Page 14 of (Un)Spoken

“Played ball?” she shrieked, pulling out her phone. “Umm, no. I can play ball. You’re pretty much a living legend.”

He reached up, took her phone, and placed it down on the bar. “Not here.” He sighed, placing his hands on his hips. “I appreciate it, I really do, but I’m not that guy here. So please, let’s not make it a big deal, okay?”

“Okay…” She sighed, muttering something to herself.

“What was that?” I chuckled, moving closer.

She rolled her eyes. “Between the two of you. Neither can take a compliment.”

I chuckled, taking a sip of the drink Gray poured me. “In the right time and place, I think we can both handle it. But there’s something different about beinghome and people seeing you as a person, not your achievements. It means a lot to Gray to be able to let his guard down.”

She studied me, as if reading all my internal thoughts. “You seem to know a lot about how Gray feels.”

“Yeah, well,” I chuckled. “He might not be the only one. That’s part of the reason I love this town. At first, sure, a lot of people gawked and tried to take my picture, but now, it’s like they’ve embraced me as one of their own. Marta and Curt are incredibly protective, and once you’re in their good graces, you’re a resident for life. It’s nice to feel like you belong.” I nodded up to Gray. “They look out for us, and we look out for him. Works both ways.”

She reached out, placing her hand on my arm. “I’m glad you both found a place like that. You’re pretty incredible, Adam, even without the whole movie star thing.”

I burst out in a loud laugh, unable to hold it back. Maybe it was because I’d been wallowing in self-pity for so long, but it felt good to have someone say something like that to me. No, it felt good to have Victoria say that to me. My hand found hers on instinct, and I rubbed the back of it with my thumb.

God, her skin was as soft as I thought it would be. My mind went straight to inappropriate places, needing to know if she was as soft everywhere.

But when Cole beckoned all of us into the back room, reality snapped back into place. I pulled my hand back like I’d been burned, walking away without looking back. I couldn’t bear to see the disappointment on her face, even though each step felt slow and painful.

I hung in the doorway as everyone else found their seat, cringing when the only empty spot was next to Victoria. I glanced at her, and she offered me a small smile. Could she tell how much I was freaking out? How was it that everytime I was in the same room as this girl, all thoughts of loyalty and my best friend flew out the window?Boundaries.We neededboundaries. That was the best place to start. No more hanging out alone, no more in-depth conversations. She was only here for five more days. I could keep it together until then.

“Is it hard to learn?”

Tori’s whisper broke me out of my spiral, pulling my attention back to her. Her eyes flickered over the cards and chips as she chewed on her lower lip. I couldn’t help but smirk, loving the different versions of this woman. She was so confident in some regards, but the moment she was out of her comfort zone, she floundered. I tilted my chin toward the table. “You haven’t played before?”

She shook her head. “Texas Hold ‘Em a couple of times, but I never got into poker. I might have lied about my experience so Cole would bring me.” She turned to face me, her deep brown eyes cutting into my soul. “Teach me?”

The words did something to my cock, and I hated that he was coming to life right now. The idea of teaching Tori all sorts of things, of corrupting her innocent smile, made my thoughts turn almost feral. I cleared my throat, shifting so she wouldn’t notice the effect she had on me. “Yeah, of course. You can help me for the first round, and then you can jump in.”

She beamed back at me. “Really?”

“Yeah, trouble. Let’s see if you live up to your name.”

NINE

As the night carried on, one thing became painfully clear: I was absolute garbage at poker. Not only did my face give me away every time, but I could barely keep track of the cards, much less the different runs and ways to win. Only three hands in, and my pile of chips was running precariously low, earning sympathetic gazes from my fellow players.

If I had known I was walking into a room full of sharks, I might have taken Alex up on her offer to stay in with her and her friends. But considering I was here to spend time with Cole, it felt like a betrayal to refuse his invitation.

And now, I felt like I was in the middle of an inside joke. You know, the one where a movie star and world-class athlete walk into a bar? I stared across the table and met the eye of Grayson Anders, also known as one of the greatest pitchers to ever grace the MLB. I couldn’t believe no one thought to mention he was Curt’s son. That would have probably saved me a lot of embarrassment when I first made the connection. I was tempted to snap a picture and send it to Cam. Gray’s poster had been on his wall since he evendecided to play baseball. He’d probably have a stroke if he knew I was sitting here now.

Adam leaned over, whispering in my ear, “You’re doing it again.”

I shook my head, breaking my stare down across the table. “Sorry,” I said, rubbing my hand down my thighs. “I’m not used to seeing famous people just hanging out.”

“I don’t count?” Adam smirked. “I’m hurt, Campbell.”

“I’ve known you almost all of my life,” I chuckled. “Sorry, I don’t think of you like that. You’ll always just be Adam to me.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s one of the things I like most about you.”

As Adam turned back to his cards, I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from blushing. It was like my insides rioted every time he looked my way, which was starting to become a habit of his. And while Cole’s constant check-ins made me feel like I was still a child, Adam was a very different story. I liked having his eyes on me, especially when they studied my body when he thought I wouldn’t notice. But I’d have to be dead not to feel the heat of his gaze on my skin.

“You should fold,” Adam whispered, leaning in so only I could hear him. “Theo’s got a good hand.”

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