Page 10 of False Play
“Bold for you to be here after that media shit storm,” Morgan said with a shake of his head.
Elijah Morgan was the alternate captain and the ruler of the group. The man had a stick so far up his ass, it was impossible to remove. Still, we loved him with his faults and all.
I sat on one of the high stools. “I’m benched until further notice.”
“Fuck, man,” Hayes groaned.
“Tell me about it,” I grumbled.
Aly dropped a few beers at our table with some plates of wings. Normally, I tried to stick to my meal plan during the season, but here and there, when I had a particularly hard day, I liked to eat my weight in delicious fried foods.
Owens grabbed his phone to read a text then lifted his gaze and looked over the crowd until his brown eyes lit up like a kid’s on Christmas day as he waved to catch someone’s attention. I looked over my shoulder, trying to figure out who he was waving at, and found Val smiling back at him.
Valentina García—also known as Val—was a senior marketing specialist for the Strikers and Owens’s childhood best friend. They grew up in the same small town in Colorado or some shit like that. Those two were inseparable and had such a weird relationship.
A quick shift of chestnut curls entering the bar caught my attention, and my eyes followed the movement, finding Kennedy walking behind Valentina. I knew they were close friends, too, but it was rare to see Kennedy hanging out with anyone outside of work. My stomach dropped as I took her in. I couldn’t remember the last time she stepped foot in here.
Okay, that was a blatant lie—I remembered perfectly.
It was after her first day of work. She had shorterhair then and a blinding smile that made her eyes sparkle. It was the kind that stamped itself on your brain and refused to leave. I was struck with the overwhelming urge to see if I could be the one to make her smile just so I could witness it again, but I knew better than to try.
My eyes raked over her body, because more than anything, I was a sucker for punishment. She had changed out of her power suit and into a pair of black jeans, a pink sweater, and pink Converse. It was borderline irritating how overwhelmingly beautiful I found Kennedy to be. She’d always be the most radiant woman in any room she stepped into.
It was starting to become a terrible problem.
“Your girl’s here.” Hayes elbowed my forearm.
I fixed him with an icy stare. “You think you’re so fucking funny.”
He shot me a smug smile. “It’s not my fault you’re obsessed with her.”
“I amnotobsessed with her,” I said through gritted teeth. Seriously, what was up with my teammates all of a sudden? Since when did they love to get on my balls about her?
“Hey, guys!” Val waved at us excitedly then turned around to look for Kennedy and made acome onmotion.
Owens stood and lifted Val into a tight hug. “Hey, Pecas.?*”
She hugged him back just as tightly. “Hey, Nico. Freaking stop calling me that, dude.”
“Never.” He grinned then patted the seat he was using. “Sit. I’ll go get you a drink.”
My eyes found Kennedy, and she awkwardly stood next to Val. Her eyes roamed the bar, taking everything in. I couldn’t blame her. The bar tended to become a crazy place to be aftera game.
I stood from my chair with a lazy grin. “Hey, Jonesy. Take my seat, and I’ll grab you a drink.”
She shot me a glare without a reply. Excitement spiked through me at her stare alone, and my grin widened.
Hayes draped an arm around her shoulders, and the movement caused my eye to twitch involuntarily. Fucking Hayes and his natural ability to flirt. I found it endearing, except when Kennedy was concerned. It was insane, I was aware. But I didn’t give a single flying fuck.
“Kenny, how the hell are you?”
“Iwashaving a good night, until now,” she replied, side-eyeing me.
“Aw, I missed you too,babe.” I threw her an exaggerated kiss with a wink.
“Did I miss something between you two?” he asked, amused.
“Oh, you know, I made her job harder today, so she’s pissed at me,” I replied casually with a half-shrug.
