behind your back ~ andrei svechnikov

Chapter One

**This book contains adult themes such as sexual content, vulgar language, and other reoccurring themes. Please read with discretion.

I waited outside the Raleigh-Durham International Airport just outside of the Arrivals exit entrance and waited for my brother to pick me up. I called him when I had just landed in Raleigh, and he said that he would be at the airport in about a half hour.

The temperature was fairly mild for a July day in North Carolina, mid-eighties and all sunshine. Not too bad; I could get used to living here. At least it wasn't so sweltering hot that I was expecting when I landed in Raleigh.

I sat on one of the many benches outside and watched many cars stop and go as they picked up their people dispersing from the airport.

I sighed as I put in my AirPods and turned up some Taylor Swift as I waited for my brother to pick me up.

—

A black Chevrolet Silverado truck pulled up in the loading and pick up zone in front of me on the road and stopped. The driver rolled down the passenger window, which revealed someone sitting in the passenger seat. The driver was my brother, and I got an excited smile on my face as I grabbed my backpack and suitcase and loaded it into the truck.

"Long time no see!" exclaimed my brother as he glanced back at me with a smile on his face, giving me a kind, gentle fist-bump. "I missed you! I'm so happy you're moving to North Carolina!"

I chuckled as I buckled myself in. "I thought it would be time for a change, you know? Meet new people, do new things, all that!" I responded.

Jaccob chuckled as he shifted to drive and accelerated out of the loading zone. "We have a surprise for you when you get to my house. A welcome home present, if you would," he said, and the guy in the passenger seat smiled and nodded his head. I'm pretty sure I've seen the guy before in pictures that Jaccob has sent before or shown me, but I never really got his name. He had deep, muddy brown eyes that glistened a faint sparkle briefly every few moments. Not to mention he had really cute and distinct dimples that made me blush.

"You don't have to," I said to my brother as he approached a stop light, applying the brake to slow the truck down. "All I need is a place to sleep for a few nights, that's it. I don't need some welcome party,"

He and the passenger briefly glanced back at me. "It's also for you to get to know my teammates better. Like Andrei," he said before patting his passenger's left shoulder. Andrei chuckled as his face reddened, then Jaccob accelerated the truck at the green light.

To be completely honest, Andrei was kind of cute. But I knew I had no chance to chase him, considering he probably had a girlfriend and I know for damn sure that Jaccob would roast my ass for hitting on his teammate. If I were to make any moves on Andrei, that is.

"So, how come you wanted to move to Carolina? I understand it's for your big brother...but is there another reason why?" Andrei asked, and his accent had caught me off guard just a bit. It was deep, but the accent wasn't hard or ineligible enough to not understand what he was saying.

I shrugged. "Because I thought a change of scenery would be nice. Besides, I want to make up for any lost time without my brother," I responded, and Andrei nodded.

"She loves me too much, you know?" Jaccob chuckled.

Andrei giggled. "I see," he responded with his pearly, white, straight smile, making me blush.