Sawyer (Carolina Reapers 2)

If I lived here, I’d remember shit like that because I’d know my teammates even better. That definitely fell into the plus column.

“That’s Connell’s house,” Faith told me once we’d reached the sidewalk.

“Really? I don’t see him,” Echo said, shading her eyes with her hand.

“You finally joining us?” Logan asked, leaning on the railing.

“Thinking about it. What do you guys do for fun around here, anyway?” I fired back.

“A little of this, little of that,” he answered with a shrug. “Hang around for a few minutes, and you’ll see.”

“We’ll come say hi as soon as he picks a house,” Faith promised, and tugged me into the street. “No getting distracted. It took us this long to get you out here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I shook my head at my friend but followed her.

“As you can see, your other teammates love our town!” Annabelle said as we reached the other side of the street. “We have tons of precautions in place to make sure that you guys feel at home here.”

“Precautions?” Echo asked, her fingers laced with mine.

“No reporters are allowed. Ever. You should feel just as safe walking downtown as you do in the privacy of your own home,” Annabelle assured us both. “We also have strict covenants, so you’ll never have to deal with unsightly messes, and our schools are highly rated.”

Echo shot her a what the fuck look, and I nearly lost it with laughter.

“I mean, if you ever want to have kids. One day. Not soon, of course. And I’m not implying that they’d be with Echo.” Annabelle blinked rapidly. “Oh, shit, not that I’m saying they wouldn’t be with Echo, either!”

“Right, enough about our hypothetical suburban children,” Echo said as she tilted her head at her friend, but there was no malice in her tone.

“We also have community picnics,” Faith picked up as we stood at the foot of the driveway to a two-story, modern house lined with glass windows. “It’s a real family feel, even for those of us who don’t have kids. Everyone is so nice, and it’s not like Seattle, where you walk by people all the time, and they just fade into the background. Everyone says hello. Everyone is...seen, I guess.”

Annabelle blinked rapidly. “Do you really love your current job? Because I just know that you’d be perfect in the town offices!”

“I do, actually,” Faith told her with a laugh.

“Well—” Annabelle sucked in her breath and her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she stared back across the street. “What in the actual hell?”

I turned to see what had her gawking and I groaned.

Connell was running down his porch steps wearing a giant hat on his head and nothing else.

Nothing.

Else.

“Good afternoon, lovebirds!” he shouted with a wave, and it wasn’t just his hand waving. Nope. His dick was swinging in the breeze as he jogged over to us. “Och! I didn’t realize we had company!” He quickly cupped his junk in his hands but didn’t stop jogging.

“Oh my God, Connell,” Faith muttered, turning her back on the naked man.

Echo sputtered into a loud laugh, and I quickly pulled her into my chest, not just to shield her, but because I didn’t need her to see what the Scotsman was rocking under those hands. “Put some clothes on MacDhuibh,” I shouted.

“No can do. I’m mid-streak. Cannon said I’d have to back up my claim that I have the biggest balls on the team, and maybe he meant metaphorically, but I just couldn't miss a chance to get some fresh air on my boys.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered.

“Let me know which house you choose! And who your scrumptious little friend is!” he called back over his naked backside as he jogged up the street.

“Well. I’ve. Never.” Annabelle was full of sputters, her cheeks flushing. But she didn’t look away from the naked Scotsman.

“You’ve never met Connell,” Echo drawled.

“Now, I’ve met too much of him,” Annabelle said with a shake of her head. “Or not enough,” she muttered. “You boys are something else.” She pointed her finger at me as we walked up to the second house.

“Hey, I’m not the one streaking the neighborhood.”

“There’s only two more houses up that way, and neither are occupied,” Annabelle said, waving her hand. “He talks a good game, but if he really meant it, he’d be streaking the arena.”

One of those houses had been Thurston’s, and though his furniture was in it, he was gone. None of us knew where Coach had sent him, and none of us were ready to ask. Echo squeezed my hand, as if she’d sensed the direction of my thoughts. She’d been the only person I’d told about the situation after what had gone down in Coach’s office.

We walked into the house and I felt...light. It was everywhere. The ceilings were high, the windows bright, and the open floor plan made everything feel connected.