Page 121 of Perfect Storm
Maybe.
But this wasn’t time to overthink what had just happened. They had to move forward,lookforward.
“You’ve still got this,” Levi said, giving his back a little pat. His hand drifted closer, towards his solid-gold peach of an ass, and Aidan shot him a look, then grinned.
“Not washed up yet.”
Dawson sent a picture-perfect kick right between the uprights and half embraced Cam, half pushed him away, like he was embarrassed he’d need reassurance after what was a very routine field goal.
“Not just you either,” Levi said, glancing over at Dawson.
“Nope. He’s got this.” Aidan sounded more confident about Dawson than he did about himself, which was not something Levi remembered.
Aidan had always been so sure of himself. Almost bordering on cocky.
He was as good as he thought he was, plus Levi had a competence kink a mile wide, so that had never bothered him.
The opposite, in fact.
He didn’t like Aidan taking the blame for anything.
“Gonna give you that extra second,” Levi promised.
Aidan glanced over. “I didn’t—”
“Didn’t have to,” Levi said and then turned and headed to the bench to rest for the Thunders’ next drive.
Aidan didn’t like being tied midway through the fourth quarter.
Probablynobodyliked it, unless they were used to not winning and then even the thought of being close enough to taste it might be gratifying.
But Aidan was actually used towinning, and he wanted to win this game. Mo’s first back with the Thunder and the first of their new season.
Set the tone and all that jazz. Plus, the Cardinals were a fairly easy opponent, not picked to make the playoffs, and even though the Thunder were still shaking a bit of the offseason rust off, Aidan didn’t want to play down to their level.
“Get me the ball,” Mo said to him as they jogged out onto the field for their next drive. It was one of the first things Mo had said to him since that missed catch in the first quarter.
Aidan did not roll his eyes. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll just snap my fingers. Make it happen.”
They’d been double- and even once triple-teaming Mo all game. He was a pro and there’d been windows. He’d caught two vital passes for first downs in prior drives. But Aidan knew what he wanted.
What the Thunderneeded.
A nice long drive to suck up the rest of the time in the game. A drive that ended in a game-winning touchdown.
The kind of thing that had been his and Mo’s bread and butter in their heyday.
“Hey, you’re Aidan Flynn. Isn’t that how it works?” Mo asked.
It was funny how Aidan loved and kind of hated the guy in equal measures. “No pressure or anything,” he huffed.
Zane called in the play. Slant to Trevor, with optional curl pattern to Lane. One of those double tight end patterns they’d been working on during camp and preseason.
“You fucking love the pressure,” Mo said, shooting him the kind of smile that had always lit Aidan up inside like a pinball machine. The smile was the same, but his reaction wasn’t. Instead of a white-hot heat, it was more like a friendly comfortable warmth.
This isn’t the time, Flynn. It’s go time.
Aidan focused. Called out the play. Checked in with Levi—who’d been solid as fuck the whole game. The Cardinals had only sacked him once, when even Aidan could admit he’d held on to the ball about three seconds too long, waiting for Mo to try to evade the corner and the safety who were blanketing him.
