Page 27

“ H ell of a game, guys!” Coach shouts from behind me and Nola as we enter the locker room. We are the last ones here since we did the post-game interviews.

Everyone cheers and shouts, all of us on a high from the last-minute touchdown Nola scored to win the game for us.

“QB, anything you want to say?” Coach Price asks.

I give him a smile, so fucking proud of my team tonight.

“Every single person busted their ass out there. From the O-line protecting me, to our defense, who shut them down in the second half, to our special teams.” I see Pike beside me and pat him on the shoulder. “This dude right here…he doesn’t miss. You kept us in that game, buddy.”

The team goes crazy again, and then I spot Nola standing beside the coach, and I drag him out in the center. “We already know Leblanc is going in the draft from the way he’s been killing it all year,” I say, winking at Graham. “But we might have to hide this guy for a few more years so they don’t take him too.” I throw my arm around his neck, pulling him into me. “Nola made me look good tonight. Mark my words, he’ll go down in history one day.”

He playfully pushes me off him, and everyone joins in, jumping around him until Coach whistles.

With a jolly grin on his face, his loud voice carries throughout the room. “Leblanc just reminded me we have a birthday boy in the house today.”

I roll my eyes in Graham’s direction as a few guys from my O-line pick me up, placing me on top of their shoulders, and the whole team starts singing “Happy Birthday” to me.

Shockingly, my eyes land on Carter’s, and he may not be singing, but he’s actually smiling and enjoying himself.

“Okay, okay...I have one more announcement,” Coach yells over our loudness.

We all quiet immediately.

“We got the call earlier, but wanted to wait to tell y’all… We are going to the Carolina Bowl. You’ll get a second chance at taking down East Carolina.”

Cheers erupt again, and I’m thrilled with this news. I have no doubt we can beat them and this second chance to do it feels like it's meant to be.

“Redemption! Redemption! Redemption!” is chanted over and over in the locker room, and I wholeheartedly believe we’ll get it just by how badly I know we want it.

Today has been the best birthday I’ve had in a while, and the greatest part is coming when I walk out those doors and into her arms.

Berkley

I’ve been wearing Nate’s old practice jersey to every game for the last month, but this past week, I made a purchase for his birthday party, and I can’t wait to see his eyes when I walk into their house.

“He’s going to go insane when he sees you,” Willow coos from where she walks beside me, and Darby agrees from the other side.

“Damn right, he is,” Bellamy calls out. She’s walking behind us with Shay, who Darby invited tonight because her boyfriend and the men’s team are at an away game.

I have on an oversized Outlaw jersey, and I’m wearing it as a dress with little black spandex shorts under it. I paired it with over the knee black boots.

My belly churns with excitement at the thought of his reaction as Darby opens their front door to an already crowded Wolves Den.

“Birthday boy!!” Bellamy sing-songs over the loud music. “Your dessert is here.”

I smirk, shaking my head at my best friend, but her antics get his attention, and when it lands directly on me, it's like everything else fades away. I stop in my tracks, my blue eyes locked onto his hazel ones until his begin their admiration down my body. His appreciation stops on the number two covering my torso before he meets my gaze again and a smile transforms his handsome face. He bites his lip and peruses lower to the skin between the top of my boots and the bottom of his jersey.

His eyes roll back in his head, and he runs his palm over his jaw. I swear I hear him groan, but I know that’s impossible from where he stands. Then his large strides are eliminating the distance between us faster than I can think.

Nate’s hand goes to my lower back, and he pulls me into him. I instantly feel his hard cock, and I can’t help the little whimper that leaves my lips. I’m so pent-up after watching him on that football field today.

He places a kiss just below my ear, barely nipping the skin. “Is this another torture plan?”

I laugh and shake my head.

Nate’s hand slips down to my ass, and he growls, “You’re fucking killing me, BB.”

I turn my head to whisper seductively in his ear, “It’s not torture if I plan on taking care of you later, birthday boy.”

Without hesitation, he takes my hand in his and starts dragging me to the stairs.

“But it’s your birthday party,” I say, but by the way my center clenches, I know I’m not that worried about the party.

“We’ll come back.” He gives me a sexy grin and presses his lips into mine. His tongue promises what’s to come, and there’s no doubt my panties are beyond wet at this point.

He pulls back to look at me. “I want to bend you over my bed, with my name on your back, my handprint on your ass, and my cock deep inside you. But first…” He bites my lip and whispers into my mouth, “I want to eat my birthday dessert.”

“Please,” I moan, and it's my turn to take his hand, pulling him up the rest of the steps.

But yelling at the end of the hall halts our movement, and we both look at each other, confused.

“Fuck both of you.” It’s then that I register the hysterical female voice is Tori’s.

“Maybe if you didn’t want to fuck your stepsister so bad, you’d have actually paid me attention and this whole thing would have never happened.”

I look at Nate, wide-eyed and unsure of what to do. Nate’s room is directly across from Cash’s, but that’s when I notice Bellamy standing there against the wall. For a second, a twinge of worry runs through me until I hear her voice.

“Fuck off, Tori. Don’t blame me for this.”

“You are such a cunt, Bellamy,” she sneers, and Bellamy steps in her face.

“Trust me, you haven’t seen shit yet, but I suggest you leave before you find out what a real cunt I can be. I’d hate to really hurt your little feelings.”

I’d be scared shitless if I was Tori.

Tori storms away, bumping into my shoulder as she moves past us, and that’s when Cash and Bellamy notice the two of us standing there.

Cash’s head thuds back against the wall. “Fuck, dude. Please don’t let this shit mess up your birthday party.” Cash points toward the stairs Tori just descended. “Hopefully, she just leaves.”

I notice Bellamy’s hands are shaking, and there’s no way I’m not checking on my friend right now.

“Give us a few. Go have a drink with the boys, and I’ll see you back downstairs.” I wink at Nate. We have all night to fuck each other's brains out, but my best friend needs me.

Cash looks at Bellamy, and I can tell he doesn’t want to leave her. She must feel it because she speaks up. “Go take a shot with the birthday boy, and we’ll talk more later. I’ll be down in a few.”

He stares at her for what feels like minutes, but he relents and follows Nate downstairs.

Bellamy immediately goes into Cash’s ensuite bathroom, and I follow her. She splashes water on her face, holding on to the side of the sink as she takes deep breath after deep breath. I know she has panic attacks at times, but I’ve never actually witnessed one.

“You okay?” I ask quietly, rubbing her back.

She nods. “I will be.” Further smearing her mascara, she splashes water on her face.

“Do you need to sit?” I put the lid of the toilet down in case she decides to.

“I’m okay. I’m not having an attack. It was close, but I’m okay,” she nods repeatedly, like she’s reassuring herself as well.

Her eyes meet mine in the mirror, and she turns around to face me, leaning against the counter.

“It’s easy to blame Tori in all of this, but…” She hesitates.

“But what, Bell? You can tell me anything, you know that. It’s pretty obvious there’s more to your relationship with Cash.”

“I’m definitely not innocent in the Tori-Cash saga.”

“They’re toxic and have been since high school, from what it sounds like,” I say, because I’ve witnessed them fight so many times, it's ridiculous. Bellamy and Maverick always pass it off as their normal.

“Yeah, but even in high school…” Again, she pauses, and it breaks my heart that she doesn’t feel comfortable enough to tell me, but I remind myself this isn’t about me.

“Put it this way, from the day I moved there when I was seventeen years old, Cash and I…we never saw each other as siblings.”

Okay, so this has been going on for a long time, even longer than I had always assumed.

“I’m not going to push you, but you know I’m here. Hell, you know all my dark family secrets. I’d never judge you. Never.”

She smiles and reaches for my hand. “I know you wouldn’t.”

“But tonight’s not the night. Let’s go celebrate your man.”

Nodding, I take her hand. “Even the strong ones need a shoulder to lean on sometimes.” I kiss her cheek before we head downstairs. “I’m always here.”