Page 71 of Puck and Prejudice

I lose track of time, and when I finally get out of the pool, sunrise is not far away. The wives and girlfriends are all gone, and despite being drunk as hell, I regret getting distracted and not saying goodbye to Izzie.

“Where did everyone go?” I ask.

“Home,” Alex replies.

“Jane and Carol went to bed an hour ago,” Chad adds. “I think Izzie is staying here too, but I’m not sure.”

My pulse accelerates. Maybe she’d be up for round two.

“Dude. We should take the Cup for a swim in the ocean,” Logan pipes up.

“Yes!” Alex shouts. “That’d be epic.”

Chad glances at me. “What do you say, Jacks?”

Everyone is looking at me, expecting an answer. If I say no, they’ll forget the idea. I smile broadly. “What the hell. Let’s do it!”

Shouts erupt all around me. I can see already that this celebration will last all day long. It’s a pity I can’t go see Izzie now, but it’s better if I talk to her when I’m sober.

“Wait, we can’t go to the beach in our underwear,” Grayson says. He and Frederico were in the locker room celebrating with us and came to Chad’s house.

“Speak for yourself. I can rock it.” Frederico flexes his muscles as if he were in a bodybuilder competition.

“For fuck’s sake. I don’t want to see that,” Alex complains.

“If we’re gonna do it, it has to be now.” I grab a towel.

Logan steps onto a chair and bellows, “Yes, O captain! My captain!”

“Stop being a dumbass.” Alex pulls his brother off the chair, and they both almost fall.

I shake my head. This won’t be an uneventful trip to the beach.

ChapterThirty

IZZIE

Iwasn’t planning on spending the night at Chad and Jane’s, but Jane was adamant. In truth, it would have cost an arm and a leg to get an Uber that late—if I could even find a ride. Because Caroline had already claimed the guest bedroom, I had to sleep on the couch in Chad’s home office. But as tired as I was, I couldn’t fall asleep with the guys making a ruckus outside. Plus, my mind was spinning like a top, replaying my hot hookup with Jackson in this very room. It was almost easy to believe it never happened.

I kept tossing and turning, and I fell asleep only after the house got quiet. I guess that’s when the guys left, but it happened at the break of dawn.

I’m not sure how long I’ve been sleeping when Jane comes into the office and shakes me awake.

“What?” I asked groggily.

“I need to get Chad and Jackson.”

I rub my eyes. “Get them from where? And what time is it?”

“It’s eleven. They’re at a bar in Miami Beach. Come on. I don’t want to go alone.”

I toss my legs off the side of the couch and sit up. A yawn escapes my lips. “Can we stop somewhere first to get coffee?”

“I can make you some. Chad has a badass espresso machine.”

“All right.” I get up, and wince. “Do I have time to shower?”

“Yeah, if you’re quick. I want to leave before Caroline wakes up.”

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