He’s fucking grinning at me when he says, “Well fucking done, Baby.”
The nickname shoots straight to my dick, and I swallow hard. “Thanks, Boss.”
“Fuck, I can’t wait to get the two of you home.” His voice comes out raspy, and he takes a few seconds too long to put me down. He grabs the back of my helmet and gives it a shake. “Coach wants to have a talk before we head out. Let’s get this over with.”
I glance up at Mia, pulling off my helmet, and mouth, “See you at home.”
She nods and follows Piper, who I hadn’t even realized was here, out of the aisle. Fuck, I’m so gone.
* * *
My phone lights up where it sits on the wooden bench. I finish pulling my suit jacket on and grab it.
Jax: Looking good out there boys.
Lucas: Well one of us was.
He’d already left the locker room, changing quickly to meet up with Piper.
Me: You wish you looked half as pretty.
I glance up at River, and he just shakes his head at me, not bothering to participate in the chat.
Jax: You looked distracted out there Alex. Did I see Mia on the jumbotron?
Me: Not sure. Wasn’t looking. Had a game to play. It’s called concentration. You should try it.
Lucas: The amount of times I caught you looking over at her is laughable.
Jax: As if you don’t do the exact same thing. Fucking miracle the coach doesn’t bench you three.
Me: Speaking of coach. We’ve got a meeting.
Jax: Good luck. Don’t get traded.
Me: Fuck you.
Jax: Maybe later.
River: You can fuck right the fuck off with that.
Heat crawls up the back of my neck, and I raise my gaze to his. His eyes burrow into mine, and I swallow hard. There’s an intensity there, something different. Edged. I tilt my head to the side. Is he fucking jealous?
We walk into the coach’s office and immediately freeze, spotting Damon Everette. Coach looks at us, then at the owner. “I’ll leave you to it.”
My muscles tense. Nothing good is coming from this. River’s hand lands on the small of my back, gently guiding me into the room. It’s hidden from Damon’s sight, but that doesn’t make it any less comforting.
“I thought I told you to keep your shit clean, Grayson.” Damon’s glaring at me, and I fight back the urge to attack back.
“I have been, sir.”
“Oh, by fucking around with the charity girl? You think that’ll go over well when it comes out?”
Rage floods through me, fire prickling under my skin, but it’s River who loses it first.
“I don’t care who you are. The next time you say shit about Mia, you’re fucking done.”
Damon looks between River and me. He cocks his head as if realizing something, and his shoulders slump. “This will ruin her career.”