18. Cara
eighteen
Cara
T he game was inspiring. Twelve men on sharpened blades skated around the rink at the speed of light. They chased a disk the size of my palm.
Monroe’s and my seats were front row, centre ice. We were right up against the plexiglass. The spray of ice rained down on us more than once as the Seals dominated the game again.
Alec was on fire. He was having almost as good a game as his previous one—two goals and three assists. Up until the last ten minutes of the final period, the Kings were scoreless.
They hadn’t stood a chance.
My voice was hoarse from screaming. I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face, my cheeks hurting from all the grinning I’d done all night.
I was giddy with excitement.
Having Monroe right next to me, shouting right alongside me, was exhilarating. He’d touched me the whole night too. He had his hand at the small of my back or his arm wrapped around my shoulders as we cheered Alec on. Then, when the kiss cam had panned around the stadium, he’d cheered and whistled as if he could get its attention. It hadn’t landed on us, but it didn’t stop Monroe kissing me.
On my knuckles.
The look he’d sent me was scorching. His blue eyes were dark with want, filled with so much promise that it took my breath away. His lips were parted, and his tongue swept over his bottom lip as he drank me in.
We were on our feet, and I was weak in the knees.
And wet in other areas.
Very wet.
He tugged me close, and the ridge of his shaft pressed against me. I whimpered, desperate for friction between my legs. The ache and the emptiness were unbearable.
Monroe slid one hand down, squeezing my butt through the thin layers of my dress and tights. With the other, he clasped my hand and brought my knuckles to his lips. His heated breath washed over me as he growled. The rumble sent a shiver through my body, want spiralling through me.
He scraped his teeth gently over my knuckles and my kitty clenched hard. Then he pressed a soft kiss to my hand, and butterflies went nuts in my belly. I wanted to climb him right there and then.
Music thumped through the speakers, the announcers calling out the third period and shocking me out of the spell he’d cast over me.
The rest of the game was a blur. It was as if I was floating in a sea of dreaminess. Monroe kept me on that precipice, his touches chaste enough to be decent, but teasing me in just the right way. We screamed and cheered, and I watched Alec and the team bring home the W.
After the final buzzer, we converged on the footpath and walked back to the hotel. I was surrounded by my friends. All of Zali’s men had followed her despite me only having three tickets to offer them. Flynn and Tristan had stayed at the hotel while Ezra, Ryder, and Zali followed us to the rink. Now that we were back in the lobby bar, Flynn was sitting on Tristan’s lap, cozying up to him while Ezra and Ryder regaled them with stories of the game.
Zali faced Monroe and me, the three of us talking about how neither Monroe nor I wanted the trip to end. We were halfway through, the final game only a few days away in Melbourne. But the team was doing a promo day in Adelaide, too, visiting the Adelaide Adrenaline’s rink to do a fan meet-and-greet, then a visit to the Children’s Hospital. The high I’d been floating on popped like a balloon, and I hit the ground with a hard thump. Alec’s departure was creeping up on us far too quickly. I wouldn’t focus on the negatives—he was still with us for another week or so—but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to enjoy every moment we had left.
Monroe sat pressed up against the other side of me. It was as if he could sense the conflict inside me too. He hadn’t moved his hand from the small of my back and his touch was doing wonders to keep my mind firmly in the present. I couldn’t stop the constant flush heating my cheeks and the shy giggles that erupted whenever he skated his fingers along my spine. But I loved every minute of his attention.
It was nearly two hours after the game finished that we saw the team starting to file into the hotel lobby bar. Dressed in suits, they were imposing. High on another win, there was a lot of loud laughter and cheers, but it was the quiet one at the back who caught my attention. Alec was drop-dead gorgeous.
He wore a charcoal suit with a mauve shirt and grey tie that moulded to his body like it was tailored to fit him. It probably was, because no suit I’d ever seen fit that well.
When Alec met my gaze, I inhaled sharply. Monroe’s hand tightened on my waist, and the combination of being in his presence and seeing Alec did my head in. I squeezed my legs together, the sudden throb between them overwhelming. How was it that before a couple of nights ago, I’d never had sex, yet now I couldn’t get it out of my head?
A few of the team members wandered straight over to us, making no secret of the way they were checking out Zali in her Seals jersey. “The sponsor girl’s friend is hot,” one of them said louder than I think they intended.
Zali rolled her eyes, unimpressed, and my skin crawled. I didn’t want to be there anymore. I expected Ryder to get up and talk to them, but it was Flynn who met them. “Boys,” he greeted. “Apparently you played well tonight. Congratulations on the win.”
“Who’s your friend?” Mironov asked. He hadn’t played tonight, and I hadn’t seen him with the team, but he’d apparently walked into the bar at some point.
“I’m not interested,” Zali said, not even turning to face him.
“Why don’t we see if Alec needs a drink?” Monroe whispered in my ear. His warm breath and the deep rumble of his voice sent shivers down my spine.
I’d barely stood up before Alec was there, reaching for me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and guided me away, Monroe plastered to my other side. They marched me across the room and straight out of the bar toward the hotel’s business centre. Alec swiped his key card, and my breath hitched as the door unlatched. Monroe pushed it open and gestured for us to go through. The lights flickered on as we stepped over the threshold.
My heart was beating frenetically, and my legs were shaking. Nervous excitement assaulted me. We were in an office, a semi-public space for guests to use. What did they want to do in here? Anyone could walk in. Anyone could see us. And I was down for all of it.
The door clicked closed behind us, and Monroe flicked the lock. I turned and watched as he closed the blinds, giving us a modicum of privacy.
“You have no idea how it felt on that ice tonight, watching you cheer for me. I’ll never forget it,” Alec whispered.
“Oh, Alec,” I breathed and cupped his face with my hands. His stubble was rough under my fingers, and he towered over me, but in that moment, I knew I had the power to hurt him. But I couldn’t even if I tried. This man, this quiet, unassuming, gentle man just wanted to be loved. He had adoring fans and a group of teammates who I was sure thought the world of him, but he held himself apart. He didn’t give himself lightly, and his admission was a window into his soul.
I went up on tiptoes and Alec met me halfway, brushing his lips over mine. He slid his hand low over my ass and curled the other into my hair, deepening our kiss. His tongue delved past my lips, teasing and tasting me. He consumed me, his kiss turning possessive and urgent in a split second.
“Need you,” he rasped. He dropped his hands and stepped back, the gust of cool air between us a shock to my system. I dropped my hands, even though I wanted nothing more than to reach for him. I blinked open my eyes, searching for him. But he hadn’t gone far. He’d taken a step back. Monroe stood behind him, sliding Alec’s suit jacket off his shoulders. He hung it over the back of the desk chair, and both of them turned to me expectantly. When I met their gazes, my insides ignited. Alec’s pupils were blown, and his lips were puffy, kiss swollen, and wet. Monroe bit down on his lip and adjusted his erection in his jeans.
Alec crashed into me, his lips finding mine and dominating our kiss. He slid his arms around my waist before shifting his hands down and cupping my butt to lift me with ease. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, holding him tight to my body. He pulled my hips toward his and ground against me. The thick ridge of his shaft nudged that sensitive bundle of nerves, and I whimpered, desire flaring inside me like a wildfire.
I was desperate to have him inside me, filling the emptiness there. Monroe shifted, the heat of his body pressing against my back. He kissed my nape and slid his hands down my sides, smoothing them over Alec’s, then delving between my spread legs. I gasped and arched into his touch, thrusting my hips back. I wanted—no, needed —him to touch me. When Alec tightened his grip on my butt and ground against me again, my hips instinctively reversed course. My brain went fuzzy and my nipples tingled, everything hypersensitive to their touch.
Monroe rubbed his hand along my core and groaned. I flushed, heat crawling up my throat and burning my cheeks as I thought about how wet I was and how he would feel it straight through my panties and tights.
“I can’t wait for you to feel how much our pretty girl wants you, Alec. She’s so hot. She’ll be so tight around you.”
Alec growled in response and trailed his lips down my throat, sucking a mark onto my collarbone under the neckline of my jersey. The sharp sting of his teeth and the pull of suction against my skin only ramped up the need quickly overtaking me.
When Monroe skated his other hand down in between my legs, I moaned. My breath caught when the tear of my tights echoed around the room. Alec groaned and rutted against me, taking me higher with every move. Monroe shifted my panties to the side and licked a trail up the side of my throat until his nose nudged the shell of my ear. He nuzzled me there, and I cried out, needing them everywhere.
“What colour are they, beautiful girl?” he asked as he fingered the cotton of my underwear. I shook my head, beyond able to form words, but Monroe continued. “Are they pretty pink, just like you? Or pale purple to match Alec’s jersey?”
I squeezed my eyes closed and nodded. That’s exactly what I’d done. I’d picked my pale purple bra and panties set as a surprise for Alec. I wore his jersey, too, loving the way it highlighted the pale purple flowers on my dress. Monroe had seen it. He’d realized why I’d worn them, and he was telling Alec. He was letting him know exactly how much we wanted him.
“Good girl,” Monroe purred. “We cheer for our guy, don’t we?”
I nodded again, a whimper sounding from my throat as Alec tightened his grip on my hips and cried out himself. Monroe hadn’t stopped moving his fingers, gently brushing them against my kitty. I shivered, and he hummed before pressing a lingering kiss to my throat and sliding his fingers through my wetness. I moaned, which turned into a gasp when Monroe thrust his fingers inside me torturously slowly. He scissored his fingers and pumped them back and forth, my channel clasping him tight.
“You want to be inside our pretty girl, don’t you, Alec?” Monroe asked.
Alec groaned and nodded, his forehead pressed into the crook of my neck as his breaths turned ragged. Monroe’s other hand came around my waist, slipping between us to undo Alec’s belt and unfasten his pants. Alec held his breath, and I groaned in frustration as Monroe pulled his fingers free of my core and pushed Alec’s pants down his hips. Alec’s hard cock slapped against my kitty, and he threw his head back and sucked in a sharp breath. Monroe closed his fist around Alec and pumped him slowly before lining him up and lubing his mushroom-shaped head with my wetness.
I cried out, my moan long and low as Alec sank into me, controlling how quickly I took him into my body. He stretched me tight around his girth and I panted, my muscles tensing as it began to sting. Alec withdrew and I cried out, but he soothed me with the gentle brush of his lips against mine.
“Don’t want to hurt you, pretty girl,” he rasped. “I’ll go slow.”
He pushed forward again, my body accepting him easier this time. He inched inside me bit by bit until he was buried to the hilt. He held me there, not moving, and my core tightened around him, pulsing as if begging him to take me.
“So perfect,” he moaned.
Monroe traced his fingers over where I was stretched around Alec, and my kitty tightened again.
“She likes that, Roe. She’s strangling my dick so good. Want you to feel our girl around you too,” he moaned as he withdrew and thrust forward again.
I leaned my head back, resting it against Monroe’s shoulder, and shivered as I felt him undo his jeans and shove them down his hips. His hardness brushed against the point where Alec and I were connected, the scalding heat of him sending an electric shock through me. He worked his hand up and down his length, dragging his head against my core.
The chorus of our moans and groans was loud in the quiet room, but I couldn’t help it. These two men were worshipping me between them, and when Monroe reached around and fingered my clit, I bit back my shout as my orgasm slammed into me.
My kitty clenched tight around Alec’s length, rhythmically pulsing as ecstasy washed over me. Alec’s moan was illicit. Monroe growled, his hand speeding up before the hot splash of his cum landed on my skin. Alec’s cock throbbed deep inside me before he painted my core with jet after jet of cum. The knowledge that it was me who’d made both of them so desperate and needy to take me in an office was overwhelming in the best possible way. They worshipped me, their lips trailing over my sweat-damp skin as Alec slowly withdrew.
The emptiness hit me first, but Monroe was there, his hand still between my legs as he resituated my panties. “I want you to wear us all night, sweet girl. When you feel how wet you are, I want you to think about how crazy we are for you. You’re beautiful, Cara. We want you so much.”
“You have me. All of me.”
“Good.” Alec nuzzled my throat, and the burn of his beard prickled my skin. “I need to get back out there, but I want you with me. I want to introduce you to Gauthier and Hewitt.”
“I know them,” I replied, confused and happier than he would ever know that he didn’t want to keep me a secret. No matter how short our tryst was going to be, I wanted it. I wanted it all.
“But they don’t know that I like you.” The smile tilting up Alec’s lips slipped, and he tensed. He sucked in a breath and opened his mouth as if to say something. He closed it again and exhaled heavily. Whatever he wanted to say was weighing on him. “There’s something you—”
“It can wait,” I responded. I cupped his cheek again and shifted, scrunching up my nose at the wetness between my legs.
Alec’s pupils flared, and that wicked smirk he had lit up his face again. He looked like the cat that got the cream. “You’ll feel us both all night, won’t you?” he goaded.
“So will you,” Monroe retorted, his gaze filled with heat.
Alec groaned and tugged his boxer briefs up before tucking himself back in. He zipped up, draped his jacket over his forearm, and returned to stand in front of me. He brushed my cheek with his thumb and ran it over my bottom lip.
“You look thoroughly fucked. It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” Alec grasped my hand and checked that Monroe was presentable again before opening the door. He made sure the coast was clear and then gestured for me to head out first.
Each time I took a step, I felt it. My kitty was swollen and wet, and their essence coated my upper thighs. I smelled of sex and them, and it was hotter than I ever thought it would be. It was as if they’d marked me, made me theirs, and I was carrying around the evidence of it.
Now I understood breeding kinks.
Alec led me to the table where Jackie and Carter Hewitt were sitting with Beckett Rune, the team’s AC and goalie, and Jakob Kreutzmann, the second line left wing.
What am I doing? Am I really going to sit here with them, pretending I didn’t just have sex? I could already feel the beard burn making my throat red and inflamed. It was going to be obvious to anyone who bothered to look.
I looked over my shoulder at my friends. Zali wouldn’t care whether anyone knew what she’d been up to. I could fake that confidence. Maybe.
Jackie’s smile turned strained when he saw Alec holding my hand. My gut sank. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea at all.
He eased himself up and pulled two chairs over while Monroe broke away from us to look for a third. But the bar was full.
“Roe,” Alec called. “Don’t sweat it.” He pulled me onto his lap when he sat down, and I squeaked, then flushed hard with embarrassment. “There’s plenty of room,” Alec added and wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me securely. “Guys, um… Cara and I are getting to know each other.”
I smiled, hoping that it didn’t look like a grimace. I was wet, covered in cum, and now I was sitting on his lap. I was about to leave a mess all over his suit pants. My “Hi-llo” was barely more than a squeak.
“How about I get us some drinks?” Monroe asked. I could have kissed him right then and there.
“Yes please,” I breathed. “Something alcoholic.” I grimaced. “But it has to be sweet. Please.”
“Not a problem,” he said warmly with a smile that made my belly flip-flop. “Hux?” he asked. This time, his voice was flat, utterly devoid of any emotion.
“Could you get me a ginger beer?” Alec asked.
He was either ignoring Monroe’s reaction or completely blind to it. I didn’t know what was worse, especially when Monroe clenched his jaw, pressed his lips in a flat line, and nodded. He spun on his heels and strode to the bar. The cool rush of air he left in his wake was nothing compared to the frost rolling off him.
I watched Monroe walk away, and my heart squeezed with every step he took. His back was rigid, too straight for his normal laid-back posture. I hadn’t realized it before, but Monroe hadn’t called Alec “Hux” for a while, not since before we’d slept together that first time. I swallowed and bit my lip, worrying it as I contemplated the what ifs.
Did Monroe like Alec too? They hadn’t been afraid of touching each other either time we’d been together. I’d put it down to them seeing that it turned me on. But maybe it was more than that. Monroe confided in me that he and Alec had gotten off again together while I was asleep. He’d been uncertain about my reaction. He worried that I’d be upset. But how could I be? They weren’t upset when they realized I wanted both of them. They gave me exactly what I wanted. It’d be wrong of me to think that they couldn’t also have the same with each other.
And now Monroe looked angry.
No, he looked hurt.
I turned to Alec and saw him watching me. I pressed my lips together, attempting and probably failing to smile, and tried to focus back on the conversation around me. Alec identified as bisexual, but I understood not wanting to come out, especially not with his teammates, who he shared a locker room and even a bedroom with when they were doing road trips. It would make things especially uncomfortable for Alec if they weren’t cool about it. Then again, it was probably the last thing Monroe needed, too, given the notoriety of Tristan’s Tarnished Crown podcast. If anyone found out that we’d all been together, it would probably be all over the gossip sites.
“Relax,” Alec whispered in my ear when his teammates kept talking around us, teasing and laughing with each other.
“I’m going to stain your pants,” I whisper-hissed.
Alec hummed. “I like that idea.”
“You’re twisted,” I teased.
Alec barked out a laugh. “You have no idea.”
“I’m worried about Monroe,” I added.
Alec nodded, flicking his gaze over my shoulder. Tension gathered around his eyes and his brows creased. “We need to talk.”
My gut sank, plummeting to the ocean floor. I swallowed and opened my mouth to speak. I had no idea what I wanted to say, but those words weren’t uttered unnecessarily, and they were never followed by good news. But before I could figure anything out, Monroe returned and placed two of the three drinks he was carrying down. With his free hand, he gestured to the lounges behind us.
“I’m going to go and sit with my daughter and her partners. Enjoy your drinks.” He didn’t wait around, immediately heading toward Zali’s table.
“Monroe,” I called, but he waved me off, dismissing me with his hand held up in a stopping gesture.
Alec held me close, not relaxing his grip on me. Anger built up inside me, simmering slowly until I was boiling. I wanted to shove Alec off me, to chase after Monroe and tell him how much I wanted him with us.
But how could I? The bar was full, and people had already stopped and turned to look at us when I called out to him. And what would that mean for Alec? I didn’t want his teammates to think that Alec wasn’t enough for me.
A waiter stopped at our table, holding a tray with four beers on it. “Gents, these are from the ladies at the bar.” He placed one in front of each of the guys—Alec included—and gave me a sympathetic smile.
“Can you please express our thanks, but let them know we’re all in relationships,” Jackie said politely. The waiter nodded and walked away.
“Well, this is awkward,” Hewitt muttered. He plastered on a smile and raised the glass to the ladies in thanks before he set it down again, not even taking a sip.
Alec simply pushed his glass to the middle of the table. I bit back a smile, my giggle coming out as a hiccup. I flushed, and Jackie looked at me from over the rim of his ginger beer.
“You’re still that cute kid who used to follow me around like you idolized me,” he teased.
I coughed, heat suffusing my cheeks. “I didn’t follow you around—”
“But you did idolize me.” He grinned and shook his head. “It’s surreal being back, especially when we were in Brisbane. I still can’t believe you’re all grown-up, yet your mum hasn’t aged a single day.”
“Fuck,” Hewitt groaned. “They’re coming over.”
Alec made a show of checking his imaginary watch and said, “Oh look at the time. It’s curfew.”
They didn’t have a curfew unless it was the night before a game, but those ladies didn’t need to know that.
“I’ve got the tab,” Hewitt said, leaving singed tracks in his wake as he sped to the bar.
Jackie met the ladies head-on and thanked them before excusing himself and the others, explaining that they were just leaving. Alec gave me a small smile and said, “I’m wrecked, but I don’t want you to miss out on spending time with your friends. Why don’t you join them?”
“You could come?” I smiled hopefully at him, holding my breath. He’d wanted to introduce me to his friends. I really wanted to do the same thing. I wanted Zali to meet him. I wanted her to understand why I couldn’t choose between Alec and Monroe.
He gestured to the lifts across the lobby. “I need to get some ice on my joints.” My smile fell, and he squeezed my shoulders. “But I’d love to meet them first.”
Hand in hand, I took him over to the group. “Everyone, this is Alec. He’s part of the Seals. Alec, these are my friends—Zali, Flynn, Tristan, Ezra, and Ryder.” I smiled at Monroe, who was sitting next to Ry with a spare seat next to him—my seat. It was clear who’d come to the game tonight—Zali, Ezra, Ry, Monroe, and I were all dressed in Seals jerseys.
“Hey,” Alec greeted Ezra with an up nod before turning his attention to the others. “Glad you got to see the game. Thanks for coming along and supporting us.”
“Great game, mate,” Ry responded.
“Do you want to join us?” Monroe asked. He was being polite, but I could see how much he wanted Alec to say yes.
Alec squeezed his shoulder, his hand lingering there. “I’d love to, but I need to get some ice packs on me. I’m already cramping up.”
Monroe nodded, his expression tight, and Alec shifted his hand, squeezing his nape. Monroe closed his eyes and minutely leaned into the touch. “Need some help with the ice packs?” Monroe asked, his voice rough.
Alec nodded. “Yeah. Please.” Then he hooked his finger under my chin, tilted my face up, and kissed me sweetly. “If Roe’s not back, message us when you’re back safe in your room, sweet girl.”
I flushed magenta and bit my lip, barely able to contain my smile. “Okay,” I whispered. I watched as they walked away, Monroe with his hands in his pockets and Alec still holding his jacket in front of him.
“So?” Zali asked, extending out the vowel.
“Oh, ah.” I was completely tongue-tied. Wide-eyed, I looked around the group. All eyes were on me. They were hanging off my every word. Their conversations had ceased. Their gazes bounced between me, Zali, and Monroe’s retreating back.
Ry smirked, and Ezra was watching me closely, his head tilted to the side. Where Ry looked like he was having fun at my expense, Ezra was serious. His brow furrowed and his lips were turned down in a frown. He was worried. It made sense. His best friend had been holding me earlier, and another man had just kissed me. Monroe was hurting—it was obvious—and I was the cause of it. Why did I think I could do this? Why did I think they could both be happy?
Tristan cleared his throat, getting everyone’s attention. “Let’s give Zali and Cara a chance to catch up.”
They left quickly, and Zali pulled her chair close to mine, then grasped my hands in hers.
My sob caught in my throat.
“No, honey, don’t cry,” she whispered, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “I promise you, you can work it out.”
“I don’t want to hurt them.”
“Remember the night I told you about my mother? We were talking.”
I nodded. I did remember. She was a mess, and we got even messier together. That was the night she introduced me to Cocksucking Cowboys.
“You told me what you wanted—two men. Is that what you have?”
I nodded and bit down on my bottom lip. Nerves assaulted me. Telling Zali what had happened between us was anxiety inducing. But I needed to be honest.
“I kissed Monroe too,” I confessed, my words tumbling out of my mouth. She knew I’d kissed Alec earlier in the week, but I hadn’t talked to her about her dad. I’d left Monroe to speak with her, and that was wrong. As my friend, she deserved that I have the conversation with her and not delegate it, no matter how hard it might be.
“I’m sorry. But I really like him. Are you upset? I hope you’re not upset. Of course you’re upset. He’s your dad. I don’t want to lose you. You’re my best friend,” I rambled, tugging my hands free and crossing my arms over my chest as I blinked, trying to clear the sting from my eyes. I couldn’t look at her. But there was more I needed to say. “I don’t want to give him up. Please don’t make me choose between you and him.”
“Cara,” Zali said gently and reached for my hands again She squeezed them, waiting until I lifted my gaze to hers before she spoke. The warm, sympathetic smile tilting up the corners of her lips had me sucking in a breath. My vision swam as tears tracked down my cheeks. “You’ll never lose my friendship, and I’ll never ask you to choose.”
My breath whooshed out of my lungs on a shuddery exhale.
“Dad’s upset. Did he know you and Alec were together before tonight?”
“I… yes,” I confessed, wincing. I wasn’t ashamed of what happened between us—heck, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but this was a little too sensitive a topic, especially given who Alec was, the podcast, and the bar being so full.
“It was the three of us.”
Zali’s eyes lit up, but she bit back the slow smile spreading across her lips. “I was worried when we spoke that you were choosing Alec over Dad.”
I shook my head fast, rushing to reassure her. “No, I…. No. I couldn’t choose. They’re both….” I sighed wistfully. They were both incredible. I couldn’t help the smile that tilted up my lips. “Monroe told me I didn’t need to. Then they kissed me.”
Zali squeaked, and she bounced her legs, excitement pouring off her. “You got them—you got the silver fox and the sport star.”
My heart punched against my chest, and a bubbly effervescence filled me, making me float on cloud nine. But the bubbles popped quickly, and I landed with a thud back on earth when I thought about Monroe’s expression. “How do I keep them? Monroe wasn’t happy just then, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“My first thought was that he was hurt, thinking you were cheating on him, but if he was there with you, that definitely wasn’t it.” Zali paused, and I replayed our conversation in the business centre over once more.
Then she continued. “Did you see the way Dad leaned into Alec when he touched him?”
I nodded, and she rubbed her hand over her mouth, momentarily hiding her smile. “I think Dad’s struggling with something else. The way he leaned into Alec makes me think that he might like Alec too.”
I blinked. My eyes were as wide as saucers. Jiminy Cricket . How could she tell that just by looking at him? I knew he liked Alec insofar as they’d connected over their shared quest to make me come as many times as possible. But they’d been together too. They’d touched and made each other come. Was their connection on an emotional level too?
Goodness, I hoped so. At least then I wouldn’t be the only one falling head over heels for them.
But that meant when this ended, as it inevitably would, they’d both be hurting too.
In any event, I had to protect Alec. I wasn’t sure what it’d mean for him if he was outed, so we needed to be careful. Zali was so perceptive. She picked up on the smallest of details, and I knew she’d never tell a soul of her suspicions. But were we too obvious? Who else would be able to tell?
I must have been silent for a beat too long, and Zali pressed her lips together in a forced smile. She waved her hand dismissively and added, “Or I could be completely wrong.”
“I think you could be right,” I whispered. “I kind of hope you are. Monroe deserves someone as good as Alec to love him, but we’re all going to get hurt again.”