Page 20
CHAPTER NINETEEN
PLAY IT COOL
RHODES
Now
I get up early the next morning, having barely slept.
I'm going to love having Elle live here…and it's going to be fucking torture.
I still hop out of bed feeling pretty damn great.
Things are good. We're winning again with the Mustangs. I don’t think it’s enough to turn our season around entirely, but we're playing much better than we were.
It's been a huge loss not having Henley playing, but Cal’s coming around. We're getting there and this weekend, we're going to win again.
I chuckle under my breath when I hear Elle singing in the shower. She's a horrible singer and it's the cutest thing ever. When she walks into the kitchen half an hour later, looking all cute and perky, I lift my protein shake to my lips to keep from smiling too big. I need to maintain my cool a little bit.
We're going to make this work. I don't want to send her running right back to that condo next door to the creeper just because I can't get ahold of myself.
“Good morning! I hope I didn’t wake you up.”
“Not at all. Would you like a shake?” I ask.
“Sure,” she says.
I empty the blender into a glass and hand it over.
“You really don't have to wait on me,” she says. “I’m going to get my bearings. I'll be helpful. I won't be in your way.” She pauses like she doesn't know what else to list and I laugh.
“You don't need to do anything to make me happy. Rachel cleans this place. I get meals brought in half the time. I like to cook the rest of the time. All you have to do is get comfortable, make yourself at home, and treat this place like it’s yours, because as far as I'm concerned, it is.”
She beams up at me and it's damn addicting.
“I promise I'm going to find something to do around here to make a difference. And I want to help financially too.” She lifts an eyebrow, daring me to argue, and I’m already shaking my head .
“Quit it. You are not helping financially. No. We're not even going to entertain that thought. And seriously, just seeing your face around here this morning is enough for me. You don't owe me anything.”
“I owe you everything,” she says.
“Quit with that talk.”
She walks over and kisses me on the cheek. When she leans back, her eyes are bright. Her lips are…full and kissable. I want to kiss her so bad I can taste it.
“I haven't forgotten a single second of that night,” she says softly. “Just in case I didn't make it clear. It meant something to me. It meant so much,” she adds. “Which is exactly why I don't want to play with fire. And I think that's what we would be doing. I should have just said it like that all along instead of getting upset with you and icing you out. I regret that, but I was scared.”
“Elle baby. You don't need to regret a single thing. But I seriously want you to reconsider your decision about breaking the pact.”
I put my hand on the back of my neck and exhale. Subtlety be damned.
She takes a step back and stares at me.
“I don't know what to say,” she finally admits.
“You don't have to say anything. I plan on working my charm and convincing you otherwise…just so you know where I'm going with this.”
She laughs, her cheeks flushing. “Okay. We're going with full disclosure.”
“Yep, I guess so.” I smirk. Hell, I’m just winging it as I go. “Have a good day.”
“You have a good day too,” she whispers before bolting.
When I get to practice, Roscoe is waiting for me and hands me a towel to use for my workout. Then he offers to carry my bag in.
“Well, that's more like it,” I say, laughing.
He tries to take my bag and I shake my head.
“Kidding. We’re even. Do it again and I'll stick your head in that fountain over there,” I growl.
He laughs. “You know I have such mad respect for you, man. I just thought maybe it'd be fun to…I don't know what I was thinking.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I just hope there are no hard feelings.”
“Of course not. I've been the new brat plenty. You're a good player. You'll do well. Don’t make the wrong people mad though.” I stare at him pointedly and then grin.
He laughs, relieved. “Yeah. My mom always tells me I'm more trouble than I’m worth. I know I'm not for everyone.”
“You're all right,” I tell him, pounding his back.
After practice, I motion for Weston, Penn, and Bowie to walk out with me. As soon as I’m sure we’re out of hearing range, I tell them what happened with Brock and ask if they'll help me go pick up Elle’s things.
“Son of a bitch,” Henley says. “Yeah, I can go today, the sooner the better,” he adds.
“Me too, this is important. We'll make time,” Bowie says.
“I’m in too,” Penn adds. “Although I can't promise I won't beat that guy's head in if I see him.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Trust me, I want to, but we're not getting in trouble over this asshole, and we're not going to draw attention to Elle. That’s the last thing she needs. She called Sheriff Davis. I’m hoping she'll talk to Lisa about it today, and the less my name is ever brought into it, the better.” I lean in. “You get this means she's moving in with me, right? You think I want to mess that up?”
“You're right,” Weston says.
“I’ll be on my best behavior,” Penn adds. “We'll let Davis do the work, but can't we just scare Brock a little bit?”
I laugh. “Yeah, let me think about it.”
I message Elle when I'm walking out and look for her car in the parking lot, but don't see it.
The guys are in. Just let us know how you want us to do this.
She texts back right away.
Elle
Oh, that's wonderful. How soon are they free?
We’re ready now. I can pick you up if you want to go over there too, or just send us there and we'll get the job done.
Elle
I’d like to go. I can meet you there. I just got to your house.
You just got home, you mean? All right, I'll let them know, and I’m leaving practice now. I’ll meet you at your condo in thirty.
Elle
Thank you.
When we get to Elle’s condo, there's no sign of Brock. It's just as well. Sheriff Davis let her know he’d given Brock a warning and hopefully he’ll stay away. Whatever the case, I’m going to be on alert.
The guys are already parked near her place and heading in with boxes when I pull up. Elle pulls up behind me and I hurry over to open her car door. We walk inside and Elle exhales.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, I just really don't want to see him. But I’m glad we’re doing this.”
The guys and I are all wearing sunglasses and caps, but it hits me that this might not have been the best way to go about this.
“What’s wrong?” Elle asks.
“I should have hired movers to get this done. If anyone's looking too closely, they could recognize us. I didn't think this through.”
“No, I didn't either,” she says.
“If you get in trouble over this, just tell them the truth. We had to get you out quick. There wasn't time to hire anyone.”
She nods. “Yeah. We're not going to worry about it. Let's just take the basics. And I’ll hire someone to get the rest later, okay?”
“Whatever you say.”
“Thanks for bringing boxes. I picked up some too and the tape’s on the table,” she says.
She starts walking down the hall and rushes to close her office door.
“Just not in here, okay? There’s…private stuff. I'll pack up in here while you guys are working on the other stuff.”
“Kinky stuff?” Penn asks. He frowns and shakes his head. “I don't want to imagine you that way.”
“ Don't imagine her that way,” I growl .
He wrinkles his nose. “I might have to scrub my eyes with bleach or something because now it’s there…”
“Shut it.” I point at him. “Shut your mouth.”
He holds up his hands.
Elle laughs, covering her face.
“I'll start on your closet. Does that work?” I ask.
“That’s great,” she says.
“I’ll take the kitchen,” Henley says.
“I’ll do—is the bathroom safe?” Penn asks.
I growl again and Elle laughs.
“Yes,” she says.
The guys and I scatter toward our respective places, and I hear Elle go into the office and shut the door.
Now I'm curious about what she's got in there too.
Table of Contents
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