by Kristy Marie
I can live with later if I have to.
I’m silent at dinner for the most part. Anniston prattles on about my stats and career like an over-affectionate parent. She fills me in on how she and Cade met and about the amazing carpenter he is. Apparently, they—meaning, together—have been repairing the back deck of the house that desperately needed it. She’s taken off from her part-time job at the hospital to acclimate Cade.
My stomach sours each time she smiles his way. Cade and I have resorted to only nods and grunts when she tries to engage us in conversation. Otherwise, we are staring daggers at one another, plotting deaths and inconspicuous burial prospects. I finish my pancakes in record time, only eating two instead of the ten I planned on—thanks to Anniston’s revelations.
Cade helps her with the dishes while I can’t keep myself from scowling and pouting at the table. She’s never asked me to help with the dishes. Granted, we always had a housekeeper when we lived together but still, she can’t ask me?
“Theo, go change and meet me in my office.”
I give her a look that can only be interpreted as a firm negative. There is no way I am leaving her alone with this guy.
She rolls her eyes, drying her hands on the dish towel. “Cade. I need to check Theo over in the office. Do you think you could finish these up for me?”
He nods and gives her a smile.
I get to my feet, ready to pounce, when Anniston grabs my arm and drags me down the hall. I let her pull me into her office, which basically is a small exam room. Her true office is what she calls the library.
The exam room is outfitted with all the latest and up-to-date technology money can buy, thanks to yours truly. The decor is, of course, various trophies, pictures, jerseys, etc. from me playing ball over the years. My girl is proud, and that makes my stomach do all kinds of weird things.
“Strip, Von Bremen, and hop up.” She pats the table like I’m some kind of puppy that needs direction.
I give her the stink eye but remove my shirt nevertheless. She doesn’t mean for me to strip naked. Not yet, anyway.
“So, what’s going on?” she asks, washing her hands in the nearby sink.
I climb onto the table and shrug. “Nothing much. I threw a few sloppy pitches today, but I was distracted.” By you, is what I want to say.
“So, you’re saying your shoulder is fine, and you lied to Bellamy so you could come down here and spy on me?”
Yep. Pretty much.
I nod, giving her a little smile. “Kind of.”
She shakes those blonde tresses and chuckles. “Tell me what I need to tell Bellamy. How many days do you need?”
Fuck yeah! That’s my girl! “I think I need at least a few days, Doc, for PT.”
Exasperated, she picks up the phone and calls Bellamy and proceeds to give him a shit-ton of medical jargon that I don’t understand. I hear him yelling on the line after she drops the bomb that she’s keeping me for PT for a week, maybe more. It’s apparent he does not agree with her assessment. She mouths, “You owe me.”
I nod. I do.
She hangs up after another minute, cutting off whatever rude thing Bellamy was saying.
Have I mentioned how much I love this girl?
“Face the wall. I want to take a look at your shoulder since I just lied to your coach.”
Fine by me. I turn, facing the opposite direction, while her soft fingers walk up and down the lines of muscles in my shoulder. I flinch when she presses on one spot in particular.
“That hurt?”
“A little. Not bad. Probably just sore.”
She gives a little hum in response, raises my arm and presses again. This time it makes me jerk away.
“Okay, so that hurts a little more,” I admit.
“Hmm. Let’s stretch it some tomorrow and see what that does.”
I agree to stretching exercises as she rubs numbing cream on the sore areas.
“Alright. Let’s head upstairs. I’m tired.”
I quickly turn to face her, my energy renewed. “Hell yeah.”
She cuts me a look but I don’t let it bother me, because I am about to plow the shit out of this girl so little ole Cade can hear every last one of her screams.
“What are you guys feeling tonight?”
Strolling through the aisles of our local grocery store, I look to the handsome men currently glaring at each other. It’s been seven days since their introduction. I would like to say they hit it off and have one epic bromance brewing, but that would be a complete and utter lie.
Cade and Theo butt heads at every corner. Theo wants ham, Cade prefers turkey. Theo wants to watch baseball, Cade wants to watch football. You get the idea. The worst part is Theo actually likes football and turkey, but he would rather crawl across hot coals before admitting he has anything in common with Cade. And they have plenty in common.
My poor home currently serves as a testosterone battlefield. The tension is so thick that I swear I can taste it. Theo has insisted that I’ve helped Cade enough and that he is good to go. He’s even offered an absurd amount of money to get him started on his way. He’s adamant that he doesn’t want Cade living with me once he returns to his team, which is in two days. Theo has been a handful, to say the least.
Cade has reacted far better than Theo but that’s not saying much. Typically, anyone behaves better than Theo. It’s just a fact. Subtle growls and several standoffs have been Cade’s only downfall. He’s acclimated well to living with me. At this point, it’s almost been a month. I can’t imagine him moving out. I keep finding excuses to both men about why it’s imperative for Cade to stay with me. Cade doesn’t argue much about it anymore, especially with Theo around.
Realizing neither have answered my earlier question I look over to see them chest to chest, fists clenched at their sides. Theo stands a few inches shorter than Cade but he couldn’t look hotter, all pissed off, flush against Cade’s chest. The asshole in Theo has always appealed to me. He doesn’t direct it at me much, but when he does we never end it on a bad note, if you know what I mean.
To each her own, right?
Currently, that asshole, with his ball cap turned backward, chest heaving, is creating an uncomfortable environment in my underwear. One that he will remedy as soon as I get him home.
“Theo!” I chastise. He doesn’t flinch, but I know the bastard hears me. “Cade!” I approach their unmoving forms, aggravated that they are causing a scene in the damn grocery store. I grab Theo’s arm and wrench him away from Cade. He lets me because he knows better.
“I asked you dickheads what you wanted. I’m not in the mood to keep repeating myself.” I let go of Theo once there’s space between them, then grab his face, forcing him to look at me. I arch a brow and wait for his answer.
He exhales and shakes free of my hand, licking his bottom lip with a seductive gleam in his eye. “I think I’m feeling a little blue, Dr. McCallister.” He palms his crotch, jostling it a bit. “What say you speed up this bullshit grocery outing so you can handle it.” He looks at Cade and winks before he says, “On your knees.”
Dear God.
A growl is the only sound Cade makes before he lunges at Theo.
“Stop it!” I glare at both men pushing against me like they would mow me down without a second thought. “Both of you, stop it!”
I push against Cade first, Theo chuckling as if he finds this charade funny.
“Just get burgers. No one gives a fuck.” Theo’s lip twitches at the corner as he glares down at me, his eyes humorless.
Don’t hit him. He needs to work. But damn if that asshole lip tip doesn’t send me right over the fucking edge. Ignoring his remark, I look at Cade, who still has his eyes locked on Theo.
What the fuck has them so revved up?
“Cade,” I repeat, trying to get his attention.
Finally, his gaze drifts to mine. His green eyes are tinged in red. Uh oh. Someone hasn’t been sleeping. Another thing I need to handle when I get home.<
br />
He clears his throat. “Burgers are fine.”
I look to the sky. Nope, no falling angels. I look behind me. No zombies, yet. Did they actually just agree and the world is not coming to an end?
One corner of my mouth twitches and I allow my lips to pull up into a full-blown grin.
Theo rolls his eyes. “Don’t start,” he scolds as he walks ahead.
Ha! They agreed! It’s a miracle. I glance over at Cade, who is staring at Theo’s back.
“What’s going on? Theo being an asshole?” I ask, genuinely concerned about their behavior.
Cade doesn’t answer me, which isn’t uncommon. I clutch his elbow, preventing his escape and he glares down at my hand. “Answer me,” I coax gently.
He shakes his head.
Uh-uh. Not today. Both my eyebrows shoot up in disbelief that he is being defiant.
He sighs. “We’re fine. Just setting boundaries.”
Boundaries? What the hell does that mean?
I open my mouth to respond when he cuts me off.
“Let it go, Commander.” His face is so serious that I decide I’ll do as he said. This time. But Theo better not be scaring him off.
Theo wanders off, doing who knows what, while Cade and I pile a shit-ton of food in the buggy, so much that a few looks are thrown our way. In the four weeks he’s been living with me he’s filled out, no longer looking emaciated. His forearms bulge as he maneuvers the buggy through the narrow aisles. His hair has been cut and styled and his booty is popping in his track pants. My Cade has become quite the hottie, if I say so myself.
I grin at the lady currently gawking at his ass. She has been holding that jar of peanut butter for five solid minutes.
“Protein and squats,” I tell her, and she jumps and fumbles the jar. I give her a little wink and swat Cade’s behind. Oh yeah. Definitely the squats and the fact he didn’t have much fat to begin with. We have been building some muscles in those glutes.
Cade jumps at my harassment and turns, giving me his signature stare.
I shrug and tease, “Just setting boundaries.”
He snorts out a laugh. “Did you just spank me, Commander?”
Peanut-butter-lady looks mortified, stowing her jar in a football hold and hightailing it away from us weirdos.
“I did no such thing, Major Jameson.” Oh. Another thing I found out. Hottie here was a major in the Marines. A motherfucking major! A complete badass! He was pretty tight-lipped about it and I don’t know as much as I would like, but I’ll weasel the rest out of him eventually.
“I was merely giving my fellow shopper fitness advice.” Eh. I swatted that backside because I could. I don’t do boundaries.
“Uh huh.” He chuckles. He doesn’t believe me and that’s okay, because it’s a lie. He doesn’t care though. I broke that shy shit the first week he was here. We all have the same parts. An ass is an ass. A dick is a dick. Maybe because I am a doctor and I see so many naked bodies, I’ve just grown accustomed to seeing people in their nakedness. Covering up like a nun and fleeing to the next room just makes me curious. Like, what is so special that you are keeping it under wraps? It’s natural. We all want to know what’s under there.
Cade doesn’t really appreciate my no-boundaries attitude, but he has learned to deal with it. What he hasn’t learned to deal with is Theo’s lack of a moral compass and blatant nudity. It’s a fine line with Theo. Asking him to cover up only encourages his bad behavior.
It’s like when a child drops the f-bomb. Do you gasp and tell them never to say that? Sure, that’s one way to correct them. Perhaps they’d say it a few more times and you’d correct those, too. With repetition, the child would learn that it’s a no-no. Or you could ignore the little spawn, act like they didn’t speak. They don’t get the reaction they want so they have no incentive to say it again.
The latter works with Theo. Ignore him, and it takes the fun out of what he’s doing. If you growl and charge him, as Cade did, he will repeat it about fifteen more times, getting more indecent with each instance. It’s been a long week.
“Commander.” Cade’s deep rasp pulls me away from the Nutella and my thoughts. “Your phone is ringing.”
Right. I jog to the buggy and rifle through the abyss otherwise known as my purse. Feeling the vibration, I snatch it out and answer before catching a glimpse of the caller. “Yeah.”
“Dr. McCallister?”
Damn it. Bellamy.
“Coach Bellamy. How’s it hanging?” Inappropriate? Yep. Was that my intent? Yes, yes it was. Bellamy is a bastard and I harbor no love for the man.
“Dr. McCallister, I’m calling to inquire about the physical status of my player.” Oh. Look who is being professional today. I’m game.
“The physical status of Mr. Von Bremen remains unchanged. However, his physical therapy has improved his range. I will release him on a conditional basis.” Total bullshit. Theo’s shoulder was sore, probably from bad form, but it’s in tip-top shape thanks to my elite expertise.
Continuing before Bellamy can interrupt, I say, “I will be returning with him to monitor his shoulder after each game. I assume the rotation has not been altered?” I can almost hear Bellamy grit his teeth in annoyance.
“No. It has not. I’ll see you both on Thursday.”
Just to annoy the pretentious prick, as cheerily as I can, I say, “We look forward to it!” I toss the phone back into the abyss, my mood darkening.
“You’re leaving?” Cade’s eyes are questioning and he seems disappointed.
Does he think I am leaving his hot ass here at home?
“We’re leaving,” I clarify, giving the buggy a little push, urging him toward the registers.
Theo comes bounding up, looking full of mischief. Oh shit.
“What did you do?” I ask the smiling idiot.
His face scrunches up like he’s offended that I immediately thought the worst. “Did I hear that my trainer will be accompanying me back to the pits of hell?” He can barely contain a ridiculous smile.
“Ugh,” I groan, rolling my eyes, and usher the three of us to the checkout.
He continues, undeterred by my annoyance. “Seriously, Ans. Is that what I heard?”
“What were you doing? Eavesdropping by hiding in the shelves like a two-year-old?”
He scoffs in the most adorable way and brings his hand to his heart. “I was not. I grabbed some candy and heard you talking. You’re always so loud.”
I am a little loud. Not always though. I blame it on Theo. Having to scream at him from the bench keeps my voice strong.
“I bet Ms. Patsy, who was checking out my ass at the pharmacy, heard you.”
He’s ridiculous. No way was Ms. Patsy, our pharmacist, checking out his ass. She’s like 102 years old.
“Well, then surely you heard that we—” I point at Cade then to myself, “will be accompanying you.”
He frowns, which turns into full-on pouting.
I cock my head to the side, daring him to argue.
He doesn’t, just looks at Cade and spits, “Remember, boundaries.”
Cade nods but otherwise doesn’t show any emotion.
“Good, now that that’s settled, let’s get this home before it spoils.”
Both men start piling items on the conveyer belt in silence.
Having men around the house is da bomb. Does anyone even use that phrase anymore? No? Oh, well, just call me old school McCallister. Seriously though. These two guys loaded, unloaded, and put away all the groceries in silence. Can I get a double tap? I don’t know about the rest of the ladies in the world but I am a sucker for the strong, silent type. Especially one that cleans and puts away groceries.
Realistically, I know they are both brooding. Theo doesn’t want Cade coming to Washington and Cade doesn’t want to come along and be subjected to Theo’s bullshit. Guess how many fucks I give about their comfort level? Zero. Nada. Zilch.
Theo will be fine. He’s just having his little tantrum.
It will end and all will be well. Cade, on the other hand, well, he’s just going to have to learn how to deal. If he wants to stay with me then he will do as I ask. Besides, it will be good for him to get out and the ball club is a once in a lifetime experience.
The players are fun and like family. I enjoy mingling with their wives and shooting the shit with the guys. Theo fits in well. He’s naturally charming, but it takes time for him to open up and let you see the real him rather than the asshole playboy he likes for you to see.
When he first got drafted, he called me whining, saying it wasn’t for him and he was coming home. I flew out the next day. We argued. A lot. And then went out and got wasted with some of his teammates. It was fun. Theo got to know a couple of guys and lightened up. I stayed for a week, realizing that he needed help to acclimate to his new team. I got to know the guys and so did he. Obviously, he stayed, even though I would have loved to have him back. But he’s a showman. He needed to do it. For him.
So, going back to the clubhouse is like meeting up with family. It’ll be fun, a good opportunity to introduce Cade to some new people. And it’s free for us, anyway. Courtesy of Von Bremen. Is he thrilled to be footing the bill for Cade to come along to Washington? No. But he began to see it my way when I lowered to my knees in our stand-up shower, milking the yes from his lips.
“What are we supposed to tell the guys?” Theo, who after finishing in the shower is lounging in the most comfortable patio chair I own, asks in a low voice. Outside on the back deck, battling the flies, I readjust, trying to find a more comfortable spot on this shitty deck chair that’s digging into my back. Why, you ask, is Theo in the more comfortable chair and me in the shitty one? Paper beats rock. Dammit.
“What do you mean?” I pull down my shades to look at Theo. His hat is pulled down low over his face, concealing his eyes.
“I mean, how are you going to explain what he’s doing there? With you. With us.”
Good gracious.
“Why do we have to tell them anything?”
He makes a sound deep in his throat and sits up, his hat falling carelessly to the ground. “Because, Ans, it’s weird. And they are going to ask.”
