Page 62 of Hooked On Them

Carter’s smile was pure innocence. “You’re welcome to join, Captain. I think Nora agrees the more the merrier... as I think we all discovered recently.”

My eyes widened. Was he really referencing our threesome right now? In public?

Miles seemed to be having the same thought, his eyes darting around to make sure no one was listening. “That’s... generous of you.”

“I’m a giver.” Carter winked, complete with finger guns that somehow managed to be both dorky and suggestive.

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. “You’re impossible.”

“Part of my charm.” Carter moved into my space again, his fingers brushing my hip as he reached around me for the chalk. “So what do you say, Coach? You, me, cheesecake... and your fake boyfriend if he’s man enough to tag along?”

I looked between them, suddenly feeling like I was on some bizarro version of The Bachelorette. “I should really get home. Early practice tomorrow and?—”

“I’ll come,” Miles interjected, his voice tight.

Carter’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and honestly, mine did too.

“Will you now?” Carter recovered quickly, his grin positively feline. “Well, that makes this evening infinitely more interesting.”

Miles crossed his arms, the muscles in his forearms flexing. “Nora shouldn’t be out alone this late.”

“She wouldn’t be alone,” Carter pointed out. “She’d be with me.”

“Exactly my point.”

“Excuse me?” I waved my hand between them. “I’m standing right here.”

They had the grace to look sheepish, though neither backed down.

What was happening here? Miles was jealous, but of what exactly? He knew our relationship was fake. Was this all for show? Or was there something more genuine brewing beneath the surface?

And Carter... Carter was deliberately poking the bear, seeing how far he could push before Miles snapped. The whole dynamic was making my head spin.

“If you two are done measuring whatever it is you’re measuring, I’m getting another water.” I retreated to the bar, needing a moment to collect myself.

Through the crowd, I could see them still standing by the pool table, engaged in what appeared to be a very intense conversation. Miles gestured sharply with one hand while Carter maintained his relaxed posture, though the sharpness in his eyes betrayed that this wasn’t casual banter.

I ordered my water and debated the merits of making a break for the bathroom window. I should go home alone and not complicate this already chaotic situation. But then there was a part of me that still felt the phantom pressure of Miles’s arms around me, remembered exactly how it felt to have Carter inside me, and wondered what Miles’s lips would feel like against mine.

I was a mess.

Chapter21

Two Emotionally Well-Adjusted Men

Carter

Iwatched Nora weave through the crowd toward the bar, tracking the gentle sway of her hips like a compass finding true north. The woman was pure poetry in motion, even when she was pissed off.Especiallywhen she was pissed off. The tension in her shoulders highlighted the elegant line of her spine, and I felt that familiar tug in my chest that had been growing stronger since the moment I’d met her.

The same tug that had led me to buy into a hockey team, for fuck’s sake.

Miles cleared his throat beside me, breaking my trance. “You’re staring.”

“I’m appreciating,” I corrected, shifting my weight against the pool table. “There’s a difference.”

“Not the way you do it.”

I twirled the cue stick between my fingers, keeping my voice deliberately casual despite the steel underneath. “Just so we’re clear, I’m making my move tonight.”

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