Page 70 of Made Better Together

“I told you, they’re addictive.”

We polish off the cookies, and I notice she’s got some chocolate on her bottom lip as she starts to stand.

“Wait, stay still.” She pauses as asked, and I reach out with my right thumb. “Just let me get this.” I rub her lip back and forth to get the chocolate off, cupping underneath her chin.

“Oh,” she gasps softly.

This does not help the situation with my dick, but I ignore it. “All set.”

“Thanks.”

As she turns toward the field, I sneak my thumb into my mouth and suck the taste of her with the chocolate.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. My discipline needs some work.

“I’ve never met Avery,” Eden says as she steps down into the other part of the suite.

I adjust my shorts subtly. “She’ll love you. I’ll make the introductions.”

We take two seats behind Grace and Avery, and they both turn around.

“Avery, this is Eden,” I say.

“Hey,” Avery replies, a smile broadening on her face. “Nice to meet you. Grace was telling me all about you just now.”

I swivel to my sister. What does that mean? Did she tell Avery more about my situation with Eden?

Grace shakes her head as she catches my eye. Confirmation that she did not betray my confidences.

“Well, I’m a huge fan of yours. I’ve been to some Surge games with my dad over the years.”

“Ah, yes, we’re both part of the second-generation athlete club.” Avery’s dad is Boston NBA legend Paul Parker. “Come to a game anytime. This one”—she points to me—“knows how to reach me for tickets.” She smirks in my direction.

“I can definitely hook you up,” I say to Eden, winking. Shit, Avery’s playfulness is contagious. Would Eden and I end up going together then? I’m trying to keep my distance but…

Eden’s too distracted by Avery to wonder about such questions, it seems. “I saw your sister when UConn played the Tolliver team last year. Is she liking Tampa?”

Remy, Avery’s little sister, was drafted by the Tampa WNBA team in April after finishing her senior season at UConn. She became their starting point guard by the end of her rookie season last month.

“She loves it. Especially the St. Pete nightlife.” Avery chuckles. “My brother Dylan and cousin Wells are playing for the NBA team there, of course, so that helps the transition. Remy and Wells were best friends growing up.”

“Nice.”

“Do you know where you want to end up next year?” She looks at Grace and me, in succession. “Sorry, these guys probably know the answer.”

I’m actually interested in how Eden answers this, knowing she’s been in conflict over her future.

“I just want to play, which means finding a club that needs a striker. That’s harder than you’d expect.”

“Yeah, riding the bench sucks,” Avery says, her eyes glazing over.

“Los Angeles or Phoenix would be cool because they’re closeish to where I grew up, or Florida of course. But mainly, I want to start.”

“The NWSL keeps expanding too,” adds Grace. “So you never know what’s going to emerge as an option.”

The crowd explodes around us as the stadium rocks with cheers. Our heads crane to the jumbotron where there’s a replay of Landon tackling the opposition’s running back, who fumbles. Landon’s fellow linebacker, Manny, picks it up and runs the ball to the other end for a Waves touchdown.

“Woohoo,” Grace says when the replay is done, clapping.