Forbidden Jocks [the step-brother series]

UNDER COVER JOB - Henry

HENRY POV

The moment Maria stormed past us and into the house, avoiding even the possibility of riding back with Daxton and me, something in my chest tightened. The way she carried herself, that stubborn tilt of her chin and the determined set of her shoulders—God, it was frustrating as hell, but damn if it wasn’t a turn-on too. That fire in her, the way she wouldn’t just bow down and do what she was told, even when she had no idea what she was getting herself into… it drove me crazy. But then, that was Maria, wasn’t it? Always pushing back, always challenging us.

And it’s not like I could blame her. Not really. I mean, Daxton and I hadn’t exactly been subtle about our... concerns. Especially when it came to her and other guys. We knew what the world was like—what *guys* were like—and there was no way in hell we were going to let some random asshole waltz in and take advantage of her. But still, seeing her walk away like that, all defiance and anger, it just made me want to pull her back, to make her understand that we weren’t the enemy.

But then, as I watched her disappear inside, I heard her say something to her Mom about heading back to campus for a toast with her boss. That fucker.

My heart pounded as the words sank in. Maria was really going out with James. *James.* The guy from the café. The one who’d been all too eager to welcome her on her first day, with that stupid smile plastered on his face. The guy who probably thought he could charm his way into her life—or worse, into her pants.

Rage boiled in my veins, and my mind started racing with all the worst-case scenarios. What if James was a bad guy? What if he was the type of jackass who’d slip something into her drink when she wasn’t looking? The thought made my stomach churn. No. No f*****g way. Not on my watch.

I had to do something. *We* had to do something.

Without wasting another second, I made a beeline for Daxton’s room. The door was slightly ajar, and I could hear the unmistakable sounds of his online gaming session. Probably knee-deep in one of his stupid matches. I pushed the door open the rest of the way and found him exactly where I expected—perched in front of his computer, headset on, eyes glued to the screen as his fingers danced over the keyboard.

“For f**k’s sake, Daxton,” I muttered, half to myself, as I stepped into the room. “What the hell are you even playing?”

He didn’t look up, just mumbled something under his breath as he barked orders to his teammates through the mic. His character—a weird, winged mage with a flaming sword—was busy casting spells or something equally ridiculous. I shook my head. Of all the games he could be into, it had to be this one. Not Call of Duty or something that made sense. No, I got the nerdy twin who spent his free time casting spells and saving fantasy realms.

I didn’t have time for this. I reached out and shoved the headset off his ears, ignoring the indignant squawk that followed. “Maria told Vanessa about the “date”,” I spat out, my voice dripping with irritation.

That got his attention. He paused the game, eyes narrowing as he finally looked at me. “Is she really going?” he asked, his voice flat but with an edge of something darker lurking beneath.

“It seems so,” I answered, pacing back and forth across his room. “And i don’t like it. not one bit. Why doesn’t she listen us? I though we made it clear enough that guy was bad news, didn’t we? But no! Her stubborn ass has to defy each single thing.”

Daxton’s expression hardened, and I could see his jaw clench as he processed what I’d just said. He wasn’t one to explode the way I did, but when he got mad, you could feel it. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he muttered, his voice low and dangerous. “She said she can’t be treated like Rapunzel right? Well, i’m planning to do just that. Lock her in her room, until some sense get into that stubborn skull!.”

“Exactly,” I agreed, my mind already working through the possibilities. “But now, she’s gettone ready, focus on the task ahead Dax. We need to protect pur little ladybug…Which means … we’re going out tonight too.”

Daxton pushed back from his desk, standing up with a determined look in his eyes. “You think she knows we’re going to follow her?”

“Hell no,” I said with a grin, wiggling my eyebrows playfully. “But that’s the point. We’re going undercover.”

Daxton rolled his eyes, but I could see the faint hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Fine. Let me get changed.”

“Make it quick,” I called after him as he moved to his closet. “And wear something black. We need to blend in.”

I headed back to my own room, the adrenaline already pumping through my veins. If Maria thought she could just waltz off on a date with some douchebag without us knowing, she was sorely mistaken. We were going to keep an eye on her whether she liked it or not.

Once I was dressed—black jeans, black hoodie, the works—I met Daxton in the hallway. He’d opted for a similar look, though he’d traded the hoodie for a plain black jacket. He looked ready, but there was a tension in his shoulders, a silent anger that mirrored my own.

As we made our way downstairs, we caught sight of Maria heading out the front door. She was dressed to impress—tight jeans, a low-cut blouse that did nothing to hide her curves, and her hair falling in loose waves around her shoulders. My jaw tightened at the sight. She looked amazing, and it pissed me off.

Daxton’s eyes darkened as he took in her outfit, but he didn’t say anything. We both knew better than to start another fight with her. Instead, we just watched as she slipped out the door, completely unaware of our presence.

“She has no idea what she’s getting into,” I muttered, more to myself than to Daxton.

“She’s stubborn,” Daxton replied, his voice cold. “But we’ll make sure nothing happens to her.”

“Damn right we will.”

We followed her outside, careful to keep our distance. The plan was simple: tail her to wherever this date was happening, keep an eye on things, and step in if James tried anything funny. Easy enough. But just as we were about to slip out the door, a voice behind us made us both freeze.

“What are you boys up to?”

Dad.

We turned to find him standing in the hallway, arms crossed over his chest, an amused but stern look on his face. He wasn’t stupid; he’d probably guessed we were up to something the moment he saw us dressed in all black like a couple of wannabe spies.

“Uh, nothing,” I said quickly, trying to sound nonchalant. “Just… heading out for a bit.”

Dad raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Heading out for what? And why do you look like you’re about to rob a bank?”

I exchanged a glance with Daxton, who just shrugged. Damn it, there was no way we were going to slip past him with some half-baked excuse.

“We’re just heading out to grab a beer with some of the guys from the team,” I said quickly, trying to sound as casual as possible. “Nothing big, just hanging out.”

Dad raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “Uh-huh. And that’s why you two are dressed like you’re on some secret mission?”

“We’re, uh, just keeping it low-key,” Daxton chimed in, backing me up. “You know, nothing flashy. Just a quick drink, then we’ll be back.”

Dad didn’t look convinced. He crossed his arms over his chest, giving us that look—the one that told us he wasn’t buying a word of it. “Look, boys, you can go grab a drink anytime. But tonight, Vanessa’s been in the kitchen all afternoon making her famous lasagna. She’s been excited about having a family dinner, and you know how much it means to her. So, here’s the deal: you’re staying for dinner. The poor woman’s been cooking for hours, and you’re not going to be disrespectful and leave before we’ve even sat down.”

Daxton and I exchanged a look, the weight of defeat settling in. There was no way we could argue with that without looking like complete jerks. Vanessa had been nothing but kind to us since she moved in, and skipping out on her dinner was out of the question.

“Sure, Dad,” Daxton finally said, the disappointment clear in his voice. “We’ll stay for dinner.”

“Good,” Dad said, his expression softening. “It’ll be ready in ten minutes. Don’t keep her waiting.”

We nodded, watching as he turned and headed back to the kitchen. The moment he was out of sight, Daxton and I shared another look—this one filled with frustration. We both knew this meant delaying our plans, and there was no telling what could happen while we were stuck here eating lasagna.

“Great,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. “Now what?”

“We eat,” Daxton said flatly, but there was a determined glint in his eyes. “And then we get the hell out of here as fast as we can.”

When we finally sat down at the dining table, the smell of Vanessa’s lasagna filled the room. She beamed as she set the dish in front of us, clearly proud of her work. “I hope you boys are hungry,” she said, her smile warm and welcoming. “I made extra, just in case.”

“Oh, we’re hungry,” I said, forcing a smile as I tried to push aside my irritation. “It smells amazing, Vanessa. Thanks for cooking.”

“Of course,” she replied, looking pleased as she took her seat. “It’s been a while since we all had dinner together. I thought it’d be nice.”

Daxton and I exchanged another glance, silently agreeing to get through this as quickly as possible. The lasagna was indeed incredible, but we scarfed it down like we were in some sort of eating competition, barely tasting the rich layers of pasta, sauce, and cheese. Vanessa noticed, of course, and chuckled softly. “You two must have been starving.”

“Yeah, it’s really good,” Daxton said, barely pausing between bites.

We managed to get through dinner in record time, draining our glasses of water and standing up almost in unison.

“Thanks for the meal, Vanessa,” I said quickly. “It was delicious, but we’ve got to head out now. The guys are waiting for us.”

She looked a bit surprised by how quickly we were rushing out, but she just nodded, her smile still in place. “Alright, have fun. And be safe, okay?”

“We will,” Daxton promised as we grabbed our jackets and practically sprinted out the door.

Once outside, we wasted no time. We jumped into my car and peeled out of the driveway, heading straight for the café. The delay had cost us, and I was anxious about how much we might have missed.

“Think she’s still there?” Daxton asked, checking his phone for any updates.

“Hope so,” I replied, my hands gripping the steering wheel. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

As we drove through the night, the tension between us was palpable. We had to catch up with Maria, and fast. No way were we letting her spend the evening with that asshole without making sure she was safe. And if James tried anything, he’d have us to deal with