“Save the sweet talk for after we win this game.” Eddie jerks his head to the door and waves goodbye to the group.
Nick threads his fingers in mine and leans over to kiss his mom on the cheek before leading me a few feet away. The crowd all yells their good lucks, except for Maria and Bizzy who both scream, “Be careful,” at the same time.
“I hope you kick ass out there,” I tell him when we reach the doorway.
“Always, babe, but it’s even sweeter to know the prettiest girl in Miami is here today.”
“Charmer.”
“Only for you.”
“I’ll be screaming.”
“Oh, I have no doubt about that. Before this day is over, you’ll definitely be screaming.”
He looks at me with such raw heat, my skin starts to burn. There’s no missing the meaning behind his words; he’s not referring to the game. Suddenly, I feel exposed, knowing everyone is watching as he stares at me with fire in his eyes.
“I think I finally understand the meaning behind Sexy Six, seeing you in my number with my name on your back.”
“Stop.” It comes out in barely a whisper.
“Tonight, I want you back at my place.”
“Okay.”
“Kiss me. I have to go.”
Without hesitation, I lift my mouth to his and close my eyes. His tongue sweeps across my lips, and I open slightly, giving him access. Too quickly, he ends the kiss and pecks my cheek then disappears.
There’s a breathy sigh behind me, and I swallow hard, paste on a smile, and turn to face an entire room with knowing looks.
“You are kidding me!” I say a little too loud, which gets a chuckle from Seth.
“That was clearly pass interference! Is the ref blind?” Bizzy joins, jabbing her finger in the direction of the field. Shaw clamps her hands and gets in close, kissing her forehead. Then I watch as he says something only she can hear, and she melts into his body.
“Can you promise me that you’ll never be that sickening?” Claire plops down, handing me a drink.
“Nope, I think it’s sweet.”
“Of course you do,” she rumbles.
The quarter ends, and the teams run off the field as halftime starts. Mathis motions to Logan and walks up to Shaw. They give a quick wave, explaining they’ll be back in a while.
Seth and Maria mention going to visit friends in the stands, and the other people in the suite all go in different directions. I met a few of them earlier, most of them from Shaw’s office.
“Finally, we have a few minutes alone.” Bizzy sits on my other side with a beer, clinking it to the rim of my glass. “How’s your first NFL experience?”
“The best. I never expected it to be so fun,” I reply honestly.
“It’s a lot more fun when you have someone to root for.”
“I agree.” Claire nods furiously. “But let’s get to the good stuff.”
Both of them look at me expectantly. “What?”
I take a large swallow of my drink and hold back a cough when the liquor burns down my throat. I’m learning that Claire pours with a heavy hand.
“Don’t ‘what’ us. We want the deets. Obviously, something happened between Thursday and today. Nick has never come up to a suite before a game, and he pulled out the possessive card the instant he saw you wearing Jarvis’s jersey. Not to mention the kiss in front of everyone.” Claire smooches her lips and makes a loud smacking sound.