Savage: It’s late, don’t you have anything better to do?
I looked up and could see the backs of my teammates, but I didn’t feel the need to follow them. Not right now.
Me: Where are you?
Savage: Dorm. You?
It would be stupid. It would be reckless. It wasn’t part of the master plan. But still... I wanted to flirt with her. I wanted to invite myself to her dorm. Actually, I didn’t want to invite myself; I just wanted to turn up at her door and see what would happen when she let me in.
Her father’s glare pierced my thoughts, reminding me why that was a bad idea. Her taunt in the bathroom, asking me what I was talking about on the phone, floated around my head like a god damn poltergeist intent on doing harm.
Me: Heading out with the team, see you next week
I pushed myself off the wall and followed my teammates. Noah had hung back; I hadn’t noticed, but I appreciated it.
“It’s fortunate Dustin’s family thing was on the same night,” Noah observed as we walked, filling the silence.
I shoved my phone in my pocket, once again appreciating the almost silent support from the linebacker beside me. “Yeah, at some point, one of our coaches will realize that he’s got alotof ‘family things’ when it comes to events like tonight.”
Noah nodded in agreement. “They probably already clicked, but I suppose when you play as well as he does, things slide.”
I nudged him with my elbow. “You saying we play like shit?” I joked.
“Nah, man, I’m saying your family’s in Ohio, and mine’s in Nevada. Not a commute you can do easily in one evening.”
Did I know Noah was from Nevada? I don’t think I did. “Vegas?” I asked.
“Yup.” He scuffed his shoe as we walked. “Just outside of the main tourist trap.”
“You don’t look like someone who comes from Vegas,” I told him. I gave him an appraising glance. Noah looked like he’d been carved out of stone and then got pissed off about it. “Definitelya bouncerina club in Vegas, though.”
He laughed out loud. “Thanks?” he said, holding his arms out in front of him as he examined his dark navy suit. “You can’t see me in the silver and black of the Raiders?”
I snorted. “Silver and black remind me of those fuckers at Cardinal Saints.”
“Ah, of course, the bitter rivalry,” he said, a small smile playing on his lips.
“They’re dicks.”
He looked at me with amusement. “You know you beat them, right? You have the utmost bragging rights, we won.”
I scowled. “It’d be better if I could hit Jett over the head with the trophy.”
Noah whistled softly. “What the fuck did he do to you?”
I thought about it. “Nothing,” I admitted. “I just... Fuck it, I justreallydon’t like him.”
We stood at the bar door; Noah opened it and held it for me. “I’ll get you a double bucket of wings, that’ll help with that pent-up energy.”
“Don’t think there are enough wings to help with that,” I said lightly. Whatwouldhelp with that pent-up energy was being between Savannah Cole’s thighs and thrusting deep inside her.
I shoved that thought away.
Noah was already halfway to the bar like he owned it. I joined the guys as they gathered around a booth, my handslipped into my pocket, fingers tracing over the curve of my phone.
I pulled it out and was slightly disappointed to see Sav hadn’t texted. I opened ESPN. I frowned as I read the updates. Our hockey team had lost. My sound of surprise went unnoticed in the crowded bar.
Well, that was not fucking good. The report I’d seen suggested all the players were healthy, but skimming the ESPN report, more than four were dealing with injuries.
