Page 46 of This Is War: All's Fair Duet
“Take the most ridiculously long shower you want, but I’m brushing my teeth while you do it. Sorry, I’m not waiting around for you while you shampoo your hair and think about every perfect pitch you threw today. I told you I was fucking tired.” The sharp tones of Logan’s voice reverberate off the tiled walls of the small bathroom.
My dick jerks against my palm. I grit my teeth. “You could have fucking waited two more minutes. I’m almost done.”
He doesn’t answer, but water runs from the faucet, so I know he’s out there. About thirty seconds later, he spits and something taps against the edge of the sink. His toothbrush, maybe.
“Get the fuck out, Logan,” I growl as I shift the shower curtain to the side enough to grab a towel from the shelf on the wall.
His eyes meet mine in the mirror, and he huffs out alaugh. “What? Are you afraid I’m going to join you and jerk off onyourass this time?”
A full minute later, I’m still trying to work out when my stepbrother grew a pair of balls… and also come up with an explanation for why my face is flushed and my blood hot.
26
LOGAN
Kicking back on the bed—theone I’m not supposed to be sleeping in, according to my stepbrother—a smile creeps across my lips. Jaxon wants to duke it out? We can do that. My chest puffs with pride. With him, the only way I figure I have a shot at fighting the wicked venom he spews at me is to come into the battle with the right ammunition. And this time? It was simply catching him off guard with the suggestion I’d jerk off on him in the shower. The look on his face— I snort aloud, shaking my head.
My mind replays his unamused words.“Did you not hear me the first time? Get the fuck out.”Those dark eyes of his had bored into me, and I’d felt them all the way to my soul. He sure hadn’t liked it that I’d laughed, but I also caught a hint of begrudging respect in his eye. The soonerhe gets it through his head that he can’t push me around anymore, the better off we’ll be. Besides, I’m in a fucking mood, not that he gets to be privy to why. It has nothing to do with him or baseball… and everything to do with why Rya hasn’t texted me back at all today.
The shower cuts off a moment later, and I decide I’m not going to fucking pretend to be asleep. I’m simply going to relax here and scroll through social media. If he chooses to make a big deal out of our sleeping arrangements, then I’ll deal with whatever the fucker doles out.
With a soft click, the door to the bathroom opens, and steam billows out. Jaxon emerges, a towel slung low around his hips. I blink as I’m accosted by damp skin, that tattoo I have yet to get a close enough look at, and an indecent bulge under the towel. It shouldn’t bother me to see him half-naked. We’re in various states of undress in the locker room all the time. And considering he’d butted in front of me without taking a damn thing into the bathroom with him, I don’t have a fucking clue why I didn’t expect this. What was he going to do, put dirty clothes back on after his shower? I look away, but only for a second before my eyes divert right back to his well-muscled frame. That fucking towel. It’s losing a battle with gravity, and I’m not at all disappointed. Its steady descent unveils more and more of the fine trail of hair on his lower abdomen with every millimeter it slips.
A battle rages and burns in my mind, sizzling through me as memories of being with Rya last night flash before my eyes only to become interspersed with disturbing curiosity about my stepbrother.What the fuck is wrong with me?
Jaxon shoots me a dirty look but doesn’t say a word before he turns and squats down to unzip his bag. Pulling out a pair of boxer briefs, he stands, facing away from me, pauses for only a second, then drops the towel.
My throat goes dry, and I somehow successfully avert my eyes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see his toned ass in my peripheral vision as he steps into his underwear and yanks them up. I’d be fucking lying if I said I was unaffected by him. Ever since the shower jerk-off escapade, he’s made a point of hanging around naked in the locker room. It’s on purpose. He’s always got his eye on me when he does it. Yet, there’s something distinctly more dangerous about being alone together, and not in a locker room full of our teammates.
I loathe myself for looking.
Jaxon turns around, skirting the edge of the bed, and climbs in on the other side. Oddly, he ignores me. But maybe the exertion of pitching today has finally taken the fight out of him. Thank fuck, if that’s the case.
A moment later, my phone flashes a warning that it’s at two percent battery power, so I get up to find my phonecharger. Grabbing my bag, I set it on the small table at the far side of the room and am in the process of digging through it when the distinctive ring of a video call interrupts the quiet. My brows dart together.Who the fuck is Jaxon calling?Shifting just slightly, I glance back toward the bed, taking in his relaxed stance on the bed. He’s propped himself up on some pillows, an eager expression on his face that makes me ill at ease.
With his eyes trained on the screen, his lips tilt into an easy smile, the likes of which I’ve never seen before.Fuck no, tell me it’s not—But my fears are substantiated when his voice, smooth like warm honey, greets the person on the other end. “Hey, pretty girl.”
All the air in the room gets sucked out. Each breath becomes a challenge.No, no, no.My heart skids to a stop, and I stare dumbly at the charger in my hands while my worst nightmare begins to unfold behind me.
“Hi.” Rya’s voice filters through the phone speaker. My stomach lurches violently. There’s a faint buzzing in my ears as she continues, “I wasn’t sure if you were going to call.”
“Sorry, I know it’s later than I thought it would be. Coach has us in a hotel overnight to ride out this storm. But if I make you a promise, I’m going to keep it. Always.”
I sneak another peek over my shoulder. He’s gazing so solemnly at her that I almost believe him.Dick. What a liar.Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I exhale and pick up my phone with unsteady hands.Sure, he keeps his promises. Keeping a promise to be an asshole isn’t so hard. Jaw twitching, I locate a wall socket to plug the charger into, then connect my phone. I stand there, my head in a jumble. I sure as fuck don’t want to go sit next to him. I stare woodenly at my phone screen, because I need to get control over myself. I can’t believe she’s talking to him after what we shared last night. My chest tightens unbearably, dark spots appearing in my vision.
Not going to deny it—my heart is taking a beating right now. Irritation creeps in on stealthy feet as their amiable conversation continues.Fuck.
“Anyway, I definitely wanted to check on you after all that shit yesterday. How’s it looking over there? Your room still a wreck?”
“Not gonna lie. It’s pretty bad. They had us fill out paperwork to document the damage. They asked if anything was missing, but it was so bad, I couldn’t tell.”
“That totally sucks. I’m sorry I’m not there to help. And especially that I wasn’t around last night.” There’s an unusual-sounding intake of breath, then Jaxon finishes, “I was arguing with a pharmacy about Mom’s meds.”
“Oh no, that’s awful. I’m so sorry.” Her tone is gentle, just like I’d expect it to be… and the lack of surprise in her voice tells me they’ve spoken about this before.
The state of Macie’s health is a detail of Jaxon’s life he doesn’t share with just anyone. My insides twist. Just how close have they gotten since meeting at that damn frat party?
I suck in a breath as it registers I’ve missed some of what’s been said.
