Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
BEATRICE
Blue hums low in his throat, agreeing with something Baylor’s saying about the Voodoo offense.
I swear, I can feel the rumble vibrate between my hips clear across the table. It hums through my pelvis, building, coiling, until my panties are drenched again and my thighs clench under the table.
Hockey talk over lasagna shouldn’t be a turn-on, but my body—this traitor pumped full of hormones—doesn’t seem to care. It’s determined to latch on to any excuse to think about getting it on.
About Blue’s big hands on my thighs, my hips. About the look in his eyes as he dragged me to the edge of the couch so he could—
“Don’t you think, Bea?” Baylor asks, startling me out of my X-rated fantasy.
Cheeks heating, I reach for my water. “What was that? Sorry, I zoned out. You know that happens when you guys start talking sporty sports.”
I gulp the cool liquid, willing it to ease the fire inside, but the feel of the condensation on the glass only reminds me of the sweat gathering between my breasts.
And how much I want to take my bra off.
How much I want Blue to take my bra off and suck my nipples into his mouth while I ride him in my bed.
Fuck!
I never should have opened that door.
I love my brother, but I should have pretended no one was home. I’m way too close to the edge to be trusted right now. I’m honestly shocked that Bay hasn’t sensed the sexual tension. It’s not exactly subtle.
But then, I’ll always be a gangly twelve-year-old kid who’s never so much as kissed a boy in my brother’s eyes.
Even when I’m as obscenely pregnant as I am right now.
Baylor laughs as he swallows. “We’ve moved on from sporty sports.
” He motions Archer’s way with his fork.
“I was telling Blue he should come to the Harvest Charity ball with Charlotte and me in a few weeks. We don’t have a game that weekend, and it’s at this gorgeous farm about twenty minutes outside of town.
They’re going to have a bonfire and fair games this year, not just dancing, and a bunch of the other single guys from the team are going, too.
So, there’s no need to worry about being a third wheel, and we won’t be the only normal people there. ”
I flash Baylor a crooked smile. “Normal? Is that what they’re calling professional sport stars these days?”
He rolls his eyes. “I meant, we’re not finance bros or high-society pricks. And I’d hardly call us ‘stars.’ I mean, Grammercy and Jean-Louis, maybe, but Blue and I are just solid role players.”
“Speak for yourself,” Blue says, spearing another bite. “My grunt account is a kind of a big deal on Instagram.”
“It is,” I agree, laughing as Baylor continues to look confused. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t know about Grunt Hard?”
“Grunt Hard?” Baylor’s brow furrow deepens. “Do I want to know about that? It sounds nasty.”
“It’s not,” Blue says. “It’s just fans posting game footage.”
“Game footage of Blue grunting loud enough to be picked up on a camera mic. Which he does. A lot.” I make an effort to keep the huskiness from my voice as I tease, “And it is a little nasty.”
“No, it isn’t,” Blue says, with a shake of his head.
“Yes, it is,” I insist. “I guarantee the women driving those videos to a million views aren’t thinking about you grunting while you’re smacking a puck around.
They’re thinking about you grunting while you…
” I clear my throat, forcing my attention back to my lasagna as my cheeks start to burn again. “You know.”
He does know.
And I certainly know. I’ve indulged in repeated watching of the Grunt Hard feed myself a time or two. But that was before that night in Blue’s kitchen, before I knew firsthand that he doesn’t grunt when he’s having sex.
He hums and growls and says the most deliciously filthy things in this matter-of-fact, perfectly Blue sort of way that drives me totally out of my—
“Anyone save room for dessert?” I ask, cutting the thought off before it can dive back into the gutter. Thank God, the boys’ plates are finally clean. The end of this dinner might finally be in sight. “Makena brought some gluten-free cupcakes from her new bakery truck. They look amazing.”
They do look amazing, but I have zero appetite for food right now. I had to force down every bite of salad and lasagna. The only thing I want to devour is the hot-as-hell man blushing as Baylor teases him about being lady-spank-bank material.
But Blue’s off-limits until my brother decides this “checking up on the little sis” visit is over and goes home to his loving fiancée.
With that in my mind, I add, “Or you could take some home for you and Charlotte for later, Bay. I bet she’ll be starving. She never has time to eat when she’s running an event.”
Baylor nods, his eyes lighting up the way they always do when the topic turns to his favorite person.
“Yeah, I might do that, if you don’t mind.
She was bummed that she couldn’t come with me tonight.
She wanted to check in on you and Clover, but her assistant is sick, and she can’t really trust anyone else to take point on big events just yet. ”
“I don’t mind at all,” I say, reaching for my crutches. “Makena brought two dozen. Even if all three of us go ham on them for the next few days, there’s no way we’ll be able to eat them all before they get stale.”
“I’ll take your plate,” Blue says, collecting it from the table before I reach for it. “And get Tupperware for the cupcakes. I know where you keep it.”
“Thanks,” I say, a fizzy feeling rising inside me as I dare to hope that Blue might be as eager to get rid of my brother as I am.
Even half as eager would be a staggering amount.
I honestly wouldn’t wish this level of friskiness on anyone. It’s too much. I feel like a pot about to boil over.
The Scottish mamas who hung out at the pub on summer afternoons, letting their kids play on the swing set while they had a pint, tried to warn me.
They swore that as soon as the morning sickness faded, I’d be “up on the buckle” and “full of the joys.” Eleanor put it more bluntly, insisting, “You’ll be climbing the rigging and any man who’ll stand still long enough, hen.
Best get you a lover before the drouth hits ye full force, or you’ll be clawing at the wallpaper.
I near hand lost my mind waiting for Gerry to get off the ferry when I was big with the last one. ”
I’d laughed it off at the time.
Assumed it was a cultural thing. Or a married woman thing.
In any case, it seemed to pass me by. The morning sickness faded, but my sex drive remained at near rock-bottom levels. Sure, I’d touch myself every now and then, just to make sure everything was still operational down there, but never with much enthusiasm. Or urgency.
But I’m feeling the urgency now, all right.
I really, really am.
If Baylor doesn’t get out of here soon, I might have to go claw at the wallpaper in my room to keep my hands to myself.
Finally, finally, the plates are in the dishwasher, and Baylor is headed for home with a Tupperware container full of cupcakes, circling back to the Harvest Ball benefit as we walk him to the door. “Just let me know if you want a ticket soon, okay? They’re almost sold out.”
“Could I bring a date?” Blue asks, surprising both of us.
I glance up at him, but his calm, steady gaze is fixed on my brother, giving nothing away.
“Um, sure, yeah,” Bay says, rallying quickly. “Of course. I didn’t know you were seeing anyone. Sorry, man.” He exhales. “Guess I’ve been more out of it than I thought. Had no idea you had a girlfriend or that my sister was pregnant.”
“That’s not your fault,” I assure him, glad that he seems more chill about my big “surprise” than he did yesterday on FaceTime when he first found out. But Baylor always does better with emotions after he’s had some time to process. “I was keeping things very private.”
“And I don’t have a girlfriend,” Blue adds, focused, still locked on Bay. “Yet.”
“Yet, huh?” A slow grin spreads across Baylor’s face as he slaps Blue on the arm.
“Good for you, man. That’s what I like to hear.
Glad you’re seeing someone. It’s past time you got back out there.
” He glances my way, adding with a meaningful lift of his brows, “Especially if he has a bunch of women thirsty for his grunts. Someone has to lock him down and protect him from the horny fans.”
“I don’t need protection,” Blue says. “But I will take two tickets to the benefit. It sounds like a good time.”
Baylor nods. “Awesome. I’ll tell Charlotte.
” He collects his duffel bag from beside the entry table, turning back to us as he reaches for the door.
“Tell Clover I stopped by, and that Charlotte and I are on board to help out, too, okay? We know this is going to be a long process, and she’s going to need all her people to pull together to help her through. ”
“Thank you, I will,” I say, my chest filling with gratitude. “That will mean so much to her. I know it does to me. Thanks for being such a great big brother.”
Tucking a crutch under my arm, I reach out, pulling him into an awkward, one-sided hug.
He kisses the top of my head. “Of course, dude. You know I’m always here.
And I’m ready to step up as an uncle, too.
” He pulls back, fixing me with a more pointed look.
“Starting with being there when you tell Mom and Dad if you want. You’ve gotten lucky so far, but sooner or later, the news that you were in a car accident is going to spread outside of Louisiana.
You don’t want them finding out about the accident—or the baby—like that. ”
“I know. You’re right.” I nod, some of the simmer fading from my blood at the thought of spilling the beans about Bean to my parents.
I’m not looking forward to that. At all.
But it has to be done, the sooner the better.
“I’ll try to set something up with them tomorrow,” I promise as Baylor reaches for the door again, “and let you know if I think I need backup.”