Page 39 of More Than A Game

Nat stops mid-rinse and stares me down. “Don’t play dumb, Murph. Have you tried to hook up with someone that’s not Sabrina?”

“I don’t have to try, Little Sinclair.” I wink at her.

Nattie shakes her head. “You don’t know, do you?” Finishing the last two plates, she turns and leans back against the sink.

“Know what?”

Her blue eyes dance with excitement. “Oh, this is going to be fun to watch.”

I glare at her, not having any clue what the hell she’s talking about.

“You like her.” It’s not a question.

Putting my last plate away, I turn to her, annoyed and maybe a little confused. “Of course, I do. It’s Sabrina.”

“No. Aiden Murphy finally likes one girl. Like, likes her, likes her. Really likes her.” She giggles at herself.

“Yes, I really like her. Jesus, how many times can you use one word?”

“You’re not hooking up with anybody else. I haven’t seen you talking to any other girls. You. Really. Like. Her,” Nattie says, like that’s the final word on the subject, and it’s freaking me the fuck out.

Then I swear she mutters something that sounds an awful lot like, I guess Chloe won.

What-the-fuck ever. This girl is giving me whiplash tonight.

I grab the wet towel she had earlier and snap it against her ass. “Maybe I do like one girl for a change. There’s nothing wrong with that. I was never against it. I just never found anyone who could keep my attention for longer than a hookup or two.” I shrug my shoulders. “Sabrina’s different.”

Nat walks to her phone and does something I can’t see. A few seconds later, a song starts playing through the kitchen. It’s a modern take on Bob Dillon’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”

Oh, this little shit.

Nattie grabs a rag and starts wiping down the stove, singing as she cleans up.

I leave her to it. Walking into the living room, I stand behind the couch where Brady and Sabrina are discussing the electoral college. Brady is listening and taking notes while Sabrina animatedly describes how many votes Pennsylvania gets and how it factored into the last presidential election. You can tell by the gleam in her eyes that she’s in her element and loving every minute of it. That does a weird thing to my chest. Then a shot of pride goes through me as I listen to her talk.

Nattie bounces into the room, heading for the stairs. She stops at the bottom with one foot up. “Hey, QB, I’m going to go get a shower.” She smiles at her man.

Her man closes his laptop immediately.

“Thanks for the help, Sabrina. I’ll catch you guys later.”

Nattie runs up the stairs with Brady hot on her heels.

Brina suppresses a laugh. “Guess he was dirty.”

“Yeah, something like that.” I hold my hand out to her.

She takes it, a little more hesitance showing now than earlier tonight, but that smile is still there, so I go with it.

“Pretty sure we have some unfinished business, Princess.”

“Aiden,” she sighs. “Why do you call me that? Princess?”

Turning to face her fully, I move her hair away from her face. “Because you were always untouchable royalty in our town. Your father is the senator. Your grandfather was the governor. You’re royalty, Princess. And it always reminded me that you were so far out of my reach that I needed to remember my place.” She shoots me a look that says she’s not buying it. “It’s not about the money, or the fame, it’s about the kind of woman you are and the type of man you’re supposed to be with. That man isn’t me, Sabrina. He’s not a jock. He’s a lawyer, or a doctor, or a politician’s son.”

Sabrina takes a step closer. “And what if I tell you I don’t want a lawyer, or a doctor, and that I’d run away from a politician’s son?” She gently traces the muscles of my arms, then lays one hand over my shoulder, and the other gently lays over my heart, careful not to put pressure on my injured shoulder. She leans up on her toes, taking what she wants and kissing me gently.

I pull her in tighter with one hand at the small of her back and angle our bodies so we aren’t crushing my immobilized arm. I wish I had the use of both arms right now so I could throw her over my shoulder and carry her up those stairs, but that’s not happening tonight.

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