Delay of Game (The Baltimore Banners Book 6)

by Lisa B. Kamps

  Mat motioned to the bench. “Knocking three times.”

  “Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Justin finished stripping off the rest of the gear then grabbed his towel and shower kit from the locker. A quick shower, then he’d head home, take a nap, eat, and go over to Val’s place later.

  Funny how quickly things could change in just a few short weeks. No, his life wasn’t perfect. Hell, he didn’t want perfection. But from where he stood right now, he sure as hell didn’t have many complaints.

  Justin stepped into the shower room then paused, just for a second. Maybe he should have knocked on wood again, because one of his few complaints was already in there.

  Randy glanced over his shoulder, frowning when he saw Justin. Then he just stared at him with eyes that were so similar to Val’s. Except Val’s eyes were usually a little warmer and nowhere near as judgmental as her brother’s.

  Justin nodded at Randy then made his way to one of the showers. And fuck, Michaels decided to use the one right next to him. Why now? Why today of all days?

  The two of them had always gotten along. Not super-tight, like Justin was with Mat and Kenny, but still friends. At least, until Justin had started seeing Val. Randy hadn’t been outright distant or even confrontational, but Justin could pick up on the slight tension coming from the man. He didn’t think anyone else on the team did, either. Or if they did, they were keeping it to themselves because it hadn’t been a problem.

  Until now.

  No, not until now. Just because Michaels was in the shower stall next to him and occasionally looking over didn’t mean something was about to happen.

  Justin stepped under the strong spray, hot water pouring over him, rinsing away sweat and easing sore muscles. He reached for the bottle of two-in-one shower gel and shot some into his hand, then lathered it into his hair and over his face, scrubbing at the new growth on his jaw, thankful that the itching had at least stopped. He stepped back under the spray, rinsing off, then shot more of the gel into his hand and grabbed his washcloth.

  “You’ve been spending quite a bit of time with my sister.”

  Justin paused, took a deep breath of the steamy air. He tossed a quick look over his shoulder at Randy, then looked away and scrubbed at his chest. “Yeah.”

  “You want to tell me what’s up with that?”

  Justin added more gel to the cloth then went back to scrubbing, each movement slow and deliberate. But his mind was racing ahead, a hundred miles an hour, trying to come up with the right answer.

  Did a right answer even exist? Yeah, Randy was his friend. But he was also Val’s brother. Big brother. Justin didn’t have a sister, but he knew all about the responsibilities of being a big brother—more than he wanted to.

  He fisted the washcloth in his hand, closed his eyes, took a deep breath. Yeah, he knew all about siblings. About family. And part of him really did understand Randy’s concern.

  That didn’t mean he wanted to be interrogated. And he sure as hell didn’t want to have this conversation while standing in the shower.

  “Well?”

  Justin glanced over at Randy, noticed that he had finished washing up and was leaning on the tiled half-wall, his gaze steady and direct. Justin sighed and stepped back under the spray, rinsing completely off. He turned off the shower, grabbed his towel and quickly brushed off most the of the water. Then he wrapped it around his waist. If they were going to have this conversation, damn if he wanted Randy staring at him while he was swinging in the wind.

  “We’re seeing each other.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing.”

  Randy fixed him with that steady gaze, no doubt trying to intimidate him. It wasn’t going to work. But the longer Randy stared at him, the more Justin had to smother the urge to squirm. He tried not to breathe a sigh of relief when Randy finally looked away.

  The relief was short-lived though, because Randy shook his head and gave him another one of those steady looks, like he was studying him—and Justin was coming up short.

  “You’re carrying around too much shit, Tome.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “You heard me.” Randy ran a hand through his wet hair, pushing it off his forehead. He glanced around at the other guys then back at Justin, lowering his voice. “Val’s got a lot on her plate, a lot of responsibility. She doesn’t need to be taking care of you, too.”

  “What the fuck, Michaels? Seriously?” Justin looked around, noticed a few of the guys throwing glances their way. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “So, what? You think I need a babysitter? You think that’s why I’m with Val?”

  “Like I said, you’re carrying around a lot of shit.”

  “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

  “Yeah, I think you do. All your…issues…the last few months? Val doesn’t need to be dealing with that shit.”

  Justin inhaled a deep breath then clenched his jaw. Randy was just concerned about his sister, that was all. Hell, Justin could understand that. He just needed to remember it. He relaxed his jaw, took another deep breath, lowered his voice even more. “There aren’t any more issues.”

  Randy cocked one brow at him, his disbelief clear. “You sure about that?”

  “Yeah. I am. No issues.”

  Silence stretched between them, thick and heavy and uncomfortable in the noise surrounding them. Running water, laughter, muttered conversation, lewd comments. Normal sounds—except for the silence between the two of them.

  Randy finally straightened and grabbed his shower kit. “Val’s an adult, she can make her own decisions. But if I find out you hurt her, used her, I will fuck you up.”

  Randy gave him one last long look then walked away, brushing past Kenny Haskell on his way out. Kenny stopped in front of Justin, giving him a quizzical look.

  “What was up with that?”

  “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

  “He giving you shit about his sister?”

  Justin shook his head and barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “If you knew the answer, why’d you even ask?

  Kenny moved into the shower and turned on the water. “I didn’t, it was just a logical guess.”

  Great, just what he needed. Kenny being logical. He liked the guy, he really did. They had hit it off right away at the beginning of the season, when Kenny moved up from the minors. Kenny was soft-spoken, a little too quiet, not inclined to heavy conversation. The fact that he was actually starting to sound logical worried Justin more than he wanted to admit.

  Christ, he needed to just get the hell out of here. Go home, nap, take it easy until he could meet Val later tonight. With the schedule coming up, tonight would probably be the last time they’d have a chance to really spend time together.

  Justin didn’t want to think too much about that, didn’t want to acknowledge the twisting in his gut at the thought of not really getting time to spend with Val. Fuck. He should be more worried about the playoffs, not about Val.

  Kenny was still watching him and Justin realized he was waiting for an answer. What the hell had Kenny asked? Something about Val. And Randy.

  Oh yeah. About Randy giving him shit for seeing his sister.

  “He’s her big brother. Nothing I didn’t expect.”

  “You pretty serious about her?”

  How the hell was he supposed to answer that? How should he know? He couldn’t answer that question. Justin opened his mouth to deny it then quickly snapped it shut again. Saying no, they weren’t serious, sounded like a lie. Almost like a betrayal of Val somehow. But the truth was, he didn’t know. So he just shrugged and forced a smile to his face. “Not sure, haven’t given it much thought.”

  “Sure. Okay.” Kenny didn’t look convinced but he didn’t say anything else. He stepped into the shower, effectively ending the conversation.

  Justin walked out of the shower room, shaking his head. That was the great thing about Kenny: he didn’t waste a
lot of time just talking.

  Justin threw everything into his locker and finished dressing, then headed home. No, not home. The condo was nothing more than a place he crashed. Two bedrooms, neutral décor, minimum decoration. He stopped in the middle of living room, the keys held loosely in his hand, and looked around, like he was seeing it for the first time.

  The best he could say about it was that it was clean—thanks to the cleaning service that came in twice a month. He’d lived here for almost five years. Shouldn’t the space reflect at least a little of who he was? But maybe that was the problem. Maybe the neutral furniture and minimal decorations were nothing more than a reflection of who he’d become: bland, empty, with nothing to offer.

  “What the fuck?” Justin’s voice echoed back to him, a hollow ring in the bare room. What the hell was wrong with him? At least now he realized why he never bothered to invite Val over here. This place was barely more than a cave, not even coming close to her place with its stuffed furnishings and splashes of color and all the different personal touches she added. Val’s place was so much more than just a place to store belongings and crash. It was a home. Warm, welcoming, comfortable.

  Maybe Justin needed a decorator.

  And was he really standing here in the middle of his living room, thinking about getting an interior decorator? He shook his head. He must be more tired than he thought. He tossed his keys on the small table then walked down the hall to his bedroom and tossed the small duffel on the floor by his bed. A quick nap, then dinner, then Val’s.

  He stretched out on the bed, his hands behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling. Kenny’s question came back to him, almost haunting. Were things getting serious between Val and him? Damn if he knew. He only knew he enjoyed being with her, would spend every free minute with her if he could.

  He closed his eyes, felt a small smile break out on his face as an image of wide hazel eyes and long black hair came immediately to mind. Justin sighed, a soft sound of contentment, the image following him as he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  The sound cut through the grayness, poking at the edge of consciousness. Persistent, annoying. Justin muttered and rolled to his side, his arm snaking around a pillow and tugging it over his head.

  The noise stopped. Justin sighed, shifted, and drifted a little deeper into the grayness, searching for the darker edges of sleep.

  There it was again. Chirping, the high pitched sound slightly muffled. Another sound quickly followed. Banging, far off somewhere.

  Justin threw the pillow across the bed and rolled to his back, trying to force his eyes open, trying to shake off the sluggish grip of sleep. More chirping, followed by the banging.

  His phone.

  And someone at the door.

  “Christ.” Justin pushed himself to his elbows, blinking the sleep from his eyes. The only light in the room filtered in through the gap in the curtains, a watery gray light that could be early morning or early evening.

  Shit. Did he oversleep? He was supposed to meet Val, had practice in the morning. Shit.

  He groped for the phone, his hand closing over it as his thumb tapped the screen, answering it as he rolled from the bed and stumbled out of his room. “Yeah? Hello?”

  He sounded groggy to his own ears, his voice hoarse and rusty, clogged with sleep. There was a pause from the other end, long enough that he made it to the living room, managing to trip over his own feet only once.

  “Justin?” Val’s voice, hesitant and uncertain. “Is everything okay?”

  “Val. Shit. I’m sorry. I overslept. Let me get rid of whoever’s banging down my door and I’ll jump in the shower and head over there.”

  The sound of laughter came through the line, the sound light and musical and so different from his throaty rambling. Justin frowned and stared at the phone, wondering why Val was laughing. He could ask her, as soon as he got rid of whoever was banging on the door. “Hang on a sec.”

  Justin finally reached the door and yanked it open then stopped, frozen in place. He blinked, blinked again, certain he was seeing things. He pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it, then looked back at Val and blinked once more.

  “It’s you. I mean, you’re here.” What a genius thing to say. Of course she was here, she was standing right in front of him. Unless he was still dreaming. Or seeing things.

  Val laughed and stepped past him, her arm brushing against his chest. Too late he realized she was carrying several large plastic bags. He reached out to help her but she was already moving deeper into the condo, looking around as she walked through.

  Justin closed the door then scrubbed both hands over his face, trying to brush away the remnants of sleep that still gripped him. Then he followed Val through the dining room and into the kitchen, where she was already pulling containers out of the bags and placing them on the counter. Rich smells immediately filled the room, warm and hearty, mouthwatering. Justin jammed his fist into his stomach to stop it from growling just as Val turned to look at him.

  Damn, she was so freaking beautiful, even in a simple pair of curve-hugging jeans and plain cream-colored sweater. He wasn’t used to seeing her in jeans and he was half-tempted to ask her to turn around, to model them for him so he could see just how they hugged every delicious curve.

  “So I’m guessing you just woke up?”

  “Hm?” Justin dragged his gaze from her legs to her face, surprised to see her eyes lit with laughter.

  “Did you have a nice nap?”

  “Oh. Uh, yeah. I think.” Justin ran his hand down his face once more then rubbed at his chest. “I must have crashed hard. What time is it?”

  “Just a little after five.”

  Yeah, he definitely crashed hard. Justin generally kept his naps to forty-five minutes. Maybe an hour, tops. But if it was already after five, that meant he’d slept more than two hours. No wonder he felt sluggish, like each move was being made through quicksand.

  He grabbed a glass from the counter, filling it with water from the refrigerator dispenser. He drained it in several long gulps, refilled it, and drained it again. He was halfway through the third glass when he finally realized what was wrong.

  He lowered the glass and looked over at Val, surprised to find her staring at him. “Wait. Aren’t you supposed to be working? Shit, please don’t tell me it’s five in the morning.”

  Val laughed and shook her head, sending her hair swaying. “You really did crash, didn’t you?” She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist, her body warm and soft as she looked up at him. A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she shook her head. “No, it’s not morning. And I took off work so we could spend more time together. I know how insane your schedule’s going to be.”

  Something shifted in Justin’s chest. Something warm and hard at the same time, something that made his breath catch and his heart jump. He had been worried about the upcoming schedule, knowing he wouldn’t have much time to see Val, worrying she might not understand. He knew lots of players whose wives and girlfriends didn’t understand, couldn’t handle the stress of the regular season let alone the playoffs. Hell, his ex-wife was one of them.

  But not Val. Val was different. Of course she understood. Justin wasn’t sure why that surprised him, knew it shouldn’t.

  He reached behind him and sat the glass on the counter, then wrapped his arms around Val, pulling her closer. Her head tilted back, her eyes warm and inviting, her full lips parted slightly. Justin leaned down and brushed his mouth against hers. Once, twice. Her tongue darted out and met with his and that quick, fire consumed him. Need, burning and intense. He slid his hand down her back and cupped her ass, so lovingly hugged by soft denim. Christ, he wanted her. Needed her. Right now.

  Val broke the kiss with a breathy sigh and pulled away, stepping out of his arms. Justin groaned, the sound more of a growl, which only made her laugh. “The food will get cold if we keep that up.”

  “That’s okay, I�
�m not hungry.” But damn if his stomach didn’t choose just then to issue a loud protest. He placed his hand against his stomach, willing it to silence even as Val laughed.

  “Of course you’re not.” She started going through his cabinets, pulling out plates and silverware and placing them on the large counter island. Then she pulled lids off the containers, one by one, lining each up along the countertop. Deep rich smells filled the kitchen, causing his stomach to rumble again.

  He moved closer and looked down, his mouth watering at the sight of the food. “Did you cook all this?”

  Val glanced at him over her shoulder, her eyes flashing with amusement. “As much as I would love to take credit for it, I can’t. Alyssa put all this together. You’ve got your proteins, your healthy carbs, probably a gazillion calories worth of approved playoff food. I have no idea how much you want of each, so dig in.”

  She grabbed both plates then handed one to him and stepped out of the way, motioning for him to start. Justin shook his head and tried to move out of the way. “No, it’s ladies first.”

  Val rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll play cleanup. Besides, I won’t feel bad pigging out after watching you load up. Compared to how much you eat, I’m a lightweight.”

  Justin wanted to contradict her but he couldn’t. Now that he was out of his downward spiral, focusing on his game like he should, he was eating the way he should. Healthy, nutritious. No junk food.

  No alcohol.

  He reached into one of the drawers and grabbed a few serving spoons, then started piling food onto his plate. Val waited for him to finish, then scooped food onto her own plate. Real food, real amounts, like she was hungry and not about to hide it.

  Like a real person.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “What?”

  “You look like you’re getting ready to laugh. Why?”

  “Oh. Sorry.” Justin pressed his lips together and shook his head. Yeah, no way was he going to explain that one. Val cocked one brow at him and he had a feeling she knew anyway.

  She tucked her foot under one of the stools and pulled it out, ready to sit down.