Chapter 7

Hunter sipped his coffee as Angela kissed Jake goodbye. She eyed them both.

"Please don't fight. Or if you do, no marks." She picked up her overnight bag from the sofa and headed for the front door. "God, Mom's going to be calling out the National Guard to search for me…"

As the door closed, Jake headed back into the kitchen and picked up his own mug. "So, no better time than the present…"

Hunter leaned on the marble countertop. "First, I don't have any sexual interest in you. No offense, not the way I swing."

Jake nodded. "Right back at you. Did a bit of sexual experimentation in my youth, figured out who and what I like. We're good on that front."

"Right." Hunter studied his drink. "I love Angela. I know you do too—but this… this is going to be tough to make work."

"You heard what she said. Total honesty." Jake finished his coffee and put the mug in the sink, moving to pick up his duffel bag. "I was true to her in college, you were steady in high school." He paused, shouldering the bag. "Don't need to tell you that if word gets out, we might both lose our jobs. Town might have a lot of open-minded people, but not sure if they're ready to have their police chief and one of their best coaches teaming up with the hometown lawyer lady."

Hunter nodded. "That's why we keep this quiet until and unless we decide to take it public. Be careful, play it cool and let Angela keep calling the shots." He smiled. "Until I take over, and then you both follow my orders."

Jake walked over to face him, moving inside Hunter's personal space. "That the way you think I roll?"

"Yeah." Hunter gave him a knowing smile. "I think you like being told what to do. And I don't mind being the one to do it. If not me, then Angie."

Jake's face reddened as he stepped away, heading for the front door. "Just don't fuck this up. Angie gets upset and I'll knock you into next week."

"Right back at you." Hunter raised his mug. "Have a good day."

It was Friday afternoon when Angela slipped the key into the lock of her office, desperate to cool off. She'd dressed as casual as she dared, a white blouse with a long skirt and matching beige jacket.

She'd have given anything to be in her jean shorts and T-shirt, but the judge would have had a coronary if she'd shown up for court dressed like that.

Of course, he worked all day in an air-conditioned office.

The recent heat wave had taken its toll, and walking out of the cool courtroom into the furnace blast of the parking lot made her long for the winter.

Yeah right, she thought as she walked over to turn on the air-conditioner. Remember that when you're waist-deep in snow and having to shovel out the driveway because you won't let your mother do it.

Call your men over, the evil voice at the back of her mind joked. Put them against each other and see who finishes first.

Then everyone strips, and you get the winner.

And the loser.

Angela ducked and put her face right in front of the initial blast of warm air, trying to banish the images from her mind.

The attempt didn't work.

Now all she could think about was being with them again, a hot surge racing through her body at the sensual memories.

Sunday night had been odd, lying in bed alone. It felt strange to be without their heated bodies around her, caressing her with sleepy, tired hands.

She'd woken early on Monday, grumpier than usual and already hungry for their next rendezvous. It had taken repeated efforts to get out of bed and head downstairs for breakfast before going to her office.

The rest of the week had been a lonely one without interacting with either man. The Glen Barrow Badgers had a successful road trip with Hunter's excellent coaching, her news feed updating almost daily with their wins. Every time someone posted a video, Angela searched it for Hunter, hungry to see his tight, athletic body in action. It was obvious by his body language he was mentally out on the court with his players, pushing them to win.

Jake had been easier to track.

Wednesday morning there'd been a knock on the door, surprising both Angela and her mother. Mary-Ann had found Jake on the porch, offering to take Angela out for breakfast before she had to go to work.

The strained look on his face shocked her, and she'd pulled him into a hug, not daring to ask why. Mary-Ann hadn't hesitated to bring him inside, noting she'd heard about a three-car fatal accident nearby on the morning news and guessed Jake had been there to deal with the carnage.

In the end, the police chief sat down to a full breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast whipped up by the two women, his soft-spoken answers tugging at Angela's heartstrings. She'd been shocked at the sadness in his eyes as his words hinted at what he'd seen and dealt with. Angela hadn't forgotten the talks they'd had in college about the stress of being in law enforcement, and here it was, right in front of her.

Jake thanked Mary-Ann for her kindness and gave Angela a light kiss before heading back to his apartment with a smile and a weak joke, his mood obviously lighter from the interaction.

The exchange earned her a curious look from her mother and a short speech.

"I don't mind you dating both men," she'd said as they cleared the table. "But be honest with each of them. It's flattering to have two men fighting over you in theory but ugly in reality."

Angela knew there was no use in trying to explain.

Not yet, anyway.

The office's front door opened and the tiny bell rang, bringing her out of her reverie.

She winced before putting on her game face.

Can I at least get cool before—?

Angela looked up and froze.

Hunter stood there with a pair of ice cream cones in his hands. He wore his team T-shirt, the gold and black colors with the cartoon animal on the front. The two waffle cones were loaded up to a dangerous height, the swirled mountains demanding immediate attention.

He cocked his head to one side. "Please tell me you still like butter pecan."

"What—?" She walked around the desk and took one of the cones. "You were supposed to be out of town until tomorrow."

Hunter pulled a handful of paper napkins from his pocket and handed one to her before tossing the rest onto her desk. "Last game was canceled. Bad storm ripped up the campus and damaged the gym. No one was hurt but we had to reschedule the game." He drew his tongue up over the top of the creamy treat. "So I grabbed a rental car and zipped back here ahead of the team. Said I had paperwork to do and I'd meet them here." He locked eyes with her and reached out to edge a single page across her desk. "Paperwork done."

She reached out and flipped the CLOSED sign in the window.

They ate at her desk, paper napkins sprawled over her file folders and laptop keyboard in case of accidents. Angela stayed in her chair while Hunter perched himself on the edge of her desk, swinging his jean-clad legs.

"So. Good." Angela licked her lips. "I'd forgotten how delicious this could be on a hot day."

"Don't they have ice cream in Philly?" Hunter asked.

"Not this good." She got to work on the waffle cone, biting off small pieces. "I don't remember Glen Barrow ever being this hot."

"Because we never stayed outside during these days." He laughed. "Don't you remember? We'd go up to my room with the ceiling fan."

"That was fun." She caught a dribble before it reached her fingers. "We'd get all sweaty again. Sort of defeated the purpose."

"Don't confuse the issue with facts." He munched on the last of his cone. "I still have the ceiling fan, if you remember."

Angela coughed as a sliver of ice burned her tongue. "Bain feeze."

"Touch your tongue to the top of your mouth," Hunter prompted. "It works. Promise."

She did so, wincing as the daggers retreated from her mind.

He licked his fingers before reaching for one of the napkins. "Right. Lock up the office, and let's go."

"Hunter." Angela scrambled for a reason even as she finished off her own ice cream. "I can't take the rest of the day off." She gestured at the file folders under the napkins. "I've got work to do."

"Why not? It's three o'clock already." He gestured at the generic wall clock she'd put up on the wall. "Kids would be getting out of school about now, if we were still in school."

She glared at him, annoyed at his cocky attitude. "We're not kids anymore."

"No. We're not." He stood up and walked around the desk. "We're adults. And adults get to do fun stuff like this."

Before she could react, Hunter's hands went around her hips, gripping hard. He grunted as he lifted her up on the edge of the desk with her legs swinging free.

His lips met hers, cool from the ice cream and tasting of vanilla.

The chill quickly retreated under his onslaught, his hands slipping up under the blazer and pulling at her blouse.

Angela moaned. "It's not—-"

"I missed you." The smug smile sent her pulse racing. "It's been a long, hard couple of days. Emphasis on the 'hard' part."

She put her hands on his forearms, undecided if she wanted to push him away or pull him closer.

"What about Jake?" Angela said, her mind spinning.

Hunter moved back, frowning. "What about him?"

"I'm not sure…" She sucked in her lower lip, fighting through her feelings. "I'm not sure if we should be doing this here, without him."

Hunter eyed her. "We never talked about it."

"Would you be okay if I saw him, alone? Without you?"

A flash of jealousy in his eyes said volumes.

"I wouldn't like it," Hunter confessed, "but I'd respect your wishes." His hands stilled. "Your call."

"I think..." She shook her head. "I think we'll have to talk about it next time we all get together. You weren't even supposed to be back in town before now." Angela swallowed hard. "But I'm not into thinking much right now."

"I'll talk to Jake about it." He smiled. "This one can be all on me if he gets upset."

"Okay." Her mind checked out as his hands began to move again, caressing her soft skin. "I saw you on the court," Angela murmured. "You looked good."

"Thank you." He entwined his fingers in hers before placing her hands to each side, palm-down on the desk. "Keep them there."

She couldn't hold back a shiver as he ran his long, slender hands along her legs before sliding under her skirt. His fingers danced along her bare thighs before skimming her underwear.

"No panty-hose?" he whispered as he leaned in to nibble on her earlobe.

"Too. Hot." Her mind spun as one hand nudged her legs apart.

"Good." He pulled back and winked at her. His mischievous grin sent a flash of heat through her body, banishing the last of the ice-cream chill. "Makes this easier."

Hunter dropped to his knees and buried his head between her legs, rolling his hands around her hips to bring her closer to the edge of the desk.

Angela threw her arms out to brace herself, clutching up napkins and pages in her hands as Hunter dropped kisses along her inner thigh, swinging back and forth to give each leg equal attention.

"This is my office. We can't—" She rolled her head back as his fingers traced the inside of her thigh, soft gentle caresses tugging her underwear free.

"But I can." A finger slipped over her and into her. "And I will."

Angela moaned as his tongue followed suit.

Hunter had reached nirvana.

He'd never understood why or how men could dislike this, claim they only did it when forced to or—worse—refused to do it at all. Whenever he heard someone mutter a complaint or sigh about their wife or girlfriend being selfish, Hunter wanted to grab him or her by the lapels and give them a good shake.

There was something about going down on a woman, something mystical.

Something addictive.

It was like Christmas and his birthday rolled into one.

He shifted his knees as her hand dug through his hair, tangling and gripping. Hunter held back a yelp of pain, grinning at the familiar demands.

Some things never change.

His attention returned to Angela and to the delicate triangular temple at which he was busy worshiping. It was dark under her skirt, but he didn't need to see his target.

He could smell her arousal, hear the squeak she made as he ripped her panties in half and dropped the remnants on the floor.

Hunter laughed at her response. He trailed his hand along the inside of her thigh, thrilling to the muscle tremors rocking her leg.

If I recall correctly, he said to himself, if I touch her here—

He pressed his thumb against the tiny bud.

The answering gasp told him he was right.

Hunter smirked as he slid two fingers into her, one hand moving to hold her hip and steady him as he followed up the actions of his thumb with his tongue, dragging it over her with a slowness he knew she hated.

Her nails scratched his scalp and he grunted, his own arousal growing. It was a desirable side effect of this particular act, shooting him from zero to near-eruption in minutes.

One time he'd strung her along for the better part of an hour, stopping to suck on some ice cubes before returning to his task.

This time, however—this time neither of them had the patience.

He loved the way she tasted, the tangy slickness on his tongue signaling she was close to coming.

"Hunter." The wheezed name dug right through to his groin, increasing the pressure triple-fold. "Don't."

You better not be trying to tell me to stop.

Because I couldn't even if I wanted to.

He pushed three fingers inside her and flicked his tongue over the delicate bud, increasing the speed and the pressure as she tugged even harder on his hair.

Come on, Angie.

Let it go.

We better have locked the door was the last coherent thought Angela had before the waves overtook her, short-circuiting her mind.

She kept a tight grip on Hunter's hair even as the rest of her went limp, her legs turning to rubber as she swallowed her screams, twisting them into painful choked grunts.

Angela leaned forward and put her hands on his shoulders as she slumped against him.

The bump under her beige skirt bobbled for a second before his head appeared. Hunter licked his lips.

"Nice. Sorry about the panties."

"No. You're. Not," Angela said, still hearing her pulse pounding in her ears. "Not."

He shrugged. "Maybe not as much as I should be. But it was well worth it." He cocked his head to one side. "Wasn't it?"

She slid forward into his lap and tumbled them both to the floor. "Very much so." Angela sighed into his neck. "You've got a good winning streak." She made short work of his jeans, pulling them open. "To the victor goes the spoils, right?"

"Yeah. Ah. Wait. I've got a condom in my wallet." He grunted as she slid her hands inside and freed him from his briefs, his hips rocking against her.

She plucked his wallet from his back pocket and got the condom out before tossing it to the side. "Remember when we used to get gold stars for a perfect test score?" Angela rolled it over him, laughing as he couldn't stop himself from thrusting into the air.

"I never got—" Hunter threw his head back, moaning as she straddled him and sank down.

Angela smiled, thrilling to his reaction as she swayed back and forth, her hands on his shoulders to stay balanced. Hunter let out a whimper, signaling he was close to coming.

She put her lips to his ear. "Time to collect your stars." She clenched herself around him with the last of her strength and held her breath.

"Damn." Hunter threw his arms around her and let out a sharp cry, emptying himself into her.

They sat there for a few minutes, both of them breathless.

"Sorry." Hunter croaked into her ear. "Didn't mean to set a speed record."

Angela kissed him and got to her feet. She reached behind her and took hold of the desk for support. "You've been faster. And slower."

Hunter sprawled on the floor. "Still got a way with words." He levered himself up and fumbled with his jeans. The condom went into the nearby garbage can, covered with a handful of paper napkins. "Want to come home with me?"

"I wish." She couldn't help looking at her desk. "But I've got too much work here to play hooky for the rest of the day."

He got up, smacking his lips. "Yeah. Me too. But I had to see you." He cocked his head to one side and gave her a smoldering look. "I had to taste you."

Angela dug her nails into the varnished wood, steadying herself under the emotional onslaught. "Thanks for the visit."

"I'll call you later." He twisted the last word upward, making it a question.

"Yes, you will." Angela pushed herself off the desk and went to the door. She flipped the sign around. "Thanks for the snack."

Jake stared at the line of cars waiting to edge around the accident site, the single college security guard attempting to direct traffic and failing miserably. The ambulance pulled away, lights flashing, and the firemen began cleaning up the mess. The tow-truck driver hooked the chain to the undercarriage of the wreck, preparing to take it away.

Not what he'd planned for this time of day. If he'd been on schedule, he'd still be sound asleep, dreaming of Angela and eager to get off night shift and see her.

Jake plucked his radio mike off of his shoulder and called in to update Grace.

"They're almost finished here. No casualties, thank goodness. Damned kids took the turn too fast. Safety rail kept them on the road but barely."

Her contrite tone helped soothe his anger at getting only a few hours of sleep. "That's good to hear. Sorry to pull you in early, sweetie. But Phil's still in the bathroom, throwing up. Whatever he ate is still whipping his insides up something awful."

"Serves him right for getting a sandwich from the gas station. Tell him he owes me a half shift." He stopped, seeing Hunter's black Charger slide into a parking spot. "I'll hang around for a bit longer, make sure we're all good. See you soon." He walked toward the coach's car.

"Hey." Hunter got out and looked over at the accident scene. "How bad?"

"Insurance people are going to be annoyed but nothing more than bumps and bruises. Kids got lucky this time. Hopefully, it'll take and they'll slow the hell down on that curve." He eyed the basketball coach. "I thought you were out of town until tomorrow."

"Got a chance to come home early, so I took it." Hunter gestured at his car. "Grabbed a rental and got back home a few hours ago. We had a good run, excellent teamwork. Players are hungry, and they're channeling it into wins."

Jake studied the man as they got closer, his law enforcement training kicking in.

Flushed. Clothing in disarray.

Is the son of a bitch is fooling around on—?

A light breeze drifted in, and Jake fought to keep from snarling.

He was tired but not tired enough not to pick up the distinctive scent emanating off of the basketball coach.

It was one he was intimately familiar with.

His emotions warred with each other, fluctuating between wishing Hunter had been with another woman and glad he wasn't cheating on Angela.

Hunter came within a few feet, his hands jammed in the front pockets of his jeans. "Thought you were on night shift."

"Angie." Jake frowned. "You've been with her."

"Just came from her office. Took a long lunch." Hunter crossed his arms and cocked his head to one side, eying him. "You got a problem?"

"Maybe." Nerves already stoked from sleep deprivation, Jake advanced on Hunter. "Seriously? Don't you have any damned class? First in your God damned car and now in her office." He waved his arm around. "Woman like that deserves better than to be banged on her desk like you're still students, sneaking around."

Hunter studied him with cool blue eyes showing no signs of regret. "I didn't know we had set up rules about where and when we could be with Angie. Or that you thought you could order me around like one of your flunkies." He licked his lips, sending Jake's pulse soaring. "Maybe next time, I'll call you over and you can watch. Might learn something."

A red haze of rage enveloped Jake.

Angela grumbled as she bashed her keyboard, writing yet another e-mail to the opposing lawyer regarding an ongoing paternity case. The prospective father was digging his heels in, determined to avoid paying child support and claiming the young woman was seeing other men at the same time they were dating. It was crap, of course, but she couldn't say that directly. Instead, she dug through her thesaurus to find the right words to call his client a jackass who needed to pay the hell up.

She finished off the e-mail and sent it, wishing she'd taken Hunter up on his offer to take the rest of the day off. But business was business and she wasn't at the point financially where she could take off on a whim, even if it was with Hunter.

The ringing phone brought her up out of her annoyance. She cleared her voice and picked it up, trying to sound as professional and cheerful as possible.

Until she heard the familiar voice on the other end.

"Fuck. I'm on my way." Angela slammed the phone down and let loose with a series of curses, using every one she knew and a few she made up on the spur of the moment.

I'll kill them both.

The drive to the police station was long enough for her to work most of her fury out in the car, yelling with the windows rolled up and the radio at full blast. To anyone watching her, it'd seem she was belting out the latest Katy Perry song at the top of her lungs.

It helped lower her blood pressure as she parked and got out, trying to ignore any curious looks coming her way.

The afternoon might have started off well, but it was ending in the worst possible way.

Grace stood up as Angela entered the police station. "Glad you could come straight over." She jerked a thumb at the back of the office area, where the holding cell was located. "I figured you'd be the best one to deal with this."

"Oh, I am." Angela walked up to her desk. "Thanks for calling me." She couldn't keep from scowling. "I thought Jake was on night shift."

"He is." The elderly dispatcher pointed at the nearby whiteboard listing the different shifts and the officers assigned. "Had an accident on the college campus. Their security needed help dealing with it, and Phil was too sick to go. I ended up calling Jake out of bed to send him over, to supervise the cleanup and make sure everyone did the right thing." Grace let out a huff. "If I had known what sort of trouble it was going to cause, I'd have let him sleep and told the security officer to make do on his own. As it was, I had to pull Phil out of the bathroom and send him over to scoop them up and bring them back here, toss them into holding so he could get back to throwing up." She wrinkled her nose. "Makes me very glad we women have our own bathroom. I wouldn't wish that cleanup on my worst enemy."

"Any idea what prompted it?" She hoped against hope it was something simple like a parking ticket or an expired faculty tag.

"Word is, your name came up repeatedly while they were wrestling around on the ground like a pair of little kids." Grace eyed her. "Can't say I'm surprised. You shouldn't be either."

Angela massaged her temples with both hands, trying to fend off the incoming migraine.

"You going to be okay?" Grace touched her shoulder, bringing Angela back up to meet the dispatcher's eyes.

"I—" Angela pressed her palm to her forehead. "It's complicated."

"Of course it is."

Angela frowned at the abrupt response.

"Honey, I've buried two husbands and got my eye on a third if Eddie at the car dealership ever asks me. Strong men got strong feelings, and you can't tell them not to be who they are. All you can do is point them in the right direction and hope they figure out how to make it work." She glanced at the back of the room. "Neither of them wants to file charges against the other, but I told them to stay put, see if the college or someone on the town council wants to visit and chew them out."

"And they listened to you?" Angela smiled despite the situation.

Grace laughed. "Looks to me like they've got some experience listening to a woman telling them what to do. I told them to sit down and shut up. The police chief and the head coach brawling in public—that can't happen again."

"Did you tell them you called me?"

"No. Figured it'd be a surprise. No one's called in the past hour from the town council or the college, so I'm thinking they're free to go." She put a metal ring on the edge of her desk with a single key dangling free. "Haven't told them yet. Thought you'd like to keep them behind bars so you could have a few words with them. The station's pretty well empty, so if you want to yell, feel free. Might knock some sense into their thick skulls."

"I might do that. Thank you," Angela said.

The senior dispatcher strolled away, headed for the break room at the opposite end of the floor.

Angela sighed and picked up the key ring.

She turned down the small hall at the end of the corridor and came to the holding cell.

Hunter sat on one end of the long stone bench, sporting a black eye. At the opposite end, pressed against the wall, Jake sat with drying blood smeared across his upper lip.

She glared at the two men, daring them to speak first.

They stayed silent, their reddening faces the only reaction to her appearance.

"I can't—" She crossed her arms and paced back and forth in front of the bars. "We—- You both agreed to—" The words stuck in her throat, choking her thoughts. All Angela could do was wave impotently at the pair, her heart breaking at the sight of the two men she loved most in this world at each other's throats.

She found the strength to fight past the pain and speak. "If you can't do this, if you won't do this, then tell me. Don't lie to me and—and—"

The wave of emotion shattered her, pulled her down in the one visitor's chair where she covered her face with her hands, holding back tears.

"Angie." Hunter got to his feet first, charging at the bars. "Don't. Please, don't." He glared at Jake.

The policeman jumped up and came over as well. He ignored Hunter, addressing Angela directly. "Look, I'm sorry." Jake ran a finger over his blood-encrusted chin. He shook his head, his hands pulled up into fists. "He got out of the car and all I could imagine was you, you with him. I lost it. I was wrong." Jake pointed at Hunter. "But damn it, you can't flaunt her in my face like that. I can't—" He stopped and shook his head.

Angela took some tissue from her purse and wiped her eyes. "Okay. Okay." She sniffled, the throbbing at the back of her neck increasing in intensity. "All I want to know is—" She hesitated, afraid to put it into words. "Is this over?"

"What?"

"This. Us." She gestured at the air between them. "What we had. What we have, what we were trying to make together. The three of us."

Jake frowned, his deep green eyes searching hers. "No. Of course not."

"Are you sure?" She threw the key ring at him. "Because if you're going to go around punching Hunter each time I'm with him—"

"He got a lucky shot in." Hunter's smile was forced. He gestured at the cop. "I did a much better job as you can see. Didn't break his nose, though."

The attempt at humor didn't work.

"What I want to know, what I need to know." She watched Jake fidget with the lock from inside the cell. "Was that night, that special night just the two of you humoring me, going along with it to shut me up?" Her voice was hoarse. "Was it as special to you as it was to me, or am I lying to myself? Because if it was nothing more than just a way of getting me in bed, giving in to my fantasy, then say so and we'll go right back to the two of you fighting over me." She sighed. "And if you do, be fucking aware I might not pick either of you. Not now."

Jake dropped the key on the floor and swung the door open.

He advanced on her as Hunter hung back, his right eye almost swollen shut.

"I said I was sorry." He spread his hands. She saw the dried blood on his uniform shirt, scarlet stains extending almost to his waist. "I just—" Jake closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "I wasn't ready to deal with it in the real world. Outside the hotel room." He opened his eyes and jerked a thumb back at Hunter. "When we were there with you, it was our world. There was no one else, nobody else. But out here there's car crashes and dead people—everything I want to forget about when I'm with you." His deep green eyes met hers. "I couldn't wrap my mind around putting those two worlds together. But I'd like another chance to try." He turned to Hunter and stood at attention as if on the parade ground.

He stuck out his hand and waited for Hunter's reaction. "I'm sorry. I was totally at fault for this."

Hunter didn't hesitate, taking Jake's hand and shaking it. "I'm sorry too. And there's enough blame to go around. We didn't talk about this before and we should have. Back at my place, when we'd calmed down, we should have set guidelines for something like this. I got back early and I got greedy." He gave a wistful nod. "I pushed you, and I shouldn't have." He looked at Angela. "We're all new at this. I don't think we should break up after one fight." A sly smile appeared. "You didn't break up with me when you believed I was screwing that cheerleader."

"What?" Jake looked at Hunter. "Are you kidding me?" He scowled. "Mary-Ann should have castrated you."

"I said 'thought', not that I did. And trust me that was a definite fear. She wasn't too enthralled with me dating Angie in the first place, and this would have been a nail in my coffin. Along with a whole lot of other places." Hunter crossed his arms, peering through his one good eye at the cop. "I most definitely wasn't interested. Head cheerleader figured she'd add a little spice to her life by walking on the wild side. Wanted a notch on her belt for dating the bad boy." He chuckled. "Came to me at my locker and asked me out to a movie. I told her to get lost 'cause I was faithful to Angie. She couldn't believe I wouldn't want a piece of her and started the rumor I'd dumped Angie and we were dating. Word got back fast enough and Angie was having none of it. You should have been there when Angie confronted me at my locker and demanded I tell her the truth, in front of everyone. Thought we were over, right there and then."

"We'd only been together a few weeks, and I was still insecure about dating you. Perfect time for Trixie to start something." Angela couldn't help smiling at the memory as she wiped her face again. "But you told me the truth, and I believed you. We both told her to screw off and she did, with her nose in the air, as if we cared." She bundled the tissue into a tight ball before taking a staggered breath, centering herself. "Okay. We'll call this a fumble on the field."

Hunter shook his head. "Football. You're talking football. Right here in front of me." He tugged at his bloodied shirt. "Right in front of the Badger."

Jake let out a sharp laugh, taking her hands in his. "Thank you." He nodded to Hunter who returned the gesture.

She leaned in and brushed her lips against Jake's, painfully aware of his bloodied state. "You better go make up with Grace. She's in the break room trying to figure out what the hell is going on."

"Yeah. That gossip train's about to leave the station, and we're already on board." Jake gave her a wistful smile. "People are bound to be talking, and we'd have to deal with this sooner or later." He pointed at Hunter before swinging his finger back to Angela. "I'd much rather put the truth out there than have people ask if you're two-timing one of us with the other. It's not good for any of us to keep ducking and covering, and we can't do it much longer."

"You want to go public?" Hunter asked. "Now?"

Jake rolled his shoulders back. "You got any other options, I'm willing to hear it."

"Go back to the original story—she's still deciding between us." Hunter looked at Angela. "It's your call."

She put her fingers to her eyes, pressing lightly. "Shit. This is exactly what I worried about when this entire thing started."

"Well—" Jake tilted his head to one side. "You could choose one of us."

"No." Angela stood up. "I'm not going to play that game."

"What game?" he asked.

"The one where I play along because it's what society wants, what they expect." She slashed the air with one hand. "That's what I got with Eric. Behave yourself, follow the rules. Suck up to the partners, don't step out of line. That got me Eric and heartbreak." She drew a deep breath. "No. More. I'll live my life the way I want it, how I want it."

"No matter the cost?" Hunter said quietly.

Angela shook her head. "I know what I want—but I can't decide for you two."

Jake rubbed his chin. "I'm still undecided. Don't want to make a life-changing decision based on one night together." He grinned. "One fantastic, mind-blowing night—but it's still just one night."

"That's fair." Hunter nodded. "How about we give it a month together before declaring it to the world? Do it exactly as if it's one-on-one dating. Usually you don't call it a relationship until you spend a few weeks together." He looked from one to the other. "I think that's fair."

"You're right." Angela said. "If anyone asks, tell them I'm still making up my mind. It's not a total lie." She looked at each of them in turn. "We good on this?"

"Got it." Jake rolled his shoulders. "I'm off to thank and apologize to Grace, then go home and grab a fast shower and nap before I'm back on at midnight."

"When's your next weekend off?" Hunter asked.

"Next week."

"Let's plan for next Saturday. My place." He locked eyes with Jake. "Promise, we won't do anything until then."

"Don't." Jake held his hand up. "I don't want you to be miserable because of me. Do what you want, when you want. It'll help keep the illusion up that she wants only one of us—if that's what it turns out to be." One edge of his mouth twisted upward. "But maybe stop looking so damned smug. Because you're going to grab a quickie and go straight to your practice and your players are going to notice real fast and make a good guess where you've been. Might make it a little hard to be all tough-guy on them."

Hunter gave a short, sharp laugh. "Agreed. That's on me." He looked at Angela. "Been out of practice in dealing with this type of thing. Relationships, that is."

Angela closed her eyes. She was, in a word, toasted. Between the romantic interlude with Hunter and the fight with Jake, she was done for the day.

"I'm going home." She held up a finger. "No one call me. Please. I don't think I can deal with much more today, and all I want is a stiff drink and to go to bed." Her eyes narrowed as she glared at each man. "Alone."

She spun around, not waiting for an answer, and headed for the door.

I might still kill them both.

Except I'd have to figure out where to dump the bodies.

Sally winced as she walked into Hunter's office with the icepack in one hand, a glass of water in the other. "He got you good."

Hunter looked up with his one good eye. "I held back. Wouldn't be good for the police chief to get beaten up in public."

"Of course not. How considerate of you." She handed him the pack, placed the glass on his desk, and seated herself in the chair opposite the basketball coach.

He tossed the painkillers in his mouth and sipped the water in silence.

She didn't move.

He placed the chilled pack on his face and winced before settling back and closing his eyes. "You've got something to say. Don't need both eyes to see that."

"People are talking."

"Of course they are."

"They're asking if it's been settled."

"If what's been settled?"

"You. Angela Kenzie. Jake."

Hunter sighed. Even though they'd talked about it an hour ago, he still wasn't mentally ready to deal with the fallout. "We're dating. Nothing more, nothing less. That's what you can tell anyone who asks. And tell them to mind their own damned business."

"And Chief Weatherly? Is he out?"

"He's—" Hunter paused, realizing he'd hit the wall. "He's good. We're good. All of us—" He waved his hand. "Angela's still making up her mind. Don't worry, you'll be the first to know when she figures out what she wants."

It was the best he could muster, given the circumstances.

Silence filled the air as he adjusted the icepack.

"Well, she'd be a fool to turn you away—in my opinion."

The squeak of the office chair told him she'd gotten up.

"Might want to practice your speech. Because if people hadn't noticed something was going on between you three before, they sure know now. Along with the faculty."

"You heard something from the higher-ups?" Hunter's stomach twisted into knots.

"No. Not likely to, since neither of you are pressing charges. It's a bit of hot gossip that'll be gone in a day or so." Sally's steps led her to the door. "You're here to win championships, and you do that well. Don't give anyone a reason to get rid of you. Stop fighting in public, in other words."

"Done and done." Hunter sighed as he adjusted the cold pack. "Thanks, Sally." He opened one eye to study the calendar.

One week from tomorrow.

Hopefully I'll be able to see by then.

Angela pulled up into the driveway, still annoyed from the day's events. She'd ended up closing the office not long after getting back from the police station, unable to focus. She gritted her teeth as she saw Mary-Ann in the window, watching her come up the path and onto the porch.

"Sounds like you've had quite the day." her mother said as she came into the living room.

"I guess you've heard." Angela went into the kitchen to get a glass of iced tea. Mary-Ann followed her and sat at the table.

Angela filled her glass and turned toward her, waiting.

There was no way she was going to get out of this unscathed.

"Two men get into a fistfight over you. Sort of flattering. But hardly practical."

Angela stayed silent, letting her mother continue.

"Look." Mary-Ann crossed her arms. "I get you like both men. I do—they're both fine fellows. But people are beginning to talk. I tell them it's your business and none of mine but they keep asking." She smiled. "They're both good men. Grown up strong and I can see they both love you beyond words. When you came back here, I wasn't sure what was going to happen; all I wanted was for you to be happy, find someone you could share your life with. You got super lucky, something most women never find once, never mind twice. But at some point, you have to choose."

Angela grabbed at a loose strand of hair and tucked it behind one ear. "What would you think of me if I wanted them both?"

Mary-Ann frowned. "What?"

"I—" Angela sat opposite her. "This wasn't the way I wanted to talk about this." She shook her head and stared into her glass. "I—"

"Both of them." Her mother pursed her lips and looked at the wall for a minute before turning back. "What the hell happened to you in Philly?"

A laugh bubbled up from under the tension, escaping in a soft chuckle. "Nothing. I just want to keep my options open."

"I hear you, but still…" She sighed. "You do what you want to do, what you need to do. Just be careful—you got your heart broken once, I don't want to see it again. And when you decide, you let me know first." Her smile was genuine, banishing the last of the fears from Angela's heart.

"Thanks, mom." Angela pulled her into a hug, relief flooding her senses. "I love you."