Page 128 of The Obvious Check
My heart twists and the sheer tenderness in his words makes my throat go tight. He’s already doing so much, giving so much, and yet he still wants to make this special for me.
I nod, flustered, realizing I’m still in nothing but his shirt. “I’ll need to change first.”
His gaze flickers down my body, and he smirks. “I mean… I’d be fine if you wore just that. Could even wear it to the ceremony if you want.”
I scoff, shoving lightly at his chest. “I don’t think the courthouse would approve.”
“Damn shame,” he teases, squeezing my waist before stepping back. “But fine, go change. Just don’t take too long, or Iwillstart making a case for you marrying me in nothing but my shirt.”
Rolling my eyes, I turn toward the bedroom, and the warmth in my chest lingers, pushing back the darkness that hangs over us, at least for now.
Chapter 30
Ben 'Matty' Mathieson is leaning against the brick wall outside Covey U Wildcats stadium when I roll up, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else on the fucking planet. Can't blame him. Save for game days, this place is deader than my patience for Luke's bullshit games. It's the kind of spot where secrets get shared and bones get buried—metaphorically speaking, of course. I think.
I scan the area anyway, because paranoia has become my new best friend, and Luke's the asshole who introduced us.
Ridiculous? Probably. But no one's going to think twice about a couple of meatheads meeting up to shoot the shit about protein powder and weekend plans. They sure as hell won't suspect we're here to discuss the creative ways to dismantle a local scumbag's empire.
That's the thing about Luke, he doesn't just threaten you. Instead, he gets into your head and plants these little seeds of what-ifs until you're jumping at shadows and checking over your shoulder every five seconds. It's psychological warfare at its finest, and the bastard's good at it.
Too bad for him, I'm done playing by his rules.
The fear? The constant looking over my shoulder? The sick feeling in my gut every time Savannah so much as breathes wrong because I'm terrified he'll come for her next?
Fuck. All. Of. That.
Luke wants to play mind games. Fine. But this is the last time he uses me or my soon-to-be wife as pawns in his twisted little chess match. Time to flip the board.
“Matty?” I ask, doing a double-take as I size him up.
This lean motherfucker is supposed to be our best kicker? He's tall, sure, and definitely has muscle on him, but it's a completely different build than what I'm used to seeing. Where hockey players like me are built thick and solid, ready to take a hit and dish one back, Matty's all wiry strength and lean lines. Where I’m used to brute force, he has fast-twitch muscle.
He glances up from his curtain of floppy brown hair. “Cade, right? Alex's teammate?”
“That's me.”
“He said you've got a password problem.” His tone is flat and bored, like he's already mentally calculating how long this bullshit conversation is going to take. “Let's hear it.”
Right. Time to rip off the band-aid.
“Yeah, about that,” I say, flashing him my most charming smile, the one that usually gets me out of trouble. “I might've lied to Alex about why I needed your help.”
Matty's expression shifts from bored to mildly intrigued. There's a spark in his eyes now. The kind that tells me this guy gets off on breaking into systems he's not supposed to touch.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing major,” I say quickly. “Just hack into a local bar's system and find as much dirt on the owner as possible.”
“Fucking hell.” He runs a hand through his hair, making it stick up at weird angles. “If this is some petty revenge bullshit becausethey kicked you out for being drunk off your ass, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to deal with your wounded pride alone.”
Okay, shit. This guy doesn't fuck around, and he's definitely not buying what I'm selling. Time to get real.
“It's my fiancée,” I say, dropping the casual act. “The owner's been blackmailing her for over a year. She needs out, and the only way to make that happen is to take this piece of shit down.”
“Mhm.” Matty nods slowly.
“Yeah, and now he wants me to step into an illegal fighting ring for him.”
