Page 49 of Wicked Love

After the introductions are made, rules are repeated, andteams are assigned, we get started. Bowie adjusts his jersey and grins as he high-fives the group of kids on his team. I’m happy to see that he’s not formal with them at all. Nope, that’s only reserved for me. And then he puts his hair back in a man bun with easy precision, and I feel like I might slowly die right here, right now. Didn’t know I had a thing for man buns, but on Bowie, Iso do.

When I finally tear my eyes away from Bowie, I notice Rhodes smirking at Bowie from across the field.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” he calls. “We’re gonna show you how it’s done.”

“You mean Sam and Davey are gonna show us how it’s done,” Bowie shoots back, making Davey on Rhodes’ team jump up and down.

I laugh. “Oh, so we’re already trash-talking?” I’m on Bowie’s team and he looks at me over his shoulder, looking smug.

“We’ve got this,” he says, winking at Daphne next to me.

I die.

“Penn, keep it fair,” Rhodes says to Penn.

Penn is going to be the ref for this first game and he blows his whistle dramatically, making all of the kids jump and laugh.

“I can maybe ignore calls in exchange for pizza,” Penn says.

Becca moves next to me.

“What are we gonna do with these guys?” I ask her.

“Play,” she says.

I laugh and high-five her.

As we get into place, I pass Bowie. “Try to keep up,” I tell him, tightening my ponytail.

“I’ll try,” he says, flashing a grin that nearly makes me trip.

The game begins and it’s a combo of skill and chaos as we dart around the field. The cheering from the sidelines is double what it usually is. We are giving them a show and Bowie and Rhodes play their roles perfectly, throwing exaggerated fake-outs and dramatic dives that have the kids staring at them in shock and then roaring with laughter.

Becca gets the ball and runs with it…in the wrong direction at first, but we get her turned back around and she makes the first touchdown. Everyone, including the kids on the other team, huddle around her to cheer. Bowie runs over and lifts her in the air, and everyone cheers louder. It’s so cute and funny that I swear my heart is going to explode.

At one point, I shock myself by intercepting a pass from Rhodes and take off down the field, but then, somehow, I trip and go flying. Bowie’s hands grip my waist and I’m lifted and turned so when I fall, I have a nice body to land on instead of the hard field. I stare down at Bowie, breathless. He’s looking up at me, dazed. I put my hands on his cheeks and hair.

“Are you okay?” I ask, panicking that I have just injured a professional football player in what was supposed to be a low-key game of flag football.

“Just fine,” he says.

“Oh, okay, good,” I say, still staring down at him.“I would hate to be the reason the star linebacker of the Mustangs is injured.”

Having all his hard ridges hitting me in all the right spots is not a hardship.

“Are you okay?” he asks, and I think he’s trying not to smile.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” I say, playing with his hair between my fingers. “It’s even softer than what they say.”

He stares at me for a few beats. “So you know about the blogs too…”

I grin. “I do.”

He lets out a little growl and I crack up. His lips lift a tiny bit and it thrills me.

“Should we keep playing?” he asks.

My cheeks break out into a fiery heat. I clamber to get off of him, but for some reason, I’m dizzy and can hardly manage it. He lifts me up, standing at the same time, and sets me on solid ground.

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