12. Greedy
Chapter 12
Greedy
“I think we’re about to get brunch and a show.”
Levi smirks in agreement.
Decker’s trying to cling to his final threads of patience, but he’s clearly losing. I’ve played ball against him since we were kids; I’ve watched enough film to know his tells. His dark eyes are narrowed in agitation and a muscle in his jaw spasms at regular intervals that coincide with the opening and closing of his hands. Each time he balls them into fists, his knuckles blanch white with effort.
He’s moments away from going off.
Our cohort isn’t causing the chaos, which makes the whole situation funnier.
Locke is talking a little too loudly to Si and Hunter across the table, all while shoveling huge bites of food into his mouth. Kendrick is wearing earbuds and staring at his phone, mindlessly drumming on the dining room table, adding to the growing noise level of the room.
Mrs. Lansbury comes in every minute or two, each time muttering “excuse me! Pardon me!” and adding fresh waffles to the stacks. Then she sets to topping off our drinks unnecessarily, paying extra attention to Spence’s valet, Gerald. She goes as far as to place more sausage directly on his plate before setting the serving platter down for the rest of us to access.
Each time she does something for Gerald, he sputters assurances that he can do it himself and asks her to please take a seat. She’s technically working, so she insists she’s fine, but carries on paying special attention to him and nervously chattering to no one in particular.
Spence is positioned across from Decker, at the far end of the table. He’s been quiet since entering the dining room promptly at 10:59 a.m., but his shoulders aren’t quite as slumped this morning.
He keeps making googly eyes at Levi when he thinks no one is watching. Can’t say I love that. Conceptually, I’m fine with sharing. More than fine. We’re better together. I know it, yet I can’t banish the hot prod of jealousy that forms deep in my belly when I think about anyone else possessing Levi or Hunter in the way I crave to possess them.
I’m a man obsessed. I accepted that long ago. Is it asking too much to hope my partners are equally obsessed with me?
A sharp scraping sound cuts through the chatter. Decker has pushed away from the table and is rising to his feet.
I press my lips together, stifling a laugh. Levi play-punches my arm, which only makes it harder to keep my shit together.
“Where the hell—”
“Here! We’re here!” Joze breezes into the dining room, cheeks flushed and her hair a tangled mess.
Kylian strolls in behind her, looking completely unbothered, with his gaze fixed on his phone. He takes the empty seat beside Locke and snags several pieces of crisp bacon from the serving plate in the middle of the table without ever looking up from the device.
Joze is singularly focused on Decker, whose jaw tic is more pronounced now. He’s clearly still perturbed. She glides around one side of the table as if there’s an invisible tether connecting them, pulling her to her husband.
Before she can get to him, though, Kendrick scoots his chair back, blocking her path, and pulls her into his lap. He braces both hands on her back so she’s locked in his hold, straddling him. With his mouth at her ear, he speaks, the timbre too low to make out. She bites down on her bottom lip, eyes twinkling, and the tension between them sizzles so hot I turn away, not wanting to intrude on their private moment.
“Family brunch was set to start at eleven, Josephine.” Decker is still on his feet, hands braced on the edge of the table.
My spine stiffens, and I straighten. I was hoping for a classic Crusade tantrum, but definitely not at Joze’s expense.
With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, she slinks off Kendrick’s lap. Then she flips her hair over one shoulder and sashays toward her husband.
The moment she winds her arms around his neck, his scowl softens significantly. She cups his cheek and murmurs low, offering him a semblance of peace I swear only she seems to be able to provide him.
As if she’s cast a spell, Crusade settles. His hands abandon their grip on the table so he can hold her hips. His scowl continues to fade until his face is even and unbothered, smooth and stoic once more. For him, it might as well be the equivalent of a smile.
“Sit.” His one-word command is harsh.
It would be very on brand for Josephine Crusade to do the opposite of what he wants, just to rattle him further. Instead, she pecks him on the lips, smiles demurely, brushes past him, and takes what was his seat at the head of the table.
“Okay.” Decker blows out a centering breath. “School starts tomorrow,” he announces. As if that’s news to any of us. “I’d like to discuss how we can best coordinate our schedules and ensure maximum security in terms of access to the isle.”
I sit up straighter, ignoring the plate of half-eaten food in front of me. Across from me, Kabir does the same. A coordinated safety plan? Decker Crusade is speaking our language.
“We’ll travel to and from the isle in groups when possible, and we’ll have set launch times for the pontoons that travel between here and the marina. Kylian.” Decker nods at the man who, for the first time since entering the dining room, is looking up from his phone.
“I’m AirDropping a color-coded schedule of everyone’s on-campus commitments, as well as the proposed transportation schedule. It’s prioritized by safety, sustainability, and convenience. You’ll see three established round-trip launches per day, organized by color. I’ve also created recommended transportation plans for each person based on their schedules.”
Pings and vibrations ring out around the table, a cacophony of electronic noises.
“I did not include Sione or Kabir in these plans.” He turns to speak to them directly. “Should you wish for me to create individual schedules for you, send me a list of your off-isle activities. Additionally.” He turns my way, though he’s focused on his phone again. “I elected not to obtain access to Garrett Reed’s schedule in the South Chapel University system. You can provide that to me if you wish, and I will create a schedule for you as well.”
I scroll through pages and pages of data. Sure enough, he’s listed the names of almost everyone around the table, with times highlighted in either red, blue, or purple to coordinate with the boat each person is supposed to be on each day.
Still scrolling, I note one name and freeze. “Wait. Why is Levi on here so much?”
“That was my doing.” Decker clears his throat and sets his sights on Levi. “I meant to talk to you about this earlier, in private, but you were otherwise occupied this morning…” His cheeks go pink as he shifts his gaze from Levi to the table.
“Decker got you in on scholarship at LCU, Duke,” Hunter says, her voice full of hope. “If you want the spot.”
Her smile is radiant, her excitement palpable all the way from across the table.
Levi stills beside me. He locks eyes with Hunter, then unblinkingly turns to Crusade. “What’s the catch?”
Decker crosses his arms and regards him, brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Levi huffs, his leg bouncing. I grip his knee in silent support. Instinctively, he shifts back in his seat, but on the next breath, his body relaxes and he grasps my hand and weaves his fingers with mine.
“The catch,” he repeats. “What—what do I have to do to apply? Am I even eligible? Because of my injury, I had to withdraw from my classes last semester, so my grades—”
Decker shakes his head. “There’s no catch. The scholarship was Josephine’s, but she doesn’t need it anymore.”
“The hell?” Joze shoots up straight, giving Decker a fierce scowl.
He takes a step closer and puts a hand on her shoulder. “I paid your tuition outright, Siren. I figured if someone else could benefit from the Crusade Scholarship, it was the right thing to do.”
Expression instantly morphing into one of admiration, she settles back in her seat.
“You can just do that?” Levi challenges. His accent is thicker than usual when he speaks, a sign that he’s either nervous or apprehensive. Or both. “You can just say, hey, it’s gonna go to this guy?”
With a snort, Locke shovels another forkful of food into his mouth. He hasn’t stopped eating since he sat down.
“The Crusade Scholarship is part of an endowment left by my mom,” Decker explains, his tone contrite. “As the sole heir to her trust, I can do whatever I want with it.”
Joze takes her husband’s hand in silent support.
“As for classes and such, I may have used Kendrick’s name for that one.”
Kendrick zeroes in on Crusade, looking just as surprised by this news as the rest of us.
“LCU has two players headed to the Combine in a few weeks.” A bitter frown tugs at Decker’s face, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared. “Because of that, the athletic training team has a few additional spots to fill for practicum students. One spot is yours if you want it. You’d have to work in the field house this semester, assisting not just the football team, but any team that needs it. You’d be doing a lot of hands-on rehab and recovery with other students, but it’s worth twelve credits.”
Shit. This really does sound too good to be true. But Crusade threw this all together without Levi’s knowledge or consent. He’s not going to like this.
While Levi blinks rapidly, stunned and taking in all the information, Hunter stands and circles the table. Wordlessly, she slides into his lap, wraps her arms around his neck, and burrows into his chest.
She’s positioned in his lap so she’s facing me. But all her focus is set on him.
“Come to LCU with me, Duke. Please?”
My concern dissipates the moment her words register. I know before his head even moves that he’ll agree.
Way to go, Tem.
They’re so good together. It warms me from the inside to witness the way she handles his heart with such loving care.
“This family breakfast is getting a little too mushy for my taste,” Joze quips from the head of the table.
Hunter’s blond hair whips Levi in the face as she turns to look at her friend.
Locke snorts. “Says the girl who was late because she was spread wide like an all-you-can-eat buffet up in the Nest.”
Joze lifts her hand to her chest in mock-outrage. Kendrick chuckles, and Kylian grins.
Decker is the only member of their group not amused. His face is fixed in a seething stare as he looks from one person to another.
“We have guests.” He nods at Gerald.
The poor man is pink from his chin to the tips of his ears.
Locke drops his fork to his plate with a clatter. “Oh, shit. Sorry, my guy.”
“ Your guy?” Kabir goes rigid.
Gerald is Kabir’s valet. By pure definition, he is actually his guy.
“Just an expression,” Sione assures him.
“Levi, let me know by this afternoon what you decide. Okay. Last order of business,” Decker announces, calling all our attention back to his side of the table. “The Combine is two weeks away.” There’s a pinch between his eyebrows. Another clenching of his hand into a fist. They’re subtle changes, but they’re telling, nonetheless.
The NFL Combine is the annual gathering of potential draftees. It’s a multi-day event where coaches, teams, and prospective players congregate and the players have the opportunity to show off their skills and vie for the most coveted places in the draft.
Decker Crusade was slated to be a first-round pick. He’s professional football royalty, with the arm, stealth, and adaptability of the very best veteran quarterbacks in the league.
But he’s not attending the Combine, and he won’t be going pro. Instead, his football career ended before it could begin.
I didn’t understand it at the time—what he did, all he gave up, and why he did it.
Now that I’ve found my people, it makes absolute fucking sense.
Still. Staying behind while Kendrick heads to the Combine can’t be easy for him.
“I’m still planning to go with K,” Joze announces, although there’s not a whole lot of conviction to her statement.
“Good,” Kylian says, glancing at her over his glasses. “He needs you there.”
Kendrick lifts his head and turns toward the head of the table. “Not just need, Mama. I want you there, too.”
Joze nods, her movement tentative as her eyes dart up to Decker.
Ah. It hits me then. Her hesitation has everything to do with him. That makes me feel for him even more.
“Cap, Kyl, and I will be at the cabin that weekend,” Locke announces. “So you all will have the place to yourselves.”
My chest expands. Excellent.
Before my imagination can get the best of me, Joze speaks up.
“Wait. You should come with us.”
Her attention is fixed on Hunter, her eyes dancing with renewed excitement. “I’ll be in the stands or at the hotel most of the time anyway. It’ll be the perfect opportunity for girl time.”
My hackles instantly raise. There’s no way she can travel out of state.
Hunter peers at me from under her lashes and squirms in Levi’s lap.
“I’m not sure it’s safe for me to travel right now.” Her entire demeanor has changed, face sullen and shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Do you want to go, Firecracker?”
She shrugs at Spence, then makes eye contact with Sione and Levi before focusing on me again. “Does it matter? It’s not an option thanks to Magnolia.”
I lock eyes with Kabir, finding his face etched in the same kind of frustration plaguing me. Not an option, my ass.
“I assure you, love. There’ll be no threat to your safety should you wish to attend.”
Hunter’s eyes spark with hope.
“Levi and Garrett have class, and I’m in the midst of a project I really cannot leave on the back burner,” he explains. “But perhaps if Sione is amenable to going, too, and it’s not too much trouble for you to miss your classes, it would be okay.”
“Si?” Hunter straightens in Levi’s lap, arms still looped around his neck.
As if it’s even a question. It wouldn’t be, for any of us. Anything for our girl. Anything to make her smile.
“If it is not an intrusion or hardship, I would love to attend.”
Kendrick rises, taps his knuckles on the table twice, and strides over to Joze. “It’s settled, then. Kylian can send you the itinerary, and we’ll get the arrangements taken care of.” With that, he grabs his woman’s hand and guides her out of the room.