Eventually, the team and their wives and girlfriends begin to disappear. I know exactly where most of them are going.
The Fractured Compass.
It’s a dive bar a few streets over from the arena that the team has claimed as theirs.
I’m desperate to go and hang out with the team after hours.
If things were different, if my father wasn’t their coach, then maybe I would.
Who am I kidding? I wouldn’t stand a chance of talking to these guys if I weren’t thrust into this world by Dad.
I’d like to think that no matter what, I’d be a fan. But who knows?
“We should go,” Parker suggests, reading my expression.
I shake my head.There have been a few occasions where I’ve hung out with them after games, but that’s usually because it’s someone’s birthday or we have something big to celebrate.
I might be a part of the LA Vipers franchise, but I’m not a part of the team.Not really.
We’re not friends. We’re acquaintances. They’re nice to mebecause they’re too terrified not to be. But equally, they keep me at arm’s length because they have to.
“I’m tired. I’m just going to head home.”
Parker lets out a long, disappointed breath.
“Yeah, same.”
Guilt twists me up inside. She wants to go. She wants to hang out with the team, soak it all up.
“One day,” I promise her.
After saying goodbye to Dad, we head out.
“Sure I can’t tempt you?” Parker says as I hit the blinker that will take us toward her apartment and away from the bar. “He’s not going to be there.”
“No, I need to go home. I’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
She smiles sadly at me but doesn’t say anything else about it.
After dropping her off, I head home with tonight playing out in my head.
Kodie has never spotted me in the crowd before. Or, if he has, then I haven’t noticed.
But the second his eyes landed on me earlier, something happened. And the moment he looked up at me after he scored and won the game...
It felt like…
I squeeze my eyes closed as I stop at a red light.
It felt like it was for me.
Lock it down, Casey.
You probably didn’t feature in a single one of his thoughts tonight.
There is no way he’ll crawl into bed tonight and think about that eye contact, remember how it was when you were together.
My thoughts run away with me as I pull into the parking lot outside my building and picture him lying in bed with his hand wrapped around his dick, groaning my name.
