“What are you going to do? Punch me? I can always tell Hardison that I tried patching everything up like a civilized human being but that you had to be a hothead and came at me with a fist anyway.”
I pursed my lips, trying to stay sane. Why did this asshole have to be right every time?
“I also know that’s why you came after me,” he said. “There was nothing random about it.”
“Everyone probably thought it was, though.”
“But I know why. It’s because we’re hot for each other, and it’s amazing we’ve kept our clothes on this long. That’s all that matters.”
“You know we can never coexist on the same team, right?” I asked.
“Says who?”
“You’ve made that pretty clear to me, dude.”
“So, we can’t coexist because I won’t just give you what you want?”
“The season is about to start, and the team captain hasn’t been officially named yet. Aren’t you going to go nuts when the team hands me my rightful title?”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“No, I’m not.”
I realized we’d just gone back to square one with this. That proved my point, didn’t it? We couldn’t handle much of anything without fighting—or fucking.
“But we’re going to be on the team together,” I said, “and something’s got to give eventually.”
“Remember, naming the team captain is up to the rest of the team, and they all saw the shit you pulled.”
He was right in that they didn’t know the real reason behind it all. Oh, of course, he would say that him knowing was all that mattered. What bullshit.
“As for everything else,” I said, “does the offer still stand? I hear the couch in this office pulls out.”
“Of course it still stands…and so do the conditions.”
Again, I struggled not to scream in madness. Of course he would put his stupid conditions ahead of hot sex. That was so Erik De Ruiter.
21
ERIK
By now, you must think things between Kayden and I couldn’t get any weirder. Trust me, they could.
With the season only two days away, the team still hadn’t chosen a captain, and I worried it would never happen. Everyone gathered in the locker room after practice for an announcement. The team felt pumped about our first regular season game, but I felt nervous. How could I not?
My teammates hung around in varying stages of undress, from underwear to towels, and the rare mostly dressed player. You’d think I would be salivating over them, but I didn’t. None of that mattered, but I looked away from Kayden every time he entered my sightline. I had to.
Look, I won’t deny that I felt something for the guy. Any moron could tell you that. And I wanted him as badly as he wanted me. Oh yeah, he drove me nuts on principle, but he was sexy as hell and one taste of him commanded more. But I had to stick to my guns.
Kayden must’ve felt the exact same way…minus the common sense, I mean. He must’ve known just how he felt about me but wouldn’t admit it to himself, let alone you. It was more thanjust sex, and I knew it. Surviving an entire season when your teammate drove you crazy in more ways than one was easier said than done, but I would do it.
Survival meant avoiding him at all costs, even if it looked awkward in front of others. Take this locker room gathering, for example. I stayed as far from Kayden as I could. Also, I would exit as soon as possible…for a team captain.
But the guys weren’t going anywhere. Usually, they were in a hurry to shower and get the hell out of there. Now they treated the locker room like a clubhouse with guys just hanging around. And why not? We had important news to hear.
“Okay, listen up, everyone!” Ryan Detenbeck said. “I’ve got a really important announcement to make.”
Everyone shut up. He commanded the room the way Kayden and I were supposed to. Maybe we weren’t the only ones made of captain material, but I didn’t need any more competition.
