Page 21 of The Secret Play

She gripped my shoulders, her thighs squeezed my waist, and all I wanted in the world was to see her come. None of that other stuff was on my radar.

When she came, I felt it, too. That rhythmic pulse. It drove me to my own edge, and just moments later, a surge shot through my spine and my balls as it hit, taking my breath away.

I leaned on the tree to stop from collapsing. My heart pounded in ways it hadn’t in years.

When it was over, we stood there for a moment, the rain cooling the heat between us. I turned my head to look at her, and she smiled, her hair plastered to her neck and her eyes bright with something I couldn’t quite name.

“You’re incredible,” I said softly, brushing a piece of hair out of her face.

“So are you,” she said, her voice just as soft.

As we cleaned up and headed back toward the street, I reached for her hand, lacing my fingers through hers.

I didn’t know what would come next, but I wasn't going to let it slip through my fingers.

Not this time.

I walked her to her car. “I’ll call you.”

“You better,” she said, her smile teasing but sincere.

And as I watched her drive away, I couldn’t help but feel like my world had tilted on its axis. And I couldn’t have been happier about it.

Chapter 8

Gemma

The sound of my phone vibrating against the desk startled me out of the trance I’d been in while reading the comments section on my latest article.

Normally, I avoided the comments like the plague, but today, I couldn’t help myself.

The piece—an in-depth interview with Coach Casey McConnell about his coaching philosophy and the culture of the Atlanta Fire—had been up for less than a day, and it was already blowing up.

"Smart, insightful, and a great read," one commenter had written.

"Finally, something positive about the Fire in the press!"said another.

Admittedly, I might have slanted the puff piece a little more in his favor than a reputable journalist should have, but I didn’t care. I wanted the city to see him the way I saw him.

The man who had fixed the Fire.

I clicked out of the page and leaned back in my chair, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. It was good press for the team, yes, but it was also good for me.

My editor had already sent a gushing email that morning, asking if I had any other ideas for Fire-related pieces. I could practically hear the excitement in his voice when he mentioned the spike in web traffic.

“I knew you’d be a great fit here,” he’d written. “More interviews like this, Gemma. Keep them coming.”

It was exactly the kind of validation I’d been hoping for when I’d taken this job, but it left me feeling conflicted. I wanted to succeed, yes, but my budding…whatever-it-was with Casey complicated things.

I didn’t want to use him for clicks. According to Nico, he’d been hesitant to agree to the interview in the first place, and while it had turned out well, I didn’t want him to feel like I was exploiting our connection for my career.

Then there was the other issue: Nico.

My brother was protective on a good day and downright territorial when it came to the people he cared about.

If he found out I was seeing his coach he’d lose his mind.

There was an unspoken code about sisters being off-limits, and while I wasn’t about to let my brother dictate my love life, I also didn’t want to make things harder for Nico or Casey at work.

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