Page 26 of Twisted Ruck

That was understandable, given she was usually surrounded by a few of us. Getting her alone for long enough to have a conversation with her, would have been difficult. Especially given he wasn't much of a conversationalist. That is to say, I didn't think he was. I should have tried harder, but I was trying now. I could see us being friends, if he was down for that.

"She's adorable," I agreed. "You might be onto something here. We could try to make them jealous and see if it brings them together."

"Better chance than we'd have with an inflatable woman." He smiled.

I laughed. "I think we can all agree not to bring any inflatable women into this situation. Not unless it would help in some way."

"How?" he asked.

It was my turn to shrug. "I don't know. I wouldn't rule out anything, to be honest. If they keep barking at each other the way they have, they're going to drive us all up the fucking wall."

"Yep," he said. "I told them."

"I noticed," I said.

Since right around the time I met Chelsea, he was telling Storm to back off and stop being a prick to Atlas.

Atlas and Jay both had a difficult time settling into the team and Storm's animosity hadn't made the transition any easier. Fitting into a new team was hard enough without that kind of bullshit.

Although, it was nothing new when it came to rugby teams. When you formed a tight bond with a group of guys, it was difficult to let anyone new in. Especially when they didn't seem towantin.

I admit, I hadn't tried very hard with either of them myself. Apart from adding to the chorus—telling Storm and even Frost to back off—I hadn't made an effort to be friendly with the new guys. Granted, I didn't do friendly very well, but I could have tried.

"They need to listen better," Ramsey said.

"Now who's the alpha male?" I teased.

He puffed out his chest a little. "Always me. Biggest cock too."

My gaze dropped to his groin and back up again. "In your dreams," I said. "Mine is the biggest." I'd seen all of the others, and mine definitely held its own.

"Who's dreaming?" he asked. "I know the truth."

There was a hint of mischief in his blue eyes. One I'd never seen before, or at least never noticed. Of all the things I would have expected of him, funny as hell wasn't one of them. I appreciated his subtle brand of humour. It was better than someone who tried too hard.

I laughed and shoved my shoulder into his bicep. "I think I underestimated you. Your ego is a match for anyone here. Maybe you should have been a stand-up comedian."

"I am the GOAT," he said smugly.

"The greatest of all time," I said with a laugh. "We should have given more thought to that nickname."

"It fits." He nodded. "I'm the GOAT who rams. Watch your woman. I might steal her for real."

"I won't let you steal her," I said. "But I might let you share."

Chapter Ten

Chelsea

"Mr King will see you now."Bruce Fergus' personal assistant must have kept her job, because she was still behind the same desk. She looked more anxious than the last time I saw her, but a new boss would have that effect on most people. Including me.

"Thank you," I said. I smoothed down the sides of my skirt and stepped into the new GM's office.

Dominic King sat behind his desk, eyes on his laptop. He wore a dark suit, and a dark tie that contrasted with his crisp white shirt. His hair was smoothed back off his forehead, black except for a hint of grey at his temples.

I waited for a moment, but he didn't look up.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked finally.

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