Page 20 of Cross Check

Guess we’ll see.

@AmeliaGreen

I shouldn’t be socializing with the enemy, so I’m going to leave you on read for the rest of the night.

@GMoneyEverett118

The enemy, huh? That’s fair.

@AmeliaGreen

Good night, Everett.

@GMoneyEverett118

Do you know what the best part about social media is?

I was supposed to close out of this conversation three messages ago, but I’m typing out another response instead.

@AmeliaGreen

What?

@GMoneyEverett118

You’re not a coach on here, so your rules about names don’t apply.

Good night, Amelia.

My heart pounds like a drum I swear the whole hotel can hear. I fumble my phone and turn it off, setting it on the nightstand. Out of sight, out of mind. Not something I’m going to give any more attention to tonight. I close my eyes, glad to fall asleep without thinking about Grant Everett and whatever names he wants to call me.

NINE

GRANT

“Order, order.” Maverick knocks a plastic gavel against the coffee table. “Can you all please shut up so we can get started? This meeting of the Puck Kings Book Club is about to begin. It’s March, which means it’s our second-to-last gathering of the season. We need to make it a good one.”

“Dude.” Ethan smirks. “Just because Emmy said she reads romance books doesn’t mean she’s going to suddenly want to sleep with you because you started reading romance books.”

“You sure about that?” Mav challenges.

“No one wants to sleep with you either, Easy E,” Riley jokes.

“Plenty of people want to sleep with me. I have more followers on social media than any of you, and I don’t like being roped in with the virgins,” Ethan announces, and I drop my book. It slams to the ground, and his attention bounces over to me. “You okay, G?”

“Sweaty palms.” I grin and scoop up the paperback, holding it close to my chest. “Can we get back to the book talk? I liked it. That scene where he takes care of her after she’s thrown from the horse is one of my favorite parts.”

“Because you like cute books.” Connor McKenzie, Ethan’s backup, laughs. “I want to see you read a dark romance that goes outside the box.”

“Bring it on. I’m an equal opportunity reader, and I don’t discriminate,” I say.

“You can’t watch a scary movie without covering your eyes, G.” Riley turns my way. “Do you think you could get through a book where people are losing limbs and being murdered left and right, and like it?”

“I’m going to search for the darkest dark romance book in existence and prove to y’all that I can read anything.” My phone lights up on the table before I have a chance to reach for it, and Ethan snatches it. “Hey. Give it back.”

“Oh my god.” He gasps and looks at me. “Grant-I-don’t-know-your-middle-name-Everett. You dog.”

My heart stops. I start to panic. My life flashes before my eyes, afraid a message from Amelia popped up on the screen.