Page 137 of The Keeper

Ever the crowd pleasers, the duo drank in the attention and adoration, waving to the fans. Cade looked sharp in his away whites, while Xavier smoldered in a bright bluish-teal. Bennet did the typical guy hand clasp and one-armed hug with both.

“Good luck out there, gentlemen.”

“It’ll be a breeze,” Cade said with conviction. “No offense, Lady V.”

I grinned and shook my head. “Don’t get cocky until the final whistle blows.”

He put his hand up for a high five, which I happily smacked. “Good luck, Gallagher.”

Out of nowhere, Xavier jumped up on the wall and sat, similar to the way our players do after scoring a touchdown. The people around us went nuts, screaming for his attention.

“Hi.” He smiled his sexy, crooked smile. His eyes glowed as bright as the color of his uniform. “Do I get a good luck wish from you, too?”

“Do you need luck?”

“Nope.” He cupped his gloved hand behind my neck and pulled me in for a lush kiss. Pretty sure I heard a few cat calls and whistles from the crowd.

“Thank you, love.”

He jumped down, waved to the fans and ran off to the locker room with Cade.

“See you after the match?” Bennet asked, walking toward the tunnel.

I nodded and waved.

Killian rested his head on my shoulder when I reclined back into the seat. “So, when’s the wedding again?”

“Shut up,” I smiled, stroking my tingling lips.

All talk of weddings ceased once the Knights and Royals took the field to start the game. The Knights actually gave them a run for their money, threatening on goal several times. Xavier moved like lightning for every save. Not once did they score on him. His explosive speed and agility are mesmerizing. I probably spent the majority of the game watching him.

Probably?

Fine. I spent the entire game watching him.

I nearly melted when the final whistle blew and he removed his jersey to exchange it with the Knights’ goalkeeper. The long-sleeved bright blue shirt he wore under it clung to him like a second skin.

Both teams walked along the sidelines, clapping and waving to fans. The atmosphere and crowd were electric the entire time, even though the game ended in scoreless tie. I had a feeling this wasn’t the last we’d see of English soccer clubs visiting the Legends stadium.

“When did you take this?” I asked Hannah, zooming in on the picture. We were standing off in a corner near the bar waiting for our drinks.

“During warm ups. Don’t they look great?”

The photo of Cade and Xavier smiling and laughing was perfect. Xavier had his arm around his friend’s shoulders. Cade’s head tilted back like he’d been told the funniest joke ever.

“I love it.”

“Thought you might.”

“What do you love?” Xavier asked, sidling up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

I showed him the photo. “Hannah took this when you guys were warming up. Cute, huh?”

“Cute,” he laughed. “The guy in blue looks like a real pillock.”

“A what?”

“Lemme see,” Cade demanded, joining us. I gave him my phone. “Absolute wanker, that one. Guy in white looks minted, though.”

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