Page 81 of The Draft

“Oh no,” Scotty grumbled, pushing his baseball cap lower.

“It wasn’t just her usual flirting.”

“Alex,” I warned. Didn’t he realize we were currently in flight and there was nowhere for him to hide?

He raised his hand, stopping me from speaking. “No. Please. I need to get this out.” With eyes closed, Alex breathed in to gain some confidence. “She played with my dick.”

Fucking hell. He was going there. Idiot.

“She what?” Cade groused, standing so he was face-to-face with Alex.

“She didn’t play with his dick,” I interrupted, knowing this wouldn’t end well if I didn’t intervene. “She was playing footsie under the table, and her foot strayed a little higher than she realized.”

“Playing footsie?” Cade said. “With Alex?” Okay, now we were getting the slightly more unhinged Cade.

“It’s not a big deal.” I waved off, trying to act nonchalant. “She played footsie with me too.”

“She did?” Alex asked with wide, surprised eyes. “Why didn’t you sayanything at the time?”

“Did she also accidentally brush your dick?” Cade asked, unamused.

“No. Of course not. That’s why it was clearly an accident with Alex. She was just taunting us. You know, the way she always does.” I was annoyed that I was having to defend Madison against her brother considering the only reason she was flirting with Alex in the first place was because she was trying to tease me. I guess I’d just have to punish her later, although all the punishments I could think about involved her tied to my bed, screaming in pleasure. Not sure how much torture that involved.

With pressed lips, Cade pointed at Alex. “Do you like my sister?”

“No. No. She’s hot. Shit.” He crushed his eyes shut, pinching his nose. “I didn’t mean it like that. She’s a good-looking girl. Much like you’re a good-looking guy.”

“Alex,” Scotty mumbled, pulling at his arm to try to get him to sit.

“But I wouldn’t go there. Never. You’re my teammate, and trust is the most important thing between us. That’s why I decided to be honest with you.”

Honesty. Teammates. Trust.

All things I should have been worried about too, but my dick had taken over my thinking a long time ago.

Cade seemed to relax with Alex’s admission, but I gulped, realizing just how far I’d screwed up. It wasn’t like I could take back escalating things with Madison, or that I’d want to, but how the hell was I supposed to admit to Cade that I went behind his back like this?

I piped up to mute my own thoughts. “I don’t think it’s that big a deal, Alex. You joked around, and although Madison accidentally brushed things she shouldn’t have, she was in on the joke too.”

Cade clasped Alex’s shoulder. “You know what? I had a really long night last night. My head hurts, and it sounds like you got the wrong end of the stick. It’s fine, Alex. I’ll have a word with my sister, so she won’t harass you anymore.” His shoulders visibly dropped. “However, if you are considering asking my sister on a date, I would strongly suggest you move on. Madison’s not the girl for you.”

He nodded. “Understood. I’m sorry,” he mumbled before turning around, obviously completely embarrassed by his outburst. Scotty side-eyed me as everyone sat back in their seats.

“It was nothing,” I whispered. “I was there, and I can assure you, it was all innocent. Nothing happened.”

Cade grunted in nonchalance before pulling out some earbuds and sticking them in his ears. He crossed his arms over his chest and rested his head against the back of the chair. “Whatever. It’s not true. Madison isn’t stupid enough to try to date another one of my teammates.”

“You think?” I shut my mouth and clenched my teeth together, but I could feel the sweat trickling down my forehead. Cade was going to kill me.

“No. Henry was an asshole, and she knew how much it screwed up the team dynamic. She gets it. This is my team. I let her get away with flirting because there’s an unspoken rule between us. She knows how important this is to me.”

I gulped, feeling really shitty.

“That’s why I think she’s trying to date a football player, and I’ve heard things about that team that I can’t erase. So, if she really is secretly dating one of them, I’m going to nip it in the bud before she gets her heart broken again.”

“Makes sense.”

“Which is why I’m still waiting on you to tell me what’s up with her.”