Page 56 of Flag On The Play
“You don’t have to wear it if you think it’s cheesy,” I say quickly. “I just wanted you to know I’ve been thinking about you. Every day. Since that first night.”
She swallows hard and lifts her eyes to mine. “It’s not cheesy.”
I lean forward, resting my forearms on the table. “I meant what I said, Nova. I’m not just in this for fun. I don’t want to be someone you forget.”
“You already aren’t.”
Her voice is so soft I almost miss it, but the way it lands in my chest? No missing that.
“I don’t know how to do this relationship thing,” she continues, running her thumb over the bracelet. “But I know how I feel when I’m with you. And that scares the hell out of me.”
I reach across the table, curling my hand around hers.
“Then let’s be scared together.”
She looks at me like she wants to argue, but then she lets out a shaky breath and nods.
“Okay.”
And just like that, we’re something more than we were yesterday.
“How about we go meet everyone at the club. I know Roxy and Delaney are texting you as much as Theo and Jace are texting me.”
She needs fun right now. This is all very heavy for her.
“I love that idea.”
The second we walk into the club, the bass hits my chest like a second heartbeat. Lights strobe across the crowd, casting glints off the glitter on Delaney’s cheeks and the wild red in Roxy’s hair as they spot us and wave from their VIP booth.
Nova slides her hand into mine, and even though we just left a romantic dinner where she all but said she was mine, I still feel like the luckiest bastard in the room.
“Hey, quarterback,” Roxy shouts over the music, giving me a dramatic once-over. “Looking like a man who just got laid and fed.”
Nova chokes on a laugh as she elbows her. “Jesus, Rox.”
“What?” Roxy grins. “It’s a compliment. He’s glowing.”
“I don’t glow,” I mutter, settling next to Nova in the booth.
“Yeah, you do,” Delaney says sweetly. “It’s kind of adorable.”
Theo raises his glass from across the table. “She’s not wrong. Never seen you smile this much, Reed.”
“Shut up,” I grumble, but I can’t help the grin stretching across my face when Nova looks at me out of the corner of her eye.
The girls are already halfway through a bottle of champagne, and Jace, my wide receiver and resident party starter, shows up with shots for the entire table.
“To good friends, hot dates, and scoring more than touchdowns,” he toasts, earning an eye-roll from Delaney and a loud cheer from Roxy.
Nova raises her glass, clinks it to mine, and down it goes. Smooth. Fiery. Just like her.
The music shifts into something with a slower, sexier rhythm, and Nova stands, tugging my hand.
“Dance with me, QB.”
I don’t hesitate. I follow her onto the floor like I’d follow her anywhere.
Her body molds to mine instantly, her arms wrapped around my neck, her hips moving to the beat like she was made for it. Made for me. I slide my hands to her waist, guiding her against me as we move. It’s not rushed or wild. It’s slow. Intentional. Every sway of her hips, every brush of her chest against mine, is a tease.
