Page 18 of Puck Me Sideways

“So goddamn beautiful.”

Somewhere in my heart, a warmth replaced the ache left there by fear so long ago. It was like if he kept saying it, I might actually start believing him.

CHAPTER SIX

SOLACE

The moment we parked out front of the Chimeras home building, I knew today was going to be all sorts of fucked up. Hux’s head wave in my direction gave me advance warning, and I knew I screwed up by skipping practice. But when his gaze dropped to focus on Hallie, my happy moment dissipated.

“Wait here,” I murmured, leaving her at my car, watching me with a frown as I jogged across the parking lot to meet Hux halfway. “Sorry I missed this morning Cap,” I greeted him. “Had some shit to tidy up.”

We didn’t often get to call in a freebie, and it'd been years since I used one.

He rolled his shoulders. “Not about you.”

I glanced over his shoulder at the door where Janelle had been loitering for the last week. “Where’s your side piece?”

He shook his head. “Story for another time. Take her away for the day. Don’t let her in.” He glanced past me, his face tightening. “Fuck.”

I looked over my shoulder at my car with no Hallie beside it. She must have headed around the back. I’d catch her in a second. “Damn. What’s up?”

He passed over his phone. I scrolled through the photos, my gut tightening. There were snaps of Hallie and me in the sponsor’s office earlier in the week, fighting. My hand was captured between her legs. Her head tipped back, bliss written across her face. Hell, the sight thickened my cock. Any other time I’d give into my own pleasure, but not like this. The next were at the gym, and I knew what they’d show.

“Who the fuck took these?”

Hux rolled his shoulders. “Dunno. We have a security issue, for sure. But man, her job’s gone.”

I stared at him, horror bringing my breakfast back up. Tossing his phone into his chest I turned on my heel, sprinting to the back of the building, but she was already inside.

“Hallie,” I yelled. “Hallie!”

I headed for the kitchen, but changed my mind when I remembered I’d had her thermos refilled at a local cafe before she got up. She wouldn’t need it. Pivoting on my heel I aimed for the office and knew what I'd find before I got there. Because I had a horrifying, sudden understanding of what happened, why she was so upset with me yesterday.

I gripped the office door and yanked it open to find the WAGS clustered around her, but the pictures weren’t displayed on phones like I suspected. No, they’d taken it a step further.

They had projected the scenes I’d just viewed on Hux’s phone onto the fucking wall.

Hallie, my private, introvert little Hallie, stared up at the pictures of the two of us together and they were beautiful. So goddam beautiful that she could be a model for any fucking company whether these women could see it or not. I sure as fuck knew the team saw it. A deep sound rose in my chest as I barreled my way into the office, pushing between ranks and slapping the back of more than one head who’s owner had to adjust his pants when he couldn’t take his eyes off the real thing.

“Let’s get you out of here,” I murmured in Hallie’s ear, sliding my fingers around her arm.

She stood frozen, but when she turned to me, her face was devoid of emotion. “No.”

“Huh?” I watched her carefully for signs of a breakdown, but the tears from when she talked about the asshole ex cheating on her weren’t there.Alright. Let’s see how this plays out.But the moment she hurt, I was taking her straight out of there. “What’s on your mind, beautiful?”

“I’m not leaving,” she said firmly, pressing her heels into the industrial grade carpet under her feet.

Hux burst through the front doors, the captain gone all gung-ho. His eyes trailed over the scene, over her, and the red marks I’d left visible on the inside of her thighs. He wasn’t the only one to spot them, and the wordtoymade its rounds in the WAGS cluster in a not so subtle whisper, subtlety not really being their thing.

The Chimeras captain swallowed hard, raising his eyes to meet mine as he blew out a hard breath.Get her out of here,he mouthed.

I shook my head.Her choice,I replied, gripping her arm tight anyway. Despite my resolve and hers, if Hallie looked like she was going to crack, we were gone. If I had to pick her up to take her out, I’d do it and wear the consequences later. Anything for her. And I was an inch from calling it. Hell, the only reason I stayed was because she asked it of me.

“Whoever has the originals of these can hand them back, or delete them. Please,” Hallie added in a clear, loud voice that stopped all conversation in the office.

“Damn, girl.” I stared down at her, proud as motherfucking punch of the girl I loved who refused to be cowed by the pathetic attempt at bullying that had the opposite effect on every man in the room.

The corner of her mouth quirked. “I’m sure Solace would like them for personal use.”

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