Page 87 of Our Secret to Keep

Could I fuck him?

No.

Maybe.

Yes.

Fuck, I’m screwed.

CHAPTER28

RIVER

One of myteammates yells my name, then Nate’s, waking me from a sound sleep. I rise from the bed like a vampire from the grave, slow and without composure. My legs ache from back-to-back practices and late-night runs to clear my head. I need to rest for our next game, yet my teammates do their best to annoy me.

“Riv.” Nate knocks on the door and pushes it open. He stands in the entryway, mesh shorts slung low on his narrow hips, shirtless. “Come downstairs.”

Still semi-delirious and wondering if I’m dreaming, I stare at Nate’s bare chest and lick my lips. Ripped with muscle and toned in all the right places, he’s perfect.

“Hey!” Nate waves his hand. “Did you hear me?”

Nope, I was too busy gawking at you.

“Yeah, I’m coming.” I slide off the bed and pull a shirt over my head, yanking it down my stomach. “What’s the big fucking deal?”

“Who knows?” Nate shrugs. “Parker keeps calling our names. Probably a house meeting.”

My role as the team captain does not extend to the house. I let Parker handle the other nine players living under this roof. He’s good at organizing our schedules, dealing with the cleaning crew, and ensuring our refrigerator has food. Parker also collects rent, pays the utilities, and does a dozen other things we all appreciate.

I follow Nate downstairs, scrubbing a hand at my tired eyes.

Parker stands at the bottom of the stairs, hand on the railing, jaw clenched. His head tips toward the door where my two roommates block someone from entering. “Deal with her. Now!”

“Go home,” Waters says to the person on our front porch. “I won’t tell you again, woman.”

Shit, what now?

“Let me in,” Samantha yells. “Don’t act like I haven’t been here dozens of times. Just tell Nate and River I’m here.”

I glance at Nate. “I thought you talked to her.”

“I did,” he fires back and heads toward the door. He yanks it open and pushes past Waters and Monroe. “Was I not clear in my texts, or do you need me to spell it out for you in another language,Samantha?”

He says her name with so much disdain in his tone it shocks me. Nate has always been kind to Samantha. I think he liked her. But if that were the case, then why did he stop fucking her when I lost interest?

He hasn’t been with anyone since. Well, he’s also not allowed to have sex. So, there’s that.

“Nate, will you tell your teammates to let me in?”

He leans against the front of the house, shaking his head. “How many times do I have to tell you this is over? Should I make you a sign and hold it over my head?”

I elbow him. “You don’t have to be a dick.”

Nate shrugs. “What? She’s not getting the message, and she’s bringing this bullshit to our doorstep.”

Parker listens from the entryway, propping the door open with his hip. He looks annoyed while my two other teammates are amused.

Jimmy Waters, a beast of a man, sits on the porch swing beside Kevin Monroe. The goalie and defenseman lean back on the cushion, their weight nearly tipping the swing off balance.

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