Page 24 of Scoring Grey

“Yeah, introducing ourselves to people.”

“Blondie, there’s nothing soft about this. I go hard or not at all. You’re mine, especially in front of them. If that’s a problem, we can walk out the door right now.”

Her eyes widen. “Apparently, I’m choosing all the wrong words tonight. That didn’t come out right. What I was trying to say was that it’s a smaller, intimate setting. I’m not being thrown to the wolves like I would have been had we walked into the airport bar and I met the majority of your teammates all at once.”

“Ahh, I see.” I squeeze her hand gently as the annoyance I felt seconds ago dissipates.

“Go ahead, I’ll meet you over there. I’m going to use the restroom first.”

I watch her disappear toward the right of the bar before heading left to meet up with the guys.

“Balfour, is that her?” Roe asks as soon as I’m within earshot.

I stand at the corner booth. “What do you think?”

“I think if she’s not, I call seconds,” Moon quips.

“I swear to fuck. I’ll break every bone in your face if you even try.”

He throws his hands up in defense. “You know I’m just messing around.”

“I don’t joke, not when it comes to her.”

“And what about Blair? Is she off-limits too?” Austin asks before drinking from his glass. He never quits. If there’s a shot to be taken, he’ll take it every time, but I don’t want her to come up tonight while Eloise is here. I’m not trying to hide her from Eloise, but bringing up the fact that she’s the team’s new publicist right before I’m about to leave town for two days isn’t the right time.

“There’s nothing between me and Blair Wyndham. Never has been. She’s free game?—”

“So that’s why you stormed out of practice today because she means nothing to you?” Austin questions.

“Come on, Austin,” Roe says, loosening the red tie around his neck. “Can’t you give being a douche a rest for one night?”

I look over my shoulder, ensuring I don’t see Eloise before saying, “You want to come after me, Austin? Name a time, but unless that time is here and now, I don’t want that name coming out of your mouth tonight.” I look around the table. “That goes for everyone.”

“Nothing between you, my ass,” Austin mocks before taking a drink of his vodka, his coal-dark eyes never leaving mine.

“You want Blair? I’ll help you land her.”

He finishes the rest of his drink and then slides out of the booth. “Nah, there’s no fun to be had in taking things you don’t care about.”

I step into his space until I’m close enough that the tip of my Oxford nudges his. “Those sound like fighting words, Austin. You really want to go to war with me?”

Austin’s had it out for me since he joined the team last year. I’m still trying to figure out why. Initially, I assumed it was his way of trying to break into the group and find his identity on a new team. We only traded two guys. The rest of us have played together for the past two seasons now. Part of me thought he was feeling some type of way about being the new guy on the team in a year where we’re not holding a top-four seat. It’s easy to feel like the guy ruining the team’s mojo when we’re not playing at peak performance, but I no longer think that’s it.

He turns his smug look to Moon and Roe, and I clench my fist. I’m waiting for him to give me a reason to wipe it off his face. “Not tonight.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “I’ll see you guys on the plane,” he says before turning on his heel and walking out. Fucker.

“I seriously don’t know why you guys hang out with him outside of practice.”

Moon sets down his glass. “He’s not a dick to us. He saves that for you.”

“Why—” My words are stolen when a hand slides across my lower back.

“Who’s a dick?” Eloise questions.

“Don’t worry about it. Just typical clashing of personalities, is all,” Roe answers for me.

“Yeah, forget him. We’d rather get to know the girl who’s had our boy by the balls all these years. Tell us, what’s it like having all that power?” Moon asks, his tone playful.

I roll my eyes and slip my arm over her shoulder, only to discover it’s bare. When I turn to get a look at her, she’s wearing a white lacy tank that looks like lingerie and not the sweater she had on when we entered the bar. What the hell?

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