Page 54 of Pressure Point

“Because I’m second-rate.”

“Liam, you’re not. Not to me. Not to the Rising. You’re our starting goalie! Beyond that, everyone on that team knows that you’d do anything for them. Your work ethic, your loyalty, none of that is second-rate. And to me, you’re…” she trailed off.

“I’m…” he prompted, wondering where she was going with this. Had last night changed something for her? He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but he couldn’t help it.

“Amazing,” she answered, pushing up off the couch and walking over to him. “I think maybe I actually owe Orla a thank you.”

“A thank you?”

“Yeah. Because if all that had not happened, you wouldn’t be here, and I never would have gotten the opportunity to have you in my life.”

Liam’s heart squeezed. Fuck, what did she mean by all that? He wanted to ask her. Wanted to know if she was telling him she felt something too. Was it too much to hope that last night hadn’t just been about her figuring out how to seduce someone? He wanted her to feel every ounce of what he felt. But he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

“I would have missed out on an amazing friendship.”

And there it was, the slap he knew was coming. The reminder that all they were, and all they were ever going to be, was friends.

She liked Dash. And he was a fool for thinking that just because they’d gotten physical a time or two that it meant anything more. Just because he’d poured his heart out to her about how the last girl in his life had chosen his brother over him didn’t mean that she was magically going to change her mind and pick him. Not when the guy he was up against was better looking, a better player, and had probably never come in second at anything. But right now, he didn’t want to think about that.

What he needed was a subject change.

“How does breakfast sound?”

Chapter Nineteen

“Go get ‘em, tiger!” Avery said, leveling a smack to Liam’s ass as he stood from the stool he’d been sitting on in the locker room.

He’d jammed his shoulder colliding with Hans Bender during a corner kick, and since it was the same one he’d roughed up during their first home game, she’d insisted on looking at it during halftime. Not that he’d minded the feel of her hands on him. Liam shook his head, laughing at her and giving her a wink as he made his way into the tunnel to head back to the field.

A week had passed since the breakfast that had changed everything—and nothing at all. Liam had been expecting her to respond to his suggestion of food with some sort of excuse about errands, or just flat-out needing to get home. What he got was a specific request about where to go eat.

Only Avery.

He’d been even more surprised when she’d acted as if it were any other meal they were sharing. When he’d finally gotten up the courage to broach the topic of the night before and asked her how she was feeling, her answer had floored him.

“A little sore, but that’s to be expected given your length and girth,” she said matter-of-factly.

Liam had about spit out his orange juice, taking a moment to collect himself. “I meant more about where your head is at.”

“Oh,” she answered, catching her lip in her mouth. Liam was pretty sure she had no idea she did that, but it drove him crazy. “I enjoyed it. A lot. You’re really good at…all that. But…”

“But…”

“Do I have to decide right now? Or can I think about it?”

“You don’t have to decide anything right now, love,” he’d told her, his heart racing. It wasn’t a no. But it also wasn’t her professing her love and that she’d been crazy to ever think that she wanted Dash.

After a moment of silence, their conversation had picked back up, Avery asking questions about his brothers and growing up, leaving out all the drama that had been unearthed earlier. Being with her like this felt good, natural, and Liam had said a silent thank you that despite crossing the line, and the ambush of his family, nothing seemed to have changed.

“Is that a new PT trick?” Gunnar asked, coming up behind Liam as they emerged out of the tunnel. “Something to loosen up the glutes?”

“Errr…I guess,” Liam muttered, trying not to let his embarrassment show. He had no idea that anyone else had even seen Avery’s gesture. Had he also witnessed the small kiss she’d placed on his temple when she was working on his shoulder?

She might not have given him a real answer on what she was thinking that morning nor had the subject come up again, but as much as things had gone back to “normal” between them, there was still something more lingering. Hugs lasted longer, she held his hand while they were walking, and she cuddled up against him for the entire Marvel double feature they’d watched the other night. Her sweet little kiss to the forehead hadn’t been the only of its kind either, leaving him wishing they would morph into other kisses.

“It’s not what you think, Coach.”

“I think that if it keeps you loose, and you stop the ball from hitting the net, I don’t care what method you use,” Gunnar retorted, nodding his head knowingly.