Page 32 of My Brother's Teammates

He sighed and I watched his jaw harden a few times before he nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

I smiled but tried to hide it. “That’s good.”

“I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat and his arms tightened under my thighs. “Happy?”

Axel groaned from somewhere behind us. “Worst apology I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Hudson chimed in, as well. “Honestly, that was shit. I don’t even know what you did and I’m a thousand percent sure she shouldn’t forgive you.”

“He was super mean. He tried to dump me but we weren’t even together!” I stroked Ryder’s chest while complaining about him, because it felt like the right thing to do. “I’d just gotten rejected by my ex and there he was, basically giving me ten different break-up speeches all rolled into one. This one is really full of himself. He was sure I’d fallen in love with him.”

Hudson groaned even louder than Axel. “No. He didn’t. Ryder! What the fuck?”

Ryder stopped at the steps to the house and let Axel go up first with the keys. “I was panicking. It wasn’t my best moment.”

I shook my head. “Nope. It really wasn’t. You gave me a ride home, though, so that was cool.”

He put me down and then held onto my wrist to keep me from following the other guys inside. “I’m sorry. I have a lot riding on doing things right. One slip and I’ll lose everything, Jenny. I was wrong to talk to you that way, though. Especially when I immediately wanted you to come back.”

I toyed with the hem of his shirt and looked up at him through my lashes. “I saw you on the field today. It would take a lot more than one slip for you to lose everything. Even if you did mess up somehow, you’re surrounded by friends who would help you if you needed them. I wish I had what you guys have.”

“Pretty sure you have us, Jenny.” He stroked his knuckle over my cheek. “And if you wanted more, you could have it. You’re annoyingly likable.”

I laughed and pressed my cheek into his hand. “It was impossible to have friends when I was with my ex. But I’m starting to see that the world might not have to be so small.”

“Still not going to give me his name?” When I shook my head, he sighed. “Fine. Are we okay? Do you forgive me for being a jackass?”

I stretched up and hugged him tight. “Duh.”

His hands rested low on my back and instead of pulling back, he pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “Do you know how many times you flashed that bite mark at me?”

I grinned into his chest. “Once or twice? Surely, no more than that.”

That earned me a swift slap to the ass. “I should’ve known you were fucking with me on purpose. You just look too goddamn sweet. It’s hard to imagine you being such a brat.”

I shifted and made sure to rub my hip into him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hudson stuck his head out of the house. “As much as I appreciate the sight and sound of a solid spanking, I’d like to point out that you’re on the steps of the house that we share with Jason.”

I pushed away from Ryder and hurried inside. I was not into the idea of Jason seeing me flirting with his friends. “Could we watch a movie? I’m not ready to call it a night.”

Axel nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Okay, I just have to change first.” I rolled my eyes when they all groaned. “That’s ridiculous. You’re all absolutely ridiculous and I’m embarrassed for you.”

Ryder nudged Axel. “Told you she could be mean.”

Ignoring them, I rushed upstairs and was halfway through deciding what I wanted to wear when I decided that a shower would sober me up enough to make sure I didn’t pass out during the movie and embarrass myself. I took the world’s fastest shower, brushed my teeth, and then chose my outfit with the guys in mind. I wanted to tease them. I didn’t know who the new Jenny was, but I liked her boldness.

I wore a pair of boy shorts with a long t-shirt and nothing else. My legs were bare as I went in search of the guys. I almost changed my mind and changed a handful of times but when I heard them in Hudson’s room, I forced myself to walk in and the looks they gave me made my boldness feel worthwhile.

I looked around the room and laughed. There was clearly a small mountain of things shoved under the bigger bed, but the rest of the room was mostly neat. “It’s not as bad as I expected.”

Axel slapped Hudson’s chest with the back of his hand. “See? Picking up after yourself isn’t the end of the world.”

“Are we watching the movie in here?” I looked at the massive bed and the TV that was definitely larger than the one downstairs. “And who’s picking the movie this time?”

“We can, if you want.” Hudson shrugged and a moment of tension passed through the room as if we were all understanding that we’d just agreed to hang out in a bed together, without any supervision.

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