I shift in the spot where I stand frozen on the field, trying my damnedest to fight my body’s habitual reaction to the memories of that night because a hard-on in football pants is hell.

  Okay, so this is way beyond teenager with a crush territory.

  “What the fuck, dude,” Drew hisses. I whip my head towards him, having forgotten entirely that he was standing right there. He’s smirking at me, arms crossed over his chest. “Why are you looking at the team psychologist like you want to devour her whole?”

  Because I do.

  I shake my head, turning back to watch Tyler head out onto the field, hating the fact that I feel a trickle of relief that he’s not touching Maddy anymore. “What? I’m not,” I say, in the most pathetic denial of all time.

  He rolls his eyes, and I hear the words he doesn’t speak.

  Tell it to someone who believes you.

  Shit.

  “If you’re planning on breaking your, like, years-long dry spell, maybe choose someone with just a little more distance from the team than the GM’s niece and the person in charge of our collective mental health. That’s a big bucket of nope, Cam.”

  With that, he jogs out onto the field, catching the pass Tyler rockets to him and firing it back. Scrubbing my hands over my face and shoving my fingers through my hair, I walk towards the field too, and if my route happens to take me straight past Maddy, well, that’s just the way that goes.

  Damn Drew’s big bucket of nope straight to hell.

  “Looking good, Wildcat,” I say as I sidle up next to her and stop, my eyes glued to the field like I’m surveying my teammates as they warm up.

  “You can’t call me that here,” she says in a low voice, her eyes still glued the field too.

  I bump my shoulder with hers, and warmth spreads through me from the contact. From the way she huffs out a breath, her fingers flexing on the pink water bottle she holds, I know she felt it too, and everything inside me lights up. “Is there a place I can call you that?”

  When she turns to face me, her green eyes locking on mine, my heart kicks up, and I feel my smile spread. She’s so damn pretty. “Why do you look so pleased with yourself?”

  I take a quick glance around and see assistant coaches and staff milling around, some of the guys chatting with trainers on the sidelines and others deep into their warm-ups on the field, and Coach standing with one foot propped up on a bench, studying his clipboard like it contains the secrets to the universe. “Because it’s a football Sunday, and I get to go warm up in a few minutes and then go play my favorite game. Because I heard from my kids right before I came out here, and talking to them before a game is good luck. And because I walked out of the tunnel just now and saw you. Seeing you makes me happy.”

  Maddy rolls her eyes and takes a sip from her water bottle. “Were you by any chance present for the conversation where I told you we can only be friends?”

  I nod, focused on her mouth but not because I want to kiss her—although, fuck yeah, I do—but because every time she talks, I catch a glimpse of what I’m almost positive is her very orange tongue. Glancing at her water bottle, I notice little orange drops around the top and chuckle when I realize that her water bottle is, in fact, full of orange soda.

  Why do I find that so damn delightful?

  “Wildcat, we are friends. It’s just that I also remember you look really hot naked and you whimper when you come. I can’t just un-remember that, you know?”

  Maddy inhales sharply, looking around quickly, likely to make sure there’s no one else within earshot, which of course, there isn’t. I said I would never get in the way of her job and I meant it, even if her insistence on being just friends makes the competitor in me want to prove her wrong. And even if all I want in life is to have my hands on her again. With her hands on her hips, she gives me what I think she thinks is an irritated glare, but her orange tongue blunts the effect.

  She’s so cute I just want to cuddle her up and also fuck her into my mattress. It’s a really, really appealing combination.

  “Hey, Maddy! Cam! Watch this!” We both look over as Tyler grins at us, bounces once on his toes, and then runs across the field at top speed, vaulting over three defensive linemen kneeling in a row on the turf. The second he clears them, they all pop up and cheer, the rest of the guys on the field joining in.

  “Perfect ten, Ty!” I call, amused, as always, by his antics. That guy wouldn’t know game day jitters if they walked up and introduced themselves.

  Maddy just rolls her eyes. “Why did I think working with you overgrown children was a good idea?” she mutters, taking another swig of her drink.

  Grabbing her water bottle from her, I take a sip, laughing when my suspicions are confirmed. “Drinking orange soda out of a water bottle is a baller move, Wildcat.”

  She yanks the bottle away from me. “Water is the most boring drink in the world. I prefer to hydrate with sugar and carbonation. Can you get out on the field already? It’s weird that you’re just standing here while the rest of your team is warming up.”

  I consider pointing out that warm-ups don’t officially start for another five minutes and half the team is still fucking around, but I’m already pressing my luck, so instead I just shrug. “Yeah, but I wanted to give you something first.”

  “Is it your blood oath that no one associated with this team will find out about the night we spent together?” she asks dryly.

  I grin. “Close.” With a wink, I toss her the Ziploc bag I grabbed from my locker before I came out to the field.

  She catches it and glances down then back up at me, her freckled nose crinkled in confusion. “What am I looking at?”

  I cluck my tongue. “An M&M’s connoisseur such as yourself should recognize your favorite candy when it’s in your hand. I thought you might need a pre-game sweet treat.”

  She narrows her eyes at me. “Why are they in a Ziploc bag?”

  Spinning around, I walk backwards towards the field, still facing her. “Because you like all the different flavors, and I didn’t want you to have to choose. Every M&M’s flavor is in there except caramel. Caramel M&M’s are the worst.”

  Maddy’s entire stern demeanor disappears and she laughs, her eyes full of fun when she looks at me. “They really are the worst.” Opening the bag, she takes a handful of M&M’s and tosses them into her mouth. “Go score a touchdown, Cam,” she says, her voice muffled by the candy.

  “Offensive linemen don’t usually score touchdowns.” I drop my voice so only she can hear it. “But if I did score one, I would score it for you.”

  With a wink and a grin at the way a soft pink flush crawls up from her chest to her cheeks, I turn and jog onto the field, feeling her eyes on me the whole time.

  And nothing could make me happier.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  MADDY

  “Shit, that’s good,” I mumble, crunching on the queso-laden tortilla chip I just shoved in my mouth. Reaching over to the table next to me, I grab the giant to-go cup and take a long sip of my fountain orange soda that is somehow the absolute perfect blend of syrup and carbonation.

  With the sky full of stars, the Florida night air is sultry and warm. The hotel’s rooftop pool glitters under the soft lantern lights, and it’s possible there has never been a more perfect moment than this one right now.

  It was a long fucking day, standing on the sidelines from warm-ups through the post-game media circus, but I loved every minute of it. I’ve never been a big football fan, much to Tyler and Uncle Asher’s dismay, but watching the game with my proverbial psychologist’s hat on is an entirely different experience. Seeing how the team plays as a whole and how each guy plays individually. How they interact with each other and as a group. How small changes I want to make could yield big results.

  It’s not typical for a team psychologist to travel with the team, watch games from the sidelines, or to be a part of the bigger game-day strategy, but nothing about the way I want to do things is typical. I want to make a difference. I want to revolutionize the way psychology is used in professional sports. I want to shine a light on the necessity of treating players’ mental and physical health with equal importance. And hot damn am I good at it.

  The nerves I felt on my first day? Totally gone, replaced by a simmering excitement and a great big love for this work I get to do.

  Plus, I have chips and queso, a massive bag of kettle corn, and a fountain orange soda which is absolutely the superior way to drink an orange soda.

  Everything is coming up Maddy.

  When my phone beeps, I grab it, grinning when I see it’s my group chat with my friends.

  Smart Bitches

  Maya

  Mads, did you procure the queso?

  Me

  [picture of extra-large order of queso and chips]

  You bet I did. It was a long fucking day, and I deserve this. I got the one that’s supposed to be for four people, but I’ll be eating the whole thing. I regret nothing.

  Sarah

  Shit, now I need to order queso. I was going to finish studying and then go to sleep, but now queso is all I can think about.

  Emmy

  Working on Sunday should be illegal, and I’m fucking starving. I’ll pick up Mexican and come to your house on my way home from the office.

  Sophie

  Fuck yes, I’m starving too.

  Sarah

  Have I told you lately that I love you?

  Me

  Shit, now that song is going to be stuck in my head all night.

  Caitlin

  It’s better than the Celine Dion you’re usually singing.

  Me

  How dare you. Celine is the queen, and I will hear no contradictory opinions.

  Maya

  Emmy, get extra queso. I’m coming over. I’ll make margaritas.

  Emmy

  On it. It was a good day when you moved in next door to Sarah and Soph.

  Sophie

  Caitlin, are you with Em? You should come too. Everyone needs Mexican tonight.

  Caitlin

  Yep. There was an emergency with one of Molly’s clients, and Molly decided she’s suddenly too old to deal with those, so she dumped it on Em and me and went shopping instead. I need like forty-seven tacos.

  I snort out a laugh, thinking of Aunt Molly, Sophie’s bold and brilliant mom. This kind of thing is exactly on brand for her.

  Sophie

  She was really on her game, too. I ended up with three pairs of shoes, a bag, and a new fall coat I love so much I want to marry it.

  Me

  From one girl who worked on Sunday to another, I think we all deserve this late-night Mexican.

  Maya

  Wish you were here with us, Mads.

  Me

  Same, but here isn’t such a bad place to be.

  [picture of hotel rooftop pool surrounded by palm trees and cushioned lounge chairs]

  Sophie

  Holy hell, that’s dreamy.

  Emmy

  The Renegades really travel in style. But weren’t you supposed to come home tonight?

  Me

  Yeah, but there are thunderstorms all up and down the east coast and into the Midwest that are supposed to last all night. Every flight was cancelled including, apparently, charter flights. We’ll be back early tomorrow morning instead.

  Caitlin

  Yeah, it’s pretty bad here. It’s been storming for hours with no end in sight.

  Sophie

  Maybe you should all just plan to sleep here tonight. I don’t want anyone driving in this more than they have to.

  Maya

  Fuck yes. Count me in.

  Sarah

  You know you literally live next door, right? You can walk home.

  Maya

  Why would I go home when four-fifths of my favorite people are having a sleepover right next door to my house? Besides, I’m still trying to erase last night’s date from hell from my memory, so I need so much tequila. For sure too much to walk in the straight line required to get home.

  I laugh again, dunking another chip in queso. Despite her wild-child nature, Maya is an unrepentant romantic at heart and goes into every single date thinking she’s about to meet the love of her life. She’s remarkably upbeat every time she realizes her current internet date is not, in fact, her happy ever after, but she’s been my best friend long enough that I know it wears on her.

  Me

  I think Tyler, Oliver, and Jack would be hurt to know you’re not including them in your list of most favorite people.

  Maya

  They’ll have to get over it. I’m feeling stabby about the male gender as a whole tonight.

  Emmy

  Internet dating will do that to you.

  Caitlin

  None of those assholes are worth your time. You are way too amazing for internet dating.

  Maya

  Don’t I know it.

  Sophie

  Maybe we should all move in together and swear off men because, fuck the patriarchy. We don’t need men. We can be like The Golden Girls.

  Me

  I hate to break it to you, Soph, but The Golden Girls all had men in their lives. They had a ridiculous amount of sex.

  Emmy

  Fuck, I miss sex. It’s been too long.

  Sarah

  Seriously, same. Med school is really killing my vibe. I’m either too busy or too tired, and every guy is an aspiring ortho-bro or wants to go into plastics because, boobs, and I just don’t have time for that kind of assholery in my life, you know?

  Maya

  God, I so completely know. I think the only one of us who doesn’t know is the one currently sprawled on a hotel rooftop eating her weight in queso.

  Me

  Wait, what did I do?

  Sarah

  Three weeks ago, you fucked a hot football player for, like, six straight hours. Did you forget?

  Emmy

  I don’t know how you possibly could have forgotten. You were walking funny for a week.

  Me

  That was a mistake.

  Caitlin

  But was it really?

  Sophie

  No way was it a mistake. Did you see the way he blasted that Tampa defenseman into the air in the fourth quarter earlier today and then grinned like it was nothing? He’s hot as fuck.

  In fact, I did see that. I saw it because he shot that grin straight in my direction, and I had to practically squeeze my thighs together because my clit literally throbbed remembering the way he grinned at me like that when I came on his fingers for the third time in a row and he insisted he could give me a fourth.

  It took a heroic effort not to sprint onto the field and throw myself at him, but I resisted because we’re friends. And I’m a goddamn motherfucking professional.

  I was a little less professional when coffee just the way I like it, six mini boxes of cereal, and milk showed up at my hotel room door early this morning before the game with a note that said Can’t wait to see you on the sidelines. When that happened, I may or may not have grinned like an idiot and clutched the note to my chest like it was a precious jewel.

  But we’re not talking about that.

  Me

  You watched the game?

  Sophie

  Hi, have we met? Huge football fan here. I watch every game. Stop trying to change the subject.

  Caitlin

  Maddy is a master evader.

  Maya

  Always has been, even when we were kids.