Page 20 of The Rebound Plan

Emery is right in it with my teammates, posting really competitive scores, and they love her for it. Some of them a little too much.

“Is that all you got?” Emery scoffs as Max drops off the chin up bar.

“You’re the devil,” he growls.

I’m laughing, enjoying myself at his expense, but the grin slides away when she turns around and his gaze drops to her arse.

It’s the second time in short order that he’s checked her out right in fucking front of me.

“Eyes up, Tiller,” I snap as I throw a medicine ball in his direction.

He catches it with annoying ease and thuds it back against my chest.Oof. “Don’t interrupt our final challenge.”

Don’t look at women who aren’t your wife, I want to snarl back. But Emery can handle herself, and I know she’s not interested.

As he hoists himself up again, she slides her attention to me for a second, a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.

I roll my eyes and pour myself into my final set of rows.

“Has anyone been in the lake yet? How’s the water?” Kieran asks. “Refreshing enough to make Ty squeal?”

“Shut the fuck up,” our teammate snapped. “I like a brisk dip.”

“Liar.”

“Don’t need to go in the lake to enjoy it. Are we going boating this afternoon?” Max asks.

“No boat yet,” I mutter.

“What do you mean, no boat?” he scoffs. “That sucks. You need me to make some calls for you?”

Jesus Christ, no.

But it’s too late. He’s texting someone he knows, and Emery is barking at people to get back to the workout, and suddenly we have an appointment to see a guy about a boat and maybe some jet skis this afternoon.

Fuck. Me.

I give up and drop to the mat to do some final stretching. I need to find some inner fucking peace, because the weekend has barely begun.

“Looking good,” Emery says, appearing right above me.

I roll onto my back. “Thanks.”

She holds out her hand and I reach for it, but instead of hauling me up and off the floor—something the little bundle of lean muscles has definitely proven herself capable of—she tumbles down onto my chest, as if I’d pulled her down.

I muffle a grunt of surprise. “What’s up, pipsqueak?”

“Just establishing our relationship,” she whispers in my ear. “Your jealous growling seemed to work, so I’m leaning into it.”

I jerk my head around, looking for Max, but he’s leading everyone out the door, heading up the path to the house now. “Did he do anything?”

“Nah.” She rolls off me and pops up to her feet. This time when she offers me her hand, it really is to lift me up.

I grab a towel and wipe my face, buying a second to calm myself.

“Dawgs are a dime a dozen in this league,” she says. “Honestly, he’s not worse than your other teammates.”

“But they aren’t married.”

---