Page 11 of Defensive Zone

Zach frowns. “Are you not feeling well?”

“Eh, not so much. Maybe I had too much sun today. I probably didn’t drink enough water, and then the drinks…” I wave my hand in the air. It’s a load of bullshit, but I can’t tellhim the real reason because I don’t know. I don’t know why I wanted to rip that dude’s hand off. I don’t know why I had a ball of jealousy in my stomach.

I justdon’tknow.

“Let’s get you back. I’ll make you a drink with some electrolytes.”

We’re silent on the walk back to the villa. Zach keeps shooting me concerned glances. I hate that I’ve ruined his night. I hate that I’ve lied to him about feeling unwell. I hate that I’m feeling like this, all jealous and territorial.

I’m confused.

Tired.

Frustrated.

This wasn’t the first time I have gotten jealous over others receiving Zach’s attention, but it’s the first time jealousy has entered the equation when it comes to sex.

And I don’t know what to do about that.

Chapter Four

July

Zach

Carter’s training camp started a week ago, and we’ve settled into our usual routine. He trains every day at the team facility, while I train at his home gym, then I prep us food before hanging out for the rest of the day. Denver has become my home away from home over the years, and usually I feel just as content here as I do in my apartment back in Chicago, but this year is different.

This time, I’m tense and uncomfortable.

Not long after we got back from Hawaii, Carter went on a date with Raegan. I had to pretend like I was excited for him. Hell, I was the one who urged him to talk to her when we were at that bar. But joke’s on me because now they’re officiallydating,and every day I wake up and come downstairs to see her wearing nothing but his T-shirt and a satisfied smile, drinking her coffee out ofmycup, the fracture in my heart grows bigger and bigger.

With my workout finished, I take my coffee outside and sit on one of the couches that surround a fire pit. Carter is due back any minute, and the typical excitement I would feel about his return isn’t there. It’s now replaced with a feeling of dread, and it’s not something I’ve ever felt toward him.

It’s not even about Raegan. She’s great. She’s exactly the type of woman I’d imagine him settling down with, but each time I see them caught up in a moment, it only makes the ache in my chest deepen.

And when I overheard them the other night talking about the future, something told me this might be it—Raegan might be the one who will give him the family and the two point five kids. The fact she’s put up with me being here for so long has been the big difference compared to his previous girlfriends.

Carter has always fallen hard and fast, but I think this time it might be the real deal. He even said as much last week when he looked at me with bright eyes and said the five words that tore my heart in two. “I think she’s the one.”

But while Carter might think he’s got it all, all I can hear is the timer ticking down to the end ofusas we know it.

My phone vibrates against the cushion, snapping my brain from the negative space it had drifted off to. My teammate Elliot’s name flashes on the screen and instantly lifts my spirits. If there’s one person who can cheer me up, it’s Elliot. Aside from Carter, Elliot’s one of my closest friends.

I swipe my finger to answer and lift it to my face.

“Zach!” he hoots the second the call connects, and his face appears. “I’m so happy you answered. Dude, I’ve missed you. I was at the park earlier playing Pokémon Go, and I was just sitting there deciding where to grab some lunch. I couldn’t decide if I wanted a pasta salad or a sandwich, and then it just hit me that you’re not gonna be here for my birthday party tonight,and I was just like,dude, that’s not acceptable! So, what have I gotta do to make you come home already?”

His words come out in a rush, then he lets out a gasping breath before sticking his bottom lip out in a comical pout. I can’t stop the laugh that bubbles in my throat at his put-out expression. Elliot is one of a kind. He has the ability to make you laugh without even trying.

It’s been playing on my mind that it’s the twins’ birthday today. I don’t usually get to celebrate with them as it coincides with when I’m here in Denver, but this year, Blaine’s boyfriend Alex is hosting a party for them, and guilt has been churning in my gut about missing out.

Would Carter miss me if I left earlier? Maybe, but probably not as much as he would if he didn’t have Raegan.

Images rush through my mind of what they could get up to if I wasn’t here. If I wasn’t that awkward third wheel that clings to Carter like a limpet.

Ugh. The thought makes me want to scream.

“I can’t promise anything, but I’ll see what I can do,” I say to Elliot.

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