Chapter 2
Captain’s Hall, Freedom
Robyn
“We’re going to be in trouble, and you’re only remembering it now?” D’Angelo taps his thigh three times, before stopping himself with a grimace. “When’s this meeting with coach? He hates people being late. I know because he normally blames me. Also, because I’m normally the one who’s late.”
“He summoned me last night.” I frantically glance around D’Angelo’s bedroom for my iPhone.
The light is brighter now through the drapes. It’s like an accusation against my lazy ass.
I know that D’Angelo carried my phone up here last night. He’s organized like that and hates leaving mess around the rest of the house.
To be fair, it’s normally my empty chocolate wrappers, Eden’s tea cups, or Shay’s…everything else.
Where’s my phone?
I scramble off the bed. Goosebumps chill my skin.
“Summoned?” D’Angelo snorts. “You sound like a demon. A forgetful one. It’s not like you. You’re normally on top of this stuff.”
Is that how he sees me?
So, this is what being blinded by love means.
“Have we met? Hello, I’m Robyn, Hot Mess Queen.” Frustrated with myself, I huff out a breath. “Unfortunately, being human, when my lovers keep me up all night with kinky sex, I oversleep the next morning.”
I didn’t know that until I met these three men.
“Then it seems that this time I am to blame.” D’Angelo rests his hands behind his head smugly, and his shirt tightens in a distracting way over his muscled chest. “As someone who’s used to pulling all-nighters at bars and clubs and functioning the next day on no sleep, we’ll have to practice this to up your tolerance for debauchery.”
“Are you corrupting me?”
“I already have, cara mia.”
I shiver. “Stop using your sinful Lucifer voice on me, or I’ll never get out of your bed. Then we will be fucked and not in a good way. What time is it?”
D’Angelo looks at his elegant Rolex watch with a flourish. “It’s only seven thirty.”
Shit.
“Only…?” I clench my hands. “The meeting’s at the arena at nine thirty.”
“That gives us time. An entire two hours.”
I stop my panicked glancing around. “What do you mean us?”
D’Angelo swivels around on the bed, slinging his long legs over the side. “You didn’t think that I’d let you go into a meeting with coach by yourself, did you? We’re in this together. I’m the team’s captain. If coach wants you to continue to handle us and kick our asses—”
“Manage you,” I correct.
“Then I want to be in on that. I’m mentoring Shay and becoming Eden’s boss. This is our family. I’m going to be in control of that.”
D’Angelo always needs to be in control. If Dad let him, he’d be bossing around the staff at Bay Rebels too, including its billionaire owner.
“My phone…?” I ask.
“Bedside table, top drawer. You abandoned it, and it slipped down the side of the couch. But there’s no panic. Shay should be out of the shower.” D’Angelo flashes a seductive grin. “Why don’t you take a shower, then I can join you?”
I drag open the bedside table and pull out my phone.
Everyone else feels like their lost kid has been found, when they find their lost iPhone, right?
The panic is real.
“It’s okay for you because you simply shrug yourself into a suit like it’s a glove. But it takes me time to, well, still look like a hot mess. A power dressed one.”
D”Angelo’s arctic blue gaze is piercing. “You’re always beautiful to me, principessa.”
“Sweet but also, not helpful.”
Unlocking the phone, I steel myself, before glancing down at the messages.
Two missed already from THE GRILL SERGEANT.
I decided to change his name from DAD in my contacts.
With our position increasingly in the spotlight and heightened security awareness, it means that if someone finds or steals my phone, they won’t be able to pretend to him that I’ve been kidnapped.
They also won’t know who he is under my contacts.
THE GRILL SERGEANTsums up both Dad’s BBQ and interrogation skills.
He actually uses both skill sets as a coach. Sometimes at the same time in his infamous team cookouts at his lake house.
D’Angelo pales. “How bad is it?”
I sink onto the bed. “Bad.”
THE GRILL SERGEANT (05:47): Are you up? Don’t forget this morning. Do NOT be late
I wince, clenching my jaw.
I force myself to look at the second message.
THE GRILL SERGEANT (06:01): Reply, unless you’re dead. Reply, EVEN IF YOU’RE DEAD. Zombies can text too
Then the third.
THE GRILL SERGEANT (06:16): If J, S, and E screw up this season, their asses are on the line
Horrified, I stare at the last two messages.
Dad sent them over an hour ago.
How can I pull off that I haven’t forgotten the meeting now?
Plus, how is Dad so certain that zombies can text?
When the phone vibrates, I throw it onto the pillow like it’s a snake, which is about to bite me.
D’Angelo raises an unimpressed eyebrow. “Unless he messaged to say that we’re being executed before practice today, then you should read that.”
I gingerly pick up the phone and glance at it.
THE GRILL SERGEANT (07:37): You better not still be in bed *unamused face emoji*
I eep.
Parental third eye.
Terrifying.
I jump up from the bed, clutching the phone to my chest, just to be careful.
I truly hope that Dad doesn’t develop the all-seeing parental third eye because if he ever saw the way that I writhed with the twins’ tongues on my pussy, while D’Angelo dirty talked and commanded us all like a devil master of ceremonies, then I don’t think that any of us would recover from the trauma.
I hurriedly type a response.
RH (07:38):I’m up. I’ll be at the meeting *thumbs up*
I groan.
Did I really just add a thumbs up? The most passive aggressive of emojis?
Now my message has a sarcastic edge to it.
Too late.
“I’m getting dressed.” I start toward the door. “I sent Dad a thumbs up. What the hell is wrong with me? We truly had better not be late now.”
“We won’t.” D’Angelo fluidly rises to his feet, smoothing down his jacket. “Remember that as intense as the next few weeks will be, nothing matters more than you to me, principessa. This love that we’re exploring with Shay is too important to me to risk. I won’t let coach bully us into a panic. This meeting was meant to keep us on our toes. It wasn’t prearranged beyond coach’s out of the blue text. He knew that we’d be celebrating getting into the team and likely up all night.”
I hesitate with my fingers around the cool handle; my feet sink into the plush carpeting. “Huh, you’re right. Dad’s ruthless. You know, with a gruff heart of gold underneath. It’s exactly the sort of dickish move that he’d pull.”
D’Angelo runs his hands through his curls, pushing them into place. “I can be a dick as well. I fight to protect those who I love. I’ll do that to give our relationship time to breathe.”
I understand what he’s saying. But it’s going to be hard.
“Breathe in secret,” I say, “at least for the time being. Press interest is at an all-time high on the Bay Rebels, and we’re trying to hide that the coach’s daughter is sleeping with both the Captain, the star player, and his recently injured twin.”
“You were always a high achiever. Although, I’m sleeping with the star player as well.” D’Angelo strolls to me, grasping my hand. “One of the reasons that I suggested these dates is because we’re at different stages. I’ve known that I’ve loved you for years and I’ve been openly bisexual for a while. But our Shay’s only just found his place between us both. He’s started his journey, discovering about himself and his sexuality. The press could tear him apart, before he’s ready.” D’Angelo’s gaze becomes fierce. “I won’t allow that. And Eden’s a virgin. He hasn’t been in any relationship before.”
“Then Eden and I will need to go slower. Eden hadn’t kissed anyone before me. I want to explore things at his speed. He’s introverted but he’s so intense that I can feel as connected with him after an hour, as spending an entire day with his brother.”
“But then, Shay’s like a roller coaster, both thrilling and fun to ride.” D’Angelo raises my hand and presses his cool lips to the back of my knuckles. “Do you think that we should get Eden a cat?”
“You can’t put the image into my head of riding Shay and then innocently talk about gifting Eden a pet. By the way, he’d fucking love a cat.”
D’Angelo hums. “I’ll think about it. Now, you should at least eat some breakfast, before we go to the meeting. Eden’s taken the time to prepare it, and his love language is taking care of us, especially by feeding us.”
I fling open the door, preparing to march into the corridor.
My nose scrunches up at the heavenly scent of coffee, which is wafting through the house from the kitchen. “Fuck, I feel like I’m about to have my first coffeegasm of the day. Come on then, what are you waiting for?”
I peer impatiently over my shoulder at D’Angelo.
Doesn’t he realize, even after everything that I’ve said, that we’re in a rush?
D’Angelo’s looking like he’s trying hard not to laugh, as he leans in the doorway. “I love the idea of you eating breakfast naked each day, but you may want to put on some clothes first.”