Page 60 of Striking Heat

“Just watching you sleep,” he tells me.

“Uh-huh. It’s creepy.”

“You’re going to be leaving me soon for the road,” he mumbles.

“Is that your way of telling me that you’re going to miss me?” I ask him.

“Yes,” he says with a wink.

After another shower and another round, we leave his house and head to the diner for breakfast. This time is different from the last. We have a nice breakfast, and when we leave, he kisses me on the lips before we separate.

I won’t have much time to see him before I have to leave for travel, and apparently this time, Danny is not permitted to travel with us. I’ll have to make it on my own, without my reporter, who is becoming increasingly difficult to pretend I don’t like.

Chapter Twenty-Four

~MAC~

We’re back from the road, and it was another loss. Danny may not have written any articles, but the press was not very gracious about it. It was a big one too. We lost five to nothing. I’ve been so grumpy lately that I don’t want to be around anyone, even Danny, but I know he’s coming to our game tonight.

My parents sent me a lovely text telling me it was probably good they didn’t come to the game, because it didn’t go well. I just ignored it and didn’t reply. It will be another thing my mom can use to say I don’t communicate with her as much as she would like. But when she communicates like that, what else am I supposed to do?

But today is a new day and a new game. As I’m warming up, I notice we have less fans.

“Where is everyone?” Cassie asks. Clearly, she noticed too.

“I don’t know. It’s a Saturday night. Maybe they’re doing something else.” I try to sound more positive than I actually feel. But I know I’m failing, based on her expression.

“Maybe they’re home fucking,” Hendrix reasons before taking a drink of water. She’s taking a break from her training with Jase.

“Hendrix,” Coach Watts calls in her direction. “Some decorum, please.”

“I don’t think she knows what that word means,” Amelia teases.

Hendrix just sticks her tongue out at her.

“We gotta focus,” Coach Watts exclaims. “The goal is to get a win tonight, okay? Let’s do that. Let’s focus on that.”

August is standing by the ledge. His mouth opens and closes as he watches us.

“Do you need something?” I ask him.

He looks over at me and smiles. “Thank you for yielding the floor to me, Captain. Yes, I would like to say something. Let’s try and put the ball in the net, ladies. We gotta get a win!”

I roll my eyes. I want to say we know, but I don’t. I just let it slide.

“Cap, can you come here for a second?” August calls to me.

I walk over to the railing and look up at him. “What’s up, Auggie?” I use the nickname I’ve heard so many others say.

“What’s happening with the article? Are you and Danny spending some time together? Is that going okay?”

“We are and it’s going fine. I’m not sure when he’ll decide if he has enough information from me yet.”

“Okay. I think he’s coming tonight.”

“He is,” I say a little too eagerly.

“Oh, okay. Good. Then I’ll just ask him and see if he wants to sit in the box with me.”