Free Wrapped Up: A Triple Threat Sports Romance by Lexi Cross

him out, Cade.” Harley used Lucky’s real name like a calming hand on his shoulder to hold him back.
     
    “Yeah, come clean, man. What are you up to?”
     
    “I ran into one of my exes after the meeting where Coach first told us about the whole thing, and it turns out she needs a husband just like I need a girlfriend.” I knew that telling anyone the truth about the arrangement was risky business, but the guys deserved to know.
     
    “So it’s just a business arrangement,” Harley clarified.
     
    “Well, shit, man, you can get with our bartender, then. I saw the way you were looking at each other,” Lucky added.
     
    I laughed. “It’s not that simple, though I wish it were.”
     
    “What do you mean? If it’s just for show, surely you can have a little fun on the side. Man, don’t tell me you guys have already tied the knot. You have to let us be there for that,” Harley insisted.
     
    “Who is it?” Lucky asked.
     
    “You guys might not know her since you’re not from around here originally, but it’s Brooke Scott.”
     
    “Wait, as in Scott Enterprises?” Harley said. I thought he was going to spit out his beer when I first said her name.
     
    “Yeah, that’s her. Her dad owns the business, and he’s talking about turning it over to her in full once we get married. So I figured I’d help her out. We’re old friends.”
     
    “Sounds like you might have been more than old friends, bud,” Lucky joked. “So, are you going to try to hit it again, for old time’s sake?”
     
    “Cade, shut up,” I said with a laugh. The fact was I had been thinking about it a lot. Since we’d run into each other at the store, I had been wondering if her body still felt the same as it had back in school. Just because it was business didn’t mean we couldn’t have some fun while we were at it.
     
    “I’m just saying, man. You might as well enjoy it.”
     
    “Yeah, but that’s not the only reason I decided to come out tonight,” I told them both.
     
    “Oh, you want to talk business now,” Harley said, nodding. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Everyone’s ready for the first game. The money is ready to be moved once this weekend is over.”
     
    “Good.” Gambling on games was risky business. Rigging those games to control the outcomes was even worse. Our careers would be over if we were ever caught, and that wasn’t even the worst fate we could have faced, but we made enough money to keep people quiet. The network was also big enough to ensure that no one talked.
     
    Injuries did happen from time to time. Injuries, especially career-ending injuries, had a way of keeping people quiet. We weren’t too worried.
     
    We ended up closing down the bar even though we had to be up for practice at the crack of dawn. We had to be on the field by the time the sun came up. That meant a long, rough day ahead, but it was worth it to get to hang out with the guys again and make sure the season was truly ready to start.
     
    It was also worth it to get the bartender to drink a few more shots with us. As sexy and tempting as her body was, I wasn’t feeling it. As we were leaving the bar, I told her I’d come back for her another night. She smiled and giggled, but she wasn’t buying it. To her, I was probably just another drunk declaring his true love for her.
     
    We had to work on our image anyway. I knew we couldn’t be seen leaving the bar as late as we were, but it was also incredibly unlikely that anyone would be watching. It was before the official start of the season, and we hadn’t started any fights or anything like that. We were okay, but we agreed to party discreetly once the season started, if that was even possible.
     
    I made the guys hop in the car with me so they weren’t driving home after as many drinks as we’d consumed. I told my driver where to take everyone, and he made sure we all got home alright.
     
    I stumbled into the house, tired and a little tipsy. I knew if I had another