Page 18 of Caught Looking

“Good.”

The crowd erupted into cheers as an Atlanta player streaked down the field. But Phoebe, one of Jeri’s roommates, stole the ball. The crowd groaned while our section took over the cheering. I held my damn breath. Phoebe took it half the field before sending the ball to Jeri. They’d caught Atlanta sleeping. She rushed the goal, but at the last second passed it to Annalise, who scored when the goalkeeper dodged the wrong way, thinking Jeri was taking it all the way.

I threw my hands in the air screaming. Rhett did the same. The guys all around us jumped and shouted. The cell phones below us clicked away, taking videos and pictures as Rhett high-fived me and then hugged me, slapping me on the back three times.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, “Yeah, baby!” She had come to a stop in front of us down on the field, folding her arms over her chest as her teammates jumped on her. At the sound of my voice, her gaze darted up and locked with mine. I pointed down at her.

She grinned and pointed back.

If I stepped back and looked at it from a fan's perspective this probably looked amazing. Romantic. It would probably be all over the internet in minutes.

None of them knew I was just relieved she was smiling again.

I gave her my softest smile. She returned it with a nod, and then was swept off with the team.

“You’re good at this,” Rhett said, eyeing me a lot more than I’d like. Did he see that I had feelings for his cousin? “But I suppose you’re used to working the cameras.”

The dig landed just like he wanted, reminding me that I was the playboy and I better mind my place. “Don’t be a dick,” I said through my teeth, smiling the whole time.

“Don’tuseyour dick and we’ll be just fine.”

After the game the team rushed to the airport while I hung back with Isaac and Kate. “Thanks for arranging all this. It had to be a pain to make the plane wait.”

Kate smiled as she held Isaac’s hand. “It wasn’t that much trouble at all. I actually thought it was going to be the team that was the problem, but they were all excited to stay. We’re all friends now, right?” She looked pointedly in the direction of where Annalise was scheduled to emerge any moment.

“More than friends.” My heart rate kicked up as the seconds ticked by. Not because I knew there were six cameras nearby hoping to catch “the shot” of us walking out, but because I worried that Annalise would hate me forever.

Isaac glanced at his watch. “Team bus just got to the airport. Don’t worry, they won’t leave without us.”

Isaac stayed back to ensure it. They might leave without me, but they’d never abandon the team manager.

The doors opened and Tangerines began trickling out two and three at a time, down the hallway where we stood, on their way to the bus that would return them to their hotel for the night. The Tangerines were taking a morning flight back since, unlike us, they didn’t have a game tomorrow.

Jeri shot me a half-grin, coming close and lowering her voice so only I could hear it. “This is the one and only time I’m going to bat for you, okay? You understand me?”

Was that the reason Annalise was able to smile at me after her goal? “You went to bat for me?”

Jeri rolled her eyes and groaned. “That’s what I just said, didn’t I?”

Maybe there was hope for us yet. “Understood. Thank you.”

“Fuck you. You think I like having that attitude around me all week? I needed her focused.”

“Thank you,” I repeated.

“You know this means I take your balls if you make her upset again, right?”

“Absolutely.” Jeri was the kind of woman who would actually do damage if I hurt her friend, so there was nothing to do but agree.

“All right. See, that’s why I like you. Now, do something sweet that makes the internet lose its shit that the playboy has finally been tamed.” She walked away, bag thrown over her shoulder, flicking off the photographers.

Annalise emerged with Phoebe, her eyes scanning the hallway until she found me, then raised her eyebrows.

I raised mine right back. When she didn’t shake me off I took it as a signal that I had the greenlight to keep acting like her boyfriend. So I swaggered my way in front of her, playing it up. But the act was forgotten when I took in the sight of her mile-long legs in her tangerine shorts and the low cut of her bright white tank top. Instead of the cocky smile I usually gave the cameras, I grinned from ear-to-shit-eating-ear becausefuck. Annalise Ryan was sexy as hell.

“I’ll catch up to you,” she told Phoebe as she stopped in front of me. “Hey there.”

“You’re fucking gorgeous.” My confession made her blush. “And you’re incredible. What a goal, baby.”

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