“You got it,” I agree, turning to take up my position, ready for the whistle.
The game is fucking hard, and it’s not helped by Thompson’s intimidation tactics. More than once he almost taunts me into the fucking fight he’s gunning for. But I refuse to give into him, to allow him the satisfaction of watching Coach end my Knight’s Ridge football career early.
Football has pretty much been the only thing I’ve ever had for myself. Everything else in my life is dictated by my father, by the Family. And I fucking need it. I need it almost as much as I need her.
My eyes find the Knight’s Ridge supporters once more as we wait for All Hallows to throw the ball in.
I’ve already found Stella and Calli right at the front, both wearing their Knight’s Ridge shirts and shouting and screaming for us. Hell, I’ve even spotted Teagan, Sloane, and Lylah cheering us on. But I never find her.
Each time I look up, a little bit more of the hope I was secretly holding onto that she might come to support us, not just me but Seb and the others as well, withers and dies.
Maybe she really doesn’t care.
Maybe everything the past few days was just her getting me out of her system and she really stands by her parting words to me on Monday. That she really believes there’s nothing to be salvaged between us.
I’d really hoped after last night that things were turning a corner. The way she reacted to me despite me being miles away in the warmth of my own bedroom, I really thought it might just be the start of a new us.
Well, it seems the joke is on me because she’s not here.
“You might as well stop looking, Cirillo. We both know your girl is waiting in our locker rooms, ready to suck me off after we beat your arses out here.”
“Fuck you,” I hiss, walking away from him, refusing to allow him to ruin this entire experience for me.
“Nah, I’m much more of a pussy guy. I’d totally let you watch though as I slowly pushed my co—”
I’m on him before he even realises, my fingers curling in his shirt as I hold him in place, our noses almost touching, our heaving breaths mingling between us.
“Cirillo,” Coach barks behind me as I try to convince myself not to take this fucker to the floor.
“Go on,” he taunts. “You’ll make my night so much sweeter.”
My eyes hold his, but then some movement over his shoulder drags my attention away from the fuck in front of me.
All the air rushes from my lungs the second my eyes land on her.
She’s here.
She came.
Releasing Thompson, I shove him away from me, the force of it making him stumble, but to my disappointment, he doesn’t fall on his arse.
Looking back up, I find her again standing with her leather jacket wrapped around herself as if she’s freezing, standing out here watching us.
The need to run over and wrap my arms around her, to warm her up and take her away from everyone here so it can just be the two of us burns through me.
But then she leans to the side and an arm wraps around her shoulders, tugging her into his body.
“Motherfucker,” I spit.
16
EMMIE
Emmie
The doorbell rings through the empty house as I scramble to shove everything I might need for a night away into my bag.
“Coming,” I bellow, although I’m pretty sure he won’t hear it.
My phone starts ringing and I snatch it up from the bed where I abandoned it.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.“
“Overshare much,” he mutters in jest.
“Fuck off, idiot.” Shoving my finger into the screen to end the call, I finish up before throwing my bag over my shoulder and leaving my room.
My stomach is in knots as I descend the stairs.
You’re doing the right thing, the little voice in my head says.
But it does little to make me relax.
He might have said he wanted me there, but he never responded to my crass good night message, and we haven’t spoken since.
He could have changed his mind very quickly once the high of that night lessened. He probably regretted every message he sent that showed me a little bit more of the soul he hides from everyone else.
“You okay?” Xander asks the second I open the door for him. “You look like you’re about to puke.”
“I might,” I admit.
He rocks on his feet, looking all kinds of out of his comfort zone.
“You… uh… don’t have to go, not if you don’t want to. We could just hang here instead,” he offers sweetly.
“I appreciate that, but I promised you a night away,” I say, silently convincing myself to do this.
Just walk in there and face him like everything is normal.
“This isn’t about me, Shorty. I’m happy wherever.” He shrugs and my lips pull into a smile.
“You’re a good friend, X.”
“Meh,” he mutters, taking my bag from me while I pull my boots on and grab my jacket. “It’s cold out, you might want more than—”
“Really, Mum?” I tease.
He rolls his eyes at me and stalks toward his bike.
Excitement begins to trickle through my veins as I look at his beast of a machine.
Oh hell yeah, this part of the trip is something I can totally get on board with.
Zipping my leather jacket right up, I grab my helmet from the side and head out.
“Your carriage awaits, Princess.”
“And you’re sure I can’t drive?” I ask.
“Don’t push your luck, Shorty. I’ve already signed my life away to Cruz in order to do this.”
“Shut up, you idiot.” I smack his shoulder lightly.
“I’m serious. No going over fifty. No more than three drinks. No drugs. The only male to touch you is Cirillo. No—”
“He said that?” I hiss, trying to ignore the way my stomach tightens at the mere mention of my husband.
“Yep. Don’t be thinking I’m here for the fun, Shorty. I’ve got more rules than I can remember.”
“Well, you’d better be a good boy, then, Xanny.”
“Really?” he asks, his lips twitching in amusement.
“Really.”
Climbing on the back of his bike behind him, I wrap my thighs around his arse and my arms around his waist.
“Wait. I’m allowed to do this, right?” I ask, squeezing him tighter.
He doesn’t answer for a beat and I’m about to let up on my teasing, but his hand covers mine reassuringly.
“Falling off the back of my bike would probably break more than a few rules. Hold on tight, Princess. I’m about to rock your world.”
“At no more than fifty?” I mock.
“Yeah, we’ll see.”
“Woohoo,” I squeal when he revs the engine and guns it down the street in the exact way I’m sure Cruz told him not to ride with me on the back.
“Oh my God, I fucking love you,” I squeal, my face aching from smiling like a complete maniac all the way here.
Take it steady he did not, and I loved every hair-raising second of it.