Page 33 of Tempting the Player
“That’s disgusting,” Chase murmured, rearranging his cards.
Casting his younger brother a sly look, Chad grinned. “Before you know it, you’ll be bouncing little Maddie babies on your knees.”
Mitch groaned. “Yeah, can we not talk about that? Seriously?”
“I vote that we don’t talk about babies or bouncing them on anyone’s knees,” Chandler threw in as he tossed some cards out. “It’s like playing cards with a bunch of old ladies lately.”
Chad snorted as he glanced down at his cards. His hand sucked.
“One of these days, you two will be in the same position as Chase and me.” Mitch took a swing of his beer.
“What? Whipped?” Chad asked innocently.
Chandler laughed.
Looking up, Chase’s brows rose. “Speaking of whipped…”
“You?” Chad offered.
His brother rolled his eyes. “What the hell was going on with you and Bridget today?”
“Bridget?” Mitch frowned. “She works with Maddie, right?”
When Chase nodded and Chad said nothing, Chandler turned to him. “Please tell me you’re not screwing Maddie’s friend. There has to be at least one woman in the entire city you aren’t sleeping with or trying to.”
“I haven’t slept with her.” Not from lack of trying or wanting. “And for the record, there are plenty of women I haven’t slept with.” Several sets of eyes turned on him in disbelief. Geez. “You know those three women I got pictured with?”
Chandler’s brows rose in interest. “Yeah, I think the whole city knows about that.”
“I didn’t sleep with them, either.”
“Whatever,” Chase said, tossing a card aside.
Chad laughed. “I’m being serious. Sort of wished I had now, since everyone thinks I did, but shit, I ain’t seventeen anymore.”
“So what’s the deal?” Chase asked, undeterred.
Normally Chad had no problem talking about his extracurricular activities and apparently there were a lot of them, but for some reason, he didn’t want to talk about Bridget with his brothers or Mitch, and not because he hadn’t had sex with her. He wanted to keep it between the two of them, whatever it was they had between them. She wasn’t like the other women—nothing like them. Which was kind of funny considering how he’d met her, but she was different. From what he knew, Bridget wasn’t pretentious or hardened and probably didn’t give a shit about the fact he played pro ball.
Chad couldn’t think of the last time he was with a woman who didn’t care about that. Aaand his brothers and Mitch were staring at him.
He slapped his cards down on the table. “Nothing is going on.”
“Yeah, I call bull on that shit.” Chase eyed him knowingly. “You were getting all kinds of personal with her today.”
“When is Chad not up in some woman’s personal space?” Mitch asked.
“Ha. Ha.”
Chandler smirked.
There were a few grumbled curses as the hand ended and the cards dealt again. Chase picked right up where he’d left off. “Bridget’s a good girl, you know.”
He moved his cards around. Full house, baby. “I know.”
“Do you? So you know her that well?” Chase countered.
Chad let out a low breath. “I wasn’t saying that.”
