The women on the field threw themselves at the players the moment the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the game. I couldn’t help but feel jealousy rise up inside of me.

Never in my life had I considered myself a jealous or envious woman until this second. The second I saw someone look at Hawk the way I looked at him. The moment I realized all these women wanted him too.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I knew exactly what it was. It was the way he made me feel last night. The way he touched me and held me. I couldn’t stand the thought of his hands on another woman in the same way. I wanted to believe what happened between us was special, even though I know how ridiculous that sounded.

I was sleeping with Kane Hawkins, for fuck’s sake. He had probably screwed half the county.

I had to find a way to convince myself that I could have sex with the man and realize he wasn’t going to change. He only had a week left of his volunteer service at the school. After that, everything was a black hole.

I felt a tug on my sleeve.

“Miss Bristow, are we going to get to talk to Hawk?”

“Of course, honey.” I smiled at him. I wondered if he saw all the girls too. I knew kids were observant. I tried to wipe the green with envy look off my expression.

Pops came up behind me. He was a character. I realized that about him about ten minutes into the game. He talked to Hawk on the field as if he were in the box with us.

“Hey you two, I think we need to head on down if you want to see the team.”

“The whole team?” Hunter looked terrified. That might be too much for him.

I faced Pops. “I think we’ll wait until some of the crowd clears. If you see Hawk, will you let him know Hunter needed a few minutes up here first?”

“Of course. Nice meeting you.”

“You too.” I smiled at the man before he walked out of the box.

“We can hang out here for a while. Look at all this food we didn’t eat.” I pointed to the trays. There was no way three people could eat half of this, but Hawk had all of it delivered for us.

Hunter hopped onto one of the barstools and selected a basket of wings.

I watched as the crowd in the stadium thinned out. I wanted to make sure Hunter didn’t feel overwhelmed. Hawk was a big guy. I could only imagine what it would feel like being around a hundred men who were similar in size. Hunter would be scared to death.

He ate his wings and a few strawberries. He wiped his mouth and announced he was ready to go.

“All right.” I did a quick scan. The cleaning crew had started on the rows of seats. I thought it was safe to head toward the bowels of the stadium.

Hawk had given me specific instructions on where to meet him. Hunter slid his small hand into mine as we walked the concourse. We took the elevator to the bottom floor and I looked for the Sharks locker rooms.

Before I could read the signs, I saw Hawk walking straight toward us. My heart jumped in my chest, taking off at the speed of light. I didn’t think I had ever seen him in his uniform before, and it had to be the hottest thing I’d ever witnessed.

My mind was flooded with images of the night before and so many more. So many things I could imagine doing to him and with him in that uniform. I felt myself blush bright red and tried to turn away to keep him from seeing it.

“Kane. You won!” Hunter dropped my hand, rushing toward him.

“I know. High five, buddy,” he said, raising his hand for Hunter to slap. When Hunter reached up to slap it, Hawk twisted his other arm from around his back and slapped the game ball into Hunter’s hand.

“The game ball? For real?”

“Yep, just for you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, big guy.”

He took a step from Hunter. He grabbed me by the waist, snatching me close to him. His mouth captured mine and I sighed contentedly. It was like coming home after being on vacation for a month. The vacation was great, but there was nothing like walking into your own house and flopping down on the bed. When he finished kissing me, he didn’t immediately release me, choosing instead to keep his arm around my waist, holding me tight against him. I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face.

“Congratulations on the big win.”

“Thanks, baby.”

I liked it. I liked it too much, maybe. The pet names. The possession. The way he made me feel like I belonged right here next to him. I looked at Hunter. And somehow this child was part of our equation. I just couldn’t figure it all out. My heart was all over the place.

“Hey, I’ve got to shower and then I have press.”

“Ok, are we still taking Hunter to dinner?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. Give me an hour, ok?”

He leaned down, pressing his perfect lips on mine. I nodded. Truth was, I’d wait as long as it took. I was so head over heels for this guy I didn’t know what to do.

He walked toward the locker room. Hunter tossed the ball in the air.

“Let’s go.” I reached my hand out. “We can wait at Hawk’s apartment.”

“Cool.” Hunter seemed relaxed. Happy. Content.

And I felt my happy heart start to break. Because after today, he had to go back to the home. Back to a parent-less existence. Back to the place that stole the light from his eyes.