Susan steps in first, all calm confidence and clipboard tucked under her arm. And right behind her is the definition of sexy. Tall. Slim. Dark hair pulled back, a few loose strands brushing her cheeks. She’s dressed professional but not stiff, eyes scanning the room with a mix of nerves and determination.
I straighten without meaning to.
My lips twitch.
“Damn,” I mutter under my breath. “I need to get on her couch.”
Kamden opens his mouth, probably to tell me to shut up, but Coach keeps talking.
“Please welcome Amelia Bronwyn.”
The name hits like a fastball to the ribs.
I snap my head toward Kamden. “Bronwyn?”
He hasn’t moved. Hasn’t blinked. His jaw tightens as he stares at her, something unreadable flickering across his face.
“Yeah,” he says quietly. “My little sister.”
Fuck.
I look back at her, really look this time. The resemblance is there if you know what to look for. The eyes, the stubborn set of her shoulders. She smiles politely, hands clasped in front of her, completely unaware that my world just tilted on its axis.
The girl I was just mentally undressing?
Off-limits.
Untouchable.
Kamden’s sister.
And somehow, I already know this is going to be a problem.
THREE
Amelia
My heart is beating so fast, I’m sure everyone in this room can hear it. It thunders in my ears, loud enough to drown out the hum of voices and the scrape of cleats against concrete. I stand there beside Susan, hands clasped so tightly in front of me. My fingers ache, trying to look calm. Professional. Like I belong.
Kamden is staring at me like I just keyed his coach’s car and blamed him for it.
His jaw is locked, his eyes sharp, and I recognize that look immediately. It’s the same one he used to give me when we were kids, and I’d snuck into his room without permission. Equal parts protective and pissed.
My gaze slides away from him, sweeping the locker room.
Big mistake.
Whispers ripple through the space like a wave. Heads tilt. Brows lift. A few guys shake their heads, not even trying to be subtle about it. I don’t need to hear the words to know exactly what they’re thinking.
She’s only here because of him.
Bronwyn, of course, she is.
Must be nice.
My chest tightens, the earlier excitement collapsing into something heavier, something that sinks straight to my stomach.
I worked for this.
