Page 41 of Double Play

He carefully pulls out, wincing as she unconsciously flinches. A small, pained whine falls from her lips, but she doesn’t fully wake, nuzzling into me and finding a comfortable position before her breathing evens out once again. Wrapping my arms loosely around her, I ghost my fingertips up and down her back as he disappears into the en suite. I close my eyes, inhaling the scent of our cologne on her skin, filled with nothing but gratitude that she’s right here where she belongs.

“Hey,” Hawk says, placing a hand on my shoulder. I look up to find him wearing a pair of boxer briefs as the muffled sound of running water comes from behind him. “We have to get her into the bath. I’ve got it going now, and I already threw in some Epsom salts. You’ll probably have to get in behind her since she’s so tired. We’ll let her rest for a bit, then wake her for food and water after.”

“Okay,” I reply, reluctantly rolling us over and immediately hating the broken connection as I stand from the bed and lift her into my arms. My legs feel like Jell-O, but I hold her close, following him to the bathroom and stepping over the side of the tub before lowering under the warm water. Settling her between my legs, I let my head fall back, lulled by the sound of her soft, steady snores. He goes to work, cleaning her from head to toe, finishing up, and leaving the room so we can continue to soak. There’s no chance she won’t be sore tomorrow, so hopefully, this helps.

The rest of the night floats by as we provide all the aftercare she needs to feel safe, happy, and adored. I can’t help but recognize the way we’ve all changed since Arden moved in with us, and the bonds we’ve created while learning from each other, both inside the bedroom and out. Before I was forced to face my feelings for her, I never would’ve thought I’d be able to call her mine—let alone while sharing her with my best friend. But here we are, and I’ve never been happier in my whole life.

THIRTY-FOUR

ARDEN

“Shut. Up,”Stella says, her face filling the screen on my phone as her jaw practically slams against the floor. “Bothof them?At once?”

“Oh my God,” I reply, propping the device up against the vase of flowers on our kitchen counter so I can continue preparing my pre-practice meal. “I finally give you the full update on my life, andthat’swhat you took from it?” I told her I was exploring relationships with both of the guys after Jackson finally came clean about his feelings, but with our busy schedules never matching up, I wasn’t able to give her all the details. She’s off work today and I have another hour before I have to leave for the facility, so this is as good a time as any to fill her in.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she shoots back. “My best friend just told me she had her very first double penetration experience. Pardon me for being interested in howthatworks. Also,” she says, shoving an Oreo into her mouth, “how about you shut up and let me live vicariously through you? You’re out here getting railed by your two hot, professional athlete boyfriends, and I can’t even get a text back. Stop being so selfish, Arden. Let me have th—” Her brows pull in but quickly relax when she focuses on something in the background. I turn to see what’s caught her attention just as Jackson comes up behind me, wearing only a pair of short athletic shorts. His chestnut hair sticks to his forehead, and a droplet of sweat drips down the side of his face, bringing my attention to his chiseled jaw as it ticks like it knows I’m getting hotter by the second. His bare chest glistens, and even though this isn’t the time, my pussy clenches in response.Fuck, my man issexy.He and Hawk went down to use the building’s private gym a while ago, but I wasn’t expecting them back for at least another thirty minutes, which is why I figured I had time to call my best friend.

“Hey, Princess,” he says, darting his hand out and yanking me toward him. I squeal in protest, attempting to push him away, but he wraps his thick arms around me, smacking playful kisses all over my cheeks.

“Eww! You stink!” I shriek, laughing as I attempt to break free from where he’s got me completely locked in. But he doesn’t let up, continuing his assault until a large hand curls around his shoulder, pulling him away.

“Get off my girl, Blake,” Hawk says, a cavalier smirk lifting one side of his mouth. He’s less sweaty, wearing a pair of black basketball shorts and a white, formfitting t-shirt, the ends of his dark hair curling out from under a backward Fury hat.This one was built for depravity—and he’s all fucking mine.

My heart rate increases as he steps closer, keeping his ocean-blue eyes locked onto mine. “I missed you.” The words are a deep rasp, and he leans down slowly, his fingertips burning the skin of my hip through my shirt as his lips finally slide against mine. It’s an innocent kiss, but the tension twisting inside me just from being near him has me whimpering quietly into his mouth as he steals my breath.

The heat of another warm body radiates along my back, and more wet kisses trail down the side of my neck. “Ourgirl,” Jacks whispers into my ear, making me melt between them. My stomach flutters and I go lightheaded, losing myself to the feeling of being worshiped by them both. So much so, that I completely forget about the fact that Stella is watching the entire thing go down until her voice cuts through the air.

“What’s it like to be God’s favorite?” she sighs, and we all freeze, turning our heads to where she’s still propped up on the counter. She’s riveted, her chin resting in the palm of her hand as she enjoys the softcore porn she didn’t ask for, but we almost gave.

“Hi, Stella,” Jackson sing-songs. “How have you been?”

“Not bad,” she replies. “Obviously not as good as the queen of double-dickings over here, but you know what they say.Beggars can’t be choosers.”

I drop my head into my hands, groaning in embarrassment.Of course, she would immediately use her newfound knowledge to mortify me. It’s who she is as a person, and I love her for it, even when her unfiltered thoughts are to my own detriment. Hawk chuckles, pressing a chaste kiss to my hair before they both move around the kitchen, taking over breakfast prep as I lift my phone in front of my face.

“Anyway,” she continues, pushing out her bottom lip. “I’m so bummed to be missing your first match tomorrow. I was hoping I'd be able to come down with your dad and Gina this weekend, but I ended up getting a call from that travel nursing agency I applied to, and they offered me a job.”

My eyes go wide, and my jaw drops. “Stell, that’s so exciting! You’ve always wanted to do that, and you’ve worked so hard! Where do you go first? Somewhere exotic, I hope—with lots of hot, shirtless men for you to drool over when you’re off the clock.”

She scrunches her nose, shrugging. “Afraid not—at least, I don’t think so. I’m going to Cleveland. They figured since it’s not super far from home, it would be a good first experience for me. But seriously, what thehellis in Cleveland?”

“You’re about to find out,” I reply with a laugh. “It’s better that you aren’t coming to watch me play now, anyway. Maybe by the time you do, I’ll have figured out my coach’s motive for sabotaging the team. That way, we might not have to struggle to pull off a win for you.”

With our home opener just over twenty-four hours away, I should be feeling all kinds of excitement and butterflies. But if I’m being completely honest, I’m kind of dreading it. The entire team was confused when I told them about the changes to our play-calling. I was hoping I could keep their spirits up, but the more we fell into Dahlia’s new way of doing things, the more chaotic it became. Maybe after tomorrow, she’ll realize that this is never going to work at the level we’re playing at. I need to be able to read the court and make quick changes on the fly when I see something I don’t like. If she doesn’t trust me to do that, I may have to go over her head and speak to the team’s general manager. As much as I was hoping to avoid it because I didn’t want to make waves so early in my career, I’m also the team captain. Our success and failure will be on my shoulders, even if I’m not allowed to make any decisions.

“Mark my words,” Stella replies. “That woman will be looking for a new job by summer. I don’t even know her, and I can tell by the very minimal details you’ve given me that this is personal. She’s probably jealous that she isn’t good enough to be on the court with you.”

“That’s what I said,” Jacks chimes in, setting a blueberry muffin, mug of coffee, bottle of water, and my anxiety meds in front of me. I press up onto my toes, kissing his cheek before he walks away, grateful that the two of them support and care for me as they do.

“You’re both wrong,” I reply, picking up the mug and taking a cautious sip of the hot liquid. “She would definitely be good enough to play professionally, had she not quit her senior year of college. I was a freshman, and as much as I was looking forward to learning so I could take over her position after she graduated, she pretty much acted like I didn’t exist. Then one day, she just cleaned out her locker and left. When we asked our coach why, he said it didn’t matter and that we’d be moving forward without her.”

She raises a suspicious brow. “Well, let her try fucking with you when I’m around. You may be a pushover, Arden Levine, but I will cut a bitch for making you sad.”

“I like her,” Hawk mumbles, putting a pan of dough in the oven. I saw it sitting in the refrigerator earlier, and I hoped he was making a loaf of my favorite bread for after the match. I have a funny feeling that—win or lose—I’ll need the comfort of carbs tomorrow night.

“Alright, I have to eat and run,” I tell her, noticing how much time I’ve wasted this morning. “I’ll text you later. And I want every detail when you get to Cleveland, even if it’s twenty degrees and everyone is wearing multiple shirts.”

“You got it, babe. Love you.” We blow each other a kiss, ending the call as I make quick work of scarfing down my breakfast. My coffee gets transferred into a to-go cup, which I grab on my way to the door, kissing my guys and heading out for my very last practice before the regular season begins. Luckily, it’s also therapy day, which isn’t a coincidence, since I have a feeling I’ll need to talk through some stuff by the time I’m ready to leave the facility.

---