“Yeah,” Holky said. “Seriously.”
Harpy met my eyes, and for a second, his halo flickered enough to show the horns underneath.
He raised his eyebrows. “I thought you hated Rossi.”
“I do.”
Abdulov—Abby—called from across the room, his accent thicker than usual. “Am not sure this is true. You looked like you wanted to kiss him.”
The room exploded with laughter.
I threw up my hands. “Jesus Christ. The league paired us up, and believe me, I’m not thrilled about it.”
“Sure about that?” Logan asked. “You didn’t look unhappy in the video.”
The guys carried on like they were at a comedy show while my ears burned.
“You’ve talked shit about Rossi for years,” Gabe said, “but that interview was a lovefest.”
I didn’t like where this was headed, so I took a breath and counted to five. “We. Had. No. Choice.”
Dog squeezed my shoulder. “We’re not saying you had a choice aboutdoingthe interview. Butduringit, things got weird. You and Rossi seemed?—”
Out of patience, I snapped, “Seemed what?”
Harpy tilted his head, unable to hide a devilish grin. “You two were… cozy.”
“The fuck?” I fought to keep my voice down. “You’re all crazy.”
Riley shook his head. “Those looks you gave each other were boiling. Then he put his arm around you and caressed your cheek.”
“He didn’t caress it.”
“Did too,” Riley said. “Then you blew in his ear.”
“I didnot!” I wanted to punch Riley, but held back. Hitting one of my best friends over my frustration about Nico was not an option.
“You either blew in his ear or kissed it,” Holky said, like it was a fact.
“Fuck off.” My jaw clenched. “I almost decked him when he put his arm around me, and I didn’t blow in his goddamn ear. In fact, I whispered I’d kill him if he touched me again.”
Brody grinned. “Okay, but what about the other times? What were you whispering then?”
“Go to hell.” I glanced around, desperate for an escape.
“It wasn’t only the whispering.” Blunt grinned like an ass. “It was all those sweet little lines, and the way you kept making goo-goo eyes at each other.”
“We were beingsarcastic,” I said carefully. “You know, saying one thing and meaning another.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets and stared at the floor. “I haven’t liked Nico since college. We didn’t get along then, and nothing’s changed. I don’tknow how I’ll survive the next few months.” I looked up, meeting as many eyes as I could. “Please drop the asshole routine. It’s making me feel awful.”
The guys stepped back, and Harpy tapped my arm. “I’m sorry we went too far. We were only messing around.”
Nodding was beyond me right then, so I said, “I’m stressed. I don’t want to miss any games, and I’d rather have the flu than spend time with Nico. Sorry if I sounded like an ass.”
“You didn’t,” Gabe said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. Then he widened his eyes. “Is this okay, or should I be writing my will?”
The guys cracked up, and I laughed along. After a moment, I said, “It’s fine, but don’t expect me to blow in your ear.”
That set them off again. Riley play-punched my arm, and Dog cackled like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
