Page 55 of Code Violation

“What big event have you got going on in your life, Si?” Mason adds with a similar smile to earlier.

Will steps toward me. I feel like a defendant in a courtroom, being analyzed by the jury.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Silas’s ‘big event’ has to do with his desire to be spending the night in one bar in particular.”

Suddenly animated, Tristan clicks his fingers. “And get served by a cute bartender with black hair and bright blue eyes.”

“Are we”—Mason steps right up to me, mirth invading his features—“along the right lines, Cap?”

He damn well knows that they’re along the right lines.

And I’m certain that my teammates aren’t going to let this drop until I give them something about what’s going on between me and Vesper.

There’s no hiding it anymore and I did a shit job at concealing my attraction to her in the first place. Clearly.

“Drew is a vault,” Will says, pulling his pinched fingers across his lips. “And if the girls can keep secrets, then so can the boys.”

While I figure out how much I’m prepared to divulge to these nosy motherfuckers, I slide my phone out of my jeans pocket and check the screen for messages.

“Cap is pining,” Tristan points out.

“Yep,” Mason agrees. “That’s the look of a guy so far under the thumb that his world has gone dark.”

I don’t know if it’s my empty phone screen or my annoying friends that pull the next words from me. In the end, it doesn’t matter because they tumble from my mouth regardless.

“I’m waiting to find out if Vesper might be pregnant.”

Will tries to say something but chokes on his own breath and breaks into a coughing fit.

I release a maniacal groan, praying that my teammates are as trustworthy as I hope they are.

“Wait a fucking minute.” Mason holds up a hand, and Tristan slaps Will hard between the shoulder blades. Something he probably enjoys way more than he should. “Is she taking a test right now, and you’re waiting on the results?”

I gaze around, wide-eyed and thankful that there’s no one within earshot.

Mason mouths, Sorry, and, yeah, I’m regretting my big mouth already.

“I’m going to bring it back one more step here,” Will says now that he’s caught his breath. “You say that Vesper might be pregnant. Are we to assume the baby is yours or …”

“Holy fucking shit!” Tristan announces, and I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“Can at least one of you define discretion for me? Because I’m ninety-nine percent sure none of you knows what it means.”

It’s not only Mason standing right in front of me now, but all three of them.

“Si …” Will says in a much lower voice, now looking way more serious than before. “Is the baby yours or your brother’s?”

I look between all three of them. “If Vesper’s pregnant, then the baby will be mine. And I’m not waiting on test results.”

“Okay, that’s good because I thought we were looking at a paternity issue here.”

I narrow my eyes at Mason. For saying this guy is one of the calmest defenders I’ve ever played with, he sure can get ahead of himself off the ice.

“No,” I bite out, not meaning to sound so harsh. “Sorry,” I say, closing my eyes as I try to get ahold of myself. “The past two days have been draining, and by now, Vesper will have definitely made a decision about whether to take Plan B.”

A half hour later, we’re holed up in the hotel bar, attached to the driving range. Each of us—apart from Will, who has a soda—has an untouched pint of beer as I recount everything that’s happened with Vesper. From eating pizza in bed with a movie to Kane showing up drunk at Vesper’s apartment as I left Mason standing in Riley’s.

The only part of the story I haven’t laid out is how deep my feelings run for the girl I keep praying will blow up my phone at any second.