Page 60 of Off Camera
“Debatable,” he says, and I smile.
I use his chest to push onto my feet and stand. I brush the grass and dirt off my clothes and offer him my hand. “Ready?”
“Hang on. There’s something I need to do first.” His lips pull into a grin, and he reaches for me. I don’t know why I expect him to thread his fingers through mine in some romantic gesture, but he doesn’t. Instead, he yanks the flag off my belt and holds it in the air. “You didn’t convert on fourth down. It’s our ball, Sinclair. Thanks for the great field position.”
I gape at him, and when he pops onto his feet and elbows my side, I’m not sure if I want to murder him or kiss him.
I’m afraid it might be both.
EIGHTEEN
REID
“I’m here.”I drop my duffle bag on the floor and take off my sneakers. My legs ache from being cramped on an airplane for four and a half hours, and the thirty-minute car ride to Dallas’s apartment from Reagan International didn’t help the stiffness in my knees. “Where are you all?”
“Living room,” Maverick yells. I walk down the hall to find them on the couch playingCall of Duty, and neither him nor Dallas look away from the television. “Fucking children. Goddammit. I hate this fucking game. What’s up, Plant Daddy?”
“Is June here?” I ask. “Or Maven?”
“Maven is at a meeting. June Bug is with Shawn. He’s giving her a tour of the stadium.” Dallas tries to look around me, but I step to the side and block his view. “What’s going on?”
“We’re getting reamed by idiot children,” Maverick whines. “Can this wait?”
“When thefuckwere you going to tell me the Avery I hooked up with at your wedding is the woman behind the Thunderhawks accounts?” I practically yell, and they both gape at me. I’ve never raised my voice like this, but I’m so pissed off. So angry about being kept in the dark, yelling seems like the only way to get my point across. “The woman who’s beenantagonizing me for years is the same one who gave me the best orgasm of my life, and you didn’t think this wasimportant fucking informationto share with me?”
“Oh, shit. That’s why her name is familiar.” Maverick tosses his controller on the cushions and puts his hands behind his head. “Talk about a fucking plot twist.”
“You knew about this?” I seethe, and he gives me a guilty grin.
“Dallas might have mentioned it when he was drunk at the reception. Screamed it at me, actually.” Maverick shrugs. “It slipped my mind until now.”
I turn my attention to Dallas, the real instigator of this whole fucking secrecy pact. “How long have you known?”
“Known what, exactly?” he asks, clearly playing dumb.
“That Avery works for the Thunderhawks.”
His eyes dart around the room and he fixes the brim of his hat. He clears his throat then clears it again, and I know he’s stalling. Looking at the ceiling instead of me, he says, “How much are you going to hate me if I say a while?”
“How long?” I repeat.
“Since Maven first joined her rec soccer league.”
“That’s fucking years!” I collapse into a recliner by the fireplace and bury my face in my hands. “I am so mad at you. At both of you. At all three of you, actually.”
“Whoa, hey. I’m an innocent bystander,” Maverick challenges. “Don’t lump me in with this guy.”
“I don’t understand what the big deal is. You two had a good time when you hung out. Why does it matter if she happens to be your biggest rival? Can’t handle someone better than you?” Dallas teases, and my blood boils.
“The big deal is youliedto me,” I say. “You know how much she pisses me off. You’ve heard me complaining about her andyou decided to not mention her identity, because, what? This is some joke to you?”
“Whoa.” Maverick blinks. “A decade of friendship and I’ve never heard you so fired up about something.”
“Not only is there the lying and blatant disregard for my feelings, but there’s also our jobs. Avery and I are working against each other in a small market, and in our industry, you have to be quick on your feet,” I say, steamrolling past Dallas trying to interrupt me. “She’s annoying as hell with her blazers and short fucking skirts. It’s distracting, and I can’t afford a distraction right now. I met with my boss last week and he outlined metrics I need to hit this season. I have too much at stake to get caught up with someone like her.”
“But—”
“And, because I’m an idiot, apparently, I agreed to a stupid bet with her.” I stand up and pace around the living room, an energy buzzing through me. “If I lose, not only am I going to probably be unemployed, but I’m also going to look like an idiot.”
