I pop open my boot—mytrunk—look inside, and realize I left my own gear bag in my other car.
If I sayfuckin my head one more time, it’s gonna fucking explode.
“What’s this about?” Holt appears at my side and gestures to me. “You eat bad oysters? Or did Collins put you in your place?”
“Trying something new.”
“You broke up with Goldie.”
It takes every ounce of control in my body to not shove him.
Did she fucking tell everybody? “Wasn’t seeing her.”
He snorts. “Keep telling yourself that.”
I’m late to training because of running back to my flat to get my gear. When I hit the pitch, everyone else is already running laps.
“You’re late,” Coach says.
“Shitty day.”
“Leave it outside.”
“Already left it.”
Whole point of training is to get stronger. Get faster. Get ready.
Instead, I hit a tackle bag wrong and tweak my shoulder.
By the time training’s over, the only thing I want to do is go home, hug my dog, and drink myself into oblivion until it’s time to do this all over again tomorrow.
Instead, half the damn team follows me home.
The ones who don’t make it into my private parking garage show up outside my door.
“What the fuck do I have a door code for?” I mutter to myself while I wade through them to unlock my flat.
Condo.
Fucking American words.
“We’re irresistibly charming when we need to be,” Porter says.
“And this is Pounders tradition,” Crew adds like he’s been on the team longer than me, which he hasn’t.
“Breakups requireThe Fast and the Furiousmarathons and steak dinners,” Tatum says.
Are they fucking kidding? I drop my head to my door. “I didn’t have a breakup.”
Holt joins the group, along with a few other guys who got off the elevator. “You’re mopey, you’re unfocused, you kept looking atthe stands during training, and Goldie’s leaving for London in three days. If you didn’t break up, you’re getting ready to. And if you don’t let us love-bomb you, we’ll tell Coach and get you traded.”
I stare at him.
He stares right back like he didn’t saylet us love-bomb you.
I’ve never been on a team thatlove-bombsits players.
“Chef’s on the way,” Holt adds. “We requested Yorkshire puddings to go with the steak.”
