Chapter Twenty-Six
Dominic
Dom took another long pull off his second beer. It was going down like water. Today had been a crazy day from the get-go. It started with a flying snake, a fight with Corey, then weird make-up sexting, followed by the worst blue balls he’d ever had, and ended with baseball practice being watched by not only the dean but a couple prospective players and their parents. Dom deserved the beer. His friends obviously felt the same way; they were all on beer number two. He glanced at his phone to check the time again. Corey should be home by now. She said she was finishing up some paperwork and would meet them at the house. He’d left her his truck, and he hoped her and his truck made it here in one piece. He loved them both, not equally but close. When he was about to call and check on her, she pulled into the driveway.
“You let Corey drive your truck? Wow, it must be love.” Baze tipped his beer back again.
“You never let me drive your truck.” Linc stuck his bottom lip out, making him look like a sad little girl.
“There’s a reason I don’t let you drive my truck. You’ve wrecked three vehicles since I’ve known you, and none of them yours. You are a disaster behind the wheel and I can’t believe you are even allowed to have a license.” Dom got up to go greet his mate. She walked up the porch steps and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was rewarded with a steamy kiss. “Baby, you look so hot driving my truck.”
“You sound like a lame country song, Dom,” Keller joked from the porch.
Corey stepped around him to address Keller. “He’s horny. I gave him blue balls earlier, left him hanging with the sexting.” She smacked Dom on the butt as she walked into the house to change clothes.
Keller, Linc, and Baze all started cracking up. “You don’t want the dean to know we had sex, but you can tell my friends I have blue balls from sexting?” Dom called after her.
Corey stuck her head back out to the front porch. “That’s different. The dean is like a grandpa. Your friends are like you, horny.”
“Hey. I resent being called horny on my birthday.” Linc finished his beer. “Speaking of my birthday, can we go to the bar now? That new bartender is hot, and I’m horny.”
Corey rolled her eyes. “We can leave as soon as I change and you four come inside so I can tell you about my talk with Riley.” They all dragged their feet on their way into the house, grumbling about bartenders and whiskey shots.
Corey disappeared into her bedroom and came out a few minutes later wearing tight jeans with her long hair in a messy bun on top of her head. Dom licked his lips then pulled his bottom one through his teeth. He really fucking wished they were alone in the house right now. He wanted to charge across the room, pick her up, then find the nearest wall and fuck her until she couldn’t walk.
“Okay, so what happened with Riley? The short version.” Keller winked. “I want the new bartender for myself.”
“Well, first of all, Riley is cleared to play. He’s your average kid who enjoys playing baseball.”
“Thank god, we can’t have you benching any more of the starting lineup.” Baze looked up at Corey, a sad smile on his face. “I’m sorry, it’s stressful, I know you did what you thought was best. We’re all behind you.” His last comment caused Linc to snort into his beer bottle.
Corey looked over at Linc and shook her head, making him regain his composure. Dom resisted the urge to laugh since it seemed like he wasn’t the only one whipped by his girl.
She continued, “I asked Riley how he liked being part of the team. He said that the whole team was pretty close, that they took care of each other. He told me that he and Jasper had been friends for a long time. I asked him if he was close with Jace too. He said no one was close with Jace and that he never went out of his way to spend any time with anyone on the team.”
“Yeah that’s probably true. A lot of times after practice I’ll see the majority of the team head in one direction and Jace in another,” Keller added.
“I never even noticed that. How did I miss so much?” Dom felt horrible. Was he that focused on the game that he had forgotten about the players?
Keller reached over and slapped his back. “Hey, man, don’t beat yourself up over this. You’re the head coach. You have a lot on your plate. You were giving the kid the benefit of the doubt. You didn’t want something to be wrong with him.”
Corey met his eyes before she kept going with her story. “Riley said that Henderson kept Jasper in his office for hours and when he finally let him go, Jasper was crazy pissed. The next day Jace had his interview, he came into the locker room afterward and told the guys that Henderson wouldn’t be a problem for them anymore. Riley seemed surprised that no one’s heard from Henderson. I think the guys assumed that he quit and moved on.” When Baze opened his mouth to say something, Corey held her hand up, stopping him. “Wait, let me finish, I’m almost done.
“I asked Riley what he thought Jace meant by what he said, and Riley said, ‘I have no idea,’ then he asked me if everything he said to me remained confidential. When I said yes, he said that if Jace were ever to stick up for someone, it would be for himself. I think that Riley thinks the same thing we do. Henderson left three days after his eval with Jace.” Corey sat down on the loveseat next to Baze, throwing her hands out, signaling she was finished.
“Okay.” Baze took a deep breath and leaned back against the cushions. “So Riley thinks that Jace’s comment might have something to do with Henderson leaving. If Riley can put two and two together, then maybe other players will too. Maybe during all the remaining interviews you ask them about Henderson or Jace, never both, and then see what they say?”
“I don’t like that. What if Jace finds out that Corey is bringing him up to the other boys? It puts her in a bad position.” Dom didn’t want her in any danger. He knew he would become a madman if he thought Corey might get harmed in all this.
“I agree with Dom, it’s too risky for Corey.” Keller drained the rest of his beer. Then got up to get another one.
“It’s not risky. I have the four of you. You’re always around. Plus, I have Riley and Jasper. I trust those two. I don’t think they are the kind of boys who would let someone get hurt. They would speak up. Riley already has, in his own way.” Corey snatched the beer Keller brought from the kitchen, causing him to turn around and go back. Dom watched as Baze twisted the cap off for her and then shot it across the room, hitting Linc in the chest. “Let me do this for you guys, let me talk to the players. There’s something else I—”
“It’s not Jace we have to worry about, Coop.” Keller walked back into the room carrying four beers, prepared in case anyone else wanted to steal. “It’s also the dean and the twins’ dad, Mr. Franklin. Don’t forget that they could end up being in on this together. And if they find out you are asking questions, it could get ugly.”
“Did you call her Coop?” Dom took a beer.
“I think she needs a nickname. I’m trying out Coop. Corey Cooper.” Keller passed Linc and Baze the remaining two bottles.
“There’s something else I need to tell you guys.” Corey looked right at Dom when she said, “Riley knows about us. He knows I’m yours.”
“Like that you’re my mate?” She nodded. He could see how Riley would notice the difference in her. Riley was calm and observant; he often saw things in people no one else did. All shifters had a certain talent, something they were better at than others. “Okay, what did he say?”
“He said, ‘You’re coach’s now, right?’ and I said, ‘Coach’s what?’ And he said, ‘His forever.’ It was actually kind of sweet. But then he said that he could tell, could sense you in me. Which was kind of awkward to hear from him. Anyway, then he said not to worry, that no one else would take the time to notice and that he wouldn’t say anything.”
“That’s not true.” Baze looked from Corey to Dom. “Jace would take the time to notice, especially if he had reason to study you.” He put his arm along the back of the couch and around Corey.
Dom didn’t love Baze’s arm around her. But when his girl relaxed against his best friend’s side, Dom got up and easily tossed Baze off the couch.
Corey slid sideways with her support gone. “Dom, that was highly uncalled for. He was comforting me. Not trying to hump my leg.”
He didn’t apologize. He sat down next to her and pulled her into him.
Keller was laughing so hard he couldn’t seem to get his words out. “Hump…leg…that’s awesome…we’re wolves. Get it? Dogs…hump.”
Baze, who was now seated between Keller and Linc on the larger couch, shook his head. “Dom, you better lock that shit down. No one can know that you two are together. That means, if she is touchy and feely with you, than she has to be with the rest of us too.” Dom glared across the room.
Corey tapped her chin, ignoring all of them. “I’m going to question the team about Jace and Henderson. I have to. We have to get to the bottom of this. I’ll be careful about what I say. I’ll ask about all the starters. And you’re right. Jace might already know about Dom and me. Jace was there today when we ran, and if Riley figured it out, who’s to say Jace didn’t? We might already be one step behind him. Did your detective friend call you yet?”
Dom put his hand on the back of her neck. Seriously, he wanted to throw all the extra males out of the house. “No, not yet. He said it might take a few days to track Henderson down. Especially if he doesn’t want to be found. And leaving the way he did, without a word to anyone, he probably doesn’t.” Dom kissed the top of Corey’s head. God, he loved that girl. He was going to have a talk with his friends in the morning. Corey wouldn’t be able to be alone until they knew what was what. He was going to need their help, even if the thought of them being with her when he couldn’t made him see red. He couldn’t keep her with him all the time. The dean, his players, everyone would know they were mated.
“Three questions,” Corey suddenly shouted.
Keller spilled his beer in his lap. “What the hell, Coop? Don’t yell like that.”
“Yeah, she does that.” Dom nuzzled her neck and took a little nip. He needed to get her alone. He’d never make it until after Moon Bar. He wondered if she was opposed to bathroom sex at a bar.
“Dom lets me ask him three shifter questions a night. Can I ask them now? Y’all can weigh in.” Corey’s smile was electric.
Linc answered for all of them. “Yes. But fast, I want to get to the bar before the beer dries off Keller’s crotch. It looks like he pissed himself.” Dom glanced across the room, eyeing his friend’s pants. It really did.
“Okay, question Number One. Riley said the other shifters on the team wouldn’t take the time to notice the difference in me. What did he mean?”
Baze raised his hand, like they were in class. “I got this one. All shifters have something that they are great at, better than the shifter next to them. Riley is calm and centered and can quiet his mind really well. He can notice small subtle changes, things that most would overlook as insignificant. Smells, colors, the makeup of an object or person. I can do this too. It’s always the quiet ones you have to worry about.” He finished with a flirty wink.
Corey giggled and Dom barely resisted the urge to rip Baze’s winking eye out of its socket.
“Number two. I saw some of what Keller could do today at the track. But what’s his actual power?”
“He can sense emotion.” It was Dom who answered. “He can tell how someone is feeling, if he shuts up long enough and focuses. It really helps with the team. He can tell me if they are feeling restless or bored or mad. It’s easy to defuse a bad situation if you know how the other person is feeling.”
“Okay, final question. What can Linc do?” Everyone got real quiet. No one rushed to answer her this time. Dom let out an irritated sigh. Linc was going to revel in this moment.
“I can pull girls.” Linc wore an extremely cocky grin.
“What? Pull them where?”
“I meant, I can get girls easily. Real easily.”
Corey scoffed. “Being a fuck boy is not a superpower.”
“It is the way Linc does it.” Keller shook his head and mumbled bastard under his breath. “Girls are drawn to Linc like a moth to a flame. It’s stupid how quickly he can get a girl to come home with him. It’s like they instantly want him and trust him with their lives. The perfect combination to get a chick to say yes. Trust and lust, that’s all it takes.”
Linc got up and gathered all the beer bottles to dump them in the recycling bin. “Speaking of which, there is a bartender dying to scream my name. So can we go?”