Page 34 of Beautiful Storm

Lainey doesn’t argue, but once we’re inside, she dumps the contents for a sandwich in front of me while she makes herself a salad, a smug look on her face. We’re mostly silent as we eat, but the second Thomas walks into the kitchen, her sisterly duties kick in.

“What’s the connection between Luke and Amelia?” she rushes out before saying hi.

“What?” Thomas’s eyes bounce between mine and Lainey’s before he laughs to himself. “I don’t know, Luke. What’s your connection to Amelia?” He raises an eyebrow and I want to deck him.

“I have the same connection asyou.”Sort of. Not really. But it will do for now as long as Lainey doesn’t read too much into that if she finds out I slept with her.“Amelia went to our school, and now she’s working with the team.”

“Oooh. So she’s your next conquest?”

“Nope.” I shake my head while popping thep. “I can honestly say that she is not. She’s the director of the TV show they’re making about the team. That’s all. I was curious if you knew her.”

“Sure. Okay. That makes sense,” Thomas chimes in all nonchalantly, but I sense more coming after he pauses.“Except…”There it is.“You freaked out when I said she was married.” His face lights up. “And—”

“I thought we were friends,” I cut him off. “You’re supposed to take that shit up with me before throwing me under the bus.”

“You’re right.” He smirks as though I’ve just admitted I’m in love with her or something. “Ignore me. We’ll talk later.” He turns to Lainey and I punch him in the arm. Lightly, of course, because we need that arm if we want to win this year, but hard enough for him to complain.

Lainey lifts herself up onto the counter as Thomas approaches, making herself comfortable as she takes a bite of my sandwich. “You’re not talking later.” She shakes her head. “This just got interesting, and I’m going to change my earlier question. She’s not your next conquest… You’ve already slept together and now you’re worried about some guy that you claim you don’t know hunting you down to beat the shit out of you. Am I right?”

Jesus. I wasn’t worried about that before. And how the fuck did she so easily come to that conclusion? “You’re half right. We did sleep together.” Thomas’s face drops. “Beforeeither of us knew aboutProject Storm,” I add for his benefit. He wouldn’t be happy about me breaking the team rules. “But,” I continue, “I’m not worried about an angry husband. I can take him. I’m pissed off that I didn’t know. I’m no home wrecker.”

“You’re giving yourself too much credit.” Lainey laughs at my expense. “Maybe she’s allowed to sleep around while he’s on tour. They might have some kind of arrangement, and you were merely a pawn in their little game.”

“What the fuck?” Thomas and I say at the same time before looking at each other in confusion.

“Okay, so I’ve just finished reading a book like that. But it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.”

“You know I’d never tell you what you can and can’t read, Lainey,” Thomas says, leaning against the wall, his eyes lockedon hers. “As long as you know there willneverbe a third person in our relationship. You are mine and mine alone.”

Lainey bites her lip while bile rises in my throat. “Goddammit. You’re not fucking newlyweds; keep those moments to yourself.”

“You’re jealous.”

“Nope. I’m appalled.”

“Whatever.”

Thomas chuckles while Lainey crosses her arms over her chest. She and I may be close, but I don’t need intimate details about her relationship with my best friend. It’s weird.

“So, back tomysex life,” I say instead, bringing things back to the topic at hand.

Lainey scoffs, but before she can argue, Thomas cuts in. “What’s the issue? So you slept with her. It’s not the first time you’ve had to work closely with someone you’ve been with. Not to mention you’ve been trying to score Keeley since she started working with us last year. How is this any different?”

It’s different because she played me, and I don’t like being played.“You’re right, it’s not. I’m going to pretend it didn’t happen like I do with everyone else. Thanks for the chat.”

CHAPTER TEN

Amelia

Why can’t anything in my life run smoothly? It shouldn’t be this hard. We’ve had our six-month cooling-off period. We’ve spoken about this at length. I just need him to sign the damn papers.

“Are you sure you don’t want anyone to come with you?” Hayley asks from her comfortable position on my bed, in my tiny apartment, her face racked with concern as she watches me pull my hair into a messy bun.

“Anyone? Yes. You? No.”

“What?” She sits up suddenly, her features morphing into an expression of mock horror.“ What did I do?”

“It’s not what you did that’s the issue. It’s what you want to do.”

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