Page 14 of Siren's Heart

"My bad, bro. You good?" Tanner asks and extends his hand to pull me up.

"Yeah," I grunt and take it. "My bad, I was distracted."

Tanner shoots me a knowing glance. "Which of the two?" he asks with a chuckle, and I roll my eyes. I pick up the ball and throw it to him. He can tease me all he wants, but I don’t give a fuck. "Want me to introduce you?"

Now that makes me stop in my tracks and slowly turn to him. "You know them?" I raise my eyebrow. How come everyone here seems to know them personally but me? I go to just as many industry events as these knuckleheads, and I’d definitely know if I’d seen her there.

"We follow each other on social media," he reveals, and I burst into laughter.

"That's all it takes? You never met them in, like, real life?"

"Well, it takes that, some audacity and a bit of a gamble." He grins, and I shake my head at him as I wiggle my helmet and get into position, trying to tackle him. He clutches the ball to his chest and adds, "No risk, no fun and all that."

"You know what? Maybe you're right." I fixate my eyes on Tanner's midsection and the red stripe on his shirt. Then I sprint towards him and attempt to take him down. "Damn, you're stronger than you look." I groan after I've only barely managed to push him back a few meters, much less push him to the ground.

"And you're weaker." He clasps my shoulder, but I can tell he’s joking.

"So, how's he doing?" Asher asks from beside us. "Because, not going to lie, that looked pretty weak."

"Fuck off, Asher. I could outrun you anytime, dickhead."

"Why should I? Is your ego as weak as your tackle?" I roll my eyes and chuckle. Oh, I know exactly how to take him down, even though it might be against the rules. Narrowing my eyes at him, I walk right up, only stopping when my feet are mere millimeters away from his.

"You're talking big game. Want to bet I can take you down within a minute?" He cocks his head and raises his eyebrow at me, biting his grin and shaking his head while Adam starts to laugh.

“Come on, as if that tiny man could. Show him, Asher!”

Maybe I know why they’re fighting so much. Their taunting is only just above the belt. Asher narrows his eyes right back at me, amusement lighting them up, and I know I got him.

"Show me what you got, big boy." He puts his feet further apart and redistributes his weight. Meanwhile, I get into position. Head up, eyes on him, and then I shoot forward. But instead of trying to lift him off his feet, I dig my fingers into his ribs.

"What the–" His shout quickly changes into laughter as I tickle him without mercy. He tries to fight me off, but I quickly circle him, continuing my assault from behind, where he can’t reach me.

"Mercy," he begs, kneeling, but I'm getting too bold.

"No mercy for the weeeak!" I shout and continue until he suddenly grabs my hand and pulls me over his shoulder with one abrupt move.

We wrestle, and before I know it, all the guys have gathered around us. Asher tries to pin my hands to the ground, but I have a sister who loves to torture me with tickling, and I know how to keep my hands free. And, finally, I'm kneeling on his back, his wrists under my knees.

"Victory!" I shout and pump my arm into the air to the cheering of the group around us. Tanner reaches out his hand to help me up, and I receive shoulder claps and cheers from all sides. From the corner of my eyes, I glance at the other side of the field, biting my lip, when I realize they're looking over here.

Not my finest moment or the best way to make an impression. But it had to be done.

"Enough clownery, get back to it!" Rich shouts, earning 'Boo!' shouts, but everyone complies. That guy can be a scary motherfucker when he wants to be.

Only Asher still lies on the ground, utterly defeated and catching his breath. Slowly, he turns on his back and pants, looking at the blue sky above us.

"Come on," I say with a wide grin and offer him my hand. He almost pulls me down, and I roll my eyes before I pull him up with all the strength I can muster.

"I'm going to get you for this," he promises lowly and with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. I gulp. "When you least expect it, in your moment of weakness. I will be there." And then he walks off to partner up with Adam again.

"Well, great to have known you, man," Tanner says with a chuckle and shake of his head.

Asher's revenge comes a lot sooner than I expect it. I thought he’d wait for days, remain in the shadows until I’d forgotten about it. However, it happens not much later. Only half an hour later, to be exact.

Rich announces a break from the tackling session and tells us to get some water. Thank fucking God, because I'm sweating like a waterfall. It's not even that warm today, but the salty water of my sweat manages to make its way into my eye every few minutes, and it stings. Just like now. I lift my shirt to wipe the sweat off my forehead with the fabric of its seam when, suddenly, I'm flying.

"Aaah," I squeal in surprise when my body is in the air until I hit something soft. The mat. "What the fuck?"

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