Hail Mary (Red Zone Rivals, #4)

by Kandi Steiner

I wasn’t an angel — that much I could easily admit. I liked having a guy’s face between my legs for a night or railing me in the morning before breakfast. And most times, we didn’t talk enough for me to know if they were in a relationship or not.

“Coffee’s still hot,” Kyle added, but he did take his eyes off the screen. And then, the controller went limp in his hands. Braden celebrated a victorious play with Kyle distracted, but then he followed his roommate’s gaze, and I flushed when their eyes landed on my legs. Braden’s eyebrows shot up. Kyle crooked an appreciative smile. Leo, on the other hand, looked like he was two seconds away from committing homicide.

“Goddamn, I didn’t realize she had so many tattoos,” Kyle said from the living room, low enough he probably thought I couldn’t hear him over the TV. “Did you see that one on her inner thigh?” Braden whispered back. “That shit had to hurt.” “That girl is nasty,” Kyle said, but he said it in a way that made me feel strangely… honored? Like nasty was a good thing. Was it?

“You’re different this morning,” he stated instead. “Why, because I’m pantless?” “Because you’re smiling.”

“Have you heard anything about the house?” he asked after a moment. “Trying to get rid of me already?” “Might be trying to save my sanity, because if I wake up to this every morning,” he said, waving a hand over where I stood. “I’m bound for the looney bin.” I rolled my eyes. “Shut up.” “I’m serious!”

“You can stay here as long as you want, as long as you need to.” “Not true,” I argued. “Eventually, you’re going to have another teammate in the room I’m squatting in now.” “Then you can stay in mine,” Leo quipped back, and he crossed the kitchen into my space with a salacious grin. “My bed is the best in the house.” “And you’d be where, on the couch?” He shrugged. “I guess — until you realize you want me in there with you.”

“I’m a great big spoon.” His voice lowered a bit then, his eyes raking over me inch by inch. The golden flakes in them dazzled in the light. “An even better fork.”

“As long as it’s okay with you, Daddy.” Kyle and Braden exchanged looks, and Leo grinned. “I’ll allow it, since you’ve been such a good girl.”

As I rinsed my mug and set it in the top rack of the dishwasher, I heard Kyle say, “Maybe we should call her daddy.”

“Holy fuck, it smells good in here.” “Careful — don’t get popped by the oil,” I warned. “Yes, Daddy,” she teased, sliding onto the barstool on the other side of the window and resting her arms on the ledge. I had to contain my smirk and the way I fucking loved when she called me daddy — even if it was a joke.

It had been enough to make me want to burn my eyes out, seeing her walk around without a bra and barely anything covering her ass over the last week. Not because the sight was one I didn’t want to see, but because it was driving me absolutely insane to see her like that and not be able to touch her.

“Yeah, well, I’m an asshole, remember?” “Or so you want the world to think.”

“I just didn’t know how to tell my dad that.” “What finally gave you the courage?” My chest nearly caved in on itself. “Wise words from a friend,” I said, almost whispering.

“Still hot,” I warned as she picked up a golden morsel, but she didn’t seem to care as she skipped the sauce altogether and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes rolled back, a deep moan coming from her that made me grab a pillow and pull it into my lap. I pretended it was to use it as a table for my plate.

“It’s cool that you game.” Relief washed over me at the change in subject. “I’ve only known one other girl who did,” he added. Something about his expression changed then, his eyes almost… sad.

A thought I’d refused to let myself believe whipped through my head like a rush of wind. Maybe he really didn’t realize it was you that day. Maybe… “Tell me what happened,” I said before thinking better. I had to know.

I paused when I was at the bottom of the stairs, everything in me pulling like a magnet toward Leo. I wanted to look back, to confirm what I felt, but I didn’t have to. Because he hadn’t said a word since they came home. And I knew without looking that he hadn’t taken his eyes off me, either. I stood there for a moment, feeling the burn of his gaze on my skin.

She was the only one I ever broke down in front of after what happened in high school, the only one who knew I’d had my heart broken. I didn’t have to tell her who it was or what had happened — the fact that I was showing any emotion other than joy was enough for her to know I was hurting. I still remember how she held me as I sobbed like a fucking baby, and then she made me dinner and ran a bath for me. We never spoke about it again, never really spoke about it in the first place. But I knew from that moment on, no matter what I went through, she would always be there.

“Ah, how fitting. Mary loves the Mary J.”

I chuckled, and then as the crowd started to thin where we were walking, I noticed she was on the side of the path closest to the street. I slowed my step until she passed a little in front of me before I came around the back of her and she had no choice but to scoot over closer to the tents and have me between her and the street, instead.

She gave me a look. “What was that for?” “What?” She wiggled her finger between us. “Whatever that little dance just was.” I shrugged. “You haven’t heard of the sidewalk rule?” “The what?” “You know, the guy always walks on the side closest to the street.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I pressed a hand to my chest. “I’m nothing if not a gentleman.”

“Mary,” I warned. “Don’t even think about it.” “Leo,” she pleaded, her bottom lip protruding as she held the cat up for me to get a better view. “Just look at her.” “I see her, and I’ll say it again — don’t even think about it.”

Fifteen minutes later, I was pulling into a parking spot next to Mary. At a fucking pet store.

I didn’t think it was possible, but this disgusting jock house almost felt a little like home.

I pretended to be annoyed with him, the truth was that I wasn’t. Not anymore. And that was the new source of my annoyance.

I inhaled, eyes fluttering shut on the enticing mixture of coffee, bourbon, and sandalwood. Then, my eyes shot open, and I blinked before turning to find a candle burning on top of my dresser. A candle I didn’t light. Or purchase.

Did he… Did he buy this candle for me? I blinked again, and this time, I saw a brown paper bag behind the candle. I reached inside and found three more just like it — all scents that I’d been looking at when Leo found me at the market. There was also a small, folded note. To cover the stench — though I doubt it will work. Love, Leo

“It’s a gift.” “One I didn’t ask for.” “Well, that’s typically how gifts work. Otherwise, it would just be a transaction, wouldn’t it? You ask for something, I get it for you.” I waved my hand over the space between us. “Doesn’t seem as fun.”

“I saw you looking at them at the market,” I said. “And I saw how you put them down, likely because you’re trying to save. I listen when you talk to me, contrary to what you might believe.” Her jaw tensed like she was grinding her teeth together. “So, I peeked at what scents you had picked up and went back the next day to get them for you.” She blinked, quiet for a long moment before she whispered one word. “Why?” “Why not?” I shrugged. “I wanted to do something nice.”

The truth was, I’d rather be broke and doing what I love than rich in some passionless job.

“I kind of liked you screaming at me,” Leo said, arching a brow and finally looking at me. “It was hot.”

“Well, my parents called, which is never a good thing. And I’m pretty sure my boss hit on me tonight, so now I’m questioning if the past year of my life has been a waste.” I chuckled with the admission, trying to make light of it, but when I looked at Leo, his expression was stone cold, jaw tense, brows in a firm line over his eyes. “What did he do?”

“Fuck, hermosa, you’ve gotta be cold in that,” Leo said, as if he just noticed I was wearing a t-shirt. To be honest, I’d just realized I was only wearing a t-shirt, sans bra, because of course. I folded my arms over my chest in an effort to hide my piercings, though I wasn’t sure why. Then, without another word or a chance for me to respond, Leo ripped his sweater overhead and handed it to me.

“And besides, it wouldn’t fit me.” “What are you talking about?” I gestured to my body. “Have you seen me? I’d stretch it out.” “Shut the fuck up and put on my sweater.”

“You can either wear this sweater or I’ll use it to tie you down and warm you up with my body heat, instead.”

I’d always wanted a guy to give me his jacket.

“Nothing, it’s just…” I bit my lip, but it didn’t stop me from spilling what I know I would have kept locked up if I were sober. “When I was younger, I used to fantasize about a guy giving me his jacket.” Leo’s smile crept up. “Really? You?” “Yes, me,”

“I specifically dreamed about it being a letterman jacket, about a guy liking me so much he wanted me to wear something that claimed me like that.”

Then, I sobered on the memory that it hadn’t been just any guy I’d fantasized about. It had been Leo.

“What are you doing?” “Be right back,” was all he called over his shoulder before disappearing.

I turned just in time for him to open a huge jacket and wrap it around me from behind. Not just a jacket. His letterman. I froze when the weighted fabric cloaked me, my heart pounding in my ears. “What are you doing?” I thought I heard myself ask. I glanced up at Leo, who only shrugged and tucked the jacket tighter around me. “Making dreams come true.”

“It looks good on you,” Leo said, his voice all a part of the foggy haze. But when I lifted my gaze to meet his, I realized I was smiling. And when his eyes fell to my mouth, when he swallowed and glanced back up at me like he wanted… like he wanted to…

He still didn’t even know what he’d done. He still didn’t realize who I was. “Goodnight, Leo,” I whispered.

The memory of her in my letterman jacket soothed me like a balm, making a smile curl on my lips when the picture came to mind. Her cheeks had flushed such a pretty shade of pink, her eyes sparkling a bit when she held it tighter around her. And seeing my name on the back of that jacket, like she was wrapping me around her, like she was mine to claim…

Her smile fell, which felt like a sucker punch right to the gut. I wasn’t a source of her joy, I was a thief of it.

“Why does it smell weird in here?” Giana asked, nose scrunching. “It smells clean,” Mary said. “Exactly,” Giana agreed. “Weird.”

“This isn’t about you,” he spat back at her.

“Blake Russo got assigned to the house,” I said. There was a beat of silence, and then Giana deflated, and Riley cursed. Mary just stood frozen. “Oh,” she said after a minute.

“We tried to push off the date,” Braden said. “But with camp around the corner and summer training picking up, Coach wants him to get settled.” Mary nodded, and then snapped her mask into place and waved us off with a breath of a laugh. It was almost magic, how she hid her hurt so easily, like she had been doing it all her life and it was as second nature as breathing.