Page 64 of First Down Promise

“That’s a little rude, don’t you think?”

“Eh.”

I shake my head at him and press send.

Me: How bad do you want it?

Abby: I’ll survive without you, I guess. I have a detachable showerhead.

My jaw drops slightly.

The audacity.

I saw an ad online for a do-it-yourself cock-replicating kit and nearly ordered one for her. But after the season, she’ll get all the time she wants with the real thing.

Me: I’d like to see what you’d do with that.

I close my eyes for a beat, and I imagine peeling that tiny, short pajama set off her. So much for morals. I reopen my eyes before I wind myself up, grab another beer, slam it back, and repeat.

“Trying to numb something?” Pete teases.

“Always. This shit hurts,” I reply. “Playing.”

Pete elbows me in the ribs. “Yeah, but we’re fucking good at it.”

In the fourth quarter, Dallas has a big enough lead on Carolina that overtime isn’t likely. Thankfully. But Pete still groans when Dallas wins.

“Dane just texted me. Said Dallas is playing dirty. Couldn’t agree more,” Pete says.

Fuck. Dane knows about us now. It’s for the best he stayed home. He would have noticed Abby’s name on my phone. He would have clocked Pete mentioning how she was looking at hers the same way I was. He said he wouldn’t tell Pete, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t put me on the hot seat. If he stayed over, he would notice if I went into Abby’s room. Hell, he would have probably opened the door to his guest room and told me to keep it down. He might be a lot of things, but not a total cockblock.

“Yeah, no kidding. We need to let them get the penalties and keep our shit clean when we play them,” I reply.

“Definitely. Well, I need to hit the hay.” Pete nods toward the beer in my hand. “Staying over?”

I tilt the beer bottle to check what’s left. “Probably should, if you don’t mind,” I answer.

“Nah, might as well call the guest room you always use Josh’s room,” Pete jokes.

I only live a two-minute drive away; however, drinking and driving is a good way to land in jail and make headlines for all the wrong reasons. Players in the league have gotten busted and mostly dodged the consequences, and while I probably could have driven home fine, there’s a gorgeous girl waiting for me.

“That’s funny.”

“Night. Don’t forget to hydrate.”

I nod at Pete as dread settles into my stomach. I haven’t had sex with Abby with Pete around. Is that really a line I could cross? We could just hang out, maybe make out a little, but who am I kidding? Neither of us has that kind of self-control. But fortunately for us, her room is at the opposite end of the hall from Pete’s.

Me: Pete just went to bed. Going to give it a little bit.

Abby: Okay, my door’s unlocked whenever you’re ready.

I step upstairs and have to walk past her room as if she’s not waiting for me. Opening the door to the guest room, I shed my long-sleeved T-shirt and lie on the bed in my basketball shorts, putting my hand over my heart and staring at the ceiling.

How did I end up here at thirty?

He’s just her brother. I could tell him. I should tell him.

Me: By the way, he noticed how we both look at our phones.