With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men 4)

“You should go back to wherever you came from now,” Quinn said, “Because Noel is going to keep his end of the bargain, which means you need to keep yours too.”

Aspen’s old boss didn’t seem to know what to say to that. He stuttered for a moment, glancing between Ten, Quinn, and Noel before he said, “You better win at nationals, or I’m taking that whore down.”

“What did you just call her?”

While Asher, Pick, Mason, and Quinn surged toward the bed to keep Noel from coming off it to charge Dr. Frenetti, Ten threw his arm around the older man’s shoulder and sent him a stiff smile. “Good to know, but you should probably go now.”

He forcibly steered Dr. Frenetti from the room, and the other guys started talking all at once to calm an enraged Noel. I moved toward a white-faced Aspen, but Caroline, Reese, and Eva were already surrounding her and trying to comfort her.

Ten strolled back into the room, sans the asshole. He looked completely unconcerned that his best friend was freaking out on a bed and Aspen was nearly in tears. Instead, he strolled up to Asher and wrapped a companionable arm around his shoulders. “Hart, for the love of God, just start singing or something.”

Asher glanced at him as if he was insane. “What?”

“This is a good day. We just won our biggest game of the year, Gamble’s not going to leave us for the big leagues after all, and his woman just avoided becoming a scandal. So, why’s everyone so upset? We should be celebrating. Now, get the party started with that special voice of yours that seems to drop panties on command and sing something.”

Asher shook his head, but after a moment, he did start singing. When Noel realized he was singing Bob Marley’s “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” he snorted and threw his pillow at Asher.

“Asshole.” But it was obvious that Ten had been right—the song was already calming Noel’s temper.

Asher caught the pillow to his chest. Then he strolled to Aspen, knelt in front of her, and began to serenade her through the rest of the song, flinging the pillow around with a flourish.

When I glanced up at Ten, who’d stopped beside me, I smiled at him and bumped my elbow into his. “That was unconventional, but it worked.”

He grinned back, proud of himself. Then he scowled and shook his finger threateningly. “If you pet my head again and call me a good boy, I’m kicking Ham in the nuts so he can’t pleasure you for at least a week.”

“Do it anyway, Zoey,” Pick called with a grin. “Hamilton’s still got a tongue to please you with.”

I groaned and buried my scorching hot cheeks in my hands. This group had a dirtier mind than any I’d ever thought I’d be a part of, but I loved being one of them anyway.

“Hey, leave her be,” Quinn chided as he came to me and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. “No one is going to prevent me from pleasing her in every way possible.”

“Aww. You two are just too cute together.” Reese nudged Eva and continued bobbing her head and swaying back and forth to Asher’s song. “Didn’t I tell you they were going to end up together the first day I met her?”

Eva looped her arm with Reese and they swayed together. “You called it, sweetie. Way to go.”

I looked up at Quinn and he looked down at me. We started grinning simultaneously because I think we both realized we’d known it somehow too. We were just meant to be together. As our friends kept being crazy and ridiculous around us, we leaned into each other and kissed.

Tired of waiting, worried out of my mind, and shifting in my seat because my butt had gone numb, I glanced at my forearm I had crossed over my chest. Fresh ink stared up at me, amazing me all over again that I had an honest to God tattoo.

I traced the National Championships emblem in awe just as Ten elbowed me from his seat at my right.

“I still think you’re fucking crazy for getting that tattoo. You know that, right?”

With a grin, I shook my head. “I was just following tradition. All you guys got your tattoos the night before the big game last year, so I had to do it this year.”

“Yeah, and if we would’ve kept following tradition, we would’ve lost the next day, too.”

“But we didn’t.” We’d won the national championship title, and Dr. Frenetti had kept silent about Noel and Aspen’s relationship.

Ten snorted. “Yeah, you’re a lucky we didn’t lose.”

I shrugged. “We had a reason to win this year.”

“Hell, we had a reason to win last year, but we couldn’t pull it out of our asses then.”

“We had a better reason to win this year.”

Ten seemed to think that over before he nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Gamble and his woman didn’t need to turn into a national scandal. That’s for sure. And what are up with these damn waiting room chairs? Do they purposely want your ass to go dead while you’re sitting in them?”