Page 1 of Tame the Player

1

HOLDEN

I groan loudly into the empty room and then bury my face into the soft pillow. If I ignore the insistent knocking, maybe they’ll go away.

As soon as the knocking ceases, I burrow myself deeper under the covers, drawing them over my head. I shut my eyes tight, hoping to fall back asleep, but my brain won't stop working. All I can think about is the game that’s being played right now, and I’m not there… I won’t even be donning the uniform.

It doesn’t take much for me to imagine the feeling of being in that stadium with thousands of people cheering, and my teammates and I just trying to get a win. There’s no other feeling like it.

Now the team is going to have to do it without me.

I’m debating on getting up and watching the game on television when I hear footsteps coming down the hall. Fuck me, I should have known that one of them would find the key that I gave them to my house. I should've reclaimed them a while back.

“Holden Gray, get your ass out here.”

Growing up, when I would hear King holler my name that way, I would have come running. He may only be two years older than me, but he was like a dad to all of us. You didn’t ignore King when he commanded your attention. However, I know exactly why he's here. He’s going to tell me to get my shit together, and I’m not ready to hear it just yet.

My brothers Dom and Gabe decide to put their two cents in and state the obvious.

“He’s in bed.”

“Damn, this place is a disaster.”

Yeah, I’m in bed, and the place is a disaster. My brothers are a couple of geniuses.

My sister, who is always the peacemaker and the only one that can get away with telling any of us what to do, comes into my room. “All right, guys, leave him be. Go on and get started cleaning up theliving room, turn the game on, and Holden will be out in just a minute.”

I don’t even have to see her and I know she’s waving the boys out of the room and looking at me with that pensive, worried look she has. My brothers won’t deny her. Chrissy is the youngest of all of us, and we’ve always looked out for her. But today it seems she’s determined to look out for me. As soon as the others are gone, I can feel the dip on the bed where she sits down. “Bub, it’s okay. It’s a strain, that’s all.”

I would much rather lie here and wallow in my own self-pity, but I can’t just ignore Chrissy. After taking a deep breath, I force myself to unwrap from my cover cocoon and sit up. Stretching my arms out, ignoring the pain on my shoulder, I smile at her. “I’m getting up.”

She measures me with a look, and I hate seeing pity on her face. Chrissy is the only one that can get away with it. She’s biting her lip and looking at me nervously, letting me know something is up. She could never hide things from us. “Spill it. What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

“I looked at your MRI. There’s no tear, Holden. It’s a strain.”

She’s not telling me anything that I don’talready know, but I do appreciate the fact she’s a nurse and trying to reassure me. I stand up and grab my shirt off the back of the chair and pull it over my head. “I know, rotator cuff strain, but my coach still benched me.”

She crosses her arms over her chest and eyes me warily. She knows how I am. Hell, my brothers and I are all stubborn, and poor Chrissy has to deal with it all the time. “The keyword here is strain, Holden. Think about it. You do a few months of physical therapy and then you’ll get back on the field.”

Knock. Knock.My brother Gabe is leaning against the opened door of my room, and he stares between Chrissy and me, swinging his head back and forth. “Hey, what’s going on in here?”

Chrissy huffs and stands up. “We’re just talking, Gabe. If you’re here to give him crap, he doesn't need it.”

I watch as Gabe and Chrissy square off.

“I didn’t come in here to give him crap.”

“No, you came in here to be nosy.”

Gabe is taller than all of us, but he stands to his full height and glares at me. “No, I’m wondering what you’re doing in the bedroom with my brother.”

Automatically, my hand goes to my stomachbecause I’m sure I’m going to be sick. “She’s our sister, Gabe.”

He glares at Chrissy, who has her hands on her hips and is standing toe to toe with him. Gabe’s nostrils flare, and I realize that he’s really pissed off. “Not really.”

I position myself between them. I’m not sure what’s been going on between the two of them lately, but it’s something. Gabe is my blood brother. Chrissy is our foster sister, and Ledger, Gabe, and Dom are our foster brothers, but we were all raised in the same foster home most of our young life. To me, they are my family. Exhausted, I put an arm around Chrissy’s shoulder and push her through the door while Gabe steps to the side. “Hey you two, no fighting. This is supposed to be about me and my career falling apart, remember?”

And just like that, Chrissy is giving me the pity look again. “Your career is not falling apart. It’s a rotator cuff strain. You take care of it and you’ll be back at it.”

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