Page 60 of Full Court Crush
“And I should get home to Dad.”
“Or, you could come over? Stay the night?” she asked. The heat in Keira’s eyes became apparent, giving Amelia hope. But as quickly as it arrived, it extinguished, and she turned away.
“I really should get home to Dad,” she said, taking a last swig of her beer. “He’ll be expecting me back.”
“We’ll have to get dinner or something soon though, okay?” Amelia suggested and gave Keira’s hand a squeeze. Keira brightened.
“Yeah, that would be good.”
They got up and left the bar. As soon as they stepped outside, the cold air chipped away at them, sending a chill down Amelia’s spine. Keira pulled her close and engulfed her in a hug. Amelia nestled her head into the crook of Keira’s neck and wished she could never leave. Someone cleared their throat loudly behind them, alerting them to the fact that they were blocking the doorway. They broke apart and moved out of the way.
“Do you need a lift home?” Amelia asked, knowing Keira likely walked.
“Nah, it’s okay, thank you. I know what my dad’s like. He’d be twitching at the curtains, just like when I was a teenager.” Keira laughed. Then she added quietly, “He’s keen to meet you.”
That made Amelia want to hold Keira closer and run away in equal measure.
“I can’t really relate. My parents never let me out of their sight for long enough to be twitching the curtains as I got back.”
“It sounds like you’ve got a lot of sneaking around to make up for.” Keira grinned mischievously.
“You’ll have to teach me,” she said suggestively.
Keira reached out and took Amelia’s arms, spinning the pair around and pushing Amelia back against the nearby wall. The crowd made them anonymous, allowing them to slip into their own little bubble.
“I’m not sure what I can teach you, Doctor Preston, but I’m happy to try,” Keira almost growled in Amelia’s ear, then she kissed her deeply, one hand on the wall beside her head, the other grazing Amelia’s stomach.
Then, just as soon as the kiss was there, Keira was gone and already several steps away, waving goodbye.
“See you at training!” She grinned in a way that indicated Keira knew exactly how she’d just set every nerve ending Amelia had on fire.
Amelia’s cheeks were aflame, and she ran her fingertips over her lips. She might just enjoy this particular lesson.
Chapter 18
Keira
Itwascomingupto half time in the Blizzard’s away game against the Jackals. Keira was breathing heavily, dragging air into her lungs when it didn’t feel like there was any left in the room. The scoreboard read 48-45. They were only three points behind. They had not had a game this close this season, and even though they were down by three, it seemed like all the players sensed their first professional win was within their grasp. Every muscle fibre twitched with the desperation and determination to help her team to victory, to finally prove they deserved their place in the pro league.
The bus ride to the game had been rowdy. The whole team, except for Amelia, had joined in various songs and jokes, hyping each other up for this game. A few people had encouraged Amelia to join in, but she’d waved them off, kept her headphones on and hands busy wrapping numerous small Christmas presents for the children at the hospital.
Keira had shrugged it off. If that’s what she needed to do to prepare for this game, then fine. She was happy to help her put bows on the presents in silence. But she couldn’t help analysing her throughout the journey, in the same way she couldn’t help glancing at her now during the time out, as coach Grant directed them how to handle the final play of the half. Amelia was to inbound the ball to Asha, who would bring it up court. Keira would draw two defenders away to make room for Amelia to get in the key, receive the ball, and score a layup, putting them within one point.
The referee blew his whistle, calling everyone back onto the court.
“Blizzards on three!” Amelia yelled, louder than Keira thought she’d ever heard her shout it. “One, two, three!”
“BLIZZARDS!” The shout seemed to shake the rafters before the team ran back out onto court. Everyone took up their assigned spots around their opponent’s key. The referees passed Amelia the ball; they were back in play. Every player looked blurred as Keira sprinted around the court. As the seconds ticked down, Lucy sent Keira a bullet pass.
She dived towards two defenders on the edge of the key, then suddenly stepped back, drawing them towards her. Amelia darted into the key just as the clock ticked down to four seconds. Keira glanced at the scoreboard and made a decision. She faked the pass to Amelia, fooling the defenders enough to quickly dribble back outside the arc and jump high for a fadeaway three.
All the sounds around her melted into the background. Everyone on the court stopped and stared. The ball flew in slow motion toward the basket. No one jostled for position. They all watched the ball. Keira sucked in a breath as it fell slowly towards the net.
The buzzer sounded just as it fell perfectly through the rim. The sound of the court came back full blast, and a grin spread greedily across Keira’s face. Her teammates’ cheers filled her ears as they ran to her, pulling her into the middle of a group hug. She looked through the mass of arms and bodies and found Amelia still in the key, frowning.
Keira didn’t have time to be confused; she was too busy getting congratulated by the rest of their team.
Amelia returned to the bench before everyone else and spoke in hushed tones with Coach Grant and TJ, the former of which scribbled on a whiteboard. They stopped talking when the rest of the team approached. Evie sat with the coaches, still out with a shoulder injury, but the way her legs were twitching suggested she was desperate to be on the court.