Page 20 of Trouble

God, I can’t imagine what it would be like to finish a show, only to have a group of people sit around and critique my every move on live television. Though I guess there are plenty of people on social media who do exactly that.

Fortunately, I avoid that like the plague.

“Hey, you,” I say when Cade’s face appears on my screen.

“Hey, girlfriend,” he says in a flirtatious tone.There’s chatter and low music in the background. He’s probably out with the team, thoughhe’s holding the phone really close, probably so he can hear, so I can’t make out his surroundings.

“That was a great game, Coach.”

He licks his lips and smiles again. “Fuck, you’re pretty.”

I laugh, my heart pinching. “Is that why you called? You missed me?”

His wide smile slips into something smaller, more intimate, and his eyes soften. “Yeah, I think I did.”

For a long moment, we watch each other silently. What the hell is happening right now?

“That Cade?”

Declan’s voice has me jumping so abruptly, I bobble the phone. “Yeah, you want to say hi?”

Cade chuckles, his image going blurry. “Yeah, right. The guy doesn’t do phones.”

With a shrug, Declan settles on the couch again.

I swallow back a flutter of nerves at his presence. I truly didn’t get the impression that he had any intention of coming back out. As he sits back with a sigh, I can’t help but take him in. The T-shirt he’s changed into—emblazoned with a Bristol Fire Department logo, like most everything he wears—pulls tight across his broad chest. The mesh material of his gym shorts does the same over his thick thighs. As he puts his feet up on the coffee table, crossing one ankle over the other, I force myself to focus on Cade again rather than continue to study him.

“I wanted to introduce you to my friend Leo. Leo, this is my girlfriend, Mel.” He taps his phone screen, flipping the camera.

The guy behind the bar gives me a shy wave, then he throws a towel over his shoulder and shakes his head at Cade.

“Isn’t that the guy you told me gives great head?” I whisper.

Cade is an open book, and I didn’t bat an eye when he told me about his casual hookups with the bartender at his regular hang out.

Cade throws his head back and roars with laughter. “Shh, his ego doesn’t need any more stroking.”

Declan is watching me. I can feel the attention, the anger, radiating off him. I ignore it as Cade continuestalking.

“Trying to sell this relationship, Mel,” Cade teases. “Keep it down over there.”

Zaps of excitement course through me as he grins. He’s at a bar, hanging out near a guy he could easily take home, yet he’s calling me. What game is he playing?

I bite my lip. “It’s fine. Maybe we’re not monogamous. Who gets to say what we’re good with?”

Cade’s eyes flash with an emotion I can’t name. “I kinda liked thinking that you’d be a little jealous.”

“Oh, you find jealousy hot.” I can’t help but snort. If he’s looking for a jealous partner, then he’s looking in the wrong direction. The guy on the other end of the couch, though, has it in spades.

“Maybe,” he admits.

“Then consider me very jealous.” I let a sly smile tip up one side of my lips. “When will I see you again?”

He goes quiet for a long moment, and a wave of dread washes through me. I’ve overstepped. Obviously this is all just a joke. He doesn’treallymiss me. Maybe he started this banter in order to sell the relationship. Or maybe the bartender was getting too clingy, and he’s using me as an out for the night.

“We’re headed to Philly tomorrow, but we have a home game on Friday. Think you’d want to come up to watch, then stay at my place for the night?”

Lips pressed together, I side-eye mywarden in the corner. “Sure.”

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