Clutch Hit Faith O'Shea (red queen free ebook txt) 📖

fondle her fingers, she tingled. She was barely able to stay focused on anything but his hand, the callouses as familiar to her now as her name.

“He talks as if it’s a given, that she’ll be there with him.”

“What will happen if she chooses to stay here?”

“He’ll probably back off.”

Mateo was playing with the ring still on her finger. When she’d tried to give it back after the Cuba trip, he’d asked her to keep wearing it. For some reason, she’d agreed.

“Is he pleased with the engagement? Seb said he spoke highly of the man.”

“He was. I get the feeling Greg’s lost some of his luster. Mac probably just wanted to stick it to Seb.”

He chuckled. “That’s kind of childish, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Casey and Galen are his weaknesses.”

“Will Casey mind if I stay a night or two?”

“I doubt it. She likes you but…we don’t have to ask quite yet. Let’s wait and see what happens.”

There were extenuating circumstances that very few knew about, and she couldn’t make that kind of promise until she got Casey’s agreement. It looked like her friend’s list of who-knew-what was about to get longer. She was beginning to think maybe it was a good thing, not a bad one. It was way past time.

He nodded, picked up the controller, and got back to his game, explaining it as he went along. When he lost the level, and with still an hour to go before they had to get ready for their night out, he programmed it for two players, and she gave him a run for his money. She wasn’t sure he appreciated her competitiveness until he kissed her soundly when the game was over.

One kiss usually led to more and the dress-up part of the evening became a hands-on activity. Hers were on him and his on her, which made them late meeting their friends.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Rique and Fiona were waiting at the door when they arrived, a smile on their faces, a flush on Fiona’s cheeks.

Mateo began to apologize. “Sorry. We got a bit caught up—”

Rique finished the sentence. “In each other. Us, too. We only got here a few minutes before you did. Love is a beautiful thing, is it not?”

He had his arm draped causally around Fiona’s neck. He looked so sincere Allie was almost ready to believe Rique had found a woman he could settle down with. It gave her hope for her future. If he fucked this up, she’d be back at square one.

Rique paid the cover charge for all of them and guided the group into the dark lounge as if he owned the place. The music was loud, pulsing, and definitely Latin. It shouldn’t have surprised her. Rique would be in his element here, the sounds as much a part of his heritage as Mateo’s. She could already feel Mateo’s body moving to the beat, his hand on her back, the combination of the touch and the vibration of the bongos palpating through her. He moved through the crowd with ease. He seemed to have shed his seriousness as soon as they walked in the door, flashing his white teeth at everyone they came in contact with, swapping confidences in Spanish with some of the patrons as he passed by. Was his Cuban finally coming out? Was this the man his mother had talked about? The one who loved people and shared intimacies? She loved the smile, the way it lit up his eyes, but his chattiness with some of the women was a burgeoning worry. Had he hidden his flirtatious side? Or had it been buried in his unfamiliarity with his surroundings?

Rique was scoping out a place and zeroed in on an empty table back in the corner.

As Fiona shrugged out of her coat, she admonished, “It has nothing to do with getting here early, does it? You just have some kind of juju when it comes to partying.”

He kissed her neck and joked, “I don’t know why everyone ties me to the party scene. You’d think I was known for them or something.”

A waitress wandered over and gave both men a very thorough once-over.

With as much snippiness as she could supply, Allie said, “Don’t count on it. We came as couples and we’re going to leave as couples.” She pointed to Rique and Fiona. “As in her and him.” After she draped herself over Mateo, she added, “And me and this guy.”

She was instantly horrified by her possessiveness and her utter disdain, but she disliked the kind of woman who came on to attached men, almost as much as the men who made themselves available. She began to extricate herself from his body, but his hold tightened around her waist, not letting her go. As if to support her claim, he said, “We’re married. They’re engaged.”

It was only after she’d taken the orders and slunk away that Rique blurted out, “You’re married? Why didn’t I know this? Since when?”

Mateo gave her that sheepish look and said, “Oops.”

She dropped her head against his chest. She supposed it was just a matter of time before the last of his close friends knew, but she’d hoped it would come after tonight.

Fiona slapped at Rique’s shoulder and suggested, “Why don’t you offer them your congratulations instead of giving them the third degree?”

There was a look of mild shock on his face.

“They barely know each other.”

Fiona’s hands went to her hips. “And we’re what? Childhood sweethearts?”

Rique looked from his fiancée to his friend, still a bit unbalanced by the news. “I guess…it just happened so fast.”

Allie thought about what her father had said about love at first glance. Maybe he was right. Maybe that’s where it all started. You either let it grow or let it go.

Mateo pulled out the swivel chair and she sat. He took a seat next to her, placed his hand on her back.

Flustered, Allie said, “Look, not many people know. We’re trying to keep it quiet. My role with the team makes it a bit