Page 105 of Against The Boards

I hugged him one last time, and then he left. Not before he told Benny again that he better treat me right. Noah and my brother got the hint to get out as soon as my dad left. Even though Tristan made a gagging motion behind Benny’s back. Dick. One day that boy was going to meet a nice girl and love her the way I loved Benny. I hoped. I worried my brother was going to end up sad and lonely if he kept sleeping his way through all of Philly.

I slumped down on my couch with a sigh, and Benny came out of my bedroom. I drank the rest of my beer and felt the couch sink next to me with Benny’s weight. I leaned into him, and he wrapped an arm around me.

“Mmm. Thanks for helping me today,” I said.

He kissed the top of my head. “Of course.”

“I’m so glad I have my own place now.”

“It’s small, but it’s good you have a place for yourself.”

I ran a hand down his chest and fingered his belt. I leaned back on the couch and pulled him down with me. He smiled and kissed me deeply. “You want to know the best part?” I asked.

“What’s that?” he asked into my ear, pausing for the briefest of moments from kissing my neck.

“You don’t have to cover my moans with your hand tonight.”

He grinned. “It was kind of fun, though.”

I rubbed the front of his pants. “Yeah? You enjoy restraining me?”

“Maybe…” he trailed off and had a wicked grin on his face.

“C’mere you, and kiss me like you mean it,” I ordered.

He frowned. “I thought I was in charge.”

I gripped him through his jeans. “It’s cute that you think that, but we both know I own this dick.”

I yelped when he tossed me over his shoulder and took me to my bed. I loved this man.

Chapter Thirty

BENNY

I stirred in Roxanne’s bed at the sound of a buzzing phone. I turned towards her side of the bed and mumbled, “Rox, turn off your alarm.”

I patted the bed and opened my eyes to discover she wasn’t there. That was odd. It was Sunday morning, and she wasn’t an early riser on the weekends. Especially since me, TJ, Noah, and her dad had moved her into her new apartment last night. After everyone left, naturally, we proceeded to christen her apartment. On her bed, the couch, the kitchen table, the shower, and even the kitchen counter. It had been exhausting but worth it. Waking up, I felt like I was floating on cloud nine.

The buzzing continued, and I realized it was my phone. I glanced at the caller ID and noticed it was my agent, Steve.

I grumbled into the phone when I answered it.

“Hello to you, too,” he said with a chuckle.

I sat up in bed, ran a hand down my face, and wiped the sleep from my eyes. “Sorry, man, I was still asleep. What’s up?”

“Okay, so remember how you asked me to tell the Bulldogs if they wanted to trade you, you’d want to go to Boston?”

“Yeah...but I just wanted to give them my wishlist. I want to stay in Philly,” I said.

“Right. I told them you were committed to staying here and being on the team through your contract.”

“Okay…so why are you calling me?”

“Well, you know free agency is about to start, and people are looking into everything. There’s a report going around that you requested a trade.”

“What?”