Nicole stole a glance towards her and replied softly, “I hoped so.”
“I’ll call you when I get home.”
“Okay.” Nicole smiled then remembered their flight problems. “Oh.” She stopped and turned to Ariana. “There’s some problem with our plane. I’ll text you.”
“Oh no?” Ariana frowned. “Maybe I can give you a ride back to New York. I’m sure we have room on our plane.”
Nicole smiled and raised a brow. “I’m not sure that would be a good idea.”
“Oh, come on. I can keep my hands off of you.”
Nicole took a deep breath and leaned in. “That doesn’t mean I can.”
Ariana’s eyes smoldered a very dark brown. Nicole chuckled and looked around them as a few people walked by, but no one seemed to notice them.
“Here, you’d better give me that and get changed,” Nicole said, taking Shealyn’s bag from Ariana. “Thanks for the assist.”
Ariana smiled. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
“Me too.”
They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment then Ariana was gone. Nicole smiled and took a deep breath. She had been reckless today and their secret wouldn’t survive if they weren’t more careful. Tomorrow, she and Ariana would have to talk about their behavior when she called her games. This was all new and exciting, and she knew one thing for sure, she didn’t want it to end anytime soon.
Nicole walked into their dressing room and dropped their bags on a table.
“Hey! I found us a ride!” Shealyn said, hurrying into the room.
“Us?”
“Yep, our team is waiting on a plane coming in from Charlotte. They’ll catch a ride with another crew back to New York.”
“What about you and me?”
“You’re gonna love this.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ariana boarded the team’s private plane and chose a rear-facing seat at the back. There was a small table between her and the unoccupied opposite two seats. She took the seat by the window, choosing this area of the plane because it was near the back door. She wanted to make a quick exit upon arrival hoping to text or talk to Nicole when she got back to New York.
She stretched out her legs, pulled her phone and earbuds from her pocket, and scrolled through her music looking for a particular song. Her finger tapped the play button and Maroon Five’s song “Closer” began to play in her ears. Whenever she heard this song she thought of Nicole.
“I want to get close to you now, I want to get closer. I want to get close to you now, I want to get closer,” she sang quietly, closing her eyes. Ariana smiled at the thought of it. Here they were navigating this newclosenessand it was exciting and risky, but also unpredictable. Their connection was strong, had become irresistible, and they’d find out if it was lasting.
Ariana felt a gentle nudge on her shoulder and opened her eyes. She had to do a double-take because Nicole was smiling down at her.
Ariana sat up and widened her eyes. “What are you…”
“Turns out you’re my ride home,” Nicole said.
Shealyn forced her way around Nicole and took the seat opposite Ariana giving her a wide smile. “Want to talk about the game?”
Nicole settled next to Ariana and bumped her shoulder. “I’m sure Shealyn has some ideas for you.”
Before Ariana could say anything Coach Bell sat down next to Shealyn. “Okay, let me tell you about my team and why we’re going to win it all,” she said, smiling at Shealyn and Nicole.
Ariana couldn’t believe what was happening. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she stole a quick glance at Nicole who looked cool as a cucumber listening to Coach Bell go on about the team.
Nicole, Shealyn, and Coach Bell continued to discuss strategies, players, defensive matchups as well as certain plays they would use in specific situations. Ariana was amazed at the basketball knowledge shared in their conversation.
