Page 70 of Commander in Briefs

Theo looks confused, glancing at me and back to Thad. I shrug. I don’t know what his deal is. My time has been absorbed with the new recruits. I haven’t had time to deal with Theo and Thad and all their drama.

“I guess I am, because I don’t understand what you are getting at. Please, enlighten me, oh wise one.” Theo is picking a fight with that remark.

Thad’s head snaps around and with a sneer, he grits out, “Do you have to fuck her in the openall the fucking time!”

Oh. I see what the problem is. Unlike me, Thad must not be used to all the exploits. I heard them downstairs this morning. I quickly decided that I didn’t need coffee as I bad as I thought.

Theo shrugs his shoulder and smiles proudly, like an asshole. He knew what he was doing.

“We were in the kitchen,” he clarifies. “It wasn’t like we were in your bedroom.”

Thad kicks the railing on the deck. “She was on the fucking countertop! Spread wide for everyone to see!”

And from her screams, she absolutely loved it. I see her with him. I know the games they like to play. I learned that the hard way when we were in Washington. I will never forget the look on his face as he fucked her into the glass, flipping me off as I watched helplessly from the living room. I felt ashamed at the excitement that swirled inside me. I was pissed. I was envious. And I was so turned on that I jacked off to her screams for days. I hate that she loves him. I hate that he knows he has her wrapped around his million-dollar arm.

But I know my place in her life. Thad apparently, doesn’t.

“Do you like to demoralize her? Is that it?” He keeps reaming Theo, his jaw firm.

Theo looks to me. For what I don’t know. Help? Surely not.

“Demoralize her?” Theo asks. “Is that what you think I’m doing to her?”

Thad is silent for a moment as he scowls at Theo. “You have everything.Everything, Theo! And you piss it all away like you couldn’t care less.”

Theo scoffs. “That is not true.”

Thad’s laugh turns dark again. “Yeah, it is. You are the best in the league and you want to quit because Ans doesn’t watch you play every game. You want Anniston, but you demean her and parade her around like some kind of trophy. She gave up her life for you and you don’t even care. You are the most selfish person I know.” He’s breathing hard after his rant.

Hayes is wide-eyed as he looks to me to intervene. Brotherly fights are not in my job description. And who am I to stop someone from tearing into Theo?

Theo takes a healthy swig of his beer. “First of all, I don’t want to quit totally because of Ans. I have other reasons. Reasons that you don’t even know. Secondly, I don’t demean Anniston in any way. She likes our kinky games. And I don’t know what the fuck you mean about her giving up her life for me.”

“She’s a sports therapist. She went to school to be there for you and your career.”

Theo rakes a hand through his hair and chuckles. “Is that why you think she chose that major?”

Thad just stares at him, his earlier confidence fading.

“You’re an idiot. You know nothing about her.” Theo’s dig is meant to hurt and by the look on Thad’s face, he succeeds. Once again, Theo manages to get under someone’s skin. “Tell me then,” he spits, gulping down his beer. “You remember when Anniston broke her foot junior year?”

The way Theo’s frowning, I don’t think I’m going to like this story.

Thad nods slowly, as if this story is well known between the brothers.

Hayes and I are quiet as Theo begins to tell the story of our elusive Commander.

“I found her in the weight room screaming as she tried to curl a thirty-pound dumbbell with a shaking arm.”

Thad immediately disagrees, shaking his head. “No, she said she stepped in a hole running.”

Theo smiles snidely. “She lied.” He chugs the rest of his beer and continues, “Tears were running down her face as she screamed at herself to curl it. Her arm was shaking so violently that I thought she was going to pass out. When I got to her, she screamed at me to go away. I didn’t, obviously, instead I watched as she screamed at her arm to move and it didn’t. Until it did, and the weight fell to the floor, breaking her foot.”

He glances out into the yard and I follow his eyeline just in time to see Vic and Ans do a little jig after scoring a touchdown. It makes me smile. Mostly because it’s terrible.

Sighing, Theo wraps up this little tale of horror. “She suffers from a mild form of cerebral palsy. Did you know that?”

What? I didn’t know that. I have never seen any indication that she was less than perfect.

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