Page 8 of My Brother's Teammates

Jace’s scowl deepens when I step in front of the duo, and Mateo makes no secret of dragging his hungry gaze from my feet all the way to my face. Jace knocks Mateo’s knee with his own and quickly tosses him a murderous look.

“You can stay,” Jace growls and crosses his arms, his usual frown plastered to his face.

I feel a heavy “but” hanging in the air, so the knots of tension in my neck and shoulders hold firm.

“But we have conditions.”

That’s fair, I expected it. I’m not sure how much rent is for this place, and I really hope my modest teaching salary will cover my portion. My stomach sinks, and I glance down at the floor.

If most of my paycheck goes to this apartment, then maybe staying here isn’t the best idea. I like my job, but it’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Still, I should at least hear them out, so I jerk my chin at Jace. “I’m listening.”

Mateo kicks back, crossing his long legs at his ankles and tucking both his hands behind his head. He’s sporting a boner. I haven’t seen it go down since they walked in on me, and I’m not sure how that thing is still standing, but it’s distracting as fuck, and I’m afraid to make eye contact with it.

It looks fucking huge. At least these guys are a good distraction from my disaster of a life. That’s a plus in their favor.

“You’ve already seen that this place can get a little messy.”

I snort. Understatement of the century.

Jace’s eyes narrow like he’s challenging me before he even tells me their terms. “We would waive rent if you keep the place in order and help cook on off days when we’re not traveling or have a game.”

He wants me to be their fucking housekeeper?

Mateo’s stare burns into my skin from his spot on the couch. Roman’s quiet presence on the armchair to my left tries to demand my attention, but I keep my gaze fixed forward on Jace.

“I’m not going to be your servant,” I grind out, crossing my arms. I may have come in and cleaned, but I’m not excited about the idea of cleaning up after them on a daily basis.

Roman’s softer voice cuts through the thick tension in the room. “We don’t expect you to be, Charlie. I’m the only one who can cook, so having to not do it every day would be great. You’d be doing us a favor, and you’d get a free place to stay. We’re not that bad to live with.”

My lips twitch, but Jace’s eyes bore into me. He strokes his thighs, smoothing out his pants, before slapping his legs with both palms and standing up. “If you’re not interested, you can have a week to find somewhere else to live.”

How can he be so cold… so heartless? He was always a grump, but teenage Jace would have never treated me like this. There wasn’t a day that went by where he wasn’t in my goddamn house, sitting at our dining room table, stealing my French fries. Harrison and Jace were as inseparable then as they are now. Like PB&J or mac and cheese and hotdogs. He always had a dirty face, scuffed-up knees, and the most mischievous smile I’d ever seen.

That damn smile got me every time. I had the biggest crush on him for most of my teenage years. But the way he’s looking at me right now? It’s like I’m a fucking stranger.

Tendrils of dread curl around my ribcage, squeezing the air from my lungs. This garbage fire of a day keeps getting worse and worse. Between the cheating and Shane kicking me out of his place, I’m already feeling pretty terrible. And Jace… Jace has a way of making me feel like I’m nothing. Like I’m insignificant.

I take a deep breath as my eyes fill with unshed tears, and I try to hold them back. I won’t cry in front of Jace. I can’t let him know he gets to me.

Clenching my jaw so hard my teeth hurt, I give him a brief nod. “Fine.”

The three men seem to heave a collective sigh, but I can’t tell if it’s relief or disappointment at my acceptance of their gracious offer. At least they’re willing to waive rent. I should be able to save up money and get out of here in no time.

Jace points a finger at me. “No fucking either of them.” Then moves that finger between his friends. He doesn’t even bother to list himself because he knows we’d never go there. He’d actually have to treat me like a person, and I don’t think he’s capable of it.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to scoff and tell him he isn’t the boss of me, but Mateo’s groan cuts off my thoughts, making me giggle. He’s nothing if not consistent. Shameless too, it seems.

Jace’s middle finger flips out, counting his rules as he speaks. “No nakedness.”

Wow. My tits must have offended his delicate sensibilities. Poor little lamb. I fight my eye roll. I bet they won’t stop walking about their house half naked, nor would I ask them to. I mean, I’ll do my best not to ogle, but if it’s out there for all to see… I’m gonna look.

Finger number three joins the first two. “No light beer.”

Squaring my shoulders, I aim my still-hard nipples in his direction, silently daring him to look at them. Or not look. I’m not really sure what I want, but I do like the idea of making him extra uncomfortable.

“No fucking my brother’s friends, no nudity, no light beer,” I repeat with a nod. “Anything else?” I finally break eye contact with Jace and turn to Mateo, whose gaze stays on the curve of my ass for a beat longer than it probably should have, considering Jace’s emphatic rule number one.

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