Page 52 of King of Hearts

“Judging by the photos you could have said your closesexualfriendship. We all know you two boned.” Seb shoved Dylan backwards over the lounge and I threw my head back in laughter as I reached for Arna.

“Thanks, Seb.” I laughed. “Don’t listen to him, Arns, he is jealous.”

“On that note - I’m off. Come into the club soon, Andy.” Seb said, turning and smiling at Dylan who was dusting himself off.

“Club?” Arna asked as I acknowledged the suggestion with a nod.

“Seb owns Nexus. It’s a nightcl–”

Arna pushed me off as she swung to face Sebastian. “Shut the fuck up! You own Nexus? That place is apparently amazing. I have been begging my friend Marlee to go with me for ages.”

Seb laughed softly. “Thanks. You’ll have to come down with Andy and your friend so you can see for yourself.”

“We definitely will.” She said, gravitating back to me, which I revelled in, and wrapping her arms around me tight.

Once we closed the door after Seb, I breathed in the scent of her shampoo and felt my dick twitch at the feel of her in my arms. It had been a bloody long day, and I wasn’t expecting to see her, which made her being here all the sweeter.

“Dyl, you staying here tonight or what?” I called.

Arna was staring up at me, her hands tracing tracks up and down my back. And if her dilated pupils were anything to go by, she felt my bodily reaction to her proximity as much as I did.

“Yeah, I’ll probably just crash on the lounge if that’s okay?” He replied, yawning.

“No worries. There are earphones in one of the kitchen drawers. You might need them.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Arna

“Marls, I’ve missed you so much!” I threw my arms around her, squeezing tight. “Where the heck have you been? Tell me Lucas has been shaggin’ your brains out.” I said in my best British accent.

“Shhhhh, people can hear you.” She gritted, pulling out of my embrace.

I released her, noticing her face was slightly red.Curious.Since when did she care if people heard our garbage?

“Are you okay?” I turned her head side to side exaggeratedly and her face split into a grin before she embraced me again.

“Maybe I missed you a little too. Even though you are insanely loud and annoying and your accents are awful.” I laughed into her shoulder before I let go and we started walking side by side, our arms linked as we headed for the entry gates.

There were people everywhere – most of them dressed identical to Marlee in obnoxious Hearts memorabilia. Long black and red scarves draped around necks, a variety of player surnames and numbers adorning jerseys and even some with their faces entirely covered in paint. It was surreal.

I wanted to make fun of her but given I wasdatingthe captain of the team, that wouldn’t be fair. If I could call it dating? That was still a conversation we hadn’t broached. So, I wasn’t entirely sure but I figured we could no longer be called work colleagues after seeing each other naked – a significant number of times.

While I was wearing a pair of black jeans and a tight red shirt in support of the Hearts, the hat with the team logo on it was the closest I came to explicitly representing my allegiance. I selected the cap strategically as although I didn’t think anyone would recognise me from the images released last week, I wanted to cover my face just in case. Styled with a pair of black oversize sunglasses I felt comfortably inconspicuous given the ongoing hype around Andy’s latest love interest.

“Soooo, how is lover-boy?” I prodded.

Marlee and I had barely spoken since she and Lucas started seeing each other. Between Andy and work, I was busier than normal, and Marls was also clearly managing a similar schedule. I tightened the arm that was linked with hers, so glad it was just us for a little while now that our time together was sparse.

“Lucas is great.” She said, a smile on her face. “He actually wanted to come today, but I told him we only had the two tickets.”

Speaking of, I pulled them both from my pocket and fanned one towards her which she took with a grin.

“I can’t say I’m disappointed. That’s not to say I don’t want to meet the man who you are riding daily – of course I do, and I am here waiting. But, more than that, I want to hear every single detail, while we have a wine and watch Andy do –” I flung my hand about, “Whatever it is he does.”

Marlee giggled as she stepped ahead and scanned her ticket before walking through the turnstile.

“I’m SO excited, Arns. There is nothing I love more than watching the Hearts play live. Honestly, you just wait. It’s the best.”

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