Page 9 of Honey Undone (The Hornets Nest #5)

JENSEN

T he card that Van held up read maul but I couldn’t for the life of me remember what the fuck that meant. “That one messes with my head, I just think of bears.” I said, leaning back on the couch.

Cosy snorted as she set the bowl of chips on the table and lowered to the floor across from Van. “You're on the right track,” she said. “A maul is sort of like a ruck…”

“When a player gets downed and the ball is on the ground?” I tried to remember the term, but there were so many that at times I couldn’t keep them all straight.

“Right, but with a maul the ball is being held up, trapped by three players,” she explained.

“So the ball is being mauled…” I groaned, feeling stupid for not catching on faster.

“There you go,” Cosy encouraged and smiled at me.

In those moments I could really see the sibling similarities.

She had the same goofy smile and soft brown eyes, but she wasn’t as lanky as Van or scrawny in the face.

I’d never met their oldest sibling but I assumed they were just another carbon copy of the Mitchell face.

“There’s so many weird terms in Rugby, it’s like a drunk person was in charge of naming them,” I said with a shake of my head. “Like who calls a player a hooker? ”

“Kaia is incredibly proud of that term, you should be careful what you say,” Cosy laughed. “Her main job in a scrum is to hook the ball and push it backward to our team. ”

“Very literal of the drunk person…” I rolled my eyes. “Do another,” I said to Van who was watching quietly and shoving chips in his mouth. He rubbed his greasy hands on his jeans and held up another card that said conversion.

“Extra points the team can gain after a try is scored,” I said confidently.

“That’s our boy!” Cosy clapped. “You know it’s really cute that you’re trying for her.”

“It’s nothing.” I dismissed the praise.

“Cosy’s standards for men are in hell so take the compliment, it’s the only one she’ll ever give you,” Van said with a mouth full of chips.

“It’s true,” she agreed with him. “But I see you trying.”

“I’ve never felt so lost with a girl, usually it’s a smile and a wink, a peek of the tattoos and they’re puddy.

Adeline just doesn’t give a shit, or at least she’s damn good at hiding it if she does.

I flirt my ass off and she’s just better at it.

” I slumped down into the chair with a loud sigh of defeat.

“Don’t take it personally,” Cosy said, leaning back on her hands.

“Addy has only ever had one dream, playing professional rugby. And the Hillcats are fucking good, but it’s not where she belongs.

There are teams popping up all over the states, professional teams that want to push rugby into the forefront of mainstream sports media.

Addy belongs on one of those teams. She knows it, we know it. She’s just determined.”

I could understand it. I had always been that kid that just did the thing.

No matter what, my parents always supported it and I was kind of just always good at whatever it was.

I finished my masters almost a year ago but didn’t want to stop playing ball so I picked up classes that would keep me enrolled at Harbor. Just because I could.

“I get it.”

“You don’t,” Cosy stopped me, “You’re smart though so you can understand that being determined isn’t a single definition, not to a woman like Addy. It means all her focus is on rugby, all the time. She doesn’t have time for men or games. If you want her attention you have to take it.”

Take it.

Cosy wasn’t saying force her, or blur the lines of consent. She was telling me to stop being a pussy and win the game once and for all.

“Addy is the best of us,” she said to me, her tone serious and hostile, “and if you break her heart, I’ll have Rhea and Kaia break your legs in ways that Silas will never be able to repair.”

Dread filled my chest at her threat but I nodded in understanding before looking at Van for rescue but he was just as scared of his older sister as I was.

“Good, now back to the pop quiz,” she said, pointing to the cards in Van's lap.

Unknown: Do you take dick as good as you suck it?

Unknown: How many dates before I can get in your pants?

Unknown: Are you into threesomes?

I laid in my bed at the Nest staring at the ceiling, deleting all the random messages after we had gotten home from Cosy’s.

Every once and a while it was nice to go there for dinner.

She was a terrible cook and we always ate out but I enjoyed the change in conversation.

If I had gone to my parents, Mom would have grilled me about Adeline again before we fell asleep watching movies.

I’d needed a chance. I wanted to be proactive about my intentions with Adeline.

Learning rugby terms was Van’s idea and I had been on board without hesitation which only made me feel more shame because the look on Van’s face said it all.

I was wrapped around Adeline’s finger.

Might as well go all in, I’d never been one for doing something half assed and I wasn’t about to start now.

What are you doing?

Just got home from training.

Without me? Must have been lonely.

It was peaceful.

I laughed at the texts and thought about her face that day. I’m not usually the kind of guy that stripped off his shirt in the middle of a public gym but the second she paraded in there I knew I had to do something to get her attention. And shameful as it was, it worked.

Peaceful is just a fancy word for boring.

She asked me what I was doing in return, completely bypassing my flirting and I groaned loudly, frustrated that I wasn’t getting anywhere before I answered that I had been with Cosy and Van.

So now I can quiz you on rugby positions?

Only if you promise hands on corrections for the moves I can’t name.

I don’t think you’re ready to rough house.

She had no idea how ready I was. I shifted in bed until I was sitting up against the headboard and looked over at Todd, snoring in his sleep. I really needed to get my own place but the Nest was home. Unfortunately, it wasn’t conducive to having a relationship unless you had your own room.

I’ve been ready since you lost that bet.

You poor boy .

There was something in her message that made her voice sound giggly in my head and I was going to go fucking insane.

Todd sounded like he was going to choke in his sleep so I pushed back the comforter, dragging it with me and left the room.

Padding down the hallway to the stairs and finding a comfortable spot in the sitting room at the back of the house.

I can take it, promise.

You look like you bruise easily.

I got comfortable on the couch and pulled the blanket over me, as I tried to come up with a response that didn’t scream desperate but all I could think about was her, exhausted and sweaty after training standing in front of that mirror from all her pictures. My mind spiraled into dangerous dreams.

Like a peach. I’d wear the ones you give me with pride. I don’t look like it but I’m a quick study and a good listener. Real submissive when I need to be.

So much for playing it cool.

Jensen.

Yes Adeline?

Cut it out.

Hook, line and sinker.

Because you’re uncomfortable or because you like it?

Silence. A whole five minutes of it.

Because I like it.

I exhaled and set my phone on my chest. Even the thought of her bossing me around had my dick so hard between my legs it was unbearable.

I shifted and tried to ignore the heat. I needed Adeline in my bed, under my body and in my fucking hands as soon as yesterday.

The next text would either get me in a lot of trouble or delay my impatience until she was good and ready for me.

Do you have any of those mirror photos? Ones you don’t post for everyone else?

I held my breath. “Come on Adeline, play the game. Just give me an inch and I’ll run a fucking mile for you,” I whispered to the stupid three dots dancing across the bottom of my screen. “Fuck.”

The picture that comes through my phone is enough to make my entire body tense into the scratchy fabric of the couch.

It’s her and that damn mirror that haunts my dreams. Wet dark hair hung around her jaw and even though I couldn’t see her eyes, the smile on her lips gave away just how much she was enjoying the attention.

Her body is damp and red in spots from the heat of her shower, and the white t-shirt she’s wearing is bunched up with her arm under her breasts.

The way the dark red, lacy underwear stretched and curved over the round of her ass was the star of the show.

Her olive skin was marked with bruises in all kinds of sizes and I hated how easily her pain softened my thoughts in the middle of wanting to get my hands on her.

Did you just take that for me?

Would you tease me if I said yes?

No, I’d ask for more.

If she took that just for me, I was going to spontaneously combust.

Insatiable.

Starving, Adeline. I’m fucking starving.

Pathetic , maybe? But she needed to know just how badly I wanted it. I could feel her getting nervous about the picture and she needed to understand just how grateful I was that she sent it to me.

How did you know it was new?

Those bruises are new .

I finally answered her after agonizing over the photo for a few more minutes. There were six of them painting her thighs and one larger one that was partially hidden beneath her fingertips around her ribcage.

I can’t tell if that’s creepy or endearing that you know that.

Let’s go with endearing.

Okay.

The mood had shifted by accident and I knew there was little chance of getting it back to how flirty we had been moments ago but I wasn’t ready to say goodnight to her just yet.

It’s harder to watch you play than I expected.

Sorry I don’t live up to your rugby star standards lol.

I meant that the game is rough. It’s rare that I walk away from a baseball game with bruises. You do it every night, it’s intense.

She was quiet for a little while and I wasn’t sure if she had fallen asleep or had gone back to ignoring me. Both were very real possibilities with Adeline but my phone buzzed again after a few minutes.

Wait, you've been stalking my Instagram ?

I leaned back against the couch laughing hard at her sudden realization. I scrolled up in our conversation and saved the photo before she decided to take it away from me in a fit of rage.

Do you need me to define the term - starving, Adeline?

Which one is your favorite?

I hadn’t been expecting that question but my immediate answer was all of them . I smiled down at my phone mentally flipping through all the photos I had been staring at for days but settled on one after a short moment.

Mine.

Good answer.