kickers?

  Thorn would never say that to any of the players. It may be a lame sport, but they took it seriously. Not to mention that these women could kick hard enough to send his balls to a whole different field. He wanted to keep his parts exactly where they were.

  He had to admit they had done a lot with the stadium. Thorn spent a lot of his childhood attending baseball games here. Hell, he had even thrown out the first pitch in the game when he was drafted into the NFL. Local celebrity indeed. When the minor league baseball team that used to play here moved to another city, The Regents got their first stadium.

  He went to his office fridge and grabbed another beer while the VHS tape finished up with the play that ended his career. His first Super Bowl.

  “Looks like this med student turned pro baller is going to be rushing to see a doctor of his own,” the announcer said dramatically.

  Thorn sighed and rewound the tape to the beginning. There was nothing like the glory days.

  Chapter Two

  Gabriella

  Gabriella Wright stood in her office looking down on the soccer field. This stadium used to house a minor league baseball team. When they moved out it was torn down and rebuilt. Working at a new state-of-the-art stadium had its perks. The view from her office was one of them.

  Practice was in session, and her Regents were doing an amazing job. They might even go to nationals this year. The Rhode Island Regents were a tight-knit team. Not only did they work together on the field, but if one of them was going through anything off the field the whole team would rally together. They were really a family.

  Managing the team hadn’t always been easy. When this group of strong-willed women first came together, they butted heads at every turn. They were big time athletes with even larger opinions. Fortunately, it was nothing Gabriella couldn’t handle. She liked to tell people that she had “the Wright stuff.”

  As a team manager, Gabriella had to put out those fires. She had done so with precision and grace. She wanted her team members to believe they could talk to her. She didn't want anyone to feel that they were being singled out.

  Whenever a player or employee came to her with any issue, the conversation never started with “you need to straighten out.” It always began with “I feel.” Like, “I feel like you are telling me that you don’t feel valued.” This went a long way with helping the people that she worked with feel accepted.

  Even though her players were headstrong, she was always able to rein them in. She found that the women in professional sports were more willing to work as a team than women in the corporate world. That's exactly why she went into sports management. Well, that and the fact that she was a huge sports fan. She had never been particularly good at sports, but she loved them just the same.

  Soccer especial
ly was one of her favorites. Gabriella grew up playing soccer, but she wasn’t very good at it. Not that it mattered. She played for the joy of it. She loved that it was a team sport. The players had to work together as a team to win. Even if there was a standout player, they would never get far without their teammates. Unfortunately, sometimes all that working together still led to losses. Every woman on The Regents shouldered the blame equally. Gabriella didn’t allow finger pointing. Win or lose, they did it together.

  Gabriella made it a point to sit in on team huddles when they lost just to see how the coaches dealt with the team. Overly harsh coaches would be a detriment to the team that she was building. Anything that put her team at risk would not be tolerated.

  As a manager she had to make sure everything ran smoothly, but she appreciated the way no one was attacked, or coddled like children. These were grown adults doing a professional job, and they were treated as such.

  The team-building didn't stop on the field. Gabriella handpicked every member of her staff and every person that met the team. Every single person in this organization had a role to play. It was important that they all did their part.

  That was why she had hired Thorn Thompson. She knew his story better than most, because she had witnessed some of it firsthand

  Once upon a time, Thorn and Gabriella attended the same college. She was quite sure that he wouldn't remember her if they bumped into each other, but she couldn’t forget him. They only had a few general electives and an Intro to Sports Management class together. He wasn’t interested in the management side. Gabriella thought he had just taken it because sports was in the title. But he was whip smart and a great football player.

  In college she had watched every game Thorn played. When she found out he made it to the NFL, she had felt obligated to watch since they shared the same alma mater. Gabriella couldn't help but root for him. The fact that he had been good-looking was merely a bonus.

  He wasn’t just good looking either. If he wanted to, Thorn could have been a model. With his chestnut brown hair, chiseled jaw, and mischievous green eyes, he looked like he stepped out of a magazine. All the training and practice had definitely kept his body in stellar shape too.

  Thorn made national news when he was injured. This was in a big game. His first run at the Super Bowl. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to come so close to achieving a lifelong dream than have it ripped away right at the height. But she was sure that it hurt.

  After his injury, Thorn seemed to disappear. Gabriella had been just as surprised as anyone when one of those where are they now shows came up on one of the sports networks showing him crossing the stage for his doctorate after his failed NFL career. She wasn't sure what he had done to get through so fast, but he still had his arm in a sling during the ceremony.

  When she had finally reached the level to have her own team to manage, he was the first person that came to mind. She couldn't shake the thought loose. Not only did he have the prerequisite medical license, here he was also a former athlete. If anyone understood the mind of an athlete and their physical challenges, it would be Thorn.

  She had no idea how to contact him at first, but his former agent was more than willing to track him down for her while being sworn to secrecy. Another perk of keeping in touch with people from college.

  Gabriella wasn’t the one who conducted the interview. She had a human resources team for that. But she had made the final decision to hire him.

  Gabriella turned from her window and headed for the door. It was time to welcome Thorn to the team.

  Chapter Three

  Thorn

  Thorn was still wallowing in self-pity when Lucas called. Lucas was living out his own wildest dreams. When they were kids, Lucas always said he would grow up to be a rock star. Now he was. He never forgot about his friends, especially not Thorn.

  Lucas and Thorn had been friends from the time they learned to walk. The two men had even played football together once upon a time. They checked in on each other frequently to make sure one or the other hadn't forgotten where he came from.

  “So, how's the dream life with all the lovely ladies?”

  “It's far from a dream life. While these ladies may be lovely, they’re tough as nails. Any one of them could kick your ass.”

  Lucas laughed. “They may be able to kick my ass, but they would never want to. I would be too busy wooing them with love songs.”

  “I’ve never heard any of these love songs.”

  “You're not a lady.”

  Thorn laughed. “It's going okay over here, but there isn’t much to do. Aside from giving advice, I’m just here waiting for someone who needs my help. Waiting for someone to get hurt is a strange way to pass the time.”

  “This job sounds better and better by the minute. Sitting around all day is easy money. Especially for what they’re paying you.”

  “To a lazy bum like you, I'm sure it sounds great. But I like to be useful. I was useful on the field.”

  “You were also destroying your body. Now, you get to get paid lavishly to look at beautiful women and protect your temple.”

  “I hope you're not turning into a self-help guru on me.”

  “Never. I’m so charismatic that it would probably turn into a cult. That’s way too much pressure. What’s it like to be back in the old stomping grounds? Are you glad to be back home and back working in sports?”

  “The universities seem to be taking over, but Rhode Island is Rhode Island. You know how it goes. Being back in sports is one thing, but soccer isn’t a real sport. They train hard, but most of the game is just running around.”

  “You couldn't keep up with those girls for more than five minutes. There’s a reason why it’s the most popular sport in the world. Trust me. I make sure to schedule my overseas tours when there are no big soccer games. If I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be such a world-renowned star.”

  “Yeah well they can have it. Soccer isn’t my thing.”

  Thorn heard a throat clearing noise from behind him and turned around to find a woman standing there. She was wearing a sharp striped suit which was a striking contrast to the billowy silk blouse she wore under her blazer. She clearly wasn't one of the players. Aside from the fact that they were all at practice, they never wore suits. There was an air of importance around her. The kind you would find on a woman who knows her worth.

  Her hair was styled in what looked like one thousand little braids that fell to her waist in a no-nonsense ponytail. She wore those pointy toed skinny heel shoes that women seemed to love, but Thorn didn’t understand. They looked great on her though. He had to stop his admiring when he reached her pursed deep purple lips surrounded by velvety sepia skin. He probably should have stopped staring when he reached her crossed arms. That should have been a clue.

  She was pissed.

  “Lucas, I think I need to call you back. It looks like my boss is here.” Thorn didn’t wait for Lucas to respond before ending the call.

  “Imagine finding a man that doesn't think soccer is a real sport assisting with a professional soccer team,” she said.

  “Look ma’am, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend anyone.”

  “My name is not ma’am. It is Gabriella Wright. In case that name means nothing to you, I am in charge here. Had I known how much disdain you felt for the sport, maybe I would have reconsidered hiring you.”

  Thorn wasn't sure what to say. He really screwed the pooch on this one.

  “Ms. Wright. I really appreciate you hiring me for this position. I was just having a personal conversation.”

  “I would advise you to be more aware of your surroundings when you’re having these ‘personal’ conversations. If you are as grateful for the job as you claim, you would do your research at least and realize that this is a real sport. It has been around longer than your football. As a matter of fact, soccer has more appeal outside of this country than football ever did. But I'm sure you know all about that.”

  Thorn
needed this job, so he bit his tongue. The tabloids loved reporting on washed up athletes. Getting fired from his first real physical therapy gig would be big news for them. His sister would have a fit. Plus, he wouldn’t be able to pay his bills. But he didn’t like to be pushed around.

  “You wanted me here for a reason. I doubt you’re going to throw away all of that over one phone call. I’m still getting acclimated to my new digs here.”

  Gabriella’s eyes narrowed. “So I see.” She looked pointedly at the beer on the table. “While you're getting acclimated, let me remind you that this is a place of business, not some frat house and not your home. I trust that you are very capable, but I need you to keep in mind that all of us here represent this franchise. In order for it to be successful, you must also be successful facing your own demons. I have high expectations for all of my staff members.”

  Thorn had had just about enough of this conversation. Before he could come up with a snappy retort she had spun on her heel and stalked out of the room. That was not the way he wanted to make a first impression.

  Gabriella Wright might be his boss, but she wasn’t his keeper. It would've been easier to think straight if she hadn't looked so incredible. Was this what it felt like to be tongue tied? He wasn't used to everyday businesswomen feeling superior to him.

  He didn't know whether it was the beer or the intrusion playing with his head, but Gabriella seemed a little high maintenance to him. He didn’t have a lot of experience with that type. They tended not to stick around him for too long. If high maintenance is what he had to deal with to keep his job, then he had to figure something out.