Rookie Move (Playing for Keeps #1)(4)
I fitted the key in the lock, turned it, and pushed the door open. Ramsey reached around me and flipped the light switches.
“Damn,” I exhaled reverently. I was so distracted staring that by the time I registered the goose bumps from the brush of Ramsey’s forearm across my chest, he’d already swept past me into what appeared to be a giant shrine to Ty’s impressive career.
A wall of flat-screen TVs faced the longest, plushest couch I’d ever seen. Framed posters and prints of promo pieces the marketing team put together for each player over the years decorated the other walls. A ton of cardboard cutouts of Ty in various poses were scattered around the room, and trophies were displayed on underlit glass shelves along with other memorabilia.
“Way better than an orgy,” I muttered.
“Hm?”
“Nothing.” I walked along one wall of posters, eyeing them, acutely aware of Ramsey’s gaze on me as he sipped his beer. “Guess this is something to look forward to,” I joked. “Does every career pro get one, or do you have to win a certain number of Super Bowls first?”
My brother sure didn’t have anything like this, but he was only in his rookie season. What he did have was a sweet new pad in downtown Denver, and more disposable income than my parents, that would only grow the longer he played. He’d recently bought them a new SUV to replace the old Highlander my mom had driven since we were kids.
“I think the main requirement is being full of yourself.” Ramsey’s look was a little too pointed, in my opinion.
I snorted. I wasn’t full of myself, but I was ambitious, that was for damn sure. I’d been running around the edges of Houston’s shadow for years, and even though we were close, I wanted to stand in my own light, wanted a piece of my own success. I’d known that for a long time. College ball was going to be my gateway.
I twisted around to look at Ramsey, that odd sensation moving through me and speeding up my pulse again. “I’ll be in the starting lineup at Silver Ridge U come fall. That’s not being full of myself; it’s just the way it is. Self-awareness and shit.”
Ramsey seesawed his hand. “Houston showed me some tape of your games. You’re decent. College will hone those rough edges, as long as you keep your focus. Word to the wise, though, it’s easy to lose focus the first couple of years.”
I wondered if he was speaking from experience or basing it on something Houston had said about me. I couldn’t deny I got a little wild sometimes. But I knew how to focus. “I know what you’re doing.”
“Kinda my job to bust your balls and keep you honest when your brother’s not around to do it.” He winked, and I turned away, sucking in a breath as I stared mindlessly at a team poster. There was Ty, posing with a football and his shit-eating grin, my brother on one end; Ramsey kneeling in the middle, not with a full-on smile like some of the other guys, but with a knowing half-smile, and…why the hell was I creating my own catalog of Ramsey’s fucking smiles?
My gaze dropped lower, to the football tights stretched over his well-defined quads, the bulge in his groin, and…goddammit. The back of my neck prickled as blood rushed to my cock.
“Hey, space cadet, you done envisioning your future yet?”
I whirled around and rubbed the stubble on my cheeks, still hot beneath my hands. “Yeah, think I’ve got it firmly cemented in place.” And that was where I needed to keep my focus, like Ramsey had said, rather than the firmness in my pants. “I need to grab another drink.”
I headed into the hallway, and Ramsey switched the lights off and locked the door behind us. “I think there’s some juice in the fridge, Little Man.”
“You got a sippy cup I can borrow? I left mine at home.” When I flipped him off, Ramsey threw back his head and laughed, the sound rich and warm, and…God, why couldn’t I be a pro already instead of some dumbass high schooler?
“There you are!”
We both swiveled at the same time. The hot brunette I’d been eyeing earlier toddled toward us, drink in hand, her expression going all heart-eyed as she got closer, and Ramsey extended his arm to pull her into his side. He brushed a kiss over her forehead before angling the bottom of his cup toward me. “This is Houston’s brother, Garrett. He’s a starting wide receiver at Silver Ridge U. Garrett, this is Ashley, my girlfriend.”
He got points for not using “baby brother,” but the hollowness in my chest expanded. Of course they were together. They looked fucking perfect.
“Aww, aren’t you a cutie. I’ll bet the girls are gonna eat you up. You’ve got that Chris Evans thing going on.” She smiled conspiratorially at me, and even though she was paying me a compliment, with Ramsey standing there, it just made me all the more self-conscious of my age. Me and self-conscious didn’t go well together.
“With any luck, we’ll see, yeah.” I pasted on a grin, ready to get the hell away from their love connection.
“C’mon, more drinks,” Ramsey said, draping his other arm around me. If I hadn’t been so on edge, I might’ve liked the familiarity as much as I liked the warm scent of him.
Houston found me in the kitchen a half hour later, a plate piled high with ribs in my hand. “You ready to head out soon?”
“Already? For real?” I sucked sauce from my fingers. Maybe the socializing part had been a bust, but the food was fucking delicious.