With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men 4)

Sitting on the bench in front of my opened locker, with my leggings on but no shirt, I tapped my fingers on my knees waiting for a response.

“Who’re you texting there, Hamilton?” Noel asked, coming up behind me and stealing the phone out of my hand before I could stop him. “You’ve been awfully guarded and yet a little too happy all week. You got yourself a new woman you don’t want anyone to know about?”

Just then, my phone dinged. With a grin, Noel glanced down at the screen. His smile died.

“Motherfucker.” He dropped the phone and dove at me, tackling me off the bench and onto the floor.

“Wha…?” I lifted my hands over my face to protect myself after my head cracked against the floor and he pinned me by the chest. I could’ve bucked him off, but I was too surprised to see him so mad. Plus, I didn’t want to hurt him.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Ten shouted, rushing over just as Noel wrapped his hands around my neck. “What the fuck, man?” He tried to pull Noel off me, but Noel wasn’t budging.

“Are you fooling around with my sister behind my back?” he growled.

“What!” Ten cried. He picked up my fallen phone, read the message and let out a groan. Shoving it at Noel, he muttered, “Maybe you should’ve read the actual message, dumbass. He’s fooling around with Blondie. He was just asking Caroline if she’d seen her today, which she hasn’t, by the way,” he finished with a concerned glance toward me.

I closed my eyes, more worried than ever while Noel let up pressure on my throat and rolled off me. “Sorry, man,” he said before sitting up and running a rueful hand over his hair. “You were being so secretive about it, I didn’t think it could be anyone else but Caroline.”

I waved his apology away and told him it was okay. Ten wasn’t so forgiving, though. Lifting his hands, he continued to gape at Noel. “Seriously? Not even holier than thou Hamilton is good enough for her in your eyes? Why don’t you just ship her off to a fucking convent already?” With a final sniff and shake of his head, he muttered, “Ass,” and stalked off.

Noel had the grace to appear contrite. “It’s not that I think you’re not good enough for her,” he told me, keeping his tone low. “I just didn’t like the idea of you sneaking her around behind my back. That douchebag who hurt her back home snuck her around like she was some kind of dirty little secret. I wouldn’t be able to respect anyone who couldn’t date her out in the open and be proud of being seen with her in public. She deserves at least that and more.”

I nodded, totally understanding. Glancing after Ten, who was now on the other side of the room moodily jerking on his own clothes, I wished he’d been here to hear Noel say that, too.

The coach came in, shouting for us to hurry up. We had five minutes left to get changed.

The next time I had a moment to check my phone was after the game, after we’d won thirty-four to zero. Zoey had yet to respond to me, but Cora-pretending-to-be-Zoey had written again.

Sorry, I didn’t get to see you on the field in those tight pants, lover. Cora forced me to go shopping with her. I’ll see you at the after party, okay?

I typed in a quick affirmative, playing along, and wondering what her game was. Forgoing a text, I tried to ring Zoey. When it went to voice mail, I left a message, hoping she listened to it.

I had no idea what was going on, but I didn’t like this. Cora had something planned, but she’d made it sound like Zoey was going to be at the after-party, so I was going to that party to find her.

“Hey, man. You hear from her yet?” Face full of smiles from our win, Ten bounded over to tackle me from behind and pat my back. But I couldn’t smile back.

“Not yet.” I glanced up. “Where’s the after-party tonight?”

The question caught him off guard, but he answered with a smile spreading across his face. “Are you seriously going to it tonight? Fuck, yeah. We can ride together.”

I shook my head “No…I want to stop by Zoey’s apartment on the way. See if she’s home first.”

Ten’s smile fell, but he nodded.

Zoey wasn’t home. Henry informed me that she’d rushed out the door five minutes before I’d arrived. With no place left to look for her but the party, I headed that way.

The place was loud and packed, reminding me why I hated them as soon as I stepped through the front door. Hope sank in my chest as I skimmed the front room, looking for her. She could be anywhere, and there were so many people. I’d just turned to start into the next room when a hand caught my forearm.

I turned, but it was Cora. I started away again but did a double take at the last second. She had the beginnings of a black eye, and I swear her nose was swollen. “What happened to you?” I kind of wanted to high five the person who’d done that do her.

She fluttered her lashes. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

When she reached out to draw on my chest with her finger, I pushed her hand away. Then I shook my head and rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but it’s not going to work. I know you took my phone and changed out her number for your own.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Wow. I’m impressed. I didn’t realize you’d be so clever.” Her eyes heated as she glanced down my chest. “My big, clever man.” She reached for my shirt again. This time, I grabbed her wrist and held it hard.

“Where’s Zoey?”

Drawing up into a huff, she glared at me and ripped her arm out of my grip. “You mean my whore roommate who betrayed me with my boyfriend?”