I don’t feel guilty about what happened with Mae—not one bit. But it feels strange standing face to face with her brother when he has no idea all I want to do is rip her clothes off until she’s in nothing but her lacey underwear and sink so deep into her that she won’t forget me when she leaves.
The thought of not having Mae here makes me feel physically sick.
But I know it’s reality.
I’m staying here where I belong. And she’ll be moving on with her life after the season. I don’t know where she’ll be going, but another state sounds likely, and with busy schedules, it’ll be unlikely that we’ll be able to see each other.
Not that we’d be able to anyway. If Peter were to find out about Mae and me and put the pieces together, I’d be thrown off the team.
I clench my fists.
Fuck, I hate this.
Evan’s phone buzzes, and he squints at it before grunting. “Seriously? Does this guy ever give it a rest?”
“What?”
“Riley’s spoken to Essence Sport and commented about us as a team again.”
I pinch the skin between my eyebrows. “What’s he said now?”
“The usual crap,” Bennett says, reading off Evan's phone. “We’re a group of unruly swine who only care about the title, and it doesn’t matter how we get it. We’ll throw anyone and everyone under the bus to win.”
“Unruly swine,” I chuckle. “Well, that’s a new one.”
Cam’s face scrunches up. “Riley’s a weirdo. I stopped off at the bar to see Mae during her shift earlier, and she told me that he’s been showing up and trying to talk to her.”
Everybody goes silent, and I feel my heart thud. “What?”
He seems taken aback by the gravel in my voice. “Yeah, he’s been in a few times. He says he’s here on business, but I swear next time I see him, I’m gonna warn him to leave Mae alone. She’s working herself into the dirt and doesn't want to be bothered, even if he is just trying to be friendly. He can find another bar to hang out at.”
Aggravation surges through me. All I want to do is storm down to The Salty Dog, grip Riley by the back of his neck, and throw him into a saltwater river. If he loves The Salty Dog so much, he can become one.
Lucky for him, there are no saltwater rivers in Montana.
I have no idea what his game is, but he clearly has nothing better to do than torment my team, and harassing Mae is something I will absolutely not tolerate.
As we eat, my brain can’t focus on anything other than Riley being in proximity to Mae right now, chatting to her over the bar even after she’s told him to leave her alone multiple times.
His stupid cheesy smile—all gleaming teeth and dimples.
I don’t get angry often. I usually keep my emotions in check, but this is fucking killing me.
After swiftly texting Poppy to inform her that I have to get out of something and need her to call me, claiming there’s an emergency, I wait for her call. Tapping my foot against the stool I’m sitting on is grating, but the noise serves as a distraction from my whirring thoughts.
My phone buzzes, and I snatch it up, listening intently to Poppy’s lie about a pipe bursting in her apartment. The others can hear, and I immediately jump up and tell her I’m coming over.
It’s one of the things I love most about my sister. She’ll ask questions later, but when someone is in need of help, she’ll do it. There and then.
I ruffle Leo’s hair before rushing to the front door, Bennett close behind me. He eyes me up suspiciously, his deep brown eyes flickering. “Say hi to Mae for me.”
“What are you talking about?”
He releases a scoff as if it’s obvious. “Maybe you should work with an acting coach or something in your free time. Your facial expressions give a lot away, Slater.”
I curse.
“Cam definitely didn’t notice. It’s fine.” He smiles. “I only gathered because Poppy’s not at home tonight. She’s at Sophia’s house with Madison.”
