Page 74 of Empty Net

Ba-boom.

Ba-boom.

Ba-boom.

Wait. That’s not my heart.

It’s my door.

“Lilah Jane Maddison! Open this door right this instant!”

Auden.

Fox’s eyes widen, mirroring the surprise on my face.

“What the hell is she doing here?” I whisper.

He shrugs. “How am I supposed to know?”

“You’re engaged?!” she yells through the door, which she promptly bangs on again. “To my boyfriend’s goalie?! You’d better open this door or I’m using my key! Five!”

“Oh, fuck.” I shove on Fox’s chest, my fingers flying over the buttons of my dress, trying to make myself as presentable as I can after the orgasm I just had. “She means it.”

Fox gulps loudly and shoves his shirt back into his slacks hastily.

I wipe at his mouth, still glistening from my orgasm. “Go wash your face.”

He nods, thundering his way through my apartment.

“Left, left!” I whisper-yell when he goes right toward my spare bedroom instead of left to the bathroom.

He throws up a hand, then tucks himself inside. I blow out a breath, running my hands through my hair, hoping like hell that’s enough. I’m sure my cheeks are stained red and my lips are swollen, but there’s not much I can do about that.

“Come on, Lilah. I know you’re in there. You think I can’t hear you?” Auden says much quieter this time, almost pleadingly.

I can hear the betrayal in her voice, and it nearly kills me. I’ve been keeping something huge from her. I have to fix this. With one last fortifying breath, I pull open the door and come face to face with my very hurt-looking best friend.

“Auden, look, I can?—”

“Explain? Oh, you bet your ass you’re going to explain.” She marches past me, barely missing running into me—though Idon’t think that was her intent—and whirls around, shoving her phone in my face. “What the hell, Lilah?”

It takes a second for my eyes to focus, and when they do, I can’t believe what I see.

Lilah Maddison, Heiress to Maddison Holdings Empire, Engaged to Seattle Serpents Goaltender Arthur Fox

There’s a photo of us from two hours ago, Fox on his knee before me as he places the ring on my finger. I have no idea who took the photo. I didn’t see anyone with a camera. But then again, I was so focused on Fox and his beautiful words that there’s every chance in the world I could have missed it.

What I want to know ishowthis information got out so quickly. Who could have possibly cared that much? Who could have been so quick to sell this photo? Who could have?—

“My mother.”

Auden’s brows pinch together. “What?”

“My mother!” I say again, gnashing my teeth. Of course she did this.That’swhy she was so insistent on having lunch at that restaurant. She had someone planted and ready to take the shot so she could profit off this in some way. “This was all orchestrated by her.”

“You’re telling me you’re engaged to Fox because of her?”

“Yes!” I toss my hands in the air. Technically, that is true, just maybe not in the way I’m letting on right now.

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