My Ex’s Roommates: Chapter 23

“You’re late, Turner!” Coach Hogan pointed at me and then at the bleachers. “Run ‘em!”

I swore but did as I was told. In my uniform, running the bleachers was a bitch. It was miserably hot and I felt like throwing up but it at least got my mind off of Harper. When Hogan finally called me off the stairs, he jabbed a finger in my direction and then pointed to the field right in front of him.

“What the fuck kept you from my practice, Turner? You have more important things to do than show up for your team?!” Hogan was spitting mad. “You know who used to show up late? Jake! You want your team to think you’re just another Jake?!”

I straightened to my full height and glared down at him. “I’m nothing like Jake, sir!”

“Prove it! Get out there and show your teammates that you’re fucking dedicated to this team!”

I bit back the need to fight back and did what he said. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t my instinct to follow rules but playing sports had taught me the benefit of listening. I took the chastising and worked my ass off the rest of the practice to prove that my head was where it was supposed to be. Even if a part of it really wasn’t.

Hogan pulled me aside after practice before I could snag Dylan and Carter to tell them about Harper. He sat me down on the bench and sighed. “Why were you late?”

I glanced around to make sure we were alone and quickly explained to him where I’d been and why I was late. I waited for him to snap at me for letting a woman distract me but he surprised me.

“That Monroe is something else. After Jake pulled his shit, I wasn’t going to let her stand on my field. I was sure she had to have known something. She asked me to get my head out of my ass and use the tools her program was providing, i.e. her. She told me off and she was right for it.” He looked out across the field and sighed. “Dylan said she’s helped with a few plays.”

I wasn’t sure where things were going with our conversation but I nodded along like I did. “Yeah. She’s smart. She sees things that we don’t sometimes.”

“Dylan seems sweet on her.” Hogan watched my face closely and read whatever microexpression crossed it. “That’s what I thought. You are, too.”

I opened my mouth to deny it but stopped just short. I didn’t like lying.

“And I’d have to be blind to not see the way Carter follows her around like a puppy when she’s on the sidelines.” Letting out a deep sigh, Hogan patted my shoulder. “You three boys are going to have to figure that out and soon. This team is just now starting to feel like a team again and if the three of you come to blows over a woman, we might as well hang up our helmets and go home now. I said the same thing to Dylan and I’ll say the same thing to Carter. Be careful to not lose your head over this girl.”

I wasn’t sure what to say.

“I’m considering offering Monroe a paid position. I need to know that you boys aren’t going to blow things up before I do that, though. Figure it out and let me know.”

I watched as he stood up and walked away. I hadn’t been expecting that conversation in the slightest. I told myself to sit there and wait on Carter and Dylan so we could have the conversation and figure out what the hell we were doing but the thought of Harper taking care of herself at home made me hesitate. There was something there between me and Harper. I wanted to know what it was before I went into any conversation with my best friends.

I hung back until the locker room was mostly empty and then I rushed through showering and getting dressed. I knew that the team was headed to a party for one of the guys’ birthday but I was headed back home.

I dropped my stuff at the front door and jogged up the steps, going straight to her door. “Harper?”

She didn’t answer and my head went to dark places. I shouldn’t have left her alone when she was so upset. Barging into her room to make sure she was okay, I stopped short at the sight of her in front of me. She was on her bed, naked, bent forward as she painted her toenails.

Harper gasped and yanked a blanket over her naked body but I’d already seen most of her and I wasn’t exactly upset about it. “What are you doing?! You scared me! Shut the door, Silas!”

I shut the door behind me and walked closer. I felt like a magnet was drawing me towards her.

“I meant with you on the other side, but sure. Come on in.” She huffed out a breath and cut her eyes at me. “I guess we’re even now.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You got to look for a lot longer than I did.”

“Why’d you bust in here like that?” She was still clutching her polish in one hand. “You made me mess up.”

I got close enough to see that her toenails had been far from perfect before I’d arrived. I frowned at them. “It’s not supposed to be all over like that, is it?”

She made an angry little sound. “I’d like to see you try.”

Getting to be that close to her naked body with my hands on her? I could do that. I pulled my t-shirt over my head and tossed it on the floor before sitting next to her and pulling her feet into my lap. “Pretty sure I could do better in the dark, princess. These are a mess. Do you have that stuff to take it off? I need a real chance at showing off how much better I am than you.”

She was gawking at me. Her eyes went from my chest to her feet and up to my face before making the same path again. “What is happening?”

“You said you’d like to see me try. And I don’t want to get nail polish on my shirt. I like that shirt.”

“I didn’t mean I wanted to see you try on me! I just meant that bending over to paint your nails is harder than you’d think. You don’t need to paint my toenails, Silas!” Her cheeks were flushed. “I’m still naked. Have we talked about that?”

I grinned at her. “Well, we’re here now. You might as well let me fix this. You can’t go out with your toes looking like this, princess. What would people think? Also, we could talk about the fact that you’re naked but I’d like to do your nails before all the blood rushes away from my brain.”

Her lips popped open and her cheeks went darker. “Silas!”

“Where’s the liquid stuff to get this mess off? Chop, chop, princess.” I watched as she carefully leaned over and grabbed cotton balls and a bottle of stuff that smelled like absolute hell. “You okay?”

She watched me closely. “I think so. I think this might oddly be helping.”

I flashed her a grin as I leaned away from the poisonous fumes. “Consider me at your service.”