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The memory of Noah’s guttural groans as he came over the phone wound through me. My flush deepened, and I glanced quickly at Scarlett and Brooklyn. They were too busy scrolling through their own phones to notice my sudden loss of composure, thank god.

Noah

…

Noah

Shenanigans?

I could practically see him laughing, his eyes crinkling as he sprawled across his bed, one arm tucked behind his head. Sweatpants and a T-shirt, his hair damp from a shower. A sliver of his chiseled abs peeking through the gap between the hem of his shirt and his waistband.

The mental image did not help cool me down. At all.

You know what I mean

Our call the other week had been one of the hottest things I’d ever experienced, but for some reason, I couldn’t type out the phrase “phone sex” without feeling mortified.

Noah

Pretty presumptuous of you, Vu

Noah

I didn’t say anything about phone sex

Careful with the insults, or you won’t be getting any real sex either

Noah

Don’t make threats you can’t follow through on

Don’t underestimate me

My phone lit up with an incoming call a second later. I picked up, my stomach fluttering as Noah’s deep voice filled my ears. “You like when I punish you, don’t you?”

Fresh heat curled around my ears and neck. “Noah,” I hissed, glancing at my friends again. I’d showered an hour ago, but I was getting so sweaty I might need another rinse after this.

His laugh was warm, smug, and entirely too pleased with himself.

“I’m glad you could make today’s match,” he said, his voice shifting to a lower, more affectionate tone. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to say hi afterward.”

“It’s okay. You were busy with some little work thing. I think it’s called…the World Cup? And a post-match interview with ESPN?”

“You watched that too, huh?” he teased.

Multiple times. Not that I’d ever tell him that.

“It came across my feed,” I said casually. “When do you head to the next city?”

“On Sunday. Tomorrow’s our rest and recovery day.” A brief pause, and then, “Do you have any plans for the morning?”

“I was going to do some solo sightseeing. Brooklyn’s flying out for Vincent’s match in Pretoria on Sunday, and Scarlett is having a rest day.”

Scarlett had been dealing with chronic pain since her car accident. Given our hectic travel schedule, she had to be careful not to overextend herself in case that led to flare-ups, hence the scheduled rest days. I would’ve offered to stay with her, but I knew her well enough by now to know that she wouldn’t appreciate the coddling.

“Mind if I join you?” Noah asked. “I want to see you. I have some team stuff in the afternoon, but I’m free before noon.”

My heart skipped a beat. “I’d love that.”