Page 34 of What Should Have Been Ours

I smirk, tilting my head. “A miracle? Divine intervention? A winning lottery ticket?”

Cam clutches his chest. “Brutal.”

I shrug. “I can’t give in that easily.”

His lips twitch like he’s holding back a grin, but then his expression shifts. “Alright then, let’s make a bet.”

“I’m listening,” I say.

“If I win today, you have to hang out with me tomorrow.”

I blink. “What?”

He shrugs, all casual, but I see the challenge in his smirk. “I’m off for the next two days. I figure if I win this game, I deserve a little celebration.”

“And your choice of celebration is to—just hang out with me?”

“Getting to be around you sounds like the only way I would want to spend my day, Gab.”

The butterflies in my stomach are raging at those simple words.

I raise a brow. “And if you lose?”

He leans in slightly, voice low and teasing. “Then I’ll need emotional support, and you’ll still have to hang out with me. Either way, I win.”

I scoff, shaking my head. “That’s not how bets work.”

He grins. “It is when I make the rules.”

I narrow my eyes at him, pretending to weigh my options. “Fine. But I’m picking what we do if you lose.”

Cam smirks, stepping back toward the field. “Deal. If I lose, then you get to choose, but if I win, I get to choose—and I don’t plan on losing in front of you.”

“We’ll see, Dr. Hayes.”

As the rest of the men flood onto the field, Kinsley walks back over to me, now even more giddy than usual.

She hooks her arm around mine, bouncing with excitement. “Okay, first of all, that was hot. Second of all, I’m already obsessed with whatever this ‘just friends’ nonsense is supposed to be. It adds an element of tension, and I’m living for it.”

I groan. “Kinsley—”

“No, no, let me have this,” she cuts me off, grinning. “I mean, did you hear him? Cause I did, I was eavesdropping. And that ‘getting to be around you sounds like the only way I would want to spend my day.’ was hot. That man is so far gone for you, it’s embarrassing…and sweet.”

I roll my eyes, crossing my arms. “It’s just Cam being Cam. He’s always been a flirt.”

Kinsley gives me a look. “Gabrielle, I’ve known you for years now, and I have never seen you spiral so easily like this over any guy. And I’ve definitely never seen a guy look at you the way he does.”

I glance toward the field where Cam is stretching.

Okay. Maybe I’m spiraling a little.

Kinsley follows my gaze. “Mmm, that’s a man right there. I mean, good lord. And Wes? Don’t even get me started. I feel like I need to sit down.”

“Yeah, I wish you could have seen yourself over there. I thought you were about to climb him like a tree,” I say teasingly.

Kinsley flips her hair. “You say that like I wouldn’t. That man is like 6’4, full of pure, unfiltered chaos, and I’m intrigued. He told me he liked my confidence.”

I snort. “That’s probably because no one has ever been able to match his energy before.”