Page 26 of Endlessly Yours
The gloves were off now.
By the third quarter, everybody was sweaty because it was Texas in the summer, so we were shirtless, maybe a little bruised and scraped because now there were only a couple of tackles in, and Callum was going to get the ball. I knew it.
Eli threw, and Callum caught the perfect spiral.
I could have reached for his flag. Yes. I could have.
But Callum caught the ball and winked over at Rory.
And I didn’t even realize what had happened.
I tackled Callum to the ground, slamming him into the Texas clay. He let out a grunt but kept the ball. When Trace whistled, I tried to stand up, but Callum gripped my shoulder.
“Something you’re worried about?” the man asked, his voice low, sarcasm dripping.
“Fuck off,” I growled. I had no right to be this angry, no right to be this possessive.
But here I was.
“You better do something about it then, shouldn’t you?”
“Fuck. Off,” I repeated.
“If you don’t get off me right now, I’m going to have to punch you, and it’s going to be a thing. And I don’t think the little mouse you’re looking at is going to really like you getting your ass beat.”
I shoved up, pushing him deeper into the dirt, before I walked off, doing my best not to look at Rory.
However, I couldn’t help but meet her gaze.
Her eyes were wide, her lips parted, and the small flush riding her cheekbones went straight to my cock.
That damn heat.
No amount of walking away and pretending it wasn’t there worked. Because I wanted her. I had wanted her from that first kiss. But I wasn’t about to do anything about it. Not when it came to Rory.
Not when it came to the one woman who might just make me keep the promise I had made to my dead wife.
CHAPTER SIX
RORY
I knew it was hot in Texas. That was sort of the whole thing about the state. And South Texas was hot, humid, and sticky.
And yet I knew I was all three of those things and it had nothing to do with the fact that it was summer outside of San Antonio, Texas, and everything to do with the now shirtless, so-called flag football game in front of me.
“Darling, I think you need this,” Ava said from beside me as she handed me a cup of icy water. I chugged half of it without even looking at her and forced myself to pull my gaze from the tableau in front of me.
“Do they do this often?” I asked, my voice going slightly high-pitched.
Ava’s lips twitched before she turned back to the sight in front of us.
“Not often enough.” She shook her head before cupping her hands in front of her mouth.
“Go Wyatt! That’s it, baby! Pound those guys into the ground!”
Wyatt rolled his eyes at his wife. “Babe. These are my brothers and cousins. Maybe use a different word?” he drawled, and my lips twitched.
“Yes, maybe don’t use the word pound.”
