Page 77 of The Quarterback Sneak

He must shake his head in response because I don’t hear his answer. After a few seconds, he knocks on the door. “Honey. Your mom’s gone.”

Sighing, I open the door and pull him in. He laughs, looking at my disheveled form. He, on the other hand, looks perfect. Not a hair is out of place. “How do you look so good after everything we just did?”

He gives me a lopsided smile. “You didn’t do as much damage to my uniform as I did to yours.” His gaze flicks down to my open shirt, and he toys with the fabric. “You still look extremely hot, though.”

Swatting his hand away, I move past him to get back into my bedroom. “Where you going, Honeycomb?”

“To the parlor, remember?” I stand at my dresser, looking for an outfit my mother would approve of. “You’re not coming, right?”

That smirk on his face drops. “I should probably head back. I’ve got—”

I raise my hand. “Commitments.I know.”

“Well, damn, Honeycomb. You make it sound like you don’t like sharing me?” He wraps his arms around my waist, kissing my neck.

“I don’t, but I understand.” Turning in his hold, I give him a hug.

“Will you come to my game on Friday?”

I pull back, looking at him with a bemused smile. “Of course I’m going to be there. It’s part of our deal, remember?”

“Of course. It’s all just part of our deal…”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Honey

Zach’s fingers stretch across the football as he searches for an open target. The bright lights and cheering crowd don’t seem to bother him. Instead, I think they push him. There’s a defensive player ready to pounce, and I wince, anticipating the pain of the hit. He throws the ball, but it’s too late, and he gets tackled to the ground.

The ball stays course, flying flawlessly into Mike’s hand as he runs toward the end zone.

Fifteen yards, then ten, five yards, with no one in sight.

Touchdown!

The crowd roars, and Olivia screams, “We’re going to make it, H! We’re going to win this.” Grinning, I let the energy in the atmosphere ping through my veins because she might be right. With only four minutes left, we’re twenty points up. North Central High would need a miracle to beat us.

“Come on, Mike!” Olivia’s intensity grows as Mike dances in the end zone, celebrating. The rest of the team on the field tackles him as though they’ve already won.

“We can’t get too excited. A lot can happen in four minutes.” Pulling on Olivia’s jacket, I try to convince her to sit, but she laughs it off.

“Wow, Honey. This is the first time I’ve seen you care about a game.”

“That’s because Jamie never got off the bench.”

Olivia throws her head back on a cackle. “Oh, man. I like this new Honey. You’re so bad.”

Zach toys with his mouthguard, pushing it in and out of his mouth as he walks to the bench. A flutter of expectation brews in my belly, just thinking about how he used that mouth on me before. I bite my lip, looking forward to getting him alone again.

He sidesteps the bench and makes his way to the bleachers. Grappling at the metal rails, he pulls himself up to survey the crowd and raises his brow.

Unmoving, I still can’t believe it’s me he’s looking at. Olivia bumps me on the side with her elbow. “Aren’t you going to go to your boyfriend?”

Zach points to me when I don’t move, then beckons me over. With one final push from Olivia, I skip down the steps straight to him.

Our smiles grow the closer we get, and anyone watching would think we haven’t seen each other in months when, in reality, it’s only been a few hours.

“Did you see that, Honeycomb?” His helmet is still on, so I can’t get as close as I’d like, but I rest my hands on his and lean in.

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