Page 86 of Puck Princess

“Every night,” she whispers under her breath. “Just not on my new couch.”

Just like that, all the backbreaking work is worth it. I could take her right here, right now. On this couch in the hallway. What a sendoff that would be for my bachelor lifestyle.

While that dirty thought is at the forefront of my mind, Coach Coleman appears at the top of the stairs. “I don’t think that’s where the couch goes.”

Callie hugs him. “What are you doing here, Uncle Randy?”

“I heard it’s move-in day, so I brought some backup. From the looks of it, it’s a good thing I did.”

Before I can ask what he means, four guys I don’t know jog up the stairs. College recruits, I assume.

“I think we’ve got it,” I start to say.

Then the freight elevator door at the end of the hall opens.

“Housekeeping!” Kason sings out as he and Lance appear with the first piece of the new sectional. Problem is, the old one is blocking them from going anywhere. It’s also blocking most of the floor from the fire exits.

We are literally taking up the whole hallway in a giant, furniture store clusterfuck.

“Do you got it, though?” Coach asks.

I huff out a breath as Summer pokes her head into the hallway. “Hey, your kitchen is a disaster, O. I’m going to get rid of… well, everything.”

“Or you could leave my stuff the fuck alone. Why are you even?—”

“Cool, bye!” she calls out, disappearing.

Just when I think my head couldn’t explode anymore, the normal elevator doors open and one of the very last people I want to see appears.

“Whoa.” Spencer steps back into the elevator. If only he’d disappear down the open shaft. “Good thing I’m here, I guess, huh?

Like the jackass he is, he hops over the back of the couch and lands between me and Callie.

“Hey, Cal. Long time, no see.”

She takes a step back.

“What are you doing here, Santos?”

“Helping,” Spencer says simply. “The whole team is here. And what kind of teammate would I be if I didn’t help mycaptainon move-in day?” He coats the word in synthetic sugar.

Lance is holding the freight elevator door open. Kason is on his phone. Meanwhile Lachlan and Heath are still lounging on the couch.

I’m ready to kill each and every one of them.

“We don’t need any more help.”

“Sure you do!” Coach kicks the back of the couch. “Where are we going with this? Out, I assume?”

“And this one is coming in,” Lance says, pushing the emergency stop button so the doors will stop trying to close on him.

“Got it. Come on, boys.” Spencer waves at the college dudes who follow like toy soldiers. They grab the new couch on each corner, lifting it over the old one, including Lachlan and Heath, and haul it into the apartment.

“Well, that was handy,” Heath laughs. I glare at him, and his smile all but falls off his stupid face. “What?”

“Get up and get this couch out of here!” I bark out.

Lachlan and Heath share a look before they get to it.

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