Page 91 of Studs Up
“Heard it from my agent,” he said, then shrugged as if it was no big deal. “Nothing’s signed yet.”
Marcel looked to me for support.
“Alex is being a dickhead,” I said, opting for the truth. But damn if for a second I let the fantasy of not having Marcel on the field fly. “He’s fucking with you.” Again, true.
Holden was still as a statue. His whole right side was rigid and tense. Exactly the same way he had been when Marcel was talking to him at the bar. He really, really didn’t like Marcel.
A tiny alarm bell went off in my head. Marcel knew his secret and shared it. That put them on the same level, and I doubt Marcel would out another player. It was something else.
…
The Nashville stadium was brand new and state of the art. The turf was spongy but not as slippery as some. I liked it.
The familiar chatter and banter in the locker room was lively and energized as we prepared for practice. It wasn’t loud enough to drown out Holden and Alex. I was tuned in to him automatically. I needed to absorb every bit of him for the next two weeks.
“Are you okay?” Alex asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Just sore.”
“Sore from what? We haven’t even started yet?”
“The flight,” he said quickly.
I choked and coughed. He was absolutely not sore from the flight, and then my heart sank. We had rushed, and neither of us had been gentle. If this affected his play, I’m not sure I would recover.
“If you get me sick, I’ll kill you,” Alex called over his shoulder at me.
“Fuck you,” I retorted.
“Do we really have to be nice to him?” Alex was making no attempt at being quiet.
“It’s only temporary,” Holden said, trying not to grin.
“I don’t know how you do it,” he muttered.
It was pretty fucking hard to focus after that.
Holden
I felt him all day. Each time I twinged, I couldn’t help but smile. I was having a great day. I had Nolan, and I was playing well. I felt solid, and the world had tilted right where it was supposed to be. In this world, no one tormented me.
When training ended, many of the guys were talking about hitting up a bar for dinner and a bit of relaxation. The game wasn’t for two days, so we were given a bit of time, so long as no one fucked up and caused a problem.
I made it to the hotel room first to change and took the time to organize for the next day when the door opened.
“Where are you guys-”
My question was cut off when Nolan grabbed my arm and pulled me around.
“Did I hurt you?” He demanded. Built up concern was spilling out of his eyes.
“No,” I said. “No, I expected that. It’s what the plug was for. I knew we wouldn’t have time for you to open me up.” I smiled, but that did not seem to settle him.
He turned me to the wall and pressed me up against it, and took my face in both his hands so I had no choice but to stare into those fucking eyes.
I would give him whatever he wanted when he looked at me like that.
“If fucking is going to affect your play, then-”
