Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Foster
“So, what exactly is up your ass lately?” Hayes asks as we sit down on the plane.
Decker and Easton sit across from us.
“He hasn’t even been going out,” Easton says.
“Maybe I don’t want to hang out with you.” I just want this conversation to end.
“You had Stephie willing and waiting.” Easton hasn’t let that one go, and I get it, he was disappointed, but he could go out and get any other woman, so why is he harping on this one?
“Why don’t you get on Decker?”
My brother looks up from his book, and our gazes collide until I tear mine away.
I don’t hate my brother like everyone thinks, but a lot of shit has gone down between us over the years.
Coming to Chicago to his team wasn’t ideal, but I needed to get out of Seattle.
We never had an outright conversation about it, but it was an unspoken agreement that we’d live our lives on opposite sides of the country.
What are the chances that two brothers who didn’t grow up together would end up in the pros? Unlikely, but we’ve been good at keeping our distance since I’m pretty sure we both resent one another for different reasons.
“Don’t pull me into it.” Decker goes back to his book.
“Decker will end up with some sweet girl he meets at the dog park or something.” Easton elbows him and laughs.
“Speaking of, what’s up with the dance moves with my sister the other night?” Hayes asks.
My jaw clenches, and I lift my gaze to see a smile on Decker’s face that has a hint of competition in it.
Fuck him.
“I thought you and Leighton were having relations in the back alley?” Easton laughs.
“Relations? How old are you?” I shake my head at him.
Easton shrugs. “Well, it doesn’t seem polite to say fucking now.”
Even Decker looks at Easton with a what the fuck expression.
Easton holds up his hands. “I’m a gentleman.”
“So do you ask the women you bring home really nicely to please get down on their knees and kiss your pee pee?” Hayes asks.
We all laugh and even Decker snickers.
“I’m just saying Leighton is in a different category now. She’s in the wife category.”
All of our eyebrows rise.
“You’re kind of scaring me now.” I give him a what the fuck look.
“And if he says that, then there’s a real problem.” Decker throws shade at me, but I let it go because I’m exhausted from the beef I already had with him today.
“I’m just saying, talking about you fucking Leighton seems wrong now that she’s gonna be your wife.” He shrugs one shoulder.
We all laugh again.
“Jesus, Kodiak, who would have thought?” Hayes says.
I lean forward. “I have a question then. So, are you thinking that once you get married, you’ll change fucking to making love?”
Easton shakes his head. “I’m not giving you pointers on my dirty talk, Reap, but I’m just saying, I’m not going to ask you if you gave your wife a good fuck last night. It’s impolite.”
Hayes and I share a look. “Leighton wouldn’t care. I won’t give details, but rest assured, there was no making love the other night at the club. It was definitely fucking happening against that brick wall in the alley.”
Easton raises his hands again. “That’s fine if you want to say it, but I’m not going to.”
“That’s very admirable of you, and I don’t mean to be a dick about it. There are a lot of nights Leighton and I have relations that aren’t about fucking.”
“Sap,” I murmur.
“Just wait and see if you ever find her, you’ll see how much more—”
Easton points at me. “That is my point. She’s your person, the one. It sounds disrespectful.”
“We get it. Let’s move on.” I don’t wanna sit here and talk about any of their sex lives. I’ve never been one to really trade stories about the women I sleep with. Speaking of which, I pull my phone out of my pocket and see that Becca hasn’t gotten back to me from my text this morning.
“All right,” Easton says. “Let’s talk about why you’re not picking up women or going to clubs anymore.”
Hayes turns in his seat to face me. Decker closes his book. All three pairs of eyes are on me now.
“Are you keeping a tally for me?” I lift my phone. “I apologized about the Stephie and Millie thing. And I might call her when we get back to Chicago.”
“It’s just weird. I mean, your reputation precedes you,” Easton continues.
I think he thought that with Hayes now with Leighton and Decker never having been a guy who picks up women at clubs, I was going to be his wingman. But I don’t need a wingman.
“I’m meeting with a woman tonight.” Maybe that will shut them up.
“Becca?” Hayes asks. “She’s still around, huh?”
“Whoa, whoa. whoa. You have a steady?” Easton’s hands go up in the air.
Hayes chuckles. “Foster is more of a one-woman-in-every-city kind of guy.” I cut him a look, and he shrugs. “They’re our friends. They’ll ask me later, so just tell them now.”
“You started it. You can fill them in.” I wave for him to go ahead.
“Just what I said. He has one woman in every city who he hooks up with when he’s in town. So he won’t be going out tonight, he’ll be with Becca from San Diego.”
Easton throws his head back and stares at me. “Really? That’s kind of genius.”
“And they know the score?” Decker asks. Of course he always assumes the worst of me.
I side-eye him and nod. “They get it. No strings.”
Easton nods as though he’s starting to see the benefit of it. “What if you don’t want Becca from San Diego when you get there?”
“If I didn’t, I never would’ve reached out. She knows the deal. We hook up while I’m in town, and when I leave, there’s no texting or calls until I’m coming back to town.”
Easton’s eyes are wide. “Fuck, you really are a playboy.”
I sit up straighter. Hayes is smiling and not because he thinks it’s cool, more because he thinks it’s funny that Easton’s mind is churning right now.
Hayes was never into that. He was my wingman for that one year, and I kind of pushed away my time with the women because he needed me.
Now he’s all happy and half married, so it’s time to stop thinking about Callie and get back to my regularly scheduled programming.
“Why would you say I’m a playboy? I’m not lying to them.
I make sure they’re okay with it before we do anything, and if I think one of them is starting to get feelings, I end it before anyone gets hurt.
The word playboy pisses me off. Every one of us here has hooked up with women we just met.
Calling me a playboy means I’m giving the impression that there might be hope of something more. ”
“Eh…” Decker says, clearly not agreeing with me.
Of course he doesn’t. He never does.
“I’m kind of with Deck, man. You’re still a playboy,” Hayes chimes in, and when I give him a cutting look, he raises his hands. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but I wouldn’t want you dating my sister.”
And there it is. What Hayes really thinks of me.
“And me?” Easton asks.
Hayes points from me to him. “You’re one and the same.
It’s not about who you sleep with or how many women you sleep with, it’s the fact that you don’t want a relationship.
I get that Callie doesn’t take a lot of shit, and she’s snarky as hell sometimes, but she’s my sister.
I want her to be with someone who sees her worth.
Who will take the time to dig through those hard layers and let her trust him with the softness underneath. ”
“Fuck, I’m gonna cry.” Easton blots at pretend tears.
I say nothing because fuck, if I didn’t think I was the man for her before, now I know for sure I’m not. I’ve never been that for a woman, nor have I ever wanted to be. Hell, I’ve never even done it for myself.
“I guess Goldie is it then.” Easton elbows Decker.
“I wouldn’t date a teammate’s sister,” he mumbles, opening his book back up. “It’s not like that with us anyway.”
“Your thigh was on her pussy the other night,” Easton says.
Again, my teeth grind as I remember how he spun her around and how happy she looked.
It was what soured me on sleeping with Stephie that night.
And when I told her I was tired and would be going home alone after the club, she got upset and grabbed Millie then left.
But I’m not telling any of these guys that.
Hayes narrows his eyes at Easton. “Okay, if you’re going to have respect for who Leighton is to me, the same goes for my sister.”
Easton smirks, but nods. “Sorry, Decker’s thigh was very close to her lady parts.”
Hayes narrows his eyes. “Let’s not talk about my sister. Decker said they’re not like that, so let’s just drop the Callie topic.”
I inhale and rest my head on the back of the seat. I’m hoping my night with Becca will be successful in ridding Callie from my head. She’s the complete opposite of Callie. Becca has blond hair, bright blue eyes, and she’s very thin since she’s trying to be a model.
Whereas Callie has dark-brown hair with a slight wave, and her eyes are dark and fierce.
And fuck, her curves… her hips were made for my hands.
I know from the way my fingers wound around them as I thrust into her.
And her tits. Where Becca’s are barely a handful, Callie’s are plenty more than a handful.
So I decided I needed the exact opposite of Callie, so I don’t think of her while I’m drilling into another woman tonight. Then my head will be back on what matters most. Baseball.
Easton puts his headphones in and gets out his phone. Decker goes back to his book, and Hayes turns toward the window, his eyes already shutting. I have no idea how he keeps up with the demands of his life.
I close my eyes too, trying to think about anything but her.
By the time we land, I’ve been unsuccessful, but at least I have a game to prepare for that will serve as a distraction. As we file off the plane and onto the bus, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
Becca. Finally.
I pull her message up and find a picture. Perfect. She’s always good for a great tease of what I can expect tonight.
I open it, and it’s not her in skimpy lingerie or even a titty pic. It’s her left hand raised with a giant diamond on her ring finger.
“What the fuck?” I mumble.
Another message pops up right after.
I’m engaged! Getting married in August.
I could see if any of my friends are down to party…
No. Congratulations. He’s a lucky guy. Have a great life.
She messages me back, but I pocket my phone and get on the bus, not bothering to look at it. My mood going to shit really fast.