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“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I wouldn’t doubt that for a minute,” I laugh out, squeezing her tighter.
We walk hand in hand back to my truck, where Sloan’s sound asleep. Climbing in, I gently slide Lo aside as we cuddle up.
With Quinn’s body nestled perfectly against mine, we watch the stars shoot across the open sky, and there is nowhere else I'd rather be.
Six
Quinn- 18
Eli- 20
Five months later
Ilisten intently in between sips of water while my coach points out the other team's weaknesses. She wants us to take advantage of their tiredness in game five.
“Jazz, let's utilize Quinn on the outside as much as possible. Their outside hitter hasn’t gotten a single touch on any of her hits. Try to stay away from setting the middle… she’s a brick house on the other side of the net today.” Our setter, Jazz, nods in understanding.
“If she has to come to you in the middle, Bianca… play smart. Fake them out, go for the tips, and roll shots when they aren’t expecting it,” Coach says, putting her hand in the middle, and we all follow suit.
“Team on three… one, two, three. TEAM!” we all shout as the whistle blows, our sign to take the court.
Before I walk away, Coach puts her hand on my shoulder and calmly says, “This is your time to shine, Quinn. Show me what you’ve got.”
A mixture of nervousness and excitement twists in my gut. I look into the crowd, needing to findmy person. And I do, instantly… all six foot four of Eli, with his perfect smile and chiseled jaw grinning at me. “Give ’em hell, Queenie!” His shouts fill my ears, and confidence floods my veins, replacing those nervous jitters. I got this… no doubt, I’m the better player.
Our libero raises her eyebrows at me. “So, who’s the hottie visiting you this weekend?”
“My best friend… and no, you can’t take him for a joy ride, so don’t even ask,” I respond bluntly, not caring that she is one of my captains.
I may not know everything Eli does in his spare time, but I know for a fact he wouldn’t do it with one of my teammates on a weekend he is here to spend time with me. Plus, he already serviced me in my car before dropping me off at the gym for pre-game warmups, with promises to continue where we left off later.
Thirty-five minutes later, we’re shaking the other team's hands and going home as winners. I had six kills, three aces, and one stuff block, which felt damn good. Needless to say, my body is dead tired, and my right shoulder is tweaked from giving it everything I had.
“I wasn’t sure if you would be on a high from kicking ass out there or completely drained from that helluva performance.” He turns his back to me from where he was waiting outside of my locker room. “I see it's the latter. So hop on the Eli express, and I’ll give you a piggyback ride for old time's sake,” Eli says, nodding toward his back.
I snarl my nose up at him. “But I’m all sweaty. I decided to wait to take a shower at home so you weren’t waiting on me forever.”
“Do I look like the type of guy who’s worried about a little sweat, Q? Come on.” Eli reaches for my bag, slinging it over his shoulder. Too tired to fight him on it, I give in and jump on his back.
His strong hands find my spandex-clad butt and hoist me higher up.
“Gotta say, when I think of riding the Eli Express, this isn’t quite what I would’ve had in mind,” I whisper into his ear.
He reaches back, pinching my ass. “Oh, don’t you worry, little Queenie. I know exactly what my greedy girl wants, and she’ll get it… later.”
* * *
Pain radiates from my shoulder.It’s a nagging ache now that we are back at my apartment, one that not even Eli’s perfect eight-pack can distract me from.
“Q, you good?” he asks, standing across my bathroom, eyes devouring me as I undress. I’m surprised he noticed anything above my tits.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I refuse to let anything stop us from having a fun weekend, and I know him; he’ll baby me if he thinks I’m hurt.
“No, you aren’t… you forget how good I can read you.”
Eli moves over to my bathtub, turning the water on. “Wait here… I’ll go get you some ice to put on it while you soak.”
