Page 91 of Triple Power Play 3
He isn’t as touchy-feely toward her as Jax and I are, perhaps because we’re in the room. She simply sits on his thigh, his hands resting on the arms of the chair.
Seeing her with him doesn’t bother me. I don’t feel jealous or possessive, but I also don’t have that warmth in my chest as I do when she’s with Jax.
The announcer comes over the speaker, and I glance at my watch. Fifteen minutes until warm-ups. “Fuck, we have to go. You need to get changed. Did you see Doc?”
My captain gets to his feet. “Yeah, I was leaving his office when I saw you walk out the door…”With Patty.
I grab my suit jacket from the back of the couch. “I was coming here. I got a text from Reece.”
As I slip it on, he juts his chin at Aurora. Without a word, she comes to him and wraps her arms around his waist.
He cups her face and stares down at her. “What happened?”
She peers over at me, and he redirects her attention.
“Look at me. I’m not leaving until you tell me.”
Lips parted, she searches his eyes. “Later, I promise.”
His breathing picks up, his chest heaving. This is precisely what I was hoping to prevent.
“Aurora,” he snarls, his tone laced with warning. “You hiding shit from me is only making it worse.”
Reece rises, fists clenched and muscles bulging. Fucking great. The last thing I need is these two trading blows before Jackson’s first home game after his suspension.
I step forward then hesitate, deciding it might not be best to touch him right now. “Can you please take the crazy down a notch? Fuck. We care about you. We’re only trying to help.” I glance at Reece. “Explain. Quickly.”
He maintains his scowl until Jax’s grip on Aurora relaxes.
“Hugo followed us to a café in West Hollywood. He didn’t do anything. He didn’t say much. His intention was to make his presence known and expose me as an agent. My team is reviewing nearby surveillance and traffic cams to pinpoint where his tail began. Charlie is watching the house.”
Jackson’s focus never wavers from Aurora. He blinks repeatedly, and his Adam’s apple bobs. “I’m sorry,” he exhales.
She grasps his wrists. “It’s okay. I’m fine. Really. I’m only worried about you.”
“I had this gut-punch feeling in the locker room. I should’ve known it was about you and not fucking Patty.” He rests his forehead against hers. “I’ll take care of it,” he says, his voice strained. “What did he say?”
“He called me Mrs. O’Reilly and told me to tell you hello. It rattled me. That’s all.”
Rising to his full height, he takes a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. “I’ll handle it,” he repeats with conviction.
“We’llhandle it,” I interrupt, not wanting him to do something impulsive. “In the meantime, she stays with one of us.”
Eerily calm, he nods in agreement and draws Aurora into his arms. “I cleared this suite. Nobody but the caterer should enter.” He lifts his chin at Reece. “Thanks for being with her. What did he say to you?”
“He addressed me by my full title and name to prove he knew who I was, something I already considered, based on Kyle’s texts. He wanted to taunt us, to send the message he could reach Aurora. He can’t. She’s safe with me.”
“Okay,” Jax says before kissing Aurora goodbye. “Don’t go anywhere alone.”
And that’s it. Even in the elevator, he remains oddly mellow, his gaze fixed straight ahead, a faint smile playing on his lips.
With only a few minutes together, I break the awkward silence. “You know I would never touch Patty, right?”
He doesn’t so much as glance at me. “You know being overly nice and pretending to be single hurts those who love you, right?”
The doors open, and he exits, leaving me baffled.
I stride after him into the long corridor to the locker room. “I’m not pretending to be single.”
