Stealing Home(24)

“Dammit, Archer, I like this one.” Reynolds lifted his middle finger at Luke. “We all like Doc. You mess this up and she leaves, my cleats are going up your ass.”

“Is there a reason you’re here? Other than to threaten to sodomize me with your size twelves?” Luke checked the clock, a pensive look casting over his face. I knew what he was thinking, but no, we did not have time for one more round.

“Yeah, I wanted to check on Doc. Make sure she survived the night with you.”

“She survived the night. I think she might have even enjoyed herself a little.” Luke’s eyes flashed as he slowly licked his lips when Reyolds wasn’t looking.

Ignoring the chills tumbling down my spine, I smiled at Reynolds. “Who wouldn’t enjoy giving a guy like Archer six ice baths in one night, right?”

Reynolds snorted a laugh before tipping his chin at me, flipping Archer off again, and heading toward the door.

“Hey, Reynolds,” Archer called as Reynolds was pulling the door open, “would you mind if I borrowed . . .”—he jacked his brows at me a few times, my heart calcifying in my chest—“an extra pair of socks?”

My whole body sagged in relief. Right before I shot a glare Luke’s way for nearly giving me a heart attack.

“Sure. No prob,” Reynolds replied. “For a minute you had me worried there. I thought you were going to ask to borrow my jock or something.”

“Oh no. Yours wouldn’t fit me.” Luke shook his head, glancing at his jock region. “I have to special order. They don’t make them in my size.”

Reynolds grunted. “Yeah, well, that’s what you get for wearing too tight of briefs growing up. You stunted its growth.”

Luke smirked at him. “Come on, Reynolds. You know I grew up by a nuclear reactor. Don’t be a hater. Penis envy is a real and treatable disorder. There are professionals you can talk with about your feelings of inadequacy and impaired size.”

Luke got the double bird that time. Reynolds left the room with a string of good-natured curses laced with comebacks.

My shoulders slumped when the door closed. “That was close.”

Lifting his foot, Luke bent to grab the condom wrapper before tossing it in the wastebasket by the desk. “Yeah, sorry. I totally thought that was our breakfast.”

“You don’t think he suspects anything, do you?”

“About the real hard time I gave you last night?” His dimple set into his right cheek from his smile. “No. Reynolds is convinced the only game I have is what I exude on the field.”

When the next knock pounded on the door, I lifted my finger when he lunged toward the door.

“But you’re dressed now.” He shrugged before his face lined. “Speaking of, why are you dressed? We’ve still got two hours before we have to be downstairs.”

My eyes lifted. “Just check the peephole, please.”

Luke shrugged but did as asked. A second later, his hands came together. “Breakfast.”

My stomach rumbled at the promise of sustenance.

Once the employee had rolled the cart into the room and turned to go, Luke stopped him at the door. Even though he’d turned his back toward me as he riffled through his wallet, I didn’t miss the tip Luke gave the employee. If I’d missed the bill, the look on the guy’s face would have given it away.

“Breakfast didn’t cost a quarter that much probably, you know that?”

“Do I know what?” Luke gave me an innocent look as he settled his wallet back on the dresser before rolling the breakfast cart toward the bed.

“How about the table?” I nodded at the table and chairs propped by the window. “I don’t trust you to eat breakfast if you and I are on the same bed together.”

Luke’s mouth curved. “Breakfast in bed is my favorite way to dine.”

My stomach muscles tightened. “Do you ever not have that on your mind?”

“When you’re around?” Luke shook his head. “Never.”

“Then breakfast at the table far away from the bed for sure. I can’t have you malnourished in addition to injured.”

Luke rolled the cart toward the table, his smirk amplifying. “Please. I was up all night eating. Malnourished I am not.”

I should have been oversexed and exhausted, but at his words and his look, that very part of my body he was alluding to pulsed with desire.

In an attempt to ignore it, I started laying the breakfast trays on the table. “I was a little too preoccupied last night to notice, but why is Luke Archer in a standard room? The same kind of standard room the team puts grunt workers like myself in? I would have thought they’d put their prized possession in some suite complete with a bowling alley and a lap pool.”