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“Eight hours, Princess. Nothing strenuous for eight hours.”
She pouted and dropped her head back down. “What are we supposed to do until then?”
I brushed my lips over the top of her head. “I have three hours until I need to leave for the arena, and I don’t plan on letting you go until the last possible second. Pick two movies.”
Henry chittered from the nest of pillows she’d made on the far side of the couch, which I took for agreement.
Eva and Macboth texted me during the game, reassuring me she was fine. Part of me hated the idea I had to get someone else to be there for her, but I remembered Mac’s determined expression. He was going to come straight to her after the game anyway. This way, I gave him some time alone with her to deal with the fear.
Cole and Reece took my word on Eva’s condition, but Mase frowned at me. “I can help if you need it.”
“I thought you despised Eva.”
Mase huffed. “I don’t despise her specifically. I hate all of you equally. She really going to be okay?”
“If she wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”
He nodded, glanced over at Reece and Cole, then sighed. “Don’t have sex in my bed.”
“Don’t come home early,” I said to his retreating back.
He lifted a hand and flipped me off. Good enough. Eva was waiting for me at home, and we had one more hour before she cleared protocol.
24
Eva was sitting on the couch exactly where I left her. The kitchen was clean, the dishwasher was running, and the house smelled like garlic bread.
I brushed my lips across her temple on the way to drop off my bag outside and came back to face my grinning girlfriend. “You were supposed to rest while I was gone.”
She tilted her head up for a real kiss. “I did. Mac made spaghetti and cleaned the kitchen when it ended up being a huge mess. He left a plate for you in the microwave.”
Spaghetti sounded fabulous, and the scent of the garlic bread was making my stomach growl. I was always hungry after a game, but in this case, I wanted Eva more than a meal. I leaned down, bracing an arm on either side of her on the back of the couch to get better access to her mouth. When all I did was tease her, she grabbed a handful of my shirt and hauled me closer.
“Go eat,” she murmured against my lips.
I pulled back reluctantly, and she gave me a light push. “You need the fuel. Cole texted you guys won the game. That makes eight in a row for an undefeated season so far. Sounds to me like I’m good luck.”
She didn’t know the half of it. My stats this season were incredible, and Reece and Cole were on fire. Mase didn’t let shit past him. The other lines were gelling, and everyone felt the underlying excitement. We’d started the season with a good bid for the championships, but if we kept playing this way, we were a lock.
I caught her hand and kissed her fingers before heading into the kitchen. “Guess you’ll have to keep coming to the games then.”
Eva snorted. “And ruin my reputation for being a football girlie?”
“One day, we’ll convert you to the dark side.” The plate in the microwave was still warm, so I took a bite and groaned. “Is Mac looking for a side hustle? I got used to having someone else do all the cooking and cleaning.”
She laughed. “Mac canonlymake breakfast and spaghetti, and as far as I know, the only person he cleans for is his girlfriend, Blue.”
A tiny part of me unclenched at the news of Mac’s girlfriend. I knew he was one of Eva’s oldest friends, but not too long ago, he’d been the one sharing her bed. He’d bolted for her when she’d been hurt, just like me, but he’d let me take her without argument. I had to respect his restraint because he wouldn’t have stopped me, but fighting with him would have made the situation worse.
I cleared the plate in minutes and set it in the sink, thinking about the cause of Eva’s fall. “Did Juliet apologize?”
Eva followed my train of thought easily, and her face clouded as I joined her on the couch.
“Fucking Juliet,” she spit out. “She’s a hazard to the team. Coach Kat let me know Leon told her what happened, and she suspended Juliet temporarily while she investigated.”
“Is this going to affect your competition team?”
She sighed. “Unfortunately, yes, but we have time before our first competition to change the routines if we have to. On the plus side, I managed to kick her in the face on the way down, so I feel pretty good about that.”
