Page 109 of The Off-Limits Play

Grady is out there with him. I look around for his girlfriend, Teah, but don’t see her. She’s probably away with her family for the break. Glancing around the rest of the room, I try to find my caveman while also keeping an eye on where my parents are.

Mom’s in good form, laughing at the college dean’s joke while probably not finding it funny at all. She’ll be working the room and thoroughly distracted, which is exactly what I need. Dad’s standing beside her, his hand resting on her lower back, and I smile at the two of them. They’ve always been in love, even after all these years together.

I want to be like that.

I want to be like that with Carson.

My insides flutter at the idea, and I should tell myself to calm down and not jump too far ahead, but I’m amped up after that game and Carson’s beautiful touchdown. When we finally got away from all the postgame partying, we met in my dorm room, and I made sure he felt like the luckiest guy on the planet. Let’s just say that the noises coming out of him throughout that sensation made me feel pretty damn triumphant. We repeated events this morning, and having to watch him walk out my door after we showered together was damn depressing.

I just love being with him.

The sex is epic, yes, but it’s all the in-between times that I love as well. Those meaningless conversations before we drift off to sleep in each other’s arms. Those moments I catch him off guard and make him laugh out loud. Time disappears when I’m with him. He makes me feel safe, seen… like I could tell him anything and he’d get it.

I’m desperate to talk to him, make him smile, look into those eyes of his… give him a little sugar.

If I can just find him.

The room is filling up fast, and I weave around the tables. The formal dinner and speeches are due to start in about forty-five minutes, which is plenty of time to have a little flirt with my fella before we have to sit apart from each other. Seriously, midnight can’t come fast enough. As soon as this thing is over, I’m kidnapping him back to my dorm and we’re gonna spend the night naked, along with most of tomorrow, because Jolie doesn’t get back until the afternoon—I texted to confirm and was even bold enough to tell her why.

She sent me heart emojis back with demands of needing to know every detail upon her return. I countered with a demand of my own, and she’s promised to tell me everything about Mr. Mystery Tutor and what went down at the paper. Is it weird how much I’m looking forward to the conversation? I’m desperate to connect with my roomie, and maybe this is another step in the right direction.

But for now…

Where are you, caveman?

I look at the upper tier and feel that zing when I spot him leaning against the railing.

His eyes are on me, and I wonder how long he’s been watching.

Trying to keep my smile in check is impossible, and not running toward him is also freaking hard.

Thankfully, my leg has been behaving itself for the last two days, so I’m able to walk in these heels with minimal effort and can almost glide up the stairs. I have to take it slow, which is killing me, but I eventually reach that upper tier, nodding and smiling at people along the way.

I get caught near the top for a few minutes, talking to some old guy who thinks my dad’s the best coach on the planet. I wax eloquently like I’m supposed to andfinallybreak free. After that, I screw pleasantries and make a beeline for the table in the corner, where Carson is nursing a drink and looking a little bleary-eyed.

“Drunk already?” I place my clutch on the table and steal a sip of his drink. “Rum and Coke? How’d you get away with that? Dad never lets his players drink at these things.”

Carson snickers and downs the last of his liquor. “Why do you think I’m up here? The bartender’s a softy. He knows I need a kick to get through this thing. I’m shit at small talk.” He eyes the room, his jaw clenching as I move around the table to stand beside him.

I take in his sexy body in that suit, my insides fluttering with desire. He’s already ditched his jacket, so he’s just in dress pants and a crisp white shirt that shows off his hot figure.

Damn. My caveman is a looker.

“I’m not totally drunk,” he murmurs. “I just had a couple shots before I left the house, and I’m only on my first rum and Coke. It’s just enough to take the edge off.”

I nod and scan the room. I can see why he chose to come up here. Most people are still downstairs, the lower bar getting most of the action as people arrive. There’s only a smattering of people up here, probably all the introverts, standing in small huddles and hanging with the people they know.

“You should really move away from me.” Carson’s voice is a husky warning. “You look way too hot, and I might not be able to control myself.”

There goes that thrill again, dancing through me as I play this dangerous game of “We might get caught.”

A smile tugs at my lips as I gaze at my surroundings. Eyeing the lower floor, I spot my parents still fully distracted, so I nudge my hip against his. “So, I know I already delivered last night, but… that was quite the touchdown yesterday afternoon.”

He leans a little closer, his rum breath fanning across my face before he whispers, “You asked me to get one for you, so I did.”

“And you know how much I appreciate that, right?” I wiggle my eyebrows at him and am rewarded with a soft snicker and a half smile that is all things sexy.

“If you’re wondering about how much of a statement that blow job made… you don’t have anything to worry about. It spoke volumes, kitty cat.”

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