He's probably got a dozen secret exits. He’s probably already gone. Maybe this is stupid.
I check my phone, thinking about just going home.
Then the door opens.
And there he is.
Fresh out of the locker room, damp hair, warm-up hoodie clinging to his chest, duffle bag slung over one shoulder like a damn Nike ad come to life.
He doesn’t see me right away, but when I step forward, he stops.
A slow, knowing smile spreads across his stupidly gorgeous face.
“Lux,” he says smoothly.
“Only in Heaven.” I slap the envelope against his chest, hard enough that it makes a sound.
“I don’t need or want your fucking money.”
He catches it before it falls, fingers closing around the envelope as I turn to leave. I don’t look back. I don’t give him the satisfaction.
But of course, he can’t let it end there.
“Nova,” he calls after me, his voice smooth and irritatingly familiar. “It was good to see you.”
I almost stop, but then he continues.
“Although I didn’t think I’d see quite so much.”
My entire body tenses with rage. I raise one hand in the air, middle finger extended proudly as I keep walking.
I don’t give him the satisfaction of looking back. He doesn’t deserve it.
And he sure as hell doesn’t deserve to see the way my hands are shaking.
CHAPTER 4
FINLAY
Ahell of a crowd.
A winning game.
A proud interview in the locker room, where I said all the right things and smiled like I had the world at my feet.
And yet, here I am flat on my back, staring at the ceiling like it holds all the answers, thinking about Nova Wilde.
She came to the game.
I don’t know why that hits as hard as it does, but it does. She showed up. Bought a ticket. Sat in that stadium and watchedme.
I should be riding the high of the win. Should be basking in the stats I put up, the way the team rallied, the reporters praising every damn move I made. But none of it matters. Not right now. Not when my mind keeps rewinding to her.
High school Nova was beautiful in that effortless, untouchable way. Her tight jeans and thick eyeliner, that smart-ass mouth of hers, always one second away from wrecking my ego. But tonight? Tonight, she was a full-blown goddess. Confident. Powerful. Every inch of her practically humming with control.
Long legs that could wrap around you and not let go. Hips that swayed like they knew every eye was on her and didn’t give a damn. That mouth, still smart, still lethal, but now kissed with red that made me want to see it smudged. And those eyes? Still sharp. Still deadly. Still capable of undoing me with a single glance.
She was waiting for me. Outside the stadium, arms crossed, jaw set, fire in her eyes. Like some kind of divine punishment wrapped in fishnets and revenge. She stepped in front of me and slammed that envelope into me like she was driving a dagger through my pride.
