Page 84 of Only Between Us

“Note to self: cheer the next time Brooks gets naked.”

I clutch my chest, widen my eyes. “Oh, would you please?”

Note tomyself: spill all my embarrassing secrets if it means keeping that look on her face. Pure enjoyment and… affection?

I think that’s affection.

For the cameras, or for me?

“Where does the sumo suit come in?” Her smile doesn’t drop an inch.

I fill my lungs dramatically, as though recalling a fond memory. “Well, Siena. The thing about throwing your clothes into a crowd is, you’re pretty much guaranteed never to see them again. So, there I am, in my underwear. A whole two or three resorts to walk through to get back to mine. And apparently, modesty came crashing down on me at the end of my performance. I found a sumo suit left over from the previous show. And the legend was born.”

The morning after had been unbearable, between the hangover and Naomi’s irritation when I’d skipped our workout to sleep it off. But it had been nice to have a moment. Just doing something stupid for the sake of it, when my focus had been on football for nearly my whole life.

Siena smiles. “You’re a pleasant surprise, Brooks Attwood. I think we could’ve gotten into the best kind of trouble together, back then.”

I pull her in, needing her closer. “What’s stopping us now?”

Chapter28Brooks

I sink into the sofa with a grunt, preemptively lifting an arm for Pete to snuggle under. Predictably, my boy hops up beside me and moves right in. Lays his massive head on my knee, demanding a snuggle-head-scratch combination I really wouldn’t mind for myself.

TheAround the Leaguecrew left hours ago, and after dropping Siena off in Baycrest I headed to the gym for an evening workout to make up for training I missed today.

I’m sore and fucking beat, and all I want is to be huddled on this sofa with Siena. I rub a hand over my face, trying to force the image of her in that Rebels jersey out of my head. It’s promptly replaced by the image of her coming on that dance floor, which is even better material to get my dick going.

Jesus Christ.

“Petey, I need some space, man. You don’t want to see this.”

I pat his head and get to my feet, reaching for my phone on the kitchen counter. There’s a new picture at the top of Siena’s social media account, one Summer snapped earlier today. Siena’s eyes shine with laughter as she looks at me, looking hot as sin in my jersey. And even though this picture was part of the plan—one that seems to haveworked, given the number of gushing comments—I can’t help but smile, seeing us together all over her profile. Looking every bit the real couple I want to be.

I already miss her. I want her here, shamelessly teasing me. I want to listen to her complain about her day, watch her fiddle with that sparkly anchor around her neck. I wanther. So fucking badly. After spending that time pressed together on the couch, I can barely stand to be in this room without the visceral need to jack off.

I scroll through her page until I find the selfie I’m looking for. It’s an old one, on that boat she used to sail all the time. She’s not even fully in the shot—it’s just half her smiling face with the water in the background. But what I can see of her looks so damn happy and free, I can never go long without finding it again. Just staring at it.

This is where I’m at.

I’m so far fucking gone I’m about to jerk off to this picture of half her face and the goddamn bay.Someone, please. Save me from me.

I’m turning back toward the living room, fixated on the picture. But I almost wipe out tripping over Pete, who’s apparently come to investigate what my hard-as-nails dick and I are up to in the kitchen. The phone goes flying out of my hand as I catch myself on the kitchen island and skitters across the hardwood.

“Shit. Sorry, buddy.”

I pat my pup on the head and scoop up my phone just as a direct message comes through on the app.

Siena Pippen:Why are you sending me a blurry picture of your ceiling?

Sure enough, there’s a blurry picture of the living room light fixture right above her message. The impact with Peter must have set off the camera.

WhatIsAFootballDaddy01:Accidental blurry picture. What are you up to?

Three dots appear. Disappear. Appear again.

Siena Pippen:In bed reading a book.

Siena Pippen:Go away. You’re interrupting.