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“Is that so?” she asks, and I rub my thumb across her pulse point. Her breath catches, and she looks down at where we’re joined. “I didn’t realize there were jersey wearing rules.”
“I’m making my own rules. If you put on another guy’s jersey, I’m going to have to take it off of you.”
“That sounds like it could be fun.” Her eyes twinkle, and she smirks. “I’ve always liked a challenge. Now that I know how to rile you up, I might have to see just how far I can push.”
“You might like a challenge, but I always win.”
“We’ll see.” She wiggles free from my grip, and her fingers graze down my chest as she pulls away. I bite my tongue so hard, I think it might bleed. “Best of luck with that, Lansfield.”
Maven tosses me one more wicked grin, and I have to cover my groin with my helmet. When she takes June from Justin’s arms and heads to the protected part of the field, she makes sure to wink in my direction.
I don’t know what game we just decided to play, but if it’s anything like ourlook but don’t touchagreement, I think we’re going to have a hell of a lot of fun.
I don’t give a shit if I win or lose, because either way, I get to go home to her.
And she’s a fucking prize.
TWENTY-FOUR
DALLAS
“We meet again.”
“It’s almost like we’re roommates or something,” I say.
“How are you doing after the loss on Sunday?” Maven asks. She sits next to me on the couch and hands me a drink. “You looked pissed after the game and I haven’t really seen you since.”
She’s not wrong.
We got back late on Sunday night after our flights were delayed and we all went straight to bed when we got home. On Monday, I overslept, and she was already out with June. She sent me a message that said they were heading to the library and she’d see me that night.
On Tuesday, she went to dinner at her dad’s place. She didn’t get back to the apartment until past ten, and by then, I was already in bed.
June had a doctor’s appointment this morning, and I only saw Maven long enough to hand off JB before I headed to the stadium for the longest practice of my life.
I’ve missed her.
“I’m doing better, but I’m still pissed.” I accept the beer from her and take a sip. “I think I went in with really high expectationsfor how things would go, and I got distracted. I haven’t missed a kick that close in years.”
“The streak for most consecutive field goals made has come to an end. You’ll find a new record to break.”
“Longest field goal in history would be nice.”
Maven pauses. “I saw you deactivated your social media account,” she says slowly.
“I did. I like that you keep tabs on me, Mae. You’re such a little stalker.”
“Yup. Stalking you twenty-four seven.” She stretches out her legs, and her feet end up in my lap. I drape my arm over her shins and sigh. “I was worried about you. Do I need to hunt down some internet keyboard warriors and let their moms know they’re being jackasses?”
“No.” A laugh slips out of me, and I’m grateful for her joke. It feels like I’ve been wallowing in self-pity the last few days after the loss, and it’s nice to think something is funny. “I just needed some peace and quiet. Things get loud a lot of the time, especially after a loss, and blocking everyone out helps. Maybe it’s cowardly, but I don’t care.”
“It’s not cowardly at all. It’s called protecting your mental health, and it’s important.”
“Wish the league felt the same way,” I sigh.
“The league sucks. I remember when Shawn had a panic attack on the sidelines during one of your games. You guys were understanding of what happened, but he was still fined for leaving the stadium early. Fucking bullshit.”
I smile at the fire in her voice. The protection of the people she cares about comes through each word with fierce determination. She’s not just saying it to cheer me up, either. The commissioner himself could be sitting in the room with us and she’d say the exact same thing to him.
