9
JACKSON
At the loft, Aurora is already in bed, sitting against the headboard and playing on her phone. She glances at me sheepishly and sets the phone down. I release a relieved breath. She’s not having a panic attack, crying, or packing a bag. I can handle her ditching events; I’m not fond of them either.
I kick the bedroom door shut using the heel of my boot and loosen my tie. “The worst person in my life is dead.” I shrug off my suit jacket and toss it onto the chair. “I played a hell of a game.” I yank off my tie and unbutton my shirt. “We should be happy—ecstatic.”
“Sorry,” she mumbles, her stare glued to my crotch as I unbuckle my belt and unzip my pants. “It’s me. I’ll return to LA.” Her tone is flat, emotionless.
“Aurora.” I snap my fingers. “I’m talking.”
Her gaze snaps to mine, eyes ablaze with mischief. “What? You’re the one giving a striptease—in a suit. What did you expect?”
I shake my head in amusement, shed my clothes down to my boxers, and get into bed. Settling beside her, I stretch out my legs. “Come here.” I guide her between my thighs, her back to my chest, my arms around her. “Last week, you said being with me every day was a dream. Did you mean that?”
She glances up at me, brows pinched. “Why wouldn’t I?” Only she’d think I was a dream, not a nightmare.
Her phone vibrates on the nightstand, and I’ll bet anything it’s Ethan. I’m sure he’ll be here any minute.
I take her hand, kiss her palm, then intertwine our fingers. “Good, ‘cause I plan on spending the rest of my life with you. Let’s figure this out. What’s going through your head?”
She traces the tattoo on my ring finger and gathers her thoughts.
“Maybe I should return to LA. You’ll both be happier without me tagging along.
Those comments are gut-wrenching, and they only say them in front of me to rile you up.
It’s bad enough being pregnant and sick.
” The mention of the baby prompts her to place my hand on her belly.
“And now Ethan is pulling away. I’m just… ”
“Hurt?” I finish. “Overwhelmed? People suck, babe. Fuck ‘em. They don’t matter.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear that had escaped her braid. “The only thing that matters is us, and Ethan will be here soon. I guarantee it.”
“Maybe,” she mumbles, her voice distant.
I rack my brain to figure out how to make this easier for her.
Perhaps Ethan was right, and we need to hire someone.
I kiss her temple and hold her tighter. “It’s my first game back.
I’ll charter a jet—” Her phone buzzes again, and I reach for it.
“You’d better answer that before the old man has a stroke.
” I grab it, intending to hand it to her until I see it’s not Ethan—it’s Reece, his latest texts visible on the screen.
Viking
Say the word, and I’ll come get you.
I’ll stay with you in LA, or you can stay with me.
My vision momentarily blurs, and white-hot fury scorches my skin. Is that why she wants to leave? To be with him ?
“What are you doing?” Her voice is laced with panic as I enter her passcode.
We’ve always had access to each other’s phones. It’s not about control or suspicion—she’ll never find another woman texting me, nor do I use social media for anything other than to stalk her. It’s about trust, and I never thought I couldn’t trust her until now.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I angle the screen toward her.
“Fucking Reece ?” His name is poison on my tongue.
“And here I was, thinking we needed to hire security. Maybe him. Nope.” I shake my head vigorously.
“Fuck that shit with a spiked baseball bat.” My mind jumps to the worst possible conclusion.
“Have you slept with him? Are you sleeping with him?”
She whirls around, her face twisted in a scowl, eyes ablaze. “Are you serious? Did you forget I’ve been with you, that I’m pregnant?”
From what I’ve read, Reece doesn’t give a fuck about her being with Ethan and me, and I doubt he cares about the pregnancy either.
I shove the intrusive thoughts aside, proud of myself for remaining relatively calm. I haven’t broken anything, and I’m not screaming. My head is surprisingly clear. “Never mind. That was a stupid question.”
“Why?”
“He wouldn’t be in LA if you were fucking. He’d be right here on his knees, panting for it.”
She rolls her eyes. “I meant why are you asking?”
Isn’t it obvious? “To figure out why my fiancée is texting a man who openly wants her.”
“He claims he wants me, but he doesn’t want this.” She sweeps a hand between us, meaning herself and me, or herself and the baby, or maybe all the above.
Either way, he’s not getting any of it. “I wouldn’t be so sure.” I toss the phone onto the nightstand. “Do you like him?”
“Jackson,” she warns, as if the question is absurd.
“Do you? Just answer me.”
She cocks her head and narrows her eyes. “There’s no reason to do this.”
That’s what she told me when he was her bodyguard and couldn’t keep his hands off her. Shocker: I was right about there being something between them, about him desiring her.
I lose my patience and clench my fists. “Just fucking answer me!”
“What do you want me to say?” She raises her palms, her frustration reflecting mine. “When we were apart, he took care of me. I relied on him. I needed someone, and he was there for me.”
“That was his job! To take care of you, not fall in love with you!” I grind my molars. I have the urge to reread the texts, to analyze every detail, but that’ll only infuriate me further.
Of course, he wants her. Aurora has a way of making a man feel like a god: her softness, her affection, her vulnerability. He won’t go away easily, especially if she refuses to tell him to, and neither will Ethan.
Both of them want Reece here. My gut churns and my head spins. I need some air. I move toward the edge of the bed.
“Please don’t leave.” She cups my face and slips between my legs to block my path.
“I choose you.” Her gaze locks with mine.
“I love you. I’d do anything to go back.
” Her lip quivers. “I would have stayed. I never would’ve left LA.
” Tears cling to her long lashes. “I should have stayed,” she cries. “This never would’ve happened.”
Gutted all over again, I pull her onto my lap and bury my face in her neck. “No, baby. This was all me. All Kyle.”
“I’m terrified of losing you,” she sobs, her hands gripping my shoulders.
“You won’t. It’s you and me, always. The world could burn to the fucking ground, and I wouldn’t care as long as I had you.” I swallow the hard lump in my throat and lift my head. “But I need to know. Do you like him? Do you want him?”
She readjusts in my lap and rests her forehead on mine. “I like him. I enjoy spending time with him, but I don’t want to fuck him, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I’m a guy and demisexual. I like very few people, none of whom I want to fuck—wait, that’s not entirely true.
Ethan is confusing, since we technically have sex together.
Right? Is that the same? I’m not sure, but it reinforces my point: I like him, but I don’t want to fuck him to me sounds like I don’t want to fuck him… yet.
Yup, that’s precisely what that means, and Reece knows it.
Sucks to be him. Even if she likes him, even if we need him, she’ll always be mine. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
Ethan didn’t come home again. I could tell it bothered Aurora.
She went right to sleep after we talked and was quiet all morning.
Shit, his absence upset me, and given the Reece situation, I feel it’s necessary to take drastic measures.
I sure as fuck don’t want the Viking replacing Ethan in our bed.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Today, I spoiled Aurora, cheered her up and solidified my position. We’re staying at the team hotel tonight after the game, where Coach can no longer avoid us, and currently, I’m searching the locker rooms for the missing piece of our throuple.
Practice was brutal. He did not go easy on me. Every inch of my body hurts, and I’m slow because of it.
Since being drugged, I’ve avoided all workout supplements and protein powders.
I can’t even bring myself to take over-the-counter pain medication.
It’s foolish, but my stomach clenches whenever I think about it.
What if I accidentally trigger a relapse?
I won’t risk losing Aurora and the baby again.
Three more days on the road, two games remaining—Long Island and Boston. I need something to keep going, or I’ll play like shit. Just my luck, I find Doc lounging in the visitor’s training room, Coach in a plush chair next to him.
I knock on the open door to get their attention. “Hey, I’m glad I caught you both. I’m not feeling well.”
Doc pushes his glasses higher on his nose and rises from his seat. “What’s going on?”
“I’m dragging. Everything hurts. I need some hydration.”
“Late night?” Ethan asks, his voice flat, laced with annoyance.
I drop into the chair beside him. “Nope, not at all. Just fucking sore.”
Sensing the tension, Doc glances between us. “What do you think, Coach?”
“I don’t have a problem with it. Stick to the regulations.”
The room falls silent as Doc sets up the vitamin drip. Once I’m hooked up and we’re alone, I ask Ethan, “Have you talked to her?”
He shoots me a side-eye. “She’s been busy with you, remember?”
“Hasn’t stopped you any other time. Have you tried? Or are you still running scared?”
A sneer forms on his upper lip. “I’m not running. Things went too far, and I’m giving her space.”
These two and their damn space. What’s the point? How do you resolve issues apart from each other? Aurora can have space when I’m six feet under.
“What happened?”
He hangs his head and rubs the back of his neck. “I grabbed her while we were arguing.”
“How? She didn’t say anything.”
“By the throat… I just snapped and grabbed her to stop her from talking.” He gestures with his hand, staring straight ahead. “I shouldn’t have. I should’ve listened to her.”
I lift my chin. “Show me.”
His stern gaze meets mine. “What? Why?”
“I wanna know if I need to kill you.”
“Jackson.” Exasperated, he shakes his head. “No. I’m not grabbing you.”
“So, what? You’re uncomfortable touching me now? Do I have to remind you where our dicks have been?”
He leans in and lowers his tone. “Shut the fuck up. I’m not uncomfortable touching you. I touch you all the time.”
A throat clears in the doorway. “Sorry. Just need to get something real quick.” Doc, without a glance in our direction, snatches his bag and rushes from the room.
Ethan’s face and ears turn a deep shade of red, and his eyes widen comically. His oh shit expression is priceless, and, unable to hold back, I burst into laughter.
“I hate you so fucking much. Why are you like this?”
He doesn’t even break a smile. How does he not find this funny? I can’t stop laughing.
“You’re my boyfriend.” I suck in a breath to rein myself in. “I’m not ashamed of us.”
“Motherfucker, I am not your boyfriend.”
“Come on, Coach. Think about it. We’re together, just not together -together. You know?”
“We are not together.” He emphasizes each word. “What the hell did Doc put in your IV?”
“Agree to disagree, but you’re wrong.” I dab at the tears leaking from the corners of my eyes with my shirtsleeve. “I’m sure you didn’t hurt Aurora. She’d tell me if you did.” Or Reece, which would really piss me off. “Besides, that’s your kink.”
“Anyhow,” he drags out. “She’ll text me when she’s ready to see me.”
I scoff. “No, she won’t. That’s bullshit and you know it. She didn’t contact you when she was pregnant; she won’t bother you now.”
He rests his head against the leather chair. “What am I supposed to do? I was a complete asshole. There are only so many times she’ll forgive my temper.”
Luckily, he’s talking to the one person Aurora has given a million chances to.
“Take out your phone,” I tell him in all seriousness. “Text her you love her, you miss her, and you want her to sit on your face. Guaranteed to work.”
He gives me a blank stare. “That’s your advice? Sit on my face?”
“My go-to is puppy-dog eyes, taking off my shirt, eating pussy, tattoos, and, if all else fails, refusing to leave.” I tick each one off on my fingers.
“Wow. So romantic,” he deadpans.
“Whatever.” I shrug, feigning nonchalance. “Don’t expect her to chase you. She’s already moved on.”
He recoils. “What?”
“Don’t act surprised. That’s exactly what happens when you ignore a person—they move on.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“You don’t believe me? While you were ignoring her, she was chatting with someone else. I thought I was the one she was replacing.” I pause for dramatic effect. “Nope.” I punctuate the end, popping the ‘P.’
His chest heaves with rapid breaths. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about a certain someone going from shoulder to cry on to dick to ride on, telling her he misses his princess ,” I mock with a twisted frown. “ He adores her, and she’s all he thinks about .”
Ethan’s jaw ticks, his nostrils flare, and the vein in his neck pulsates. His voice drops an octave. “Who?”
“You know who. Fucking Reece,” I grit through my teeth. “And get this: He. Watched. My. Game.”
“Jesus Christ, he’s desperate.”
“He’s going in hard is what he’s doing. He even offered for her to stay with him in LA.”
Ethan nods, his face deadly calm, which is honestly scarier than his perma-scowl. “Is that so?”
“No lie. Check her phone. He was still texting her when I came home from the charity dinner.”
He cocks his head and raises his brows. “You read this and didn’t murder anyone?”
I place a hand on my chest. “You wound me, Coach. I’m a new man. I asked her about it…” I trail off just to irritate him.
“And?” he snaps, his gray eyes dark and stormy.
“And he’s probably texting her right now, telling her to sit on his face.”
I grin, and he punches me in the arm— hard .
“Fuck! I’m sore, asshole.” I rub my bicep. “She told me she likes him but doesn’t want to fuck him.”
“Yet,” he adds.
“Exactly. He’s just biding his time, waiting for an opening.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Me?” I ask, taken aback. “I went and married her. You’re the one leaving him an opening.”
“Yeah, we’ll fucking see about that.” He stands and extends his hand, palm open. “Give me your room key.”
I honestly don’t get enough credit for all the matchmaking shit I do.