Page 27 of Hitting the Gap

He chuckled. What was she doing down there? “You all good?”

“Yep, of course.” A moment later, she stood up, clad in his sweatshirt. The hood curled up around her head, looking all cozy, and his heart did a weird little stutter step. As she stepped out from behind the island, his gaze landed on her legs, peeking out beneath his oversized hoodie. His dick sprung to life in a little ‘hi how are ya’ twitch. Why the hell did she look so freaking sexy in his shirt?

“Sorry, I thought you’d be going out with your teammates after the game.” She pulled the edge of his hoodie down further on her thighs and flashed a little embarrassed wave. “Hi, I’m Bailey.”

“This is Brandon and Charles.” Gonzo pointed at his two teammates.

Bailey’s forehead crinkled and she eyed him curiously. “Brandon and Charles?”

He nodded. Yeah, the names were foreign to her. He’d never mentioned them because he’d never hung out with them before. She turned her attention to the other men and smiled. “Nice to meet you.” She flicked her thumb over her shoulder. “I’ll get out of your way.”

Charles rounded the island and walked toward her. “No need, the more the merrier.” He wrapped his arm around Bailey’s shoulder and guided her toward the living room.

Gonzo’s jaw tightened. Brandon made a little snorting sound beside him, then smirked and followed Charles and Bailey into the living room.

He rubbed a hand across his sternum. Why did he care if his teammate homed in on Bailey? She was a beautiful woman. Of course his teammates would notice. So why did he feel jealous? That made no fucking sense. It was Bailey.

Shaking it off, he pulled open the fridge door. “You want a beer, Bay?”

“No thanks, I’ve got water.”

“That bubbly shit?” he asked. How she could drink that flavored crap was beyond him.

“We’ve discussed this, Gonz. Why drink flat when you can have bubbles?” Bailey picked up her can of sparkling water and took a sip. “Mmm.”

When he cringed in disgust, she giggled. Gonzo pulled three beers out of the fridge and handed one off to each of his teammates. He pushed the power button on the gaming console and grabbed the basket of controllers, then sat down on the sofa on the other side of Bailey.

“Do you play?” Brandon asked Bailey.

“Depends on what game it is. If it’s like football or something, then no, I suck. If it’s shooting things, then absolutely.”

“You like shooter games?” Brandon leaned forward in his chair and angled his body toward Bailey.

What the actual fuck. They were seriously both going to flirt with her? And why the hell did he care?

“I don’t like girls who play video games,” Charles mumbled.

“I’m sorry, what? You don’t like girls who play video games?” Bailey’s eyes goggled as she looked at him.

“No, there are some things that girls just shouldn’t do.”

Bailey held up her hand like a stop sign. “Oh my god, please tell me you did not just say that.”

“What? I know what I like and I want my woman to sit and watch me play video games, not play them,” he scoffed.

“Cuz the little lady’s brain can’t handle something as complex as a children’s video game?” Bailey drawled.

Damn, she was good at that lowbrow accent.

“I didn’t say her brain couldn’t handle it. I just said I didn’t like it.”

“Should she be feeding you grapes and sitting in lingerie while she watches you be all manly playing video games there, Chuck?” The annoyance in Bailey’s tone was palpable. Gonzo sat back. He fucking loved when she tore into some guy spewing chauvinistic shit. This was the Bailey he knew and loved. Not the meek woman who’d first shown up in town.

“It’s Charles.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Somehow she’d put a world of meaning into one little word.

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