Playing By The Rules (The Players)

“HEY, what are you doing right now?” Knox asks me when we’re in the locker room, getting ready to leave after practice.

“Uh, going home with you? You are my ride, after all,” I remind him.

“Right. Well, what if I told you I could get us a homecooked dinner tonight?” Knox grabs his duffel and slams the locker door with a loud clang.

“I’d say I’m down. Who’s making it?” If this is his new girlie or whatever she is to him, then she’s a smart woman because there is no quicker way to Knox’s—and my—heart than our stomachs. We love to eat.

And we get real sick of the fast-food places around here. We try to make our own meals, but sometimes, fine, most of the time, that’s a complete pain in the ass.

“My sister. Weirdest thing. Blair texted me earlier and said she missed cooking, so I, of course, suggested she make us something and she was like, ‘I’ll have your dinner ready by the time you come home from practice.’” Knox shakes his head, smiling. “Just like my mom used to do.”

Fucking Blair. She’s a sneaky one. “What is she making?”

“Homemade chicken tenders, french fries and a salad.” Knox slings his duffel across his shoulder, rubbing his hands together. “My mom’s special recipe she used to make us all the time when we were little. You’re gonna love it.”

“Sounds delicious.” My voice is hollow and I can’t lie.

I’m filled with anticipation. I get to see Blair tonight.

She knew what this would do. She’s not making dinner for Knox. I may sound like an asshole but…

Blair is making that dinner for me.

“Practice was good this afternoon, yeah?” Knox’s voice is casual as we walk out to the parking lot, heading toward his truck.

“It was great,” I reassure him, knowing exactly why he’s asking. “Your knee seems better.”

“It is. I’ve been going easy on it and I managed to go to a PT session this morning. It seems to help.” Knox stares off in the distance, his expression thoughtful. “I can’t fuck this knee up, man. I need to be careful.”

“You’ve got this,” I say, casual as shit. I’m not worried about Knox. He’s going to have a stellar season and then when it’s over, he’ll go on to the NFL draft, get picked for a team and his life will be perfect.

“I still gotta be careful,” he says, hitting the keyless remote and unlocking his truck. “You’re looking good out there.”

“Better than Ace?” Saying his name leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I shouldn’t let that kid bother me but…

He bothers me.

“What the hell, man? Yes, of fucking course, you’re better than Ace. He’s good, but he’s no Camden motherfuckin’ Fields.” Knox grins as he opens the driver’s side door.

We climb into the truck and head back to our apartment, nerves making my knee bounce up and down. I try talking about football. Hell, Knox is still talking about football, but I’m just giving him one-word answers while I stare out the passenger-side window.

I can’t stop thinking about Blair.

How sweet she smells. How fucking tempting she is. How I followed her into the bathroom at Logan’s like a trained dog a couple of nights ago, giving her exactly what she wanted.

The satisfaction knowing that she still holds some sort of power over me.

I could’ve kissed her. I could’ve mauled her and she would’ve probably loved every second of it. I would’ve loved it too, but how do I face her after doing that?

How do I face the very guy sitting in the truck with me?

Yeah, I can’t. And that’s why I backed away. Why I left her in that bathroom and strode out into the bar and told Derek I was leaving. I might’ve been buzzed before that encounter, but after? Stone-cold sober. I drove home as if I hadn’t had a drop to drink, took a shower, jerked off to thoughts of me fucking Blair against that cold tile bathroom wall and fell asleep, only to have fucking dreams about her.

Just like she said she had dreams about me.

The girl—excuse me, woman—is driving me out of my fucking mind. And now I have to face her in a few minutes. She’ll probably be wearing a smirk, her eyes dancing with mischief, and while I know I’ll enjoy her homecooked meal, it’s also going to be tough, trying to act like she doesn’t affect me, while sitting there with her overprotective brother.

Fuck my life.

We’re back at the complex in record time and the moment we walk into our apartment, the scent of something cooking that isn’t ramen or microwavable bullshit hits my nose, making my mouth water.

“Smells good, sis,” Knox calls as he heads to his bedroom to get rid of his stuff.

I drop my bag on the couch and make me way to the kitchen to get seeing Blair over with, stopping short at the vision that greets me.

Blair bent over and peering into the oven, her ass in perfect alignment for me to stare at. She has on denim shorts that show off her long, tanned legs and a white T-shirt, and oh Jesus, she’s got a freaking apron on, the cloth belt sitting in a neat little bow right at the base of her spine.

I scrub the back of my head, unsure how to proceed.

She stands up straight, closing the oven door partway before she bumps her hip into it, making it slam shut as she settles the glass baking dish on top of the stove. She’s completely oblivious to me watching her, and once she’s no longer handling anything hot that could burn her, I clear my throat to announce my presence.

“Oh.” She turns to face me, and yep, there’s the smirk. “Hey.”

“A homecooked meal, huh?” I raise a brow, crossing my arms as I lean my shoulder against the wall.

“I thought you boys would like to eat something other than takeout or whatever else you two consume.” She turns away from me, poking at whatever is in the baking dish, and I glance over my shoulder, making sure Knox is nowhere around before I quickly walk right up behind her.

“Boys?” I shift closer, looming over her shoulder, my front brushing her back, and she goes completely still. “Don’t you mean men?”

She stares straight ahead for a beat, then turns her head to meet my gaze. I’m standing way too close to her, basically invading her personal space, but I don’t give a shit. I like being this close to her.

Way too much.

“Sorry,” she murmurs. “I meant to say men.”

“That’s more like it.” I check out what’s in the dish. A bunch of homemade, lightly breaded chicken strips that are sizzling, they’re so hot. “That looks delicious.”

I could be talking about the food. I could be talking about her. Take your pick.

“Dinner ready yet?”

Knox’s booming voice comes from behind us and I smoothly edge away from her, turning to find him striding into the kitchen with a smile on his face. “Smells good, Blair.”

“It’s almost done,” she says, bustling around the kitchen. I step out of her way, ignoring the look she sends me as I mosey out of the kitchen and settle onto a barstool at the counter, covertly watching her while I pretend to mess around on my phone.

She makes small talk with Knox, catching up on family drama. Why their mom and dad are acting mysterious lately and how they both think their parents are up to something. Blair asks him about the girl at the bookstore and Knox immediately clams up, which has Blair sending me a knowing look. I return it, enjoying the moment, feeling like I’m a part of a secret club, which is some stupid shit, but I can’t help it.

There’s something so comforting about hanging out with the Maguires. Even if I want to get Blair naked and under me and am denying myself the pleasure, I can still enjoy spending time with her.

It’s torture, but I’ll take what I can get.

“What’s going on with Ruby?” Knox asks after Blair hands him a glass of water.

She gives me one too before she says, “Ruby isn’t happy where she’s at.”

“What do you mean?”

“Um, she says she’s not enjoying the college life there. Called it boring.”

“She should come here then,” Knox says, as if that’s the most logical answer to Ruby’s problem.

“I doubt very much she wants to come here.”

“Why not? You and Ruby could get an apartment together next year. Or even next semester.”

Blair returns her focus to the oven, pulling out a cookie sheet covered with french fries. My stomach growls when the smell hits me. “I already have roommates. And it’s not like Ruby can drop everything and come here. She’s just feeling lonely. Homesick.”

“Do you ever feel lonely and homesick?” Knox asks his sister.

She keeps her back to us, grabbing a spatula and stirring the fries around on the pan as she salts them. “Sometimes.”

I hate hearing that. It makes me want to go comfort her, which is some sappy shit.

“You know you can come over here anytime you want and we can hang out.” Knox always the protective big brother.

Though I’m not sure how comfortable I would be with Blair hanging out over here all the time, just because she’s lonely.

Talk about temptation.

“That’s very sweet of you, but I swear it gets easier every day. Plus, it’s always an interesting time, hanging out with my roommates.” She laughs almost to herself, which gets Knox’s attention. And mine.

“Why do you call it an interesting time?”

“Because Rita and Cheyenne are…interesting people.”

“That sounds suspicious.” Knox glances over at me. “What do you think?”

I throw up my hands in front of me in a defensive gesture. “I have no skin in this game.”

“Oh, please. They’re harmless. You met them, Cam,” Blair reminds me. “Or did you forget?”

I didn’t forget. I don’t forget a single damn thing when it comes to Blair and what’s going on in her life.

“I met them,” I confirm.

Knox’s brows draw together, his expression suddenly thunderous. “When the hell did you meet Blair’s roommates?”

“At Logan’s a couple nights ago.”

Knox whips his head in Blair’s direction. “Why were you at Logan’s?”

“I went with my roommates. The ones that are interesting.”

“I hate how you keep calling them that,” Knox practically growls.

Blair’s mischievous gaze meets mine. “It’s the best way to describe them, don’t you think, Cam?”

“Sure,” I say with trepidation, keeping my gaze fixed on her beautiful face.

“Tell me you watched over her,” Knox says to me. “And you made sure no one harassed my sister.”

“No one harassed your sister,” I automatically say.

Blair snorts.

Knox glares.

And me? I keep my composure, though I send her a look that says watch it.

Blair changes the subject and asks Knox about his class load, while she serves us our dinner. She delivers a plate to me first, which has Knox groaning.

“I’m starved.”

“Oh my God, stop whining.” She sets his plate in front of him and he immediately starts eating. “You need anything else before I sit down?”

Knox mumbles no. I shake my head, waiting for Blair to sit before I start eating. She grabs her plate and her water bottle and settles onto the stool next to mine, brushing against me with the movement.

Despite the delicious smelling food, the scent that hits me the hardest is her perfume. That sweet floral scent smells like she rolled in a field of wildflowers, which immediately has me thinking of Blair lying naked in a lush green meadow, her body covered in colorful petals.

I seriously need to get a grip.

The chicken tenders are melt-in-your-mouth good, and she even put together some homemade ranch dressing. The fries were frozen, but she cooked them perfectly and the salad has all my favorite things—avocado and red onion but no tomatoes. It’s like she knew exactly what I like.

Huh. Does she? Has she paid that close attention to me? We don’t spend that much time together, so I don’t know how she’d know.

Knox inhales his meal in record time, leaning back and patting his flat stomach when he’s finished. “That was fucking delicious.”

Blair laughs. “As good as Mom’s?”

“Definitely. Maybe even better. Don’t tell her that though,” Knox says, sounding vaguely panicked.

“What did you think, Cam?” Her pretty green eyes land on me, and I stare into them for a few seconds, getting lost. She has the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen.

“Really good,” I finally say, slipping off the barstool before I start gathering up the dirty dishes. “I’ll clean up.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” She rests her hand on my forearm as if she’s trying to stop me when I reach for her dish, and I send her a look, trying to ignore the way her touch burns my skin.

It’s a pleasant burn. A God damn, what would it feel like to have her hands all over my body – kind of sensation.

I need to push that thought out of my head. We are not turning into anything. I don’t care what she tries to do—like coming around here making me dinner. I can’t succumb to her charms.

And she’s charming as fuck, not gonna lie.

“I want to. It’s the least I can do. You made us dinner, I’ll clean up.” Her hand falls away from my arm and I grab her plate, stacking it on top of the two I’m already holding.

“Oh. I should, like, wipe down the counters.”

“Stay where you’re at,” Blair tells her brother. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Well, if you guys got this handled, then I think I’m going to take a shower.” Knox stands, pushing his barstool in.

“Didn’t you already take one after practice?” He did. I know he did.

“Yeah, I did, but it lasted for all of five minutes.” His expression turns sheepish and I realize I don’t want to know what’s going to happen in that shower. He can go right on ahead and do whatever it is he needs to do.

“Go take your shower,” Blair chirps. “We’ve got this.”

I take the dishes to the sink and turn on the water, waiting while it gets hot. Blairs puts away stuff in the fridge and tosses a few things in the trashcan. I’m aware of her every movement, growing tense as she draws closer, and next thing I know, she’s standing right next to me at the sink, grabbing a dry wash rag and dipping it under the water, leaning into me as she does.

She’s pressed right up against my side, warm and soft, and fuck, her scent. I can’t take it.

“I hope you enjoyed dinner,” she says softly.

“It was good,” I say as I open the dishwasher, scooting away from her. “Thank you for making it.”

“Just trying to show off my culinary skills.”

“I thought you were trying to keep us from eating too much junk food.” I start rinsing off the dirty dishes with hot water, loading them up one by one.

“I was hoping I would dazzle you with my amazing cooking skills, but I guess you’re immune.”

She’s teasing, but not, so I remain quiet as I finish loading the dishwasher, then grab a cleaning brush from the dish drain and start scrubbing the glass baking dish she cooked the chicken in.

Blair sighs, folding the damp washcloth before she starts wiping the counters clean. “See? Immune.”

“Blair.”

Now it’s her turn to ignore me, and I keep scrubbing the dish, taking all my aggression out on it. I’m holding my breath when she draws closer yet again, doing my best not to inhale her delicious scent, but there’s no fucking use.

“What perfume do you wear?” I ask, like the idiot I am.

She goes still, leaning against the counter as she watches me. I finally give in and reach over to shut off the water, turning so I’m facing her.

“Why do you care?” She sounds suspicious. Like she’s on to me.

I shrug, desperate to play off my question. “I don’t know. Thought I might buy some for my mom. Her birthday is coming up.”

The very last person I want wearing the same perfume as Blair is my mom.

Blair’s smile tells me she knows I’m full of it. “It’s by Gucci.”

Of course, it is.

She lifts her wrist to her nose, taking a deep inhale. “It’s hard for me to smell it anymore, which is a shame because I love it. I am definitely the type that wears perfume for me and not for anyone else. Though if you think I smell good…”

Her voice drifts, sounding vaguely suggestive, and I tell myself to ignore the part of me that stirs.

“Uh huh.” Gucci what, is what I want to ask her. She’s being way too vague.

“It’s in a turquoise bottle. Gucci Gorgeous.” She frowns. “No wait. Gucci Flora Gorgeous. Jasmine.”

“Gucci Flora Gorgeous Jasmine?” I repeat as a question. That’s a mouthful.

She nods, approaching me with her wrist thrust out. Like she wants me to smell it. “Yes, that’s it. And make sure you remember it’s jasmine. There are other scents, but I have the jasmine one in the blue bottle.”

I give in and gently grab her arm, bringing her wrist to my nose so I can take a deep whiff. I feel like a drug addict, who just took a big snort of cocaine. The moment the scent hits, I close my eyes, savoring it. She smells so fucking good.

“You like it?” she whispers.

My eyes pop open and I let go of her arm. “Yeah.” My voice is scratchy and I clear my throat.

“For your mom, huh?” She absolutely knows I’m full of shit now. My reaction confirms it.

“Sure.”

“Mmm hmm.” She returns to the sink, turning on the water and running the rag beneath it a couple of times before she shuts the water back off. “Thank you for helping me.”

“Thank you for dinner.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’d offer to make you dinner again, but I get the feeling you’d turn me down.”

“If you want to make Knox dinner and include me in it, I’m never going to turn you down.”

“So, you’ll turn me down but not my dinner offers?” She keeps her back to me, wiping at the same spot on the counter over and over, emanating frustration.

I’m just as frustrated and I let out a ragged exhale, running a hand through my hair when she turns to face me.

“You saw the way your brother just reacted over your ‘interesting’ roommates. Imagine if he found out we started hooking up without his knowledge?” I toss at her.

Blair frowns. “First off, I would make sure my brother doesn’t find out that we’re hooking up. It’s none of his damn business, what I’m doing.”

“It is if it involves you and his best friend.”

“I won’t tell him if you don’t.”

“I have to tell him.” Doesn’t she get it? “I live with him. I couldn’t keep living that lie every day.”

“Where’s the lie in it? There is no lie. You just…don’t say anything at all.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Right. And you’re making it extra hard. God, Cam.” She marches over to the sink, hip checking me, so I immediately shift out of her way. She turns on the water and drops the rag in the sink, then washes her hands. “Are you implying that you’re scared of my brother? Is that your problem?”

“I’m not scared of Knox.”

She laughs, turning off the water and drying her hands before she turns to face me. “Please. You’re terrified of his reaction, which tells me that you’re scared of him.”

I crowd her, trapping her against the sink with my hands braced on either side, her back against the counter. “I’m not scared of Knox.”

Blair tilts her head back, her glittering eyes meeting mine. “What is it then? Are you afraid of me?”

Yes, I want to tell her. You terrify the shit out of me.

Worse?

The way you make me feel is the most frightening thing of all.