Binding 13

He watched me for several moments, eyes full of mistrust, clearing waiting for me to pounce.

It was almost comical.

Almost.

"Believe it or not, Joh

"When we're both full of drink?"

"Fair enough," he conceded. "But I didn’t mean for that to happen."

"You didn’t mean for what to happen exactly?" I asked, leaning my shoulder against the wall of the pub for balance. "You didn’t mean to fuck me over, or you didn’t mean to hit my best friend and your teammate?"

The night air had hit me like a fucking wrecking ball and I knew full well that without the wall for support, I would be swaying like the tower of Pisa.

"Gibs hit me first," Cormac snapped and then threw his hands up. "He was in my face."

"Because you were in mine," I replied calmly. "Because you were told to leave and you wouldn’t, and because I'm his captain and that means something to him."

Cormac grimaced at my words.

Good.

Fucker needed to feel them.

"And I didn’t mean to fuck you over," he added, cheeks reddening. "I thought you two were off. I really fucking like the girl, Joh

"Then all you had to do was pick up the phone," I countered, words slurring despite my best efforts. "And hear it from the horse's mouth."

"I should have," he finally admitted.

"You know what the messed-up thing is," I mused, voicing my thoughts aloud. "It's that if you told me you liked her, I would have stepped back." Folding my arms across my chest, I glared at him. "I would have respected the shite out of you for being a man about it, and I would have walked away. Bella and I were never serious. I didn’t have a relationship with her. But I had one with you. And you betrayed me."

"Cap –"

"No, shut up and let me say this." Exhaling heavily, I said, "It's not that she went behind my back with my teammate. It's that my teammate went behind my back with her."

Cormac groaned loudly. "Joh

I held a hand up, warding him off with his bullshit.

"Don’t feed me that you didn’t mean for it to happen line. I've had sex, Cormac, many times, and we both know that when you put your dick inside a girl, you always fucking mean it. It doesn’t just slip in una

"You're right," he admitted after a long pause. "Shit, lad, you're right."

"I know I am," I replied, tone clipped.

"And you're really done?" He watched me with a wary expression. "You don’t want her back?"

I shook my head and expelled a frustrated breath. "I don’t know how many ways I can say it, Ryan; I don’t want a bleeding thing to do with that girl. So, you go right ahead and do whatever the hell you want with her. Just keep her the fuck away from me, keep your PDA's out of my face, and we'll be golden."

"Are you saying that to save face?" he pushed.

"I would think you knew by now that I'm a straight talker," I growled. "When I tell you I'm done, I mean it."

"So, that's it?"

"Yep." I nodded. "That's it."

"Why aren’t you more pissed at me?" he asked, giving me a mistrusting look.

"Because I feel sorry for you," I told him and surprisingly it was the truth.

I was feeling sorry for Cormac.

I was also disappointed in him.

I was a lot of things but pissed wasn’t one of them.

Not right now, at least.

He was a pawn in one of Bella's games and even though I was drunk, I could see that as clear as day.

"Listen to me," I began, striving not to slur my words as I tried to give him some hard-learned home truths. "I've been in this game a long fucking time and I know what's happening here. Bella's using you to get to me and you're letting her make an eejit out of you."

Only God himself knew why I was giving him advice after stabbing me in the back, but I continued.

"She can't have me anymore and you're the next best thing," I slurred. "It's money for that one, Ryan. Money and status." Shaking my head, I added, "Fighting with your teammate over a fucking girl is the begi

Even in my drunken state, I knew I was making a hypocritical fucking statement.

I justified my reasons with the knowledge that Sha

Bella was not.

Cormac glowered at me. "You think you're better than me."

Was he serious?

Was that all he took from my effort of helping him?

"I am better than you," I snapped, frustrated that he wasn’t listening to me. "If you want to be on my level, then step it up on the pitch. Work harder. Train harder. Be fucking better. And open your goddamn eyes to danger. Because that so-called girlfriend of yours will bleed you dry, lad."

"She is my girlfriend," he snarled. "So don’t talk about her like that."

God, give me strength…

"Fine." I threw my hands up. "Keep your girlfriend away from mine and we'll be rosy."

"You don’t have a girlfriend," he replied slowly, expression laced with confusion.

"Me," I corrected, flustered at the word spill. "Keep her away from me and we won't have a problem."

"So, what happens now?" Cormac asked, face contorted in a pained grimace. "Are we going to have a problem playing together after this?"

"No."

"No." His brows shot up. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not thick enough to let a girl like that fuck with my head," I bit out. "You're a decent winger and the team needs you. I'd be a selfish bastard if I allowed my personal issues to impact the squad."

"And Bella?" Cormac asked after a long pause. "Are you going to cause problems with her?"

"Because you're with her? No," I told him. "If she fucks with Sha

"Sha

"Yes, Sha