25. Chapter 25

The locker room is hyped. It always is on game days. I'm sitting in the training room where the trainers are stretching and taping me up before the game. Coach is going over the game plan one last time before we head on the field. A week has gone by since Brynn decided to give dating a try. And it's going fucking fantastic. I've wished for this day, and it's finally here.

"All good, Boyd," our trainer says, tapping the table, letting me know he's done taping. "Kick some ass today."

Making my way over to the rest of the team, I sidle up next to Grant. He bumps my shoulder pad with his.

"Let's fucking go," he shouts.

The locker room erupts in more shouts of "let's fucking go" and "hell yeah."

Huddling up, Harris starts our chant. "We're the best. We can't be beat!"

"We'll never accept defeat!" the rest of us shout back.

With that, we funnel out of the locker room toward the tunnel that leads to the field. This season has been epic. We're blowing out teams that should've been close. I'm getting carries that are making my stats look insane to the NFL teams. Eliza is so proud of my performance that she's feeling like a top-five pick in the draft is really possible. I've got my girl, and I've never felt happier. I just need to find the courage to tell her I'm not coming back next year.

The last weekend of October has arrived, which means all of our biggest games kick off next weekend. It's crucial we win and win them big.

WE WON!

We pulled off the win, making us still undefeated, which should allow us to keep the number one spot in the polls. The crowd is roaring. My adrenaline is high. Eight straight wins. Today's game was a tough one. Hartford came ready to play. Seriously, I didn't think we were going to be able to stop their run game, but, if anyone asks, I was one hundred percent confident we were going to win.

Making my way across the field, I find a few Hartford players I've gotten to know over the years and show my respect by telling them that they played a good game. Sportsmanship will be something I'm always known for. No matter how big we win and who we play, I'll always shake my opponent"s hand.

Standing on the thirty-yard line, I glance up in the stands, and my eyes immediately spot her. She's standing there as the crowd disperses around her, searching for me out on the field. I take the time to admire her beauty.

Even from this far away and after a three-hour game in the sun, she looks beautiful. Her tight Levis look like they were painted on her.

Damn, her ass looks fine in those jeans.

Forcing my eyes from her legs, I take in the powder blue crop top that shows off her tight stomach. The color makes her eyes pop against her glowy skin. She's wearing her glasses, which isn't something I see often, but there's just something about her in those round tortoise shell frames that do something to me. Loose, bright-blonde tendrils fall across her face, but she doesn't care. She's too busy wearing a smile that makes my chest flutter and makes me want to run to her.

And running to her is exactly what I do.

Taking off in a jog, I keep my eyes on her. A smile spreads across my face when she finally finds me in the sea of players. I didn't think it was possible that her smile could get any bigger, but it does.

Standing on the field below her, she leans over the railing, trying to cut the space between us. My fingers twitch at my side, begging for me to reach up and grab my girl. But I'm not going to do it yet. As much as I want to tell everyone that she's mine, I don't want to scare her off. It's only been a week since we decided to go from just being friends to dating exclusively.

"Meet you at the house?" I yell up to her.

The bright smile she was wearing morphs into a deviant smirk. "Hmm, we'll see." Brynn stands up, shrugging her shoulders, playing hard to get.

Only too bad for her, I've already got her. And I'm never letting her go. Cody stands there, watching our encounter. The wheels are spinning in his head as he tries to put together the change in demeanor between us.

"‘'Aight then." Smirking back at her, my eyes drift over to Cody. Giving him a nod, I head into the tunnel toward the locker room.

Brynn Wilder is going to be the death of me, and I'm going to enjoy everything she throws my way.

The house is bumping when Grant and I pull into the driveway. People are spilling out of the house and all over the yard. Solo cups and cans are littering every surface. I'll have to find some freshman to get on trash duty. We don't need the cops getting called on us tonight. Not when we're celebrating. Most of the cops will turn their eyes to noise complaint calls, but there are a few that will do whatever they can to get us in trouble with the school. It's bullshit.

"Dude, you alright?" My question pulls Grant from wherever his head was.

Parking the car in the garage, I turn the engine off, and Grant opens his door.

"Yeah, something's off with my sister." He shuts the door and starts his way to the door. Grant and his sister are tight, being only two years apart, their relationship is strong. His family is the opposite of mine. The Campbells are caring, family-oriented, and loving.

Hmm, I wonder what that's like?

Making my way around the car, my strides have me standing next to him.

"Anything you need, you know I'm here?"

Grant slaps my shoulder and nods his head.

"Yeah, man, I appreciate it."

Looking up at me, he opens the door that leads into the house. Shouting over his shoulder, since the music is slow loud, "Now, let's get fucked up."

I chuckle, following him into the house.

A new rap banger is coming through the speakers and the vibe is lit. Following Grant, we head straight for the kitchen needing alcohol. Coach gave us tomorrow off, which means tonight we party.

People are grinding on each other on the makeshift dance floor. Someone hooked up the large speakers. Multicolored lights are playing in the semi-dark house. The Football House looks like a straight-up club.

Normally, I'd be Mr. Cautious, but not tonight. Not after this week.

Tonight I'm celebrating.

Taking my eyes off the crowd, I look up in time to hear someone shout my name as a beer is tossed my way. Searching the space, I see Riggsby nodding his head at me. Riggs might be a sophomore, but he's a helluva player. I'm going to miss playing with him and the other guys next season. It's weird to think that I'm not going to be here next year, especially since they don't know it yet.

"Dude, I think I'm getting hard from watching those girls dance together." Riggsby throws his arm around my shoulder. Using his other hand, he tilts his beer bottle gesturing toward two girls grinding against each other on the makeshift dance floor.

Laughing, I shrug his arm from around my shoulder. "Fuck, Riggs. Don't talk about getting hard with your arms wrapped around me."

Beer goes flying from his mouth as he belts out a laugh. "Oh god." He laughs. "Dude, I'm totally not getting hard from you!"

JP and Grant make their way into our conversation at the worst possible time.

"What the fuck?" JP glances from Riggs to me. "What the fuck are you two talking about?"

Bringing the bottle to my lips, I take a long pull, shaking my head at this conversation. "Lightweight over here." I point to Riggs, shaking my head.

Looking between the two of us, JP replies, "You know what, I don't need to know."

"Where's Brynn?" Grant asks, looking around the kitchen.

Shrugging, I laugh internally. Brynn usually isn't too far from me and the guys, but I haven't seen her yet tonight. Guess she wasn't messing with me when she acted like she wasn't showing up tonight.

JP nudges my shoulder, taking a long drink out of his Solo cup. Based on how glassy his eyes are, I'm guessing he skipped the beer and went straight to the liquor. Dude deserves it. He beat the hell out of Hartford's quarterback with two-and-a-half sacks.

"Trouble just entered the house."

All of our heads snap to the door.

"Ho-ly fuuck," Riggs draws out.

"We're in trouble, boys," Grant adds.

Trouble definitely just walked into this house, and all I want to do is punch every guy staring at her.

Chloe, in her petite frame, is wearing a skintight, white dress with straps that look like they could be easily broken with a slight tug. Her red, skyhigh heels make her tiny legs look longer.

But it's the girl to her left that has my mouth drying, my hand sliding down my pants to subtly adjust myself. Brynn Wilder stands in my doorway with a half-empty bottle of tequila in her hands looking like sin. A leather mini skirt and black heels make her legs look endless and have me dreaming about what they're going to look like wrapped around my waist. Forcing my gaze from her legs, the rest of her outfit has me trying to keep a growl from escaping. A black, see-through, mesh shirt and a black, lace bra covers her perfect tits.

"Shit, look at Brynn." Riggs's eyes look like they're about to pop out of his head, and the thought of him ogling her has me seeing red.

"Don't!" My gaze finds Riggs. He must see the murderous look in my eyes because he spins around and heads into the kitchen.

Brynn doesn't even try to find me. She just grabs Chloe's hand and makes her way to the dance floor. Another blonde girl pulls Brynn in for a hug while Brynn passes her the bottle of tequila. I can't help but stand back and watch her. Brynn is the definition of free-spirited. From the way she moves to the music to the way she carries herself. She lives like she's the only person to make herself happy.

I envy her.

Hours pass. The house has slowly started to thin out, and everyone is well on their way to being wasted. Except I slowed down a little while ago, and I'm feeling a nice, steady buzz. I'm just on the periphery of being drunk.

Everything is happy. A wide grin is plastered on my face. Leaning against the wall, I'm watching the girls dance to "Body"by Megan Thee Stallion on top of my coffee table. Brynn is sandwiched between Chloe and the girl who hugged her when she arrived. I've seen her around here. I think her name is Savvy, Savannah, or something.

The way Brynn is moving her body is provocative. It's got me hot in ways I didn't know were imaginable. We might be taking things slow, but the only thing I can think of is getting my girl up to my room to finally have my way with her. Her body has consumed my dreams and fantasies for two years. From over her shoulder, she finally seeks me out. Her eyes meet mine, and I tip my bottle to her. A wink is my reward as I watch her dip low between the girls, her body writhing as she makes her way back up to standing.

"Want me to have them get off the table?" Riggsby asks, shocking me out of our staring contest.

"Nah, let ‘em have some fun." Placing my hand in my pocket, I keep my gaze on Brynn. "She needs it."

I can feel Riggsby staring at me, letting out a chuckle, amused at what he must see. "How long have you been in love with her?"

The alcohol has loosened my inhibitions, and, with that, my filter has slipped. "Since the day I saw her in the quad. I heard someone laughing. Looked up and saw her smiling, and it hit me in the chest. From that moment, I knew she was the one."

Mouth snapping open, Riggsby moves his body to stand directly in front of me, drawing my entire attention.

"Are you for real? Dude, it's obvious you have a thing for her, but I didn't know it was that deep."

Before I have a chance to respond, a loud crash comes from the living room. Scanning my eyes over the room, I immediately find the source of the crash, and my ears hear that laugh that had me falling in love with Brynn two years ago.

The living room table has caved in, causing the three girls to fall to the floor. But they aren't phased. With arms wrapped around each other and heads tipping backward, the girls are laughing their asses off. A smile stretches across my face. Shoving the can of beer that I'm holding into Riggsby's chest, I march toward the chaos.

"Sorry ‘bout your table," Chloe says when she sees me.

At the same time, Brynn slurs, "Hope you didn't love this table."

I don't let her get another word out of her mouth. Bending down, I scoop her up and toss her slim body over my shoulder. Slapping her ass, I leave my hand there so no one gets a peek at what's under her skirt. That's for my eyes and my eyes only.

"Quinton, I didn't take you for a caveman!"

"Baby, I'm full of surprises."

And with that, we head to my room, calling it a night.

Both of us are drunk, full of laughter, and happier than we've been in a long time.