Page 35 of Commander in Briefs

“What did you do?” I ask the smiling idiot.

His face scrunches up like he’s offended that I immediately thought the worst. “Did I hear that my trainer will be accompanying me back to the pits of hell?” He can barely contain a ridiculous smile.

“Ugh,” I groan, rolling my eyes, and usher the three of us to the checkout.

He continues, undeterred by my annoyance. “Seriously, Ans. Is that what I heard?”

“What were you doing? Eavesdropping by hiding in the shelves like a two-year-old?”

He scoffs in the most adorable way and brings his hand to his heart. “I was not. I grabbed some candy and heard you talking. You’re always so loud.”

I am a little loud. Not always though. I blame it on Theo. Having to scream at him from the bench keeps my voice strong.

“I bet Ms. Patsy, who was checking out my ass at the pharmacy, heard you.”

He’s ridiculous. No way was Ms. Patsy, our pharmacist, checking out his ass. She’s like 102 years old.

“Well, then surely you heard that we—” I point at Cade then to myself, “will be accompanying you.”

He frowns, which turns into full-on pouting.

I cock my head to the side, daring him to argue.

He doesn’t, just looks at Cade and spits, “Remember, boundaries.”

Cade nods but otherwise doesn’t show any emotion.

“Good, now that that’s settled, let’s get this home before it spoils.”

Both men start piling items on the conveyer belt in silence.

Having men around the house is da bomb. Does anyone even use that phrase anymore? No? Oh, well, just call me old school McCallister. Seriously though. These two guys loaded, unloaded, and put away all the groceries in silence. Can I get a double tap? I don’t know about the rest of the ladies in the world but I am a sucker for the strong, silent type. Especially one that cleans and puts away groceries.

Realistically, I know they are both brooding. Theo doesn’t want Cade coming to Washington and Cade doesn’t want to come along and be subjected to Theo’s bullshit. Guess how many fucks I give about their comfort level? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

Theo will be fine. He’s just having his little tantrum. It will end and all will be well. Cade, on the other hand, well, he’s just going to have to learn how to deal. If he wants to stay with me then he will do as I ask. Besides, it will be good for him to get out and the ball club is a once in a lifetime experience.

The players are fun and like family. I enjoy mingling with their wives and shooting the shit with the guys. Theo fits in well. He’s naturally charming, but it takes time for him to open up and let you see the real him rather than the asshole playboy he likes for you to see.

When he first got drafted, he called me whining, saying it wasn’t for him and he was coming home. I flew out the next day. We argued. A lot. And then went out and got wasted with some of his teammates. It was fun. Theo got to know a couple of guys and lightened up. I stayed for a week, realizing that he needed help to acclimate to his new team. I got to know the guys and so did he. Obviously, he stayed, even though I would have loved to have him back. But he’s a showman. He needed to do it. For him.

So, going back to the clubhouse is like meeting up with family. It’ll be fun, a good opportunity to introduce Cade to some new people. And it’s free for us, anyway. Courtesy of Von Bremen. Is he thrilled to be footing the bill for Cade to come along to Washington? No. But he began to see it my way when I lowered to my knees in our stand-up shower, milking the yes from his lips.

“What are we supposed to tell the guys?” Theo, who after finishing in the shower is lounging in the most comfortable patio chair I own, asks in a low voice. Outside on the back deck, battling the flies, I readjust, trying to find a more comfortable spot on this shitty deck chair that’s digging into my back. Why, you ask, is Theo in the more comfortable chair and me in the shitty one? Paper beats rock. Dammit.

“What do you mean?” I pull down my shades to look at Theo. His hat is pulled down low over his face, concealing his eyes.

“I mean, how are you going to explain what he’s doing there? With you. With us.”

Good gracious.

“Why do we have to tell them anything?”

He makes a sound deep in his throat and sits up, his hat falling carelessly to the ground. “Because, Ans, it’s weird. And they are going to ask.”

He’s aggravated. But I’m not changing my mind. Cade is going. Better Theo goes ahead and pouts it out now.

“We’ll say we’re being adventurous and trying a little ménage.” I try not to smile because he is being so serious.

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