“Wait until you see the tattoos we’re all gonna get. I’m a new woman.”
“Why is Callum going with, by the way? He won’t shut up about it, and his comments are pissing off Luca.”
“Then you have your answer. Callum is chaos. If it annoysLuca, he’d get a face tattoo of Lo for fun. Callum, Lo, and I really became close this past year. He’s a sensitive soul with a party animal personality. It’s a strange combination, I know, but he’s one of the girls, honestly.”
“You trust him?”
“Yes. For sure.”
I didn’t like that. I held her silky hair in my gloved hand and dabbed the goo on it before she handed me a foil strip and instructed me on what to do. The combination smelled like chemicals and… sweet.
“Talk to me about your coach.”
“Ah.” I found a rhythm of taking a few strands, putting the goo on them, then using foil, and it crossed my mind that she could definitely take over at this point. She could reach this part of her hair, but I didn’t want to stop. I liked doing this for her. Our gazes would meet in the mirror, and a tingling sensation would zip down my legs. “He wants me to pick the next team captain.”
“Like, after you leave?”
“No.” I smoothed the foil down over a chunk of hair and made sure it stuck before letting it hang on its own. “For this season.”
She chewed the side of her lip, her face deep in concentration. “That’s…a choice. How are you feeling about it?”
“Mixed emotions, I’m not exactly sure. It’s like…I get what he’s saying about me already being the leader on the field with or without the captain role. It’s hard not to be when you’re the quarterback.”
“What else did he say?”
“That his job is to build a legacy, and with so many of our seniors leaving after this season, there isn’t as much leadership remaining to continue the same driving force. He thinks, or hesaid at least, that me picking the captain will have more buy-in from the team.”
“I have a question for you.” She waited until I met her gaze, then she sighed. It wasn’t a disappointed sound, but it was a resigned one, like she accepted whatever feeling she had going on. “Would being named captain change a single thing about what you’d do with the team? Would you still push them when they needed it? Call them out if they were acting like assholes?”
I nodded hard. “Hell yeah, I would.”
“Because you’re naturally the leader. People follow your attitude and guidance. Now, think about someone younger who has potential.”
My thoughts went to Gavin or Peter or Jayden.Jayden.The sophomore with the grit and focus that could rival Luca. The kid was ready for whatever was next, but the team… they wouldn’t respect a sophomore.
“Someone came to mind for you, I can see it on your face. But why the frown?”
“He’s a sophomore.”
“So? Weren’t you the QB freshman year? Who the hell cares if they’re in their second or third year playing? If he has the potential to be what the team needs, it’s an easy choice. Now, if this sophomore was chosen as captain, would his attitude or demeanor change? You clearly don’t need the C, but what would they do?”
“He’d probably be more assertive, get out of his comfort zone. He’d take the responsibility seriously and live up to it in every way. Some guys would give him shit, but he’d win them over. He’s sharp as hell and fuck.” I ran a hand over my face. “My ego took a hit a little bit when Coach said this, but it kinda makes sense.”
“Everyone has an ego, and typically, they are good. But you, Dean Romano, don’t need the C for leadership. You needto show up on the field, and the team will follow you. You have the chance to shape the next season by guiding this sophomore. That is absolutely amazing. Lo and the girls and I are hoping to find a buddy this season to mentor to do the same thing, but this? Your coach must have the utmost respect for you for him to ask you to do this. Did you ever think about that?”
I shook my head, absolutely hung up on every word coming out of her mouth. Mackenzie Mallinson spoke with conviction, with confidence, and it was hard not to believe everything she said. “So, it’s not because he doesn’t think I can do it.”
“Not at all.” She spun in her chair, staring up at me. Her blue eyes had flecks of gold and brown around the pupils, and how had I never noticed the freckles dancing along her cheeks?
“Dean,” she said, her voice soft. “I’d be upset too and questioning it. Honestly, Lo could be named captain over me this year, and I’d be really upset, but at the same time, she brings so much to the table. Not being named captain won’t hurt your chances of getting drafted. How you react to this will. How you lead will. Have your feelings, but you are incredible. When you play, it’s clear everything else disappears and it’s just you and team. You play hard and use your brain, and you’re fast as hell. Watching you play—”
I kissed her. I had to. I needed to take her air and breathe her in with the words she said so confidently about me. She gasped against my mouth, the little intake of breath fueling the growing need to be as close as possible with her. “You’re…” I couldn’t find the words.
She was everything in this moment. The biggest cheerleader I’d ever had? The most mature college athlete I’d ever talked to? Someone who I trusted? My hands shook as I cupped her face, tilting her neck back to kiss her deeper. She tasted like mint, the tingling sensation as our tongues clashed making thekiss even better. My stomach swooped when she moaned into my mouth.
“Can I touch you?” she whispered.
My heart broke in two. She asked because she knew I struggled.Fuck,this woman was something else. “Yes, baby, touch meplease.”
