As the sun dipped low, it cast long shadows across the packed bleachers. The hum of the crowd grew louder — chants, whistles, and the rhythmic pounding of cleats on turf blending into one roaring sound.
Fans around us swayed in unison. Some clutched foam fingers, while others were wrapped in team colors and had painted faces flushed with excitement.
There was no point in even pretending I wasn’t watching him. That’s why I’d come after all.
This time, there had been no coaxing from Ella necessary. I’d shown up because Iwantedto, and I owned it. I was breaking my own rules, going against anything I swore to myself — and I didn’t care anymore.
“You know I’m happy for you, right? But seeing you look at my brother like that is kind of disturbing, girl.” Ella piped up beside me, her voice slicing through the noise.
My eyes were still glued to the field. Tohim. “Like what?” I asked distractedly, chin now propped in my hand.
“Do you want the PG version or the NSFW one?”
I waved my hands through the air lazily. “Surprise me.”
She didn’t miss a beat. “Like Ross watching Rachel come down the stairs in that green dress. Only in this scenario, Rachel looks like she wants to rip it off and jump him.”
“Huh?” I shot her a confused look.
She threw her hands up, exasperated. “Oh my God. Okay, like you just remembered your vibrator’s out of batteries, and he’s the emergency backup.”
I laughed, loud enough to draw an annoyed look from the guy in front of us. “Okay,that’sa visual.”
Then I caught the way her eyes flicked down toward the sideline — toward Hunter — and lingered just a second too long.
I narrowed mine. “Wait a second… Is that why you were slack-jawed a minute ago? Were you ogling Hunter?”
Her cheeks pinked immediately. “What? No. I wasn’t —shut up.”
A thought clicked into place. “Hold on. That party a few months ago … the one at his place. We left in such a hurry, and at that time I wasn’t really mad about it, but something had you all wound up. What happened?”
Ella’s face stiffened for half a second before she smoothed it over with a shrug. “Nothing. It was hot. Loud. I got tired.”
“Mhm.” I raised a brow. “Convenient.”
She bumped my shoulder with hers. “Focus on your man, stalker. You’re about to combust just watching him.”
Dom was on fucking fire tonight. He looked positively unhinged, barking at the O-line like he had a personal vendetta and shoving through bodies like they’re cardboard. He looked dangerous — uncontainable.
And he kept glancing up at the stands like he needed to check if I was still there. Like he wanted me to see every second of it.
Ella nudged me. “Jesus. I’ve never seen him this feral. He’s playing like the quarterback insulted your honor.”
My nails were digging into my palm, and my heart hadn’t slowed down since the first whistle. I wasn’t just watching Dom. I was tracking him.
He was a live wire, and I was waiting for the next surge.
***
Dom
We’d made it to the fourth quarter, and the opponent had one last shot. The crowd was roaring, screaming, chanting, but in my head was nothing but Sierra. Her laugh ringing in my ears, her stare piercing me from the stands.
They got ready for the snap, and I mimicked their snap count loudly, trying to throw off their O-line. Mockingly, I adopted the same stance as the dude in front of me and grinned widely.
“You smell that? That’s your QB’s fear.” I sneered.
The ball was snapped, and I exploded off the line like I’d been shot out of a cannon. This time there was no hesitation, no finesse.
