Page 136 of Blindside Sinner

It lasts all of fifteen minutes, though. When we get to my place, she beelines for me and gets on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on my cheek. “Good game, All-Star.”

Just like that, the sickening feeling fades away. No trace left behind.

All is right in the world.

Monroe smiles. “So, on the ice, you guys think you’re hot shit. But did you know that Cassie was an all-state basketball queen? In high school, she held the three point record, had the most buzzer beaters in the history of Seattle High School Athletics—maleorfemale—and in the six years since her graduation, no one has broken her points per game record.”

Adrian narrows his eyes at her. “Yeah? Well, my boy Colin here went to college on a basketball scholarship.”

Monroe pops a hip. “I’m sure someone had to keep the bench warm and the towels folded.”

“Oh ho!” Adrian cackles as he slaps Colin in the chest with the back of his hand. “Them’s fightin’ words, woman.”

Monroe makes a big show out of absentmindedly twirling her hair around a finger. “I mean, hockey’s cool and all. So it’s fine if you can’t play basketball. No one is great at everything, y’know?”

“That’s it!” Colin announces, leaping to his feet. “Beck has a hoop outside. Time to put your money where your mouth is.”

Cassie grins wickedly. “Bring it on, hoser.”

They all pour outside. I wink at Sloan and hold her hand as we follow along. Adrian has scrounged up a basketball from Lord knows where, and he’s dribbling with an arrogant smirk. Monroe, I notice, can’t take her eyes off him.

Colin is in the suit slacks he wore into the arena, a pair of Italian loafers, and a Ferragamo dress shirt, but that doesn’t seem to be slowing him down one bit. He rolls his sleeves up and holds out his hands. “Ball me, LaDuke.”

Adrian throws it to him and he takes a shot that’s nothing but net. The crisppoplights up the night. He turns and flashes that smirk at the girls. “Should we bet on the game? Here—” Colin opens the clasp of his Rolex and dangles it in the air like a fresh-caught fish. “—I’ll wager this you don’t score one single bucket.”

Cassie snorts. “Win, and I might even let you take me out sometime.”

“You’re on.”

I’m chuckling as Monroe gathers the girls together in an impromptu huddle. They start whispering back and forth to each other. I’m startled away from watching when the basketball slams into my shoulder.

“Yo, Romeo, my fucking Rolex is on the line here,” Colin snaps. “You think you can get your head in the game?”

“Nobody told you to bet your watch, you dumbass Irishman.”

“Come on, Lucky Charms!” Monroe calls from the other side of the court. “Are we playing or do you need to pick your wedgie first?”

I bust out laughing. “He does look a little bit like a giant leprechaun.”

Adrian glances at Colin, who is glaring at both of us. “Yeah. I think it’s the beard.”

“And the little buckles on his shoes.”

“If I lose my Rolex because you dickheads are fucking around,” Colin grumbles, “I’m going to kick your asses.”

“It’s just a game, Col. Don’t get your clover-printed panties in a twist.”

He whirls around to face me. “It’s not ‘just a game,’ man. You heard her: win and we’ll go out. I need some of what you got.”

I wrinkle a brow. “‘Some of what I got’? What’s that mean?”

“Since you got Sloan, you’re untouchable. You shoot, you score. I shoot,youscore. Duke shoots,youscore. I’m getting myself a dose from the same batch.”

“With charm like that, how can you lose?” I drawl.

“Jesus,” Colin mutters. “How the fuck did we lose?”

Adrian shrugs. “Probably because Daniels spent the whole game feeling up his girlfriend instead of actually guarding her. Sloan had half their points.”

---