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When he returned, we muted our comms.
Hux was clearly in go mode. “Champ’s got Yolanda and Sasha in place to get the data off the Horn while Cam’s gone.”
I felt my eye bug out. “What?” I hissed. “Are you crazy? There’s a kid in that house!”
“That’s why I asked Cam to leave the Horn outside.”
Things were spiraling out of control. “It’s freaking Texas. What if someone shoots a gun?”
Hux’s face softened into amusement. “No one’s going to shoot someone for picking up a gaming device. They’ll dress up like utility workers or something and pretend to be at the wrong house. This is exactly what we hoped would happen. We’re prepared for this. It’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Yeah.” I blew out a breath. “Okay.”
Hux’s brows furrowed, and he grasped my fingers with his. “You’re doing that tapping thing again.” He brought his other hand up to clasp around our joined hands as if to warm mine. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
I stared at his strong fingers and remembered them trailing across my cheek the night before—clenching on my ass the night before. I felt a bolt of lust go through me.
So much for my resolution to ignore the man. I was fantasizing about him while on comms with my sort-of boyfriend.
I swallowed. “Nothing worth talking about. I’m fine.” I yanked my hand out of his grip and faced the monitors again.
“Are you nervous?” Hux’s voice held genuine concern.
I ignored him and unmuted my microphone. “Cam, let me know if you need a Pumpkin Butter Booster before the bridge crossing, okay?”
Hux studied me for another minute before focusing back on the game.
My nerves went from a level ten to a level million over the course of the following hour. What if something went wrong? What if Cam figured out what we were doing? What if we lost the quest and I didn’t qualify for the tournament in Vegas? What if…?
“Babe,” Hux murmured, reaching over to massage my shoulder. I jumped a foot high. His touch was like an electrical current, and I wasn’t quite sure if it was a good shock or bad. “Deep breath.”
“What? No. I’m okay. It’s fine.”
“You’re not fine,” he said softly, moving his microphone away from his face and clicking to mute both of our headsets. He set my Horn on the table before taking my hands in his again. “Talk to me. How can I help?”
“Fuck, I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m good at this. I know I am. And I really want to help the team. To contribute. But then when I think about someone on the team getting injured, I lose my cool. I’m afraid I’ll ruin everything!”
As I sputtered, Hux’s eyes got bigger. When I finally petered out, he moved his hands up to cup my cheeks. “Of course that’s what it’s about for you. You need to help.”
I blinked. “Well… yeah. I’m not a world-renowned cardiologist, so I’m limited in what I can do, but if I can help, why wouldn’t I? Anyone would do the same.”
One side of Hux’s mouth went up. “No. They definitely wouldn’t.” He leaned in closer until his face was the only thing I could see. “You are doing amazing, Kev. Truly. Even without training, even without experience. Just keep being your usual friendly self. You have a gift of putting others at ease. People like you. They want to spend time with you.”
My chest hitched as I tried to draw a breath. “You once told me no one wanted me around.”
Hux huffed out a laugh. “Since when do you listen to me? You’re a great leader and an incredible player. We all learn from watching you and playing with you.” His mouth twisted up in a smile. “Even HogMasters like myself.”
I snorted, which seemed to be what he was looking for if his answering grin was anything to go by.
“Keep playing, Kev. That’s all you need to do. Keep playing.”
The feel of his dry, warm hands on my face and the scent of sandalwood coming off his clothes grounded me. I wanted to crawl into his lap and lay my head down on his shoulder. There was something about him that both riled me up and calmed me down.
How was that possible?
I looked into his eyes. They held warmth, understanding, and… kindness, restoring me as surely as any health diamonds.
“Okay,” I breathed. “Yeah. I can do that.”
He used his fingertip to gently push my glasses up before softly swiping his thumb across my cheek. “I know you can. I got your back.”
I nodded. “I know.”
He tilted his head and stared at me with a strange intensity. “Do you?”
I nodded again, more slowly this time. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
Our eyes stayed locked for another few beats while my heart thundered wildly and my palms poured sweat.
