Page 16

CHAPTER 16

GRIFFIN

A fter the kisses Christine and I shared last night, sleep was slow to come. I laid in bed replaying every second until my cock was ready to burst and I had to jerk off. Even after that, I still couldn’t stop thinking about her and the situation we’ve found ourselves in. This is not what I thought would happen when she moved in.

My original plan was to keep my distance and ignore her as much as possible. Somewhere along the way, I forgot about that, and now, she’s become a part of my daily life. We have dinner together almost every night, and I’m walking her to her door and shoving my tongue in her mouth at bedtime. And here I am, making her breakfast before her first day of classes. I even set my alarm to make sure I woke up on time.

I hear the soles of Christine’s shoes banging down the stairs before she walks into the kitchen. “Is that bacon I smell?”

“It is. I made you a sandwich.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet of you. Thank you.” She places her backpack on the island.

“It’s your first day of school. You shouldn’t go to class on an empty stomach.” I slide the plate with bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel over to her.

“Oh, yum. This looks amazing. I thought you said you can’t cook.”

“Breakfast is about the only thing I can make that’s edible.”

“I’m running ahead of schedule, so I have time to eat this here.” She climbs onto a barstool and takes the first bite.

“Are your toes tapping?” I ask, smiling.

“They are. It’s delicious.”

“Good. What time are your classes done?”

“I’m supposed to be finished by five, but with it being the first day, I might be done slightly earlier.”

My face wrinkles with a grimace. “You’re going to hit all the evening traffic.”

“Maybe not.”

“There’s really no way to avoid it.”

She rolls her eyes. “Okay, Mr. Downer, keep your negativity to yourself. I’m going to think positively.” She takes another bite of her sandwich, and I grab the glass of orange juice I poured earlier, placing it in front of her. “Thank you,” she says, immediately taking a sip. “Do you have today off?”

“I need to go to the stadium this morning so we can watch film, and I’ll probably grab a workout while I’m there.”

“Jeez, why don’t you give your body a break?”

“I’ve found I feel better if I don’t take the day off. Keeping my body moving helps me recover after the game.”

“Are you sore today?”

“Yeah, a little. Getting slammed down on the field by grown men will do that to you.”

“That’s why they pay you the big bucks,” she teases.

“Hey, I’m not complaining. I love everything about football, even the aches and pains. You can’t have the glory without the rest.”

“Who are you playing next week?”

“Chicago.”

“Are they good?”

I laugh. “You don’t make it to this point unless you’re a strong team. But I’m confident if we play our best we can take them. Plus, I’ll have my lucky charm there watching.” I point my chin at her, smirking.

She presses her lips together, releasing a long sigh. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I have a paper to write that day.”

“Is that right? I didn’t know you were psychic.”

She laughs. “I don’t need to be a clairvoyant to know I’ll have a paper to write next weekend. But schoolwork or not, I’ll be there watching. As long as I have a ticket, that is.”

“Of course you’ll have one. My dad texted to let me know they’re coming to town on Saturday.”

“I figured as much. My mom mentioned it too. Will it be an issue if they’re staying here?”

“No. I doubt they’ll expect me to entertain them.”

“Leave that to me,” she says. “I can get them out of the house for a while so you can relax.”

“Only if you want to.”

She pops the last bite of her sandwich between her lips and then wipes her hands and face with her napkin before setting it on her empty plate. “Thanks again. That hit the spot and got my brain firing.”

“Now you’re sure to be the teacher’s pet.”

She chuckles. “I wouldn’t say that. I’m a good student but definitely not top-of-the-class level.”

“Why do I think you’re downplaying how intelligent you are?”

“I do well in school because I work hard at it, not because it comes easy for me.”

“Nothing wrong with that. My grandfather used to tell me hard work puts hair on your chest. You must have a hairy chest.”

She shakes her head. “Nope.”

“I’m gonna need to see proof.”

Laughing, she slips from the stool. “On that note, I need to get going.” She grabs her backpack, slipping the strap over her shoulder. “Have a good day.”

“You too. I’ll grab takeout for dinner so you don’t need to cook.”

She nods and her lips curve with a soft smile. “Sounds good.” She gives a quick wave of her hand before she leaves the kitchen.

When I hear the front door close behind her, I let out a relieved sigh. From the moment she appeared, all I’ve wanted is to get my lips on hers and kiss her until she forgets she has classes to attend. I’m a little annoyed she didn’t seem as conflicted. I expected her to be upset after last night or at the least treat me coolly. But I should’ve known she’d be an adult about the situation. That’s Christine for you. She handles everything in her quiet, unflappable way, which is another thing to add to the long list of everything I find so attractive about her.

I rub my blurry eyes as we leave the room. “I think I need glasses after watching all the film of Chicago,” I tell Thor.

“Right? I thought Coach Chubb was gonna keep us here all day.”

“I know we’re lucky to have a coach who’s so thorough; it just doesn’t feel like it right now.”

Thor snickers. “Agreed. So do you still want to grab a quick workout?”

The last thing my body wants is exercise, but I know I’ll feel better later if I push myself. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

We slowly make our way to the team’s gym and head toward the back of the room. Placing my water bottle in the cup holder, I touch the keypad and start the treadmill. Thor does the same on the machine beside me. We both start with walking, increasing the speed of the belt until we’re running at a good pace.

After a couple of minutes, Thor breaks the silence, asking, “What’s going on between you and your sister?”

“Stepsister.”

He lets out a quick laugh. “I figured you’d correct me, but you haven’t answered the question.”

“I don’t really know how to.” Everything’s a bit murky when it comes to the two of us.

“Do you have feelings for her?”

“Yeah, I care about her. She’s sweet.”

“Dude, just be honest for a second and tell me how you feel about her.”

I throw a quick glance at him before focusing on the view out the large windows in front of us. “I like her more than I should.”

“Be more specific.”

“I have romantic feelings for her, but it’s not like anything can come of them.”

“Why not? What’s to stop the two of you from being together?”

“Don’t you think it’s a weird situation with her being my stepsister?”

He shrugs. “Sure, but it’s not like you two grew up in the same household.”

“Yeah, that’s true, but I think our parents will freak out if we’re together.”

“Wouldn’t your dad just want you to be happy?”

“Yeah, but he also knows about my past aversion to relationships. I’m sure he’ll worry I’ll break Christine’s heart.”

He lets out a brief, ironic laugh. “Maybe she’ll break yours.”

“She could. I’m crazy about her, but she’s not like any woman I’ve been involved with before.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s quiet until you get to know her. She’s straightforward and doesn’t play games. If she doesn’t agree with something, she’s not afraid to tell me.”

“Those sound like positive qualities.”

“Yeah, they are. I like that she’d rather wear ratty pajama bottoms and stay home than go out to a club. She has her nose buried in a book as often as possible, and E.Z. is now sleeping with her every night.”

Thor laughs. “What a traitorous little shit, but you can hardly blame him.”

I shake my head. “Is it pathetic that I’m jealous of my cat?”

He smirks. “I think I should plead the fifth on this.”

I laugh. “Don’t worry. I already know the answer.”

“The question you need to ask yourself is, what are you going to do about your feelings for Christine?”

“Yeah, that’s a tough one.”

“Is it, though?” he asks.

My gaze swings over, briefly landing on him. “What are you trying to say?”

“You like her, and I’m assuming she feels the same for you, right?”

“Yeah, it seems like she does.”

“Have you kissed?”

“Mhm, a couple of times.”

“I’m assuming you have chemistry?”

“Yeah, tons.”

“Let’s recap, and maybe it’ll help you think clearly. You like her. She likes you. You kissed her and she kissed you back. You have lots of chemistry, and yet you’re hesitant to pursue anything more with her.” He sends a questioning look my way before asking, “What’s your problem?”

“She’s my stepsister and we live together.” I say the first thing that comes to mind.

“No, that’s not what I mean. What emotion is holding you back?”

That’s a good question. I sort through my thoughts and feelings for the culprit and then it hits me with the force of a cornerback slamming me to the ground.

“Well?” Thor pressures.

“Fear.” I feel a little better just for admitting it.

“What are you afraid of?”

“That I’ll fuck up somehow.”

“You’re a grown man who shows good sense when making decisions. Are you worried you won’t be able to stay faithful when we’re on the road?”

“No, not at all. I haven’t had sex in months as it is.”

“I guess you need to ask yourself if you’ll regret not taking the chance with her. If the answer is no, then you’re all set, and if not…” He trails off.

“I know I’d regret it, but that could also be the case if we get together. What if it goes to shit and we have to see each other on holidays for the rest of our lives?”

“How often do you go home anyway?”

“Not very often.”

“Exactly. And I bet you can be cordial to her even if the two of you end up hating one another.”

“I am good at ignoring people when I want to be.”

He glances at me. “Sounds like you have more to gain than to lose.”

“Right. But both times we kissed, I told her we shouldn’t do it again.”

He shakes his head. “Sending some mixed signals, eh?”

I sweep my forearm across my sweat-soaked forehead. This conversation is making me perspire more than usual. “Yeah, I can’t deny that. But how should I move forward? Should I just flat out ask her to be my girlfriend?”

Thor laughs. “There’s nothing like a woman to make us question everything we do.”

“Right? I’m not usually indecisive about anything,” I say.

“Why don’t you start out by having a talk with her and finding out where her head is at.”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“Maybe you should start by spending more time together. Although, that might be difficult to do before the end of the postseason.”

“Free time is limited, but we can have dinner together. We both need to eat.”

“You also live in the same house, so you’ll have more opportunities to see each other than if you were like most new couples. See?” Thor smiles proudly. “I even found a plus for dating your stepsister.”