Rules of Contact
Page 47
The Sabers ended up winning the game, fourteen to seven.
After the game ended, Flynn found Grant on the field. They embraced, with cameras all around them, which meant they couldn’t say what they really wanted to say to each other, which was a lot of trash talking. That would come later, on the phone, since Grant would have to catch a plane home right away.
“Good game,” Grant said.
“You played tough. Your whole team did.”
Grant grinned. “Mom still likes me better.”
Flynn laughed. “You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?”
“I’ll see you in a couple of weeks at the ranch. Love you.”
Flynn wrapped his hand around his brother’s neck, and they touched foreheads. “Love you, too.”
They walked away and Flynn headed toward the locker room to celebrate with his teammates.
TWENTY
It had been an extremely long day. And an exhilarating one. For her first live game, Amelia had an amazing time. It probably helped that the Sabers had won. She and Mia had screamed uncontrollably, along with the entire room. It had been crazy in there, and so much fun. She couldn’t remember ever attending a public sporting event, and if they were always like this, she wanted to do it again. She’d also had so much food and drink she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to get out of her most comfortable chair. Mia didn’t seem in any hurry to move, either, since she was scrolling through her phone.
“Flynn sent us both a text message,” Mia said. “He said we can ride home with him, but he’s doing media interviews so we can stay put.”
“Oh, good. I wasn’t relishing the thought of the train. Or, actually, movement of any kind.”
Mia nodded. “I know the feeling. So I guess we’ll just sit here until he texts. I was thinking maybe a nap.”
Amelia laughed. “I like the sound of that. Think they’ll kick us out if we sprawl across several of the seats?”
“Only if we snore. You don’t snore, do you?”
Amelia shrugged. “I have no idea. I don’t think so. Do you?”
“I don’t know since I typically sleep alone, so I get no complaints.”
“Then we’re good.” Amelia leaned back and closed her eyes. Just for a few seconds. That wine had been so good. It was probably wise she’d stopped drinking at the end of the third quarter because she’d been caught up in the game and the excitement and the liquor had been flowing . . .
She felt the buzz of her phone and jerked awake. How long had she been out? She looked next to her to see Mia blinking her eyes open to look at her.
“Was I snoring?”
“If you were, I wasn’t awake to hear it.” Amelia checked her phone. “Flynn said he is heading up here.”
“Oh, good.” Mia stood and stretched, then looked around. “Bartender’s still here.”
Amelia turned. “Yeah, but he’s only here because he’s cleaning up. No more wine for us.”
“Sad.”
Amelia laughed. “I’ll bet Flynn could use a beer.”
“I’ll bet he could. We should stop for dinner and drinks. Or . . . just drinks.”
Amelia snickered.
The door opened and Flynn walked in. He had showered and was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved button-down shirt. She walked over to him and curled her fingers into his hair, which was still damp.
“You smell good,” she said, lifting up on her toes to brush her lips against his.
His brows rose. “So do you.”
Amelia couldn’t help but get lost in the sea blue depths of his eyes.
Until Mia cleared her throat. “Hey, good game.”
Amelia reluctantly stepped away so Flynn could hug his sister.
“Thanks. I don’t think Grant is very happy about it.”
Mia shrugged. “He’ll get over it. Can’t win all the games.”
“It was a really good game,” Amelia said. “And the way you trampled your brother—I had concerns for his health.”
Flynn laughed. “He was fine.”
Mia grabbed her purse. “You should see the way they all go at it when they’re playing touch football on the ranch. It’s much worse than that tackle Flynn laid on Grant.”
“Hey,” Flynn said. “You play with us on the ranch.”
“I play on the periphery. In other words, I catch passes and run like hell so none of you can tackle me.”
Amelia grinned. “So you’re fast.”
Mia nodded. “Fast enough to stay away from Flynn and my other brothers.”
Amelia did not like the sound of that potential game situation. “In that case, I’ll be sure to stay out of the way when I’m there this month.”
“Oh, no,” Flynn said. “We’ll get you in the game.”
“Ha.” Amelia grabbed her bag and followed Flynn and Mia to the door. “I’m steering clear of you bloodthirsty Cassidys.”
“You are not lumping me into that group of heathens. You and I can sit on the sidelines, drink margaritas with my mom and make fun of them.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Flynn held the elevator door for them. “I will get you in the game, Amelia.”
She leaned against the wall and gave him her best smile. “We’ll see about that, Flynn.”
When they reached the main floor and got out, Flynn led them through the complex and out one of the back doors to a parking lot. Mia climbed into the backseat of Flynn’s SUV.
“We thought we’d stop for drinks somewhere, and food,” Mia said.
“But mostly drinks,” Amelia added.
Flynn gave both of them a look. “I think you both drank your way through my game today.”
Mia shrugged. “Maybe.”
They drove back to the city, and that took a while because of all the postgame traffic. But they talked about the game. Flynn asked her if she enjoyed it, and Amelia was honest in telling him she had. Even if she’d been sitting at the top of the stadium in the wind and cold, she’d have had a great time. There was something about being at a game instead of watching it on TV that was exhilarating.
“I don’t know if it was the noise of the crowd, with everyone screaming every time the Sabers made a play, or the camaraderie of the group we sat with, but it was like a shared experience. So much fun, a lot of laughing.”
After the game ended, Flynn found Grant on the field. They embraced, with cameras all around them, which meant they couldn’t say what they really wanted to say to each other, which was a lot of trash talking. That would come later, on the phone, since Grant would have to catch a plane home right away.
“Good game,” Grant said.
“You played tough. Your whole team did.”
Grant grinned. “Mom still likes me better.”
Flynn laughed. “You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?”
“I’ll see you in a couple of weeks at the ranch. Love you.”
Flynn wrapped his hand around his brother’s neck, and they touched foreheads. “Love you, too.”
They walked away and Flynn headed toward the locker room to celebrate with his teammates.
TWENTY
It had been an extremely long day. And an exhilarating one. For her first live game, Amelia had an amazing time. It probably helped that the Sabers had won. She and Mia had screamed uncontrollably, along with the entire room. It had been crazy in there, and so much fun. She couldn’t remember ever attending a public sporting event, and if they were always like this, she wanted to do it again. She’d also had so much food and drink she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to get out of her most comfortable chair. Mia didn’t seem in any hurry to move, either, since she was scrolling through her phone.
“Flynn sent us both a text message,” Mia said. “He said we can ride home with him, but he’s doing media interviews so we can stay put.”
“Oh, good. I wasn’t relishing the thought of the train. Or, actually, movement of any kind.”
Mia nodded. “I know the feeling. So I guess we’ll just sit here until he texts. I was thinking maybe a nap.”
Amelia laughed. “I like the sound of that. Think they’ll kick us out if we sprawl across several of the seats?”
“Only if we snore. You don’t snore, do you?”
Amelia shrugged. “I have no idea. I don’t think so. Do you?”
“I don’t know since I typically sleep alone, so I get no complaints.”
“Then we’re good.” Amelia leaned back and closed her eyes. Just for a few seconds. That wine had been so good. It was probably wise she’d stopped drinking at the end of the third quarter because she’d been caught up in the game and the excitement and the liquor had been flowing . . .
She felt the buzz of her phone and jerked awake. How long had she been out? She looked next to her to see Mia blinking her eyes open to look at her.
“Was I snoring?”
“If you were, I wasn’t awake to hear it.” Amelia checked her phone. “Flynn said he is heading up here.”
“Oh, good.” Mia stood and stretched, then looked around. “Bartender’s still here.”
Amelia turned. “Yeah, but he’s only here because he’s cleaning up. No more wine for us.”
“Sad.”
Amelia laughed. “I’ll bet Flynn could use a beer.”
“I’ll bet he could. We should stop for dinner and drinks. Or . . . just drinks.”
Amelia snickered.
The door opened and Flynn walked in. He had showered and was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved button-down shirt. She walked over to him and curled her fingers into his hair, which was still damp.
“You smell good,” she said, lifting up on her toes to brush her lips against his.
His brows rose. “So do you.”
Amelia couldn’t help but get lost in the sea blue depths of his eyes.
Until Mia cleared her throat. “Hey, good game.”
Amelia reluctantly stepped away so Flynn could hug his sister.
“Thanks. I don’t think Grant is very happy about it.”
Mia shrugged. “He’ll get over it. Can’t win all the games.”
“It was a really good game,” Amelia said. “And the way you trampled your brother—I had concerns for his health.”
Flynn laughed. “He was fine.”
Mia grabbed her purse. “You should see the way they all go at it when they’re playing touch football on the ranch. It’s much worse than that tackle Flynn laid on Grant.”
“Hey,” Flynn said. “You play with us on the ranch.”
“I play on the periphery. In other words, I catch passes and run like hell so none of you can tackle me.”
Amelia grinned. “So you’re fast.”
Mia nodded. “Fast enough to stay away from Flynn and my other brothers.”
Amelia did not like the sound of that potential game situation. “In that case, I’ll be sure to stay out of the way when I’m there this month.”
“Oh, no,” Flynn said. “We’ll get you in the game.”
“Ha.” Amelia grabbed her bag and followed Flynn and Mia to the door. “I’m steering clear of you bloodthirsty Cassidys.”
“You are not lumping me into that group of heathens. You and I can sit on the sidelines, drink margaritas with my mom and make fun of them.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Flynn held the elevator door for them. “I will get you in the game, Amelia.”
She leaned against the wall and gave him her best smile. “We’ll see about that, Flynn.”
When they reached the main floor and got out, Flynn led them through the complex and out one of the back doors to a parking lot. Mia climbed into the backseat of Flynn’s SUV.
“We thought we’d stop for drinks somewhere, and food,” Mia said.
“But mostly drinks,” Amelia added.
Flynn gave both of them a look. “I think you both drank your way through my game today.”
Mia shrugged. “Maybe.”
They drove back to the city, and that took a while because of all the postgame traffic. But they talked about the game. Flynn asked her if she enjoyed it, and Amelia was honest in telling him she had. Even if she’d been sitting at the top of the stadium in the wind and cold, she’d have had a great time. There was something about being at a game instead of watching it on TV that was exhilarating.
“I don’t know if it was the noise of the crowd, with everyone screaming every time the Sabers made a play, or the camaraderie of the group we sat with, but it was like a shared experience. So much fun, a lot of laughing.”
