I stand, grab my bag, and follow him out to the garage. He pops the trunk of a brand-new, black BMW that would probably give me a hard-on if I wasn’t feeling like hell.
We toss our gear in the back, and I climb into the passenger seat, breathing in the rich smell of new leather.
“Nice ride,” I say as he starts the engine.
Nik just gives a curt, “I know.”
All right. He’s definitely pissed.
He flicks on some classical music as we pull out of the lot, and we ride in silence for forty-five minutes—no small talk.
When we finally reach the suburbs, he pulls up to a house behind a massive black gate.
He rolls down the window and lets a surveillance sensor scan his eyes.
High-tech as fuck.
The gate swings open without a sound.
I whistle under my breath. “Holy shit.”
“It’s necessary,” he says, pulling up a short, brick driveway and into a triple-wide garage. He parks the BMW next to a bright red Lamborghini and a Volvo that, by comparison, actually looks quite normal.
“This is a nice place,” I observe.
“Thank you,” he says. “Come in.”
He leads the way inside, and right as we step through the door, a dark-haired woman is waiting.
He pulls her close, and they kiss passionately, not caring one bit that I’m standing there like an awkward extra.
When they finally come up for air, she nips at his lower lip, and he gives her a playful smack on the ass.
“We have aguest,” Nik says. The word guest sounds like he might as well have said the plumbing was backing shit up into the house.
The woman looks at me for the first time. She’s beautiful. Exotic, with dark hair, hazel eyes, and creamy skin, looking effortlessly chic in an oversized, black turtleneck sweater and a pair of black leggings.
She doesn’t look much older than twenty-five.
“Hi, I’m Leanna,” she says, offering her hand.
I take it, a little thrown by how put-together she seems. “Liam.”
She gives me a warm, curious look. “Liam Callaghan, the defender. How are you feeling? You just got back from IR, right? Rib’s all healed?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks.”
“Glad to hear it. And I hear you’re up for a contract renegotiation soon?”
I glance at Nik, who’s suddenly fascinated with his fingernails.
“I, uh…”
“It’s my job to know these things, Liam. Do you know why?”
I shake my head. “No?”
“I’m part owner of the team,” she says.
