Chapter 3
COOPER
“And how did you manage that?” Emmett asks me, his eyebrow nearly floating above his head.
“It’s just my charm,” I smirk, extending my arms before folding them over my chest and leaning back in my chair.
The honest answer is that I have no idea how the fuck I did it. Getting permission to film a reality show before the season starts, and, well, while the season is in progress, isn’t unheard of, but it was hard to pitch it when it wasn’t coming from a sports-centered program, that’s for sure.
I got away with it by the skin of my teeth, and I’m still not quite convinced that there isn’t a serious but in there somewhere.
You can do the show, but you also have to rub Warner’s feet after every game.
You can do the show, but you have to kiss Coach’s literal bare ass every time Warner throws you the ball.
You can do the show, but you actually just need to drown yourself in the ocean before Coach gets his hands around your neck.
One thing is for sure, I’m a lucky bastard.
“When does it start filming?” Leo questions, shoveling chicken into his mouth like some kind of human piranha.
I wince. “I can’t actually say.”
The boys look at each other. “Why?” Leo asks.
“NDA.” I shrug, popping a peanut into my mouth.
Leo’s lips thin. “So I take it that means we’re not going to hear anything from here on out?”
Smiling, I shrug again. Everything from here on out is on a need-to-know basis, and these two do not need to know.
“Can we at least go out tonight?” Leo pouts.
“Lulus?” I sit up, collecting my trash. It’s been a productive day, but I have one more big thing to do.
“Yeah. You said you have an appointment?” Emmett glances at his watch.
“Yeah.”
“How about we meet at nine? I’ll check in with Heidi.”
I know I need to bite my tongue. I know that it’s better to say nothing at all. But if I were good at either of those things, I wouldn’t get into half the trouble I find myself in. “She really does have you by the balls, man.”
Emmett’s eyes narrow, his jaw ticking once before he decides that I’m not worth it.
There’s something about her that makes him absolutely feral. Calm, cool, and collected, Emmett losing his cool any time someone even looks at her wrong.
Not that anyone would. But the last time I questioned him about the new rock around his neck, he blew a fuse and started yelling about how it actually may have healing properties and will help him with his focus.
Alright.
With a smack on my shoulder and another on the back of my head, my friends leave me to take care of my last order of business.
My feet hit the shiny hardwood floor, and all of the stress I’ve had about finding a home fades.
“Thank you so much for doing business with me,” Roger says, shaking my hand. His voice bounces off the walls of the large, empty space overlooking the inner harbor.
He leaves me to it, and I make my way to the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, my hands in my pockets as I take in my new view.
This place is ten times nicer than Warner’s place. Mostly because, unlike him, I waited until my contract was extended to buy a place.
Sure, he got a pretty big rookie contract, and mine was far from it. But my old apartment was an absolute piece of shit compared to his place.
But this one?
The nicest bachelor pad I’ve ever stepped foot in, and I’ve been to some insane parties.
I can see Warner’s place across the bay, which is the only downside. I wouldn’t put it past him to sit at his window with a telescope trying to spy on me.
The aquarium seems a stone’s throw away, and I can see the stadium in the distance.
I still haven’t seen this place at night, but I know that seeing both the Vipers’ stadium and the Cobras lit up with their colors is going to be one of my favorite parts of living here.
To the left is Federal Hill, where Leo and I have gone running in the off-season in an attempt to burn off all his shitty ass pizza he scarfs down.
Over three million dollars later, and I finally have a place to call home in the city I’ve been residing in for years now.
Smiling, I roll my shoulders back, the odd, itchy, scratchy feeling from my new tattoos healing, sending a shiver down my spine.
Tomorrow the movers will bring all my belongings, and although there aren’t enough things in my small shitbox of an apartment to fill up even a quarter of this one, it’ll be enough until my designer gets here in a few days to work her magic.
When I was a kid, this was something I could only dream of. Nothing that would ever actually happen. Not in a million years.
But getting into the league was a pipe dream at one point, too.
I was never good with money. Never good at, well, making good decisions in general. I was always the kid who was a little too goofy for his own good. Always running around the beach in the winter with no shoes, on the verge of getting frostbite.
I wasn’t what you called the smartest kid.
I still don’t think I am.
But for whatever reason, the series of events that panned out decided to grace me with a shit ton of money. Money I haven’t even started spending.
And now I have accepted this deal for the reality show. What that’s going to bring, I’m not sure. But definitely not honor to my family, or, well, my sister. Definitely not even a single shred of dignity for me.
I can only assume that the show is going to go about as bad as that time A—shit… she dared me to eat five large Kohr Bros cones. Creamsicle.
I still can’t look at a twist the same without feeling something deep in my gut stirring.
My phone beeps in my pocket, and I pull it out, watching as Warner’s name flashes along with a photo of his ass.
“Yeah?” I ask, the phone on speaker.
“You coming out?”
I look at the time. “You guys went early?”
“Yeah. It’s half-priced beer,” he says.
There’s a voice in the distance who yells, “Plus, Briar kicked his ass out of the house!”
Leo groans, and I chuckle. “Only because she and Isla are having some kind of weird movie night. I don’t know. I’m pretty sure they’re watching the same movie over and over. I don’t ask questions anymore. I just take orders.”
Funny how all my friends get girlfriends and all of a sudden they become terrified of asking questions, but whatever. These are the same guys who will yell profanities that would make your grandma cry at other players on the football field.
“I’ll be right down. You and Crosby getting there now?”
“We’re leaving the building now. See you soon.” He hangs up, and I look around one more time before grabbing my bag, changing into something a little more comfortable, and heading out.
Lulu’s is always the best place to go during the week. Weekends? Not so much. But during the week, they have the best specials, the best music, and of course, the best bartenders.
“You doing anything tonight?” I ask Bethany, one of the women who has been here the longest.
“If you really want someone to peg you, just say that.” The middle-aged vixen winks.
I grin wickedly, something stirring inside of me at the thought. I don’t think I would ask for it, but if it were to ever happen, I’m not sure I’d hate it.
“So, I’m guessing that’s a no,” I lean against my hand as I watch her pour my beer.
Bethany rolls her eyes, sliding the drink toward me. I take it with a nod, sipping on the top so it doesn’t overflow.
Returning to the guys, we watch the crowded room fill with people. The weeknights are generally pretty sleepy here, but summertime means the Vipers have games nearly half the month, and people are always looking for a place to grab a beer and celebrate after their wins.
And besides, sometimes people just want to get out.
“So I got a place today,” I tell the guys as I set my drink down on the table.
Leo eyes me suspiciously. “Please don’t tell me it’s the place you mentioned the other day.”
A sly smile spreads across my lips as the color drains from his face. “Yep.”
Owen’s eyes bounce from Leo to me and back again, his brows creeping up higher and higher on his face with each pass. “What are you talking about? Where did you get a place?”
“Well, I bought a place. For three million dollars.”
Leo and Crosby look at each other as Emmett slides through the crowds of people, coming to a stop in front of us.
“Good, you’re here,” I say, slapping him on the arm. “I was just telling these morons that they have a new neighbor.”
Emmett frowns. “You moved into their building?”
Leo’s elbows hit the surface, burying his face in his hands. “Worse,” he nearly cries.
“I’m right across the harbor,” I tell him with a smirk, watching the new information hit Owen in the face.
Owen Crosby and Leo Warner weren’t always neighbors. It wasn’t until Owen was caught fucking Leo’s sister that he moved in, but not before Leo nearly wrecked his life.
A year later, Leo got his revenge when he started sleeping with Owen’s sister.
Or, fell in love, or whatever. He denies it's revenge, but I’m not sure who would believe him.
Everything worked out fine, and Briar and Isla are super close, which is only annoying to Leo and Owen because they regularly have girls' nights with Briar’s daughter and their other friends.
Their other friends who always seem to be at Leo’s place.
Their other friends who don’t seem to know the history I have with one of their friends.
I take a sip of my beer, trying not to feel a little insulted at the fact that she’s apparently never told them about me. Never told them about our childhood.
But maybe I should be grateful. Because that probably means they don’t know what I did to her.
Don’t know why she pretends I don’t exist.
Like I’m the worst person she’s ever seen in the world.
“That means you can’t have wild window sex,” I point at Owen. “I’ll be watching.”
He doesn’t look amused. “How do you even know about that?”
I shrug. “I’m one of the girls. Girls gossip. Girls talk.”
It couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m close with Isla. I think we all are after firmly believing she was a man for months in fantasy football.
I genuinely thought I saw her nipples at one time. Well, when she was supposed to be a man.
They were Owen’s nipples.
Honestly, even better than seeing a woman’s. And especially today, I can’t really tell how weird that would be.
But I do know that the two of them have had nasty, kinky window sex more times than I can count, and I can’t promise I won’t see something I don’t want to while I’m spying on him.
“I’m getting curtains,” Crosby murmurs.
“They’ll have to be blackout.”
“I’m getting blackout curtains.”
With a smirk, the boys settle in and start talking about the latest bullshit diet we’re on before the season, and I look around.
The place has filled up fast, and when my eyes land on a pair of familiar ones, my skin turns to ice.
My entire body freezes.
My heart starts beating faster.
She hasn’t even looked in my direction in years. I can’t imagine why she’s gracing me with them now.
“Oh, is that Amara?” Owen asks, waving.
Her eyes leave mine, and a smile immediately illuminates her face.
I wish with more than everything I have that she were smiling like that at me.
She used to.