Page 54 of Holding Penalty

“Dude, you were born in the nineteen hundreds. You’re old,” Adriano gangs up.

“Hey!” Piper exclaims. “So was I!”

“Your niceness keeps you youthful, though,” Hayden explains, “while your grumpy husband’s grumpiness just ages him even more.”

Piper tilts her head. “Makes sense.”

I balk at Piper. “Where’s the loyalty?”

“Oh!” Hayden exclaims. “Now here come a couple of old geezers!”

I turn to see Cooper and Vaughn approaching our table.

Vaughn’s brow lowers. “I knew I should have stayed home.”

Cooper laughs while shaking his head, his usual reaction to the antics of our younger teammates. He pats Vaughn on the shoulder. “Come on, first round is on me since I convinced you to come.”

“I think I could get into an enemies-to-lovers deal,” Adriano muses while our veteran teammates head to the bar and Noah returns. “Sounds hot.”

Noah scoffs. “Like you’re not into one already.”

Adriano slides him a guarded look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you and Ines are already halfway through the first act and we’re just waiting until you two suddenly kiss in the middle of an argument,” Hayden supplies.

Adriano looks revolted. “Are you kidding? Me and Ines?”

“Ew. Please do not let me hear you mentioning yourself and me in the same sentence.”

Ines is suddenly behind Adriano, looking effortlessly stylish in her black dress and standing tall in her heels.

Adriano scowls, looking at her. But I don’t miss the way the air between them thickens. If I squint, I might be able to see the bright pop of some tiny static sparks. “If you’d keep a respectful distance, you wouldn’t overhear anything I have to say.”

A dry laugh pops from Ines’ blood-red lips. “Listen to who’s talking about respect. You didn’t look very respectful when that video leaked last season of you with that woman in a nightclub bathroom. I worked an eighty-hour week getting that scrubbed from the internet.”

Adriano grins devilishly and lifts his pint glass in her direction. “You’re welcome for the overtime.” He takes a drink. “You’re also welcome for the view. I distinctly remember that video showed me in all my glory.”

“It made me wish I was blind.”

“Even if you were, I know you could never remove the sight from your memory.”

“It makes me wish for a traumatic brain injury every time I do remember, so I can finally forget.”

“So you’re saying you do still think about it.”

Ines rolls her eyes and keeps walking to the bar. I look at Piper to gauge her reaction to getting to know my teammates.

Worry hits me when I see her expression. Something’s wrong.

25

PIPER

Hanging out with Nash’s teammates is great. They’re really funny and friendly. I’d love to get to know Ines, she’s so beautiful and stylish, and I loved the way she held her own with Adriano just now.

I bring my glass to my lips. This drink is stiffer than I thought, and it’s my second one. A giddy, light feeling sweeps through me, the first clear sign that I’ve gotten a little tipsy.

The giddiness dissolves in an instant, though, when I scan the dance floor of the bar and see Crew.