Page 36 of Fool Me Once

His eyes tell me to cut the fucking shit, but I continue to act oblivious.

“Does he though?” I scratch my chin. “I don’t know what he knows. He’s foolish.”

“I know it was you, asshole,” he mutters. “Anyway, did you needsomething? I’d like to get home to my wife instead of standing here, looking at your ugly face.”

“Hey, so, yeah, that’s the thing.” I grin, hoping to butter him up. “Now that you and Paige are all fixed, happy, whole, and all that shit, she must be coming to the game tonight.”

He looks less than impressed. “Yeah, she insists on it even though I’ll just be keeping the fucking bench warm and won’t see the ice anyway.” His eyes narrow. “Why?”

I pat his shoulder, making him tense up and look like he might punch me.

“Well, funny story. I have a friend staying with me, and I’d love for her to come to the game tonight. But the kicker is that she doesn’t really have anyone to come with. So—”

“So, you want my wife to entertain your friend?” he says suspiciously. “Wait, is it that girl who came with your sister to Friendsgiving?” He pauses. “The one that was in thecar accident? When did she move in with you?”

I think everyone at that party suspected she hadn’t actually been in an accident, purely from the way she was acting. Luckily, no one called her out on it. Well, besides me.

I grimace, remembering how scraped up Gemma was when she first arrived in Portland. And how I accidentally touched her stomach and ribs, not knowing she was hurt.

“That’s the one.” I nod. “Gemma moved in with me last week because Saylor left for her new job. She’s a good person, but she’s been handed a lot of shit lately. She might not even want to come tonight; after all, I’m not exactly her favorite person.”

“She’s living with you,” he says matter-of-factly. “She must like you a little bit.”

I rear my head back, snorting. “Your wife moved in with you when you got injured. That didn’t mean she liked you, big fella.”

His face turns grumpy, and he looks away. “Fuck you.”

I really don’t know if Gemma is even going to want to go to a game or watch me play. It’s been years since she cheered me on in the stands, and the thought of it excites me and kind of sends a jolt right to my cock … but more than that, I just don’t want her to be alone tonight. I’ve tried to keep her busy every spare minute I’ve had. It’s only been five days since she moved in, and she sure as hell still doesn’t want to open up to me, but slowly, we’re making progress.

I think.

“You know I don’t ask anyone for much, Kolt.” I drop any jokes and decide to just be straight with him. “I need her to feel safe in Portland. I want her to understand that she can have a life and not just spend day in and day out cooped up inside my house.”

He observes me for a moment. “All right,” he utters. “I’ll talk to Paige, but I know my wife, and she’s always open to making a friend and helping someone out.”

“Just like her husband,” I say sarcastically, smacking his shoulder.

“Right,” he grumbles, turning away and heading toward the exit. “Don’t forget that toy of yours when you leave, Sawyer.”

I hold in my laugh when he mentions the dildo on his locker, knowing damn well he probably already threw it in the garbage to stop any more attention from coming his way.

“Let me know what Paige says,” I call after him.

He continues walking but holds his thumb up for me to see.

Paige is kind and smart. I trust her to make sure Gemma enjoys herself at the game tonight.

Now, I just need to convince Gemma to go.

“I told you, you don’t have to clean,” Smith calls out instantly when he walks through the door. “Lottie comes once a week and cleans the place.”

Instantly, an image of this Lottie woman in a seductive maid costume with her cleavage out floats into my brain, and I try not to scrunch my nose up. I can read, and I’ve seen things about Smith in the tabloids and on social media.

I know he gets around.

“Lottie is, like, sixty years old, by the way,” he adds like he can read my mind or something. “Just FYI.”

“I don’t care,” I say casually. “I just figured since I’m here, I might as well be useful.”

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