Page 24

Twenty Four

Colt

The locker room was still crowded when I entered, with most of the guys caught up in their postgame recovery. My entrance did not go as unnoticed as I’d have hoped — another drawback of being so big.

A few guys whistled, while someone in the back broke out into a giddy giggle. I swear to fucking God, these guys were just as bad as they say the girls are, if not worse.

“Sooo,” Jax drawled, working his long legs with a foam roller.

I gave them nothing, my face as expressionless as ever except for a raised eyebrow as I crossed the room with heavy steps. The tightness in my muscles was exacerbated by fucking Hailey against the wall just a few minutes ago. Not exactly what I had planned for today, but I sure as hell wasn’t complaining.

As I began taking off my gear, at least one of the idiots seemed unable to hold on any longer. “Dude, that was hot .”

In slow motion, I twisted my head toward the voice, eyes narrowing as I faced Knox. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Raucous laughter erupted as he returned my stare before looking to the side and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Um, yeah, Colt, maybe next time you shouldn’t hook up with your girlfriend in a hallway. Hallways have a tendency to echo, you know?” Jax said in a barely controlled voice, laughter bubbling below the surface.

“That was some real caveman shit, my friend. But I approve.” Asher punched me in the shoulder as I let my head fall back with a groan.

“You heard all that?” I scrubbed my hand down my face.

“At least you don’t have to listen to them going at it all night,” Hunter muttered. Of course that asshole would speak up now . I glared at him, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Loud “ Oooohhhs ” and chuckles followed this statement.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered as I sat down on the bench to take off my cleats.

“Hey, man, if you don’t want to be overheard, don’t lay pipe in a public place.” Knox snickered.

That was the thing, though. I hadn’t taken her too far away because a part of me wanted to be overheard, and that part was humming contentedly in my chest now that they had heard my girl surrendering to me, me alone . The part that wanted to own every inch of her, wanted to mark her.

Deciding to lean into it, I shrugged. Might as well own up to it now. What was the point of hiding it if I had no intention of holding back. Hailey brought that side of me out — it existed only for her. “Cover your ears next time. ”

Raucous laughter erupted throughout the room. Knox, stretching his thighs, gawked up at me from his mat on the floor as I finally stripped off all my gear and clothes and wrapped a towel around my hips. It was an unspoken rule that you didn’t check out at each other’s junk, but that didn’t mean you never accidentally got an eyeful. At this point, I had seen more dicks than pussies.

“No wonder she was so loud,” he muttered, and I snorted.

On my way to the shower, my eyes locked with Jax’s, and he shook his head with a smirk. “Who would have thought, Michaels, who would have thought.”

Coach poked his head out of the door of his office, not quite as angry as before but still far from happy.

“Michaels,” he barked, “after the shower and ice bath, I want your ass in here. We clear?”

“Crystal clear,” I grumbled. I’d known this was coming, but fuck if I hadn’t hoped he’d just spontaneously forget my self-serving decision earlier on the field. I could see a little extra conditioning in my future, yet I’d still do it all over again just the same.

Hailey was worth it, she was everything .