CHANGING THE PLAYER: Charleston Pirates #1 Chance, Jacob (suggested reading .TXT) 📖

“Good point. Come in when it’s done.” She rises on her toes, kissing my chin. Cupping the back of her head, I lean down and capture her mouth for a brief but heated kiss. She fans her face as she steps back.

“You look beautiful.”

“You look almost as delicious as the turkey I made,” she tells me before she hurries off.

Laughing, I get down to work. Pleasing Nadia in every way I can has become one of my life’s purposes. Right up there with winning the Super Bowl.

* * *

“Did Flynn tell you about the time we auctioned off our teammate’s virginity?” Darren asks with a smug grin on his face. I glare threateningly at him, but it only makes him laugh.

“No, I haven’t heard that one,” Nadia replies.

“Oh shit, I remember that,” Kendra chimes in. “Nolan is one of the nicest guys too. We were partnered together on a project right around then.”

“We don’t need to take a trip down memory lane, do we? College was a lifetime ago,” I say.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think I’d like to hear this story.” Nadia directs her gaze at me.

“Darren and I found out Nolan, who also happened to be one of our frat brothers, was a virgin. We set up an auction fundraiser for girls to bid on the chance to take his virginity and the money would go to a charity.”

“Did he know?” Nadia asks.

I take a sip of my water before replying. “Not until it was already set up.” I look at Darren and we both laugh uncontrollably.

“I can still see his face when he found out. God, that was a classic practical joke. We pulled off some great ones.” Darren wipes tears from the outside corners of his eyes.

“You guys sound like you were assholes,” Sadie says.

I shrug indifferently. “Pretty much. But damn, we had fun.”

Darren raises his beer toward me. “We sure did.”

“What happened with Nolan’s virginity?” Nadia asks.

“He lost it like every guy eventually does. But that’s a story for another day.”

We all focus on eating. The sound of cutlery against the china is the dinner music as we all gorge on turkey and all the fixings.

“Everything is delicious, Nadia,” Levi says.

“Thank you. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” She smiles with gratitude.

I’m not glad he’s enjoying it. Why did I invite him over anyway? Levi’s a friend of mine, but he’s too good looking for his own good. He’s got a pretty boy face that I’d like to mess up right about now. I’ll have to get a grip on my jealousy. This is a new feeling for me. In the meantime, I can dole out his payback on the practice field.

Nadia pats my leg under the table like she knows what’s going on inside my head. It’s nice that she already recognizes my crazy and she’s still interested in being with me. I guess when you care about someone, it really makes you blind to their faults. That has to be the case. There’s no way Nadia should still be with me, at least not legitimately. She committed to be my girlfriend for two months and that deal isn’t over for another five weeks.

Glancing around the table, I search for the basket of rolls I placed on the table despite Nadia wanting them in the kitchen. Who doesn’t put rolls on the table? I find them at the other end in front of Darren. “Hey, D. Throw me a roll, please.”

“Flynn,” Nadia gasps my name like I committed one of the seven deadly sins.

“What? He’s one of the top quarterbacks in the nation and you don’t think he can throw a roll eight feet to me?”

Darren shakes his head. “Such little confidence. I expected better of you, Nadia.”

“This is Thanksgiving dinner,” she states.

“And your point is?” I ask, looking at her in the chair next to mine.

Her eyes are open exceptionally wide, like she’s trying to send me a secret message inside their depths. “This is not the time to throw rolls around the table. You’re grown men.”

“Are you sure about that?” Darren laughs.

“Right?” I add. “Haven’t you known us long enough to realize we’re just children at heart?” She slaps her hand to her forehead and I turn back to Darren. “Zing me a roll, dude.” Darren grabs one, clutching it in both hands before drawing his arm back and letting it fly. The round object floats right into my hands. Every man at the table cheers while the women shake their heads. Except for my sister, who’s too busy laughing. She has an advantage over Nadia and Sadie, though. Darren and I have been friends since college, and Kendra went to B.U. with us. She’s used to our behavior.

“All right. I need one too,” Levi calls out, raising his hand. Darren fires one his way and a cheer goes up when it’s caught.

“I need one,” Kendra says.

Levi puts his right arm around her. “I got you, sweetheart.” Darren immediately throws, forcing Levi to catch it left handed.

Kendra smiles at Levi. “Thank you.”

He winks and removes his arm from behind her. “No problem. And left handed too.”

Darren scowls, and I wonder if he’s annoyed by how Levi is paying attention to my sister. He’s always been so protective of her. “Hey, don’t I get a thank you? I’m the one who threw it,” Darren calls down the table.

“Nope,” Kendra says, tearing a bite from her roll with her teeth. Watching the two of them makes me smile. Darren has been like a brother to both of us. With Kendra living down here, it’s nice to know she can depend on someone else besides me. There may be times I’m not around.

“Well, that was a first for me.” Nadia sighs. “I think I need a glass of wine.”

“You’ve never played roll football at your table before? Thanksgiving and football go hand in hand. What kind of household did you grow up in?” I tease.

“One with manners,” she retorts.

I put my palms up