Page 44 of Wildcat
“I’m ready,” he says.
“Hi, Scarlett.” Blythe moves that excited and serious stare to me.
“Hey.” I wave.
“We need extra hands at the player table to snap photos and keep the line going. Any chance you can help?” She looks to me hopefully.
“Yeah, I can help.” My stomach dips as I spot Leo at one end of the table. He smiles at the kid in front of him and then stands and kneels for a photo.
“Have fun,” Dad says and shoots me that proud-father smile. That smile is the reason I’m giving up a weekend and traveling with the team. I should have said no, especially after what happened last night in Leo’s car. What is it about that car? But I love that my dad wants to share this with me.
“Great,” Blythe says. She walks me toward the players. I try to head to the opposite end of the table as Leo, but she points right at him. “Leo stands for every photo, so why don’t you help him and see if you can move things along a little faster. We have to wrap it up and get them on the plane in a few hours.”
“Got it.”
“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”
He looks up as I draw near. Twin girls with mini-matching Lohan jerseys stand in front of his table, looking at him like he is the dreamiest guy they’ve ever seen. Yeah, I know that look because I gave it to him once. Fine, more than once. And just last night. Groan. How am I going to be around him all weekend and not blush crimson red every time we’re in the same space?
“Can we have a picture with you?” one of them asks. Brown eyes widen with hope.
Leo answers enthusiastically, “Of course.”
The dad of the twins gives Leo an appreciative smile as he holds up his phone. Leo squats down, and the girls crowd in on either side of him.
“Would you like me to take one with all of you?” I ask the dad.
“That’d be great.” He hands over his phone and stands behind his daughters and Leo.
I stare at Leo through the phone. He’s dressed casually in a black jacket with his number embroidered on the right side of his chest in green and the Wildcat logo on the left. It dips low enough to reveal the black T-shirt underneath and molds over his shoulders and biceps, showing off his pro-athlete physique.
One I’ve seen and felt.
His hat is pulled down, not quite as low as he wore it the night at the bar, but enough that it’s putting a shadow over his face.
My cheeks flush as I realize this nice family is still waiting for me as I ogle Leo. I take three and then hand the phone back.
Leo immediately sits back down at the table for the next person in line. It’s a single guy who thrusts a jersey in front of him, and Leo chats him up while he signs.
I ask the guy if he wants me to take a picture, but he shakes his head and holds out the phone as he leans over the table to snap a selfie with Leo. We have a tiny break in the line. The next group is a large one, and they’re still with Ash, one table away.
Leo’s smile dims in the absence of fans, and he adjusts his hat. We ended things last night a bit awkwardly, with me telling him it couldn’t happen again, then letting him drive me home but making him drop me off a house down in case my dad was up. I might have kissed him again before I got out of the car, too.
What a mess.
He’s looking anywhere but at me when he asks, “How was your date last night?”
I don’t know if he’s really asking or trying to remind me that he fingered me in his car right after said date. Instead of answering, I step closer and quietly say, “You should turn your hat around.”
“What?” His brows pinch together, and he pins his hazel eyes on me.
“Turn your hat backward. That way in the photos, they’ll be able to see your face.”
He nods slowly, grips the bill of his hat, and twists it backward. I didn’t realize what I was asking for. Holy hell. Leo in a hat is sexy; Leo without a hat is even sexier, but Leo in a backward hat… I think I had a tiny orgasm.
The big group of girls finishes with Ash and starts our way. I step out of their path, which, thanks to the number of people now crowded in front of him, pushes me behind the table.
They each take a selfie with him, then several group photos. Leo takes it all in with a smile, even when one girl begs him to sign her stomach. I’m glad when they move along.
