Page 31 of Caught Stealing

“Kase,” I say again, my patience practically gone.

Green eyes flash up to meet mine, and I see a plea for mercy in them. “He was asking about it, and I explained how we always take a trip down to your family condo every winter break. But then I told him how your sister had all these new ballet lessons, so it was just the two of us going this year.” He goes back to playing with the stitching, no longer willing to hold my gaze. “It got us talking about his winter break plans and how he wasn’t planning to go back to California since his Gran was going on an old-folks cruise, and so…” Kason trails off, but it doesn’t prevent me from filling in the rest of the story on my own.

He invited Holden because he felt bad. Worried he would be alone for the holidays instead of with friends or family.

This guy really isn’t going down without a fight.

In fact, he might be getting even sneakier with his strategies. I’m gonna have to up my game if I have any chance of killing whatever is brewing between the two of them before it ends badly.

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “And he couldn’t have just gone home with Oakley or any of his other teammates?”

“Phoe…”

“Nah, don’t do that right now.” My eyes analyze his face, noting every little line of stress and worry written there. “I know you’re just trying to look out for him and be his friend. I get it. But seriously, Kase? Your bleeding heart will be your greatest downfall.”

Just like mine is not being able to tell you no.

Kason only nods, letting the silence linger in the space between us. It feels suffocating—like every single mention of Holden Sykes is poisoning the air and our friendship with toxic fumes we might not survive.

“Who else?” I ask, my voice not more than a whisper.

Kason’s brows collide. “I only invited Holden.”

Sometimes this man is so fucking dense, I wonder how we’re even friends at all.

My fingers curl over my laptop screen as I snap it closed. “Yes. Holden. Who is the biggest party animal around, and we’re spending ten days in a condo down at the beach with zero parents or anyone to keep us from acting like idiots. So I’m asking you again, Kason. Who else is coming?”

He shoots me a pleading look. “I know you don’t have much faith in him, but he knows it’s your house. There’s no way he’d just go off and invite a bunch of other people when it’s not his invite to extend.”

“Right,” I say dryly.

I believe what Kason is saying as much as I believe this whole situation was mere happenstance. If I only had a dollar left to my name, I’d still bet it on Holden fabricating the entire conversation until Kason invited him along for the ride.

Kason’s phone chimes in his pocket with a text, and I take it as an opportunity to end this conversation and cool back down. But Kason sighs and rubs his temple as his eyes read the screen, and my gut sinks.

“What?” I ask.

He doesn’t speak, just hands off his phone after turning the screen to face me.

Sykes: Do you care if I invite a couple of the guys on the team down to the condo too? Nothing nuts, just thinking Noah, Harrison, and Luca. None of them had plans for the break either. Figured it could be fun.

The glare I aim at Kason as I return his phone could melt ice.

“Try not to say I told you so,” Kason says with a groan as he flops backward onto my mattress. “I can already hear it inside my head as it is.”

“You have too much faith in people.” My eyes shift over to him. “And for the record, having all those meatheads joining us doesn’t sound like fun at all.”

Kason gives me a look of exasperation. “You don’t even know them.”

“I know Holden enough to know who he hangs out with,” I snap. Honestly, I have no idea how Theo can stand being his roommate. “Besides, isn’t Noah the teammate you said has been acting super weird around you since you came out?”

Kason adjusts his body weight, rising up on his elbows. “Yeah, but—”

“No. Nobutanything.” Irritation starts settling into my bones, and I do my best to shake it off. Again, my best friend might be dense as shit, but he’s also a pretty awesome guy. It’s one of the things I love most about him.

He just needs to learn to rein in his Mr. Nice Guy routine every once in a while.

“Noah always hangs out with Holden and Oakley,” he tries reasoning. “And both of them are open about their sexuality.”

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