Page 26 of Full Court Crush
She laughed and playfully shoved him, making the camping chair creak under his weight.
They both jumped as the garage door wrenched off its hinges. Evie stood in the doorway, an indignant hand on her hip.
“How long does it take you to grab a couple of camping chairs?” she demanded. Then she apparently registered both Amelia and her husband sat lounging around, rolled her eyes and walked away.
“Doesn’t she remind you so much of Michelle sometimes?” Amelia laughed as she stood up.
“Yes, but don’t tell her I said that, or I’ll be sleeping on the sofa for a week.”
Half an hour later, the living room was full with the Blizzards clan, as well as Jenna and Hayley, and loud, rowdy conversations pinged around the room. Michelle had taken a handful of snacks and declared she was watching the game elsewhere, away from the rabble. Evie had directed Amelia to sit next to her and TJ on the sofa. All the other seats were occupied, and some people had to lounge on the floor. The commentators on screen were conducting pre-game interviews and reviewing each team’s stats for the season.
Without breaking conversation, Evie took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze before letting go again. Drawing her gaze back from the door, Amelia’s cheeks flushed, but Evie didn’t say anything.
When the living room door swung open and Lucy stepped inside, Amelia was surprised to find herself disappointed.
“What’s up, guuuuuys!” Lucy said, greeting everyone as if she hadn’t just seen them at training a few days ago. “Look who I found!” She stepped further into the room.
Keira entered, almost timidly, behind her. Amelia’s breath caught. Keira was wearing jeans, a plaid shirt, and had parted her long hair to the side. The way her hair cascaded around her face, revealing a slight undercut on one side, made Amelia’s heart thrum against her rib cage.
Lucy had already plonked herself in the middle of the fray, grabbed a fistful of snacks and shoved them into her face. Keira still stood by the doorway, looking hesitant.
“Why don’t you sit here, Keira?” Evie shoved TJ unceremoniously along the couch, squashing his tall frame against the armrest. The move created a small gap between her and Amelia. Amelia looked at Evie with alarm. Evie’s eyebrows twitched upwards, and she grinned.
You planned this. She wished Evie was telepathic, so she could psychically tell her off. Keira scanned the room, still hesitant. Finally, she picked her way through the mess of limbs sprawled across the floor and squeezed herself in between Amelia and Evie. Amelia was hyperaware of their hips touching and, after greeting Keira, she determinedly kept her eyes fixed forward. She suddenly wished she’d worn something fancier than an old basketball shirt and joggers. She thought she felt Keira’s gaze on her once or twice, but she didn’t dare check.
The game started, though Amelia barely registered it. Her attention was unequally divided between the unfolding match and the few millimetres that separated her and Keira’s thighs. Keira leant forward to get snacks from the coffee table, and her leg pressed into Amelia’s. Amelia had to stop from gasping aloud at the sensation spreading through her body. She tried taking a deep breath, but all that did was fill her lungs with Keira’s intoxicating floral shampoo. She wasn’t sure how she hadn’t noticed it before. Suddenly images of Keira fresh out of the shower filled her mind. How her shoulders, pumped from the game, looked as she clutched her towel around herself.
“Yeah!” Lucy punched her fist in the air, sending popcorn flying everywhere. Amelia jumped. One of the Connecticut Sun players made a particularly hard, but apparently clean, contest for the ball, and won, leading to a quick basket at the other end of the court.
She was still waiting for her heartbeat to slow down when Keira leaned close and whispered near her ear.
“Maybe they’ve been taking tips off you,” Keira said, her voice smoky and her eyes twinkling with mischief. Amelia’s mouth went dry as their gazes met. Thousands of words passed unspoken between them, before Keira returned her attention to the game. She subtly leaned forward on the sofa, letting her leg gently brush against Amelia’s.
What is she doing. She knows we can’t.
Amelia thought back to their interaction in the changing room. How she’d done her best to hide her attraction, and had run away, instead of acknowledging it.
Maybe she’s punishing me.
Amelia sighed internally as Keira adjusted her position, gently sliding her strong thigh against Amelia’s.
She’s definitely punishing me.
Clearing her throat, Amelia picked up her drink from the small side table next to the sofa. She glanced to her right as she turned back, looking beyond Keira, and noticed Evie watching her instead of the game. Evie gave her a knowing smile. Amelia glared back;we’ll talk about this later.
At halftime, Amelia practically sprang out of her seat, excusing herself to use the bathroom. The copious amount of fluid she’d been nervously drinking had advantages. She used the toilet, washed her hands, then bent over the sink to splash water on her face in an attempt to slow the pounding of her heart. She gripped the edge of the basin and looked at herself in the mirror. Cheeks flushed, she scolded herself for acting like a teenager with a crush.
When she re-entered the living room, Michael was placing a large plate of freshly baked cookies on the table, and the rest of the team gathered around him like vultures. In recent Blizzards’ history, Michael’s baking was legendary.
“You’ve got to try these, Keira.” Lucy picked up a cookie and shoved it in Keira’s direction with one hand. With her other hand, Lucy grabbed three cookies for herself.
“Salted caramel mocha cookies,” Michael said proudly, standing back and watching the team happily chomp down on the gooey chocolate deliciousness. Jenna stood next to him and gave him an affectionate side hug. His beige apron, with a Blizzards’ logo and ‘team Dad’ printed on it, was smeared with butter and chocolate.
“Can you help me grab more drinks from the kitchen?” Evie asked, somehow popping up beside Amelia despite the throng around the coffee table.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” she said, looking longingly at the cookies before walking away.
“There’s more in the kitchen,” Michael whispered as she passed. He perched on the arm of the sofa to catch up with all of his adopted basketball children.