Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11) (25 page)

If there was one thing Barrett knew how to do, it was win. Though he wasn’t sure who actually won last night, since he and Harmony had both come over and over again.

So maybe it was a win for both of them.

Right now, Harmony was facedown on the bed sound asleep, her mouth slightly open, her hair spread all over her pillow. She looked like she’d been well and thoroughly fucked.

Hell, just looking at her like that made his dick hard again.

But he intended to let her sleep. They’d been up until almost one a.m. last night and it was barely past six a.m. He figured he’d have plenty of time to get a gym workout in with Flynn and still get back before Harmony woke up.

He dressed in his workout clothes and put on his tennis shoes. He had downed a full bottle of water to hydrate, but what he really needed was caffeine.

He headed over to the main house.

He knew Flynn would be up, and he was, drinking a cup of coffee.

“Sleeping in this morning?” Flynn asked, grabbing a cup and shoving it under the brewer.

“Yeah, right.” The smell of coffee was almost enough to wake him up. Almost, but not quite. When Flynn handed him the cup, he grabbed it and inhaled a deep breath of the awesome aroma before he took his first sip.

Yeah, that’s what he needed.

“Ready for a workout?” Flynn asked.

Barrett held up his hand. He just needed this one cup. “In a minute.”

Flynn was already geared up and stretching. “Sure. Let me waste my time while your wussy ass sips your cup o’ tea.”

Unconcerned, Barrett continued to drink his coffee. He sipped it slowly.

Flynn sighed. Loudly.

Finally, Flynn said, “Time’s ticking, asshole.”

“Fuck off. I might have a second cup.”

“Yeah, you do that. And I’m leaving you.”

Barrett laughed and put his cup in the sink. “I’m ready. Jesus, you’re grouchy. When was the last time you got laid?”

“Too long. And don’t remind me.”

They headed to the gym, which fortunately had an outside track. After warming up with a fast walk, they took off on a run.

This was when Barrett really missed his brothers. No one motivated him to be better, run faster and push harder than one of his brothers. They were nothing if not competitive with each other, especially Flynn and him because they were both defensive players.

If Flynn started dragging, Barrett would kick up his pace, making Flynn keep up. The same would happen if Barrett found himself
slowing. Because there was no way in hell either one of them would lag behind.

As a result, their three-mile run was done in damn good time. They slowed to a cooldown mile to catch their breath, then headed into the gym.

They warmed up with light weights, then went to the heavier ones, spotting each other. Within an hour, Barrett was soaked in sweat and his arms and legs felt like overcooked spaghetti.

He’d already drunk a gallon of water and still felt drained, so he went to the beverage bar and grabbed an electrolyte drink.

“Wimping out on me?” Flynn asked, ordering the same thing for himself.

“Yup. You go ahead and do several more sets, though. I’ll spot you.”

“Nah, that’s okay. I’ll quit now so you don’t feel like a big baby.”

“Sure. Thanks.” Barrett knew damn well Flynn was as wrung out as he was but would never admit it. As the oldest Cassidy brother, Flynn would be the last one to admit defeat. He always saw himself as the leader of the pack of brothers, which was bullshit. They were all strong, but if Flynn needed to feel that way, Barrett would never let on that he knew Flynn was just as tired as Barrett was.

Flynn drove them back to the house.

“Hungry?” Flynn asked.

“Yeah.”

“You gonna wake Harmony?”

“I’ll wake her when breakfast is ready. We were up kind of late.”

“Doin’ what? Watching old movies on TV?”

Barrett grinned. “Something like that.”

They got out pans along with bread, potatoes, eggs and bacon and started working side by side.

“So what happened with Tess?” Barrett asked as he started peeling potatoes.

Flynn took the potatoes after Barrett peeled them and sliced them into small chunks, then heated the pan to fry them.

“Not sure exactly. Things were going great for a while. We saw each other a lot. She loved football and came to the games. Then all of a sudden, it became a lot more about having her picture taken whenever she was with me. And she was more interested in the limelight and being at the clubs and the VIP spots, and less about doing things with me that didn’t involve spotlight stuff, ya know?”

Barrett grimaced. He knew the type. “Yeah, I know.”

“So I thought, okay, let’s try hanging out alone more often. She was disappointed. I told her being in the spotlight wasn’t my thing, and if that’s what she was interested in, it wasn’t what I was about. Suddenly she stopped being available. Her replies to my texts became more infrequent. I asked her what was wrong and she told me nothing, but you know when something’s up.”

“Yeah.”

“And then I saw a picture of her on social media with some basketball player.”

“Sports groupie, for sure. I’m sorry, Flynn.”

Flynn shrugged. “Not the first time it’s happened.”

“Yeah, it happened to me before, too, but it sure as hell sucks.”

“It does. I liked her. I thought she was genuine. I guess I was wrong.”

Flynn turned the sizzling potatoes over, then added chopped onions to the skillet.

“Smells good already.”

Flynn smiled. “We haven’t even started yet.”

Once the potatoes were done, Flynn poured the potatoes onto a plate and covered them, then got out the package of bacon and put the strips in the already hot pan while Barrett opened the carton of eggs and took a pan out to cook them.

“So what now?” Barrett asked.

“What about now?”

“Anything on the woman front?”

Flynn let out a snort. “Hell no. I’ve got the restaurant and training camp coming up, and that’s all I’m focusing on. I think I’ve had enough of women and relationships for a while.”

“Can’t say I blame you for that.”

But Barrett felt bad. Even though Barrett gave his brother a hard time, Flynn was a good guy. He knew his brother was ready to settle down. But man, Flynn was having a hard time finding the right woman.

Barrett knew she was out there somewhere.

Flynn flipped the bacon over while Barrett poured the eggs into the pan, then tossed the bread into the toaster. “How did things go with Amelia last night?”

“I offered her the job.”

Barrett grinned. “Awesome. Did she accept?”

“She said she’d get back to me.”

Barrett laughed. “Keeping you on the line about that, is she?”

“I guess.”

“Maybe she doesn’t like you.”

Flynn pinned him with a glare. “How the hell could she not like me? I’m fucking amazing.”

Barrett snorted. “Sure you are.”

The back door opened and Harmony walked in. She wore a tight-fitting T-shirt and those pants that only went past her knees, but hugged her body, showing off her curves.

Since his brother was in the room, Barrett would try not to notice how hot she looked.

“You didn’t wake me.”

“I was up early. Flynn and I went to the gym.”

She went to grab a cup to make coffee. “And now you’re fixing breakfast? I don’t know how some women haven’t swept in and married the hell out of both of you.”

Flynn grinned, then set the cooked bacon onto a plate. “I don’t know, either, considering how amazing we are. Well, I’m amazing. Barrett’s still a work in progress.”

“Kiss my ass, Flynn,” Barrett said.

Harmony laughed, then fixed herself a cup of coffee. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Nope,” Flynn said. “Take a seat.”

“I’ll do that.”

Flynn went to the refrigerator and grabbed cantaloupe, strawberries, honeydew melon and a pineapple, then started slicing them up while Barrett finished the toast.

“Grab some fresh oranges out of the fridge,” Flynn said to Barrett. “The juicer is in that cabinet.”

Barrett arched a brow. “Going all out, are we?”

“We are.”

Shaking his head, Barrett grabbed the juicer from the bottom cabinet, plugged it in, got the oranges out and sliced them in half, then juiced them.

Harmony had washed her hands and sliced oranges, handing them to him to move the process along.

“This is some fancy machine, Flynn,” Harmony said. “Most of us just buy orange juice in the container.”

“It’s better fresh.”

Harmony lifted her gaze to Barrett, who shook his head. “He’s all healthy and shit. What can you do?”

Harmony laughed and took the pitcher of fresh juice to the table, then got out plates and utensils.

Flynn brought the plate of bacon to the table. “I’m not all that healthy. We’re having bacon and fried potatoes with breakfast.”

“But the fresh fruit and juice counteract the effects,” Barrett said.

“Oh, they do, do they?” Harmony asked.

“Yeah. I read it somewhere. Plus, we burned off about two thousand calories already this morning.”

“You’d like to think that,” Flynn said, taking a seat at the table.

They dug in and ate. When Barrett took a drink of the juice, he had to admit it was damn good. “Okay, Flynn, you win. The fresh juice is better.”

“I can’t believe you admitted that.”

“Hey, I’m evolving.”

“Barrett’s right,” Harmony said. “The fresh juice is incredible. You should put a juice bar in your restaurant.”

“I don’t know about a juice bar, since we won’t be open for breakfast, at least not initially. But my plan is to use only fresh, organically grown and locally sourced ingredients. So we’ll see how it goes.”

“I can’t wait to see the menu,” Harmony said. “Or at least look it up online.”

“I told you that you’ll have to come back for the grand opening and taste everything.”

“Sure. Or, we’ll see how it goes, I guess.”

Flynn looked from her to Barrett. “You mean providing my brother doesn’t fuck up things between the two of you?”

“Hey,” Barrett said. “And mind your own business.”

“Whatever. So are you heading to the ranch this weekend?” Flynn asked.

“Yeah.”

Harmony swallowed, then turned to Barrett. “What’s going on at your parents’ place?”

“Our parents have invested in a new blues club that’s having their opening weekend in Austin. So we’re all flying in to hang out
with the parents and go to the club. Tucker’s off because it’s the midseason break, so even he’ll be around.”

She smiled at him. “That sounds fun.”

“You should bring Harmony,” Flynn said. “Hell, you should bring her entire family, Barrett. They’ve come to the ranch before, haven’t you?”

She shook her head. “My mom and my brother have been there, but I was on a college trip the last time they came out, so I missed it.”

“Then you definitely have to come. Doesn’t she, Barrett?”

Barrett had no idea how to respond to that. Bringing Harmony’s family would be innocuous enough, except he’d want to be alone with Harmony, and if Drake was there . . .

“What?” Flynn asked.

“My brother doesn’t know Barrett and I are seeing each other. And Barrett doesn’t want him to know.”

“Ohhh,” Flynn said, giving his brother the once-over. “So, uh, what’s the big deal?”

He knew he was going to end up having this conversation with Flynn. “Drake and I are teammates. He’s protective of Harmony. How do you think he’d react if he found out Harmony and I were seeing each other?”

Flynn shrugged. “No way to know unless you tell him.”

Barrett shook his head. “No way. We’re getting ready to head into training camp, then preseason. The last thing Drake and I need is tension between us. We need a solid defense.”

Flynn rolled his eyes. “I think you’re underestimating him.”

“And I think you’re underestimating his potential reaction. I’ve seen him around Harmony. He’s never approved of the guys she dates.”

Harmony laughed. “This is true.”

“Yeah, but none of those guys have been you.”

“Not gonna happen.”

Harmony got up and took her plate to the sink, then started doing dishes.

“Hey, leave those,” Flynn said.

“Nope. You two cooked. I’ll clean up.”

Barrett finished his plate, then took it over to the sink, helping Harmony dry the pots and pans.

When she finished with the dishes, she turned to him. “I’m going to go take a shower.”

“Okay.”

After she left, Barrett joined Flynn in the living room.

“I think you’re off the mark with Drake,” Flynn said.

“And I think you should butt out on this. This thing with Harmony and me is brand-new. We aren’t sure where we stand with each other. It might not even work out. And what if that happens? How do you think Drake would feel then if we break up? He and I have been friends a lot of years. I was reluctant to even start anything up with Harmony for this very reason.”

“Oh, so she forced you into it?” Flynn asked with a smirk.

“No. Dammit, Flynn, this is complicated. Which is another reason I’d just as soon leave Drake out of it.”

Flynn raised his hands. “Hey, I get it. I’m just giving you shit. What you do in your personal life is your business. But just be careful, okay. I like Harmony. I kind of think you’re okay, too. I’d really hate for either of you to get hurt.”

“I don’t want to hurt her. But let the two of us navigate this in our own way. And that means leaving Drake out of it.”

“Your choice. But I think it’s going to blow up in your face.”

“Maybe. I just intend to take this thing day by day and we’ll see how it goes.”

Flynn gave him a dubious smile. “You do that, Brother.”

“I’ve gotta shower. I promised Harmony a full day of sightseeing.”

“Okay. Tonight we’ll head into the city for dinner, since I know you two have an early flight tomorrow morning.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“Sure wish you could stay longer. I kind of didn’t hate having you around this weekend.”

“I didn’t hate it, either.” It was times like this that he missed his brothers, though he’d never admit that to any of them. “But I’ll see you again next weekend. And hey, the restaurant is coming along.”