Page 47 of Playing Dirty (Leighton U #4)

“The echo…” He trails off before holding up again. “This is how you found me, isn’t it? The night we raided the lecture halls.”

A beat of silence lingers between us before I nod. “Yeah, it is.”

“How did you even know?”

“Dillon saw Wyatt buying them at the store,” I supply with a shrug. “It was the same night I overheard you talking to Phoenix outside your room about a raid, so I told him to buy one too. Just in case.”

He blinks a couple times before an incredulous laugh leaves him.

“So you’ve been listening to us this whole time and just didn’t say anything?”

Tongue in cheek, I let out a little scoff. Because there’s no way he can actually be upset about this.

“Careful, Teddy Bear, ’cause that sounds an awful lot like an accusation.”

“One that clearly has merit,” he says while waving the piece of evidence. “So what else have you overheard?”

“Nothing.”

Which is the God’s honest truth, but from the give me a break look he aims at me, he clearly doesn’t believe it.

“Besides me finding you that night, it hasn’t been that useful. Other than knowing where you guys are looking. But like I said, I know you won’t find it.”

I catch him pressing his tongue against his cheek while he weighs my words before finally nodding.

“Defensive strategy,” he murmurs, echoing my statement from earlier, before another humorless laugh leaves him. “God, I don’t know if I want to kiss you or kill you right now.”

“Well, if I get a choice in the matter, I’d prefer the first option,” I tease playfully, hoping to keep the mood light and playful.

It doesn’t work, though, and he just drops the walkie back in my bag and heads into the cage to help me gather the balls. We do so silently, only for him to slip on a helmet and grab his bat, ready to take his turn in the cage. But as he goes to walk past me, I grab him by the hip, stopping him.

“You’re not mad, right?” I ask hesitantly.

There’s a brief second before he mutters, “I’m annoyed, but no. I’m not mad.”

Yeah, well. With Theo, that’s basically the same thing.

“It’s not my fault Wyatt wasn’t smart enough to order them online,” I say jokingly, and he rolls his eyes. But he does crack a smile too, and I’m counting it as a win.

“Yeah, but it is your fault for using his dimwittedness against us.”

I smirk and release my hold on him. “Don’t hate the player, hate the game, baby. Sabotage is part of the fun. ”

“Remember that when we wind up finding it anyway,” he taunts right back.

I’ll let him think that if he wants, especially because I do feel a little bad.

Up until this moment, the Penny Play has simply been background noise in this thing evolving between us. Maybe even a bit of foreplay, in a weird, roundabout way, but it’s never caused any issues or been a point of contention.

But I’m starting to realize that…if we’re not careful, it might become one.

And that’s the last thing I want.

Theo steps up to the plate, only to realize I’m still standing in the cage with him, not on the other side of the fence to turn on the machine.

“What’s up?”

“I think we need a new rule.”

His head cants to the side. “I’m listening.”

I bite my tongue momentarily before giving voice to my idea; one sure to be a black stain on my reign as captain.

“The Penny Play is off-limits from now on. Anything discussed between us can’t be fed back to our teammates or used to find each other’s pennants.”

He smirks as he pulls his bat behind him, resting it across his shoulders. “Oh. So now that you’ve been found out, you wanna silence me from telling my teammates about it? Seems a little unfair, there, Captain.”

“That’s not why,” I insist, the real reason spilling from my lips instead. “I just don’t want something as trivial as a game of capture the flag to ruin this.”

My hand motions between the two of us on the last few words, and his expression falters, sobering from the serious connotation of my statement.

He’s silent for a moment, pulling the bat back down while seemingly mulling it over.

“And what exactly is this?”

“Something a helluva lot more important. ”

Maybe it’s stupid, laying my cards on the table the way I have. But with the way things have progressed between us, how can I not? I can’t sit here and pretend like he hasn’t become one of the most important pieces of my life.

I don’t want to pretend or hide anymore.

His tongue swipes over his lower lip, and he nods a couple times before whispering, “Okay. No more Penny Play.”

“Okay,” I agree.

The tiniest hint of a smile appears on his face, and because I can’t help myself, I step forward and kiss him.

His lips mold to mine instantly, and he lets out the softest little noise before his free hand slides up into my hair, holding me there for a moment before finally letting go. He keeps his hand on the back of my head, though, fingers sifting gently through the strands while our gazes lock.

“You can take it,” I find myself saying in reference to the walkie. “I’ll tell my guys I lost it or something.”

He shakes his head. “It’s fine. They’d just go buy a new one. And we said no more interfering, right?”

Pursing my lips, I realize he’s probably right.

“Then let me make it up to you.”

One brow arches, and another one of those devastating smiles appears. “Color me intrigued. Dare I ask how?”

“I don’t know yet.”

But I’m sure I’ll think of something.