Page 20 of The Only Goal

“I’m Casey, by the way.” He sticks out his hand. Kai stares at it for a second, and Casey laughs. “Slap me some skin, little man.”

After a cautious pause, Kai does as he’s told, and Casey laughs, then points out the other men in the entrance. “That tall one over there, that’s Ethan. He’s our captain this year. Pretty decent guy most of the time.”

Ethan gives him a dry look, crossing his arms and muttering, “All the time. I’m decent all the time.”

Casey ignores him. “And that shorter one over there is Liam.”

My eyes dart to the man who is waving at Kai with a kind smile. That must be Rachel’s boyfriend.

“And Mr. Cool back there with the dark hair… that’s Asher.”

“’Sup.” The man lifts his chin, and Kai gives him a shy smile.

Casey leans in with a stage whisper. “Don’t let his charm fool you. The guy’s a total dork.”

Kai giggles while Asher rolls his eyes, then gets nudged aside by another player.

“Don’t forget me.” He waves his hand, moving to the front of the pack and grinning up at me. “Hi there. I’m Connor.”

CHAPTER 8

BAXTER

Connor’s smile is in full flirt mode, and my insides simmer as he grins up at Tammy. Thank God I arrived back from coaching at the same time these douchebags did.

I glare at my friend, then glance up at Tammy. She smiles down at Connor with two dimples that make my heart hurt. She’s so pretty. She always has been. Even when we were kids, she stood out from the rest. And then after puberty… holy shit, she was a knockout. I’d fallen for her long before then, but after that, I was so attracted to her, I could hardly stand it.

I’m still attracted to her. Desire pulses through me as I watch her glide down the stairs. She shakes Casey’s hand, then greets the other guys.

“I hope you don’t mind us crashing for a little bit.”

“Of course not.” Casey grins. “Mi casa es do casa.”

“It’s mi casa es su casa, dumbass,” Liam grumbles, giving him a pitiful frown.

“Don’t mind him. He gets a little cranky when he hasn’t had his afternoon nap.” Casey winks at Kai while Ethan snorts and shakes his head.

But before Liam can even respond, he gets distracted by Rachel. His entire face lights up with appreciation as she walks into the room. “Hey, cariña.” Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulls her in for a kiss, then whispers something in her ear that turns her smile mushy. They rest their foreheads together and look like a freaking Hallmark couple as they whisper-chat, melting into the background for a little privacy.

I turn back to check on Tammy, who is watching them with a wistful, crestfallen look on her face. Instinct tells me to move into her line of sight, distract her, let her know that she deserves that kind of love and adoration. She deserves all the attention and kindness and?—

“So…” Connor sidles up to the stairs. “How long are you two staying?”

“Uh, not sure yet. We’re just visiting Baxter.” Her dimple appears as she whips a look at me before grinning at Connor. “Don’t worry. We won’t overstay our welcome.”

Connor’s eyes dance with appreciation as he eyes her up and down. “I don’t think that would be a problem for a pretty thing like you.”

I want to punch him.

Right in the mouth.

What the fuck is he doing flirting with my girl?

She’s not your girl, Bax.

A chill sweeps through me, and I grit my teeth, watching Connor shift into full charm mode. It reminds me of Hudson when he first showed up at Gladstone High. I will never get rid of that image—him leaning against Tammy’s locker, tucking her hair behind her ear and smiling down at her with the grace of a fucking movie star. She stared up at him, all wide-eyed awe and wonder. He’d say something saccharine and irritating, and she’d blush and giggle. I’d never seen her act like that before. She never did that kind of thing with me.

Probably because I was never going to be more than a buddy. I was friend-zoned for life, and I felt helpless to change that.

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