Play Maker (Bitsberg Knights Duet)

Chance pushed up from his chair beside me and jerked his chin in my direction. “Come on, Leverette. Can’t keep our ladies waiting for us for too long.”

Just the thought of getting Shelby in my arms made me smile and drained away the tension filling my chest. It didn’t matter what happened next, at the big game or next season; it had been a perfect day, and I knew the night that lay ahead would only be better.

15

Shelby

After a day spent wandering the city with Lacey, Chance Beauman’s fiancée, we took a cab to the stadium and watched our men obliterate the home team. Even as a football newbie, I saw the win was over the top. Most of the crowd filtered out before the game was even over. I felt bad for the Cougars. Watching Ross on the field, making pass after beautiful pass, and playing his heart out, made me even more eager to see him again.

Lacey and I left the stadium as soon as the game was over and raced back to the hotel to get ready for our formal dinner date where we’d reunite with our men. I hadn’t thought to pack a formal dress, but Lacey assured me that something simple with the right accessories would work fine. It turned out that besides having a lot in common in our personal lives, we also had similar tastes, and she let me borrow a long, diamond pendent necklace that went perfectly with the diamond studs my parents had given me for Christmas.

So, decked out in a black shift dress with black thigh-high tights, stiletto heels, and soft waves in my hair, I sat impatiently at the bar of the very chic restaurant with Lacey as we waited for Chance and Ross to arrive.

“They probably got hung up with the post-game interviews,” Lacey said.

I nodded in agreement. She’d been living the football girlfriend's life a little longer than me and knew her way around the procedures and schedule details. “After a win like that, they’ll probably try to keep them all night!”

Lacey laughed. “No kidding. What a blowout!” She propped her elbow on the bar and planted her chin against her palm. “How does it feel to know your man is the hottest quarterback in the NFL right now?”

I laughed and nervously sipped at my cocktail. “I have no idea what that means. This is all so new.”

Lacey smiled. “Yeah. For me too.”

“Well, you’re handling it quite well, let me just say.”

“Thank you. It’s definitely not a lifestyle I ever pictured for myself, but now that I’m here,” she took a long look around the elegant restaurant. “I kinda like it.”

I laughed and raised my glass. “I’ll drink to that!”

We toasted and giggled together. Lacey stopped short and gestured behind me. “There they are!”

I swiveled on my bar stool and immediately lost my breath at the sight of Ross. He looked like a movie star. He and Chance were decked out in dark suits, Chance with a silver tie, Ross with cobalt blue, and both of them looked like they’d just walked off a James Bond audition where they were each competing for the title role. They both wore broad smiles, and Lacey and I hopped down from our high barstools in unison to hurry over to them.

“Damn, Shelby, you look gorgeous,” Ross said, taking me by the hand and leading me through a spin. “Mm, mm, mm.” He pulled me into an embrace, and his lips moved against my ear. “Maybe we should skip dinner and go back to the hotel. I’ve been dreaming about you since yesterday.”

My cheeks warmed even as I shivered at his sensual words. “Naughty boy,” I whispered in his ear. “Although I did pack a special little something for your eyes only.”

He groaned softly. “You’re killing me.”

I laughed, delighted at the sway of power I held over him.

Chance and Lacey were exchanging their own affectionate greetings and when they parted, I noticed Lacey’s cheeks were pink. Apparently, Chance’s line of thinking was right there with Ross’s.

“Shall we?” Lacey asked, waving forward. “The hostess was holding our table since you two were late.” She made a playful jab of her finger into Chance’s side. “Was he hogging the mic, Ross?”

“Always,” Ross replied without missing a beat.

We all laughed and made our way back to the hostess station. The woman Lacey and I had checked in with wasted no time in showing us to our booth that hugged one wall of floor to ceiling windows. The restaurant was on the top floor of an impressive skyscraper and provided a spectacular view of the glittering city below, especially from our table, which was likely one of the best in the whole establishment.

We talked about the view and the fact that it was actually warmer in New York than it was in Bitsberg. The blizzard we’d had never made its way to New York. We checked our menus and only once we ordered did we move on to talking about other things, mainly Lacey and Chance’s wedding plans. “What about you guys?” Chance asked after our appetizers arrived. “What are your plans after the season is over?”