She considered that seriously before nodding. “I’m a really good leader. Like my dad.”
The match started with a whistle, and the teams surged forward. Bodies collided, feet pounded, voices echoed across thefield. I had no idea what was happening, but the intensity made my pulse race.
Ben was right in the middle of everything. Where the action was thickest, he was there—directing, shouting, charging forward. He moved with the power of a player who’d paid his dues and knew the ball was rightly his.
And those shorts…dear god. Whoever designed rugby uniforms clearly had no concern for the emotional well-being of spectators. His thick thighs flexed with every stride, muscles corded and strong. I wanted to stand up and cheer with the rest of the crowd—probably for entirely different reasons.
Or maybe not. I couldn’t have been the only fan of his thighs.
“Oh no!” Katty shouted as a cluster of players tried to tackle Ben. He managed to twist free, running several yards before he was pulled down. “Benny! Is he okay?”
“He’s fine,” Nate assured her. “That’s part of it. See how fast he got up? He’s a tank.”
“An incredibly fast tank,” Adrian added, his gaze sharp on the field.
I wasn’t clear on the rules of the game, but it didn’t matter. My eyes kept finding Ben. Every time the ball left his hands, every time he shouted an order or clapped a teammate on the back, something warm and unfamiliar coiled in my chest. Pride, I thought. This man was something special, and his teammates obviously trusted him with everything.
The camera feed on the Jumbotron zoomed in on him for a second. Sweat glistened on his forehead, and his jaw was so tight, it rippled. His expression was fierce and determined. I’d never seen him look that way before, and it made my stomach swoop.
Katty gasped. “Benny’s so big!”
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Isn’t he? I think he could carry us all.”
Adrian gave a small nod. “He would if you’d let him.”
“No doubt,” Nate agreed.
The crowd erupted again, the sound rumbling through the glass like distant thunder. Ben glanced up toward the boxes for only a moment—enough to make Katty squeal and wave both hands above her head.
“Go, Benny!” she shouted, her nose pressed against the glass.
He couldn’t have heard her, but he straightened anyway, rolling his shoulders before jogging back into formation.
I watched him lead his team, a group of strong, tough men, and thought Adrian was right.
Ben would carry us without hesitation and never think twice about the weight.
I wasn’t sure I knew how to let someone do that…
Or if I ever could.
Chapter Twenty
Ben
TheonedayIhad someone waiting for me after a game, everyone and their brother wanted to talk to me. I finally had to tell my coach to send his thoughts in a text. My girls were waiting for me, and there was no chance I was delaying getting to them another second.
I pushed out of the locker room, my head swiveling, searching for them. They were easy to spot, standing in a group. Nate had Katty in his arms, her head tucked snug on his shoulder. That, I liked.
What I did not appreciate was Mazzy leaning against the wall, head tilted back, a little smile on her lips, as Murphy loomed over her. She nodded along to whatever nonsense he was telling her, like she was agreeing with him, and I couldn’t fathom what she could possibly be agreeing with Murphy DeSantos about. I was pretty sure no one in history had ever agreed with him.
Adrian spotted me on my way over, his eyebrows lifting with what distinctly looked like amusement.
“Good game,” he said, deliberately casual.
I jerked my chin toward Mazzy. “You’re letting that happen?”
He followed my gaze and shrugged. “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to. Should I have intervened? I forgot my whistle.”
