Page 92 of The Triple Play

“Says the one who already saidI love youto her.”

His brows furrowed as he turned to me, studying me closely. “She told you I said that? She said she was going to wait to tell anyone until — ah.”

I shrugged. “Told her about an hour ago. She’s taunting me with it. Won’t say it back.”

He snorted. “Yeah, I’ve been waiting about a week.”

“Aweek?”

“I said it when I went and got her,” he explained, waving a hand flippantly. His gaze caught behind him, and he squinted, then groaned. “Fucks sake, he’s making out with her.”

I turned immediately, spotting them across the bar, a pad of paper and a pen in her hand where he had her practically pinned to the wall, peppering her with little kisses in between longer, deeper ones that were far too messy to be anything but horny. “God dammit.”

I searched out the last of the team that was still here, watching the way they glanced at him, chuckling to themselves or raising a glass toward him that he wouldn’t see.

“Do we stop him, or?—”

Cole was already out of the booth. Guess that answered that.

He stalked across the bar, his footsteps heavy and determined, walking right up behind Xavi and grabbing a fistful of his shirt and yanking him backward off her. Annie laughed, clear and bright and loud enough to cut through the music and the clinking of glasses, but Cole clearly was pressed about more than just Xavi’s blatant disregard for our attempts to keep this under wraps.

Cole wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his chest and pressing a kiss on the top of her head.

And then he pulled her through the same door she’d led me through.

I could just barely make them out through the rectangular window on the swinging door, but Cole definitely had her against the wall, his mouth on hers like he could claim her right here in this goddamn establishment.

I laughed as I set my beer down, feeling it all coming undone, a little too tipsy to care. We were being reckless tonight, apparently. Even mostly-sober Cole.

Xavi plopped down in the seat across from me, a pout on his lips, his hair a mess from Annie’s hands.

“Impressive that you managed to get her to kiss you like that while she’s on the clock,” I smirked.

He waved a hand, squinting at me like I was far away when I was no more than two feet from him. “She’s drunk. Was easy.”

I shook my head. “Xav, she’s not drunk, she’s pregnant,” I said quietly, laughing at just how bad he was. Xavi was messy when he was this inebriated, his memory fucked and his grip on reality altered. He’d once tried to tell me aliens had eaten his brains when he’d had too many tequila shots after a game.

But that gave me an idea.

“You love her?” I asked casually. He wouldn’t remember it.

He flopped back dramatically, his head tipping back on the wood. “So much,” he groaned. “Love her so much.”

Knew it.“You should tell her.”

His head snapped forward, his eyes widening. “Fuck no,” he whispered. “Then she’s got all the cards. Could take my tiny little heart out of my chest and crush it between her fingers like a ghost.”

I snorted. “Like a ghost? The fuck does that mean?”

He leaned forward, resting his face in his hands. “I don’t know. It made sense a second ago.”

I nudged his foot under the table. “You know, Cole and I already told her.”

“Told her what?”

“That we love her.”

He picked his head up out of his hands. “You love her?”

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