I rounded up to the next set of stairs, cock still not fully soft, muscles buzzing and my heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat.
I had no idea what I was about to walk into.
So when I nearly collided with Reid from Player Engagement, I somehow managed a surprised smile.
“Oh — hey, Reid.”
“Lock,” he said, relief and suspicion warring on his face. “There you are. We’re loaded on the bus, and when I ran numbers, I realized you were missing. We’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Oh, shit. Sorry,” I said, dragging a hand back through my damp hair.
What the fuck am I supposed to say?
Below us, I heard the soft sound of the stairwell door opening and shutting.
Emily was out.
“I, uh…” I laughed once, rubbing the back of my neck. “Had a little too much adrenaline after the game. Thought I’d burn some of it off.”
Reid blinked. “By running stairs?”
“Yeah.”
He stared.
“After you showered?”
I winced, letting out a breath through my nose. “I know. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
“No,” he agreed.
I shrugged, trying for sheepish instead of suspicious. “I thought showering would calm me down, but I was still all keyed up. Didn’t really want to get on the bus bouncing off the walls.”
Reid just looked at me for a second, his gaze flicking over the state of me — hair damp with sweat, chest still rising too fast, face probably flushed all to hell.
I had no idea if I passed for a player fresh off a stair sprint or if he could read right through the bullshit and see me for exactly what I was: guilty as hell.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Well, we need to get to the airport.”
“Right. Yeah. I’m good now.” I nodded a little too quickly. “Just need to grab my bag and I’ll be right there.”
He held my gaze for one beat longer before stepping aside.
“Don’t disappear again.”
“Yes, sir.”
I jogged down the stairs, grabbed my duffle where I’d dropped it in my rush to get to Emily, and headed for the bus with what I hoped looked like normal, postgame indifference.
Hands in my pockets.
Head down.
Mind absolutely nowhere near where it should’ve been.
Just before I stepped onto the bus, I chanced one glance toward the smaller staff transport parked across the lane.
And there she was.
