momentarily, righting himself like the athlete that he is. Reggie and Hunter grab Gordon and try to push him back while Harley and Cox’s smug friend push against Cox’s huge chest.
Cox looks downright smug.
“You just got yourself benched again,” he says, and then laughs so hard he folds over, resting his shovel hands on his thighs.
“Let’s get out of here,” I say, grabbing Gordon’s wrist and pulling. I expect him to resist. I expect him to want to get his hands on Cox and pulverize him, but he doesn’t. He comes with me as though the force of the shove to the other man’s chest has momentarily stunned him. We’re out in the lot before he seems to come around and resists going any further. “That fucker,” he hisses, nostrils flaring with disgust.
“It’s done,” I say. “I don’t know what’ll happen when the coach gets told, but if you go back in there, things will only get more serious, and that asshole isn’t worth it, okay?” I reach up to put my hand on Gordon’s rough, bearded cheek, and he grabs my wrist, holding me tightly so I can’t move. His eyes are fierce and filled with rage and something else. Something fragile and vulnerable. The part of him that knows how easily he could act in a way that would only hurt himself but feels powerless to stop. “It’s okay,” I say softly. “Walking away is okay. This isn’t about him winning and you losing. This is about…”
He silences me with a kiss so hard and deep that I’d have fallen had it not been from his grip on my arm and his other hand that goes around my back. My free hand rests on his chest, the hammering of his heart so hard against my palm that all I can feel is his humanity, his flesh and bone, and blood self.
Gordon moans against me, his tongue sliding into my mouth, explicit and raw and possessive, and then he’s pushing me back, eyes wild and out of control. “We can’t do this here,” he says.
“So let’s get out of here.” At least back home, Gordon will be out of harm’s way. The gym’s door hinges screech as it opens behind Gordon, and Reggie appears.
“Let’s go,” he says. “That asshole has a hard-on for trouble, and we’re not giving it to him.”
Behind, the rest of my foster brothers begin appearing. Hunter and Harley look me over as though they’re worried that I’m upset.
“We’re going to get food,” Hunter says.
“We’re going with them,” Dwayne says.
“I don’t feel like eating,” Gordon says, but all the time, his eyes are on mine, burning with need.
“I’ll take Gordon and Maggie home,” Reggie says, his gaze flicking between us as though he’s trying to work out what’s happened in the short time that we’ve been alone in the parking lot. Gordon’s ragged breathing and my swollen lips should make it very obvious.
We pile into the cars, and I glance back at the gym doors to see if Cox is going to make an appearance, but he doesn’t. I get the feeling he got what he wanted; Gordon heading for trouble. “Why did Cox want you benched?” I ask.
The car is silent, then Reggie clears his throat. “Gordon and Cox have long-running bad blood. Cox’s girlfriend came to Gordon for help. Cox was very possessive, and she didn’t know how to deal with it. Cox has never forgiven Gordon’s interference.”
“He’s a fucking animal,” Gordon mutters. “She was scared of him.”
“Did he hurt her?”
“Not in places anyone could see.” Gordon shakes his head and closes his eyes momentarily as though the memory is paining him to recall.
I watch him for a few seconds more, then gaze out of the window, wishing that I hadn’t probed. Once again, my mouth runs away with me, causing more hurt. I cringe at what I yelled in the gym. If I’d managed to keep some control over myself, maybe none of this would have happened. It was Gordon’s instinct to protect me, just as he protected Cox’s girlfriend, that has landed him in this situation. My heart sinks.
The men don’t need me coming in to ruin their lives. They need someone to help them move forward now Dad is gone. They need support, not aggravation.
But when we get home, it’s Gordon who takes my hand and leads me upstairs. It’s Gordon who sits on his bed as though he has the world on his shoulders and pulls me to him so