Page 34 of Red Card (Prescott University #1)

Cillian

I ’m bloody fucking exhausted.

I stayed late after today’s practice to work on a few agility drills, and my entire body aches from overexertion. Even as conditioned as my body is, on days like today, I know I’ve pushed myself past my limits.

When it hurts to breathe… that’s a good sign I should take a shower and go the fuck home.

Lifting the hem of my tee, I drag it down my sweat-drenched face as I make my way off the training pitch to the locker rooms, still attempting to catch my breath after so many ladder drills my head’s still spinning.

“Yo, Cairney.”

My head snaps to the unexpected voice coming from behind me. Fitz and Michaels are walking down the empty hallway toward me.

I’m surprised to see them here since everyone went home after practice.

“What’s up, mate?” I respond, still a bit winded. I lift my shirt again and swipe at my brow.

They come to a stop in front of me and Fitz offers an outstretched hand to shake.

I haven’t seen them much outside of the pitch because I’ve been spending most of my time with Rory and Ais, but we all talk in the group chat daily. We’re supposed to have a guys’ night soon and I’m actually looking forward to it.

Shaking his hand, I turn to Michaels and offer him my hand. He grins, slapping his palm in mine then bumps his fist against my knuckles.

“What the hell are you still doing here this late?” Fitz asks, glancing down at the watch on his wrist then back to me. “It’s fucking eight o’clock. Practice ended like… hours ago.”

I shrug. “Needed to work on some footwork. Felt a bit slow at practice.”

Michael’s eyes widen as he shakes his head. “Dude, that was slow?”

My lip curves into a cocky smirk at the underhanded compliment I’m not sure he even intended to give me. “For me it is. Anyway, what are you two doing here this late?”

“Forgot my damn phone earlier. We’re getting ready to go to a party so we swung by so I could pick it up,” Fitz says.

I knew practice had ended a bit ago, but I was too focused on the drills to realize how late it had actually gotten. Reaching into my gym back slung over my shoulder, I pull out my phone and open it. There’s a handful of notifications.

A text from Aisling telling me she’s studying late tonight with a group at the library and not to worry.

And then one from Rory, asking if I want to come over and watch a horror movie.

Fucking brat.

I’m still nauseous thinking about that damn movie they made me watch. Well, it’s probably the workout I just put myself through but still.

I smirk, lifting my gaze back to the lads as I type a message, telling her I’m still at the pitch.

“Gotta head out, but I wanted to tell you about team dinner when I saw you walking up.”

“There’s a team dinner?” I ask.

Michaels nods. “Yeah, Coach hosts a dinner once in a while at his house for everyone on the team. Usually a barbecue, and Rory makes those famous fucking cookies.” He clutches his stomach, a dreamy look flitting to his eyes. “Coach told me to make sure you knew about it and were going to be there.”

It’s crazy to me that just a couple of months ago we were barely able to walk on to a pitch together and now I’m going to an infamous team dinner.

“You gotta come, man. You’re part of this team now and that means participating in team activities. Plus, I think it’ll be good for Coach to see us all vibing, off the pitch that is,” Fitz says, the two dimples in his cheek appearing with his grin.

“Yeah, and if you don’t come, then you miss the cookies,” Wren adds.

He has no clue that I could ask Rory at any time to make those damn cookies for me because no one knows what’s happening between us, so I stay silent.

My mouth twitches when Fitz rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “You’re obsessed. And ridiculous.”

Michaels shrugs. “I’m a simple guy.” His toothless grin turns into a shit-eating smile as he waggles his eyebrows.

“Okay. I’ll be there. Text me the details? Time, place, all of that?” I say.

We exchange a quick goodbye, and when they leave out the double doors at the end of the hallway, I’m left feeling so much fucking relief.

I truthfully didn’t know if being on this team was going to work, if I was going to somehow be able to gain the trust of these guys. To even push my own bullshit pride aside and allow them to extend an olive branch.

Pride’s a funny thing. It can stop you from chasing your dreams and be the reason that you fail while sometimes being the only thing that keeps you in the game.

So I’m thankful that we’ve all come this far in such a short time. It’s more than I could’ve hoped for.

Focusing my attention back on my phone, I pull up Rory’s latest message, my brow knitting together as I read.

Rory: Oh, that’s actually perfect. I left my textbook there earlier in my dad’s office. Could you wait for me? I’m going to run up and grab it. I have a key. It’s kind of creepy being there alone at night.

Cillian: Yeah. I’m going to shower, I’m fucking disgusting.

Rory: Kay, sounds good. See you soon.

She’s not wrong. It is kind of eerie at night when it’s empty. Usually the place is bustling with the coaching staff and team, so there’s a strange quiet that settles over the building once the lights are out and everyone’s gone.

It’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I can hear myself breathing as I make my way to the locker room, the automatic lights flickering on above, illuminating the room. I set my bag on the bench and rifle through it, pulling out a change of clothes and my shower bag.

The locker room at Prescott is state of the art. Everything in their athletic department is thanks to the backers doling out thousands of dollars in donations to make sure the players have the best that money can offer.

It’s nothing like the facility I used back in London.

Each shower is equipped with dual showerheads. Scalding hot water seems to massage every part of your body while you’re beneath them. Exactly what the fuck I need after the grueling workout I just did.

Quickly shedding my sweat-soaked clothes, I turn the shower as hot as it will go, and step beneath the water. The hot water pelts my skin, and I nearly groan at the sensation, my muscles immediately beginning to relax.

I probably shouldn’t have gone so hard today but I needed the distraction.

A certain sassy, fun-sized brunette has been taking up all the available space in my head, making it next to impossible to focus, and the last thing I need is for my game to suffer because my head’s not in it.

I’m already busting my ass for my spot on this team without adding in a complication.

But Rory doesn’t feel like a complication.

Exhaling, I drop my head back on my still tense shoulders, letting the hot water cascade over my face.

“Cillian?” My head whips to the doorway of the shower, wondering if I’m hearing things or if someone just whispered my name.

“Cillian?”

Fucking hell.

Rory?

Moving the thick curtain to the side, I poke my head out of the shower, the cold air hitting my face as I glance into the empty room. A second later, Rory appears, turning the corner, her gaze locking on me as a smile curves her lips.

Christ, she’s fucking pretty.

But, hell, what is she doing in here?

“Baby, as happy as I am to see you… in the showers, do you realize how fucked we’ll be if someone finds you in here?

” My voice is a hushed whisper. Even though I was alone before coming in here, the way my luck goes, someone else has forgotten something and is going to catch us both in here together .

Not going to lie, my balls shrivel a little at the thought of that someone being Coach.

Truly, I can’t think of a worse bloody scenario than that .

Rory stops short when she makes it to me.

I watch as her throat bobs and her pink pillowy lips part.

Steam billows around us, making the air thick and when her graze drops to the open spot in the curtain I’m leaning out of, she exhales shakily.

“Well, I was going to grab my textbook myself, but then I started getting freaked out so I figured I would come find you. And I knew that no one else would be here this late, so I just…”

“Came to see me shower?”

Her cheeks flush even more, pink creeping down her neck and disappearing into the collar of her shirt.

“I… I… Yes,” she finally admits with an eye roll. “I didn’t want to be out there by myself. It’s just a bonus that you’re naked in there.”

My lips twitch as I nod. “Right. A bonus.”

She licks her lips, rolling them between her teeth.

We stare at each other for a moment until I finally say, throat thick with the need to reach for her, “Well, I’m going back in here because I’m freezing my balls off.” I let the curtain drop back shut and add, “While you wait to decide whether or not you’d like to join me in here, St. James.”

I hear her sharp intake of breath just as I step back beneath the hot spray and smirk.

A few seconds later she apparently makes her decision, because there’s the faint sound of clothes rustling and cold air hits my back when she jerks the curtain open and slips inside.

I don’t immediately turn, instead I remain facing away from her, my palm flattened on the tiled wall in front of me.

Although I’ve seen her completely naked, this is the first time I’ve been naked in front of her, and I want her to be comfortable. So I leave the ball in her court.

The shower stall isn’t very big as it’s meant for only one player at a time, so I can feel the heat of her body on my back as she steps closer.

“My God, Cillian. You have the best ass I’ve ever seen,” Rory whispers.

I can’t stop the laugh that bursts out of me that this is the first thing she says when we’re naked and alone together in the fucking shower. “Christ, St. James.”

She sputters, “I mean it’s literally ridiculous. You could practically bounce a quarter off of it, and li—”