AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Uh-huh.” His smile broadened, and rage seeped under my skin, causing it to flush. What the hell was he smirking at? His grin only grew at my expression.
“Well, even though you aren’t jealous”—his tone said he didn’t believe me for a second—“you should know our agent’s been setting me up on PR dates with Selena Patronne. It’s an act to get more publicity, that’s all.”
My stomach flipped, some of the tension unraveling. “Why could you possibly need publicity? You’re already drafted to Boston.”
He shrugged. “Teams like to see that onboarding players are ‘steady.’ No one wants someone on their team who’s going to fuck around.”
I swallowed down a bad taste. “So, she makes you steady.”
He stepped in close to me, forcing my gaze up. “None of it’s real, Trouble. It could all be gone in a second if…”
“If what?” The question escaped before I could stop it.
Jax lowered his mouth until his breath fanned over mine. His fingers cupped my jaw, and he coaxed, “If someonerealwanted to take her place.”
The world spun around me, all my concentration on the barely there space between us. I searched his clear gray eyes before my gaze dropped to his full lips, and shivered when heat rushed between my thighs. All it would take was lifting onto my toes, and I could taste him.
My breath hitched. “I… I can’t.”
He nodded. “Right, your rules.”
“Right.”
For the first time, I hated my rules.
THIRTEEN
JAX
Music pounded in the club,and Alex hung off my shoulder, drunk off his ass, his speech slurred when he said, “Fucking great game tonight. That goal was epic.”
“Thanks, man.” I guided him to a stool and propped his back against the wall in hopes he didn’t tip over. We’d just finished our third away game in an undefeated series. My heart was still pounding from my tie-breaking goal. The entire team was at the bar, and puck bunnies lined up everywhere, hoping to take a player home.
I just wanted to get the fuck out of here. If it wasn’t for the guys insisting, I’d be in my hotel, bugging the shit out of Sid right now.
A girl stepped into my side at the same moment my phone rang. I picked up the second I saw Trouble written across the screen.
“Hey,” I shouted over the music but couldn’t hear her reply. “Sorry, it’s hard to hear in here.”
“I said great goal tonight.” Her voice was strained; she must be practically yelling.
My thumb rubbed over my bottom lip. “So you watched, then?”
I thought I heard her laugh, but it was hard to tell. I was already walking toward the exit to hear her better when the girl beside me squeezed my arm.
“Hey, do you want to come to my place?” She was raised on her toes, so close she practically spoke directly into the phone.
I pulled it away from her and told her to back off. The last thing I wanted was some random hookup. I didn’t stop walking until I was in the night air behind the club.
“Hey, Trouble. Can you hear me now?”
“Yeah, I can hear you. I was just calling to say good game tonight. Enjoy your win. You deserve it.” Her voice was strained, and a radar flashed in my mind that something was wrong, but she’d already hung up before I could say anything.
“Hey, buddy. Where the fuck did you go?” Lucas held open the back door, looking at me expectantly.
I shot off a quick good-night text to Sid before answering, “Had to take a call.”
Lucas gave me a knowing grin. “Sidney.”
