Sophia waves her pom-poms beside me, and the crowd go wild. She’s an adored member of the team—a striking, tall brunette with olive skin who has a mesmerising smile that makes me wonder if her teeth are naturally that white or if she had something done to them.
I’m glad her reappearance has relieved me of the pressure to perform, but watching the girls shuffle into their starting positions as the halftime whistle sounds fills me with an ounce of longing. I felt somewhat safe when I’d been there, dancing my socks off with Nathan watching me with adoration.
The football players pat each other on the backs as they file into the locker rooms, and I take the time to slip through the tunnel and down the corridor to grab a drink from the water fountain.
But husky muttering takes me off guard, and I peek around the corner to see Nathan talking with an older man who looks just like him but around thirty years older.
“There were a few close calls there, son.”
I narrow my eyes—Nathan’s father.
It’s the voice of the man I’d heard berating the team through the wall of the female locker room when I’d first joined the squad. He has some nerve.
“Has it ever occurred to you that I actually play better when you’re not here, watching me like an obsessive hawk?”
“No,” his father responds, “it’s not that. It’s not me. What’s distracting you, huh? What’s going on in that empty head of yours, Nathan?”
Empty?The insult infuriates me.
If he bothered to spend time with his son outside of football, he’d learn that he’s actually a very intellectual man.
“I scored two touchdowns. Get off my back.”
Kevin Slater leans against the wall, stare intimidating. “You could’ve scored three or four. If you want to be the greatest player in the NFL, then you’re going to have to—”
“I don’t want to be the greatest player in the NFL.Youdo.”
“Your mother—”
Nathan raises his hand to halt him. “Enough. Get back to your seat.”
Within a few seconds, Kevin Slater has chuckled, shaken his head in disbelief and walked away, leaving his son staring up at the ceiling with a frown.
Seeing him like this—my heart constricts.
“You can come out now, princess.”
My heart leaps from my chest, and I step round the corner. “How did you know I was there?”
A small smile graces Nathan’s lips as his eyes find mine. “You can’t hide from me, princess.”
A blush rises to my cheeks as I move closer. “Ignore him, Nathan. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
“Unfortunately, he does.” He sighs, fingers scraping through his tousled hair.
“Well, even so, he’s wrong to bring up your mom as some kind of pressure tactic.”
“Protective of me?”
I give him a dead stare. “Would you prefer it if I wasn’t?”
“That’s the last thing I want.”
I comfortingly place my hands on Nathan’s chest before pulling them away, realising we’re out in the open. Anyone could round the corner and see us.
“Are you afraid someone will see us?” he asks, tilting his head to the side, challenging me.
“Aren’t you?”
