“You ain’t kidding,” he replied and jutted his chin at the bar. Brigs had all the moves, the ones I’d used once upon a time. He leaned over Fiona, dragging his fingers over her arm and probably telling her all sorts of fucking jokes. Tate tapped the table with his fist and laughed. “Damn. She’s something, huh?”
“Yeah. She is. Brigs has me feeling murderous again.”
“He’s harmless. Don’t even worry. She’s not biting at all. This is highly entertaining. I’ve been trying to get to know the younger guys on the team, but those assholes like to stay out all fucking night and hit the high-end clubs. He lays on his ridiculous charm and leaves with a different girl every night. It’s good to see him go up to bat and strike out. His ego was getting a bit too much.” He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “I used to be like that, but not anymore. I don’t know when I got old, but I’m there.”
“You still got plenty of years left in you, Tate.” I patted his shoulder but continued to check on Fiona every couple of seconds. He wasn’t lying—she wasn’t leaning into Brigs, or turning her body toward him at all. I smiled. My girl wasn’t into Brigs.
“We’ll see. This might be my last year. Enough about me, though. You going to be in or not? I need to know so I can start planting other ideas in Coach’s ear.”
“I’ll be ready.” I rubbed my knee, confident in my answer. “I can take grounders without flinching and can jog at a steady pace. Doc says I’ll be cleared for full activity soon, but the thought of running and sliding freaks me the fuck out. That’s where I’m afraid I’ll damage it more, you know?”
“Trust your body. That was the best advice I ever had. Your body will tell you what you feel. Don’t be a dumbass and ignore it. Look, they’re finally coming back. I was getting thirsty.”
His words repeated over and over in my head, their meaning hitting me hard. Trust my body. Did that mean feelings, too?
“Here you go, gentlemen.” Fiona set down a beer in front of me and slid back onto her bar stool. Her legs bumped into mine, and I snuck my hand down there and placed it on her thigh. She didn’t try to move, nor did she give anything away. But it pleased me how a slight blush showed on her cheeks. “Brigs was telling me that you guys have team-bonding days in the clubhouse where the coach brings all sorts of weird things. Care to share about them?” We all shared a look and shook our heads. Those were secret for a reason. “Come on. I’ll tell you something embarrassing if you do.”
“Unless you made out with a girl or ran through a crowd naked, then it won’t be that interesting,” Brigs replied to her, looking all sorts of an asshole.
“Fuck off, Brigs. I’m not giving you any material for your spank bank.”
I choked on my beer, the carbonation burning my nose. “Fiona.God.”
“Just being honest.” She pressed her legs together, communicating with me under the table. I gripped tighter and enjoyed the shocked expression on Brigs’ face. “Anyway, Brigs, to finish your question, yes. I am a Soles fan. I’m a native to Arizona. Shocking, I know.”
“How did you get paired up with this grump?”
“My boss’s brother works for them.”
They accepted her answer and Tate went into a series of stories from his youth that had us all cackling. Fiona cried, she laughed so hard and I relaxed when she leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I only got five more weeks left of you. Let’s get out of here.”
I chugged the rest of my beer and took her hand. To hell with Tate and Brigs. The meaning of her words hit me, as hard as a punch to the gut, and I decided I wasn’t going to waste a second of time with her. Five weeks left. I’d make them worth it.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Fiona
My core throbbed with need as soon as we got into the car. We drove together—not my best decision because I would need to find a way back to my house that didn’t involve an Uber, but that was too far in advance. Rationality had no place with my nervous, horny energy. It had been a while since I’d had him inside me, and I craved him.Missed him. Needed him.
He started the car and didn’t say a word for the first ten minutes. He let out a couple of grunts, sliding his gaze to me before looking back at the road.Interesting.
“You okay, Gid? Seem tense. Like you need a rub-down.”
“I am tense.”
“Why?” I reached over and ran my fingers up his leg. He jerked and sucked in a breath.
“I get jealous when someone else has your attention. Makes me feel a little violent. And predatory.”
My heart lurched at his words. Not the aggressive ones. Thejealouscomment. We didn’t talk about that shit, but my face warmed. “Brigs? I wasn’t flirting with that clown. He was over the top and way too much.”
“Yeah. He was. But he stole too much of my time with you.” He gripped the wheel a little tighter and the cutest line formed on his forehead. I chuckled and ignored the odd sensation in my stomach. “Why are you laughing? I’m hurting over here. I only have five weeks with you and Brigs took up most of the night I could’ve been inside you. Tasting you. Pleasuring you. I’m pissed and fucking turned on. It’s not a nice combination.”
“False. That first time on the motorcycle, I was pissed and fucking turned on. It has its moments.”
“Yeah.” His tone darkened, and moisture pooled between my legs. “I’ll be fine when you’re naked. Distract me until we get home.”
Home.His word choice shouldn’t have caused an array of emotions to flow through me—but it did. It was his home, not mine, and we weren’t going to his home as a couple. It was…as fuck-buddies who were friends. Yeah. That was it.
