Page 30 of Play Maker

I’d never doubted my ability to make the right decision before, and the hesitation was wreaking havoc on my nervous system.

Blue wobbled to the hallway and looked over her shoulder. “You coming?”

I pressed my lips together to keep my first thought inside my head and simply nodded. When she didn’t go any farther, I realized she didn’t know which room was mine. Was I always this much of an idiot?

“First door on the left. Across from the llama.”

Her gaze skimmed the door and landed on the llama picture Soren had given us years ago. “There’s no glass in the frame.”

I joined her in the hallway to gaze at the smirking animal. “Yeah, Chloe broke it. We just cleaned out the shattered glass and hung it back up.”

She tilted her head. “None of you seem like llama enthusiasts. Why did you keep it?”

A smile played at my lips as I remembered the day Soren had presented it to us. Back then, D had lived with us too, and he’d had a strict policy about…well, everything. Soren’d said he couldn’t find a picture of an ass, so the llama would have to do.

“It’s sort of become a reminder to keep working hard, even when no one’s watching.” When D and Soren left to play pro ball, Shaw insisted on putting it in the hallway where we couldn’t miss it.

Blue flashed me a smile. “That’s a good motto, except I’m tired of working hard. Let’s watch a movie before I have to go home and finish packing.”

She crooked a finger at me while opening the door behind her. I’d bet every cent I owned she had no idea how alluring she looked—wild rainbow hair falling over her shoulders, tropical eyes gleaming with trouble—but her words finally caught up to my sluggish brain.

“Why are you packing?”

Blue collapsed back on my bed, giggling, and I went from half-mast to rock hard in an instant. I’d had fantasies—very detailed fantasies—about the scene in front of me, and no amount of logic was going to convince Big Mac to calm the fuck down.

“Mom’s selling the building.”

I closed my door and leaned against it, flattening my hands against the cool wood. “Wasn’t that the plan? Sell the building after you graduate and start a yoga studio in Dallas?”

“She’s selling it now. We’re supposed to move in with Rob, and Shad can drive me to and from school. One big happy family.” She smirked at me. “Guess I don’t need your bodyguarding anymore.”

I tensed. “Is that what you want?”

“Heck no. I want to live in Addison—far away from Shad—and finish out school. Mom may not need me to help her start up the studio, but the job is still waiting for me when I get my degree.” She scooted up to sit against the headboard. “Are you going to join me or watch from the doorway like a voyeur?”

Against my better judgement, I grabbed the remote from my nightstand and climbed onto the bed. “We’ll find a way to keep you here, and as long as Shad is going to show up at your class, so am I.”

A possessive streak had me wrapping an arm around her as I searched for something with zero sex scenes.

Blue tucked herself along my side like we’d been doing this for years, twining her leg with mine. “It’s not your responsibility to help me find a place to live.”

“No, but I’m going to help anyway.” I realized I needed a heavy hitter to distract from the subtle scent of her, so I switched away from the movies to my favorite show of all time. Ted Lasso.

Her head dropped down onto my shoulder as the opening scene played. “Thanks,” she whispered.

Torture. Straight torture.

I focused on the TV, absently stroking her arm with my thumb. She smelled like a garden—not flowery, but fresh and clean, like green things after a rain—and her skin was really soft. Was it a lotion thing or was she soft everywhere? My mind wandered to all the other places we were touching, and I wrenched my attention back to the screen.

For once, the show wasn’t doing it. I kept imagining Shad’s smug face in the ABC, and my insides clenched at the thought of Blue leaving with him, riding with him, sharing a living space with him. Shad would have all the power as long as Blue had no reliable transportation of her own.

Some quick calculations told me unless I dropped my classes I wouldn’t be able to give her a ride from Dallas. If she were in town? Yes. Easily.

I didn’t know what Blue’s money situation looked like, but generally, not having a job made it hard to lease an apartment. She could rent a room, but at this point in the summer, most of the spots would be filled with dorm kids taking summer classes.

I knew a lot of people. I could ask around.

The thought of setting Blue up with some rando I met at a party rubbed me the wrong way. Eva’s room was free, but Chloe had already started transforming it into her dream office. Every time I saw her, she whipped out her phone to show me progress pictures. I could ask her to switch it all back for Blue, and she’d most likely do it.

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