Not that I noticed or anything.

I don’t even see that the towel he wears is hanging low on his hips, that a little line of hair is going down to the spot I so desperately wanted to explore at one time. But no more. He is my enemy.

“You can try, but you won’t get it, Moore. Not while I’m breathing.”

“Then I guess I’ll need to cut off your air supply, because this team will be mine.”

I hear a few people laugh and even some oooh out, but Jayden doesn’t move; his eyes are glued to mine. Challenging me. “We will see.”

“Yeah, we will,” I say, glaring back at him. Shaking his head, he turns his back on me and heads to his locker. Which is right across from mine. Sitting down, he crosses his legs before leaning back in his locker, taking his phone out. Looking around, I see all kinds of expressions. Angry, annoyed, and even some look apologetic.

Actually only Jace and Markus look apologetic.

Sucking in a deep breath, I sit down and take my skates off, wiggling my toes before hanging them up. I’m about to lean back in my locker to wait until everyone is done, since I am not getting in the shower with thirty other guys, when Jayden’s voice carries through the locker room again.

“Where you going, McCarthy?”

Looking up, I see McCarthy pause and point to the showers. “I’m going to shower.”

“No. Moore goes first.”

Huh? What?

“The fuck? No way, I’m not waiting for her to wash her hair and shave her legs,” he spits back, glaring at me before looking back at Jayden.

“There are thirty-two of us and one of her. I don’t expect her to wait on all of us, and I really don’t think it’s appropriate for her to be in there with us,” he says before standing, towering over McCarthy. “So we will wait. Because that’s what a gentleman does, and I’m sure she won’t be long.”

“She can go home for all I care. I’m not waiting.”

“Yes, you are. Or like you suggested, you can go home.”

Sputtering, he glares before yelling, “Why are we making special accommodations for some bitch?”

Glaring, Jayden takes a step to him and says, “Because that bitch is part of our team.”

“I’ll show you both a bitch,” I say, but they ignore me, and really, I’m glad they did. There was no point in clarifying that other than to make myself feel better.

“Fuck that,” he says, and when he starts to walk, Jayden presses his hand into his chest.

“You go into that shower before her or even when she is in there, not only will I kick your ass, but I will make sure Coach knows about it. He is trusting us to be respectful to her. Maybe you weren’t raised that way, but I was, and since you are on my team, we are going to do things my way,” he says, and then Jace and Markus flank him, all of them staring McCarthy down.

You could cut the tension with a blade.

It’s so thick I’m choking on it, but finally, McCarthy is shaking his head as he backs up. He then turns, heading back to his locker. Looking over at me, he says, “Hurry the fuck up.”

Now, I know I should be grateful, even be glad that Jayden stood up for me.

Maybe even swoon a bit, but I’m not a normal girl.

So, of course, that means that I’m fucking pissed.

Standing up, I glare over at McCarthy and say, “No, please, be my guest. I’m not ready to shower yet.”

McCarthy eyes me before looking back over at Jayden. Jayden then asks, “Are you sure?”

I nod. “Yup.”

“Fine,” he says, waving me off. “Hurry up, boys.”

It’s like a damn cattle drive. Everyone rushes toward the shower and I’m standing there, not only pissed the hell off but also a little intimidated. How am I supposed to take over a team that already feels that Jayden is the captain? The whole day, they’ve basically been at his beck and call. They respect him, and I know they’ll vote him right away. But I know my dad doesn’t do votes, he picks. Which means, if he picks me, I won’t get any respect here.

Holding Jayden in a hostile gaze, I ask, “Can I talk to you?”

Jayden meets my gaze and raises his eyebrow. “Me?”

“Yeah, you,” I say and then I storm out of the locker room. I don’t hear him behind me until I reach the side doors that lead outside. When I go out, I turn, crossing my arms over my chest. I’m only wearing my socks, girdle, and tank, and thankfully, he’s put shorts on.

Thank the heavens.

But damn, he is gorgeous.

Matching my stance, he doesn’t say anything which throws me off a bit, but then I remember that I’m pissed and it’s all his fault.

“How dare you treat me like a fucking girl in there? I can take care of my own fucking self! I don’t need your help.”

“Never said you did,” he says calmly, like I’m not a raging bitch. “I just refuse to allow them to disrespect you.”

“Let them! It’s their funeral if my dad finds out. I can handle them on my own.”

Rolling his eyes, he looks at me blankly as he says, “I know that, but did it ever occur to you that I don’t want it to get to that? If I can nip it in the bud and put them on the right track so we can win and not worry about outdoing the girl, doesn’t that make me a better captain? Doesn’t that show that I can lead? I think it does.”

“So it’s not about defending me,” I say, and I don’t know why that bothers me. “It’s about pushing your candidacy for captain?”

“Not at all. That’s in the bag, sweetheart. I respect you, and I expect my team to do the same.”

Oh, he’s poking the bear something insane. “I’m not your fucking sweetheart, one! Two, it ain’t your damn team!”

With a smug grin, he shrugs. “So you say.”

I’m blistering with anger. I want to smack his damn smug face and then kick him in the shin. Basically growling, I ask, “Why don’t you just stop with this façade? You aren’t all high and mighty as you put off!”

“Never said I was. I’m only stating the truth. You’re the one flying off the damn handle because I’m trying to be a good guy.”

Oh, it’s like he just set me on fire. “Ah! With the fucking good-guy bullshit. I’ve heard that line. Bullshit.”