Shot at Love

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER TEN

Kassie

Most of Saturday night was still a blur. Kassie remembered meeting Quinn at Mario’s, really looking forward to a night out. They had a few drinks and danced. The club was packed, the music fierce, and the dancing hot and sweaty.

After Luc showed up, things started to get hazy. She danced, and there was something about him not liking her dancing with a random guy. Kassie didn’t mind Luc pulling her away from Mr. Preppy, who had turned into Mr. Handsy. Dancing was one thing, but when a guy started to get grabby, the fun was over.

This whole dominant, protective side of Luc was new to her, and not such a bad thing. She secretly thought it was kind of sexy. He might’ve thought he was protecting her, but she was well aware what was going on, and she let it happen.

Kassie was on her own a lot, and for once it was nice that a guy had stood up for her. Well, a guy besides her brother. And when the alcohol started to set in, she was grateful for his being there. Quinn was too preoccupied with her puppies, JJ and Travis. Lucky for Kassie, Quinn never kissed and told, so she would never know details as to what went on behind closed doors with the rookies.

The only part that seemed to escape Kassie was some dirty dancing that went on between her and Luc—she couldn’t decide if it had really happened or if it was a dream—and how she got home. Quinn told her that Luc drove her home. She assumed he refused to let her take an Uber. She was confident the ride-share service was safe, but he wasn’t convinced. At least he saved her the Uber fare. She couldn’t complain about that.

Asking him if she’d said anything embarrassing was useless. He had avoided the question, and she was pretty sure he wouldn’t tell her even if she had. This should teach her not to drink when Luc was around.

If her brother found out what she really thought of Luc, she’d never hear the end of it, and Luc would surely be traded. And if Luc knew that she was interested in him, even though she consistently said she didn’t date athletes, that cocky smile would be unbearable.

She slid onto a stool at the kitchen island and picked at a doughnut while she dialed Quinn’s number.

“Please tell me again that I didn’t make a complete fool out of myself last night.”

“Hello Kassie, I’m fine thank you, how are you?”

“Shut up. Don’t be that girl,” Kassie retorted.

“Girl, am I on speaker phone?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. And you know it’s late, right? Don’t you have to be up early for work tomorrow?”

“Nope. Vacation day. Kaden is doing a charity thing in the afternoon, and Ali wants to go, so I’m babysitting my nephew.”

“I told you there was just a lot of dirty dancing going on. You weren’t dry humping or anything like that, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Expand on the dirty dancing, please. Was it rated PG?”

“Umm, I wish it was more like rated R; you could use a little loosening up. But it was more like PG-13. You know, some grinding, and if I interpreted your expression correctly, you liked what you were rubbing up against. Ooh, especially when he was standing behind you at the bar and whispering in your ear.”

Shit. She did recall that. The way his hot breath on her neck gave her chills. And his hard body pressed against hers. Yeah, she had liked it. But Quinn would never get her to admit it.

“I don’t remember that.”

“Do you remember the shots?”

“Shots?” Oh no, it was coming back to her now.

“The Blow Jobs?”

Kassie moaned and covered her face, even though no one could see her. “I hope that is the name of the shots.”

“As far as you’re concerned, it is. Your sexy, hunky, muscular man friend restrained your hands behind your back while you sucked it down.” Quinn’s choice of words made her wince.

Every second of that moment came back to her in vivid detail. There was no doubt in her mind that Luc had enjoyed that display.

“Look, girl, I gotta go. Some of us have to work tomorrow. Say hello to your sexy man-friend for me!”

Quinn hung up before Kassie could say anything more. There was no redeeming herself from taking that poorly-named shot with Luc securing her arms behind her back. She just had to hope she could stay out of his way for a few days and pray he’d forget.

Kassie sat down on her brother’s couch, exhaling a long sigh after a lengthy half hour of trying to get Kaleb to sleep. She was babysitting while Ali was out with her mom, and Kaden was with the team. They had a charity event at the practice facility this afternoon. Ali and her mom were stopping by to check on Kaleb, before going shopping.

Kaleb was fed, bathed and finally rocked to sleep. The little guy looked so sweet in his soft, cuddly pajamas with tiny penguins all over them, and penguin faces for feet. He even slept with a smile on his adorable, chubby face. Unfortunately, prior to the cute sleeping baby, feeding him was touch and go. Ali had instructed her to try the lima bean and turkey baby food that she’d made him, and as gross as it sounded, it apparently tasted even worse.

Kaleb took one little taste and spit it right in her face, as well as all over her shirt. From the small amount of lima bean and turkey puree that she’d inopportunely tasted, she agreed it was disgusting. She didn’t blame little Kaleb for his response. The back-up plan was a container of squash puree. It had an orange tint, so she could only assume there were some sweet potatoes or carrots in it, too. Whatever it was, it was better than the lima beans, apparently. That had gone a bit smoother, right up until the end. The last bite must’ve been amusing, because Kaleb let out a burst of air with a laugh, propelling the last spoonful of orange squash in her direction.

After his bath, she rocked him for half an hour until he fell asleep. Then she had to wash the rogue squash off the wall and had tried to clean herself up as best as she could. She’d just go home after and shower, but she needed to soak the green lima beans and orange squash that stained the Renegades t-shirt she was wearing. Knowing her brother wouldn’t mind her borrowing a shirt, she grabbed a Renegades t-shirt from his closet. It was too long on her, so she tied a knot at the waist. The knotted shirt, in addition to her current attire, was comfortable. Her hair was in a ponytail, she had athletic shorts on, and she was barefoot.

She probably looked like a bum, but she was just babysitting; she didn’t need to be dressed to impress.

After getting comfortable on the couch, she channel surfed until she found a home decorating show. She was self-proclaimed crafty and enjoyed these shows, always picking up little ideas and hacks for her apartment.

Kassie helped herself to the leftover pizza from the refrigerator and some potato chips. It was only six o’clock, and her body was exhausted. With the baby monitor at her side, she lay back on a soft couch pillow, and took a few quiet moments to re-energize in the stillness of the house.

She didn’t move at the sound of the front door opening. Still staring at the television, she called out, “I don’t know how you guys do it. Babies are exhausting!”

Her brother answered, though not as loudly as her. “Yeah, and if you keep yelling like that, he’ll be awake and ready for round two. Hush, girl!”

“Woops. Sorry.” She tossed a chip into her mouth and crunched down, still watching the television.

“Since you say that, it is an excellent reason not to have one any time soon.” Kaden and his big-brother wisdom. His comment simply meant that he wanted her to stay his little kid sister forever.

Crunching down on another chip, she chuckled, and because she was eating, it sounded more like a little snort. “No worries, bro. Not planning on it.” Not to mention, it would have to be an immaculate conception at this point.

“Good,” Kaden answered.

Hearing more racket than she should behind her, she turned around to see what Kaden and Ali were bringing into the house. It sounded like Ali had been on a serious shopping spree. Wrenching her head in his direction, what she saw instead had her jumping out of her seat. In the process, she knocked the baby monitor and bowl of chips onto the floor, and almost landed there herself.

“Uh, hey.” She caught her balance and nervously brushed at her clothes as if she was trying to wipe off crumbs or smooth out any wrinkles. Because following Kaden were some of the guys from the team. Sam Morris, Dom Zanetti… and Luc. Crap.

If she’d known her brother was bringing them back here, she would’ve made herself look more presentable, and maybe not have been lounging on the couch, shoving chips into her face. She more than likely wouldn’t have snorted by accident, either. s**t. And maybe she wouldn’t have cared about any of it, if Luc wasn’t one of them.

“He wasn’t that much trouble, was he, Kass?” Kaden asked, not realizing anything was wrong.

“No, nope. I mean, well, he took a while to put down. I don’t know if he was just missing you guys or what. But eventually he fell asleep. Oh, and tell Ali that he isn’t a fan of lima beans, apparently.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think he would be, because who really is?” Kaden said with a chuckle. Nodding at her t-shirt, he asked, “Is that why the wardrobe change?”

Her cheeks filled with heat. She looked down at her shirt. “Yeah. I figured you wouldn’t mind. Mine is in the laundry room, soaking.”

“No problem. I’ll toss it in with the next load of laundry for you. I’m now a master at getting baby food out of clothes.”

Kassie still stood, frozen in place, as the guys filed into the loft.

“Hey, Kass,” Dom said with a wave. He made himself at home, like he always did, flopping down on the couch. He and Kaden had been close for a long time. Nodding at the spilled chips, he chuckled. “Neat-freak Kaden is going to have a conniption fit when he sees those crumbs on the floor.”

“Shut up, Z,” Kaden countered. “Get up and grab the hand vacuum, lazy a*s. This isn’t the Holiday Inn. You can help out too; you’re here enough.”

Without another word or even a question, Dom got up and grabbed the hand vacuum, and cleaned up her mess. It should’ve surprised her, but it didn’t. Dom was treated just like one of their siblings. The downfall to that was he also regarded her as the little sister. So she didn’t have just one older brother, she had two. Which was both a blessing and a curse.

Kassie took the bowl, with any chips she could scoop up off the floor, to the kitchen. “Hey, bro,” she greeted Kaden while trying extra hard to keep her eyes off Luc. “How was the charity event?”

“It was nice. The kids love those things. And we raised a decent amount for Children’s Hospital, which is always good.”

“The kids love Kaden. He’s always a big hit with them,” Sam said.

“Hey, what am I? Chopped liver? The kids love me, too!” Dom responded.

“Yeah, they do seem to like you too, Z. I think they like your tattoos. They think you’re a grown man with drawings all over his arms.”

Dom shrugged, obviously not letting the comment bother him. “So?”

Turning her back to her brother and Sam, Kassie washed the bowl and then scrubbed her greasy hands. She knew someone was behind her and assumed it was her brother.

Spinning around to grab a towel, she was face-to-face with Luc. Dammit. Butterflies danced in her stomach, and her breath caught in surprise.

Luc handed her a towel. “Nice shirt,” he commented with a sexy-as-hell smirk on his face.

Words spun frantically round in her head, none stopping long enough for her to string an articulate response together. She stood there just staring at him, her mouth hanging open. Until finally she spoke one single word. “Thanks.”

Thanks? She was dressed like she was ready to go for a run or hit the gym. If she’d known she’d be around Kaden’s teammates, she probably would’ve just let the t-shirt hang down. Not that her bare midriff was that taboo; she just felt a little more on display than necessary. And it was all because of Luc. The way his eyes floated over her. And his simple comment was flirty and hot. Or maybe she just took it that way because she was overheating. But all she could come up with to say was thanks.

“You going to use that towel, or shall I put it back?” Luc didn’t seem fazed by her nervousness.

“Um?” Kassie looked down at the towel. Wipe your hands, she told herself, and did as instructed.

She was trapped under his stare. Unable to move, to talk, or to think. What was this power he had over her?

“Kass,” Kaden said, entering the kitchen. He tugged at the knotted waist of her shirt before he grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator. “What is this? Nineteen eighty-five? You could’ve grabbed a shirt of Ali’s.”

Welcoming a break in the unspoken tension between her and Luc, she directed her focus to her brother. “I just figured you wouldn’t care if I raided your closet. Girls are a little more picky about their stuff. I would’ve wanted to ask her first.”

“And Luc, are you in here annoying Kass?” Kaden jokingly accused his friend.

She didn’t wait to hear his response. Instead she used the opportunity to slip out of the kitchen and catch her breath. “I’m going to go check on the little guy,” she mumbled before hurrying down the hall.

Her heart beat so hard it felt like it was in her throat. Why is he affecting me like this? And was he that arrogant to flirt with her right under Kaden’s nose?

Kassie opened Kaleb’s bedroom door a c***k and peeked inside. The room had a little night light in the corner, and a soft lullaby playing. Her nephew was sound asleep. He might be a lot of work, but he is so darn cute. Her heart rate was finally calming, as well as her breathing.

Very quietly shutting the door, careful not to wake the baby, she turned towards the living room, smacking right into a very hard body.

“Sorry—” she whispered into the man’s chest.

When she looked up, she immediately got lost in those dark and devious eyes. Luc. Her body stiffened, and her heart jumped back into her throat. The sexy way he stared her down told her that he’d forgotten nothing from the other night. It took everything in her power not to quiver under the weight of his stare.

“Hey there, Kassie.” He reached up and twirled the end of her ponytail between his fingers. “You have squash in your hair.”

What? “What?” The exhilaration of literally running into him instantly drained from her.

“Maybe it’s beans. Or”—he messed with her hair and smirked— “both?”

Kassie put her hand on her hips and c****d her head. She found her voice and forgot all about the odd way he affected her. “It happens. Especially when babies don’t like lima beans, or if they laugh when they eat squash. I would guess you’re not around babies much.”

“No.” He laughed, still messing with her ponytail, even though they weren’t talking about the dry baby food any longer.

She may have had the butterflies under control, but her knees turned to jelly and threatened to buckle at his bellowing laugh. The way he towered over her had her under his spell.

“What are you two up to down here?” Kaden’s voice interrupted. “Kass?”

“Nothing.” Kassie shook her head and pushed by Luc, exiting towards the living room.

“Yep. Nothing going on here, K-man. Just chatting with your sis,” Luc answered.

Just Luc’s saying your sis made her stomach twist. She couldn’t have feelings like that for one of her brother’s teammates. And Luc made no mistake that she was still Kaden’s little sister.

“Luc was heading to the bathroom and I accidently ran into him when I was sneaking out of Kaleb’s room. Oh, and by the way, he’s still sound asleep. I think little guy is down for the count. No worries about him. Excuse me.”

Kassie hurried past the living room and into the kitchen. Kaden followed. His words were sharp with concern. “Kass, you good? Did he say something to upset you?”

“Luc? No!” Her breathing was hasty, and it took effort to calm down fast enough so Kaden wouldn’t notice. “No. You know better than I do how he’s all calm and slick with the ladies. He’s a big flirt. Tried that crap on me, but I don’t easily fall for it.”

“Okay. If you say so. But if he keeps it up, let me know. I’ll kick his ass.” Kaden was joking, but she could read his face, and he wasn’t amused. She knew the rules; his buddies did NOT mess with his sister. It’d been the same all their lives.

“Nah, it was nothing. I told you, I’m immune to that shit.” Kassie waved it off. She didn’t have any choice now. No matter how Luc made her feel, they could be nothing but friends, or her brother would kill him. But that wasn’t going to be easy.