Page 51 of Hate the Game (Playing Dirty #1)

***Ryder***

The locker room was rowdier than I cared for but the energy wasn’t grating on my nerves for once. I stretched out my sore muscles and thought about Savannah. I wondered if she was sore. I could still feel her tight body as I shoved deep and- Fuck. I was not getting a boner in the locker room.

“Whoa. What the fuck?” Kyle stopped right in front of me and frowned. “Are you…smiling?”

I immediately sneered at him. “Fuck off.”

“Holy shit. You were smiling!” His loud voice was gathering attention. “What the hell happened to you to make you smile?”

Ricky, one of the other defensive ends, looked over at me and laughed. “That’s the face of a man who got laid!”

I stiffened and kept my eyes on my shoes as I shook my head. I couldn’t meet Cole or Jax’s gazes but I could feel them looking at me. They knew the only woman I would’ve slept with was Savannah and I wasn’t ready to talk about it. It was all too much of a fucking mess.

“Well, we know who won that race, then. Who had money on Ryder? Pay up, bitches!” Danny opened his locker and tapped a sheet taped to the inside. “I knew you were the longshot, man, but I was pulling for you. Some ladies can’t resist that grumpy thing you do.”

I stood up and glared down at him. “The fuck?”

Kyle grinned. “Is it more offensive that we bet on which of the three of you got Savannah or that you were the longshot?”

Jax walked over and yanked the paper down. “Fuck off.”

“Someone’s pissy that he didn’t pull the win.” Danny whistled. “I honestly thought you were heading for a win after I saw her straddling you in your truck yesterday. Wait… Did both of you…”

I shoved Danny into the lockers and leaned in close. “Don’t spread that shit about her. Understand me?”

Things were tense as fuck as I left the locker room with Jax and Cole.

We were close enough to read each other and I knew that we were only waiting for the privacy of our dorm to let loose.

I glanced over at Savannah’s door when we got to our hall and had third and fourth thoughts about how I’d left her that morning.

I didn’t know what the right protocol was. I knew what I wanted but she was a fucking spy for Texas. She couldn’t feel the same way as me. So I’d snuck out to save us both from the awkwardness.

The moment the door closed behind us Cole spun on me. “What the actual fuck? You slept with her?”

I shoved past him and went to the fridge to grab a beer. Once we all had one in hand I cleared my throat. “Yeah. It just happened.”

Jax, usually calm and collected, drained his beer in one go and snarled at me. “I ate her out yesterday. Had her begging for me. If I’d had a condom and a lack of fucking morals I could’ve fucked her. I didn’t, though, because she’s a fucking spy, Ryder!”

“So you both tried to fuck her yesterday.” Cole sank into the couch. “I guess I’ve been taking my sweet ass time for no reason.”

“I didn’t try. I did.” I couldn’t help being an asshole about it. It’d been my name she was moaning. No one else's.

“What is she doing?” Gesturing towards the door, Cole jumped back to his feet.

“Fuck it. I’m just going to ask her. Because you aren’t the only fuckers who’ve had her coming for you.

She rode my fingers until she came all over them.

She would’ve let me take her that night.

I put a stop to it, though. Maybe you were just the consolation prize, Ry. ”

I shoved him harder than I meant to but he was pissing me off. “Fine. Let’s fucking ask her which one of us she really wants. And have her explain what the hell she’s doing messing with all of us.”

When I pounded on her door, though, she didn’t answer. I tried to call her but her phone was off. The annoying voice in the back of my head said I’d messed up by sneaking out that morning.

“She told me yesterday that things had happened with both of you.” Jax leaned against the wall next to her door.

“For whatever reason, it’s less offensive that it’s you two.

I still don’t fucking like it, though. Not to mention that we’re supposed to be running some kind of counter operation on her.

This whole thing is a shit show. What the hell are we doing, making this messier than it already was? And where the hell is she?”

“Call Blaire. Maybe she’s with her.” I rubbed my face and thought about the night before. “If she’s still acting to get back at us for what happened with the Texas game, she should be on the big screen already.”

“You think she’s as fucked up in this as we clearly are?” Cole frowned as he said it and shook his head. “Of course, she is. I’m not a fool. I know her intentions were shit but I don’t think she’s been acting for a while.”

Jax grunted as a greeting to his sister once she answered. “Do you know where Savannah is?”

I couldn’t hear what he said but the look on his face made my stomach drop. I’d fucked up.

As soon as he hung up he looked at me and frowned. “She’s gone. She went home to Texas for the weekend.”

Cole glared at me. “Was it a planned trip?”

“Nope.”

I swore. “Goddammit. I left this morning while she was still asleep. I didn’t think she’d want a big morning after thing.”

“Well, this is great.” Cole looked genuinely upset. “You piss her off, or worse, hurt her, and she runs back to the assholes who think we tried to end their career. What are the odds that she comes back here feeling any kind of warmth for us?”

“I’ll text her.” I’d apologize and do what I could to make it better. And if I told myself it was only because I didn’t want to risk her writing an even worse article, that was my business.