Knox grabs his sweatshirt, casual as ever. “Then who is it?”
I let the silence stretch before saying, “None of your damn business. That’s who.”
Zane laughs. “Translation—dry spell.”
River fires back. “Translation—you’re projecting.”
“Please, we all know that’s not true.” Zane lifts his hands, palms out. “I can still pull all the pussy I want. What can I say? I’m just built different.”
Laiken mutters, “Gigi is one hell of a lucky lady.”
“That’s exactly what I keep telling her,” Zane shoots back, smug as hell.
Even though laughter bounces off the lockers, I tune it out and stare at the screen, willing a message to pop up.
But there’s nothing.
The irritation that hits isn’t just about the silence.
It’s about her.
That woman is in my head even when she’s not talking to me. Every part of my day tilts toward her, whether I want it to or not.
Unable to help myself, I scroll through our previous thread of messages. Her replies are always short and to the point. While mine are constantly pushing the boundaries of our relationship.
She thinks that keeping me at a distance gives her more control.
The woman couldn’t be more wrong.
Especially when she’s already in my blood. And no matter how many times she tries to walk away, I know I’m in hers.
Steele slides into his shoes before rising to his feet. “Remember, the auction’s for the kids. Let’s keep our focus on that.”
Zane shrugs. “Just saying, Cap—no one’s gonna bring in more money than me. Those kids need to be thanking me at the end of the day.”
Knox mutters, “Jesus, you really need to get over yourself.”
Jax grabs his bag. “Hey, let’s get a poker night on the books. I need some easy wins.”
When I flick him a look, he grins. The guy’s all sunshine and rainbows. It irritated me at first, but I’ll admit—he’s grown on me.
The showers cut off one by one, and the steam fades as the room starts to empty.
What I need is for Rina to text me back.
I can take a fight. What I can’t take is her silence.
My phone buzzes, and a brief surge of excitement rises in me, then falls flat.
Hayes: How’s auction prep? Mom says don’t do anything stupid.
Me: Define stupid.
Hayes: The kind that ends up on TMZ.
I huff a laugh and type back.
Me: I’m not the one you need to worry about.
