Page 23 of Advantage Love

“Carter,” he said, his tone brisk and professional.

“How’s it going with taming her?”

Taming her.

The words hit me like a slap, sharp and stinging.

I froze, my fingers tightening around the strap of my gym bag.

Luke’s jaw tightened, his grip on the steering wheel flexing. “It’s going fine,” he said, his voice clipped. “Better than expected.” He reached across to take my hand but I shook him off.

Better than expected.

I stared out the window, my stomach twisting into knots. I wanted to say something, to ask what the hell that was supposed to mean, but the words wouldn’t come.

“Good,” the voice continued. “Keep it up. Once she’s back on top, the agency will look golden. This whole thing will pay off in spades if you play it right.”

“Yeah,” Luke said, his tone unreadable as he flicked a glance to me.

I barely heard the rest of the conversation. My mind was racing, the voice in my head growing louder with every second.

He’s just using you.

Luke ended the call and tossed his phone back into the cupholder. The silence that followed was deafening.

I could feel his gaze flicking toward me, could sense the tension in the air, but I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t.

“You okay?” he asked finally.

“Fine,” I said quickly, my voice sharper than I intended.

He didn’t push, and for that, I was grateful.

I forced myself to focus on the game ahead, on anything but the ache in my chest. This was a business arrangement. That was all it had ever been.

I just needed to get my head back in the game. I needed to win. To prove to everyone, and to myself, that I didn’t need him.

And once I did, he could leave.

***

The rest of the drive was quiet. When we finally pulled up to the stadium, I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door without looking at him.

“Avery,” he said.

I paused, my hand on the door handle, but I didn’t turn around.

“You’re going to kill it today,” he said.

“Thanks,” I said, forcing a small smile before stepping out of the car. It was like last night had never happened. Now he was just a stranger to me again.

As I walked away, I told myself to forget about him. To focus on the court, on the game, on the only thing that mattered.

But the ache in my chest told me it wasn’t going to be that easy.

Chapter 16: Luke

The second the call ended, I regretted answering it.

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