Page 59 of Foul Line

There are shadows in his deep blue eyes. He tucks me into his side, and we walk the short distance to his, Alec, and Sloan’s cabin. He turns the lights on when we enter. I look him over now that we’re in the light. There’s only one speck of blood on his cheek. I go to the bathroom and get a washcloth. After wetting it in the bathroom sink, I come back out and wipe it away. Then, I pull his fists up and examine them one at a time. They don’t look cut at all.

“I didn’t hit anybody,” he says.

I twist my head. I’m almost surprised. “I just forcefully moved the guys so we could all leave.”

“I wish the others would’ve been as smart as you.”

The corner of his lip tugs up. “I don’t think anyone’s said that to me before.”

“They must not know you.”

His arms move around me. They work up my spine, then he drags his fingers down my back. I have to completely hold my neck back to look him in the eyes, but it isn’t awkward. I love that he’s a force that looms over me. I’ve needed him to be that way ever since the Ballers abandoned me. “I don’t care if no one else knows me. I just want you to.” His hand moves up and tangles in my hair. Carefully, he tugs until he leans over to kiss me. The air sucks from my lungs as his lips pass over mine in such a gentle way that belies everything about him. After several soft caresses, he pulls just a hair’s breadth away. “I’m sorry you had to see that tonight. It wasn’t one of our finer moments.”

I cup his cheeks and bring him down again. To bridge the distance quicker, I lift onto my tiptoes until we’re kissing again. This feels so right. Like two people comforting one another, not like two people sneaking around or two people kissing one another who know they shouldn’t. It makes me want to stay here.

That is, until the door opens and a gust of wind accompanies Sloan and Alec as they walk in the room. “Don’t mind us,” Sloan says.

“I won’t.”

Hayes steps away from me, but I follow him. I pull on his collar, bringing him back to me again, finishing our kiss the right way. When we pull away this time, it’s not because we were interrupted. His left arm slides around me, tucking me into his side.

Sloan moves forward, raising his chest height to Hayes. He waggles his eyebrows. “Come on. Knuckles.”

Reluctantly, Hayes gives in and presses his knuckles into Sloan’s. He doesn’t seem very thrilled with his friends right now either, and I wonder if this is Sloan’s way of saying he’s sorry.

Noticing the state the other two are in, I go back into the bathroom with my washcloth and come back out. Alec looks like he’s in worse shape, so I start with him. I remove the napkin from his nose. He’s swollen there, but the blood has stopped. I gently wipe the washcloth over his face, removing all traces of blood on him. Like with Hayes, I bring his hands up and inspect his knuckles. Unlike Hayes, his are all red and the skin is broken. I tsk and wipe away the dried blood. Alec winces. I don’t let that stop me. “If you behaved like a gentleman, I wouldn’t have to be doing this right now.”

“It’s not me,” Alec says. “Talk to Sloan.”

I turn, my gaze flicking down the length of him. He has a cut on his forehead and his knuckles were also cut and bleeding, though they’re dry now. I go into the bathroom and wet another washcloth. Alec enters after me and soon after, I hear the shower going.

“What does that mean?” I ask Sloan.

“Thanks a lot, bro,” Sloan calls out even though I’m sure Alec can’t hear him right now.

“It means,” Hayes starts, “someone started shit about his family. Ivy doesn’t like people who say shit about his family.”

My brows pinch together as I work on Sloan’s fists, wiping crusted blood away to reveal the damage underneath. Luckily, it doesn’t look as if any one of them are too badly off. When I glance up, Sloan is pulling a Hayes. His face is a mask as he looks down at my work without a sign on his face one way or the other. “Care to elaborate?” I ask, keeping my voice even.

Sloan’s tongue darts out and licks his lips as he locks gazes with me. “Someone recognized me. I don’t think they agreed with my father’s politics.”

“They called his dad a man whore,” Hayes supplies.

Sloan’s faces changes in an instant. The death glare he’s sending his friend right now makes a lump form in my throat. “Isn’t someone talkative all of a sudden?”

Hayes lifts his hand, giving Sloan the middle finger. Luckily, Sloan just laughs it off.

“So, you went ape shit?” Part of the scene I witnessed earlier makes sense. Sloan egged the fight on, but Alec was right there when his friend needed help. He is the bigger of the two even though I’m sure Sloan can hold his own.

Sloan takes the washcloth from me and sets it on the table, dismissing my attention. He falls back on his bed and crosses his feet and his hands behind his head. “I don’t know why I care. It’s true.”

I know exactly why he cares. I’m not exactly happy with my father at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still love him. “It’s natural,” I tell him.

His gaze slides over to me. He truly looks at me, wondering if I’m just placating him or if I’m being serious.

I give him a small smile, and then walk back into Hayes’s grip. He sits on his bed, dragging me with him, and I sit on his lap. A quick check of the clock tells me it’s almost midnight. I should go back to my cabin, but at the same time, I’m too wrapped up in these guys to want to have to worry about them all night. I turn in Hayes’s grip. “Can I stay here?”

His jaw tenses. The steady rise and fall of his chest hiccups for a moment before he leans back, wordlessly. With little effort, I fall right into place next to him. I kick off my shoes and let them drop off the side of the bed.

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