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CHAPTER TEN-FINLEY

The next day I wake up feeling better than I have in weeks.

I can’t believe I did that last night. Outdoors. With him.

Oh my freaking God.

Carolina is in the tiny RV kitchen, humming softly to herself as she lines up slices of bread like she’s solving a puzzle.

There’s deli meat, cheese, some leafy greens that are probably still good, and an open jar of mustard dangerously close to toppling over.

Dane is up front, one hand on the wheel, his other arm casually resting over the back of the passenger seat, glancing over at her like he still can’t believe she’s real.

I guess date night went well.

Snort.

The glow on both their faces is obvious.

Satisfied. Relaxed.

The kind of glow that comes from multiple rounds and a hotel bed with no interruptions. And really, good for them.

They got back earlier than planned.

Apparently, some of the boys were eager to shave time off the nine-hour drive to New Orleans, which meant hitting the road before the sun was even fully up.

Can’t say I blame them. These RVs may be tricked out for travel, but being cooped up, bouncing from field to field, was enough to make even the chillest person a little twitchy.

Technically, the season had started, but the Carolina Rovers were the new kids on the block.

A few friendly matches and exhibitions were their way in.

Low-pressure games.

A way to feel things out without disrupting the league too much.

Smart. Makes sense.

And it also explains why I’m here, getting eyes on the team, building the brand, making them impossible to ignore online.

“Want ham or turkey?” Carolina calls without looking back.

“Whichever. Surprise me,” I reply, staring down at my phone and not at the mental replay of Koa’s mouth on my neck.

My cheeks go hot anyway.

Carolina glances over her shoulder, eyes narrowing in that way only best friends can manage.

“You okay? You’re doing that thing where you zone out and pretend you're not thinking about something, or maybe someone ?”

She’s looking at me like she can see the answers on my face, But I ignore her. I know her tricks.

“I’m fine,” I say too quickly.

She smirks. “That’s not a denial.”

I groan and collapse into the bench seat, letting my head thunk back against the window.

“Carolina,” I mutter, voice low, “I think I might’ve made a mistake.”

She turns, sandwich forgotten for the moment, and leans against the counter.

“Define mistake. Like ‘I ate bad gas station sushi’ mistake, or ‘I let a certain broody rugby player kiss me into another dimension in the middle of the night’ mistake?”

My eyes snap wide. “How do you even know that?!”

She grins, completely unapologetic.

“You’ve been acting like your soul left your body. You’re glowing, you flinched when Dane said his name before, and you’ve edited the same highlight reel five times today. Girl math says orgasm.”

I bury my face in my hands.

“So, are we talking regret, or what-does-this-mean panic?”

I peek at her through my fingers.

“I mean, I don’t even know. He was so intense. And possessive. Like not in a creepy ‘I own you and want to wear your skin’ way, but in a ‘this changes everything’ kind of way.”

“I see.”

“Well, I don’t. I mean, one orgasm,” I start, and she narrows her eyes, “okay, fine, two orgasms,” I correct myself, “behind a snack shed does not a relationship make, Carolina!”

Her expression softens.

“Well, first of all, yay for the orgasms! Second, could you maybe have missed the part where the man looks at you like you’re the only thing he wants in this whole world? But that doesn’t even matter, Fin! What matters is what do you want?”

“What?”

I open and close my mouth a few times, wondering when in the hell I lost track of that. I’ve been beating myself up all night wondering what Koa thought.

But Carolina was right.

What about me?

“Look, if I were you, I would maybe stop worrying about what he thinks. Ask yourself what you want, Fin. Your feelings and desires count, too.”

I blink. “What do I want?”

She hands me a sandwich, sits across from me, and smiles.

“Exactly. So, do you want this to be a one-time thing? Or do you want to find out what it looks like when someone like Koa Jackson decides you’re his whole damn world?”

I stare at her, heart pounding.

And suddenly, I’m not so sure I can keep pretending this is casual anymore.

Carolina is smart. And she’s right. I’ve edited the same fifteen-second clip multiple times.

Cut. Crop. Rewind. Overlap the music. Adjust the exposure. Mute. Restart.

And yet, the only thing playing on a loop in my head is the way Koa looked at me when he came.

Like I was the altar he was praying at and the sin he was dying to commit all over again.

Truth was, I wouldn’t mind a replay.

In fact, I think I want more than one. But will the sexy, growly rugby player want more with me?

That was something I needed to find out.

Gulp.