27. Nessa

Nessa

I t was still dark outside—that was the first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes. The second was that I needed to pee.

Just as soon as I could dislodge Jared’s octopus arms wrapped around my body, which was easier said than done . Jared Pink was a world-class, code green—because there wasn’t a red flag in his arsenal—cuddler. He craved physical touch, be it my hand in his hair or my head draped across his chest, and whined like a toddler when he didn’t get it.

I had never been so touched, so thoroughly loved in my life, though that was a word we hadn’t navigated just yet.

I carefully extricated myself from his hold and rolled to the edge of the bed. My lips kicked up to one side when he reached out, searching for me in his sleep. The poor guy had passed out cold the second his head had hit the pillow. That hadn’t stopped him from waking me up a few hours later with his lips wrapped around my clit. His playoffs beard was coming in nicely, and I had the beard burn between my thighs to prove it.

The Roasters had played their second Championship Series game earlier today and sadly, they were now zero for two. Their next two games would be played on the road, and as much as I wanted to be there, I had the rest of the festival to think about. Jared understood, but that didn’t make me feel any less guilty.

I stumbled out of his bedroom and down the hall toward the guest bathroom. Normally, I would have just used Jared’s attached en suite, but I didn’t have the heart to wake him up.

After I did my business and washed my hands, I opened the door and ran face-first into a hard, hairy chest that did not belong to Jared—or Dani. There was no stopping the scream that ripped out of me.

“ Fuck ,” the stranger roared. His large body crashed back against the wall, knocking several framed photos to the floor.

Before my fight-or-flight instincts even had a chance to kick in, Jared came barreling out of the bedroom in his boxer briefs. The maroon ones decked out in teacups that hugged his buns perfectly.

“Are you okay?” he cried.

At the same time, Dani flung her door open. “What happened?”

I covered my eyes when the blinding hallway light kicked on. “ Coach ?” Jared croaked.

My fingers parted. At some point in the last thirty seconds, I had stumbled out of Jared’s guest bathroom, straight into a 90s sitcom.

“The One with the Naked Roommates in the Hall.”

Dani, clad only in an oversized T-shirt that fell to her knees, stepped in front of Coach Ward, who was desperately trying to cover his exposed . . . everything. Damn. Daddy Ward still had it . There wasn’t an inch of his upper body that wasn’t covered in tattoos.

“What—” Jared sputtered, his eyes darting between his roommate and coach. “What the hell is going on?”

“Go back to bed, Pink,” Dani said. “We’re not having this conversation now.”

“Like hell we aren’t. This is who you’ve been sneaking around with? He’s my boss, Dani.”

She jabbed a finger toward him. “You hush up.”

“Don’t raise your voice at her,” Coach Ward growled.

Dani turned on him next. “You hush up, too.”

This time, Jared was the one covering his eyes. “Fuck, coach. I can see your junk.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” This was getting out of hand. There was only so much dick-swinging I could handle in one night—literally and figuratively. I stepped in front of Jared, nudging him back toward his room. “Let’s go.”

“But she’s—”

“A consenting adult who can do whatever and whoever she wants.” He opened his mouth to protest, but I continued, nonetheless. “Now get back in that bedroom before you say something stupid that you’re going to regret tomorrow.”

“But—”

“Go.”

I pushed him into his room and darted a look back down the hall. Dani smiled weakly and mouthed a silent, “Thank you,” before escaping back into her room, too.

“I can’t believe her,” Jared whined before the door clicked shut. He flicked the bedside lamp on before manically pacing up and down the room. “I assumed she was hooking up with one of my teammates, but not my coach. He’s practically old enough to be her dad. That’s creepy.”

“Babe,” I said, pushing off the door. “I hate to break it to you, but there’s a pretty massive age gap between the two of us. Is that creepy?”

“Of course not.”

“So then, what’s the difference?”

“You’re . . .” He wrung his hands through the air. “And he’s . . .”

“Well, that explains it.”

The conflicted look on his face said it all. He was waging a war with himself.

This was a different side of Jared, one that only came out when he talked about protecting his sister from men like their father or when he stepped in to be my fake boyfriend at my brother’s bar—the first time. Jared embodied all sense of being a golden retriever boyfriend, and that included a fierce loyalty to the people he loved. His family, his teammates. Me.

I wasn’t going to dwell too much on that last one.

He settled onto the corner of the bed and rested his head in his hands. “I don’t want him to take advantage of her.”

My sweet, little puppy.

He had been patient with me time and time again, so the least I could do was show him the same. Besides, I knew a thing or two about jumping to conclusions when it came to matters of the heart.

I walked around the bed and laid my hands on his thick shoulders. He was so strong—physically, mentally, and emotionally—so it killed me to see him struggle like this. I threaded my fingers through his hair, tilting his head back until his glassy eyes met mine.

“I know you care about her, babe, but you have to let her live her life. On her terms, not yours.” He rested his head against my stomach while I scratched his scalp. “And that means letting her make choices you might not agree with, even if you think she’ll regret it later on.”

His palms ghosted over the back of my legs. “But what if she gets hurt?”

“Then it’s a good thing she has a friend like you.”

He lifted his head away from my body. “You’re right.”

“I know.”

A laugh bubbled out of him. “I’ll apologize to her tomorrow. Even though I still don’t like it.”

“That’s my good boy.”

His eyes darkened. I had triggered Jared’s praise kink, another trait shared by most golden retriever boyfriends.

“Say it again, angel.”

I knew a dare when I heard one.

Jared’s hand climbed higher, coasting over the backs of my thighs and beneath the old shirt I had worn to bed. I tugged on his short, blond locks. Not too hard, just enough to let him know that I was game to play, but I wasn’t going to take his challenge lying down.

“Do you want to be my good boy, Jared?”

I squealed when he leapt to his feet and lifted me off mine, turning us so my back collided with the bed. My shirt was thrown up and over my waist before I could catch my breath.

So much for not taking it lying down.

My elfling was in trouble, but I couldn’t be bothered to care. I was too fixated on the woman sitting across from me, hiding behind her Dungeons my lips were sealed. Teasing was one thing, but outing somebody or their relationship was another. Who Dani decided to let into her bed was entirely up to her.

“Unless you’ve already sampled some roasted goods,” June suggested, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.

“Goodness gracious,” Clarke exclaimed. Her Southernisms would never not be amusing. “Dani would never get involved with a co-worker. She’s way too professional. You should see how organized her desk is.”

Dani shrunk back into her chair. If there was one thing I had learned about her during the first few months of our friendship, it was the fact that she never liked being the center of attention, let alone scrutiny.

“My vote is for June and Wes,” I suggested, attempting to shift the focus away from Dani. “I know he’s a little quiet, but the man can cook. And well, she can’t.”

June clapped a hand across her chest, feigning outrage. “You take that back before I cast a spell on your elfling.”

“That’s okay,” Dani said. “I’ll protect you.”

The grateful smile on her lips was all the assurance I needed. Dani was my friend, and as such she was important to me, but more than that, she meant a lot to Jared. What kind of partner would I be if I didn’t support the people closest to him?

“Bring it on, hag.”