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“I know, but he didn’t check our passes, just waved us through. Jaina’s newest obsession is forensic pathology, so she’s been reading a lot of police procedurals.”
Dad clapped me on the back. “Good luck out there. We’ll meet up with you after. Italian okay?”
They always insisted on buying me and my crew dinner after the game. I perked up. That crew included Eva… and now Riley.
“Sure. You know we’re not picky.”
Dad nodded and ushered Mom away. She bumped into Riley on the way out, and immediately started talking. I shook my head. The woman must have been a spy in another life.
Riley offered her a smile and glanced around in confusion until her eyes landed on me. A silent message passed between us, questioning why this strange woman was in the middle of our pre-game ritual.
Mom said something that drew Riley’s interest, most likely introducing herself as my biggest fan because Riley’s dark eyes sparkled with laughter when they found me again. The amused, intimate look hit me square in the chest.
Noah sidled up next to me and crossed his arms. “I like her.”
He wasn’t talking about my mom. I already knew he likedher. He’d caught me ogling Riley, exactly as she’d warned me about.
“Me too,” I muttered, watching as she shifted her smile to my mom.
Noah grunted, and I forced myself to focus on my roommate instead of my fantasy girl.
The music changed, signaling our entrance, and Mac joined Noah and me to lead the team out of the tunnel. Fan noise was nothing new, but the stands exploded several seconds after we emerged. They must have seen Riley.
She’d been all over TU’s social media leading up to this game, and it warmed my chest to see our fans embracing her.
Time to focus and give them something to cheer about.
* * *
“You have a thing for RJ.”Mac had the worst timing. He’d waited until we’d scored again and sent the defense onto the field before cornering me.
I crossed my arms and refused to meet his eyes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mac scoffed and moved to block my view of the game. “Please. You’ve been making eyes at her all week.”
“What does that even mean?”
“You’re hot for each other.”
“So what? Riley is hot, no question. You said yourself you’d have hit on her if she hadn’t burned you right away.”
“But I didn’t… and youdid.”
I checked the area around us to make sure no one was within hearing distance. “She’s not interested in risking her career for a quickie with her teammate.”
Mac laughed so hard he had to put his helmet down. “Boy, there’s no way you offered her a quickie.”
“I was paraphrasing. No one offered anything. We’re just friends.”
He glanced at the field, then raised a brow at me. “I’ve seen the hungry looks you keep sending her way. That’s not the face of someone who only wants to be friends.”
Frustration had me picking at the tape around my wrist that covered my bracelet. “It doesn’t matter what I want. Or what looks I’m sending her way. She’s not sending them back.”
“Trust me, she’s sending them back. She’s just better than you at judging when no one is looking.” Mac shoved his helmet into my chest when my eyes wandered back to the field. “It’s not like you to give up. I’m not saying chase her when she straight up tells you no, but I don’t believe for a second she told you no.”
I scanned the sidelines again, this time searching for Riley’s slightly smaller build. She was deep in conversation with one of the assistant coaches, so I let myself look my fill. Mac was right. She hadn’t told me no, only goodnight.
The whistle blew marking the end of the other team’s drive. They’d gone halfway down the field only to have to punt it away.
