Page 93 of My Brother's Teammates

Something’s got to give.

The more I stare at them, though, the more I know what I need to do. I need to leave. I can’t stay here.

If Harry comes back and finds me, he’s going to lose it. There’ll be more fists thrown, more bloodshed and yelling, more relationships in shreds, and for what? For me? Because of me? No. I can’t.

I cup Mateo’s left cheek with one hand, Roman’s right cheek with the other, and stroke their faces with my thumbs.

I’m falling for these strong, kind, funny, beautiful men. All three of them have equal shares in my heart, and I need to leave, for all our sakes, before this fledgling love has a chance to take root and destroy us all.

My bruised and battered heart squeezes. I don’t want to leave this space that’s become home in just a couple of short weeks, but I can’t stay. I can’t.

If I choose Harrison’s three friends and for some reason it doesn’t end in a happily ever after, I’ll lose my boyfriends and my brother. At least if I leave, they’ll all have a chance of repairing their friendship, and I might be able to fix things with Harrison, too.

Someday it might even be funny. Ha, ha, ha, remember that time you all fucked my sister?

I wince.

Yeah, no. It’ll never be funny.

Maybe in time, Harrison won’t want to punch Jace’s face for having his dick inside me—at least not every single time he looks at him.

Chances are slim. But if I stay here, they’ll drop to zero.

“I need to go.” I place my palms on my thighs and push up off the sofa.

“What? Go where? We don’t know where he went, Red. You can’t just go out wandering the streets looking for him.” Mateo’s confusion follows me into my bedroom.

As I pull the suitcase out of the closet, Roman shakes his head. “She doesn’t mean to look for Harrison, Teo.”

I flip open the lid of the case.

Mateo snaps it shut. “Nope.”

“Please don’t make this harder than it is, Teo.”

I open it again, but he closes it, holding it shut.

I can’t look him in the eye, so my gaze settles on his chin as more tears spill down my cheeks. “At least for a couple days. Let me figure some things out. Please?”

He falls silent, but he doesn’t take his hand off the top of the suitcase.

I turn to Roman, barely able to hold his stare for a second before I’m looking at his chin, too. “Can you help me out here? Please?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t want you to leave either, Charlie. Stay. We can figure this out together.” The urgency in his voice suggests he’s afraid if I leave, I won’t come back in a few days.

I guess he knows me better than I thought. “For all our sakes, we need to just…” What? How do I finish that sentence? Leave each other? Bow to Grand Master Harrison’s rules?

Okay, that’s not really fair to Harrison. He knew them first. They were friends, roommates, teammates… and we broke the rules.

They weren’t just Harrison’s rules, either. The team doesn’t do drama or scandal. Fraternizing with the captain’s sister? Yeah, that’s way over the line.

“I need space.” My voice has a tremor in it, but I manage not to crack. I pick up Mateo’s hand and move it so I can open the case. “Please let me take it.”

I don’t need space. I don’t need time away from them. The more things I throw into my suitcase, the more it hits me square in the chest. This is where I belong. I never felt like this with Shane, and I was there for over two fucking years. It’s only taken two weeks, and this place feels like home.

Barring missing her flight, Meghan should be back from Europe. If she isn’t, I’ll do a little breaking-and-entering to get in the door of her swanky hotel room. I’ll cry at the check-in desk until they take pity on me. I can’t stay here. And I’m not going home to Mom and Dad to tell them why I’m hiding from Harrison.

Mateo and Roman stare at me like I’ve kicked their puppy. Their shoulders are rounded, and they have sad eyes and downturned mouths.

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