Page 20 of The Heart

And misses.

A frustrated Luke makes his way back over, sitting on the barstool next to me. Sebastian smirks at him, then calls a pocket, lines up his shot and wins the game.

I place a hand on Luke’s knee and lean in close. “Did he just whisper something incredibly inappropriate and sexual in nature to distract you?” I guess, because I’ve never seen Luke miss that clear of a shot.

“Yup…” he says slowly, discreetly tugging at his pants to readjust. “Yes he did.” He takes a deep breath before downing the rest of his drink just as Sebastian strides our way to gloat.

“Well, sorry you’re shit at pool, Lu.” He breathes, puffing up his chest in a feigned stretch that shows off his biceps. Not that he needs to, his shirt is already tight.So, so tight.

Luke and I stare.

God.It’s time to go.

Luke must be thinking the same thing, because he immediately turns to shout toward Colton at a nearby table. “You good to drive, man?”

Colton responds by holding up a glass of water, then fist bumps a few of the guys and stands. Sebastian tosses him the keys to the van, which he catches mid-air.

We settle up with the bartender, then make our rounds, saying goodbye to the other teams and helping our team start making their way toward the door. Once we have Ryan and Ava upright, I look over at the dance floor and wonder who’s going to retrieve Jace from that mess.

“Hey Colt, handle that, will you?” Sebastian asks, gesturing toward the heap.

“Sure thing, boss,” Colton responds, then hops up the two short steps to stand at the edge of the crowd. “Jace!” he bellows.

He doesn’t say it loud, I barely heard it from here, but histone.I’ve never heard him talk like that, never heard him sound thatdominantbefore.

No more than a few seconds later, Jace squeezes out from the crowd and Colton tips his head toward the door.

Jace complies.Immediately.

I stare.

When Colton glances back at me, he’s not wearing his usual smirk. This is something else. He tosses his coat over his shoulder, then winks at me as he brushes past, striding out the front door.

CHAPTER EIGHT

LEENA

Ichuckle, watching our team clumsily make their way up the sidewalk of our hotel. Colton has an arm around Ava to steady her walk and Jace is stumbling beside them with Ryan on his back.

It’s a sight to see.

We usually get a little tipsy, but in honor of Ava’s first op and in an effort to get Ryan completely blasted for the first time, we may have overdone it.

We’ll see come morning.

Sebastian’s arm is draped across my shoulders, Luke’s is wrapped around my waist, my shoes dangling from his finger. The night air feels cool on my face. As I glance up to the dark sky, hoping to see the stars, I catch Sebastian and Luke glancing at one another over my head. The look is sweet, but it also tells me how badly they want to get their hands and mouths on each other.

I wonder how much longer they plan on putting themselves through this. They could be together in public if they chose to, but they don’t. Some days, I wish they would. As supportive as I want to be with this, watching them stare at each other from across the room, or sit beside each other, their fingers only inches apart when I know they want to touch, is heartbreaking.

I get to touch my men, get to hold their hands and kiss them whenever I want. I can’t imagine what it feels like for them to be trapped, wanting each other and not giving themselves permission to have it.

When we get inside, it’s Colton who steps into the elevator first, standing directly in the middle of the small room with his arms crossed, purposely in the way of everyone. Ava laughs as she shoves at him, but he doesn’t budge. Luke and Sebastian give each other a look, then they each grab one of Colton’s arms.

“Hey, hey, hey!” he shouts as they lift him right off the ground and move him to the back of the small space. I can’t help but admire the show of muscles as they do. Colton isn’t a small man, he’s just about the same size as Luke as far as height and muscles, but they move him all the same, their biceps straining against their dress shirts. We all laugh when they let him go and he straightens out the wrinkles in his shirt. The rest of us rush inside just as the doors are closing.

We ride in silence, all of us exhausted, but that only lasts a moment.

“Hey Ry, I think there’s a minibar in our room,” Jace jokes, turning to glance at the man he’s still carrying on his back.

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