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“Damn hotel was a fleabag, and the walls literally were paper thin. I don’t know why they raised such a fuss anyway. We just livened up the place. You should have seen that old man’s face. The television was on the wall. When it crashed to the floor, he just kept looking at us. He thought we were a 3-D porn movie he was so drunk,” Ryder laughs.
“And that’s why you got the name. You can’t complain, Slater. I mean, what else was I supposed to call you? You were the new guy nailing everything that moved like a horny kid who just discovered what his dick could be used for. Hell, you were just going from woman to woman on the road—sometimes more than one a night,” Rooster explains and damn it, the old man picked today to make sense.
“How about we never mention that again?” I suggest with a wince.
“Trying to clean up your act now that you’re breathing heavy over the coach’s sister? You can have my name,” Finn says.
“What’s yours?” I ask.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve thought it over and I’m going to change Finn and Ryder’s. They should match the others,” Rooster interrupts.
“But I like mine,” Ryder insists.
“Well, now it’s Mr. Break Your Headboard. It’s classier,” he announces, sounding proud of himself.
Ryder shrugs. “I can live with it.”
“So, I’m Mr. Steal Your Girl?” Finn supplies.
“Yep.”
“I don’t think your name will help my cause, Finn,” I breathe, frustrated.
“You couldn’t carry it off, anyway. Girls don’t find you as hot,” he croons.
“Fuck you,” I snap. “Rooster, adding mister is not really going to help. Your nickname still makes me sound like a damn pimp.”
“Yeah, that’s true, but adding the mister to it means you’re only dealing in expensive women now,” he says patting me on the back. “Let’s play ball. Last thing I need is for Green to come back and think I let you boys away with not working out today.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose as everyone moves back to their positions. I’m not going to make it another week without seeing Mary. I’m going to have to figure something out before I snap and strangle my whole team.
CHAPTER18
Mary
Four Days Later
Thank God the house is quiet tonight. Mom and Dad went in town to some movie that Mom’s been wanting to see. Cyan went on some business trip—which is code for he’s in Vegas betting big bucks to make even bigger bucks. My brother is a card shark. He’s scary good. He makes more in one hand than most people make all year. He’s rich enough to retire and do nothing—except he’s never actually held a real job so there’s nothing to retire from. Oh, he worked when he was younger, but he saved every dime. Others probably though he invested, but nope. He doubled down, then tripled or quadrupled, whatever it is you do when you’re gambling. I couldn’t tell you. The most I’ve ventured into is the odd lottery ticket purchased in pot with my co-workers or the slot machines at a casino in Vegas when I was there for my cousin Hope’s wedding.
I’m not a big risk taker. I sigh. At least I wasn’t until I met Slater Daniels. I miss him. I shouldn’t. We’ve just had one night together and some phone calls. That’s all there is between us, but I ache for him. That’s pathetic, but true and the fact that I do, just makes me mad. I’m taking it as a sign that I need to stay away from him. If it wasn’t for that, I’d be down there tonight, panting like a female dog in heat.
Still, it’s silent in the Lucas house tonight—and that hardly ever happens. I’m alone and I have no work for the next two days. I’m going to take a hot bath and stare at my laptop and see if I can make magic words appear on my screen. I love writing. It takes me away into another world and it’s always a trip that I can get lost in. I don’t make that much because I self-publish, but I see promise. The dream is to be able to make enough to pay my bills so that I can travel as I work and do whatever I want. I suppose, if you look at it, I’m a lot like Cyan in that respect. It’s just Cyan wants to stay in Mason and close to the school librarian. I’m not sure what he sees in her. She’s quiet as a church mouse and goes to church every Sunday and leads the church choir. Cyan spends his time in high stakes poker matches and attends sex clubs. He needs to move on but I’m not sure he ever will. He took one look at her when he was just a kid and he’s been in love with her ever since. He even carved her name in the old tree on the property. All my family have carved the names of the people they love on there. Well, everyone except me. I’ve never been in love. I don’t think I have that gene. I mean I want Slater, but I’m not sappy like the rest of my family. I suppose I take more after my birth father in that regard. Orville loved us, or at least I’m told he did. To be honest, I can’t remember him. I just know that Green and the others said he was emotionally detached a lot of the time, even though he cared about us. I am pretty sure that’s me completely. I never grieved when I broke up with the one serious relationship I had. Back then, I thought it was because I was so young. Still, I’ve been on a lot of dates and had some casual relationships. None of those have meant much to me. The last guy I dated said I was a cold fish and I guess I kind of am. Slater excites me, I feel anything but cold around him, but it’s not love. It’s lust.
That thought makes me smile.Definite lust.I thought about going to see him, but the team went on the road for a mid-week scrimmage match and he’s not due back until tomorrow—too late for me to even think of seeing him and I have to work the next day.
I could kill my brother for scheduling a scrimmage, but there’s a part of me that thinks it’s for the best. I can’t afford to lose my head where Slater is concerned. Besides, it’s not like Green scheduled it to block my booty call. Green’s always having these games. He’s a firm believer in them. They’re similar to an actual game but the coaches can teach easier because there’s no limits to the number of times they can talk with their players and halt the game. He says they make the team stronger and from the team’s record this year, he’s right.
I lock the door and drop my pocketbook on the table by the doorway. I slip off my shoes and take off my jacket next. As I walk up the stairs, I go through my thoughts, already planning my story in my head. I may not get laid tonight, but I’m going to enjoy writing. I’ve been staying so busy with work that I just haven’t had time.
I open the door to my room, mourning the fact that I don’t have my own bathroom. I really need to move out on my own, but I’ve been trying to save money. I undo the pins in my hair. I wore it up today because it was bath day at the nursing home. It’s easier to make sure my hair is out of the way. There are more than a few patients who don’t like bath day. Some are dealing with a dementia, and it scares them. Those are the patients that break my heart. I suppose that’s why I keep coming back to my job too. It makes you feel like you matter if you can help patients who can’t help themselves. Kindness is something they don’t see a lot of. Even some of the nurses I work with. I mean, we all get bone tired, but there are some people that just shouldn’t be nurses.
I begin unbuttoning my shirt, already imagining how good the hot water is going to feel.
“That’s it, baby. Take it all off.”
My entire body jerks, tightening in shock as I spin around, and I let out a scream.“What the fuck?”
Slater Daniels is on my bed, lying on it like he doesn’t have a care in the world…and he’s as naked as the day he was born.
