I thought I was getting the hang of this one-night-stand thing. But now I’m wishing I could see Ellie again and talk to her more and watch her push her auburn hair behind her ears and…shit. I really suck at being a womanizer.
“How you feeling, QB?” Andre Smoke walks by and pats my arm. “You ready to get us that ring?”
I laugh a little and shake my head. “Smoke, we all know that if the Riders win the title, it’ll be because of you, not me.”
“McKenzie,” Chase groans, leaning against the lockers. He still comes to every practice, to do physical therapy and offer support. And ride my ass about filling his impossible shoes. “That’s not the quarterback attitude.”
I lace up my cleats and frown at him. “What do you mean? Smoke’s the best defender in the league. He’s for sure gonna be the reason we—”
“Quit it!” Chase smacks the back of my head.
I glare at him.
“Remember what I told you about ego? If you don’t believe you’re the absolute best there is, then you’re never going to be. You wanna lead this team? You gotta show everyone, including all the fans, that you’re fucking awesome. And you’re more than capable of winning the Super Bowl.”
“He’s right,” Smoke chimes in, lifting a massive shoulder. “Doesn’t matter if I’m the best player on the field, people want a hero quarterback. Besides, I don’t want any damn attention.” He chuckles and runs a hand through his short curls. “You can take it all.”
I puff out a breath and shake out my hair.
“You should be feeling yourself like crazy, Junior.” Chase juts his chin. “You got laid last night. You’re crushing your NFL career. Life is good, homie.” He holds his hand up for a high five.
I smack it, but the image of Ellie leaving this morning feels like the opposite of a victory.
I’ve always really looked up to Chase. I wanted to be exactly like him all through college, and when I got drafted by South Florida, it was a dream come true. Since I’ve been playing here, he’s become a mentor to me, on and off the field. And I know I need to step up my cocky-athlete game if I’m ever really going to be the next Chase Kennedy.
He’s married now, all settled down after his years of breaking hearts. But he passed the hotshot-playboy torch to me, and now that his shoulder is completely wrecked, he passed the Riders-quarterback torch to me, too.
Just in time for the playoffs.
I take a long, deep breath and try not to think about the pressure. All I’ve ever wanted was to be like Chase. He’s a total legend. And now the opportunity is right in front of me.
The ball, the field, the team, the city…the women. I gotta stop being so damn shaken up about this one hot rich girl and her adorably sexy laugh and sparkly eyes.
It’s time for me to step up and dominate the rest of this season. Chase is right. I got laid. I have to leave it at that, especially because it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’m not going to see her for a really, really long time. She doesn’t even live here. She doesn’t live anywhere. Who just bounces from one city to another like that? A crazy person, that’s who.
I slam my locker shut and shake out my right shoulder, clenching my jaw and preparing to have a killer practice.
This is my time to shine, and I’m not letting any pesky thoughts about captivating, world-traveling redheads get in the way of it.
Three
Ellie
Anything. I can do anything. I can conquer any fear. I’ve been zip-lining in Brazil and hang-gliding in Hawaii. I did the Polar Bear Plunge into freezing-cold water in Alaska. I can handle anything.
Except this. Except those two fateful, taunting, unbelievably rude red lines on that stupid little stick I peed on this morning. I’m not so sure I can handle this.
The timing adds up. It’s been a little over a month since I went home with the charming and sexy football player at the cocktail party. A month since, unbeknownst to me, my life changed completely and forever.
I swallow a hot wave of nerves and nausea as I clasp my clammy hands together and try to will them to stop trembling. The air in the Vice Hospitality International headquarters in downtown Miami is particularly icy today, and the chair I’m sitting in outside of my dad’s office feels like it’s covered in