Rookie Move (Playing for Keeps, #1)

by Riley Hart

Great. Tucker had figured out my secret, only he had the wrong brother in mind.

And then he smiled the smile I knew from growing up when he was about to lay down some big-brother fuckery. “Houston.” I let a warning creep into my voice as his smile grew. “Well, if he’s gonna keep staring, maybe I should give him something to watch.” “Wait a second. Houston!” I snapped, but he’d already skirted past me, cackling as he walked back down the hallway. Fuck.

Ramsey had done a double take when Houston had pulled out a chair for him at the dining table when we’d sat down for dinner.

He stumbled to a pause as Houston stretched his arm casually along the back of his chair, then cleared his throat. “We—” A low growl rumbled up my throat as Houston rested his fingers lightly on Ramsey’s shoulder. I pounded my chest and coughed loudly. Houston’s fingers retreated, but his smile grew by a fucking mile. “Sorry. Bone. Gristle,” I gritted out, then grabbed my glass of water and chugged it.

“G probably just forgot how to swallow again.” I wanted to disown him. Could you disown brothers? I was pretty sure you could. “Believe me, I know how to swallow.” “Not what I’ve heard,” Ramsey chimed in.

The fucker continued dancing right on the edge of obvious all through dinner until even my parents were looking between the two of them in bewilderment.

“It was a short thing in college. I had a long-standing crush on a dude. We finally hooked up. I figured that’d be the end of it. It wasn’t.”

I cannot unsee or unhear some things where you and Ramsey are concerned, fuck you very much.”

It was spending time with Garrett I missed the most. He’d become such an integral part of my life—the person I wanted to talk to about things and laugh with and play video games or exercise with—that I felt really goddamned lonely. I saw him six days a week between practice and games, and yet I missed him. It was weird as shit.

Nance could probably spit in my face, and I’d get hard.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that right now. I mean, I meant it, but I shouldn’t have said it in front of—hi, Mr. and Ms. McRae. How’s the head, G? Are you—” “I love you too,” he cut me off.