Chapter Eighteen

Jordyn Love POV

Te'a Cooper caught my eye during warm-ups. Something about her was different. Confident. Magnetic. The way she moved on the court? Smooth as hell.

"You look good out there Jordy," she told me after practice, standing close enough that I could smell her perfume. Expensive. Grown woman type of scent.

I'd been avoiding the tension. The looks. The way her hand seemed to find reasons to touch me. A hand on my back. Fingers brushing mine when we passed water bottles. Small moments that meant nothing.

Or everything.

My phone buzzed. A'ja.

My love🫂: Miss you.

I stared at the message. Typed. Deleted. Typed again.

Jordy❤️: Miss you too.

The words felt like lies before they even sent.

"Drinks?" Te'a asked that night. Not a question. More like a statement. An invitation I knew I shouldn't accept.

But I did anyway.

The bar was some underground spot in Dallas. The kind of place where the music was low, the lights were dimmer, and secrets got born. T knew the bartender. Of course she did.

"Two," she said, sliding onto the barstool. "Whiskey. Neat."

I shouldn't have been there. Should've been on FaceTime with A'ja. Should've been thinking about home. About us.

But I wasn't.

She leaned in. Close. Too close.

"You're different," she said. Her voice was low. Dangerous. "Not like the other players."

The first drink went down smooth. The second, smoother.

By the third, her hand was on my thigh. Right by my dick. I didn't move it away.

"Your wife know you're out?" she asked teasingly , and something in her tone made my stomach flip.

"She knows I'm in Dallas," I responded. Half-truth. Always half-truths.

Her laugh was dangerous. "Not what I meant."

Another drink. Another touch. Another moment I could've stopped. Should've stopped.

But I didn't.

The club was a blur of lights and sound. Te'a's body against mine. Dancing. Moving. Closer than teammates should.

My phone kept buzzing. A'ja. The group chat. Ignored.

"We should go," she whispered. Her breath was hot against my ear.

I should've said no.

I didn't.

Her place was close. Modern. Clean. Nothing like the home A'ja and I shared.

"You don't have to," she said. But we both knew I would.

The first kiss was slow. Calculated. The kind of kiss that breaks marriages.

I thought about A'ja. About the life we'd built. About the baby we'd talked about.

But in that moment? I didn't care.

The line between right and wrong blurred. Disappeared.

And I crossed it.

Completely. Utterly. Without hesitation.

My phone lay forgotten. A'ja's last message still unread.

My love🫂: You okay?

Jordy❤️: Perfect.

The biggest lie I'd ever told. The morning after wasn't what I expected.

Te'a moved different. Confident. Like what happened between us was always meant to happen.

"Breakfast?" she asked, pulling on a tank top that showed off tattoos I hadn't fully noticed last night. Each one looked like it told a story.

I should've said no. Should've called A'ja. Should've done a million things different.

Instead, I said, "What you got?"

Her kitchen was nothing like ours. Modern. Clean. Minimal. Not the cozy chaos A'ja and I had built together. Family photos everywhere. Memories stacked like promises.

T made eggs. Watched me eat like I was something she'd been waiting to taste for years.

"Practice later," she said. Not a question. A statement.

My phone buzzed. Ignored.

Another text from A'ja. Another missed call.

The guilt should've been crushing. But all I felt was this twisted sense of freedom. Like I'd been holding my breath my whole life and finally let it go.

"You good?" Te'a asked.

I nodded. Lied easy.

The thing about cheating? It's not about the sex. It's about the moments in between. The stolen glances. The secret messages. The way your body feels electric with something forbidden.

Practice was different that day. Te'a's hand on my back felt different. Possessive. Like she was marking territory.

My teammates noticed something had shifted. Couldn't put their finger on it. But something was different.

"You seem... different," Lexie, one of my favorite teammates, said during our water break.

I shrugged. Said nothing.

Te'a watched. Smiled that dangerous smile.

My phone continued to buzz. A'ja's name flashing. Ignored.

I knew what I was doing. Knew I was playing with fire.

Didn't care.

Somewhere in Nevada, A'ja was waiting. Probably planning our future. Thinking about the baby we'd talked about.

I thought about that test. The one she'd taken. The one she hadn't told me about.

But in that moment? With Te'a hand brushing mine? I didn't care about any of it.

The tournament was ending soon. Dallas would become a memory.

But some memories? They stick harder than others.

Some choices? They change everything.

And I was making my choice. The tournament was winding down, but something between me and Te'a was just heating up.

It wasn't just about the sex anymore. It was about the anticipation. The stolen moments. The way she looked at me when no one else was watching.

A'ja knew me. Knew every part of me. Or so I thought.

Two nights before the final game, it happened again.

We were supposed to be reviewing game footage. Strategy session. Professional.

But Te'a had other plans.

Her hand found my knee under the table. Slow. Deliberate.

"We should go over the defensive plays," she said. But her eyes said something else entirely.

I should've moved her hand. Should've kept things professional.

I didn't.

The team was staying at this high-rise hotel. Modern. Sleek. Nothing like the warm, lived-in space A'ja and I shared back home. Each room felt like a blank canvas. Perfect for secrets.

T's room was different from mine. Personal. Her energy filled every corner.

Photographs lined her dresser. Family. Basketball. Moments that told her story.

"You're quiet," she said, closing the door behind us.

I was thinking about A'ja. About the pregnancy test she was supposed it be taking soon.

Her touch was different this time. Less urgent. More deliberate.

"The final game's coming," Te'a whispered. "Everything changes after this."

I knew she wasn't just talking about basketball.

My phone continued to buzz. Ignored.

A'ja's messages. Missed calls. They were becoming background noise.

"You're playing a dangerous game," she said later, tracing the scars from my labrum surgery.

I knew she was right.

Didn't care.

The tournament's final day was approaching. Everything was about to change.

And I was ready.

But ready for what? I wasn't sure anymore.

Te'a watched from across the gym. That smile. Dangerous. Knowing.

My teammates were oblivious. Or maybe they noticed and said nothing.

The thing about betrayal? It starts small. A missed call. An ignored text. A touch that lingers too long.

Before you know it, you're somewhere you never thought you'd be.

The night before the final game, Te'a and I barely made it to her room.

Hands everywhere. Urgent. Desperate.

My phone kept buzzing. A'ja's name flashing.

I turned it off.

"You're all in?" Te'a asked. Her breath hot against my ear.

I nodded. The biggest lie I'd ever tell.

But some lies feel like truth in the moment. I wrapped my hand around her throat as I pulled her closer to kiss her, while also inhaling her addictive scent. God I love my wife I swear, but something about her made it so hard to stop.

She smiled as she pulled away and stripped slowly, causing me to get harder than ten bricks. She slowly walked closer and pushed me down after she slide down my sweats and my PSD boxers. "Mm. Can I take care of you one last time?" She said as she held eye contact. I nodded, exhaling a sharp breath and her warm, wet mouth enveloped me whole. "Fuck T!" I groaned as my hands immediately went to her hair. She sucked me something crazy before  standing up and sliding down her thong in a teasing manner. "Thanks Jordy. Mmhm I love this dick," she moaned as she slowly sat on my dick facing me. She began to move slowly while resting her hand on my face. "Fuck me Jordyn. I'm your slur for one last night," she begged. I let out a moan as I gripped her things and slammed her down onto me entirely, causing her to let out a whimper.

—————

The final game was electric. The kind of game that defines careers.

Te'a and I moved different on the court. Connected. In sync.

We won.

But winning felt hollow.

After the game, my phone exploded. Messages. Calls. Everything I'd been avoiding.

My love 🫂: We need to talk.

Those five words changed everything.

The tournament was over. Dallas was ending.

But something else was just beginning.

I looked at T across the locker room. She winked.

Knew exactly what was coming.

And I wasn't ready.

Not even close.

The drive back to the hotel was quiet. Charged. Everything felt like it was holding its breath.

Her hand found mine. Squeezed.

"Whatever happens," she whispered, "I'm here."

But was she?

My whole life had been about proving myself. About being more than people's expectations.

Now I was about to blow everything up.

And for what?

A moment. A connection. A feeling.

The hotel room felt suffocating. My phone weight heavy in my pocket.

A'ja's message burned.

We need to talk.

Three words that would change everything.

And I wasn't sure I was ready to face what was coming.