Page 54 of My Brother's Teammates

Hudson pulled out his wallet and pushed a wad of bills into Jackie’s apron pocket. “We’ll talk later. We only meant to stop by and surprise Jenny before we left. Reconsider her job? This wasn’t her fault.”

“Not for a couple of months. I have rules. Now, go.” She looked at me once more. “Are you okay?”

I shook my head. “I’ll probably be better now that you fired me, though. I’m not good at waitressing, am I?”

She planted a big kiss on my forehead and patted my cheek. “You’re good at other things, I’m sure.”

Ryder still had me in his arms and he just nodded to Jackie and carried me outside. Once I was on my feet, he spun me around and lowered his face to mine. “You don’t try to fight adult men. Got it?”

I shook my head. “He was mean to you.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw as he looked over my head. “Yeah, well, I don’t have a great history, Jenny. I don’t know if it’s mean if it’s true.”

I stepped into his chest and pressed my lips to his. I swore I felt a slight shake in his big body and I wanted to scream. Landon had jabbed at sore spots for Ryder, sore spots I didn’t even know about.

“What the fuck?” Jason’s disgusted voice snapped me back to reality and I spun around to face him, to say… There was nothing I could say. He’d caught me kissing Ryder and I wasn’t going to deny it. Ryder deserved to be claimed after Landon talked to him the way he did.

“Jenny, just think about what you’re doing.” Landon’s voice broke through the moment, but it just aided in forcing the tension higher. “I love you. You love me. We can figure it out. Maybe we can tell a couple of people.”

Ryder wrapped his arm around me and growled low in his throat. “You don’t love her. You don’t even know her.”

***Jenny***

Axelmovedtostandin front of me. “She doesn’t love you, asshole. Get that thought out of your head and move along.”

Hudson joined Axel in front of me. “If you come near her again I’ll make sure your bid for tenure is laughed all the way off this campus. It would take one call with a threat to pull funding. I’m not one of those pricks who’s too righteous to abuse his privilege when it’s needed. I’ll ruin your career and you’ll be lucky if you can find a job teaching PE in an elementary school.”

Landon looked at me and shoved his hands through his hair. “You could stop them, Jenny.”

“I don’t want to.” The four words hung heavily between us and finally I watched him sigh and hang his head. I swallowed my anger as I squeezed Ryder’s arm. “Whoever you find next, Landon, remember she isn’t something to be brought out just when you’re ready for her. Whoever she is, and I hope she’s older, she deserves to feel special and like you’d set fire to the world for her.”

Ryder held me tighter and breathed out a low promise against my ear. “The whole goddamn world, Kitten.”

I leaned against him as Landon shook his head and cast one last look at me. When he did turn and walk away, I felt an invisible chain snap. It was over.

Thud. Hudson’s body knocked into Axel and he barely caught himself before he hit the ground. When he looked up, he was holding his jaw and glaring at Jason. “That was a fucking cheap shot, Ramsey.”

I tensed. “Jason! What the hell?”

He pointed his finger at me. “You and I are going to have a long talk later, kid. Right now, I need to talk to mybest friendsabout what they’ve been doing with my baby sister.”

Axel swore. “Jace, just stop and talk to us.”

“Fuck you.” Jason twisted his neck back and forth. “Fuck all three of you. How long have you been doing this? Whatever the fuckthisis?”

I pushed at Ryder’s arms but he wouldn’t let me go. “Jason, stop! Just talk to me, okay? Please.”

“You’re going to let her fight your battles, too? Pussies.” He approached Axel and pushed his chest. “My little sister? You weren’t happy with fucking every other woman on this campus, asshole?”

Axel held out his hands. “I’m not going to fucking fight you, Jason. You’re angry and I get it, but-”

The sound of Jason’s fist hitting Axel’s face was sickening. I screamed and broke free of Ryder’s grip to run to Axel’s side. His nose was bleeding, but he just eased me behind him, into Hudson’s arms, and rolled his shoulders as he faced Jason.

“Do what you’ve got to do. I’m not fighting you. I know I fucked up by going against what you wanted, but I care about her and-” Axel dropped to one knee when Jason hit him in the stomach. “Fuck.”

“You care about her? Youcare about her? How? She just got out of one secret relationship and you fuckers shoved her right back into another one.” Jason turned to me. “Is that what you want, Jen? Another hidden relationship where your partner won’t claim you publicly?”

“Stop hitting them and we can talk, J. Please. I don’t want this. I don’t want to see you hurt them. Please, just talk to me and leave them alone.”

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