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“Thanks,” she murmurs, patting my stomach as she walks past me before plucking the ball off the floor and heading back downstairs.
The guys are all waiting for us. Even Baxter's hauled his ass out of bed for this one. I throw a concerned frown at Liam, but he doesn't seem too worried by all of this, trailing out the door after Mikayla and Asher.
Fuck. This is gonna be a train wreck, and then my poor girl is gonna be a freaking housemaid for the next four weeks.
Shit, shit, shit!
I miserably walk to the basketball court, trying to figure a way out of this, but I'm pretty sure my lil’ mouse won't let me do it. I kind of love that she's fighting for me. I just wish the feeling wasn't being overshadowed by the guilt lashing me.
I'll help her. I won't make her do any of the chores on her own.
The thought gives me some comfort, and I lean against the fence of the outdoor court, cringing as Mikayla dribbles the ball, then shoots a weak pass to Asher.
He's fucking crowing over this whole thing.
“Ouch,” Liam hisses. “This is gonna be tough to watch.”
A growl reverberates in my throat. Casey elbows me with a laugh. “Gotta love this girl. She's awesome, man.” He shakes his head, then grins at me. “Congrats, by the way. I know you broke the rules, but I'm glad you got her. It's obvious how much she means to you.”
I nod, flicking him a closed-mouth smile before glancing at the court where this game of one-on-one is just beginning. Asher towers over Mikayla, easily stealing the ball on her first attempt at a basket.
Liam hisses again while I cross my arms and watch in agony.
Asher quickly makes eleven points with one slam dunk, three lay-ups, and an annoying three-pointer that makes us all cringe. It's the first to twenty-one, and I've got a feeling we won't be out here long, until…
I shoot up straight, blinking in surprise when Mikayla does a quick spin, dribbling the ball around Asher and darting to the right. She jumps and scores a sweet three-pointer.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Casey laughs, clapping his hands and whooping. “Go, lil’ mouse! Go!”
Asher shakes his head, still smirking at Mikayla's piece of luck, until she does it again. This time on his left, her quick feet dancing away from him as she dribbles the ball like a pro and does another three-pointer. The net swishes, and Asher gathers the ball with this confused look on his face.
“What is happening right now?” He shoots us a frown, then looks back at my girl.
Mikayla swipes the back of her hand over her forehead. “We're playing ball, dickhead.”
She fires the ball at him so fast and hard he catches it with a soft “Oof.”
And the biggest smile spreads across my face.
“I played a little basketball in high school.”
A little basketball, my ass. She was probably one of the top players in her school.
Damn, I love this woman.
Asher dribbles the ball somewhat cautiously as he eyes up Mikayla. The cocky edge has dropped from his expression, and he's concentrating hard, studying his opponent like this game means everything.
She wiggles her eyebrows at him. He frowns, trying to get around her with a quick shuffle, but she pounces forward, easily stealing the ball and dribbling it to the basket for a perfectly timed bank shot.
“Holy shit, are you hustling me, lil’ mouse? Is that what this is?”
“What do you think?” She walks over with a cocky grin, and I swear I love her so much in this moment my heart hurts.
Asher's eyebrows dip into a sharp frown, and he slaps her butt as she walks past.
“Hey!” I give him a warning roar, jumping away from the fence, but Mikayla brushes it off with a laugh while Casey holds me back.
“Don't worry, baby.” She dribbles the ball, grinning over her shoulder at me. “Watch me make Asher cry.”
