His lips whispered his adoration between kisses, licks, and nips.
I was on sensory overload as my body began to quake.
We both came together.
My forehead fell to the cool glass as my knees weakened.
Fin broke our connection, spun me around and picked me up, cradling me to his wide chest. He laid me down on the bed I’d left unmade and sat on the edge of the mattress. When his eyes met mine, he teased loose tendrils of hair away from my face. “I never stopped loving you, Vee.”
I ran my fingers over his shirt. Fin was still dressed and I was a nude ragdoll. “You need to even the dressed situation.”
His smile curled. “I’m a fan of the power play.”
“Me too. You’ve made it. Now let’s level the playing field.”
“If I get in that bed with you, we’re going into overtime.”
My cheeks rose. “Good.”
After removing his clothes, Fin crawled into the bed at my side. Wrapping his arm around me, he pulled me close to his warm side. “Fuck, Vee. I can’t believe we’re here, like this.”
“That…that was…” Amazing. “You’re right about memories. You just blew every memory of mine away.”
CHAPTER 34
Vee
Out of habit, I looked down at my watch as the football was set on our thirty-five-yard line. A smile curled my lips as we were seconds away from one o’clock. The Coopers’ kickoff special team took the field. The whistle blew and Holt charged forward. The kick was high and long; our team charged down the field.
The Cardinals’ player signaled for a fair catch at their nineteen-yard line.
The mixture of excitement and pride flooded my circulation.
The game was on. Our defense was up first.
With each game that I stood on the sidelines, my love for the game and dedication to the Coopers grew. While my play call notes were in my grasp, the calls coming from my earpiece were making more and more sense. Coach Brown’s abbreviated call went out to Joshua Morris, our safety.
I grimaced as the Cardinals’ quarterback connected downfield with their wide receiver. “He was wide open,” I muttered under my breath as I scribbled notes on my list of things to discuss tomorrow with Drew and Darius Brown, the defensive coordinator.
“Come on, defense.” My words weren’t audible. I wasn’t micromanaging. Along with seventy thousand spectators in Crystal Light Stadium, I was also a fan.
Zero to three.
Despite the opening drive pass, our defense held the Cardinals to a field goal.
It was time for our offense to take the field.
For the first time since the University of Kentucky’s football season, I could admit, at least to myself, that I was in a relationship with Griffin Graham. That personal attachment couldn’t be turned off at game time. Allowing Fin a place in my heart meant that there was even more than the Coopers and the Coopers’ season at stake. The man I loved was out there, facing, as Fin would say, big men who wanted to knock him down.
The Coopers had the football on our twelve-yard line—not a great field position. The snap was good. Fin stepped back, reading his progressions. Jamir Bennett went wide left. Patel and Downing ran long routes.
My nerves were stretched taut as the O line gave Fin time.
His arm went back. The ball spiraled through the air, down the field. JD Downing turned as the ball arrived. It was a catch—a perfectly timed play. The decibels within Crystal Light Stadium were deafening as JD ran into the end zone.
“Yes,” I scream audibly.
One play, an eighty-eight-yard touchdown.
