Chapter 23

: Brandon

I try to avoid Landon’s gaze for as long as possible. It lasts approximately 90 seconds.

“What?”

“You owe me an explanation.”

“No, I don’t.”

“No, you don’t, but you know I want one.”

I laugh. He’s one nosy bitch. “So there’s been shit going around online that Andi and I are hooking up or whatever. We’re not. The plane thing was a total coincidence. But Andi’s getting shit apparently and might get fired. Isn’t that a load of crap? Can you imagine if we could get fired for who we sleep with?”

Landon levels a look at me.

“Fair point,” I concede, “but you know Bob Miller would never fire you for being gay. Coach Janssen wouldn’t bench you either. We’d make sure of it.”

Landon looks down and nods.

I continue, “So we were trying to come up with a reason why we’d be together that wasn’t salacious or cheating.”

“And you chose violence?”

“No. I was in the shower, and she decided to use my treadmill. When I came downstairs, I startled her. She wiped out and her head bounced off the treadmill. If she hadn’t gotten hurt, it actually would have been pretty funny.”

“Why was she in your shirt?”

Shit. If Landon noticed it, then chances are someone at the hospital might too.

“I hope no one else picks up on that.”

Landon picks up his phone and types quickly. “I texted Carlos and told him to throw a sweatshirt on her. It’ll be fine.”

I sag back into my chair. “She was sore, so she hopped in the ice bath. She didn’t have anything else to wear. Her clothes are in my dryer.” I squeeze my eyes shut as if trying to erase the images of her hard nipples, her scooping her hair up, her in my robe. “It’s really innocent, but no one will believe that.”

Landon laughs. “I barely believe it, and I know you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Anyone who knows you knows you’re honest to a fault. People think you’re rude, but you’re simply up-front with them. I mean, it comes out rude, but you’re not a liar. So if you tell me that nothing’s going on between you two, I believe you.”

I give my teammate a tight smile.

He continues, “Plus, she’s not the type to throw away her career by boning you. Andi Nichols definitely plays by the rules.”

“Maybe a little too much by the rules,” I mutter.

Landon laughs. “Bitter much? You deserved that card. Frankly, that kick was a red card offense in and of itself, and we both know it.”

I mean, Landon’s not wrong per se, but it’s not like I’m going to come out and admit that he’s right either.

“Whatever. Andi had an idea that if we work on a charitable cause or something, we can explain our time together that way.”

Landon nods. “Sounds good. What charity?”

I scrub my hand down my face. “We never quite got around to figuring that out. We spend most of our time arguing and pissing each other off. We could barely even find any common ground.”

“And what’s that?”

I sigh. I don’t like to talk about my family with guys on the team. Every so often, someone will use it against me, like Trevyon Wallis-Smalls did. We might be teammates now, but the league is transient, and we may not always be.

Opening up just puts ammunition in someone else’s gun.

“We both have complicated family lives.”

“Who doesn’t?” Landon laughs. “I can’t even come out to mine.”

“That’s fucked up, man. You need to tell them. You’re happy with Carlos, and they want you to be happy. That’s all that matters. But it’s different for Andi and me.”

Andi and me. Us.

Nope, I will not think of it like that. We’re here for one purpose and one purpose only.

“We both have siblings with serious shit.”

“That’s not a lot to go on.”

“Yeah, but it’s what we have. Her stuff is a lot worse. Her brother has a disease.” As soon the words are out of my mouth, I wish I could pull them back in. Weird, I never feel like that. Not that it’s a secret or anything, just that it wasn’t my information to share.

It does, however, give me an idea.

I type some keywords into the search bar on my computer, which is still sitting on my kitchen table. A few research papers come up, but not much else. Then I see it. I click on the link and read through it. It’s pretty much perfect.

It’s as if they were inside my brain and then put it all on a well-manicured website. I know I should wait for Andi to get back, but I’ve never been any good at waiting. I jot off a quick email to the contact listed before closing my laptop triumphantly.

“You done already? You worked for like five minutes.”

I blow on my fingernails and rub them on my shirt. “When you’re this good, you don’t need to waste a lot of time.”

“I feel bad for the women you’re with. Some things are better nice and slow.”

“I’ve never had any complaints before.” I sit back, crossing my arms over my chest triumphantly.

“You’ve probably never stuck around long enough to listen to the complaints.”

Before we can get into a deep discussion about my ability to satisfy a woman—which I totally can, by the way—the front door opens.

There’s no way they can be back already. It’s not them. It’s just Carlos. “She made me drop her off. I did it only because she promised me she’d call for a ride home. Where is her home by the way?”

I think back. “She lives in Everett.”

Carlos swears under his breath. “That’s wicked far.”

I head through the living room and out to the deck to watch boaters on the lake. Landon and Carlos follow me out. We sit in amicable silence for a while before Carlos’s cell phone dings.

“That’s my sign. I’m going to pick Andi up. Landon, how are we going to work getting her home?”

I stand up. “I’ll go get her. I’ll take her to her place. Maybe one of you can pick me up tomorrow morning?”

“You’re going to spend the night?” Landon asks.

“Concussion protocol. You can sleep as long as someone watches you. She’ll be more comfortable in her own bed.” I grab her clothes and keys, heading for the door. “Lock up when you leave, and I’ll text you in the morning for a ride.” I’m out the door before Landon can object.

Or before I can stop and think through this stupid plan.