“They sweep them up in their path.” A line appeared between his brows. “My analogy is sound.”
“Once. They sweep them up once, because they’re ruined when they spit them out. And you’ve been watching way too many movies, Jansen.” I turned my back on him and headed to the water fountain to refill my bottle.
“Okay, maybe my analogy is off a little,” Sterling admitted. “You wouldn’t destroy Evie, if that’s what you’re scared of. Sure, she’s sweet, but my guess would be that she’s strong as hell, too.”
“And how the fuck would you know?” I snapped. “Yeah, you’ve gotten to know Mila over the last year and a half, but I’ve known Evie since we were kids. She’s not just sweet. She’s soft, and kind, and has a tenderness that I don’t—a tenderness that I’m going to absolutely crush if we go there, because I’ll say or do the wrong thing. I’ll fuck it up, Sterling, trust me.”
“How would you fuck it up? Are you a cheater?” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I spun back around on him, my muscles clenching to keep from swinging on my own brother. “If, and I mean if Evie and I ever went there, there would be no chance I’d ever cheat on her. One, have you fucking seen her? There is more than enough to keep my attention at home, trust me. She’s gorgeous. Those eyes of hers are knockouts, and her body….” I bit into my lower lip, remembering just how phenomenal her cries had sounded in my ears, how sweet she tasted against my tongue, how perfect her hips felt in my hands when I flipped her onto her knees, and just how fuckable she looked once I had her there. It felt like she’d been built to take me, to handle everything I could give her.
“That’s all you have to say,” Sterling said with a low whistle.
“I think you’d make a wicked good couple,” McKittrick called out from his weight machine.
Sterling and I both whipped around to face him.
“What?” he asked, pulling another rep. “Just because my AirPods are in doesn’t mean I can’t hear you. I say go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“Says you with all twenty-two years of experience on this earth,” I muttered.
“Twenty-three,” he corrected me. “And from the look of things around here, I’m the only unattached guy to give you some solid advice. The rest of these guys are racing for wedding rings like it’s Daytona around here.”
Sterling’s brow puckered. “I mean…he’s not wrong.”
I rolled my eyes.
McKittrick waved down Cannon and Axel as they walked by the glass window of the gym.
“What?” Cannon asked, as they stuck their heads in the door.
“What do you think? Should Maxim go for the hot girl he obviously wants but won’t do anything about?” McKittrick asked.
Cannon glanced from McKittrick to me, a bland expression on his terrifying face. “Why would I give a fuck what you do?” He left without another word.
“Evie?” Axel asked, his eyebrows rising.
“Am I that fucking obvious?” I muttered.
“Yes,” Axel answered. “But so is she, so I think you’re golden there.” He gave me a thumbs up and disappeared back into the hallway.
“If this goes badly, our sister will never forgive me,” I said to Sterling.
“Yeah, well, not to get all dramatic, but you might never forgive yourself if you don’t try.” He shrugged. “You deserve happiness, Maxim, and if you think there’s even the slightest chance you can find that with Evie, then go for it.”
What if Sterling was right? What if Evie and I could really have something?
But what if I fucked it all up, pissed off Mila, and simultaneously screwed up my game, costing our team its chance at the Cup?
Because that second scenario was far more likely given my track record.
“I’m so jealous!” Evie exclaimed into her phone, Mila’s face taking up the screen. “That looks absolutely amazing!”
“Right? And I picked you up the prettiest purse!” Mila shoved a purple bag into the lens.
“You didn’t have to do that!” Evie grinned, her smile brighter than the afternoon sun.
“Of course I did, you’re my best friend!” Mila grinned right back.
My stomach sank.
And that, right there, is why I had to keep my fucking hands off Evie. Caspian had been one of my best friends for years, and yet that bond didn’t hold a candle to what Evie and Mila had. Coming between my sister and Evie would make me the biggest kind of asshole.
“Well, thank you,” Evie said, walking past me as I grabbed a Powerade out of the fridge.
I lifted my brows at her and she nodded, so I tossed her an orange one. Those were her favorites.
“And Evie, you should see the men here,” Mila said with a soft sigh that had me sending a shot of side-eye toward the phone. “They are scrumptious.”