Page 125 of Close Knit

“It was all I could find on such short notice!” she says, failing to suppress the dimples forming in her cheeks.

I roll my eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. I lean down toward her, and her hot breath hits my neck. I’ve been practically living at her place and have a dresser drawer full of clothes there.

“I’m pretty sure I had a couple more shirts at your place.”

She flashes her innocent Bambie eyes. “Guess they were in the laundry.”

“I dry-clean them,” I counter, narrowing my eyes.

“Who dry-cleans T-shirts?” She scrunches her nose, leaning her body into the corner of the arcade machine. I love being this close to her with people around.

“They come out extra crispy that way,” I say, pretending to be defensive but failing miserably.

“My particular man.” She giggles and tiptoes up to kiss me before running her hand over the wording across my chest. “I think it looks adorable on you.”

“Of course you do,” I grumble.

She bites her bottom lip, tilting her head in a ridiculously adorable way. “You’re just pretending to be mad, but I can see right through the fact that you’ve been dying to borrow one of these.”

“Like you’ve been dying to borrow my earring?”

“Aye aye, captain!”

I cup my hand around her lower back and growl into her ear, “Don’t think you’re getting away with this. I’ll make you pay for it later.”

She presses her body into mine. “Is that a promise?”

“Absolutely,” I murmur, letting my hand slide down to her waist. “Just wait until we’re alone. I’ll make sure you lose track of every stitch.”

“Again?” She shivers, her breath catching. “I look forward to it.”

I pull her in for another kiss, the arcade fading away as I lose myself in her. “That was for good luck.”

“You don’t need it,” she whispers, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“You two are disgustingly cute.” Omar is propped up on his elbow on the other side of the machine, staring at us. Sven’s head bobbles between us with a smile on his face. “Now I can see why you bought a scarf from the Femi auction for ten thousand pounds.”

“What?” Daphne gasps loudly. “You never told me that.”

I never mentioned the scarf to her because of what happened with the paparazzi the next day. I keep it tucked away in my closet. Supporting her and the team in any way I could felt like the least I could do at the time.

“It’s cold out. Needed to keep my neck warm.” I shrug. Her face lights up, and a wave of happiness washes over me. I love seeing her happy. Then I turn to Omar. “All right, let’s do this,” I say, cracking my knuckles and taking my position.

Daphne stands beside me and claps. “Get ’em, Goose!”

I dive into the game, my focus sharper than ever. I’ve learned that winning is lackluster in comparison to proving to Daphne that I’m worth rooting for. The arcade buzzes around us, but all I hear is her voice.

Chapter 36

Daphne

January16

Cameron Hastings Back on the Field After Benching in Critical Overton Match

“Fuck yes!”I roar, leaping off the plush leather couch at Bea and Ivan’s home in the Champion’s Triangle. Getting here was quite the trek from my apartment. Cameron practically twisted my arm to borrow his car to ensure my safe journey. My chest feels like a shaken soda can about to burst as I watch Cameron block another goal. He’s on fire on his first day back.

“That’s it, Hastings!” Bea shouts, and the rest of the glamorous WAGs join our cheers. Our faces are canvases of purple and white stripes. These women are incredible—running businesses, parenting full-time, sometimes both. It’s inspiring and comforting to be around people who understand the quirks of my job.

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