Page 3 of Stetson

Between the music, the two of them shouting in each other’s faces, and the copious amounts of alcohol they’d each consumed, I couldn’t make out a single word. Both faces were red, spit disgustingly flying between them, and then Stetson drew his fist back. I captured it with impressive speed and stepped close, leaning in to speak in his ear .

“You and me, outside. Now.”

“Fuck off,” he slurred in return. He tried to wrench out of my grasp, but the booze slowed him down.

“That wasn’t a request, Holloway.Move.”

I pulled my head back to Stetson’s icy blue eyes snapping to mine. His jaw was clenched so tightly, I was surprised I couldn’t hear his teeth grinding. My body wasveryaware of his proximity, and I took a step back to avoid him noticing. Something in his eyes shifted. Was thatobedience?

I banished the flicker of hope sparking in my belly.

When I felt confident that he wouldn’t swing, I loosened my grip. He lowered his arm, and I let out a sigh of relief. “Take him home,” I barked to the heckler’s friend.

I didn’t wait around for a response before dragging Stetson out of the bar, ignoring his protests. His teammates were suspiciously quiet, pretending not to see me.

We’d barely stepped out into the sticky Georgia night before Stetson tried to wrench out of my grasp, but it didn’t work. I guided him around the building and to the alley, where we’d have at least some semblance of privacy. I shoved him into a corner, slightly enjoying the grunt he made as he hit the bricks and I boxed him in. I planted my feet and crossed my arms over my chest. “What were you thinking back there, Stetson?”

He swayed on his feet. “How do you know my name?”

“The whole state of Georgia knows who you are.” That made him smile, the cocky little shit. “Which brings me back to my original question: What were you thinking? You could have screwed everything up.”

“He started it!”

“And a single punch could end your career. Was he worth that?”

Stetson peered over my shoulder, eyes unfocused. He couldn’t even stand straight, and I was prepared to grab him at any second. I clenched my hands into fists, trying not to touch him without an excuse.

“That’s what I thought. You need to get it together or you’ll never have any hope in making it in the majors.” I gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. “Come on, I’ll get you home.”

Coughing stopped me in my tracks. I should have seen it coming: Stetson doubled over, expelling the contents of his stomach. The caregiver in me kicked in. Where someone else might have left him to it, I put a comforting hand on his shoulder and waited until he was finished.

“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” I whispered.

He nodded, using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth off before leaning against me.

I managed to keep him upright until we climbed into the backseat of the car. I’d been out of the house less than an hour. Stetson squirmed next to me, whining about needing to pee before lying on my shoulder. My stomach fluttered.

“You’re a big boy,” I laughed. “You can hold it.”

He was snoring before we turned the corner. The driver kindly offered assistance in getting the boy inside but I politely declined, also tamping down my “Daddy” tendency to offer help when I directed him to the bathroom. Once he was passed out in the guest bed, I left a bottle of water on the nightstand.

As I kicked my bedroom door shut, hands covered my eyes and panic spiked in my chest. “Guess who?”

“If you’re not my boyfriend you’re about to find out what I keep in my nightstand!”

The hands fell away, and I whirled on the intruder. Barrett had his hands on his hips, eyeing me skeptically. “A bottle of lube and your dildo?”

“A criminal doesn’t know that,” I groused.

“Good thing I’m not here to burgle you of your favorite vibrator.” Barrett’s hazel eyes sparkled as he stepped forward to cup my cheeks in his hands. Our lips met, and I was swept up into the familiarity ofhim.I moaned into a kiss that ended way too early.

“I thought you weren’t getting in until Sunday.”

“I caught an earlier flight. I needed to see you.” I reached forward to tuck a strand of his chin-length dirty blond hair behind his ear.Chad Michael Murray eat your heart out.His hands left my neck, brushing over my chest and snaking around my waist before clenching hard on my ass. “But I wasn’t expecting you to come home with someone. Is he?—”

“Drunk off his ass and sleeping it off in the guest room? Yes. I’ll get him home in the morning.”

“He’s okay?”

---