Page 27 of Quarterback Keeper

He snorted. “Turn down food? That’s not gonna happen here. If you’re offering, I’m eating.”

“Me too!” Ares shouted from somewhere near his room before appearing beside the island, hope on his gorgeous face.

The tension melted from my shoulders, and another spark of excitement added speed to my knife skills. With two skillets heating on the burner, I beat the eggs to make omelets. Bubbles rolled to the surface in a pot of water I’d set to boil, and I carefully placed a few eggs in before setting a timer for a soft boil.

When the omelets were ready, I slid them onto two plates. Bread went into the toaster, and I snagged two ripe avocados.

Ares and Liam chatted in the background, making it impossible not to listen. A phone buzzed, vibrating on the counter as I turned for the shredded cheddar. I sprinkled a little on the omelets then set the plates before the guys.

“Oh, wow. Gia”—Ares shoveled another bite in his mouth— “this is amazing.”

“Thanks.” I grinned then got to work on the soft-boiled eggs. When they were ready, I peeled and sliced them in half. The toast was done. Avocado went on a few pieces, then the egg halves, and finally, I sprinkled seasoning and pine nuts over the top. I took one for myself and left the other two for the guys if they wanted more.

“Are you eating these?” Liam paused, his hand halfway to the plate of avocado toast.

“No”—I lifted my toast—“I have some already. That’s for you guys if you want it.” I knew they needed to consume a lot of protein. More eggs wouldn’t be turned down.

“You’re an angel,” Liam moaned around a bite.

I froze at the term of endearment. Even innocently said, it made the blood drain from my face, and my food-holding hand trembled.

“Are you okay?” Ares zeroed in on my reaction.

“Oh, um. Yeah, I just don’t like that term of endearment.”

“My bad.” Liam never looked up. His eyes closed in bliss as he finished the last bit of toast.

Ares smacked him in the shoulder.

“What? I saved you a piece,” Liam groused.

Ares rolled his eyes, giving up and looking back at me. “Sure, you’re all right?”

“Yeah, I am.” I took a deep breath and tried to brush aside the unwanted memories that the term of endearment brought. It was what Dayton liked to call me. It had become more of a curse than anything and set my teeth on edge if I heard it about me.

But that was then. I was safe. Two giant ballers who I was starting to care about were sitting opposite me, and the building had a doorman. With that reminder, I relaxed again, knowing Liam hadn’t meant anything by it. He was pretty oblivious with food in front of him.

“Anytime you feel like cooking, we’re down for it. This is amazing.” Liam licked his fingers before gulping coffee.

“It was.” Ares grinned before stacking our plates and taking them to the sink, where he rinsed them then put them in the dishwasher. “Thanks, Gia.”

Liam’s phone vibrated with a call, and his easygoing mood vanished. His brows pulled down, and his lips pressed into a tight line. “Fuck.”

Ares rounded the counter and glanced at his phone. “Brittany again?”

“That girl can’t take a hint.”

“I told you not to sleep with her. She has professional-athlete-wife goals, and you’re her latest target. You know how long it took Craig to shake her?”

Liam continued to frown, shifting the glare he’d given his phone to Ares.

“A year and a half. It wasn’t until he graduated and went into the NHL that she gave up. And that was just because he’s in another state.”

I reached for the phone. “Do you mind?” I grinned, wanting to help and loving that I could mess with a stalker from a safe distance, where it wouldn’t come back on me.

Liam shrugged. “Go ahead. Just don’t tell her I’m here.”

I pressed the button to accept the call. “Hello?”

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