Page 101 of Play Maker

The elevator doors suddenly opened and there was Axel. We locked eyes, only for a moment, but it was enough. Axel gave me a filthy, possessive once-over until he noticed Dane standing nearby.

Shit.

“Lund,” Dane offered. “I thought your room was on the sixth floor.”

“Uh, yes,” Axel muttered as he joined us in the hallway. He ran a hand through his blond shag and then pointed at me. “But I have to speak to Jace about something first.”

“Really?” Dane glanced between the two of us and rolled his eyes. “You guys suck at this.”

“Dane,” I warned.

“It’s none of my business, but as captain of the team, and as your friend, I’m always here if you need to talk.”

“We’re fucking,” Axel blurted out. “Shit. Sorry. I mean, we’re seeing each other. We’re boyfriends.”

“You don’t have to—” I started, reaching for Axel but stopping myself.

“It’s alright, I want to tell him,” Axel replied quietly as he reached for my hand. He was holding my hand, in front of Dane, and I felt like I was flying. “If it’s okay with you.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “It’s more than okay.”

“Damn, I owe Ethan twenty bucks,” Dane muttered.

“Are you kidding me?” I turned to my friend. “Who else knows?”

Dane shrugged. “Who doesn’t? You were grinding all over each other at that frat crawl. No one dances that close, even teammates. But I think Ethan and I were the only ones who noticed. Or remembered, because hello, hangovers. Anyway,having sex isn’t exactly what I meant when I said ‘work it out’ between you.”

I gave my friend my best finger.

Axel pulled me into his side, placing a protective arm around my waist. The move was as unexpected as the hand holding and had me flushing hot.

“So, that party wasn’t a one-off,” Dane admitted as he stared at us with wide eyes. “But I have questions for Axel. A lot of them.”

“Dane—” I started.

“Given how badly you reacted to Kayden and Maddox being together, I think I have a right to be worried about my friend,” Dane continued, staring at Axel. “Not to mention the fact that your so-called best friend treated Jace like shit. If you’re playing some kind of twisted game?—”

“No. This is real. I know that Jace was telling the truth,” Axel insisted. “And I know I’ll never be able to make up for what I did to Kayden and Maddox, but I regret it every day. Trust me.”

“And now you’re in the same scenario, but on the other side of it.”

Axel nodded and bit his lower lip.

“When Jace is ready, if he’s ready, we’ll tell the team,” Axel stated.

“You don’t have to come out,” I reassured him.

“I’m going to. I’m not hiding us,” Axel’s gaze perused my face. “I can’t.”

He cupped my face and before I knew it, he was kissing me.

“Holy shit.”

Dane took the words right out of my mouth.

CHAPTER 30

AXEL

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