Page 3 of Honey Undone (The Hornets Nest #5)

SARAH

K aia chucked a ball at me from my left and I hurled it back to her in a smooth spiral motion. She followed the pattern of our drill, pushing off her right foot and moving in a one eighty behind me to toss the ball from my right.

I stumbled on the grab, and it bounced wildly in my hands before I gained control and threw the ball into the dirt with a frustrated grumble. “I can’t take it from the right,” I ran my hands over the tight braids that held my dark hair in place and squatted down on the balls of my cleats.

“Coach said to run it until our fingers are numb,” Kaia warned but she rolled across the grass in a somersault and flopped on the ground next to me with a smile.

“You know that the Bears run wide right with their defense, the pocket is on the right, we throw right. You have to get it down before Friday.”

“Just let me swap with Sunday, she can take right, I’ll take left wide.” I laid back in the grass and stared up at the clouds. Not that I didn’t want to perfect my skills, it was that I was wholeheartedly distracted for the first time in my entire life. And worse, it was by a boy.

“Good luck getting Sunny to agree to that,” Kaia huffed, “unless you’re prepared to get a lesson in karmic intervention and how switching is bad luck…

” She rolled her head to the side to look at me.

“It’s not the pass bugging you,” she poked at the open wound that festered from my distraction. “It’s the Catcher. ”

“Am I that transparent?” I clutched my chest and looked over at her finally.

Kaia smiled brightly, a little lopsided, and her bottom lip jutted out in the sweetest way. I sighed, knowing I was exactly that see through .

“Hey Minty.” Rhea came across the field in her gear, the shorts she wore stretched tightly around her strong thighs. “You got that extra tape around?” She asked and I pointed to my duffle by the benches. “Thanks baby,” she smiled at me and jogged in the other direction.

I got the nickname Minty one season after making the highlight reel for hitting a girl so hard the gum she forgot to spit out went flying across the pitch mid-game.

It just stuck. I couldn’t complain much, it wasn’t the worst of the nicknames that had been given on the Hillcats over the years. They used to call one girl ‘ dumpster’.

“What the fuck is this?” Rhea called out. She was Reaper, and for a good reason. She was like a bullet train of death on the field. Big and fast.

“Oh, God.” I wanted to disappear into the grass.

“You put it in your practice kit?” Kaia lost it laughing when Rhea held up the white home jersey with Jensen’s number written across the back shoulder. “Stupid, stupid girl with a stupid, stupid crush,” Kaia said with a shake of her head. “No one can save you now.”

“Is this like the guy?” Rhea chucked the jersey at me and I rolled it up in my hands before looking at the number on the back. I set it in my lap and nodded as she sat down in front of us and threw the roll of tape to Kaia who was already crawling into a knelt position to help.

“Which one of you told her about that?” I asked as Kaia handed me the tape roll. She tore off a piece and started to tape Rhea’s knee to give support. I mindlessly ripped off similar length pieces.

“How dare you expect Sunny to keep a secret,” Rhea said, and kicked my cleat with her own. “Spill.”

“He’s a guy, he’s cute,” I said, picking at the tape and not making eye contact as I fought to keep my voice neutral.

“The bullshit pouring from her lips right now,” Rhea scoffed and slapped Kaia on the shoulder. “You're beet red and can’t make eye contact!”

“It’s Jensen,” Kaia said.

“Snitch,” I hissed .

Kaia laughed, unbothered by the insult and continued to press the tape flat to Rhea’s tanned skin. When she was finished she looked down at the jersey in the grass.

“You have to call him eventually,” she said, “you made a bet and lost.”

“Wait back up,” Rhea said with a smile, “a bet?”

“She bet him that he couldn’t pull off a game-winning run with a bunt and she lost. ” Kaia pushed the jersey closer to me. “And when he tried to get her name and number, she froze up like a deer in headlights.”

“I did not,” I defended myself.

Kaia’s breath quickened and her eyes widened like she was nervous.

“Shut up.” I shoved her shoulder and set the tape down. “I don’t have time for that kind of shit,” I said simply. “I need to focus on this, on the team.”

“The team needs to focus on getting you a date,” Kaia argued.

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” I laughed.

“I’m a terrible listener,” Kaia said.

“Have you texted him?” Sunday joined the conversation, standing with her arms crossed behind Rhea.

“No,” I said, “a pretty boy is not a priority right now you guys.”

“You’re selling him short,” Kaia purred, “he’s fucking gorgeous.”

“Unhelpful,” I frowned at her and she flashed a wide smile that crinkled at the corners of her eyes. He in fact was the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen.

“So you’re just going to leave him hanging?” Rhea pushed off the grass with her fingers and rolled into a stretch that would warm her thighs and calves.

“Do you think he’s a hanger? ” Kaia whispered, and used her hands to mimic a dick swinging between her legs.

“Easy way to turn a six into a ten.” Sunday noted.

“He’s at least an eight,” Kaia sounded offended for me.

“He’d be cuter blonde.” She shrugged her tiny shoulders.

Sunday was built for speed. She was the only player on the team faster than me, even though Kaia would argue against that with her dying breath, her legs made up eighty percent of her body and it showed.

When she found a pocket it was very rare that the opposing team caught her before she scored a try .

“Not everyone wants to date someone that would pass for their sibling, Sunday,” Kaia clipped at her.

“Ew,” Sunday pretended to gag. “Whatever. Text him, he’s cute and from what I’ve heard all those baseball boys fuck like animals.”

“She’s right,” Kaia said. “Last summer, when me and Christian were on that break, I got drunk and fucked Louis, the second basemen?”

“I remember…” I said to her with a sigh.

“You think dirty talk is hot? Wait until you hear it in a different language,” Kaia faked a dramatic moan.

“What does that have to do with me?” I swallowed tightly, staring down at the jersey.

I tried to hide it but the memory of him jogging up the stairs, sweaty and glistening under the lights of the stadium, was burned into my brain.

Every muscle tight from overuse and his stomach taut from breathing heavy.

I couldn’t forget the sight even if I tried.

“You, out of any of us, need a good dicking ,” Kaia said.

I looked to the other girls for help but Rhea clearly agreed and Sunday was spaced out on something in the distance.

“Repeat after me.” Rhea waved her hand in a lazy circle in front of me. “Call him, fuck him, ghost him,” she said.

That wasn’t exactly my style.

“It hurts no one,” Kaia said, “but you will hurt my feelings if you don’t at least find out what’s under those ball pants.”

“For science,” Sunday said with a smile.

“Yeah, science!” Kaia raised both hands in the air.

“Screw every one of you,” I said, “we have to get back to practicing before Coach loses her shit.” I pushed out of the grass, picking up the jersey with me. I left Kaia and Rhea gossiping to put it back in my duffle at the edge of the field.

“You’re still stumbling into that pass, Sarah,” Coach wandered over to me with her hands in her pockets. “One, two, step into it.” She mimicked the movements, “breathe and be ready for the ball.”

“You make it sound easier said than done, maybe I do have my limits?” I questioned .

“I don’t believe that and neither do you,” she scowled at me and her bright blue eyes glared at me until I nodded in agreement. “Go, practice until—”

“My fingers are numb, yeah, yeah.” I cut her off and backed away from the bench to rejoin the team.

I flexed my hands, shaking them out as I went back to running drills with Kaia.

After an hour or two, I started to get it down, one, two, step into it.

I pocketed the ball from the right with more confidence and pushed off my left foot into a hearty sprint.

We did it over and over again until we couldn’t breathe and sweat poured down our faces.

“I’m done,” Kaia called time out. “I could throw that pass in my sleep if I had to.”

“I still couldn’t catch it in mine, but it’s better.” I placed the ball down and tried to convince myself.

I looked around and realized that it was just her and I left on the field and the sun was hanging low in the sky. The frustration was quick to mount because in the silence and slowed movements I realized that the second I pushed his stupid smile from my thoughts—my focus returned.

But there he was, like a cricket in the dark.

Fuck.

“I’m going to go shower, I have a date tonight.

” Kaia swung her bag over her shoulder and made her way into the building adjacent to our practice pitch.

The Shore Center for Athletes was newer, made of glass and navy steel beams that matched most of the other buildings that kept popping up around Harbor.

It was insane to think about how much they owned but I had no complaints, they kept us supplied with gear, a well-kept field and whatever support we needed to play the game. And all I ever wanted was to play rugby.

I sat down on the bench, digging through my bag. I pulled out my phone and then the jersey and laid it across my knee. It bothered me how neat his handwriting was and how quickly my mouth got dry at the thought of him.

My phone lit up and the background of my girls mocked me. Maybe they were right? I needed to relax and who was I to deny a hot guy if he wanted to help me do that…

It could just be fun, temporary .

I stared at my phone trying to think of a way to start the conversation knowing that didn’t make me sound pathetic and needy. Which I wasn’t but the way my heart was racing argued that I was a little nervous.

“Just do it you coward,” I cursed myself and started typing.

Have you figured out my name yet?

I went to set my phone down and it vibrated in my hand.

It took you four days and six hours to start missing me Adeline.

That hurts.

A traitorous smirk formed on my face, and I couldn’t push down the tingling feeling that flickered across my chest. I forgot how much I hated that feeling.

Uncontrollable and it made me giggly with anticipation.

It would have only taken him a few asks to figure it out but the effort was noted and made me feel special that he was still trying.

My friends call me Addy.

I don’t want to be your friend.

He was smooth, I would give him that.

How does tomorrow sound?

I laughed, he was also eager. I sighed, tapping my thumb against the screen and trying to come up with a response that kept him on his toes.

I have practice.

After?

“Adding persistent to the list,” I said to no one but myself.

I swiped out of our messages to give myself a moment to think without his words staring up at me.

It was like I could see his expression, it was the same one from the game.

His big brown eyes staring up at me, practically begging me to take his number with a goofy kissable grin on his face.

I cursed myself for wanting to know if he was good at it, he had to be with lips like that.

My mind wandered to all the inappropriate places he could put them.

My shoulders dropped and I laid back on the bench to look at the sky, maybe relaxing was easier than I thought it would be.

I play a real sport, pretty boy. It’s not all flirting and showboating.

You’re mean today.

I like it.

I pressed the phone to my chest and pulled my bottom lip between my teeth as I squealed into the chilly air. It was becoming obvious that he was ready for anything I threw at him and he was enjoying every second of it.

I’ll get that date eventually, Adeline.