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He flashed me a devastating grin. “Doesn’t mean I ever catch any of them.”
I quirked a brow and tilted my head to the side. “Maybe that’s because carrying the ball is what you’re used to doing as a running back, not catching it.”
“Fair point, but I never even try, baby,” he reassured me, his smile widening. “But I’ll make an exception if you ever decide that you want to toss yourself my way. Then you can be sure that my catching skills will rival Clay Hensen’s.”
I laughed softly, shaking my head. “That’s a heck of a boast, considering how many receiving yards and touchdowns he got last season. Not to mention his average yards per catch over his pro career.”
“I gotta admit, your ability to rattle off football stats like that is almost sexier than your voice.”
Contrary to the proof standing right in front of me, it was almost impossible to believe that Gage was flirting with me. “This isn’t at all how I thought our conversation would go if I ever met you in person. And by ‘you,’ I mean SpreadOffense. Not you, you. Since I never expected to meet any of the players while I interned for the team.”
“So what you’re saying is…you thought about me?”
“Of course I did,” I admitted softly as I tilted my head down to stare at my feet.
He pressed a finger under my chin, waiting to respond until our gazes met again. “I’m damn glad to hear it because I couldn’t get you out of my head. It would’ve sucked to know you didn’t feel the same.”
Butterflies swirled in my belly, and I had to swallow the sudden lump in my throat to say, “You don’t have to worry about that.”
Gage grinned at me again before interlacing our fingers. “How about you tell me all about your internship while I drive you home? And why you thought you weren’t going to meet my teammates if you’re working for the Nighthawks this season.”
Although I got a feminine thrill out of hearing how much he’d been thinking about me, I was relieved by the change in topic. Things had gotten intense so quickly between us, and I didn’thave any experience to tell me how to act in this situation. Not that many women would since our meet cute was pretty darn unique.
“Think about my gamer handle for a minute, and then maybe you’ll be able to guess what I’m doing for the team,” I teased as he led me toward a black Lincoln Navigator.
“Damn, I should’ve known.” He opened the passenger door for me, shaking his head with a deep chuckle. “You really are AllAboutTheStats, huh?”
“Yup.” I sighed with relief that I managed to climb into his big vehicle without embarrassing myself. Turning my head to beam a smile at him, I added, “So watch out. When we get into the regular season, if you’re not playing up to your abilities, I’ll be one of the first to know.”
“Then I guess I’d better play my ass off so I don’t fail to impress you.”
I barely recovered from him winking at me by the time he rounded the car and got into the driver’s seat. As he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, I rattled off my address so he could plug it into his map app.
Thinking about how my brothers would react, I laughed.
“What’s got you giggling over there?” Gage asked. “I’m hoping it’s not a sign that you’ve crunched the numbers and don’t think I’ll have a good season.”
“Nothing like that,” I assured him, shifting in my seat to face him. “It’s just that if my brothers ever found out that I told a guy who I barely knew where I lived, they’d lose their minds.”
“It’s good that we’ve known each other for months because they’d have every right to be worried otherwise.” A muscle jumped in his jaw as he clenched the wheel. “And it’s something you won’t be doing again since I have your address now.”
“Oh boy,” I muttered. “Why do I have the feeling that you’re going to be just as ridiculously overprotective as my brothers?”
He shrugged. “Probably because I am.”
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I jutted my chin out.
“I’m sure you are,” he conceded. “But I wouldn’t be the kind of man your brothers would ever approve of if I didn’t worry about my woman’s safety. Especially when she was as young as you are and living in a big city by herself.”
My stomach did a little flip flop at hearing him call me his woman.
We hadn’t exchanged a whole lot of personal details while we’d playedBeaumont Football, but I had mentioned to him that I missed our usual playing time once when my brothers came to town to take me out for my twenty-first birthday. And his date of birth was widely known since he was a professional football player. “I guess since our age gap is even bigger than mine and Russell’s, I can’t even argue about you calling me young.”
“Russell is one of your brothers?” he asked.
“Yeah, he’s six years older than me, and Ridley is smack-dab between us.” I wagged my finger at him. “So I don’t need another big brother in my life.”
The heated look he sent my way had goose bumps popping up along my arms. “Don’t worry, nerd. The last thing I see you as is my little sister.”
