“Did you sleep with her?” Kai and Baker exchanged glances when Glenn stepped forward, a pulse throbbing in his neck.
Murry shook his head, holding a fresh beer in his grip, ready to open it. Kai straightened his shoulders, ready to block the man if that bottle went anywhere other than straight to the fighter’s mouth.
Murry laughed, taking his time to glance down at Glenn’s balled fist, then at Kai and Baker before he twisted the cap off the bottle. “I didn’t fuck her.” He took a swig, sighing when the QB didn’t seem to calm. “I offered, but she turned me down straight away.”
“Good,” Glenn said, glancing to Kai before he nodded.
But Kai had his own question and at the moment, it didn’t matter to him who knew what it was. “And Gia Jilani?”
Murry’s mouth dropped open, like he hadn’t expected Kai to know how the date had been arranged. But if Kai had learned anything about Gia, it was that she never left anything important to others. She’d lied to him about Ricks’ job being in trouble just to get him back to New Orleans. She’d probably do whatever she had to get Murry to agree to a date with Reese. “She met with you, didn’t she?” Kai stepped closer, his throat closing up when he thought about Gia being in the same room with this asshole.
“You think I fucked her?” The man laughed again, his gaze shifting to Glenn when he came to Kai’s side. “Jaysus, what do they put in the water in this city? Territorial fucks, aren’t you?” Kai moved closer, but Baker was behind him, grabbing his arm. Murry seemed to notice, watching the three of them, his attention shifting to each of their faces until he stared right at Kai. “Her I’d offer, but I didn’t that night. Or maybe I did. If I’m honest, I have no idea. When the lady came here to finalize the details, I was proper bladdered. So, I could have fucked her. I could have signed over my soul, who bloody knows?”
Kai leaned forward when Murry waggled his eyebrows, then turned, brushing past Glenn and Baker and through the doors. He ignored the men who called after him—his QB who asked him why he cared what Gia did, Baker who had no idea what was going on, and Lennox Murry, who seemed to wish he could remember the GM.
“If she’s got you this fucking sprung, mate, she must be a beautiful ride.” He came to the door, still laughing. “You best find a way to keep her!”
But Kai only had one plan in mind when it came to Gia that night and it had nothing to do with keeping her for himself.
IF SHE DIDN’T ANSWER, Kai would…break down the door?
No. Not that. He was mad. He was jealous, but Kai was not an asshole. He wasn’t some bullying jackass.
Not always.
But he had to know. Gia was clever. She was shrewd. She’d navigated the league without sacrificing who she was—at least, that’s what Kai assumed. No, that’s what he believed.
So why the hell did he distrust every voice in his head telling him Gia would never sleep with someone like Lennox Murry just to get Reese some free publicity?
The large numbers stared down at him. 4D in big, bold font that Kai had watched for months, waiting for her to answer, willing her to swallow her pride and simply open the door. She’d ignored him, hid from him so many times.
He wouldn’t let her tonight.
Banging once, he hurried with another knock, this one punctuated by his voice. “Gia, open the damn door! I need to talk to you.” He heard the noise of a television, maybe a radio lowering and then knocked again. “Gia, come on. I have to talk to you…now!”
The apartment got quieter and then came her footsteps. Kai stepped back when the door opened, glancing once at her in front of him wearing a pair of yoga pants and a lace tank. He tried not to linger too long at the swell of her cleavage or the cut lines of her biceps.
He didn’t wait for her to invite him in, moving the door open wider, turning quick to shut it closed before he caged her against the wall.
“What…are you…”
“Did you sleep with Lennox Murry?”
Gia stared at him, dropping her mouth open, squinting as though she wasn’t sure what Kai had asked her. If she knew, it didn’t seem to