Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
He just didn’t do it for Kai.
Of course, it hadn’t helped that the guy who did had been directly above, hanging out in the kitchen with Tad. Kai had been aware of Breck’s presence the whole time, wishing it’d been him tied up instead of Sean.
The pair to Kai’s left returned to their seats as well. Two very enthusiastic basketball fanatics. Not because of the pom poms they carried, or their head-to-toe George Mason Patriots garb, but rather, because of their faces and how they’d been covered in paint. One side, bright lemon yellow, the other a forest green.
Kai smiled, marveling at how much fans got into this stuff, then turned his gaze back to the court just as both teams filed back in. Halftime was over. Breck came into view, looking gorgeous as ever in his number eleven jersey. It’d only been twenty minutes, and yet the arrogant senior was a still sight for sore eyes.
Kai watched him saunter back to his team’s sideline, his coaches and fellow players filling up the courtside stretch. A moment later, the third quarter began and, just like that, the game was back in full swing. Fans leapt to their feet as Breck tore down the court, deftly dribbling toward his team’s new target now that they’d entered the second half; the basket on the court’s opposite end—whose backboard just so happened to be positioned almost directly in front of where Kai stood.
Without warning, Breck rifled it to Charlie on the outside perimeter. Charlie leapt off his feet and sent it sailing through the hoop.
“Jump shot for three by Maddox!” the announcer boomed.
The crowd exploded. “Ha! How you like that?” erupted from the sound system. More BLACKPINK. Kai grinned. Whoever was running sound clearly had a thing for K-pop.
The two to his left went ballistic with their green-and-gold pompoms. Kai scooted over to avoid getting hit. But when he returned his gaze to number eleven, he swore he caught Breck looking his way.
Kai stilled. Oh, shit. Had Breck seen him?
No way. That wasn’t possible. Not in a crowd this size.
Breck glanced away and tore in the opposite direction, falling into zone defense against the other team’s main ball handler. The guy slowed to set up his offense. Breck stayed in his face, ever between him and the basket. His opponent juked right, then went left, threading through traffic to get to his center. He passed him the ball. Reggie was on the guy in an instant. The center ducked left then launched the other way and took a shot.
“Oh!! Monster block by Cornell!” the announcer shouted as Reggie managed to intercept. Another explosion of celebratory cheers and base-booming music. Jegs snagged the deflected ball and dashed out of the paint, then passed it to Breck.
“Javerson with a fast break to Harland!”
Breck bolted back down the court. But as he neared Kai’s end of the arena, his golden gaze cut Kai’s way again and he nearly lost control of the dribble. Slowing abruptly, he scowled and launched it to his small forward, who took it to the net with an impressive slam dunk.
“Bryson for two!” the announcer roared.
More stadium exuberance. Kai, however, didn’t so much as break a smile, uneasily watching as Breck booked it toward the other end of the court. He couldn’t possibly know Kai was there. It was utterly inconceivable that he’d seen him amidst all these fans.
The other team scored.
“Field goal for Baker from the corner!”
Reggie snagged the ball, and then the Patriots were returning Kai’s way, the volleying for possession continuing again and again. All the while, Kai watched with a sinking gut. Breck was struggling, his focus off, his performance deteriorating. It was subtle, though. In truth, most probably hadn’t even noticed. To Kai, however, Breck’s growing tension was downright palpable.
Their lead dwindled.
In the next thirty minutes, Breck missed three shots, had the ball nearly stolen, botched some passes, and fouled his guard. Thankfully, his teammates compensated. And overall, he still performed above par. Nevertheless, Kai couldn’t help wondering if he should go. Breck had long-since stopped looking his way, but going by his demeanor, he still seemed off kilter, his few-and-far-between post-basket grins looking forced at best.
“Oooh, Harland takes it square in the chest!”
A personal foul as he’d gone for two points.
Kai frowned, watching him stalk to the free-throw line, a location that had him facing Kai nearly head-on. His gaze flicked in Kai’s direction—Kai stiffened—and then those determined eyes locked onto the hoop. Jaw clenched, Breck aimed and took his first shot. The ball arced upward and then descended down toward the net. Kai followed it intently. It hit the rim, then ricocheted off the glass.
Groans filled the arena, Breck’s teammates scowling.
Kai’s stomach clenched tight with dread. Was he the cause of this? Had Breck truly seen him? And if so, could Kai really have this kind of effect? Throwing Breck off his game by nothing more than his presence?