Page 35 of A Game Plan for Love

It’s chaos as a blender goes haywire, and Louis holds the lid down like his life depends on it. His eyes are wide, and his shoulders slump when I appear in the doorway, hip-checking players to get to him.

I quickly unplug the blender, and Louis flies back away from the countertop. Both Nina and Louis look battle-worn, and I jump in, picking up the slack.

Though it’s insanely busy and it seems like every player and coach wants a smoothie today, my eyes continue to stray to the table in the corner where Declan sits with his friends. He lounges in his chair, the epitome of male confidence, and fuck me, but the lazy confidence is doing some odd, concerning things to my insides.

My phone dings, and against my better judgment, I pull it out expecting a message from my mother. Instead, it’s from Declan.

Declan: It’s truly impressive how much work you manage to get done when you spend all your time staring at me.

My jaw falls, and when I look up from my phone, he winks at me. I muster up what courage I have to text him back.

Me: Why haven’t you kissed me yet?

His response is immediate.

Declan: Good things come to those who wait.

And kissing you might just be the highlight of my life.

CHAPTER 10

Sunflower – Post Malone, Swae Lee

Declan

Thecrowdroars,shakingthe stadium, as the defense takes the field in the fourth quarter. We’re up by three touchdowns—two of which belong to me—but the energy never wanes.

I reach the sideline, and players tap my helmet and shoulder as I pass. There’s only one place I want to be, and it’s wherever Addie is standing. She’s a hard woman to catch on the sidelines, constantly moving around, but I think I’ve nailed down her routine, which means she’s going to be refilling water bottles.

She’s right where I expect her to be.

When my hand lands on her lower back, she yelps and drops the half-full bottle. Water sloshes at our feet, and she whips around, eyes frantic.

“What the—oh, hi,” she says quietly. “You’ve been playing well.”

She smiles, and the warmth in it strikes me directly in the heart.

“There’s someone I want to impress,” I admit, taking a step closer. I want to inhale the sweet fruity scent of her hair until I’m washed away in a sea of bliss.

“Oh, who?” Addie quickly scans the stands. “Is your family here?”

My stomach falls. She can’t know the impact of her words because she doesn’t know my history. I’d like to tell her one day, but now is not the time to unpack my baggage.

“You,” I say, tugging on a loose strand of auburn hair. “I’m trying to impressyou.”

Her lips form an ‘O’ and the apples of her cheeks turn a deep red. My eyes linger on her lips, imagining what she would taste like. I was so close to kissing her in the equipment closet, but then she broke down and clung to me while she cried.

It felt like the most natural thing in the world—her in my arms, looking to me for comfort.

“Is it working?”

Her eyes sparkle. “Not really.”

She shrugs and slips past me, but her laughter is infectious as I chase her down. She stops in front of the offensive line and passes out bottles. Jack gives me a bemused look. I drop onto the bench beside him and split my attention between the last minute of the game and Addie.

Long legs stretch in her leggings and it takes all my restraint to not stare at her ass…for too long. I lose her in the sea of players beginning to cheer for our first win of the season, and walk out to shake hands with some of the players from the other team.

Henry, Jack, and Deon never linger long, wanting to shower and meet their partners in the family room. They head to the locker room, and I search for Addie. I haven’t seen her outside of work, and that needs to change. I want to spend time with her and Nora again.

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