I wiped the sweat off my brow, laughing between sets as Iain just stood there scrutinizing me, looking like he was trying to read my mind.

We were at the Empires workout facility, so he stuck out like a sore thumb in his crisp white button-down and slacks. Of course, in typical Iain fashion, the authority of his presence made it seem like he was the one who was right, and we were just the animals who were underdressed for this place.

“You’re fucking creepy, you know that, right?” I panted before picking up the dumbbell and going back to my laterals.

I acted like I didn’t know what the hell he was here for, or why he was looking at me like that, despite the fact that I knew there was no lying to this asshole. He knew his clients too well – me in particular.

“I just think it was very kind of you to volunteer going to some boring restaurant opening with her when you had a day game in the morning,” Iain said.

Read: I think you’re sleeping with her or trying to.

Yeah. I knew what he was implying, but if he couldn’t prove it, I wasn’t going to say shit. For all he knew, I took Evie home, we went to our separate bedrooms and I passed right out to get some good rest in before having to wake up earlier than usual.

There was no way for him to figure out that I’d taken her home and come harder than I ever had in my life inside her, or that we’d passed out together on the couch.

Though by the time I’d woken up this morning, she was already gone.

“Well, you said it yourself, man.” I blew out air from between my teeth as I lifted. “It turned into good press.”

Apparently, not asking for pictures didn’t mean that the people at Merryweather didn’t take them, because by this morning, the gossip pages were flooded with candid snippets of Evie and me. They were taken from the Instagram and Snapchat accounts of Hillary’s friends. According to the articles, I was “keeping it low-key” by meeting Evie’s friends at a “friends and family only event in Brooklyn.”

“According to one source, Maddox was overheard discussing the ‘e’ word with a few of Larsen’s friends – engagement!”

That was Iain’s doing. His company represented both actors and athletes, and he was so tight with the media that I would’ve called him a traitor if it weren’t for the fact that he was only ever using or manipulating them.

“It was definitely good press,” Iain said, his eyes leisurely scanning the room to make sure there was no one in earshot. There wasn’t. But even if there were, the room was just a chorus of slamming weights and animal-like grunting, so honestly, I could barely hear Iain myself. That’s why I thought I’d heard him wrong on what he said next. “Anyway, you proposed to her last night.”

I had to finish my set before I snorted.

“Come again?”

“In our timeline, you popped the question last night. How did you do it?”

“Really? How’d I do it?” I laughed.

“Up to you, Romeo. Anyway, I had the clubbie put something in your locker drawer. Give it to Evie tonight and make her wear it before you take her out to dinner. And pick a place you like because you’ll be there awhile. You have to drag out this date so she can properly debut her new ring,” Iain said before pausing as if waiting for me to say something.

“What? Did you ask me a question?”

“No. I was waiting for you to gripe about the fact that you have to have a long candlelit dinner. You’ve never been one for hours of conversation at once, but looks like you’re more than game for tonight.”

“What can I say? I love this team,” I smirked. “And if it cools down trade talks, I’ll do it.”

“Right.” Iain held his eye contact for several seconds before eyeing the time. “Well, from what I hear, the front office is pleasantly surprised by all this. You’ve got Julian Hoult and a bunch of old guys tracking your love life via tabloid, so good job so far. I just hope you can keep things this smooth and steady with Evie till past the trade deadline. Be smart with her. Or it’ll all have been for nothing.”

“Yeah, I got that, sunshine, but thank you for the reminder.”

“Anytime.”

“Alright, well I’m here to work out, not talk, so you should probably get going to whatever meeting you’re dressed like James Bond for.”

He cracked a laugh.

“Fine. Enjoy dinner tonight,” he said, turning to go. But then just to fuck with me, he stopped at the doorway and called back across the room. “And hey – congratulations on the big engagement, Maddox.”

Then as soon as all my teammates big eyes flew to me, he left.

* * *

I was still catching up from my day when I heard Drew get home. I knew we had a public dinner scheduled tonight and while I was supposed to getting ready now, I was running late. I was flustered and still all over the place from how my morning had started.

It would’ve been perfect if phones didn’t exist. To start, I’d woken up on Drew’s bare chest, and good God, that was a hell of a way to start a day. 

I was glad he didn’t stir because after lifting my cheek off his pecs, I had needed more than few seconds to just look at him. 

His inked bicep bulged since he had his right arm bent and resting behind his head. His lips were slightly parted and he had his other arm wrapped around me, his hand resting heavily on my back. 

I wanted to just stay there in his arms all morning, basking in the leftover glow of what happened last night.

But I couldn’t fully enjoy myself knowing that I’d woken multiple times in the night to the sound of my phone buzzing against the kitchen counter. No one ever texted me that persistently that late, so I couldn’t help but get up around 6AM and investigate.

I had braced myself for angry, bitter texts from Mike but it wasn’t that at all.

It was something much worse than immediately started my day on a frenzied whirlwind, eventually making me late for all my meetings and causing me to be still flustered now at 7PM.

“Evie?” 

I had just finished makeup and moisturizing and was blow-drying my hair when Drew called up the stairs.

“I’m in the bathroom!” I called back, drying my hair for another few seconds before he appeared in the doorway. The second he did, I turned off the blow dryer and felt my first real smile of the day spread my lips. “Hey,” I breathed out, my heartbeat doing a little skip as he immediately came toward me.

I closed my eyes as he leaned in to kiss  me, the stroke of his tongue melting all my stress away. At least for the moment. I was so lost in how deep he kissed me that I was only vaguely aware of him holding my hand and slipping something onto my finger.

When I pulled away, my eyes went wide.

It was a diamond. A hell of a diamond, in fact. It almost blinded me as I blinked at it.

“We’re engaged, by the way,” Drew smirked. “As of yesterday.”

“Really? How’d it happen?” I laughed.

“I don’t know. I assume I got down on one knee.”

“Nice. Classic. How’d I react?”

“The usual, I think. You laughed, you cried. You said yes and then we fucked all night.”

“That's true, we did,” I smiled as I touched up my lipstick. “That was a pretty good night, Mr. Fiancé.”

“Agreed,” he murmured as he came close again. “You have no idea how much I’ve been thinking about this pussy all day,” he said, his hand under my towel. “Are you sore?”

“A little,” I lied softly.

I was a lot sore. Drew was bigger, thicker than I’d ever taken and he’d fucked me harder than I’d ever been fucked last night. But I’d been euphoric like I’d never felt before and I didn’t regret a second of it.

There was something about last night that nixed my need to worry about Drew, me, or the contract this morning. I didn’t know what it was, but it was something I could swear we both felt last night on the couch, after unraveling together then watching each other come down from our highs. 

It was intimacy. An unexpected kind. And I felt it again now as Drew kissed along my bare shoulder while stroking gently between my legs.

“Sorry for making you sore.”

I laughed.

“You should never apologize for having a huge cock.”

“True. Noted.”

“So, what time is our reservation tonight?” I grinded softly against his palm.

“We should leave in twenty. You have a little bit of time.”

“So do you,” I teased, eyeing the obvious hard-on under his sweats. “Are you ever not hard?” 

“Around you? It’s a fucking miracle if I’m not.”

“Well you did just give me the nicest piece of jewelry I’ve ever had the honor of wearing out, so a proper thank you is probably in store,” I smirked, reveling in his immediate groan as I cupped him package and squeezed.

“As much as I’d love to fuck you over this sink right now, your pussy is sore and you just did redid your lipstick,” Drew muttered, gently removing my hand from his cock. Apparently, I’d quickly come to hate that because on instinct, I unlatched my towel and let it drop to the floor, watching his hungry eyes immediately lock on my tits.

God, yes.

Apparently, I also lived for the moments when I could catch him off guard.

“You said we leave in twenty?” I eyed the time on my phone before returning my attention to him. My mouth curved at the mixture of lust and confusion in his green eyes as I reached into his sweats. “Don’t worry. That’s plenty of time for me to figure something out.”