Page 51 of Match Penalty

My stomach drops. “Oh no… I didn’t even think about how he’d see that I wasn’t with you.”

Brynn nods. “I told him as little as possible, but you know how he is. He was like a dog with a bone.”

“What did you say?”

“I just told him you mixed your drinks and went home early,” she says casually.

“Okay, that’s not bad,” I say, relief flooding through me.

“But then…” Brynn grimaces. “He started asking more questions. Like if I let you walk home alone or something.”

“Brynn.”

“I couldn’t lie, Cammy. I told him a team member escorted you back to The Commons. When he figured out it was JP, he just about drove down here in the middle of the night to bring your purse and haul you out of there.”

I groan, letting my head fall back as my eyes flutter closed. “He’s going to kill me. Or JP. Or both of us.”

She grins, unbothered. “Worried about JP? Sounds like someone still cares.”

“I have no idea what I’m feeling right now,” I admit, my voice quieter. “I need coffee, a shower, and about twelve hours of sleep. But it’s Friday, and I have to go to work.”

Brynn nods, her teasing softened by understanding. “Call me later?”

“Yeah.”

I take an elevator up one level to my apartment as she takes an elevator down.

As I unlock the door to my apartment, a heavy weight settles in my chest. I glance at my phone, knowing JP will be gone for the next few days.

Maybe the distance will give me time to think. Because by the time he gets back, I’ll need to figure out what I want.

And what I’m willing to risk to have it.

Chapter Fourteen

JP

I step out of my car in the stadium parking lot, adjusting the strap of my duffel and game-day suit bag over my shoulder. The early morning air bites at my skin, crisp with the promise of winter. My phone buzzes in my pocket—probably another message from the media team, wanting quotes about my first away game with the Hawkeyes.

But when I check, it’s not the media team.

Cammy:Good luck today. Show them what you’ve got.

My thumb hovers over the screen, the memory of waking up alone this morning replaying in my mind. The sheets still held her warmth, the faint scent of her shampoo lingering on my pillowcase. But she was gone, and I guess I deserved that. After all, she had made her boundaries clear. Just one night.

And still, waking up to that empty space beside me felt like a blindside blow I hadn’t prepared for.

“Monty!” Aleksi’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts as he approaches, dragging his own bags along with him. “You coming or what?”

I pocket my phone, forcing myself to focus. “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.”

“You look like shit,” he observes cheerfully, clearly enjoying himself. “Ground Zero hit you hard?”

If he only knew.

“Something like that,” I mutter, following him toward the team bus.

The guys are already loading up their gear, their usual pre-game energy buzzing despite the early hour. Hunter’s got his headphones on, already in game mode, while Wolf talks strategy with Coach Haynes near the front of the bus.

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