Page 129 of Coach's Temptation

The entire room is captivated… except me.

Because Hunter still isn’t back.

I shift in my seat, pretending to be invested in the show, but my brain is fully elsewhere. He’s been gone for over thirty minutes now. Exactly long enough to sign a four-year-commitment to the Olympic team.

Fuck. What am I going to do?

The team seems entirely unbothered. Blake and Sophia are leaning close, flirting with each other and whispering between kisses. Logan is watching the aerial acrobats with the intensity of a man studying game footage. Lucy, on the other hand, keeps stealing glances at me, like she’s waiting for me to react.

I finally lean toward her. “Okay, seriously. Where is he?”

Lucy clears her throat aggressively. “So, hey, did you know the Bellagio fountains are one of the top romantic destinations in Vegas?”

I squint at her. “What?”

Sophia's mouth finally leaves Blake's and she nods solemnly in our direction. “Totally. The ambiance. The lights. The music.”

Lucy waves a hand. “Yeah, and it’s just beautiful at midnight. You have to see it.”

Before I can question what the hell is happening, Lucy and Sophia both latch onto my arms and start physically hauling me out of my seat.

“What—hey! What are you doing?!”

“Taking you somewhere magical,” Lucy sing-songs, ignoring my protests.

“Is this about Hunter? Because if it is—”

Sophia grins. “You’ll see.”

My stomach flips as they guide me out of the theater, down a set of hallways, and straight toward the Bellagio fountains.

I don’t know what I was expecting when Lucy and Sophia dragged me through the casino, but a private section of the Bellagio fountains—complete with velvet ropes and a literal champagne setup—was not it.

I stop short at the red rope. “What is this?”

Lucy grins, far too wide. “Just a casual midnight fountain viewing.”

Sophia nods. “Totally normal. Nothing weird.”

I squint. “Um, disagree. You two are actingveryweird.”

Lucy gasps dramatically and holds a hand to her chest. “Us? Weird? No way! Drink your champagne!”

Before I can argue, she shoves a glass into my hand.

The music starts up, and the first streams of water shoot into the air, lights shimmering across the surface of the fountain. It’s breathtaking. Stunning.

But, like the show in the restaurant, I barely register it. Because something is definitely going on.

The rest of the team have appeared out of nowhere and they're all pretending to be casual.

Connor is failing spectacularly, standing way too stiffly near a potted plant, hands in his hoodie pockets like that makes himblend in. Blake is lurking near the railing, very obviously fake-texting.

And Logan is whistling.Whistling!

I narrow my eyes. “Okay. What the hell is going on?”

Connor immediately ducks his head and scratches his beard. Lucy chokes on her champagne. Blake turns away like that’ll save him.

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