If I was careful, I’d be able to stop myself from saying something incriminating. But I wasn’t sure I could count on Charlie to do the same.
Not that I didn’t trust him, I did, but Charlie didn’t always think things through before he spoke. And there was a good chance he’d try to come to my defence and make things a thousand times worse.
He hadn’t said anything about my confession except briefly the next day where he mentioned telling Amanda that I wasn’t interested in dating right now and not to push it. I was grateful he’d decided to let it go, but I was waiting for him to lose patience and decide he needed to find me a boyfriend.
I couldn’t wait for him to get on and propose to Amanda. Then I could direct him back to wedding planning or rugby every time he tried to make it about me. Which, considering how much I usually loved being the centre of attention, was pretty fucking selfless if you asked me.
“Settle down,” Matty said. “Nobody wants to hear about your sex lives, no matter how interesting you think it is.”
“How’d you know it’s not interesting, though?” Bailey asked.
“Because you’re not interesting,” Mason said with a wink, and I snorted as Bailey grabbed his chest dramatically.
“Fucking ouch, mate. That hurt.”
“Ah well, you’ll live.”
I bit my tongue, holding back my comment about Hunter kissing it better, and let out a slow breath, bouncing slightly on my toes. “All right,” Jonny said with a grin. “Who’s been giving Danny sugar?”
“What? I’m excited! Been a while since we played.” It wasn’t a lie—I was genuinely excited to be back. Rugby was everythingto me, and I fucking loved it. Getting back on the pitch had been something I’d looked forward to the moment last season had ended.
I’d had a countdown on my phone and everything.
“You’re like a kid at Christmas,” Jonny said.
“I mean, if you’re not excited, then what’s the point in being here?” I asked. “That’s the reason we do all this, because we love playing rugby.”
“Yeah, we do,” West said, shooting me a smile from across the huddle.
“Exactly,” Matty said. “So let’s go out there and enjoy it, have some fun, and do what we do best!” There was a round of cheerful agreement and a few claps. “Oh! And one more thing. Make sure you’ve all got sun cream on. I don’t care if you don’t think you’ll burn. Sun cream, now.”
“Yes, Dad,” Devon and a few others added as Matty rolled his eyes at them. We’d collectively hoped that having not only a boyfriend but a nanny he could trust would get Matty to ease up a bit, but apparently dad-mode was forever.
Maybe the fact that at least four people had gotten burnt during our cup run in May was all the proof he needed that we couldn’t be trusted. He might’ve had a point.
I’d already put some on because a good SPF was always part of my skincare routine, but I made sure I had plenty on before we headed into the tunnel.
I also made sure to fix my hair and adjust the fit of my shorts to make sure they showed off how round my arse was. Ezra would be around somewhere, and I wanted to make sure he had plenty to look at.
And if he got a hard-on while watching, then I’d be very happy to help him with it afterwards. Maybe he’d finally be up for fucking my arse, because I was desperate to know what it felt like. Although I’d be totally down to suck his dick again too.Having a cock in my mouth was weirdly soothing as well as sexy, and I kinda needed to find a way to ask Ezra to let me sneak into his office and slide under his desk every time training was hard. Because sucking his dick was so much better at helping me relax than anything else I’d tried.
We jogged out onto the pitch to the cheers of the crowd and the pulsing beat of music, the late-summer sun beating down on us from the gaps in the clouds. For a friendly, the stands were pretty full but I couldn’t see Ezra, or anyone else I knew, from my cursory glance into them.
Not that I expected anyone to be there.
Jade came occasionally, and she’d brought my grandad a couple of times, but there wasn’t anyone else. I knew a few of the other guys’ partners or parents came to every home match, sometimes even the away ones too, and I wondered if I’d find that smothering. Or just weird.
I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to waste their weekend afternoons or Friday nights watching me play.
Not that I wasn’t good—I was pretty bloody awesome at what I did—but it still wasn’t something I could wrap my head around.
We took our places on the pitch, me on the left wing and Charlie over on the right, Bailey behind us, and the wall of the front row ahead. Jesus, they were big fuckers. I always forgot how huge Jaden, West, and Mason were—each of them built like fucking tanks.
And that wasn’t even counting Hunter’s six-foot-seven frame.
Across the pitch, our opposition looked fit, hungry, and ready to play. They’d won the toss, so they’d be starting with the ball. Which they probably thought would be to their advantage. But we’d see how much energy was left in their legs after thirty minutes of us running them ragged. Because despite Matty’sdesire for us not to demolish them, we weren’t going to make it easy.
I bounced on the spot, readjusted my shorts and socks, and ran my fingers over the ends of my moustache as I watched the referee, waiting impatiently for us to begin.
