34

“You think you could refer to me as ‘Weston: Official Team Sex God’ when you quote me?”

“Uh, that’ll be a strong no from me.” 

I roll my eyes as I sit in the Treehouse living room Saturday afternoon after the guys’ second to last season game—yet another win—and try with all my might to refrain from punching Weston in the face. 

I’m getting the final few pieces of information for the article: a couple tidbits and comments from some of Vaughn’s roommates. I planned for this to take about twenty to thirty minutes tops, but I’ve been here for almost forty and we haven’t even gotten started. These guys are a handful. I thought it was tough to get Vaughn to focus, but his teammates are about ten thousand times worse. Getting them in the same room is proving impossible, and I’m wondering how the hell their Coach deals with them. 

Weston crosses his arms behind his head and grins, those charming dimples popping on his cheeks. “So that means you’ll think about it then? Awh thanks, baby.” 

I raise my brows and shoot Vaughn a look that screams Get these idiots under control or you’ll be dealing with me later. Our telepathic communication is right on point and the message is received loud and clear. 

He glares daggers at Weston. “For fuck’s sake, Paine, drop the cute shit or I’ll see to it you don’t get a mention in the piece at all. And while you’re at it, drop the baby crap, too.”  He walks up behind my chair and bends down, kissing me on top of the head. “Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but she’s taken.”

Weston shrugs his shoulders and lets out a disgruntled sigh. “Fine, man. Whatever. Look, can we speed this shit up? I have a smokin’ hot blonde waiting for me in my bedroom who’s fucking dying for the Paine experience, and that’s a helluva lot more tempting than this.” He turns to me. “No offense, bab- Rayne.”

“None taken. I’m with you, Weston. I want to get this done so I can get out of here and put the final draft together. Okay, seriously, where are Cam and Liam?” I look around for the other two who I swear were just here a few minutes ago, but have since vanished into thin air.

Ellie jumps off the couch. “I’ll find them. I’m sure they’re elbow deep in that huge bucket of buffalo wings Erika dropped off earlier.”

Thirty seconds later she’s dragging them in, both holding plates filled to the brim with sauce-drenched chicken wings.

“Oh shit, those look good. I’ll be right back,” Weston says, hopping up from the couch cushion. I quickly jump up from my chair and hold my arms out wide, blocking his path.

“I don’t think so. Sit down, shut up, and let’s finish this. Your reward for this quick interview can be buffalo wings and blonde bombshells. The faster we finish, the faster you get to the good stuff.”

“But I’m fucking starving,” he whines, trying to sidestep me.

I mimic his step, refusing to let him pass.

“That’s too damn bad. Sit. Your. Ass. Down.”

Cameron and Liam let out a chorus of “Ooohs” as they sit down on the sectional, entertained by the conversation.

Weston’s hazel eyes widen and he jerks his head back in surprise. “Holy fuck, Steel. You got yourself a feisty one. She’s like a miniature Ellie.”

Ellie reaches her leg out and gently kicks him in the calf. I turn to Vaughn who shoots me a grin. “Don’t mess with her, man. She’s more than just feisty. You don’t want her going all thunderstorm mode on you. It’s frightening.”

I nod in agreement and attempt an intimidating face. “Yeah, watch out. You should definitely fear me.”

Weston rakes his fingers through his wind-blown hair and reluctantly sits back down.

“It’s like thunder, lightning, the way Rayne is frightening,” Cameron sings out, waving a chicken wing in tune with his song. He frowns when we all quirk a brow at him. “Seriously? None of you guys know that?”

I think we’re finally ready to begin when I notice Liam turning on the TV.

“Liam! Noooo!” I groan as I run my hands through my hair in an exasperated fashion. I feel a strand pull out and I inspect it, half expecting it to be gray from the amount of stress these idiots are putting me through.

He frowns. “Arsenal vs. Man U is on in fifteen minutes, Rayne. I don’t want to miss the beginning.”

“Fucking turn it off,” Weston mumbles, but Liam either doesn’t hear or chooses not to listen.

I take a deep, calculated breath, trying to calm myself when Cameron speaks up. “Put it on mute for now, Full English. Compromise, bro.”

Liam obeys and I mouth a quick thank you to Cam who has just saved everyone from the Wrath of Rayne. I press play on my recorder, flip open my laptop, and clap my hands together. “Okay, let’s get started.”

I spend the next ten minutes rattling off some questions to each of them about their season so far, preparation for playoffs, and their plan for coming out on top of the College Cup podium this year. I'm glad they're a talkative bunch, giving me dozens of animated statements and wild predictions that will flow nicely in the piece. Of course, the majority of these answers are inappropriate and laced with curse words, so I’ll be heavily editing their comments this weekend to make them school-paper suitable.

I skim my notes quickly, making sure I’ve got all the information I need before asking the final question on my list.

“Last one and then you're free. What are you plans for after graduation? Professional soccer? Other career paths?”

Liam and Cameron answer immediately, both confident that their futures will include them playing the sport at a professional level just like Vaughn, but Weston remains unusually quiet.

When he still hasn’t said anything, I directly address him. “Any plans, Weston?”

Before he can respond, Liam points to the TV screen and answers for him. “There’s his future right there. Paines play for Arsenal. That’s his brother and dad on the pitch right now.”

I turn my attention to the screen. There's a middle-aged man in a tailored suit chatting with an attractive player whom I recognize from one of the many Arsenal posters on Stone’s wall. I’m shocked when the puzzle pieces attach in my mind.

“Wait, Rhett Paine is your brother?” I question incredulously, surprised I never connected the dots or heard about this until now.

Weston’s eyes are dark, brows scrunched together as he gives me a curt nod.

“And his dad’s the team manager and former Arsenal star, Robert Paine,” Liam continues like he’s giving me a family history lesson.

“He’s basically an Arsenal legacy,” Ellie interjects cheerily, sounding like a proud mother.

I’m still gazing at Weston, his mouth in a tight line as he watches his family on the screen with an unreadable expression. 

He abruptly jerks out of his seat. “Yeah, I don’t really want to be quoted for that last question, Rayne. We done now?” His terse response catches me off guard, but I nod and assure him I won’t.

After he’s left, I look around at the guys and Ellie, completely confused. “Um, what just happened?”

They all shrug. “He always gets super bitchy when talking about his brother. Don’t take it personally.”

Before I can pry further, Liam and Ellie head to the kitchen to grab more wings, and Cameron stretches his shoulders out as he glances over at me.

“When can we expect the final product, Sportscaster Girl? Do we get a sneak preview?”

I stand up, placing my laptop in my bag. “Sorry, but nope.”

“Only me, dude,” Vaughn says as he tries to sneak his arms around my waist.

I lightly snort as I swat him away. “No, not even you, Vaughn. You guys can see the final product when everyone else does. No special soccer team privileges here.”

Suspicion gleams in Cameron’s gray eyes. “How do we know you didn’t shit talk us the whole article?”

I roll my eyes, annoyed at the ridiculous accusation. “Oh please, Cam. And what exactly am I going to shit talk about? Your current undefeated season? Your record number of shutouts? Your insanely high team average of three goals per game?”

When I see the wide grins that appear on both of the guys’ faces, I realize my mistake. Stroking these two’s already oversized egos was so not what I planned to do.

“Well, shit, we’re fucking awesome. When you lay it all out like that, you’re totally right. It’s not even possible to talk crap about us,” Cameron remarks, exchanging a cocksure fist bump with Vaughn. “Thanks for the reminder.”

I scoff. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Too late.” He grins and starts making his way up the stairs, leaving Vaughn and I alone in the living room.

He's still decked out in his uniform, and I make no effort to disguise the fact that I'm checking him out from head-to-toe: slightly pink, sun-kissed cheeks, cobalt blue fabric against golden skin, a few grass stains on his knees, and white athletic socks bunched down around his ankles. Just the sight of him sends spirals of pleasure zipping through my bloodstream.

Some girls prefer their men dressed to the tens in suits and ties while some go gaga over the casual sweats and t-shirt, but me? I like my guy fresh off the field, repping his team colors and looking like pure perfection.

Vaughn notices me giving him a once over. His teeth tug on his bottom lip in amusement as he walks closer.

“You sure I don't get a special edition early article?” he asks smoothly, obviously trying to woo me in my vulnerable state.

“Nope. What makes you think you're so special?” I give him a playful poke in the chest. He grabs my hand and pulls me into him, pressing every inch of that glorious body against mine.

He smells like fall air, clean male sweat, and the tiniest hint of sunscreen and it's freaking intoxicating. I lean in and breathe deeply, using all of my self control not to moan out loud.  

“I’m Steel Fucking Blue. Pretty sure that makes me special.” I laugh into his chest, but that laugh transforms into a small gasp as he tilts my head up and molds his mouth against mine, gently nipping at my bottom lip with his teeth. “Anything I can do to convince you?” 

Damn. I think this guy could legitimately convince me the Earth is flat with those perfect lips and expressive eyes.

I wrap my arms around his neck and turn that fleeting kiss up a few levels on the heat index, not caring that anyone could walk in at any moment. His large hands glide down my back, coming to a rest in the curve just above my butt. When I feel him hardening against me, heat and excitement rush to my core, his arousal propelling mine into overdrive. I thread my fingers through his soft hair and he breaks the kiss, leaning down to brush his lips against the column of my neck. 

“You wanna go upstairs?” he mutters, his husky voice and cloudy eyes causing my body to scream YES YES YES.

Unfortunately, my stupid mind is on the opposite page, a lecturing voice demanding I go home and finish the feature right away. And even though there’s nothing I want more than to head right up to his bedroom, my mind ultimately wins out over my body’s pleas.

I let out a disgruntled exhale, reluctantly pulling away from him. “You know I want to, but I've really got to go and get this finished.”

He closes his eyes as he rubs the back of his neck, features taut with the same sexual frustration I’m feeling. His eyelids flutter open and he gives a quick nod. “Understood. I don't want to distract you from your internship-worthy work.”

“Internship-worthy? God, I hope so.” I mumble, letting that last minute anxiety slip through. Although I'm confident in my work, self-doubt always seems to cripple me in the days leading up to due dates.

He cocks his head at my anxious tone. “Hope? There's no hope involved, babe. It's going to be great and you know it.”

 When I give him a weak smile in return, he frowns and immediately tugs me back into his grasp, cocooning his strong arms around me in a comforting embrace. 

“Try not to be so stressed, baby. If this is even half as good as any of your other articles, you've got that internship in the bag. And I'm not just saying that. You're so fucking talented, Rayne. Don't let doubt get you down.” 

He rubs my back and I melt against him, his encouraging words helping me to relax. 

“Thanks,” I mumble into his chest. “You know, you're kinda good at these pep talk things. You'd make a good coach.” 

I lift my head and kiss him again. After a few seconds, he groans and gently pushes me off. 

“Okay, you need to leave now because I'm about half a second from bending you over and fucking you right here on the couch, and I'm not about to give my roommates a free show. So get going.” 

With that, he throws my bag over one shoulder and grabs me by the waist, tossing me effortlessly over his other shoulder as he carries me to the front hall.

He sets me down in front of the door. “When do you think you'll be done?” he questions, handing me my bag. 

“It'll probably take me the rest of the night to add in the stuff from today, and then tomorrow I'll be reading over and editing it a billion times until it's up to my standards. Definitely should be done by tomorrow night,” I say assuredly. 

Technically, I’ve been “done” for a while, barring today’s interview. But with my perfectionist tendencies, nothing is ever truly done.   

“And when's it due?” 

“Tuesday night at the meeting.” 

“Okay, make me a deal. If you finish everything by Monday night, promise me you'll reconsider coming to the Halloween party.” 

Before I can answer, Ellie pops up behind us and joins the conversation. “Rayne, you have to come to the Treehouse Terror Party! It's by far the best Halloween party at Windhaven and you can't miss it!” 

I chew on the inside of my cheek. Vaughn invited me a week or two ago, but I told him not to count on me being there. 

But now I've got Vaughn and Ellie on my back about going.

Liam walks up and slings his arm around her shoulder. “You better fucking be there, Rayne,” he demands. “Best party of the whole year. Even Parker gets totally smashed.”

Anddd there’s another one to add to the list.

“I don't know. I'll try to make it,” I say, starting to come around to the idea. I'm sure I’ll have the finalized draft done by then, and it’ll be a good way to blow off some steam, almost like a “reward” for completing the feature.

Plus, I spend practically all of my spare time here, so I’m probably a bona fide hostess of the party at this point. 

“Y’all can do a couple's costume!” Ellie suggests enthusiastically. Liam visibly recoils and lets out a low grumble. 

“Fuck, El. We're not doing one again, are we?” 

She hip bumps him. “Quit your whining. Of course we are.” She turns to us. “Last year we were Woody and Buzz. So cute!” 

“Cute?” Liam scowls. "I think the word you're looking for is humiliating, love.” 

I turn to Vaughn. “What's your opinion on couple's costumes?” 

He rubs his chin and lifts his shoulders. “Don't have one. I go as the same thing every year.”

“What's that?” 

“A Windhaven soccer player.” 

“My man.” Liam laughs as he pats Vaughn on the back. 

“Y’all know we have an entire room at Tri Delt filled with costumes,” Ellie says. “One of my sorority sisters is the VP of the drama club, and she 'stores' all the excess theater outfits at the house. You're more than welcome to come scrounge through everything if you decide to come, Rayne.” 

A sly grin creeps across my face. “Actually, I think I'm going to leave that to Vaughn.” I turn to his flabbergasted face. “I’ll definitely make sure I'm at the party if you pick out a couple's costume for us. Let's see what you can come up with.” 

He shakes his head hesitantly. “I don't know about that, Raynie. Isn't picking out the couple costumes the girl's job?” 

I shrug casually, letting out a disinterested yawn. “You know, now that I think about it, I probably won't be able to make it to the party.” 

He holds up his hands in easy defeat. “Fine, fine. You win. I'll go over there tonight and take a look. I may even run by the costume store downtown and see what they have left.” A mischievous smile breaks across his face. “I think I can come up with something you'll appreciate.” 

I quirk a brow as I study his expression. I know that smile and I know it means trouble, so I immediately lay down some ground rules. 

“Nothing inappropriate, Steel. No key-and-lock, plug-and-socket type of crap. And nothing too scandalous. I refuse to parade around in a bra and underwear with a pair of animal ears and call it a costume.” 

He puts on a frown. “Awh shit, babe. You're no fun. You just nixed all of my ideas.”

“Perv.” I stand on my tip toes to give him a quick peck on the cheek before twisting the doorknob to leave. 

“I’ll make sure he keeps it classy!” Ellie calls out after me. I wave as I head out the door, putting my faith in her to keep my crazy boyfriend in line.