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He held it out in his palm, and I stared down at the red lump like it might bite me. “Nice choice. Mac is going to be jealous that you have the new ones. He’s been drooling over them since June.”
“Thanks.” I retrieved my glove, trying desperately to remember how normal people touched each other. My fingers grazed his palm, and the electric jolt sent my heart racing again.
A tiny hitch in Parker’s breathing told me I wasn’t the only one who felt it. A little brush of his skin against mine. That was all it took to send my system into overdrive, and now I knew I wasn’t alone in the attraction. We were so fucked.
I turned my back on Parker and jogged into the sun. Football. I was here to play football.
The guys grunted in hello as I lined up next to them. Everyone except Mac.
“RJ! About time you got here, girl.”
Several pairs of eyes shifted toward me, but Noah, who’d been running the warm-up, clapped his hands. “Laps. Then Coach wants us split for fundamentals.”
We took off as one with a slow pace. Luckily, I’d warmed up at home before driving over here. A habit I hadn’t been able to kick since high school. I’d been late to practice, missed warm-up, and pulled my hamstring. Never again.
My eyes landed on Parker at the front of the group. He hadn’t warmed up with the others because he’d been apologizing to me in the tunnel. I appreciated the effort, but I didn’t want him injured.
Sweat dripped between my shoulder blades as we circled the field. My muscles loosened, and a buzz built in my chest. Joy. By the end of the afternoon I’d be aching and soaked in sweat, but I wouldn’t trade this time for anything.
Mac bumped my shoulder and waggled his eyebrows at me, then jerked his chin to the opposite end of the field. My gaze followed the direction for a second before I realized the coaches had gathered by our stuff. We had about half a lap left, and if he was anything like me, he wanted to sprint the rest of the way.
I met his eyes and raised my brow. If it was a race he wanted, I’d give him one.
He held up his gloved hand—purple for him—and counted down from three. When his last finger dropped, I took off. My cleats sank into the grass, propelling me forward in a burst of speed.
A murmur traveled through the rest of the team, and Parker turned as I ran past him. Mac was right on my heels, his breath coming in sharp puffs. I wasn’t at max speed, simply running for the fun of it, but as we approached the finish line, Mac pulled up even with me.
I had two choices—push myself all the way and leave him behind or control my speed and come in at the same time. All the coaches had turned to watch our impromptu race, and while I liked the idea of proving myself early, I didn’t want to do it at the expense of Mac.
Over the last twenty yards, I pulled my stride to match his.
Mac let out a full belly laugh as we flew past the gear at the same time. I was breathing hard and grinning like an idiot. The problems with Parker faded into insignificance.
We both slowed to a jog, then a walk, and did another half lap before joining the group. Mac slung an arm around me, squeezing me into his sweaty side.
“My girl isfast. Damn, RJ.”
Coach harrumphed from behind his clipboard. “Mac, get your paws off her and focus.”
I elbowed Mac away before he could draw more attention. Coach went through assignments for small group skills practice, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a ball. Working with kids over the summer had been fun, but they didn’t challenge me to get better.
There was only so much I could do on my own. I needed other people on the field to force me to adjust at the last second. Otherwise, I was just playing catch.
I didn’t mean to, but I caught Parker’s speculative gaze as I trailed after the other receivers to one end of the field. He dipped his chin in acknowledgement before joining his two backups.
One of them said something to make Parker smile—a dangerous curve of amusement that reflected in his eyes—and I was glad he hadn’t unleashed it on me. The last thing I needed was to trip over my own feet in front of my new team. The other backup stood for a second longer as they passed him, and I realized he was staring in my direction.
His face looked indifferent, but I didn’t like the cold gleam in his eyes. I turned away, throwing a grin at Mac to shake the uneasy sensation.
“Hey Mac, how did my dust taste?”
He held up both hands. “Whoa now, what’s this nonsense you’re talking? Do we need a rematch?”
“Anytime.”
Mac held his fist out for me to tap. “That’s what I’m talking about. I knew I’d like you.”
I liked him too. I liked the team, the university, the coach. Dad would have lost his shit at the skill level of these guys. I had two years left to play before the real world intruded, and I intended to enjoy every second of it.
