Offside (The Barker Triplets 1)

So, what exactly was this that he felt for Billie? It wasn’t infatuation. No way. It was a hell of a lot deeper than that. The realization startled him and for a moment he froze.

“I gotta work on the Mustang,” Shane turned abruptly and left Logan alone with a churning gut, a mind filled with images of a dark haired jezebel, and no clue how he was going to deal with the whole Betty situation.

How exactly did you tell the woman you were kinda crazy about that you had sex with her sister?

He swallowed and groaned. Not only had he had sex with Billie’s sister—he had taken her virginity. Complicated didn’t come close to describing his current situation.

Fuck.

Chapter Twenty-two

“Billie, can we talk?”

Billie was hunched over the sink in the laundry room, trying to clean the dried blood off her protective chest gear—gear that had pretty much failed the week before. But then again, Seth Longwood knew exactly what he was doing with that stick when he’d jabbed her. He’d gone right for an area that wasn’t always protected and he’d hit gold.

At least the gash wasn’t so sore anymore, and even if it was, damned if she was going to let it keep her from playing.

She tossed the gear into the sink, and winced as she turned around, though she couldn’t help the smile that followed it. She was sore all right. But it wasn’t her stitches that were causing her pain. It was a muscle in her lower back. A muscle that had been strained because the night before Logan had done some wicked, wicked things to her body. Who would have known she’d be able to twist that way? Who would have known he’d be able to position himself and follow through on his promise to make her beg him for more?

Ever since Monday she’d been sneaking out of the house like a naughty teenager, spending most of the hours between nightfall and dawn under the sheets with Logan.

“[i]Hello?[i] Billie? Are you listening?”

“Yes,” she glanced at the clock. It was nearly time to head to the arena for their Friday game. “What’s up?”

Bobbi looked tired and something clicked inside Billie as she stared at her sister. Bobbi’s perfect hair and makeup complimented her perfect pinstripe suit and matching heels. Her accessories were bang on, the lilac colored beads and earrings a great contrast to her gray suit. But it was the look in Bobbi’s eyes that didn’t match.

There was something there, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, and it made Billie feel guilty, mostly because she’d been in such a great place these last few days.

And because she was sick of being at odds with her sister.

“How was Dad today?” Bobbi asked.

“He was good,” Billie answered. She’d spent the entire day cleaning the house and puttering around with her father. They’d even made it outside to help Herschel with yard work. He had been responsive, interested, and most of all he’d been in this time and place. “He had a good day. He’s in the family room watching [i]Criminal Minds[i] with Gramps.”

Billie followed her sister into the kitchen and leaned against the countertop as Bobbi helped herself to a generous glass of wine.

“Want some?” Bobbi asked.

“No,” Billie answered. “I’ve got a game in an hour…”

Bobbi took a long sip and then set her glass down, glancing over to the Crockpot on the counter. “You made chili,” she said.

Billie nodded. It was her sister’s favorite. “I followed Gramps’ recipe to a T.”

Bobbi took another sip of wine and the pressure inside Billie cracked. It crumbled and made it hard to breathe.

“Bobbi, I don’t want to fight anymore.” She shook her head. “I don’t. I don’t know what happened to us or how so much time and space came between us and I don’t care. I,” she exhaled and struggled to find the right words but in the end she could only utter the truth. “I miss you.”

Her sister glanced up and Billie was overwhelmed when she saw the tears that shimmered in Bobbi’s eyes. One moment there was an entire kitchen between the two of them and the next they were hugging each other as fiercely as when they had been little girls and one of them had a boo-boo.

Adult boo-boos were so much more complicated, but still, hugs were good and they went a long way in starting the whole healing process.

Bobbi was the first to break away. She sniffled and wiped at the corners of her eyes, where her perfect makeup now ran and her eye shadow was smudged beyond repair.

“I miss you too,” she said quietly. She paused and ran scarlet tipped fingers through her hair as she took another sip of wine. “Everything has just gotten to me, you know?” She kicked off her heels and sent them flying across the floor as she slid into a chair. “Dad being sick has been pretty awful.”

There was no condemnation in her sister’s words, just a sad and tired acceptance. Billie slid into the chair opposite her sister. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help out, and though I can’t change the past, I’m home now. And even though I’m not one hundred percent sure what I’m going to do with my life,” she shrugged. “I’m not going anywhere.”