Page 116 of Forever Relentless

“You went pretty heavy on Garrett.”

“Guy’s a dick. He’s twice Dust’s size. He was out of order.”

“I could take him,” Dustin mumbled.

“And then you’d be benched.” I crossed my arms. “You know who isn’t benched? Garrett.” I looked between them. “Why? He started it. How come he’s not benched?”

Dante tilted his head. “He’s on the IR.”

He was on injury report? I only hit him a few times. “Lightweight.”

Dustin huffed, and Dante sighed.

“Is it because I got involved, got benched, or hit him harder than you expected?”

“You’re still pissed off?” Dante surmised. “I’ll talk to Sutherland in the morning, tell him your side.”

“Don’t bother.” I stood. “Look. I’m angry, you’re right. I’m pissed off. I just want a long shower, a quiet night, and a good night’s sleep. Please.”

I didn’t think they would leave, but they did. Dustin told me he was outside if I wanted to play Madden. Dante told me his door was open. I nodded, letting them know I heard them, and when they finally left, I flicked the lock of my door, not caring they could hear it.

In the shower, I let the water run hotter than normal, and I stood under it until it no longer felt like I was burning.

The urge to stroke one out was gone. But the need to fuck Briar was not.

Need might have been the wrong word. I’d been thinking about it before the car, and I’d be thinking about it after. That wasn’t need. This was something that had been decided.

She fit over me perfectly. Her hips had rocked over mine with sureness. Why she pulled the plug on us was frustrating. I respected her choice, but I didn’t appreciate the teasing.

Not that she was a tease.

I washed my hair.

Tease or not, I still felt wound painfully tight, and she was absolutely the reason.

I got out of my shower and lay down on my bed, with a towel around my hips and another around my neck.

What the fuck was I going to do now? He’d benched me for a week. No spring game for me.

It wouldn’t matter even if I had a million followers; I was benched because I kicked my teammates’ ass for calling Hadley a lying slut. She wasn’t even my girlfriend. But when he went down because of Dust’s punch, he had made a racist slur against Dust, and only I heard him. That’s why I punched him, more than once. When I tried to tell Coach, Garrett Benoit, the lying fucker, denied it.

Prick.

I let out a loud sigh. The very thing I had been avoiding had happened because of my own actions.

I sat up and looked at my phone. Did I text her? No. She shut me down. She had the choice, and she went with no. I needed to respect that.

I picked my phone up and crossed the floor on silent feet. Pressing my ear to the door, I could hear them both in the living room. Probably waiting for me to come out.

Me: How discreet can you be?

Hadley: I heard what happened. Thank you for defending my honor . . . you shouldn’t have. I’ve been called worse.

Hadley: What do you mean discreet?

The fact that she was brushing it off only pissed me off more.

Me: I want to talk, but I don’t want to involve them