Scored(5)

“Squats. Last round,” Kelly shouts.

Tossing the sledgehammer to the side, I get into position and wait for the torture that’s to come. Kelly’s a masochist, but in the end, I appreciate it. He makes me stronger and makes me look good for the camera.

Sam Riley and Aiden McHugh flank me on either side. It’s always like this for us, me in the middle, since I’m friends with them. Only, I have to be like Switzerland since Sam is gunning for starting quarterback and Aiden is pissed off because Sam is an actual threat. This means that Aiden is constantly on Sam’s ass and Sam—the most levelheaded, good-natured football player in the league—takes it in stride.

It also means I have to play mediator, or like I’m their fucking father with two kids who haven’t figured out they’re playing on the same side.

“Time! Ten laps around the track and then hit the showers,” Kelly growls, and I want to kiss the son of a bitch. He’s been extra hard on us these past couple of days, but once the season starts, he should back off a little. By little, I mean ten minutes less of working our asses off for him.

“Fumble another ball, Riley, and Coach will send up Striker instead,” Aiden says.

Sam grins, easily passing us on the inside lane of the track as he says, “Thanks for looking out for me. I’ll do better next time.”

“To be twenty-four again.” I nod at Sam’s back, then glance at Aiden, whose mouth is set in a thin line. “If you actually took the time to groom the kid, he’d probably leave next year for another team.”

“Maybe, or he’d use everything against me,” Aiden says tersely.

“Sometimes, you gotta take a chance.”

“Says the perpetual party boy.” Aiden rolls his eyes. “How about this—you take a chance on growing the fuck up and I’ll take Junior under my wing.”

His challenge gives me a burst of speed, and I finish a couple of seconds before him. Panting, I walk another lap with Aiden at my side. “What did you have in mind?”

“Stop partying. Find a woman and settle down.”

I make a face. “Get married?”

“Nothing that serious. Just… how about trying to be a one-woman type of guy? Have an adult relationship instead of hooking up with jersey chasers.”

“Those are very adult relationships,” I counter with a smirk, even though I’m not opposed to giving the one-woman thing a try. That’s always been a goal of mine—find a nice girl to settle down with, have a couple of kids, and eventually coach in the NFL. My parents are still together, and they’re pretty damn happy. So, it’s not something that’s alien to me, just a goal that is years away from being accomplished.

“You know what I mean.” He gives me a shit-eating grin. “But if you can’t handle the challenge…” He shrugs.

I grab his arm. “I can handle it, but you have to uphold your end of the deal. I find a nice girl to date, and you’ll help Sam with his passes.”

“Done, but I have to meet her over drinks or dinner… some shit that proves she’s legit.”

“Then I want to be there when you help Sam. Make sure what you’re doing is legit,” I say, tossing his words back at him.

His jaw works, but he nods tersely. “Deal.”

We shake hands, then I pause. “What do we win?”

Aiden cocks a brow. “Nothing. We’re both fucking losers to agree to do this in the first place, but I was bored.”

“Not me,” I disagree. “I always come out on top.”

*

As soon as we get to our lockers, I get my phone out on the off chance that Paige actually texted me.

No dice. Shit.

Looks like I’ll have to go back there and ask her out again. A librarian would fit the bill of a nice girl… unless she’s into some secret kinky shit—not that I’m opposed to kinky, but there’s kinky and then there’s ball-gag, drawing-blood kink that I’m not into. No desire to have that done to me, or to do that to my partner. I like my kink on the vanilla side. A good, old-fashioned fucking between two horny people never hurt anyone.

Aiden grabs the phone from my hand. “No jersey chasers.”

“Wasn’t talking to one.” But there were messages from a few of them. Yeah, I break the so-called cardinal rule by giving them my number, but I can’t bring myself to be that guy. The one who pumps and dumps. Uses and cruises. I like women too much to treat them that way, and the few I do talk to are women I enjoy spending time with during the season.

“No Tinder hookups either,” he adds.

“Are you my fucking mother?” I snatch my phone back. “Stop touching my shit.”

Aiden doesn’t bother to answer me. He strips and heads to the showers. After a couple of seconds, I do the same. It takes me less than thirty minutes to get cleaned up and dressed.

Sam stands by my truck. “Can I get a ride?”

“Your truck still in the shop?” I ask.

He nods. “Yeah, engine needs to be overhauled.”

Any other guy would be suspicious of a mechanic saying a two-year-old F-150 needed that much work, especially considering the dude was the one to sell it to him in the first place… but not Sam. Must be something in the water in Kansas to make them so… trusting.