Page 29 of Under the Lights (The Big Boys of BRU #2)

Twenty Three

Dom

Fucking Orlando. Never thought I’d have beef with that place, but here we were. It wasn’t really the city’s fault — it was just the easiest thing to blame.

Because I didn’t have a single solid reason to drive all the way down there, just to be near my girl. And something had to take the hit for that. So, Or-fucking-lando it was.

Sierra had been gone for pretty much all of August, and yeah, I was proud of her — stoked, even — for all the insane opportunities she landed.

But the unhinged, low-key obsessed part of me? That part was losing its fucking mind. I’d nearly jumped in my truck more times than I could count, just to maybe catch a glimpse of her.

Which, yeah… probably wasn’t normal. Or remotely healthy.

Good thing I didn’t give a flying fuck about either of those things.

If I hadn’t been halfway buried in my own training and team crap — with football season about to kick off any day now — I probably would’ve cracked already.

It didn’t help that I had no clue when Sierra was coming back. She’d conveniently dodged every message that even hinted at it. The semester was about to start in a couple of days, and Ella was playing gatekeeper like her life depended on it.

The only thing keeping me remotely sane was the texts. My sister had been mildly pissed I’d finessed Sierra’s number out of her phone, but she knew I’d have found a way one way or another.

Getting to talk to my girl — my Goddess — even just a little, had kept me from spiraling completely.

Every day she was gone, I got moodier and more closed off. This wasn’t just lust. It was something deeper. Something raw, something that was wired into me now.

I needed her. Only her.

Pulling my phone out, I turned it over in my hand, again and again, so fast it almost blurred in front of my eyes. With a sigh, I gave in, like I always did. Her pull was undeniable, unbreakable.

Scrolling through our messages, a warm feeling spread in my chest. Truth was, I hadn’t even expected her to answer, with the way our last night together ended. But even if she hadn’t acknowledged a single one of my texts, I still would’ve reached out every day.

She needed to know I was still here, still waiting for her, craving her.

“Dude, you’ve got it bad.” Jax stood next to me, shaking his head as he peered down at me.

Shooting a quick text off to her, Thinking of you , I shrugged. “Yeah, I absolutely do.”

“Still no idea when she’ll be back?”

“Nope. She likes to torture me.” I grinned, a rarer sight than usual these past few weeks.

“Why are you happy about this?”

“Because,” I held up a finger, “it means she cares.”

“Yeah, I’m not so sure you got that right, buddy.”

“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

Jax shook his head incredulously, though a grin still pulled at his lips. “I know what you’re not doing — which is lifting. So get off the fucking bench. I’ll do some more reps until you’re focused again.”

“Someday, you’ll look back at this, and you’ll get it.”

“Whatever you say,” he grunted as he pushed the dumbbells over his head.

***

My cleats dug into the turf as I went through the warm-up routine. Music blared through my headphones as I executed every move, every stretch, with purpose and focus.

Today was Fan Day Scrimmage, which meant I’d be playing in my new jersey in front of spectators for the first time. Anticipation thrummed through my body. I was fucking born for this.

As the stands slowly filled up, a flash of red hair caught my eye. Grinning, I jogged to the sidelines to greet my sister.

“Hey! Glad you could make it.”

Ella was beaming at me. “Oh my God, are you kidding? I’m so proud of you!”

“Thanks. But it’s only a scrimmage.”

She scoffed. “So? Don’t act like this is nothing. You earned your place here.”

“Guess so.” I ducked my head. The happiness and anticipation were only slightly dampened by a twinge of disappointment. She wasn’t here. “Sooo … you’re still not gonna tell me?”

“Nah, don’t think so. It’s way too much fun seeing you suffer like this.” She gestured at me, a wicked smile curling her lips.

“You’re evil.” I groaned, dropping my head back.

“Awww. You’ll be alright.” She scrunched her nose at me.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right. Thanks, sis.” Walking backwards, I saluted her with one finger, the late morning sun warming my skin as I finished my warm-ups.

The small crowd on the bleachers was bigger than I expected for Fan Day. It was mostly local families and a few diehard fans, whose chatter blended with the distant hum of cars on the nearby road.

The air smelled faintly of freshly cut grass, mixed with the tang of sweat and rubber from the cleats pounding the turf.

After some pass-focused plays without any of the linemen involved, we moved on to a full-team scrimmage.

I had a couple of good moments in a goal-line stand, where I was able to force my way inside just five yards from the end zone, split a double team, and stuff their play right at the line. With every burst of effort, the sun glinted off my helmet, sweat dripping down my neck.

“Better kick it, boys. You ain’t getting in on me.” I taunted, grinning madly at the O-line.

A couple of them looked offended, but most just laughed or shook their heads. I’d been known for my huge fucking mouth my whole career.

The scrimmage continued, and I was having the time of my life. These guys were good, but I still came out on top more often than not. My pulse was pounding in my ears. It was a rush like no other every single time I stepped foot on the field.

The pounding of cleats, the thud of bodies crashing, the roar of coaches yelling from the sidelines — it was fucking electric. I couldn’t wait for our season to kick off.

The whistle blew, and Coach raised his hand, his index finger making a circular motion in the air. “Sudden change! Defense up! Ball on the 35!”

I was out first, helmet already strapped on, while the rest of the defense was scrambling onto the field behind me, the turf cool and slightly damp under my cleats. The offense was lining up quickly, trying to catch us off guard.

“Eyes up!” I barked. “Tight split! Watch the draw!”

With narrowed eyes, I took note of their heavy set with a motioning tight end. Something smelled off.

Setting in a low stance, my eyes locked on our QB’s cadence. I waited, my fingers twitching in anticipation.

The ball was snapped, and through the flurry of movement around me, my eyes zeroed in on our QB. It was a fucking play-action pass, and the QB faked the handoff to the running back, then rolled slightly to the right.

I didn’t take the bait, instead planting before exploding off the line with a speed rip move and burning the tackle inside. I was in the backfield before the QB even had a chance to set.

Got you, motherfucker.

Since it was just a scrimmage, I didn’t really go for the sack, but just coming at him was enough to make him throw the ball away. The whistle blew before we made contact, but that was fine with me.

I wasn’t crazy enough to want to hurt my own fucking QB — but I still couldn’t stop myself from talking a little trash.

“That whistle saved your life, bro.”

“You’re crazy, man.”

“Yeah, I know.” I grinned as he shook his head.

As the scrimmage wound down, there were a couple of showcase moments. The quarterbacks flaunted their throwing skills with some big passes, and the kickers got their turn with a bunch of field goals.

After a short team huddle in the center of the field, it was a wrap, and we waved at the crowd, drenched in sweat. While this had been fun, I couldn’t wait to actually throw my weight around.

Shoving up my helmet so it sat on top of my head, I walked back over to the section where Ella had been, only to almost stumble over my own damn feet. Next to the familiar dark red hair, a blonde head gleamed in the sunlight.

Could it be …?

As I started walking again, the blonde turned her head, and my heart stopped for a beat.

With quick steps, I collapsed the distance between us, my body more alive than it had been all fucking day. The restless energy inside of me reached its peak, only to fade completely into a kind of static noise.

The blood rushing through my veins was pounding in my ears, my heart beating a mile a minute. Every nerve in my body sparked to life. Restless energy buzzed like electricity, then settled into a quiet hum.

She was back, finally back, and even more important, she was here .

Pure joy bubbled up inside me, a grin spreading wide and uncontrollably across my face.

Ripping my helmet off, I dropped it to the ground. I took the last few steps at a run and jumped onto the barrier, pulling myself up and twisting at the same time so that I could sit on the railing.

“Hey, Darlin’.”

“Hey,” she breathed, her eyes wide.

Holy shit, she was beautiful. Her heart-shaped face was framed by soft, golden blonde hair that cascaded in loose waves, catching the light with every subtle movement, and her skin was glowing.

“Show-off,” Ella muttered in the background.

“Fancy seeing you here. Miss me that much?”

Sierra scoffed, but there was no irritation in those blue depths. “What I didn’t want to miss was the chance to see you getting your ass kicked.”

I snorted. “In that case, sorry to disappoint.”

“No worries, I was compensated,” she shrugged, her eyes flickering down to my arms.

I smirked. “Ah, see something you like out there?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Exaggeratedly, she leaned to the side and peered out onto the field. “Would you mind introducing me to number—”

“I’d advise you to not finish that sentence, Darlin’.” My eyes were narrowed as she fixed me with a smirk.

“Or what ?” she asked, her brows raised in challenge.

In a flash, my hand shot out and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her head close. “Guess someone needs a reminder of who they belong to.” My lips captured hers in a punishing, feverish kiss, full of promise and longing.

My tongue plunged into her mouth, intent on purging every thought of other men from her mind. Her body submitted to me without a second thought as I greedily swallowed her moan, soaking up her scent and taste.

Breathless, I pulled back, smirking at the now slightly dazed expression on her face. “Yeah, you fucking missed me.”

“You’re delusional,” she panted, but there was no venom in her voice as her eyes searched my face. She was cracking, piece by piece.

“Gross,” Ella mumbled, without looking up from her phone.

“Yo, Kincaid. Coach wants us inside.”

Annoyed, I gave him a thumbs-up without taking my eyes off Sierra. “I’ll see you later,” I promised.

“Yeah, no. Don’t think so. I’m having girls’ night with your sister.” She shrugged, as though her pupils hadn’t widened at my words, as though she didn’t care.

Disappointment sank in my stomach like a fistful of stones. I forced a smile and nodded slowly. Then, I let go of her and jumped down from the railing.

“Don’t worry, Darlin’. I can wait. I’m real patient.” I pointed back and forth between us. “Go enjoy your night. Just don’t forget who’s waiting on the other side of it.”

Ignoring her scoff and eye roll — for her own good, really — I turned around to leave, took a couple of steps, and then thought better of it. I twisted back to face her, head cocked to the side.

“By the way, have I told you, you look pretty today? Because you absolutely do. Fucking stunning.”