I waved, my stomach going haywire, even more so when he smiled.
“Hi, Lucas,” my sister shouted.
As he made his way out of the fenced area, he was swallowed up by the crowd surrounding both him and the female reporter. She must have additional questions for him because somebody had told me that Lakemont already held a postgame press conference with the coach and the game’s star players.
The buzz of voices quieted as the lone reporter asked, “Lucas, so far this season you’ve been struggling. But today you were on fire. What changed?”
Some dude yelled, “The Wolf Howl.”
“That’s right,” another chimed in. “The wolf has found his mate.”
Whispers bounced around, and the two dads close to us were bobbing their heads.
From where I stood, the bodies in front of us blocked my view of Lucas.
“Is that true?” the pretty reporter asked.
“Our team played exceptional,” Lucas started. “We were in sync, and our QB1 was on point. I would like to give a shout out to Hill Country for a great game. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
The fans surrounding Lucas parted, like he was a celebrity walking the red carpet.
Sweat beaded along my skin as my barometer climbed up to a point of no return.
“He’s coming over here,” Kaylee announced, slipping to my side. “Do you think he’ll kiss you?”
Think? That was the problem. I couldn’t. I’d lost the ability to conjure up a thought or, hell, even a word.
Lucas strode toward me with determination and purpose.
The world narrowed to just him and me, and the closer he got, the harder my heart rammed against my ribs.
“Hey, Midnight,” he said in that raspy Southern drawl that had my panties soaked in an instant.
If Kaylee was still next to me, I couldn’t feel her presence.
“Hey, Hellion. Awesome?—”
His lips crashed to mine, cutting off my words, sucking the air out of me, and kickstarting my heart. He sneaked his arms around my waist, his hands slipping under my Lakemont T-shirt, warm and strong. I melted into his hard body as my tongue danced with his. That high feeling I always had around him multiplied tenfold.
I was so far gone that when he broke the kiss, I forgot where I was, who I was, and when it was.
Kaylee’s giggle prickled through my synapses. “You two have everyone watching you.”
“You good, Midnight?” he asked, his large palm firmly on my lower back in case my legs gave out.
I was more than good. But all I could manage was a shrug.
“You must be Kaylee.” Lucas bent over slightly and shook her hand. “I’m Lucas. It’s nice to meet you.” He talked to her in a voice that was all kinds of sweet, stealing another piece of my heart.
She blushed. “You have that same lady reporter behind you.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Don’t care about the reporter.”
The petite brunette stuck the mic in my face, rude and irritating. “Who, may I ask, has snagged the attention of Lakemont’s best wide receiver of all time?”
That fight-or-flight instinct kicked in as a wave of panic had sweat sliding down my back. I did not want to be on TV or bring any attention to myself.
You should’ve thought about that before you did the Wolf Howl.
