Page 38 of Twisted Assist

"What happened last night?"

"He slept on my couch!" She hissed. "But he showed up in the first place to tell me he's been invited to the Miami Inferno postseason workouts."

"What?" Raising myself up, I almost flew to my feet but kept myself on the mattress. Before I could say anything else, the server knocked on the wooden post of the cabana, warning us she was coming in.

"Can I get you two some lunch?" A woman in tight khaki shorts and an unbuttoned, collared shirt asked. She had a tiny bathing suit top on underneath and was barefoot. The only thing that even made it look like she worked there was the fact that all the servers wore khakis.

"I'm good," I told her, hoping she left.

"Me too," Tatum whispered.

"Oh my god!" She squealed. "You're Tripp Maddux."

Nodding was all I did to confirm what she had just realized, and I hoped that was enough to make her leave.

"Can I get an autograph and maybe a picture?"

"Not right now," I tried to sound nice. "I'm spending time with my girl. Maybe as we leave."

She nodded and backed away, looking a little embarrassed. Fuck, I didn't want her feeling bad, but whatever Tatum was about to say was more important than anything else.

"I'm not your girl," Tatum snapped as soon as we were alone again.

"Would you have rather me tell her to leave because we were about to fuck?"

"Either way, it's a lie."

"Let's get back to your boyfriend. He got invited to the Inferno camp?"

"He told me you arranged it," she laughed humorlessly. "Don't act stupid."

"I did no such fucking thing. Why would I do that when I'm not even sure I'll get invited? And even if I did, wouldn't that make you happy?"

"It doesn't make me happy that you knew all along who my boyfriend was."

"He told you that?"

"He didn't have to, you just did."

"What the hell is going on, Tatum?"

"You said from day one you just wanted to fuck me and you did. I showed up today way too excited to see you, and after I got his call about knowing you, my head was all over the place. I'm not supposed to feel anything for you."

"When I met you, I didn't know who your boyfriend was, Tatum. When I saw you in that restaurant, I didn't know then, either. But when you said your name, that was when I knew. Remember that look on my face? How shocked I was?"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I was supposed to be doing Hunter a favor that night. He sent me to meet up with you so that you weren't mad at him when he didn't show up."

Her mouth fell open, and she started shaking her head. "Why would he do that? It doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't, you're right. Just like it doesn't make sense that he knew we were together last night."

"He didn't—"

"When I tossed my phone toward you, it was Hunter that was calling. Every time your phone stopped ringing, mine would start buzzing in my pocket. It went back and forth, making me crazier and crazier. You refused to look at my phone, but he wouldn't have called me and you both unless he knew."

"What are you trying to say?"