Page 14 of Hidden Plays (Desert Football #1)

SEVEN

JORDAN (JJ)

T he next morning, I was in a great mood after deciding to cut Holden from my private life.

I’d started catching feelings, and that was no good.

He’d made it very clear last night he was unwilling to explore his sexuality and, besides, a curious straight guy was trouble I didn’t need.

I waltzed into the weight room with Casey.

Holden stood at a leg machine, holding his iPad to his chest. As his gaze found mine, he knitted his brows.

My breath caught, and my heart flickered against my will. Damn it, I had to keep my distance from him. It was the only way.

Casey backhanded my chest and gave me a toothy grin. “Hey, wonder what Holden is going to make you do today?”

“Don’t know and maybe I’ll do my own shit.” Holding my head high, I strode past him and onto a treadmill.

Stepping behind me, Holden said, “Hey, after your warmup, come see me.”

“Yeah, whatever.” I started the machine, and the running belt came to life. I increased the pace until I was at an easy jog.

Casey ran next to me. “So how was the date last night? I was in bed before you got home. ”

“It was great.” I glanced at Holden, standing next to my machine, focused on me. If Holden just wants to stand there, I might fuck with him a bit. “I, uh, got laid last night. That’s why I was so late.”

“Dude, about time.” Casey lifted his hand, and I slapped it.

Holden’s jaw muscle bulged, and he swung his head, his knuckles turning white.

“So, I guess you really like this guy.” Casey pumped his arms as he increased his pace.

“I do, and I think I’m in love.” I peeked at Holden, worrying his lower lip. He shouldn’t care about what I did last night, so why was I lying to Casey about it? My mind was so messed up. I wanted Holden to be jealous. But he couldn’t be.

Dropping his iPad to his side and fisting his free hand, Holden paced away from us.

After my five minutes, I strolled to Holden, now seated on a bench by the leg press machines and spotting our second-string wide receiver. “Okay, what are we doing today?”

“I’m working with Marks right now. How about you start with the resistance band routine I gave you?” He glared at me, his lips pressing into a thin line.

“Fine.” With a huff, I strode to the mats, picked up a band and stepped into it. This shit better work. Swinging my leg across my body, the band stretched, which resisted my movement. Heat built in my hip.

Holden stepped toward me and in a low voice, he said, “So, you and Miguel are back together?” He pursed his lips.

Do I tell him the truth? Nope, I made my bed with this lie. I shrugged. “Yeah, guess so. We had a good time after you left.” I gave him my wickedest smirk.

“You did, huh?” Dipping his head, he chewed his thumbnail. “And you really fucked him?” He peeked at me from under his blond bangs.

“I did.” My gut tensed. I didn’t particularly like lying to people, but this was Holden. He deserved it. I swung my leg a few times more and stopped.

His gaze skimmed the room and stopped on me, his brows lowering. “I thought you reserved that for people you connected to.”

“I do. We have a connection. We dated for nine months.” I stepped out of the band, heat flickering through my chest. “What do you care?”

“I…” He worried his lower lip. “I don’t, I guess.” He rubbed the heel of his hand into his chest. “Should I stop texting now? I can assume Miguel will text you instead, right?” He peered toward Casey, pushing the bar on a leg machine, his feet planted on the footplate.

Casey and the other guys didn’t know I’d met Miguel last night and, in reality, I’d made no plans with him.

How could I make this work? Skimming my hand over the back of my hair, I chuckled and said, “No, keep texting for a few more days in case they ask about it. Miguel’s texts won’t sound the same. ”

“Yeah, okay.” He shifted his stance. “Let’s, uh, work in on the leg press with Casey.”

“Anything you say.” With a sly grin, I followed him to the leg machine. I’d made Holden uncomfortable. My job here was done.

Saturday morning, we boarded a bus to take us to UCLA, a seven-hour drive from Phoenix.

I couldn’t wait to play in cooler temperatures.

I passed Holden, who was sitting with Coach Bowden and looking over plans on a laptop.

Over the last few days, I’d only gotten a few text messages from him, and they’d been generic and boring. They weren’t worth showing to the guys.

Peeking at me, Holden clenched his jaw as I walked by .

Casey beamed at me from the middle of the bus. “Get your ass down here, Matthews.”

He was sitting behind fucking Cooper, who was next to Eli. Fuck it. I had to get over Myles. After ambling down the aisle, I sank in next to Casey and rested my backpack between my feet. “You ready for tonight?”

“Sure as hell am.” His smile widened. “I bet the boyfriend will miss you this weekend.”

Cooper twisted in his seat. “You have a new boyfriend?” His brows raised.

“Sort of.” Wincing, I glanced at Casey. Dude had a big mouth. “I’ve been seeing someone.”

Casey tagged my shoulder. “You told me you were falling in love the other day.”

“Did I say that?” Fuck, I did. It had been for Holden’s benefit, though it probably didn’t matter to him. I choked out a laugh. “Maybe it was the afterglow of getting laid.”

“You got laid?” Eli twisted in his seat, planting his hand on the back of it. “About fucking time.”

“I’d have to agree.” Except, it had been so long since I’d done anything sexual with a guy, I might be a virgin again. I glanced toward the front of the bus and Holden, chatting with Coach. He didn’t care. He never cared. An ache burrowed into my heart. I had to forget about him too.

“Have you gotten any sexy text messages then?” Casey leaned in and glanced at the pocket of my joggers, the outline of my phone showing through the fabric.

“Maybe.” I wouldn’t show them the crap Holden had texted. With the corner of my lip curling, I said, “But these are only for me.”

“I suppose you’ve got a bunch of dick pics to use for your spank bank this weekend.” Eli freed a sharp laugh.

“Gross, dude. I’m sharing a room with him.” Casey shoved Eli’s shoulder and eyed me. “If you’re going to do that, make sure you’re stealthy about it. I don’t want to know. ”

Eli’s gaze swung to Cooper. “You too, man. I know you and Myles are up to some kinky shit when you go on the road.”

Cooper’s jaw dropped. “No, we?—”

“Yes, you are. I’ve heard the vibrating sleeve toy you two use.” Casey snorted.

“I don’t need to hear this.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I fished in my backpack for my headphones. I was so done with this conversation.

After settling into our hotel room with Casey, I headed to the lobby in search of a snack at the shop by the check-in desk.

I hadn’t eaten enough today. I exited the elevator and strolled across a marble floor, taking in the beige wallpaper and heavy wooden furniture lining the walls. It was nice, but understated.

I entered the snack shop, selecting a protein bar and Gatorade. As I paid for them at the counter, movement caught my eye.

Holden strode across the lobby, in front of the bar area.

Was he looking for a snack too? I should get out of here. The cashier bagged my food, and I grabbed it from her. “Thanks.”

Squeaks and a thud reverberated through the area. “Fuck!” Holden shouted.

“Sir, I’m so sorry.” A hotel staff member, dressed in her black uniform, hovered over Holden, who was on his back and gripping his bent leg to his chest, grimacing.

“What the hell?” With my pulse dashing, I jogged to them. “What happened?”

Holden rocked and sat up, groaning. “I slipped on the water on the floor.”

“We’ll clean this up right away, sir.” The woman left and picked up a phone at the lobby counter.

Crouched next to Holden, I placed my hand on his back. “You hurt your bad knee?” This didn’t look good. Could he have torn his ACL again? If he did, the hotel faced one hell of a lawsuit.

“Yeah, I slipped on that leg. I think I overextended it.” Bending forward, he rested his forehead on his knee. “I need to get it elevated with some ice and a compression bandage.”

“Okay. Can you walk?” I’d have to help him to his room. Setting my bag on the floor, I crawled behind him and slid both my arms under his armpits, his fresh cinnamon scent assaulting my senses. Why did he have to smell so good?

“I think I can walk.” He planted the foot of his good leg under him. “Okay, lift.”

I raised him and hooked my arm around his waist as he leaned against me, my heart pounding in my ears. Damn it, why did it have to be me here? Why couldn’t one of the other guys have been here to help him?

“I’m sorry, JJ.” Holden hopped on his good leg.

The woman walked to us with a towel and wiped the floor around Holden. “Okay, the spill is dry. It looks like it was water.”

A dark-suited man scurried across the floor. “Sir, can I get you anything?” He clasped his hands at his chest. “I’m the manager of the hotel. We have medical supplies if you need them, or I can call a doctor for you.”

“No, I’m a trainer for the team, so I have the medical supplies I need.” Holden straightened his leg. “I don’t think it’s too bad.” He glanced at me, his gorgeous face so close to mine. “I’ve got one of my players here to help me.”

“It might be a good idea to take you to the ER.” If he’d torn something, he’d need an MRI, and he shouldn’t let it go untreated. I gripped him tightly, his muscled body tingling against my side. The last time I’d been this close to him was at the gay bar.

“I’ve been through this before, JJ. I know what to do.” He huffed. “Just please get me to my room.” He wound an arm over my shoulders. “Besides, we don’t have time for a hospital visit. We need to be at the stadium soon.”

Why was he worrying about the game over his damn knee? I gritted my teeth. “Fuck that, Holden. If you’re hurt?—"

“Take me to my room.” He glared at me.