;it's a slow process but quitting won't speed it up

"Fuuuucccckkkk. You just got so much hotter now I know you can cook like Rachael fucking Ray." Jason moaned, shoving another fork full of seasoned chicken and brown rice in his mouth.

Miles nods eagerly in agreement, chewing like a fucking animal, while Eli sits back looking too pleased with himself, and his smoke show of a sister.

"I told you she was a good cook." he pointed out happily, smug smile as he tipped the neck of his beer towards Jason.

"Good? She's a fucking amazing cook!" Jason corrects, his head turns to Tori who's sitting between Eli and Miles, across from me. "Tee, you have to come over and cook for us at least twice a week!"

"Once a week and we have a deal." Tori compromised, her English accent sweet and thick, while tucking a dark strand behind her overly pierced ear.

"I said at least twice - least means no less than."

"Go on, Tee, the food here's fucked." Eli nudged his sister with his elbow, before looking over to the sofa where Ed, Mason, and Zane are perched, plate in hands and forks in mouth. "I mean, Ed you make a mean omelette but the rest of your cooking sucks ass." he snorted.

Ed nodded and shrugged in agreement, the ability to speak was over come by how good Tori's cooking was.

"Fine, twice a week but you guys can buy the groceries. I am not your damn den mother." She sighed, rolling her eyes and biting back a smile.

As much as Tori's cooking was fucking bomb, and I mean blow up your taste buds bomb - this now ruins my plans of staying away from her.

She was now going to be the house chef for two days a week.

Excited, yes?

Happy? Absolutely.

Fucked? You bet.

The guys all chirped up with appreciated grunts and over excited words when Tori agreed to cook for us - I, however, remained silent - looking across the table at the petite chef - who's now laughing and joking with Jason.

Eli was chatting away with Miles about the upcoming game this week, the guys on the sofa were so engrossed with their meals that they lost their self in the Bulls game that was playing on TV.

It got me to thinking about my conversation with Cammy on the court - was I scared to like Tori? Her rule, her smart ass attitude, the history she had with Mason.

She wasn't easy or throwing herself at me like I was used too, that's one of the things that draw me in, plus she's highly nice to look at.

She looks extra good when she's putting me in my place.

The night we spent together at the beach bar played on my mind all summer - hands down the most fun I've had in the longest time - if I wasn't with her, I'd of been playing ball 24/7 thanks to my dad and uncle's determination to get me undoubtedly into the NBA. They pushed me hard that summer, harder than ever before - which I understood in some sense, this is my last season after all - this was the make or break point of my career and Lord help me if I didn't get drafted, my dad would have a full blow heart attack and probably disown me.

Tori cleaned up after all us overgrown monsters and forced Miles to dry the dishes - the conversation going along the lines of 'if I have to dry the dishes, you have to show me your tits.' and her response was 'suck an eggo, baller. Proposition me again and I leave your ass out of the next meal.' - which to my delight shut Miles Carson's mouth fucking up.

Sometime had passed and Tori had already tried to leave a handful of times, but got roped into staying longer when Miles and Jason pleaded with her to stay, claimed it was bad dinner etiquette - yeah, like those idiots would know the difference between good and bad table manners.

Ed and Mason headed out to a party at the football house, while Zane went to his room to study for his pre med classes, which left the fierce five and Tori.

Eli and Jason were playing NBA2K22™ while Miles sat yelling various control combinations at them.

Meanwhile, Tori is sat at the kitchen island amusing herself and Cammy by recording the guys on her phone, claiming she's going to post it on TikTok - that's when Miles jumped out of his place on the sofa and chased after her.

Loud pitch giggles and Miles-style threats were echoing off the open plan living space.

"Okay, okay, I won't post it," Tori panted, her cheeks rosy and a twinkle in her hazel eyes as she held her hand out to keep Miles at arms length. "Just stop chasing me."

"Damn right you ain't posting it," Miles surmised, within a split second he lunged forward and grabbed Tori's phone holding it high up in the air. "Isn't that right, Cap?" he looked at me with a wolfish grin on his lips.

Tori tried her hardest to grab the phone from Mile's extremely high reach, jumping and attempting to climb him like a tree - it was becoming embarrassing, so me, being the nice guy I am, grabbed her waist - to that she yelped - and lifted her into the air and sat her ass on my shoulder.

"That's cheating, cap!" Miles protested.

"I respectfully don't care." I replied solemnly.

"Yeah, we respectfully don't care." Tori sniped sarcastically, repeating my words as she sits on my shoulder.

The tiny menace was trying to provoke Miles.

"Since when are you two a team?" his dark brow tipped up.

"Since Maddox sat me on his shoulder so I could grab this-" She jolted forwards and grabbed her phone from Miles' hand, dropping forward, her ass left my shoulder, luckily I had a quick reaction and caught her before she hit the hardwood floor and knocked herself the fuck out.

"Easy, Bella, anyone would of thought you were falling for me." My voice huskier than intended as I held her by the waist, her chest plush against mine as she looks up at me through thick black lashes. "And with you looking at me like that I'm starting to get ideas." I nodded down to my crotch area.

"Kiss the chef, Captain!" Miles chimed in, breaking whatever moment me and Tori were having.

Tori rolled her eyes and pushed me away by my chest.

"Yeah. Kiss the chef, captain." Cammy mimicked behind us.

"Tee, you want next game?" Eli called out, holding the controller up. "See if you still have your damned skills."

Tori wasted no time in jumping between Eli and Jason, grabbing the controller from Eli's hands and starting up a new game against Jason.

Call me crazy but that look she gave me said it all.

She might push me away, she might make out she can't stand me but I know girls, and I know their looks, she wanted me as much as I did her. And so did Miles when he shot me a knowing smirk before taking a seat beside Eli.

I stood behind the sofa, leaning my hands on the back, watching as Tori concentrated on the screen and trash talking Jason at the same time.

She was good.

Really good.

How the fuck was she so good?

"You've got to be cheating!!" Exclaimed a bewildered Jason. "Miles, check she's not cheating!"

Miles leaned over and saw Tori's tiny fingers moving skilfully along the white controller. "Nope, she's dominating you by pure skill, bro."

After a few minutes Tori handed Jason's ass to him by scoring 76-63.

I walked around the sofa and nudged Jason out the way, flopping myself down into the leather seat beside Tori.

"Let's see if you can beat the master, huh, Bella." I smirked. Pressing the start button for a new game.

"You're on." Her eyes were narrow, she was obviously competitive.

We started the game and fuck, she was better than good. The mini ball buster was fucking unruly.

"How do you know how to play so well, Tee?" Jason asked from beside me.

"Why don't you ask Eli." She responded, smugness evident in her tone.

"I taught her," Eli piped up, with a disappointed sigh. "We played it every night during the summer, a couple years ago. The older we got, the more competitive we got, so we decided to do it like a championship thing, winner gets whatever they want from the loser. So Tori, being the fucking winning crazed bitch she is, played without me knowing, just so she could beat me." He finished, dropping back against the sofa.

Miles and Jason couldn't help but laugh - but me? I was intrigued.

"Best outta three?" I asked, bumping my shoulder into Tori's.

"I wouldn't, bro. She's clinically insane." Eli's English tone warning me, his eyes giving off a serious wide eye look.

I shrugged it off with a cocky smirk. "Bella?"

"Winner decides?" She countered, eyes narrow.

"Mhm."

"You're so on, Captain." She deadpanned, a sexy smirk decorating her peach lips.

"I like the sound of that coming from your mouth, Bella." I teased. "But we don't use dirty tactics to win in this house."

"Scared you're gonna lose? Captain." she challenged me.

"No, the more you push me, the more fun I'm going to get out of punishing you."

Dirty thoughts instantly raided my mind.

Fuck, don't get a boner, don't get a boner.

"Oo, sounds exciting. Just remember you're not messing with an average girl, Baller."

Oh baby, I know. I thought, instead I replied. "Tell me something I don't already know."

"You're gonna lose, so freaking bad. How about that?" she pointed out with a self satisfied smile.

"You're just dying for someone to put you in your place ain't you? Y'know I could have your on your knees in seconds. You'd look real good kneeling in front of me."

"You thought about that a lot?" the tiny smart mouth shuffled in her seat, briefly knocking her knee against mine.

"You don't wanna know, Bella, darling." I taunted.

"Ew, guys, we are still here ya know." Jason grimaced.

"Yeah, and we have fully functioning ears-" Miles cut in with a wary raised brow and wide eyes.

"- And eyes. In other words we can hear, see and feel the sexual tension." Eli finished, shuddering.

Game fucking on, Bella.