Page 76 of Twisted Play

Eva leaned forward as the teams took the ice, pressing our hips closer together as her body shifted on the couch.She felt so goddamned right next to me, in the hockey house, part of my life.

Cole returned with plates loaded with pizza, passing one to Eva before settling in beside her. She was caught between me and Cole, our arms and shoulders brushing every time she moved.

When Cole draped his arm along the back of the couch, mirroring my position, his fingers brushed the nape of my neck, sending longing sparking through me. Instead of pulling away, we created a cage of warmth around Eva, neither of us speaking about the silent understanding passing between us. She belonged here, tucked between us, and from the way Cole’s eyes met mine over her head, he felt it too.

I shoved my trepidation deep down inside, ignoring the question of whether this was another of Cole’s games or if he was serious about sharing Eva.

When Cole’s thumb stroked her bare shoulder, she shivered but didn’t pull away. My hand dropped to her waist then slid down to her hip, smashed between her leg and Cole’s when she leaned forward to watch a play develop.

“There!” Eva pointed as one of the players intercepted a pass. “Did you see how he?—”

“Score!” The room erupted as the puck hit the net.

In the chaos of celebration, she fell back against both of us, and for a perfect moment, the three of us fit together like puzzle pieces locking into place.

Time suspended with Eva pressed between us, my arm resting against Cole’s where we cradled her, the rest of the team’s celebration fading to background noise. She snuggled deeper into the cushions and our arms, and tension leached out of me. Maybe she was okay with this. Maybeshe didn’t find the idea as wild and deviant as I’d thought she would.

When Cole’s fingers traced idle patterns on her shoulder, her breath hitched. I watched, mesmerized, as her pupils dilated and her lips parted. She was so fucking gorgeous like this, caught between pleasure and uncertainty.

Her phone buzzed in her purse, and she ignored it, turning her face into my chest. Cole’s hand slid up her back, working its way to her nape, where he gently worked her muscles, drawing a sweet sigh out of her as she melted into me.

Teamwork.

“Fuck,” she whispered when her phone buzzed again. She moved to stand, but we’d snared her between us, gently caging her. “I need to—I have to go.”

“Stay,” Cole said, tightening his grip on the back of her neck.

I stroked my thumb over her hip, where my hand still rested. “Game’s not even half over.”

She untangled herself from us, and by the time she stood, her familiar mask of composure had slipped back into place. “I need to go.”

“I’ll drive you,” Cole offered immediately.

“No!” The force of her refusal surprised me. She softened her voice. “I’ll be fine.”

Cole’s expression mirrored my frustration as we watched her gather her things.

“Text me when you get home?” I asked, knowing she wouldn’t.

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Of course.”

A chorus of protests rose from the team as Eva headed for the door.

“You’re leaving already?” Haruto called. “Stay and watch the rest of the game—we never get to hang out with you.”

Eva’s smile turned genuine for a moment. “Next time,” she promised, but her eyes darted to her phone again.

I followed her to the door. “Eva?—”

“Don’t.” She laid her hand on my chest, and for a moment, I thought she might kiss me. Instead, she stepped back. “Today was—thank you. For everything. For inviting me to be your errand friend.”

I watched her hurry down the front steps and into the darkness, everything in me screaming to follow. When I turned back to the living room, Cole’s expression matched mine—frustrated, worried, and absolutely fucking captivated by Eva Jackson.

“She’s hiding something,” he said quietly to me as I dropped back onto the couch beside him.

I frowned. “She said she had to stop by campus this weekend.”

Cole froze. “Campus?”