Chapter 37
— Scout —
“We’re not going to my apartment,” I declared from the passenger seat.
Remmy shot me a confused glance as she drove. “We’re not?”
I studied her profile as she frowned, and bit down on a smirk. “Nope.”
She glanced my way again, this time with irritation. “Where are we going?”
“Bastian’s house.”
Confusion played between her eyebrows. “Oh. Do I need to grab something?”
Fuck she was adorable while caring for me. “Yeah.”
“I do? What?”
“Your belongings. I’m going to recover at home… with you.”
Her chin tucked in a little. “You want me to stay for a bit?”
I adjusted my cap, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart. “Yeah. But more than a bit. Like longer—more permanently. If you want to, that is.”
Christ, I was jabbering. I wasn’t used to being nervous—especially off the field—but Remmy sure as hell made my stomach knot up and turn giddy. Fact was, I wanted her with me for more than washing my back in the shower. Ultimately, Remmy wasn’t entirely tamable, but I’d begun to crave the wind, fire, and spice she brought to my life.
She chanced another raised-brow glance in my direction. “You’re still high, aren’t you?”
A deep chuckle vibrated from within the depths of my chest. “No, honey. I’m of sound mind.” I grunted against a bolt of pain in my arm as I fidgeted in my seat. “Body’s not so great at the moment, though.”
Remmy gnawed on her lower lip and sat forward behind the wheel. “Sorry, I’m trying to drive as carefully as I can.”
“To Bastian’s please, babe.”
After another long, appraising look at me when we rolled up at a red light, she finally gave a small nod. “Okay. But just for as long as you need help. You’ll be begging me to leave by the end of it.”
I scoffed. “Doubt it, but okay.”
She took a couple of turns to steer us in a new direction, and twenty minutes later, she pulled into the driveway of a tidy, single story, slate blue 1920s bungalow.
“Bass’ place,” she announced.
Shooting me a nervous smile, she exited the car and waited for me at the bottom of the porch steps, then led the way. She lowered her voice as she slid her key into the lock and opened the door.
“Bass is probably still aslee—”
“You!” Bastian boomed from inside, rushing forward from the depths of his living room
Instinctively, I flung out my good arm to shield Remmy from her brother.
Instead of being alarmed, Remmy simply scoffed and breezed past both of us. “Good morning to you, too, brother,” she drawled. Then her expression lit up. “Ooh, my parcel arrived!”
Bastian slammed his hands onto his hips, vibrating with fury. “And that’s exactly why I’m pissed .”
Remmy laughed as she flipped open the lid of the already-opened large brown box. “Why’d you open it?” she asked.
“Because it was addressed to me!”
“That’s because if I addressed it to me, word would get out that I was staying here, then we would have cameras invading your front yard as well as mine.”
Bastian grumbled behind me as I leaned in to get a better look inside the box.
It took me a second to realize what I was looking at, then I barked a laugh.
I spun toward Bastian. “You opened this?”
“Regretfully, yes.” His glare narrowed the more I laughed.
I tried to school my laughter but failed. “Did you… did you use it?”
Bastian balked. “What the fuck do you think, man?”
Remmy pulled out a girthy black dildo, pinching it gingerly between her thumb and forefinger. “I hope you used lube because this is thiiiiiiick.”
“Remmington!” her brother barked. He ran a hand down his reddening face, then swept an arm toward the front door. “I fucking signed for that!”
Remmy’s smile was sweet as sin. “And I thank you.”
“You’re corrupt,” he hissed, waving a hand toward her general space. “And for fuck’s sake, put the big black cock away already!”
Her little giggle had me suppressing a snicker. She may be corrupt, but I had more influence over that than either of them realized. Remmy would fucking kill me when she found out… Correction, if she found out.
Remmy rolled her eyes and brushed past Bastian. “Just load it into the back of your car and I’ll be out of here in a moment. I just need to pack my things. Oh, and here are your keys.”
Bastian’s jaw dropped as he rushed for a window, peering at his driveway. “You borrowed my car?”
She shrugged. “Mmyeah.”
“Could have asked me,” he grumbled.
“You were asleep.”
My eyes ping-ponged back and forth, drinking in their bickering with amusement that outshone the tiredness from the surgery and the worry over if I’d still have my career at the end of it all.
After Remmy’s ass sauntered out of sight, Bass plonked down beside me on the couch and scrubbed a hand down his face.
“Fuck, she’s a handful. You know what you’ve gotten yourself into, right?”
I chuckled. “She’s been a spitfire from the moment we first met. Now I’d be worried if she wasn’t.”
Bastian grunted his agreement.
Kicking back with one ankle resting on the opposite knee, I got comfortable while we waited. “The delivery was pretty funny, man.”
A smirk tipped one side of his mouth. “It was. But what brother would I be if I acted so flippant and casual about a fuck machine turning up at his house for his sister? Even saying it out loud is messed up.”
I laughed again. “You ain’t wrong.”
Bastian’s expression grew tight as he lowered his tone. “Does it bother you?”
“The FootFet stuff?” He nodded in response, and I hummed. “I mean, it’s never bothered me per se. Surprised the fuck out of me for sure. But that’s who she was before we met—who am I to tell her she can’t do it anymore? Especially when it’s not hurtin’ anyone.”
Besides, I had something in the pipeline that would benefit both Remmy and me.
“She’s been through hell and back, dude,” Bastian murmured. “That’s why she’s goddamn hard to deal with some days. But she means well. Deep down, she’s the most fiercely loyal and caring person you’ll ever meet.”
Warmth spread through my chest. “She’s as authentic as they come, and I hope that never changes.”
A wicked grin spread across his face. “If you tried to change it, good fucking luck.”
“Right,” I said through a laugh, then thumbed over my shoulder. “And don’t worry about the car, dude. I’ll get a driver.”
He waved me off. “I’m happy to drive you where you need to go.”
“Only if you’re sure, and I’d appreciate it. It would save me from enduring Remmy’s driving again,” I said with a wink as she returned to the living space.
“Hey! I was driving like I had a vehicle full of geriatrics with broken hips. Stop acting like one.”
I welcomed the fire. It called me to come play, and I smirked as I rose to my feet, dashing my chin at the brown cardboard box with the sex toys inside.
“That’s definitely coming with us.”