Page 24 of Shot Through the Heart

I shouldn’t have this visceral full-body reaction. There are hundreds of people who show up wearing a jersey with my name and number.

But the memory of Stella in my jersey makes my goddamn cock twitch.

Unable to control my thoughts, those three words she said to me before the game bounce around my skull as if she were standing beside me right now.

Don’t fall down.

Slapping a hand out, I hold my breath and blindly find the temperature dial. Cold water washes over me, effectively wiping all thoughts from my mind. I go through the rest of my routine in a rush, getting through what should have been a relaxing private moment just as quickly as I did when I rinsed off back at the locker room.

I’ve done my very best not to think about those words. Surely it was a slip of the tongue and there was no way the meaning behind them was still the same. No, based on how quickly she scurried away after blurting them out, she didn’t mean them.

As I go through the motions of drying off and getting into bed, though, I can’t help but wonder why it’s more disappointing to think she didn’t mean them.

ChapterNine

STELLA

“Holy shit. Your tits look fan-freaking-tastic.”Eva gapes from her spot in my bedroom doorway, eyes firmly glued to my chest.

“Do you think the dress is too much?” I ask, turning back to my full-body mirror. Thankfully, during Greyson’s first game, I hit it off with both Lilly and Ari. The two were polar opposite but still comforting and welcoming in their own ways. Ari was so exuberant and energetic that it distracted me from my nerves. Meanwhile, Lilly was the calm to her chaos. Ari had zero hesitations on asking for personal details about my life and relationship with Grey. Lilly took simpler approaches, asking me about where I work and my hobbies.

It felt wrong to tell them small truths, not quite letting them in while they freely gave so many details about their lives. Halfway through the game, I was so disarmingly comfortable around them that Ialmostslipped up and mentioned Harper. Luckily, I was quick to cover it up and spun the story to sound like I was babysitting Zoey.

By the time the game was over, they had both asked for my number so Ari could plan a girl’s night. Since none of us have been able to find a time that works for all of us in the last couple weeks, it really shouldn’t have surprised me that they immediately started freaking out in a group chat when they found out I’d be attending tonight’s gala and tomorrow’s tournament.

And thank heavens they did, or I would have shown up very underdressed tonight. Greyson had emailed me the details for the Strike Cancer Gala. Yet even after reading every piece of information givenandseeing pictures of their own selections, I couldn’t help but wonder if my dress was going to stand out in all the wrong ways.

“Nope,” Eva says dramatically as she throws herself onto my bed. “It’s perfect. You’re the perfect mix of temptation and classy.”

I run a hand down the front of my white, strapless satin dress. The sweetheart neckline forms perfectly to my breasts, but now I find myself wondering if I’m showing too much skin.

“Maybe I should wear the backup. This is a childhood cancer event. I don’t want to come across as risqué or flashy.”

Eva shoots up, scowling at me in the mirror over my shoulder.

“Don’t you dare fucking change. You look stunning.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want my boobs to be?—”

“Stells, I mean this with all the love and maybe a little envy, but there is no hiding those babies. Besides, it’s not like they’re at risk of popping out. They look secure. It’s what Addison would refer to as ‘tasteful boobage.’” She raises a brow and holds up her phone. “Turn around and we can put it to a vote with Ads and Thea.”

Rolling my eyes, I humor her and let her snap a picture. Less than a minute later, my phone is buzzing with updates from the group chat. I move to pick it up off my nightstand and can barely keep up as I get bombarded with texts.

Eva: Stells is worried she’s showing too much skin, please tell her I’m right.

Thea: HOT DAMN!

Thea: Boobs = just enough to make one’s imagination wonder but also covered enough to demand respect.

Thea: That lil slit going up your leg = me wondering why the hell I like men…

Addison: IT’S CALLED TASTEFUL BOOBAGE!!

Eva: I told her you’d say that! Yet she’s still wondering if she should change.

Addison: Don’t. You. Fucking. Dare.

Thea: Why the hell would you do that? Have you looked in a mirror? I see it right behind you, turn around and LOOK AT YOUR SEXY SELF MAMA.

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