Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
“There’s no reason to thank me. Today’s been a blast.”
I think that’s the first time those words have been spoken by one of my boyfriends.
Fake or not.
A burst of nerves explodes in my belly as his gaze burns into mine. I jerk my shoulders, unsure how to respond. For some reason, it feels like we’re talking about so much more than just the games he’s played with Lucus. That’s all it takes for the noisy party around us to fade away. And then it’s just the two of us. His face looms closer, and for a moment, I wonder if he’ll kiss me.
But why would he do that?
There’s no one that we need to put on a show for.
Instead of ending this farce, I tilt my face upward until our lips can align.
Just as his mouth ghosts over mine, a voice calls out, “Hey, Brayden, I found a football in the garage. Wanna throw it around?”
I jerk away and blink up at him before shaking off the strange sensations that have fallen over me. I mumble something under my breath before swinging around and heading to the relative safety of the house. Even if my brothers pounce, it’s easier to deal with them than what almost happened in the driveway.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Brayden
I lift the bottle of beer to my lips and take a long swig. As I do, my gaze cruises over the thick crowd that has gathered. It might be Thursday, but our house is packed to the gills. Everyone knows that the weekend officially begins tonight and runs through Sunday, ramping up in intensity. Tomorrow evening, most of my teammates will lay low. At least, that’s what they’re supposed to do. We’ll have a walk-through practice, eat a carb-loaded dinner, and hit the sheets early. Some of these guys are superstitious and, much to their girlfriends’ annoyance, will refrain from sex in an effort not to sap their energy for game day.
Even though I tell myself that I’m not on the lookout for Sydney, that’s exactly what I’m doing. I almost shake my head before taking another sip. If fucking that girl was supposed to get her out of my system, that plan has backfired spectacularly. It seems like the more sex we have, the more I want. It’s becoming a problem.
So far this evening, Sydney has remained elusive. But then again, Demi hasn’t made an appearance either. And those two are usually attached at the hip. Unless Demi is with Rowan, which has been happening more and more lately. They’re so lovey-dovey that it’s almost enough to induce vomiting.
And no, that’s not jealousy talking.
All right...maybe a little bit.
As soon as that thought pops into my brain, I shove it away. I really need to get my head on straight, which is exactly why I’ve been keeping my distance from a certain blonde soccer player this week.
When Sydney told me that I could bail on her mother’s birthday party after we screwed in the locker room, I probably should have jumped at the chance to bow out gracefully. Instead, I’d doubled down on my stance to attend the family gathering.
Big mistake.
I’d expected to be bored off my ass. Instead, I’d had a surprisingly good time. Her family is pretty awesome. And yeah, she’s right—there’s a lot of them. My guess is that the normal decibel level at their house is somewhere around chaos. I ended up spending most of the afternoon playing basketball with her brother before tossing around the football. I also talked with her father and one of her brothers about our accounting class.
The most interesting part of the day had been watching Sydney lower her guard and reveal a totally different side than I’ve been treated to in the past. Her two older brothers enjoy giving her shit for just about everything. Instead of getting upset or pissed off, she dishes it right back at them. It had been a real pleasure to watch her rip both of them to shreds.
It goes without saying that I now have a better understanding of why she’s so damn feisty. Can’t say I blame her for it either. It must have been hell to grow up with the two of them picking on her nonstop. Teasing aside, they all seem thick as thieves. My guess is that they might enjoy giving their sister shit, but they won’t allow anyone else to get in on the action. It’s also obvious from her interactions with Lucus that she’s extremely protective of him. She softens when he’s in the vicinity, becoming almost—dare I say—nurturing? It was a strangely touching revelation.
Now that I realize Sydney has a totally different facet to her personality, I’d be lying through my teeth if I didn’t admit to wanting to tease it out of her.
What would it be like to have that Sydney more often?