Page 33 of Unleashed

Shivering and nauseous from seeing Betsy bending over to put on the shin guards, I look to my left to see Simone Mud-hugging. He kisses her forehead and looks straight at me. I turn away as Betsy tugs at her bra and jiggles under the chest guard. I sigh and turn toward the other softball field to avoid all the trauma. What a fucking disgusting day.

“Right?”

Sylvie raises an expectant eyebrow as she rocks side to side in a suggestive rhythm, standing closer to me than necessary. I can’t help my irritable glance. “Huh?”

She laughs and tosses her blonde hair over her shoulder. Sylvie’s darker roots scream she’s going for jail chic or she needs a visit to the salon. Sylvie is friendly in a snooty way. “I said that this season is going to be a ball-buster.”

The idea of Simone dating continues to drag me, and I can’t shake off the annoyance as I shrug and fixate on the grass between the two fields. “Uh, yeah. I guess so.”

Sylvie nods toward Simone and the swamp creature. “She sure seems...happy.”

I scowl without looking at my ex. “Who?”

“Simone, Greg. She’s all over this guy. When she started at the office weeks ago, she said she wasn’t dating anyone.” Yeah, because only weeks ago, she was fucking still married to me.

I go for cool but sound irritable. “Oh. Whatever. Good for her.”

“I could have sworn you had the hots for her.”

I laugh, but it sounds like I’m gasping for air. “Maybe if I was on fire.” I used to burn for that woman.

She giggles and hesitates before saying, “Well, maybe you and I could do dinner sometime.”

I wince but keep it to a minimum. “Thanks, but I don’t date much since my last breakup.”

“We could just go to my place, then.” God, no.

I cross my arms, though I’m still wearing my softball glove. “Like I said. Breakup. I can’t.”

“She must’ve done a number on you.” Sylvie waits for me to respond, but I can’t tell her how Simone stole my heart but broke my soul.

“Tucker, you’re up,” Wilder orders, sending me a side glare. What the hell did I do now?

Sylvie touches my arm. “Let me know if you change your mind.” When hell gives tours.

When she leaves, I glance at Simone, who turns away from me and comes close to licking the douchewad’s face. Two exits beyond pissed off, I trudge over to Wilder. He cocks a dark eyebrow above his mirrored lens, blaring his boredom with my supposed shenanigans. “Don’t you think your sister should stop pawing at that pile of shit?”

Wilder fights a smirk as he shrugs. “I think I should say the same thing about you and Sylvie. Getting cozy, aren’t we?”

“I’d rather have herpes, which she’d probably give me. This isn’t right, Wilder. You’re our coach. I don’t want to see her humping his leg every time I turn around. No one does. The team is talking about them, you know.”

“You mean when they’re not gossiping about you with Simone?” I glare at Wilder until he frowns and looks at them. When the fucker’s hands go to Simone’s ass and squeeze, I growl.

Wilder chuckles at my reaction, and I’m seconds away from strangling him. I snap, “Thanks a lot.”

I ditch him for the bats, debating whether to use one on my former brother-in-law or ex-wife. Hell, I’ll beg someone to use one on me right now. When I grab my usual bright-blue bat, Wilder surprises the fuck out of me, yelling, “Simone, over here! Now!”

I don’t watch because she doesn’t need to know I said anything. Or that I care. I don’t.

I put on a helmet and hear Wilder scolding her. “You will stay with your team. No one wants to see you two dry-humping in public.”

“I wasn’t doing that! What about you and Hadley? I saw you making out with her.”

His frustration is obvious because he sounds like he just ate a rock. “We weren’t making out, and Hadley is my wife. That’s not the same. And we don’t let it interfere with our roles here.”

“What I do with Clay perturbs one person. And he’s the one who complained to you.”

“No, I saw it. Knock the shit off.” Christ. It’s a damn miracle.

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