Page 10 of The Only Shot that Mattered

Alanzo whirled around to face his grandmother. “Can we, Gigi? Can we?”

“Of course, baby. I can’t say no to you. Why don’t you thank Kenna for offering us her seats?” Annalise said.

Alanzo zoomed past Damien and tackled Kenna with a hug. Meanwhile, Cam looked at Kenna like she drowned his dog right in front of him. “Kenny, how could you give this lil rugrat our seats?”

He stomped his foot, and Kenna rolled her eyes. “Cam, grow up.”

Damien stood up and laughed. “You two are coming as well. My man Rock can show y’all where to go. I have a game to win.” He winked at Kenna. “Wish me luck.”

Like a loser, she muttered, “Good luck.”

He chuckled and turned on his heels. He and the white bodyguard headed back toward the stairs. People all around them had their phones out, recording him and shouting out his name. He waved and smiled but kept moving until he disappeared down the stairwell.

Rock surveyed the area and said, “Alright, let’s go. The game is starting soon, and I want to make sure y’all are settled.”

Alanzo grabbed his grandmother’s hand and dragged her with him so they could follow Rock. Cam and Kenna trailed behind them, Kenna’s anxiety somehow diminishing after her interaction with Damien.

“I can’t believewe got floor seats, Kenna.Floor seats. And The Infernos won? Today is the best day ever.” Cam couldn’t stop gushing over the game since it ended fifteen minutes ago.

“Since when does basketball make you so happy?” Kenna asked as she looked around the room that seemed to grow more crowded as the minutes passed.

As soon as Damien sank the winning shot into the net, Rock, his security guard, came and got them. He walked them to a large room with refreshments that felt very exclusive.

Slowly, players from The Infernos came into the room looking refreshed, as if they’d just showered and were hype because they’d won the game. There were a few other people scattered around the room, too, but for the most part, Kenna felt like she, Cam, Alanzo, and Annalise were out of place.

Cam smacked his glossed lips loudly. “Have you seen these fine ass men? The Infernos just gained a new number one fan.”

His eyes roamed around the room in wonder as he cheesed at the players who happened to look their way. Kenna shook her head and took a step away from Cam, focusing on Alanzo, who bounced around in excitement. Some of the players stopped and gave him a high five, and every single time their gazes would land on Kenna, making her want to take a step away from Alanzo, too, so she could get some of the attention off her.

“You seem to be popular, Ms. Kenna,” Annalise noted as one of her thin brows lifted.

Kenna shifted from foot to foot as she glanced around the room. “I don’t know why.”

Cam scoffed and jammed his thumb in her direction as he spoke to Annalise. “This is what I have had to deal with since high school. She doesn’t know the kind of baddie she is.”

Annalise covered her mouth and giggled. “Well, now I don’t know nothing about being a baddie, but Kenna, you are absolutely gorgeous. It’s okay that others notice that too.”

Kenna shrunk away at the compliment but managed to mutter, “Thank you.”

“Gigi! Gigi! Look, it’s Damien Blaze!” Alanzo exclaimed as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

Kenna looked up and immediately stopped fidgeting. It was like everything melted away when she looked at him. She found that she actually enjoyed watching the game. The way he moved around the court with such ease captivated her, and she cheered loudly every time he made a basket, which surprised her. While Damien was in the zone, so was she, watching him and hanging onto his every move, and she couldn’t understand why.

When his eyes locked on hers, a different kind of nervousness filled her. Suddenly, she wondered if her hair looked okay or if she should have worn makeup. Her brows bunched together, and she was sure she looked like she had a mug on her face as he made his way toward them.

When he was only a couple of feet away from them, it registered that there was a pretty woman at his side, smiling at some of the players and giving off a radiant energy. Kenna shrank back a bit because of the woman’s presence and was glad when Damien addressed everyone else first.

“How did y’all enjoy the game?” His deep baritone voice stirred something long forgotten about deep within Kenna.

“It was so cool,” Alanzo shrieked, causing several players to glance their way and then chuckle at the little boy before going on about their business.

Annalise tugged on his hand and scolded him. “Inside voice, Zo.”

“It’s all good.” Damien grinned as he got down on one knee so he was eye level with Alanzo. “This your first game, lil man?”

“Yeah, but I play ball too.” Alanzo puffed out his chest with a wide grin.

“Oh yeah?” Damien poked Alanzo in the belly, eliciting a giggle from the little boy. “I would love to see you play sometime.”

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