Page 90 of The Riskiest Move

“I never asked you if the Silverbacks were the team you were hoping to play for.”

“It was at the top of my list.”

“Why?”

“Coach Chubb is amazing and so are the rest of the staff. The Wilkins family are extremely supportive owners, and the stadium is only a few years old.”

“Is playing for them as great as you imagined?”

He grins. “It’s even better.”

“So you wouldn’t want to play anywhere else?”

“No. I don’t know what the future holds, but as long as the coaching staff doesn’t change, I can’t imagine wanting a trade to another team.”

After we’re finished eating, Cooper pulls out his wallet.

“Put that away. This is my treat.”

“No, I asked you to dinner.”

“So? That doesn’t mean you need to pay for mine.”

“Put your money away. I’m not letting you give me a dime toward this bill.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s the least I can do to thank you for being on my podcast.”

“And here I was thinking I should be thanking you with dinner.”

“How do you figure that? I get more out of you being on than you do.”

“Are you kidding? I got to see you in action. I got to talk to you and spend time with you. And I met my favorite wrestlers. What more could I ask for?”

“Okay,” I relent. “Next time, then.”

“We’ll see.” He hands cash to the waitress and we leave the restaurant. We walk to where the boardwalk meets the sand, and stop. “What a view.”

“My favorite part about Virginia Beach is having ocean all around. Especially after growing up near the beach, I could never live away from it. At least not for a long period of time. It’s so soothing for me.”

“Yes, for me too. I may not have grown up near the ocean, but I definitely have an appreciation for it now.” He stretches his hand out to me, and I thread my fingers between his as we slowly make our way back to the studio parking lot. “Jesus,” he says, laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“You didn’t see that guy in that blue truck that just drove by checking you out?”

“No.”

“He whipped his head in your direction so fast, he’s going to have a stiff neck tomorrow.”

“Too bad for him, I’m already taken.”Or at least I wish I were.

“Damn straight,” he says, playing along.

For the rest of the walk, I pretend we really are a couple. When I’m standing next to my vehicle, Cooper cages me in, backing me into the driver’s side door. When his face slowly lowers to mine, my eyes fall closed and I wait for the first contact of his lips. He plants a kiss on me that makes me dizzy and has me longing for more. I hear the sound of a door banging shut and footsteps scuffing against the pavement just before Cooper raises his head, and I open my eyes, flicking my gaze to the side where I find Tommy walking toward his car. He mutters something about coming up for air, and Cooper and I lose it, laughing. We watch him pull away before I turn to Cooper. “Do you think he thought we were standing here making out that entire time?”

“Sounds like it. You know, as delicious as my burger was, it doesn’t even compare to the taste of you.” He moves to the side and opens my door for me without another word, then closes me inside. Which is for the best because I still haven’t come up with a reply for the last thing he said.

CHAPTER 25

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