Page 65 of Set Play

“Now, let’s go figure out which foundations are winning this evening, shall we?”

Jerking back from his outstretched hand, I stare at him in bewilderment. “We can’t. I need to go home. Your cum is leaking out of me. I’m not wearing any panties, remember?”

His feral grin steals my breath as he grabs my hand and leads me back toward the main ballroom. “You should’ve thought of that when you decided to tease me, Chispita.”

Chapter 35

Élise

“Oh, come on, ref!” Flora yells, nearly launching herself over the railing to head to the field; the only thing that stops her is Sophie grabbing the back of her belt. “¡Eso fue claramente una falta! 1”

There’s no stopping the smile that stretches across my face as I watch the two of them together. Their love for each other, and the twins, is so apparent. I admit, when Mateo relayed his sister’s invitation to join her and her wife at the game, I didn’t know what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t this.

“So, Élise.” Sophie turns to me once she’s secured her wife. “Teo said you’re a nurse? What’s that like? What’s your specialty?”

He…talks about me?

It takes me a second to untangle my tongue and find the words to answer her. “Yeah, I’m a pediatric orthopedic nurse, but I want to switch to pediatric sports medicine. It’s why I work with the team part-time.”

Sophie nods along, smiling kindly the entire time. Her wife, on the other hand, just stares at me. When Flora speaks, her tone matches the ice in her mocha eyes. “And my brother?”

My hackles rise at both her tone and question. Folding my arms over my chest like a shield, I lift my chin slightly and ask, “What about your brother?”

“What’s your deal with him? He sounds pretty serious about you whenever we talk to him. I’d like to make sure he’s not setting himself up for heartbreak again. Jade did enough dam—”

Sophie’s elbow and narrowed eyes cut through the rest of whatever Flora meant to say, but I get the picture. Jade must be the girl from five years ago. The one he told me about in Phoenix.

“Look, Flora,” I sigh, “I understand wanting to protect your baby brother, but to be honest with you, I don’t know what my deal with him is. Things are…complicated, b—”

“Because of your brother?” Sophie interrupts, without judgement.

“I-I don’t know. Kind of. I mean, everything that Henri told my parents and me painted your brother as the villain, but the Mateo I know?”

I turn toward the field, immediately spotting number seventeen, and smile. “That Mateo is nothing like that. At this point, I don’t know who to believe anymore. I can’t imagine him faking who he’s been when he’s around me. But I also can’t imagine my brother lying to me about something so important for so long without ever cracking.”

Flora steps toward me, gently nudging her wife out of the way. “You seem like a genuine person. Just keep in mind that my brothers are both a lot more sensitive than they let show. Please, if you don’t have feelings for him, cut whatever this thing is off and tell him now. Before it’s too late.”

I sigh and turn to face her. “Flora, I promise you, I have absolutely no intention of putting your brother through the shit his ex did. I would never go to the press like that, even if Henri begged me to. I know all too well how it feels to be the victim in that situation.”

The women exchange a loaded glance before both wrapping their arms around me in a sisterly embrace. “For what it’s worth,” Sophie says, pulling back to look past me to the field, “I think you two are good for each other. But I do think you two should talk about things.”

Since we met, this man has flipped everything upside down. Including me—literally—because once again, he has me thrown over his shoulder like a damn caveman. At least it’s only from his car to my house this time, but still. “Put me down, idiot. We have to be quiet,” I say through giggles as my upper body sways with his gait.

“Didn’t you say that Niamh’s brother is in town for the weekend, so she’s going to go stay at his Airbnb tonight?”

I grab his hips and use them as leverage to stop swaying. Did I tell him that? I don’t remember talking about Niamh recently, but maybe I forgot thanks to the excitement of the game. A palm connecting with my ass jolts me from my thoughts as Mateo mocks, “You okay back there?”

“Fine, you oaf,” I grumble. “Just not a fan of being carried like a sack of flour.”

Now on my porch, Mateo stops and eases me down to stand in front of him. He already has my keys, so I guess he’s taking my complaint seriously.

Good. I hated being carried like that anyway…mostly.

“Oh look, you are capable of listening to me,” I snark before snatching my key and turning to unlock the door. I don’t get far.

One arm bands under my knees while the other wraps around my waist as he scoops me up into a bridal carry. I slowly turn to peer up at him, shock and amusement warring for dominance in my head. “Open the door, Élise,” he commands.

When I don’t immediately comply, he shakes his head and gives me one last warning. “Chispita, unless you want your neighbors to come outside to the sight of me ravishing you, I suggest you open your door.”