“We should have brought Reid,” I mutter.
“Hey, I’m a tall guy,” Quint complains.
I look up at him. “You are, but you’re not as tall as Reid.”
“Nobody’s as tall as Reid,” he says in response.
“That’s kind of true,” I mutter. I bite my lip and jump up and down a little, trying to see. It’s killing me not to reach out to him, but I promised I wouldn’t today. He told me it was fine if I did, but I won’t do that to him. He needs to completely focus and having me on the other end of his mind is the opposite of total concentration. It’s been the most freeing thing being connected to him. I still can’t get over the fact that I can talk to my guy any moment of any day. Shoot, I can’t even get over the fact thattheSlater Thorne even is my guy. I still feel like I’m going to wakeup and realize it was all just a dream, a delicious dream but a dream, nonetheless.
“There he is.”
Quint’s words jerk me from my thoughts. “Where?” I demand.
He laughs. “Come on. Grab the back of my jersey.” I do, and he uses his broad shoulders to make a way through the crowd. And then suddenly, there he is. I take in the tall, broody athlete headed my way and suck in a breath. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that this guy is mine. Quint elbows me. “You’re drooling.”
“Yeah, well, he’s droolworthy,” I respond without looking away from those dark gray eyes that are trained solely on me.
Quint makes a gagging sound. “I think I just threw up in my mouth.”
I laugh but don’t look away from Slater. He gets closer and closer, and it takes everything in me not to run out onto the field to him. He finally stops in front of me. “Hey, Shorty.” His voice is low, and his words rumble through me.
“Hi, Hotshot.” I step forward, and those strong arms come around me. I lay my head on his strong chest and wrap my arms tightly around him. I am very aware of the fact that people are whispering Slater’s name and taking pictures. More than one flash goes off, but I ignore it all. I pull back just enough so I can look at him. “You ready?”
He nods, and I can tell he is locked in. It makes me happy to see. He’s so much more settled than he was before we bonded, and it makes me feel good to know that I have a part in it. Because he’s ready, I don’t want to pull his concentration. “You’ve got this.” He nods, his eyes intense. “I’ll see you on the other side.” I reach up on my tiptoes and brush my lips across his. It was meant to just be a quick, chaste kiss; but his arm drops behind my back and pulls me close. He deepens the kiss.It’s just a few seconds, but it’s enough to make me forget my name. I blink and try to keep myself standing.
“Now, I’m ready,” he says in a low voice. He winks at me, and then he’s gone. I stare after him as he runs back across the field.
“Uh, Tessa, I don’t think he’s coming back. We could probably go back to our seats now, but if you want to continue to stand here and pine after—”
I elbow Quint, cutting off his words. “I am not pining.”
He laughs. “You sure?”
This time it’s me who leads us through the crowd of people and back to our row. Evie grins when I see her. “So, how was Slate?”
I grin back. “Perfect.”
She laughs. “Well, I’m pretty sure you destroyed several girls’ hopes and dreams with that kiss. There were some very unhappy groans when Slater kissed you.”
I shoot to my feet and turn around. “Who?”
“Oh, my word. Sit down.” Evie yanks on my hand, pulling me back down into my seat. “What are you going to do? Go fight them?”
“If I have to, yes.” I hear Zane chuckle on the other side of her.
“My money’s on Tessa,” he adds.
Evie turns to him. “Do not encourage this.”
“Hey, Slater ismyman, nobody else’s,” I remind her.
Quint stands up. “I’ll be your backup, Tess. Let’s go.”
“Oh, my word. Sit down,” Evie says, shaking her head. “Never mind.” She hooks her arm through mine and pulls me to my feet.
I pull my arm from hers. “What are you—”
“National Anthem,” she mutters.
