"Uh, pretty sure the whole world has seen your stick already, brother," Killian drawls. "It's been plastered all over the goddamn news for the last two weeks."
I turn to him, his name finally registering in the recesses of my brain. "Killian. You play running back, right?"
"Yeah." He arches a brow, surprised. "You a fan?"
"Nope," I admit. "Don't know a thing about football, but I did Google everybody on the team. I figure if I'm going to be a football meme, I should at least pretend I know something about the sport. I mean, aside from the size of Austin's…stick."
Dace howls with laughter, nearly choking. "You learn anything?"
"Your names. And something about the existence of field goals. Didn't know those were a thing." My gaze flickers to Killian. "No offense, but your job sounds like the worst. They couldn't pay me enough to do all that running."
"That's fair." Killian grins at me. "If they didn't pay me really fucking well, I wouldn't do it, either."
"So," Dace says, nudging Austin, "is she coming to the game, or is this a 'keep her tied up in the hotel room' situation?"
Austin's green eyes flare with mischief. "She's coming."
"Oh, I bet she is," Dace cackles, which makes Killian shake his head.
I don't blush. Ido notblush. "Is this the part where you guys haze the new girl? Because I rushed a sorority in college, so you should know that I'm prepared."
"You were a sorority girl?" Austin asks, one brow arch.
"I said I rushed a sorority. I didn't say I was accepted."
"Why the fuck weren't you accepted?" he growls.
"Apparently, you're not allowed to call the president a heinous bitch to her face, even if it's true. Who knew?"
"Jesus Christ." Austin shakes his head, chuckling at me.
Dace just grins. "We're not allowed to haze anyone since the Licorice Incident."
Killian groans.
"Jesus Christ," Austin mutters again.
I cock a brow. "Licorice Incident?"
Dace leans in, lowering his voice only enough to make the story more interesting. "One year, our rookie had to eat a piece of licorice out of the QB's ass crack. The league had opinions. A lot of them, actually."
I blink. "Was it red or black licorice?"
Dace looks like he might die laughing. "Black."
"No wonder they had opinions," I mutter, shuddering as Austin buckles me in. "That's a crime against humanity."
He and Killian both laugh before Dace launches into a rant about black licorice hate.
Austin squeezes my thigh, drawing my gaze to him. His expression is soft and warm, his eyes bright. "See?" he murmurs, pressing his lips up against my ear, so close I shiver. "Everything is going to be fine."
For once, I actually believe him.
Dinner is at a restaurant so fancy, I'm sure the sign over the door probably cost more than my entire apartment. There's no way I'm dressed the part in my clearance dress, but Austin hauls me from the cab anyway, his hand locked around mine like he's determined to make sure I can't bail on him.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves as we hurry inside. As expected, the entire place is stunning. One wall is a glass aquarium, with smaller aquariums scattered throughout. The fish inside are all gorgeous, the kind you find off the shores of tropical beaches.
"Mr. Hawkes," a hostess says, beaming at him. "Your family is already waiting, sir. Follow me, and I'll take you to your table."
