Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
“What the fuck does that mean?” he demanded.
My brows nearly hit my hairline at his tone. “You know what it means. You don’t have a monogamous bone in your body. My whole body is full of them! In the real world, you and I would never be in a relationship for that very reason. And the idea of constantly having to remind you that you’re supposed to be pretending to be the antithesis of commitment-phobic exhausts me.”
Baird gaped, stunned. His reaction confused me because I didn’t think I’d said anything we both didn’t already know. Then he practically whispered, “Is that what you think? Is that what you’ve thought of me this whole time we’ve been friends?”
“Eh, have you ever tried being monogamous? I don’t think so. Do you flirt with anything that offers you a smile? I do think so.”
“Don’t be condescending, Maia.” Baird suddenly pushed up from the table, his expression blank in a way I’d never seen. “I have to get to training.”
It took me so long to compute what was happening, he was halfway across the cafeteria when I thought to shout, “Bear!”
“We’ll talk later,” he said over his shoulder.
Then he was gone.
My cheeks burned as the two girls at the next table stared at me. I turned away and muttered to myself, “How the hell am I the bad guy?”
CHAPTER TEN
BAIRD
The last time I was in this foul a mood was not long after my injury. In fact, I think this mood was fouler than that. Baumann and I nearly got into it in training when he started taking the piss out of me about my quick engagement to Maia. He kept saying shit about how many women I’d slept with and asking what was so special about Maia. When he used the word pussy in relation to her, I lost my mind. Callan and John had to hold me back. Thankfully, the gaffer had been near and heard, and Baumann got a fine for being a prick.
The truth was I was only this enraged with him because I was angry at myself.
And confused.
This whole time Maia had thought me incapable of being a one-woman man.
I’d never even crossed her mind as a viable candidate to be her man.
I’m fucking down bad at the gym and she’s not only oblivious, she’s impervious!
Ainsley was right.
I’d gone into this whole scheme like a cocky bastard, absolutely sure I now had a clear path to making Maia fall for me. There was even a part of me that hoped My already had feelings for me, ones she’d kept locked up tight because of Will.
But nah.
This whole time she’d written me off.
“Got any plans for the weekend?” Freddie, our youngest and newest player, fell into step beside me as we all trudged, soaked with sweat, across the field toward the locker room. Freddie had replaced Botan, a Japanese player who’d left to return to Kyoto this season. The coaches had run us ragged this morning in preparation for this weekend’s final.
“Not really,” I muttered. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk. But the team was pissed about the loss of Botan, and Freddie had been taking the brunt of that. Baumann and some of the other lads were giving him a hard time. I forced myself to be polite. “You?”
“Jumping on a train to see my girlfriend.” Freddie grinned like a man in love. Bloody hell. Poor lad.
“She live far?”
“Ae?” he asked like he hadn’t heard the question.
“Does she live far away?” I repeated.
“Ae.”
I cut him a sharp look to see if he was being deliberately annoying. “Eh?” I copied him.
Freddie frowned. “I said Ae.”
“I know you said eh. Can you no’ hear me? I asked where does she live?” For fuck’s sake. Why was everyone being deliberately exasperating today?
Freddie was equally exasperated. “She lives in fucking Ae. A. E. The village.”
Muffled laughter sounded behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to find Callan and John practically falling over themselves in hysterics. At my expense. “Like I was supposed to know there’s a village that sounds like a Scot asking a fucking question!”
At that, they all burst out laughing and I stormed ahead.
It wasn’t like me.
Usually, I’d be peeing my pants at the situation.
Maia was messing with my sense of humor, and that pissed me off too.
Surprisingly, the lads let me be. We all showered, everybody giving me space. But once I was tying on my trainers, Callan stopped in front of me. He had all his gear on, ready to go. “Fancy grabbing a bite with me and John?”
I nodded because I was being a pissant and I didn’t want to be.
Not long later, we’d settled in at a New Town pub near my place. As soon as we’d ordered food, Callan said, “What’s wrong? First, you nearly tear Baumann apart for being his usual prickish self and then you didn’t find the Ae thing funny. That’s just no’ you.” I could see his lips twitching like he wanted to laugh at it again.