Page 8 of Playing Rucking Hard

“No, man,” Bodhi mutters, grinning like he’s onto something good. “Emma. The butter-won’t-melt-in-her-mouth cheerleader. Loki and me were talking to her last night. She’s got the sweet country girl charm, but I swear she’s just waiting for the right man to dirty her up. Bet you ten bucks she’ll be the first one to break the golden rule. That whole ‘no fraternization’ thing is a joke and it’s always the quiet ones who are the sluttiest in the sack.” He chuckles, leaning against a nearby weight rack.

My blood boils, the veins in my neck begin to pop, and it’s not from pressing weights.

“Yeah?” Loki pipes up. “Gotta love me the quiet ones. I thought you called dibs on Kalli. Changing your mind to sweet Emma?” He cracks his knuckles, clearly enjoying the thought of it. As far as I’m concerned, if both props had their mouths sewn shut, it would double the average team IQ. As for Loki, changing your playing name from Lawrence to Loki doesn’t give the guy street cred, it makes him look like a pretentious twat.

Bodhi grins again, his smugness inviting me to throw more than one punch to his face. Shame I’d have to reach up too high to hit it. “Nah, I’m not into princess divas. You can see it in the way she moves, the way she ignores us, but acts like she’s too good for us. Bet you a hundred she’s just waiting for one of us to break her in.” He grins, “But it’s not gonna be me.”

I feel the weight of the bar shift in my hands. My knuckles are white. They’re joking, right? I know that the guys are mostly all talk and no action. As in, we all get enough action throwing themselves at us, to going chasing women who aren’t interested. And who needs Coach ripping us because we’ve fucked with the wrong woman. But hearing Bodhi and Loki talk about Emma as if she’s an object to beused ora prize to be broken—somethingin me snaps. With more speed than I’ve shown all day, I set the bar in the rack and jump to my feet.

This isn’t gonna end well.

“She’s not like that,” I snap, far too aggressively to be me getting involved in a friendly banter. Fuck. My voice sounds tight and on edge, and I know I’ve fucked up. I should have played it cool, maybe pulled Cooper aside and told our captain that Emma and I have unfinished history, and I want to slow play it. Coops is a good guy. He’d figure out how to tell the guys to back off without it coming back on me. Now? I’ve opened my big mouth, and as dumb as Bodhi and Loki might be, they aren’t gonna forget my lapse in judgment.Fuck.

Just to prove karma has a sense of humor, I had to raise my voice at the one time the whole room is silent. Now I’ve got the attention of the entire team and no way to escape. Weights are dropped and machines slow down as looks from confusion to smug smirking come my way.Fuck, I’ve gone off-brand and everyone knows it.

“What’s up, Fleski?” Bodhi’s grin widens as he readies to play to our audience. “You want to get in on some cheerleading action, huh? You finally found some pussy worth feeding?”

My blood heats like a damn furnace. If the players decide to make a game out of getting the first date with each new cheerleader, the silent bro code will close down any chance I have of hearing Emma out. But if I stake a claim, then I’m the one with a target on my back.

The smart move would be to close the conversation down, remind everyone that the women would pay for any fraternization. But, apparently, I left my brains in my locker because before I even know it, I’m across the gym, standing nose-to-nose with Bodhi. I’m half his size, but I don’t care.

“You don’t fucking talk about her like that,” I growl, my teeth gritted, my fists clenching at my side.I’m so fucked if he doesn’t back down.

Bodhi’s smirk falters for just a second as he checks if I’m serious, but then he laughs, the bastard. He leans back, his arms folding across his chest like he’s daring me to make a move. “Or what, little man? You gonna cry? Thought the little pretty boy fullback wouldn’t care who makes a move on the sweet young thing. She’s too sweet for you to have as a one-use chick.”

“Say another fucking word, Bodhi,” I hiss, fists trembling with the need to lash out at him. I don’t even recognize myself. I’ve never been this pissed but I need a consequence that will break the ice and get the heat off me—and Emma. “I dare you.”Fuck. What’s the or else?

“Oh, this is so extra,” Bodhi raises a finger to poke my chest, but stops only an inch away. I forgot that not only is he a forward and team enforcer, he grew up fighting with five other brothers. “Listen up, guys. Our little pretty-boy man-whore wants to save sweet Emma.” Bodhi laughs and Loki steps forward to join him, shoulder to shoulder. “What happens if I say another fucking word?”

“Gee, I don’t know.” I rub at my chin, knowing there are thirty sets of eyes waiting to see the outcome. “I might be forced to be a good Samaritan.”

“And?” Bodhi glares, challenging me to give up his secret. I know he got catfished. I know who by. I know that as much as he can be an asshole, he keeps the new recruits in line—warning them that signed NDAs are their best friend, and never believe a woman about her relationship statusor her age. Would I out his secret?

“Do you want me to spell it out, or are you gonna back down?” Just like on the field, I stand with my body casual andloose. Looks can be deceiving. Many a defensive forward has misjudged my speed from standing still, or my one-step pivot.

“Bodhi has nothing to hide,” Loki scoffs, slapping Bodhi on the back. Interesting. Either Loki has a mean poker face, or he doesn’t know. “You’re full of shit, Fleski.”

“Am I?” Bodhi might have backed down, but now I’ve pinned him in the corner, he’s gonna come for me hard. I click my neck to either side and hope Bodhi at leaves it attached to my shoulders. He doesn’t want me to spill his secret, and I don’t want him to spill my guts over the polished concrete floor. How the fuck can we both back down but leave Emma safe?

“Okay, okay,” Cooper says. I try to look calm even though him stepping between me and Bodhi just saved my pretty face. “Take it easy, bro. Don’t ruin the team chemistry. Bodhi’s just being Bodhi. All the girls are off-limits. We don’t need the suits coming down on our ass because you boys want to play with the dessert.”

“Aw, but daddy, she looks so tasty,” Bodhi is quick to turn his back on me, rubbing his eyes for mock tears. “Don’t take away all my fun.”

“Fleski or Kalani. Pretty boy fullback or real man prop. Who would the women choose?” Loki doesn’t let it go, and I lose it.

“How about you stop talking about them as if they are a piece of meat. They work fucking hard and deserve your respect, not your bullshit.”

The locker room goes deadly still. The other bulky forwards form a line next to Loki and Bodhi while the smaller backs keep the fuck out of trouble. If Emma and I were a thing, they’d have my back, but as far as they’re concerned, I’m just messing with Bodhi’s pussy hunt.

“Fleski, why don’t you go and work on your fifty-meter sprints,” Cooper says, putting his body between me and Loki. “You’ve bulked up, but we still need your speed.”

I don’t argue. I know better. And maybe it’s for the best—I need to burn off this anger before I fuck up relationships with the defensive half the team.

As I head out, the sound of Bodhi and Loki’s laughter grates but I have to leave it alone.

Cooper laid down the law. Emma and the other cheerleaders are safe from the props trying to use them as challenge prizes.

But it also means I can’t stake a claim. Fuck. Focus, Dyl, I tell myself. Focus on the rep jersey and the attached bonus money. That’s the only thing that matters and it’s time to show them all.

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