Ileaned back in the chair at the student union, crumpling a wrapper of gum and tossing it into the red trash bin. Voices carried around me, not loud enough to distract me from my own thoughts.
I had failed. Well, not completely but the plan I wrote for myself wasn’t working. I was unfocused. My mind raced through every scenario that could go wrong—I flunked out of college, I lost my starting spot and my chance to show my worth for an NFL team, my grandma became sick, and I couldn’t take care of my family.
The same cyclical thoughts always hit me when I felt off-balanced, and it didn’t happen often. I refused to let it, but seeing her this morning had thrown me off my game. Lorelei Romano defined beauty to me. From her gorgeous curly hair to the large brown eyes to her always sun-kissed skin and muscles. She was my weakness in every sense of the word. My pulse pounded when she was around, and my clothes felt too tight on my body.
The first time I saw her, my throat had closed, and my skin heated, and I forgot how to speak. She’d worn tight black running shorts and a cutoff shirt, her face clear of any makeup, and she stole my breath as she smiled. Like, the air stopped flowing to my heart because she took my ability to function. She was a goddess, and in those few seconds of seeing her, I dropped every plan I had and wanted to learn her name, her favorite color, and the sounds she made when she stretched in the morning.
That’s Dean Romano’s sister, Lorelei. She’s on the soccer team.
And just like that, the fantasy burst because I never, ever fooled around with a teammate’s sister. It was rule number one and a law I followed at all costs.
Two years later, she had the same effect on me, and I hated it.
Not only was she my quarterback’s twin sister, but she also threatened the carefully crafted regime I created for myself. Girls got in the way of my goal. Well, not random hookups. Those took the edge off and kept me sane. Girls with emotions and messy feelings and attachments were an absolute nope. Been there, almost lost my football career because of it. A high school girlfriend thought it’d be fun to sleep with my teammates, trying to get us to fight because she was bored. That kinda shit stays with you.
The one woman in my life who deserved the world depended on me to play my ass off and make it to the NFL. Nothing would stop me from making that dream a reality, and that meant shoving thoughts of Lorelei in her running gear and sweaty stomach out of my head, regardless of the temptation.
“You shouldn’t be this tense, Monroe.” Xavier Smith clapped a hand on my shoulder before sitting down next to me in the student union. “Ladies, looking fine today,” he purred.
“Do you ever turn it off?” I asked, half amused, half annoyed by him. Most of the guys on the team fell into that category. We played our hearts out, but no one else had the same desperation I did, and sometimes that overwhelmed me. My grandma’s health and future depended on my success. There was no opportunity to fail because if I did… I winced. I had to succeed. Did I miss the shit I used to do for fun? Of fucking course. I wished I could go to car shows and admire the wheels I’d buy later in life. I loved tinkering with them. The free time was now watching game film.
“Nah, why would I want to?” He winked at a few ladies taking photos of us a few tables over. “You played great Friday, and didn’t Leslie find you this weekend for some fun?”
“Yes,” I said. I pulled up the assignments on my laptop that I had to do now since the game and film was done for the weekend. Mondays and Tuesdays were the days I did most of my homework and prepared for the week, but I’d already slacked this morning because my grandma wanted to FaceTime.
I loved her more than words. She’d raised me. She wanted to come to a football game this year, but getting her here wasn’t cheap. She’d need a driver, a hotel, and a way to attend the game. All those things cost money, and my monthly allowance didn’t have room for extras. Not with the rising costs of her nursing home.
“Leslie’s hot, man. You seeing her again?” Xavier leaned onto his elbows, taking a huge bite of a sub sandwich. A little mustard got on his chin, and he wiped it with the back of his hand.
Disgusting.
“No.” I adjusted the collar of my shirt, the fabric suddenly too snug.
“Ah, that’s right, my player. One and done for Monroe.” He snickered and hit my shoulder. “I should follow your lead sometime. It works well for you.”
“Be my guest.”
I put headphones in, blasting my focus playlist, and hoped Xavier got the hint. I liked the union over the library because the quiet and stillness there freaked me out. I preferred controlled chaos, and even though it meant people would recognize me and annoy me, it was better than the tranquility. The silence reminded me too much of the year my parents realized they didn’t like having a child. I’d spent a lot of time by myself in their house. No thank you. I loved noise—it made me feel less alone.
My courses were about sports management, and I was already in the hole the first month of school. Between the season and classroom, it’d be a miracle to get by with Cs.
My phone buzzed on the table, and my gut tightened. Is my grandma okay? I snatched it fast and sighed at Dean’s name popping up.
Dean: gotta talk to you all about something. Might’ve found a new roommate.
Callum: fuck yeah when?
Oliver: fam meeting tonight?
Family meeting. My eye twitched. I appreciated the sentiment from Oliver, but most of his self-prescribed family meetings ended with two of us horsing around or making a bet or getting into trouble. They were entertaining at least. I couldn’t walk away from a bet even though I knew it’d never end well for me.
Luca: I’m busy until six.
Dean: six it is then.
Having a new roommate would fill the void since Gage, our other teammate, had gotten injured and had to move back home for a few months. His room sat unused, a twin bed and an empty dresser shoved into a corner. It’d be nice to have a little extra income for us to split, but mainly, I wanted a roommate who would leave us alone.
If they were an athlete, all the better. They’d understand how tough it was and the dedication it took. Dean wouldn’t suggest someone unless they’d fit in. I knew that. Relaxing into my chair, I silenced my phone so I could jump into my homework. I’d worry about the roommate later, when I had the mental capacity.
At two minutes before six, the four of us sat at the kitchen table Callum’s mom had found for us and refinished. The school’s logo sat in the center, and each chair was either orange or blue. It always smelled like paint, but I liked it. The thought was kind. Oliver grabbed a sports drink for us and sat at the head of the table, his glasses perched on his nose and his blond hair in a manbun.
He had the most style out of all of us, that was for sure. Callum came next with his loud personality and swagger. Dean was more like me, focused and football everything. He had the face for a QB and the attitude to handle the stress. These guys were the closest things I had to brothers and the only people who knew the truth of my situation. They understood my desperation and determination and that anything that got in the way of that would be removed.
“This feels too formal.” Callum frowned at Dean. “A full fam meeting? What’s going on?”
Dean squeezed the back of his neck, his face getting red as his attention flicked to me for a beat. “Look, this isn’t ideal, but it needs to happen. Please support me on this.”
“Anything, bro.” Oliver adjusted his hair and leaned onto his elbows. Nothing flustered Oliver, ever, and it made me strangely jealous. I’d love to not stress about every single thing all the time and just exist. Watch horror movies and buy random shit online. Not worry about my grandma’s health or her finances or the fact I was one injury away from losing the financial security our family needed. I’d love my biggest issue to be how I did my hair that morning.
“It’s my sister.” Dean swallowed hard. He stared at the table and blew out a long breath.
My lungs froze, Lorelei’s face flashing in my mind. She hadn’t seemed hurt when I’d run into her earlier. Was she injured? Sick? In a car accident? I scooted closer, every muscle tightened and ready to spring into action. We could help drop stuff off or bring her food or—
“She needs a place to stay for one semester. And by that, I mean she wants to live here.”
“Lolo?” Oliver asked, his face lighting up in a grin. “Living in this house?”
“Yes, but don’t say it like that.” Dean leveled his gaze and growled. “She has always and will always be off-fucking-limits.”
The other two commented something, but the sound was distorted, like my mind couldn’t understand their words. It remained on the fact Dean’s sister was a walking wet dream. Lorelei Romano, here, in this house, near me was unacceptable. I couldn’t… she’d… I closed my eyes, my ears ringing as panic washed over me. I couldn’t afford to be distracted, and she defined the term. My pulse raced so hard my fingers throbbed.
The conversation came back to me, their voices returning as I inhaled.
“She won’t care about the hookups or parties?”
“Nah, she’s laid-back and is always working out. We’ll hardly see her.” Dean frowned at me, his head tilting to the side. “Luca, you’ve been quiet. Is this okay? I know you’re strict about who comes here during the week.”
I met his eyes, different scenarios running through my head. Me receiving a bad grade because she played music too loud or me not sleeping well because of girl drama and the lack of sleep causing me to get injured. Me getting caught up in her spell and forgetting why I was here. Me breaking my control and ruining my relationship with Dean, thus, destroying my NFL chances. Been there, done that, and Lorelei might be the most beautiful distraction on earth, but she couldn’t be mine. “Truthfully, I’d prefer she not live here.”
Dean winced and ran both hands through his shaggy hair. “Why? I can talk to her to make sure she doesn’t interfere with your study schedules or workout regime. She agreed she won’t have her friends over, no partying, nothing.” Dean’s frown grew as he stared me down. His eyes pleaded with me, and the same large brown eyes he shared with Lorelei filled with regret.
Shit. How could I explain this to him without revealing my strange, selfish thoughts? Not one of them made sense. Oh, I’m attracted to your sister and don’t want to tempt myself or She’s my weakness. My reasons made me sound irrational. I ran a hand over my jaw, hoping to buy myself a few seconds to come up with a brilliant, very reasonable explanation. “Girls complicate things.”
Dean laughed. “No shit, but this is my sister we’re talking about. Not some cleat-chasing chick.”
Callum and Oliver snorted, and the weight of their stares hit me right in the chest. My face burned, and I scooted back in the chair, uncomfortable as hell. “I understand, but she could complicate our dynamic.”
Dean ran a hand over his face with a loud groan. “I know. Fuck, I do. But what am I gonna tell her? Sorry you gotta live on someone’s couch when we have an empty bed? We can write up a contract with the rules. Whatever you need, Luca. She won’t bother you. I’ll make sure of it. She… it’s the start of her junior season. Some guy broke her heart, and she’s been down about it. This year is important to her and to know she doesn’t have a place to live? Could you imagine not having a bed during the season?”
My throat tightened with all the words I didn’t say. Who broke her heart? Where did he live? What idiot of a human had hurt her? I willed my spiraling pulse to right itself and cracked the knuckles of my left hand.
Objectively, taking her out of the picture, it would suck ass to not have a home while the season went on. Everyone needed a spot to be themselves, decompress, reflect on a game however they preferred. I didn’t have siblings, but my teammates were my brothers, and the thought of them having an empty room and not giving it to me because of some asshole and his own issues…
“Okay,” I barked out.
Dean’s entire body relaxed, the light returning to his eyes. Guilt clawed down my chest—I’d made him stress. All the dude wanted was to take care of his twin sister, and my uptight ass had almost prevented him.
“What do you think? A contract? We can list the rules?” Dean cleared his throat and glanced at each of us, but his gaze returned to me. “Would that help?”
“I don’t care at all.” Ollie shrugged. “Girls smell nice.”
“Okay, you’re not smelling my sister.”
He smirked and arched a brow. “Obviously, but it’s a known fact girls smell better.”
“Eh, Lo is an athlete. She works out most the time, has this gym bag that has never been washed… she’s… wait, why are we talking about this?” Dean groaned and hit the table. “Again, Lo is my sister. There’s a rule about that in the team handbook somewhere.”
Callum raised a hand, earning an eyeroll from me. The dude was too much.
“I vote no contract. If she causes issues, we’ll handle it with you.” He eyed Dean. “My sister is my favorite person in the world, and if she needed a place to stay, I’d make it happen with or without your approval.”
I hid my wince.
“Thanks for understanding.” Dean blew out a breath and met my eyes. “You sure you’re good?”
I nodded. What choice did I have?
It meant I’d have to keep my distance. Despite all the reasons I wanted to learn everything about her, I couldn’t. Dean said she was off-limits, and I couldn’t afford distractions. I couldn’t betray him, our leader on the field. My football future meant everything, and regardless of Lorelei’s full lips and gorgeous hair, it wasn’t worth even the slightest risk.
