Hat Trick (D.C. Stars, #4)

by Chelsea Curto

I wish I had the balls of a mediocre white man who thinks he’s hot shit. I’d be unstoppable.

I’m not supposed to have a favorite player on the team—and I love all the guys I work with—but Riley takes the top spot.

The life of every party and vivacious as hell with witty comebacks and a laugh that would bring any man to his knees. And if it were me down there, I’d wear a collar and crawl if she asked me to.

God. She’s beautiful. This is going to be harder than I thought.

Lexi walks over and stops in front of me. I don’t like how sad she looks. I hate the wrinkles between her eyebrows. The frown lines around her mouth.

Plus, Lexi is smiling at me. She’s looking at me with wide, hopeful eyes, and that damn crush of mine wins out because I like seeing her happy. I’m nodding before I can come up with an excuse and saying, “Sure. Sounds good.”

Riley grins, and it’s fucking beautiful. Carefree, light. Brilliantly bright. I’d love to make him smile like that again.

Fucking hell. I’m never going to get over this crush.

“Looking up the exercise I teach? Keeping your word about showing up? I’m going to pretend it’s because you missed me.” I did miss her.

The last thing I need is for Hudson to glance over and point out how red my cheeks are, even if I would blame it on my lack of athleticism rather than the hot girl I’m crushing on giving me a lick of her attention.

“Of course I was fucking jealous. He had your attention. And I’m fucking desperate for it.”

“Hell. You look gorgeous, Lexi.”

I knew I was attracted to her, but after tonight? I’m fucking ruined.

A stronger man would try to put some distance between themselves and her. They’d do everything they could to get her out of their head because they know nothing will ever happen between them—she said so herself—but I’m the weakest, most pathetic motherfucker in existence. I’m not going anywhere.

Funny how all my good days include her.

She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

Friends, I tell myself. Bullshit, my brain whispers back.

I’m desperate for a crumb of her attention,

She’s fighting a smile, but it doesn’t stop her eyes from crinkling in the corners or from her nose scrunching, and she’s the cutest thing in the whole fucking world.

I know we said no feelings and no emotions, but the things I feel for her stretch far outside the bedroom. They teeter toward I think I might be falling in love with you and if you gave me your heart, I’d promise to protect it for as long as you wanted.

It’ll put pressure on me, on him to make it something it’s not, and the last thing I want is for someone to try to explain why there’s an ache in my chest when he leaves my apartment in the morning and why I check my phone to see if I have a new message from him waiting for me.

I’m so happy I could fucking die, and it’s the worst feeling in the world.

“Poor Riley.” Piper sighs. “He’s going to be so disappointed to hear his crush is crushing on someone else.”

LMAOO

“Lexi.” He rubs his thumb along the curve of my jaw. I sigh and turn my head so I can kiss the center of his palm. “Today was a very, very good day.”

On the subway ride back to the hotel, I put my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, feeling like a goddamn liar. Today wasn’t pretty great. It was the best day of my life.

Sully Has anyone thought about shutting this godforsaken chat down for a day? Or a fucking year?

It feels more and more like my heart isn’t even my own anymore. It’s hers, and I think it’s always going to be hers.

She smirks. “Must mean you like me.” I grab her chin and her eyes lock with mine. Her breath hitches when I say, “You have no idea, Lexi.”

It’s not like she led me on and gave me some false hope of something we could be down the road. It’s more pathetic than that. I took one look at her, and I was done for.

I haven’t been able to get her out of my damn head, and I learned a long time ago that as long as we were on the same team, as long as we were in the same zip code and orbiting around each other, I had a shot. And I wasn’t going to blow that shot by going on shitty date after shitty date with someone who wasn’t her.

I know when I tell her, that’s going to be it, and I want to hold on to her for a little while longer.

Sometimes it amazes me you’re just out there walking around with the rest of the population, Ethan.

“Have you told her how you feel?” “Nope.” “Are you going to tell her how you feel?” “Nope.”

“She doesn’t want head over heels, so I keep my mouth shut.”

“You never annoy me.” He pauses when I move up the hem of his shorts, thumbs pressing along the lines of his muscles. “I missed you.” “I missed you too,” I admit quietly, and it’s scary to put that out into the universe.

I never miss anyone besides my girlfriends, but when Riley’s not around, his absence is noticeable. An ache in my chest carves itself out when we say goodbye after spending time together, and no matter what I do, I can’t soothe the sting when he leaves.

I want that more than I’ve ever wanted anything else, because Riley makes it sound easy and fun, but I’m terrified I’m going to mess up. I’m terrified I won’t be good enough for him, and he deserves so much good after the shit he’s been through.

It feels like I’ve been flying for months now, and I’m terrified of finding out what happens when I land.

God. Is this what love feels like? Like the first bit of sunshine peeking through the clouds after a rainstorm? Like a warm blanket on a cold day? Like a million stars lighting up a night sky? Like I might not be able to breathe if he isn’t around, and like I’m taking my first deep breath in years when he’s close?

“You know I’ll give you anything you want.”

this fluttery, light feeling in the center of my chest has to be something so much stronger than lust. I’m certain of it.

And I love her.

Her smile is a gut-wrenching, heart-piercing thing when she reaches for me and slides our palms together.

Mine, my brain roars. I love you, my heart yells,

I love you, I love you, I love you, I think as I stroke her hair.

Our bodies slot together, and just before I lose consciousness to sleep, I throw up a prayer to whoever is listening that she loves me too.

And then I’d tell him about the girl. The one he’s madly, hopelessly, irrevocably in love with who flipped his world upside down. I’d tell him about the life they have, the quiet moments late at night when she tucks herself into his side and the louder, brighter ones during the day when she’s giving him shit and making him laugh. I’d mention how perfect she is. How patient and kind and funny she is, and how every time he’s with her, his broken pieces put themselves back together. Because she’s the closest thing to an angel he’ll ever find on earth.

“Because I love you,” I tell her, and she freezes. Her shoulders shake, but I keep going. “I love you so much it fucking hurts, and I know that scares the shit out of you. It scares me too, because how can things be this fucking good with you when the rest of my life is in shambles?”

And everything in your past might have fallen apart, but we won’t. We can’t, because deep down, I know you love me too,” I say.

“I love you,” I repeat, my voice hoarse and throat raw. It feels like I’ve been screaming underwater for hours. It also feels like someone is digging a screwdriver into my chest. “And I’m going to love you for as long as you’ll let me.”