Page 87

“Still got it,” he says, tilting his head up to look at me, his smile so bright it’s almost blinding.

My heart hammers against my ribs, a mix of adrenaline and something deeper.

“Nice victory,” Damon says smugly, patting my calf.

I laugh, a wild, happy sound bursting from my chest, and in a reckless moment of pure joy, I lean down and press a quick kiss to the crown of his head.

Damon freezes, his hands tightening reflexively, and for a second, it’s just the two of us suspended there—breathless and tangled in something deeper than a silly game.

He tips his head back slightly, looking up at me with a smirk that’s both devastating and boyish all at once. “Careful, Astor. Keep doing that and I might not let you down.”

My heart cartwheels in my chest as I smile down at him, wondering for the first time in a long time, if maybe capturing his heart again will be easier than breathing.

Chapter 26

DAMON

Getting snowed in before the biggest game of my life should have been a nightmare, but it’s turned into one of the best damn weeks of my life.

The coaches pace like caged animals, growing antsier by the day, while we make the hotel our playground. Mornings are reserved for workouts, strategy sessions, and play reviews while late afternoons and evenings are ours.

Dinners in the lounge, spending time with Avery in the jacuzzi, swimming in the pool, the hotel trivia night, and cards in the girls’ penthouse suite, all make it easy to ignore the feet of snow outside blanketing the city and the inevitability that this week will soon come to an end.

By Wednesday, the snow stops, but roads are still impassable. On Thursday, temperatures start to rise, and the sun peeksthrough the clouds. And by Friday, some of the snow cocooning the city begins to melt.

I, however, am dying inside, shriveling up bit by bit with each passing second. Despite spending days and countless hours hanging out with Avery, I’ve yet to get her alone, and it becomes very clear with each day that passes that the guys are taking the duty of babysitting us seriously, doing everything in their power to ensure we don’t get the chance to sneak off. No private walks to her room or moments alone in the jacuzzi. Every single second is spent with eyes on us.

When confronted with this observation an hour ago, Chris said, and I quote, “Remember, it’s for your own good and the team’s to ensure there’s no funny business,” just before he snuck back to Charlotte’s room for “a little cardio.”

Hypocritical fuckers.

Now, I’m stuck with Jace, Brynn, Brandon, and West watching my every move while we play poker. I can’t even so much as join Avery in the kitchenette of her penthouse suite for a fucking soda without someone following.

My gaze flickers to West, who’s currently sprawled out on the sofa in their room, reading yet another book while the rest of us play cards, then back to Avery. She sits across from me cross-legged, with the sleeves of her hoodie pushed to her elbows, and her blonde curls cascading over her shoulders, cheeks pink from laughing.

If our lack of alone time is affecting her, she’s good at hiding it.

“You’re bluffing.” I narrow my eyes as she places a couple quarters into the pot with way too much confidence.

Her pink lips curve, drawing my eyes. “Am I?”

I try to read her face, searching for a tell—a twitch, a blink, anything. But Avery’s eyes never waver from mine. In the time we’ve spent apart, she must’ve worked on her poker face.

“Yeah,” I say, but my voice betrays me, cracking just enough that Brandon snickers beside me. I shoot him a glare before turning my attention back to Avery as she raises one blonde brow. “Call or fold, Damon. Unless you’re scared?”

My friends and teammates belt out a chorus ofoooohslike we’re in middle school, not fucking college about to play in a National Championship football game—if they ever clear the roads, that is.

“I call,” I say, tossing in my last few quarters. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Astor.”

Her smile widens as she lays down her cards. “Full house.”

“Son of a . . .”

“That’s what you call bluffing, Huhn?” Brandon claps me on the shoulder with a laugh. “Maybe you should learn how to do it sometime.”

“Damn.” Jace, who’s currently sitting across from me with Brynn on his lap, wrapped in his arms, snickers, and says, “She kicked your ass, bro.”

I throw my worthless pair of sevens down. “How are you so good at this?”