Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“Okay.”
Coach blanched. “Seriously? I figured you were about to tell me to go fuck myself.”
I burst into laughter. “I’ll save that for when we differ on game strategy.”
He shook his head, then grinned. “Hell yeah. Admin is going to be pumped.”
“I don’t need the salary. I’d do it for free.” I thumbed toward the field. “I’ve got a sugar daddy out there, you know. But out of curiosity, what does it pay?”
Coach blew out a breath. “15K. Paltry, I know.”
“Sounds just right. I’ll just have to be careful not to spend it all in one place the way that asshole out there consumes lately.” A fond smile touched my lips. Cullen and I had bickered over pizza the other night, and it somehow ended with us fucking over the coffee table in our apartment.
Just as I thought of him, my phone vibrated, and I opened up a text from him that showed him grabbing the bulge on his football tights. I had to fight back the surge of heat and anticipation that raced up my spine.
Cullen: Hope you’re ready to celebrate with this later tonight.
Cocky bastard. I expected nothing less, though.
Me: Don’t get too distracted from getting that W or you’ll regret it.
Me: But yeah, I’ll take all that you’re offering there regardless of the W.
Cullen: You just get that sexy mouth ready, McRae.
Cullen moaned happily, settling back into a sprawl on the sofa and throwing his leg over mine. I tossed a pizza crust onto the pile of boxes on the coffee table and leaned back against him. Tucker, Ramsey, and Garrett had joined us after the game for, what else, pizza. I couldn’t throw any shade, though. First, they’d earned it by soundly shutting down San Fran in the last half, and second, Cullen’s love for pizza had started rubbing off on me more than I cared to admit. I swore he’d sampled every place in the city. But so far, a little dive a few blocks over was our favorite, which was what we’d ordered tonight.
“Fuck, that was good.” I swiped at the back of my mouth with my knuckles.
“You say that every time.” Cullen leered at me.
“You two still talking about pizza?” Ramsey asked from the other couch, where he was sitting with Garrett. Tucker was perched on the edge of one of the chairs and still chowing like a beast.
“No.”
“Yes.”
We both spoke at the same time, and Garrett canted his head to eye Ramsey. “Think we’re this ridiculous?”
“More so,” Tucker chimed in around a mouthful of pizza, then swallowed. “Hanging out with y’all is great for my constitution.”
“What constitution?”
He flipped me off and grinned. “The one that reminds me why I never want to be in a relationship.”
“You do realize relationships typically mean regular sex.” Cullen pointed out.
“I get regular sex.”
“Regular good sex.”
“Same answer.” Tucker flipped Garrett off. “Next topic.”
I grabbed one more slice of pizza, ignoring Cullen’s smirk. “Next topic is: I got offered another job.”
Cullen’s smirk disappeared, and he sat up, suddenly more alert than I’d seen him in the last hour. “Where?”
It was my turn to smirk. “Canyon High. They’re even gonna pay me. Might be just enough to support half a year’s worth of your pizza consumption.”
“And you’re sure you want to leave the Royals?” Garrett asked, even though he’d already asked a hundred times. I knew it was just the brother in him, wanting to make sure I was following my heart. The brief skim of Cullen’s fingers along my forearm and the resulting warmth were just another reminder that Denver was the place for me. I wanted to be closer, not farther away.
I nodded. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do more.”
“Right on,” Ramsey said and leaned over for a high five.
“How many high schools in the US have former pro ballers for coaches, you think?” Tucker asked, brows knitting.
“Probably zero.” Garrett laughed.
“Lucky them.”
“Lucky me,” I corrected. And then, before I could descend too far into sappiness, I slid off the couch and started closing up pizza boxes. “You all have five before you’re getting kicked out. We’ve got a major win to celebrate here.”
Ramsey, Garrett, and Tucker threw balled-up napkins and pizza crusts at me. Cullen just grinned knowingly.
“I know I sound like a broken record, but you’re sure about all of this?” Cullen asked as we brushed our teeth later that night. We’d just finished turning each other inside out six ways from Sunday. I was still trying to recover my ability to speak, but I nodded and spit toothpaste in the sink and then rinsed my mouth.
“My answer’s not gonna change, Cullen. I want to be with you, my family. Denver is home.” I closed the distance between us, waiting until he finished up before wrapping my arms around his waist. “You’re home.”
His lips curved into a soft smile. “You’re becoming more of a romantic with every passing month. Pretty soon, you’ll be greeting me with flowers at the airport.”