Page 53 of Holding Penalty

“You know, you have to let me win some arguments,” I say, propping a hand on my hip. “Marriage is about balance.”

“I’ll let you win every argument except the ones where you don’t want me to do something nice for you. You’re losing every one of those. Now get out of here and let me sleep, I’m tired from the flight.”

I huff and roll my eyes, but end up having a great night of sleep in my husband’s bed.

24

NASH

Piper gasps in the seat next to me. “Oh my gosh, Noah! I just finished that one last week!”

“No spoilers,” Noah says to her, an amused but slightly embarrassed smile on his lips.

Piper gasps again, this time in outrage. “Noah, as an honorary book girlie, you should know that goes without saying. I would never.”

The rest of the guys at the table all crack up, and I can’t hold back a chuckle of my own.

Hayden nudges me. “It must be true love if you can get a laugh and a smile out of this grump,” he says to Piper.

A knowing smile twists on her lips. “Must be,” she says with an irony only she and I can detect.

The guys pressured me into bringing Piper out for drinks, since they wanted to get to know her. It’s turned into a big team night out, with the players and other staff—trainers, assistant coaches, people who work in the office—packing The Fuzzy Horse, a popular downtown sports bar.

In the course of our conversation, Piper mentioned that reading is her favorite pastime, especially romance books; to everyone’s surprise, Noah said he likes romance books, too, and they started sharing books and authors they’ve read.

The way Piper’s eyes lit up with excitement when Noah would mention an author Piper likes … it kind of makes me want to pick up some of those books, too. I want to see her eyes brighten up like that when I’m talking to her.

A tiny flicker of worry hits my chest. Those are the kind of thoughts that could make this fake marriage messy. I’d like to blame it on how many beers I’ve had, but I’m only halfway through my second …

“What got you into romance books, Noah?” Piper asks.

“My best friend really loved them. Eventually I decided to give one she recommended a shot and really enjoyed it. I don’t read a hundred books a year like she does or anything,” he laughs, “but they’re fun to relax with.”

“She, huh?” Adriano nudges him, a mischievous grin on his face. “Is this a friends-to-lovers situation in the making?”

Scarlet rushes onto Noah’s cheeks. “No way, dude. It’s not like that at all. We grew up together. We’ve been friends since we were kids. Just friends.”

A hint of mischief sneaks into Hayden’s expression, too, as he leans on the table, angling himself provocatively toward Noah. “So, you’d say you think of her like a sister, then?”

“A sister?” A displeased expression pulls on Noah’s face. “No, I wouldn’t say that …”

Adriano wiggles his eyebrows conspiratorially at Hayden. “Yeah, I bet your thoughts about your friend aren’t very brotherly at all.”

The blush on Noah’s face deepens and spreads. “You guys are ridiculous. I’m getting another drink.”

Hayden takes a swig of his beer and looks excited when he puts the pint down. “Alright, since we know Noah’s book trope, how about everyone else? If you had to live through one romance trope, which would it be? Piper and Nash, we obviously know what yours is.”

Nerves flutter in my stomach. Have the guys somehow managed to see through the act we’ve been putting on? Are we just obviously too different, obviously lacking in chemistry, obviously⁠—

“Grumpy sunshine,” Hayden concludes.

I frown. “Grumpy sunshine? What the hell is that?”

“Are you that out of touch, old man? It means you’re a big old grump, but your wife is nice and friendly.”

“Aww, thanks, Hayden,” Piper coos.

“I’m not old,” I grumble.