Page 2 of The Game

He chuckles. “Sorry about that.”

The deep rumble of his laugh causes my breath to hitch and butterflies to jump inside my stomach. Heat radiates up my neck and over my cheeks. “I didn’t expect anyone to talk to me.”

He leans against the doorframe and crosses his arms. “Why wouldn’t anyone talk to you?” Then, his eyes narrow into little slits. “Have the guys been pricks to you?”

“No.” Stop putting your foot in your mouth. I swallow around my dry tongue and wish for a water bottle or a pool where I could dive into the deep end. “Nothing like that. I saw you in here and didn’t expect you to talk to me.”

“That makes me sound like an asshole.” He steps forward and thrusts out his hand. “I’m Gunner Sinclair. And despite what you’ve heard, I’m not an ass.”

I smile weakly and push out of my chair. “No one said anything bad about you.” I clasp his hand firmly and ignore the jolt of electricity shooting up my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. “I’m Dani Vaughn.”

“Nice to meet you, Dani.” He nods and releases my hand. “I don’t remember seeing you before this year.”

“I graduated in May. This is my first big girl job.”

“Congratulations.” He presses his lips together and studies me.

My entire body hums in response. Am I nipping out? My eyes widen, and I throw my arms over my spandex top, willing my nipples to retract.

Shit. Did he notice? I’m not willing to swear on a stack of Bibles a spandex shirt and sports bra are enough to keep my body from displaying its attraction to the athletic God standing in front of me.

His fucking thighs are huge. Stop staring at his legs. Fuck. Don’t stare at his dick, either. What’s wrong with me?

“How do you like it?” he asks.

How do I like what? Your perfectly sculpted body? Your enormous hands? ‘All the better to grip the football with Little Red Riding Hood.’ I stifle a giggle. Damn it, he means my job.

My face floods with heat. “It’s been great so far. Everyone has been super helpful.”

“Good.” He licks his lips, and I stifle a moan. A moan. For the love of God, he’s only a man.

“It was nice to meet you, Dani...” He cocks his head, and his brow furrows. “Dani Vaughn?”

“Yes?” Surely, I didn’t fuck up my name?

“Are you Daniel Vaughn’s daughter?”

“Yes.” Crap. So much for living under the cloak of anonymity.

He smiles. “He was the best quarterback in the game. My dad talked about him all the time when I was growing up.” He turns and glances behind him. When he twists back around, he leans in a few inches and whispers, “I even had a poster of him in my room. Don’t tell anyone. The guys would give me shit for having a guy up on my wall instead of a super model.”

I bust out laughing. “I won’t tell anyone. Cross my heart.”

“Thank God, it’s our little secret.” He winks and waves goodbye.

I would like to say I’m a good person and didn’t stare at his ass as he walked away, but I’m not. I watched until he was too far away to make it out. Next time, I might even grab a pair of binoculars. He’s fucking sexy as hell.

Chapter Two

Gunner

“Are you about out of here for tonight?” Anthony Timmerman leans against the locker next to mine. Most of our teammates skated hours ago. Even my backup, Stuart Hubbard, left hours ago. Hell, I put in more time than anyone else on the team.

I grab my gym bag and loop it over my shoulder. “Yeah, I’m out. Got here at six o’clock this morning.”

“Fuck.” Tony shudders. “That’s crazy talk. I bet Coach wasn’t even here that early.”

“I think he was. I didn’t go by his office, but his light was on in the window when I pulled up.” The weight of the bag pulls down on my shoulder. “In four years, I haven’t made it in before him yet.”

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