Page 39 of Ruck Me

“You could come home withme.”

I watched as Aoife struggled with her decision. I could put her out of her misery by telling her we’d be alone, but I wanted her to choose me over the loyalty she felt to Declan’s shitty fucking feelings about his teammates dating his sister.

Taking a deep breath, she finally answered, “Okay, I’ll come home withyou.”

Thank fucking Christ!

“Under one condition.”

Goddamnit.

“What’s that?” I asked, my stomach tied up in knots.

“I need to leave early. I don’t want to share a shower with your gross roommates. They’re fine and all, but you and I both know Donal is fucking revolting.”

The rush of relief I felt was palpable as it coursed through my limbs and left me tingling with satisfaction. Apparently, I'd misjudged how important Aoife’s response had been. Because if she’d said no or come up with an excuse, I don’t think I would have handled it well. Sitting here now, I felt a tightness in my chest I didn’t recognize. Maybe it was the weight of expectation or the inevitability of what tonight would mean for our relationship, but I knew this feeling was significant—even if I didn’t understand what it was, precisely.

“Thank you,” I croaked, then cleared my voice. “And yes, Donal is disgusting. I’ll make sure to set the alarm.”

“Okay,” she whispered and then chewed on herlip.

“Okay,” I echoed.

And then we sat there in silence.

“Aoife?”

She jerked, making it obvious her mind had been somewhere else entirely. “Sorry,” she said, shaking her head and turning the key in the ignition. “What’s the best way to get to your place fromhere?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll guide you.” And I wasn’t just talking about the drive home. By the end of the night, Aoife would truly bemine.

* * *

Opening the door,I flicked on the lights in the front hall and ushered Aoife inside. Quickly, I took stock of the room, making sure it wasn’t completely trashed. Tadhg had left a pile of laundry in a basket near the sofa and Ferg’s pizza box from the night before was still out, but otherwise, there was nothing too embarrassing on display—like any of our jocks. Which reminded me, we needed to talk about that. Again.

Aoife blinked as her eyes adjusted to the harsh overhead lighting. “How’d we beat them home?” she asked, as I took her jacket and hung it on the pegs near thedoor.

“We didn’t.”

“Not to state the obvious, but we’re the only ones here. Hence, we got here first.”

“Yeah, but that’s because we have the place to ourselves tonight.” I grinned and waggled my eyebrows.

Aoife’s eyes flashed with irritation. “You lied tome.”

I clenched my jaw and bit back what I really wanted to say. Instead, I took a deep breath, clasped Aoife’s hand in mine, and led her to the sofa. “I didn’t lie to you. Not exactly.”

“You certainly didn’t tell me the truth.” She tugged her hand from mine as she curled her legs underher.

I ran an agitated hand through my hair. “I swear, I feel like I’m talking in circles with you sometimes.”

“Me? I don’t know how many times I have to explain things to you, but you never listen.”

“We just had this conversation, Aoife. Were you paying attention to anything I said? In case you weren’t, let me ask again, how would you feel in my shoes?”

She shot up onto her knees and flung her hand out in front of her. “Terrible! I told you that already. What don’t youget?”

I surged to my feet. “I don’t get how by your own admission you’d feel terrible, but you still insist on putting me through thisshit.”

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