Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
maddox
As if being on the same team as him wasn’t bad enough, now I find out that he’s on a fucking date with Annalise? The mere thought of her being with another man makes me furious, but seeing her with Lucas brings out a whole other level of rage within me that I can’t contain.
I want to fucking kill him.
“What the fuck are you doing with her, Hilton?”
“What does it look like, Maddox? We’re having dinner.” The sarcasm in his tone pisses me off even more.
Elijah glares at him. “Come on, dude, have some respect for your teammates. There are boundaries you shouldn’t cross.”
“Wait—was he the one who kept going after Annalise in high school?” Andrés whispers.
Elijah and Santiago nod.
“I didn’t think you would lower your standards so much, Annalise,” I say.
She shifts uncomfortably in her seat, avoiding my gaze.
“Nice outfit, Lucas.” I smirk, nodding at his sweater-vest-and-khaki combo. “Did you steal it from your grandpa’s closet?”
Lucas rolls his eyes and the guys burst into snickers behind me.
“Maddox, stop being a dick,” Annalise groans.
“That’s impossible.” Lucas lets out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “He will always be a dick. He’s still the same ole Maddox from high school.”
“And you’re still the same ole Lucas,” I snap. “You’re still trying to go after what’s mine.”
My eyes lock with Annalise and hers widen in shock. She clears her throat and I catch a blush on her cheeks before she quickly glances away.
“I’m sorry—yours?” Lucas snorts. “Last I checked, she’s single. And she’s not a fucking item.”
I take a step closer to his table. “I am this close to fucking you up.”
The restaurant goes quiet, all eyes on us.
I want to beat him to a pulp. I’m sick and tired of him acting like he’s innocent. He’s a deceitful scumbag. A real wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Santiago tugs on my arm. “Come on, bro. Let’s just sit somewhere else.”
I pull out a chair and plop down, making a point to sit directly in their line of sight. “Nope. I’m perfectly fine sitting right here.”
Our server comes around and brings us silverware and glasses of water. “Hey, I’m Logan. Thank you for joining us tonight. Can I get you all started with something to—”
His eyes widen when he notices who we are. “Whoa! I can’t believe I’m serving the San Francisco Dragons! I’ve been watching you all play since college. Can I, uh, get a picture?”
“Of course,” I reply with a smile.
“I can take the picture,” Santiago offers.
“Thanks.” Logan hands him his phone, and we all crowd together for the photo.
“You know, I also play for the San Francisco Dragons,” Lucas chimes in.
“Oh, really? What’s your name?” Logan asks. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
“I’m Lucas Hilton. I recently got signed. I’ll be the sixth man. I’m playing my first game with them in a few days.”
“Oh… That’s cool.” Logan shifts his attention back to us. “What would you boys like to drink? Some wine, perhaps? Or champagne?”
“I’ll be more than happy to take a picture with you if you want,” Lucas says.
Annalise stares down at the table, covering her face with her hand. She’s clearly suffering from secondhand embarrassment.
“Oh, no. I’m good. Thanks.” Logan gives him an awkward smile and continues taking our orders.
The boys and I share knowing glances and burst out laughing.
“I can’t believe this guy thinks he’s some kinda all-star basketball player,” Santiago says with a laugh.
“He sure thinks highly of himself for someone who’s never played in an NBA game. Never thought I’d meet someone who has a bigger ego than Elijah,” Andrés adds with a smirk.
Elijah flips him the bird, grinning from ear to ear. “Unlike him, I live up to my ego.”
They continue throwing jabs but my attention is elsewhere.
Lucas scoots closer to Annalise and drapes his arms over her shoulder. He catches me staring and shoots me a sly smile.
It takes everything in me not to walk over there and punch him in the fucking face.
Logan comes back with a bottle of pinot grigio and pours it into our wine glasses.
I reach for a glass, my fist clenching the stem as I gulp it down.
“Don’t even worry about him, man. She’s probably just going out with him out of pity. Hilton will always be a loser,” Santiago says, sensing my uneasiness.
“I’m going fucking crazy. What if their date goes well and they kiss tonight? What if they have sex?”
“Why does it matter if they have sex? You act like you haven’t been fucking around with multiple women,” Andrés scoffs.
“That’s different.” I shake my head. “I didn’t have feelings for them, nor have I taken them out on dates. What if they go on more dates and it turns into something serious?”
Elijah gives me a pointed look. “I thought you didn’t give a shit.”
“I don’t.”
Lucas leans into Annalise, whispering in her ear.
My jaw tightens as heat simmers in my veins.
“Alright, what can I get for our MVP?” Logan asks.
Lucas’s head on a fucking platter.