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Solo rolled his eyes. “Give it a rest, Utah.”
“So is this a true love thing, or are you two in cahoots to make sure you win?”
“Don’t be an asshole,” Phantom said, shooting Utah a look that didn’t do anything to shut him up.
“I’m just saying what we’re all thinking.” Utah pushed off his locker and walked toward us. “Tell us. How long have you two been fucking around?”
Solo’s jaw twitched. “None of your damn business.”
“Isn’t it? Pretty sure you made it our business when you walked into the Navy Ball pulling this stunt.”
Solo lunged forward, and I had to act fast to haul him back.
“He’s just trying to get a reaction. Don’t give him one,” I said.
“Isn’t it convenient, though,” Utah continued, “that you two happen to be partners, Panther’s dad happens to be a legacy here, and then you both happen to be sitting at the top of the leaderboard. Coincidence? Or cheating?”
“We don’t have to cheat to win,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm, even though the insinuation of my father having anything to do with me being here or doing well rankled.
Utah turned his attention to me. “I thought your old man would stroke out when he saw you walk in with that one, and I can’t blame him. If you wanted a decent date, you could’ve done better than the degenerate of the Elite.”
Before Solo or anyone else could stop me, I had Utah pinned against his locker with my hand tight around his throat.
“I’ll only say this once, so you better listen close, you piece of shit,” I said, my voice low and menacing. “That so-called degenerate of the Elite? He could outmaneuver you in the air blindfolded with one hand tied behind his back.”
Utah snarled at me, his eyes ping-ponging between the two of us. “Yeah, well, if anyone would know what he’s capable of in a blindfold, I guess it’d be you.”
I dug my fingers into his throat a little tighter as I leaned in real close. “You know, we haven’t quite gotten to that. But now that you mention it…”
I glanced back at Solo, who was watching me with a mixture of awe and—lust? Yes, it was, fucking troublemaker. So much for behaving. Hell, if anyone was out of line right now, it was me.
But I’d be fucked if I could find it in me to care.
Instead, I smirked at Solo, and I knew he could tell exactly where my mind had gone. “Write that down for later, would you?”
6 Solo
WRITE IT DOWN? Uh, pretty sure there was no need, considering that idea was now permanently ingrained in my brain. Me, Panther, and a blindfold? Count me in—or him; I wasn’t picky.
“Get your fucking hands off me, Panther,” Utah said. My lips tipped up as I thought of Panther’s warning that I behave before we’d arrived today.
Call me juvenile or immature, but seeing Panther riled up in my honor was all kinds of hot, and if anyone in this locker room thought I’d put an end to this display of testosterone, they were delusional.
“You think you should maybe step in?”
I turned to see Gucci eyeing the new wall hanging Panther had decided the locker room needed. “Why? You don’t think Panther can handle it?”
“Uh, no. I think the real problem might be he’s handling it too well. But if he goes much further, it’ll be grounds for suspension.” He bumped shoulders with me. “Unless, of course, that’s your goal.”
“What?”
“You know, knock two birds out with one stone.”
What the fuck? Did Gooch actually believe I would do something like that? And did Panther? Not about to give him the opportunity to even go there, I shoved forward, took hold of Panther’s bulging bicep, and shook him.
“Panther, come on. He’s not worth it.”
Panther’s penetrating stare found mine, and as the ice melted away and the heat resurfaced, he dropped his hands and took a step back.
I turned to Utah. “How ’bout you get the fuck out of here and go over today’s flight plan? Prove there’s an actual reason you’re here other than to run your mouth and act like a fucking asshole.”
Utah shoved off the wall and straightened his spine, puffing his chest out like he hadn’t just been overpowered and shown as the lowlife he was in front of his fellow trainees. Then he shoved past us and headed out to the bay area.
As everyone else followed, Panther turned his attention to me. “What?”
“Don’t start anything, huh?” Panther arched a brow, and I chuckled. “I can see you were really committed to that.”
“Did you hear what he said about you?”
“Yes.”
Panther took a step forward until we were toe to toe. Though the anger had drained out of him, the fire still flickered just beneath the surface. “And you’re okay with that?”
