Page 29 of The Linebacker

* * *

Don’t make it weird.

* * *

Amil snorted.

But no, he had no intention of making it weird.

Chapter

Ten

Diana should be happy. Amil and Jalen were finally getting along. Neither man was sniffing around her skirt like she was a bitch in heat. In fact, other than passing them in the halls of the practice stadium, she hardly saw either man in the entire week building up to their first game of the season.

She didn’t even have to go to their practices to capture pictures for marketing purposes, because hiring Emma was the best thing Jeff had ever done—aside from hiring Diana, of course.

Emma worked her ass off. She was constantly shooting pictures with her professional grade camera, rather than Diana doing it with her phone. Their previous team photographer was good, but he didn’t put in the effort Emma did.

And it showed. Emma sent the shots to Diana, who posted on the team’s social media accounts, updated the website, sent the images to the networks, ESPN, the local Portland newspapers, and anyone else who requested them.

The excitement building up to this first game was palpable. The entire town was ready for a win.

Meanwhile, Diana felt…bereft. Which was annoying as hell.

She wasn’t bereft, damn it. She was living her best life. She had everything she needed. Everything she wanted.

Really, she did.

Even if she was sitting at home on the Saturday night before the first game of the season, wearing her favorite lounge pants and softest tank top. Lazlo had wedged himself between her hip and the couch cushion and was stretched out, purring contentedly.

At least he really was living his best life.

She plucked her drink off the coffee table, stared into the depths for a few moments. “Fuck it,” she muttered before taking a hefty swallow.

So what if she was drinking Captain Morgan and Diet Coke? It was a delicious drink that had served her well over the years. It didn’t mean she was upset. It just meant…

“Oh hell.” She threw her head back against the arm of the couch and stared at the ceiling.

“Do I admit it?” she demanded. “Even if only to myself? Hell, especially to myself.”

Lazlo stretched, his little paw reaching out and curling against her arm.

“I want him, Lazlo.”

The cat blinked several times without pausing in his steady purring.

“For the first time in my life, I want a man for more than a single night.” She continued with her true confession despite the cat closing his eyes and settling into sleep. “And now I can’t have him because he and Jalen are suddenly buddy-buddy.”

All week, they’d arrived at the practice facility together. They spotted each other in the weight room. They teased each other all through practice.

While she was glad Amil had bonded with the team—the entire team—and Jalen had finally given up his dumb crush, it was annoying as hell that the moment happened to coincide with her revelation that she wanted more from Amil.

Because there was no way in hell she was going to do anything that might interfere with the good thing he and Jalen obviously had going. That good thing was going to translate into winning games. She knew it. They knew it. The entire team knew it.

“Good God, Lazlo, I lost him to Jalen. If that isn’t poetic?—”

Knock, knock, knock.