Page 122 of The Trophy

He slams his fist on the glass coffee table of the hotel suite and thank fuck for tempered glass or we would probably have to take him to the ER the night before the Frozen Four final.

“I don’t want to believe it either, but there’s seriously no one else.”

I glare at him. “Think harder then. Before classes started, I’ve seen you get it on with some chicks at parties practically in front of everyone. Is it possible that you did that with Lakyn? I mean, fuck, Blaze and I caught you fooling around with her in the stacks at the back of the library. Like we saw you with your dick out, isn’t it possible that someone else did too?”

Luca raises from his chair. “Fuck. You’re right. Bianca!”

That name has always been bad news in my books. “What about her?” I ask.

Luca’s eyes shine with relief. “She was at the library when I went to see Lake that same day, when we went to tell her about the dare. I haven’t seen her after she went to her study room, but she could have been hiding behind a bookshelf. Lakyn did that once and caught me getting head, that’s why she was doing it. She wanted to replace that memory with one of the two of us.”

Ok. “Right. I bet you money that’s when Bianca saw your piercing.”

He nods. “Or at the Country Club. She crashed our first date and I had her escorted out, but she could have come back via the beach and we were out there, naked.”

I roll my eyes. “Are you for real, dude? I’ve never met anyone as fucking horny as you.”

Luca flips me off. “Fuck off. Have you ever gotten a little spontaneous and caught in the moment?”

I refuse to let him win on this one. “For someone who needs to keep a low profile, you seem to be pretty damn spontaneous.”

He opens his mouth to say something, no doubt some smart ass retort but Blaze puts an end to our squabble. “Guys, enough. I’m not gonna judge Luca for where he gets frisky. What’s important here is that we have reasonable doubt that Lake might not be the only one who saw that piercing. I’m willing to put my money on Bianca. She has been on you like a bad rash and I’m sure she hates you going official with Lake when you wouldn’t even fuck her a second time.”

Once again Blaze is the voice of reason.

“Yeah, that makes more sense than Lakyn telling someone even by accident.” I say, making it crystal clear where I stand on this.

“Speaking of Lake,” Luca muses. “I’m the worst boyfriend ever. I was so fucking worried about the fallout from that post and so preoccupied with who could be behind it, that I didn’t think about her. I mean, fuck. They talked about my piercing and that pisses me off but whoever posted destroyed Lakyn.”

Blaze nods. “Yeah and that’s why my vote is definitely for Bianca. But you’re right, we should make sure our girl is ok.”

I rise from the couch. “Let’s go look for her.”

Luca walks toward the door of the suite’s living room. “Let me see if those guards stayed outside, if not, I’ll message Guido. I’m pretty sure they might have taken her to a different room.”

We bump into the bodyguard Luca dismissed earlier as soon as we set foot in the entrance area by the hotel suite door. Tell me what you want, but I’ll never get used to the level of luxury of places like the Grand Hotel; their suites are practically apartments.

“Oh,” Luca is taken aback. “I thought I’d told you to wait outside or go on a break.”

The guard pales at Luca’s unusually curt tone. “Si, Vostra Altezza. Le mie più sentite scuse, Vostra Altezza. (Yes, Your Highness. My sincerest apologies, Your Highness). Giovanni and I were standing outside like you ordered but Miss Woods came over, asking to speak with you. I thought it would be ok to let her in but she must have changed her mind the second she got to the door by the living room. She turned around after a few moments and she asked for pen and paper. She gave us this for you.”

The guard hands Luca an envelope with the monogram of the hotel embossed in the upper corner.

What the fuck is going on? I recognize Lake’s girly, graceful handwriting on the front.

To Luca, Blaze and Cash

You think I’m behind that post. I promise to you I’m not.

Maybe we were fooling ourselves thinking our relationship could work. If there’s no trust between us, we don’t stand a chance.

It’s probably for the better anyway, once the three of you go pro, you’ll have ten times the attention you get now. You could have any woman you want, why should you settle for sharing one you think would sell you out or betray your confidence?

I’m not mad at you, I promise. I’m just mad at myself for thinking this could ever work.

I’ll always root for you, no matter where you play. Be happy.

Love, Lake

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