Infraction

by Rachel Van Dyken

  I wasn’t sure if he felt guilty about abandoning Kins at the house or if there was something else the little shit should feel guilty about. I was afraid to ask. Afraid of the answer. Afraid of having to pick up the mess when he broke her heart—and afraid of what I would do to my best friend if the worst came true.

  Rip his heart out.

  Stomp on it.

  Fire an entire box of ammo in it.

  Then tell him to go to hell.

  Harley: So why the texting? Shouldn’t you be out partying, big star?

  I shook my head. Big star? Yeah, right. I rarely went out after games. If anything, I reviewed tape, ate with Kins, and went to bed early.

  Big star? More like the most boring man in football.

  Jax: Join me for dinner?

  Harley: Actual food? You’re going to feed me before sex? Wow, how fancy. Should I wear a skirt?

  I rolled my eyes and grinned.

  Jax: Just bring yourself, preferably without clothes. Then again, there will be people with us, so . . . your choice.

  Harley: Fine . . . I’ll wear clothes. What are we having?

  Jax: Chicken and waffles.

  Harley: I’ll be the syrup . . .

  I groaned. The woman was going to kill me.

  “She coming?” Miller popped up out of nowhere and slapped me on the shoulder. I almost dropped my phone. I was still thinking about licking syrup off her body, yeah, she was coming—

  “If that grin isn’t terrifying, I don’t know what is.” Miller crossed his arms.

  I cleared my throat. “Yup, she’ll be there.”

  “Good.” Miller stared down at the locker room floor, uncrossed his arms, shoving his hands into his pockets, then slowly nodded his head and went over to grab his bag.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Course,” he called over his shoulder. “Why?”

  He threw the bag over his shoulder and turned, his expression completely blank. “What’s up?”

  Damn it. Nothing good. “Can I catch a ride?”

  “Where’s your car?”

  “I let Harley borrow it for the day. She had a shoot-out in . . .” Miller’s grin wasn’t helping my attitude, not even a little bit. “Why do I even talk to you?”

  “Best friends.” He shrugged. “Plus you find me entertaining. So, she’s driving your car for work . . . she gonna start packing your lunches too?”

  I punched him in the side, just in time for Anderson to nearly collide with us in the hallway.

  “Good game.” He held out his fist.

  Miller looked ready to ram his fist into Anderson’s face, but instead, he ignored him and walked the other way while I watched Anderson’s smirk widen with every step Miller took.

  “Cut the shit before he kills you, Anderson.”

  Anderson held up his hands. “Hey, I’m trying to be nice.”

  I snorted. “Try harder.”

  “Whatever you say, Captain.” He shoved by me.

  The only reason I didn’t turn around was because I saw a flash of Kinsey outside when Miller opened the door to the parking lot.

  She jumped into his arms.

  The door slammed closed.

  By the time I was on the other side of it, Kinsey was gone and Miller was already in his SUV.

  I scratched my head.

  “You coming?” Miller shouted across the parking lot.

  I jogged to the passenger side and let myself in.

  “Sorry.” I tossed my bag in back while he started the car and peeled out of the parking lot.

  I did a double take.

  His neck.

  Was covered in her lipstick.

  It could mean nothing.

  A quick kiss on the neck.

  I was still pissed, but I did tell them to look like they were dating, and if cameras caught them in time for sports highlights Anderson would see it and know how off-limits she really was. Maybe then he’d move on from his sick fascination with Kinsey and me.

  Yeah, I needed to chill out.

  “Maybe wipe the lipstick off your neck next time—so I don’t contemplate all the ways I’m going to kill you on the way to your apartment,” I said in a bored tone.

  “Shit.” Miller wiped his neck, and the guilty expression was back.

  “It won’t come off.” I drummed my fingertips against my thigh. “The cheerleaders wear that tough shit that takes at least five bottles of makeup remover to get off, she must have just reapplied when she”—I grunted—“did that.”

  “You sure know a lot about makeup products, Jax. Something you wanna tell me?”

  I flipped him off.

  And things went back to normal.

  I focused on the game.

  On the win.

  On the fact that I was going to see Harley soon.

  I checked my phone again. Nothing from her, but from my dad? Everything.

  Dad: PROUD!

  A shudder racked my body. I refused to think about what life would be like when my hero no longer existed.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  KINSEY

  We cut it way too close. I’d kissed his mouth so hard, and then my lips found his neck. I couldn’t stop kissing him, and his hands were everywhere, under my shirt, gripping my hips.

  It had been four days of the most amazing sex of my life paired with laughing until tears ran down my face.

  Four days of bliss.

  Four days of getting to wake up next to my new roommate.

  I stopped by the store to grab the ingredients Em said we needed then quickly headed back to the apartment so I could change before my brother made it over.

  I was just tossing on some leggings when the door opened.

  I peeked around the corner to make sure it was safe.

  He dropped his bag onto the floor, took two steps into the apartment, his grin wide. “Kins, stop hiding.”

  “That was a mighty nice throw, Quinton Miller.” I leaned against the hallway wall; my voice carried across the room. Anticipation had my blood pumping so loud that he could probably hear it.

  “A cheerleader? Complimenting my throwing skills?”

  “Not just any cheerleader, remember, I helped Jax fine-tune his.”

  Miller appeared around the corner, his face broke out into a grin. “Gotcha.”

  Hands snaked out around my waist as he tugged me against him.

  “This a new look for you? Leggings, bra, no shirt? I have to say I really like it . . .” He thumbed the bra, then cupped my breast.

  I slapped his hand away. “We should be next door.”

  “We should.” His mouth descended.

  “Mmmm.” I leaped into his arms, wrapped my legs around his waist, and met his mouth with as much enthusiasm as I possessed. His fingers dug into my hair, tugging my head down, and our mouths fused. He tasted like peppermint and smelled like spicy clean soap. I inhaled with each kiss, drinking him in.

  “A guy could get addicted to your kisses,” he whispered against my lips.

  “That’s all part of my plan.”

  “World domination with your mouth, who knew?” he teased, pinching my ass and then digging his hands beneath the leggings and cupping it with his warm hands. “We have about five minutes before they come searching, and your brother can’t see you in here, or the shit that’s taken over my apartment since you moved in.”

  “I could go back to the hotel.”

  “You go back to that hotel, and I’ll just chase you down and bring you back here.”

  I bit my bottom lip. “You sure you don’t mind?”

  “Mind?” Goodness gracious, his grin wasn’t just panty melting. That thing could melt the polar ice caps. “Waking up next to you completely makes up for the fact that one of your spiky heels nearly impaled my foot yesterday.”

  I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Maybe you should watch where you’re going.”

  “Your shoes are like a freaking minefield in the master bedroom and the guest room, don’t de
ny it.” His breath fanned my neck.

  “Aw, is the big bad football player intimidated by shoes?”

  He smacked me on the ass and pushed my body against the wall harder, this time meeting my mouth with a punishing kiss, dragging his lips across mine with fierceness that brought tears to my eyes.

  “We should go,” he whispered against my lips.

  “Yup.” I didn’t move.

  He sighed.

  “Or . . .”

  “I’m listening.” He grinned.

  “We can do a lot of damage in three minutes.”

  “Damage.” He was already using his left hand to peel down the layers I’d just put on. “Hard and fast damage.”

  I moaned when he reached for his low-slung jeans and sprang free. I slid down the wall, he turned me around and bit down on my ear.

  My head fell back against his shoulder. “Yeah, that kind.”

  “Thin walls, Kins; don’t make any noise.”

  “It’s a penthouse and it has thin walls?”

  “You have no idea.”

  I let out a gasp when he slid into me, then braced myself using the wall for support, all the while trying not to make a noise, but with each thrust I lost more and more of my sanity, finally smacking my hand against the wall as he pumped harder and faster.

  “Damn, you feel good.” He jerked my hips back against him and held me there. “I think all I’m capable of is hard and fast right now, I’m so close.”

  I wiggled against him.

  He bit back a curse.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  “A gentleman never goes first.”

  I started moving despite his protests. “I don’t believe I said I wanted a gentleman.”

  “Kins—”

  Swearing, he quickened his movements until my legs felt like they were going to give out on me. And when he lost complete control and jumped off the ledge, I jumped with him.

  And screamed out his name.

  He clamped a hand over my mouth, as chest heaving, I tried to get my breathing under control.

  A knock sounded on our door.

  He rolled up my leggings, shoved me toward the master suite, jerked up his jeans, and ran down the hall.

  “’Sup, man?” He answered the door, way too out of breath for a guy who worked out for a living.

  “You’re lucky as hell that Jax was in the bathroom during the show.” Sanchez’s deep voice echoed off the walls. “Em and I almost had to become exhibitionists so that he wouldn’t hear you guys.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Get it together, man,” Sanchez warned. “The minute he knows you’ve been fucking his sister, he’s going to lose his shit.”

  “Yeah.”

  I’d heard enough. Same old story. I quickly cleaned up, grabbed a loose T-shirt, and made my way out of the master bedroom. Miller was waiting by the door.

  “You heard?” He scratched his head.

  I wrapped my arms around his waist. “Yeah, I heard.”

  “We’ll tell him tomorrow.” I kissed the top of her head. “It’s going to be fine.”

  “Thought you said you wouldn’t ever lie to me.”

  He closed his eyes and sighed. “Yeah, well, there’s a first time for everything, right?” He held out his hand. I squeezed it then let it go. “I’ll go first, you show up in a few minutes, yeah?”

  I nodded.

  He walked out, shutting the door quietly behind him.

  After a few minutes of staring at the door, I finally made my way over to Sanchez’s. I let myself in just as Harley was getting off the elevator, thank God. The last thing she needed to see was me leaving Miller’s apartment. I wasn’t sure how much Jax told her, but from my end, all I’d done was tell her we were dating, which I’m sure she assumed meant a bit of sex but not moving in together.

  “Howdy, stranger.” Harley gave me a wink.

  I met her halfway and gave her a hug. “How’s Jax?”

  “Eh.” She eyed him over my shoulder. “He’s okay, I guess.”

  “Heard that.” He moved from behind me then pulled her into a hug. I expected her to hug him back. I expected a bit of shyness, since our last gathering at dinner hadn’t gone super well.

  Instead, the woman grabbed him by the shirt and led with her tongue, and when I say led with her tongue, it was out before her lips were even touching his mouth.

  With a moan, she dragged her hands through his hair and jumped into his arms. My brother, to his credit, caught her and kissed her back with equal fervor.

  Sanchez started a slow clap while Miller whistled.

  “Grandma says hi.” Harley kissed his nose.

  I laughed so hard tears formed in my eyes.

  “What the hell kind of kinky shit you guys into?” Sanchez shook his head. “Also, can we just talk about the elephant in the room?”

  Everyone fell silent. Em poked her head out from the fridge.

  Sanchez crossed his arms, his ever-present smirk growing by the second. “Jax, my man, is finally getting laid.”

  “Atta boy.” Miller and Sanchez clinked their beer bottles while Em and I burst into laughter again. See? I could be supportive of his sex life, why couldn’t he be supportive of mine? Stupid past. Stupid protective big brother pain in my ass!

  Jax flipped the guys off behind Harley’s back then slowly lowered her to her feet.

  “Is that what’s happening every time he lures me into his bedroom?” Harley asked aloud. “And here I thought he wanted my brain more than my body. Well, can’t win them all. By the way, congrats on the win today, gentlemen.” She winked and grabbed a beer from the bucket and held it into the air.

  Jax couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  It was like nobody else existed.

  I sighed, happily noting how Miller was picking up on the same thing as he looked between Jax and Harley.

  I gave myself a mental high five for hooking them up and for a few brief seconds contemplated starting my own matchmaking service.

  If I could get my brother laid, I could probably plan world domination and become successful!

  “Thanks, Harley.” Miller spoke first and clinked his beer to hers then made his way into the kitchen. “Em, when’s the chicken done?”

  She smacked his hand away from the stove. “It’s done when I say it’s done!” She hit him again.

  I tried not to get jealous.

  Even after everything they’d been through—they still had a bond I couldn’t compete with, something that I knew wasn’t mine to worry about in the first place, but there was still that lingering pessimistic thought—what if she and Sanchez broke up for some reason? Would he drop me for her?

  No. I was being ridiculous.

  “You get used to it,” Sanchez said from my left, scaring me so bad I nearly stumbled forward into the dining room table. “The relationship they have.”

  “Oh.” Crap, was I that transparent? I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

  “Kins . . .” He drew out my nickname. “The guy’s crazy about you. Trust me, if there was any indication that he wanted Em again, I’d end his life, so I’ve got us covered, cool?”

  I smiled up at him. “I’m trying to decide if I’m thankful or a bit terrified that you’re completely serious right now.”

  “Em comes before Miller, the game, the team, me—everything. Ergo, I’d end his life,” he said in a chilling tone I’d never heard him use before. “Then again, prison doesn’t exactly sound like a fun place to hang, but I’d make it look good. Armani model.” He winked and struck a runway pose, finally injecting some humor into the conversation.

  I patted him on the shoulder. “You’d make orange the new black.”

  “Hell yes, I would.”

  We laughed.

  Miller joined us, his eyes narrowing. “You two just bury that hatchet?”

  “Hatchet?” Sanchez frowned. “No, she’s still a skinny little pain in my ass.” He said it with a shrug then winked again before w
alking off. And then like he thought better about it, he turned around and faced Miller. “Then again, didn’t she gain some weight in that ass?”

  Miller’s jaw clenched.

  Sanchez threw his head back and laughed. “Looks good on you, Kins.”

  “Say one more word, I fucking dare you.” Miller glared.

  “One of my favorite things in the world is pissing you off, Miller. Why would I stop now?”

  “So I don’t ram my fist through your weak-ass torso and rip your heart out through your stomach?”

  “Vivid.” Sanchez nodded. “Nice talk, as always.”

  He joined Em in the kitchen.

  “That was graphic.” I faced Miller, crossing my arms so I wouldn’t reach out to him.

  “He knows I’d protect him with my life—unless it came to you or him, then I’d let the zombies get him, but something tells me he’s probably got a plan for that too.”

  We shared a smile.

  “Hey!” Jax walked up. “I left my shit in your car. Was gonna toss it in mine since Harley drove it here.”

  “No problem.” Miller tossed him his keys and faced me again. “So, good job with Harley. He’s clearly tapping that and completely ignoring the fact that I’m so hard I could pound nails into the granite just from looking at your mouth.”

  From the heat that swamped my face, I had to be flushing bright red. “You can’t say things like that to me.”

  “Why?” He frowned. “Does it make you uncomfortable?”

  “No.” Jax left the apartment. I snaked my arms around Miller’s neck then placed an open-mouthed kiss below his ear and whispered, “It makes me want to get you naked on the same granite you’re so obsessed with.”

  He let out a moan.

  Sanchez coughed.

  We separated.

  And made our way into the kitchen.

  Miller to sneak food.

  Me to help.

  Harley joined us soon after and was just in the middle of telling us that her grandmother was an advocate of safe sex, and that she had pretended to be a man so she could enlist in Vietnam, when the door to the apartment jerked open.

  I staggered back.

  Jax’s face wasn’t just pissed.

  It was menacing.

  “Jax?”

  “No.” He jutted a finger at me. “No.”

  Huh?

  His other hand lifted.

  A red bra.