Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 125852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
“Ready for what exactly?”
He stops and sets me on my feet, twirling me around and then yanking me to his chest. He grins wildly. “For this.”
And then he kisses me, hard and greedy and not at all PG, his tongue sweeping in instantly, teasing and tasting mine one second, then he’s yanking back in the next. He’s full-on cheesing now, his laughter mixing with my own.
“Did you mess up my face paint? ’Cause I’ll have you know writing backward in the mirror is not easy.”
He leans away, gaze traveling the shape of his number on my cheek, then the little shark on the other side. “Nope. Still perfect. Shirt too.” He smiles down at my outfit. “So. If I weren’t wearing these pads right now, would I feel a little metal poking through?”
I laugh, teasing, “Brady Lancaster, are you asking if you made my nipples hard?”
“What? No! I meant… Wait.” He grins slowly. “Did I?”
I chuckle, shaking my head, and answer the question he was really asking. “It’s called a padded bra. A must when you have what I do hiding underneath.”
“And how long exactly have you had to wear said padded bra?”
“Nice try, Big Guy”
“Worth a shot. Imma get it out of you, you know,” Brady swears, his attention shifting over my head. “Here we go, girl.”
Before I can ask what that means, his name is shouted gleefully from my left, and I turn to look that way.
“Brady! Can you give us a minute? Tell us who the lucky lady is!” A microphone is shoved between us as a gorgeous, dark-haired woman steps up. “And she’s wearing your number!”
“My number, my name.” He throws me a quick wink. “My heart on her sleeve.”
I fight a laugh, and he squeezes my side, his lips pinched tight to hold in his own.
“I know we’ve all heard the rumors there was a love story kicking off, but can we take this as a sign that our favorite party guy has settled down?”
Brady smirks, takes my hand, and looks into the camera rather than at the reporter. “Wish I could say sorry, ladies, but I’m not.”
Before the woman can say anything else, he’s tearing down the field again, my hand locked tight in his own and forcing me to jog with him.
We’re both laughing as we get back to the others, and Mason bends down, offering me his knee. I climb up, and Brady pushes my ass until I can officially leap over.
Chase jogs up behind them, clapping Brady on the shoulder with a grin. “That was smooth, man. Hopefully they got the message and no one tries to pay off the staff to get a copy of the key to your room like at our last away game.”
“No!” I gape. “They do that?”
Brady scoffs. “You have no idea.”
“Bitches.”
“Jealous?” he teases, and I give him a hard eye roll.
Chase grins, glancing over the group, and I see the moment he notices my little Paige’s surprise. His eyes snap back to the other blond, holding for several solid seconds. His lips twitch slightly, and I give myself a mental high five, but then he quickly turns away, so we never get to see it fully take shape.
I share a look with Brady, and he wiggles his brows knowingly.
“Come on. Coach is about to flip out if we don’t get settled.” Mason tugs Brady away by the sleeve, and I look back to Paige, Chase’s number printed across her T-shirt.
Her cheeks are pink, and she suddenly starts messing with her shoelaces, but there’s a small smile on her lips. Ari and I face the field, clapping and cheering as everyone gets ready for kickoff, but just before the team takes the field, the players shift around, and I see him.
Standing there in the middle, holding on to the collar of his pads as he stares right at me, an expression I can’t quite read blanketing his face, is Alister.
I offer a smile and a wave, but his eyes fall to the turf, and then he turns around.
My smile falls instantly.
His dismissal shouldn’t sting. I have no right to feel hurt after all that I’m doing to try and let him go, especially after the little show Brady and I just put on. Though to be fair, I didn’t even think about Alister being here to witness it as it was happening.
So why is there a little ache in the center of my chest?
I’m the one who asked for this.
I wanted to let him go and asked for Brady’s help to make it happen. Well, after he successfully sparked the idea, but still. I’m the reason we’re doing this fake-dating thing. By the looks of it, it’s working.
Alister is starting to believe our time has passed.
That thought shouldn’t send unease skittering through my veins.
So why does it?