Page 29 of Hometown Halftime

I huff out a breath. “Neither. Now can we drop it?”

Lee narrows his eyes at me. “Wait, are you still a virgin? Please tell me you had sex with Leslie.”

I shift on my feet. “Fuck off.”

“You guys were together for two years and you didn’t do the deed?” Darren says with a concerned expression on his face.

I shrug. “She was saving herself for marriage. Sex isn’t everything in a relationship.”

Lee takes a deep breath. “You’re a stronger man than I am.”

Darren sets his beer down on the table with force. “That’s it, we’re solving this problem. Preferably tonight.”

I cringe. “Seriously, fuck off.”

He stands up, grabbing my arm. “There’s a dancefloor full of eligible bachelorettes down there, come on.”

I yank my arm from his grip. “That’s my throwing arm, asshole.”

I follow my friends to the railing and ‌let them scan the space while I drink my beer. They point and talk to each other, making a list. I hope they realize that I have absolutely no desire to play the cat-and-mouse game tonight.

They finally ease up on the subject, and we stay near the railing. I’m ready to order a second beer when a familiar figure catches my attention on the lower level.

Kinsey’s at a high-top near the dance floor, surrounded by three women who look effortlessly confident and dangerously persuasive. They’re definitely her crew. She’s laughing, head tipped back, hair falling past her shoulders in easy waves instead of the high ponytail I’ve gotten used to. The deep green top she’s wearing dips into a V low enough that it should be illegal, and the dim bar lighting warms the skin along her collarbone.

She looks free in a way that makes me forget the noise around me for a second. Everything else dims as I watch her. This version of her that I’m watching isn’t the one I see on the field.

Lee whistles low beside me. “Buddy. You’re staring.”

“Shut up,” I say under my breath, though I can’t tear my eyes away.

One of her friends spots me first and says something in Kinsey’s ear. Kinsey follows her gaze, scanning the room casually—until her eyes land on me.

I should look away, but instead, I meet her gaze

I watch as her pink lips curve, and I raise my hand in a super awkward jazz hand wave. She mimics the move and fuck, I feel the rise in my pulse that always seems to happen when she’s close by.

Darren’s brow knits. “Who are you waving at?” His eyes track where mine are focused. “Oh, fuck, it’s Kinsey.”

Lee perks up. “Holy shit, she’s here?”

Darren slaps my chest. “Go talk to her.”

I consider it for a moment, then take the last sip of my beer, shoving the empty bottle into Darren’s free hand.

“Yeah, I should talk to her.”

Lee and Darren light up like a Christmas tree. I move through the crowd to the stairs before I can talk myself out of it. As I step away, they’re yelling things like, ‘Go get ‘em, champ,’ and ‘Hope I don’t see you for the rest of the night.’ I roll my eyes and keep moving.

She’s leaning against the table when I reach her, drink in hand, one foot crossed over the other. She’s wearing jeans that hug the curve of her hips and cowboy boots that are broken in. I work to keep my eyes above her neck as I approach her.

“Hey,” I say, trying my best to sound casual.

She tilts her head. “Hey, Weston. Didn’t expect to see you out here.”

She’s wearing a different perfume, something floral and sweet. Whatever it is, it does something troublesome to my pulse.

“Yeah, well,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck, “the guys insisted I get out, and I think we both know it’s good to get out of Cedar Falls every once in a while.”