Page 23 of The Triple Play

I didn’t want to.

I wanted my turn with her.

Chapter11

Colton

It wasn’t hard to spot Cole and Annie from the kitchen. My gaze had been locked on the two of them the moment I’d noticed he was speaking to her, and I’d practically abandoned the drink I’d been refilling the moment I’d seen Xavi’s eyes widen and Cole take off.

I didn’t know what it was about, but judging by the nervous demeanor I’d almost never seen Cole wear, it was clear he was trying to make some kind of move. A move that, by the looks of the way Xavi moved in right after, hadn’t gone well.

Shit.

I took the fastest route to the hallway. Samson called something after me, but I waved him off, already weaving through the crowd. I bypassed the need to walk past Annie and Xavi and rounded the lounge before watching as Cole ducked into the bathroom, his shoulders squared and jaw set. My chest twisted — if he’d genuinely made a move on her that hadn’t gone well, I didn’t know what I’d be walking into. I knew he didn't approach women like me or Xavi, not after the situation with his ex-wife Jenny, and I couldn’t help but feel awful for him.

I maneuvered my way to the bathroom door, knocking my knuckle against the wood. “Yo,” I said. “It’s Colton.”

A beat passed, the music and chatter filling the empty space. But the door opened, and Cole stood there, eyes blazing, his jaw twitching. “What?” he snapped, and I nearly retreated just from the tone alone. It was low and sharp, with none of the usual measured calm and casual irritation he usually carried. This was the version of Cole I only really saw on the ice when things weren’t going well. “What do you want?”

I blinked at him, trying to process his demeanor. “What happened? I saw you talking to Annie, and then you bolted.”

He let out a breathless, humorless laugh, the sound of it cutting through the music and chatter like a knife. “What happened?” he parroted, his mouth pressing together in a hard line, the wrinkles on either side of his eyes deepening. “I made a pass at her. Asked if she’d ever consider dating me. She didn’t answer. You want to fucking rub it in?”

My eyes blew wide, but I didn’t recoil. I leaned one shoulder against the door frame, raising my hands palm-out in mock surrender. “I saw the way you looked when you walked off. I don’t want to rub shit in, Cole. You think I want to see you like this?”

He laughed again, the sound bitter and raw, before he turned away and started pacing the small bathroom like a caged animal. “I don’t know,” he spat. “Maybe. Maybe you’re reveling in my failure, maybe you’re happy she didn’t give me an answer. Makes it easier for you, doesn’t it?”

I flinched. “Cole?—”

“No, no, it makes complete sense. You want her, you’ve made that intensely clear, and why wouldn’t you? She’s beautiful, she’s witty, she’s…” He turned to me, pausing his pacing, his jaw rigid. He held my gaze for a moment, and I opened my mouth to speak before shutting it again, the point in it lost. “She deserves more than what you can give her.”

I jerked back a bit. That hit harder than I expected it to, and I knew he was just angry and feeling like an idiot for making a move, knew he was just beating himself up and likely thinking back to what happened with Jenny, but goddamn. It still hurt to hear, even if he wasn’t wrong.

“Yeah,” I said finally, my tongue gliding along the crowns of my teeth. “You’re probably right.”

Cole didn’t move, but I could see the flicker of surprise he tried to hide.

I pushed off the doorframe and shrugged, my mouth twisting into a half-assed smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “I’ll back off.”

His eyes narrowed, but the look of irritation he bore faded just a hint. “Just like that?”

I nodded slowly, my lips pursing. “Yeah, man. It’s fine. I get it. You clearly feel some type of way about her, and who knows, maybe she just panicked,” I said. I hated every word. “I won’t try to tempt her away. She’s yours.”

His nostrils flared then, his hand running through his salt and pepper hair as if it actually needed fixing. “I don’t want you to do me any favors, Colton.”

I paused, my head tilting as I watched him. “No?”

He hesitated, resuming his pacing for a moment, and I could almosthearthe gears turning in his head. “No,” he murmured, almost to himself, as he slowly turned back to me. The corner of his mouth curled up in something that wasn’t quite a smile but was unsettling to see on him nonetheless. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe she just panicked.”

“I’m not following.”

“Why should you have to back off?” he offered.What the fuck does he mean?“A little friendly competition never hurt anybody.”

I stared at him.

He didn’t blink.

“You’re serious?” I asked incredulously.

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