Page 8 of Nothing to Lose

“Don’t stop on my account, it’s fucking hot.” Hunter’s voice breaks through the silence, deep and thick from sleep. I pull my hand from between my legs, whipping my head in his direction, only to find him propped up on his elbow facing me.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re hot as hell. Especially when you’re stroking your morning wood. Want me to step out so you can use that big boy in your drawer? Or I can stay and watch.”

“Fuck off, Hunter,” I groan. My blankets are tossed to the side as I move to get up. Might as well start the day. The moment my feet hit the ground and I put my weight down, pain shoots from my knee outward, stretching down to my toes and all the way up my thigh. My knee buckles, and I stumble forward, grabbing onto my dresser for support. Eli moves quickly, his hand sliding against my ribs, trying to hold me up. I shove him off.

“I’m fine!”

“You’re not, you stubborn asshole.”

“What part of fuck off don’t you understand?”

“None of it. Especially when it comes to you. Now sit the fuck down and let me look at it.” Is he serious right now? His face is stern, eyebrows pinched inward, his lips pursed. He’s not wearing anything but a pair of formfitting boxer briefs, his hair rumpled from sleep.

“No!”

“Yes!”

Hunter steps into my space so we’re toe-to-toe, almost chest to chest. All the air in the room evaporates, tension crackling and sparking between us. I can’t explain it, but I push it away all the same.

“Fuck off, Hunter. Get out of my way.”

“You can’t even stand up straight, you need to rest for the day. Elevate your fucking knee before it gets worse.”

“It’s just sore. I need to stretch it out, and I’ll be fine.”

“Fuck that. The team needs you. So just lay back down, I’ll get some pillows and ice.”

“I can do it myself, fuck, man,” I grumble, unsure why I don’t want to let him help take care of me. Hunter erases the space between us, sliding his hand up my side from waist to ribs. I’m so momentarily stunned by the feeling it brings out in me that I don’t realize it’s his way of physically moving me where he wants me.

Back in bed.

He picks me up like it’s the easiest thing in the world, and being a prop, I guess it is for him. He lays my ass back down on the bed with ease and softness, and I’m too shocked to fight him. My ass hits the bed, and Hunter works quickly, grabbing pillows from his bed and stuffing them under my right knee. Then he’s pointing a finger in my face like he’s reprimanding a child.

“Don’t fucking move. This is happening if I have to tie you to the fucking bed today. It wouldn’t be a hardship, little brother, so go ahead and test me.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I grumble under my breath. But my heart skips a beat at the thought.

“What about truth or dare?” Hunter sits at the foot of my bed, his laptop propped up on his lap while he takes notes on our ideas for planning the team-bonding events. With no guidance from Coach, we’re grasping, especially with the pressure of not fucking this up.

“What are you, a fourteen-year-old girl?” I ask him, my face scrunched up.

“Rude. Spin the bottle?” He tilts his head in my direction, arching his eyebrows and wiggling them.

“You’re an idiot. I highly doubt a team of rugby players wants to sit around and play spin the bottle with each other. Coach said team bonding, and I don’t think he meant it like that. Try again.”

“Strip poker could be fun.”

I drop my head against my headboard with a thwack. “Question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Is it impossible for you to take anything seriously? I actually want that captain spot next year, and I sure as shit don’t want to get cut from the team because you can’t help come up with the plans for this weekend.”

“Sooooo, strip poker is out then?”

“Jesus Christ. You know what? Fuck this shit. I’m gonna go talk to Coach. Or I’ll just do it myself. Fuck off, Hunter.” I move to get out of bed, but Hunter grips my thigh, his fingertips digging into my flesh to stop me. It works, because I freeze at the contact of skin on skin, my eyes staring at the spot, my heart swooping, the air knocked from my lungs.