CHAPTER 24
MATTY
Breath steamed in the air, mixing with the tang of turf spray and the metallic sting of cold wind. The crowd’s roar crashed and rolled through the stadium, thunder trapped inside a steel drum.
And I couldn’t focus to save my life.
Because Ophelia was out there, dressed head to toe in orange fur and way too much school spirit, standing near the cheer squad with a flag balanced against her shoulder.
I’d never been attracted to the tiger before finding out it was her…or really thought anything about it…but now it was all I could think about.
“Adler!” Parker barked. “You plan on joining us or just freezing in place while you stare at your girlfriend in a fur suit?”
“Shut it,” I muttered, adjusting my gloves.
“Translation,” Jace said, jogging into position. “He’s thinking about the tail again.”
I rolled my eyes. “At least mine wags when she sees me.”
He groaned. “Fuck. We’re playing a football game, not starring in Animal Planet: The Love Edition.”
The whistle blew. First snap.
The ball hit Parker’s hand, and I took off downfield, the cold biting through my pads, lungs burning in the frigid air. The rhythm should’ve been automatic—run, cut, turn, catch.
Except I couldn’t stop looking for her.
She was by the sideline now, waving the UT flag.
Watching me.
Always watching.
Our eyes met, or maybe I just felt it, and she raised a paw, forming a giant heart over her chest.
My cleat snagged the turf.
I stumbled once, then face-planted so hard my helmet bounced.
The crowd gasped…then groaned.
“And down goes Romeo!” Jace yelled, jogging over. “What was that—graceful falling practice?”
“I slipped,” I muttered, spitting out turf.
“Sure,” he said. “Slipped on her love.”
I pushed to my feet, ignoring the ache in my jaw. When I looked over, she was still standing there, paws on her hips, and I could just picture her trying not to laugh.
My pulse kicked.
Yeah, she was definitely laughing.
The next few plays didn’t go much better. I caught one, dropped another, and nearly ran into Jace when she started dancing with the cheer squad. Every move she made felt like it was meant for me.
“She’s your girlfriend,” Jace said during a time-out, shaking his head. “Not the North Star. You can blink.”
“I’ll just remind you that you sprinted off the field and chased Riley up the stands in front of everyone.”
Jace smirked. “Yeah, but I scored before that. It’s the key to the whole thing; you’re supposed to score before the public humiliation.”
“Working on it,” I muttered, tugging my helmet back on.
We hit a time-out with two minutes left in the quarter. The offense jogged to the sideline, huddling near the heaters while Coach barked at the line. My lungs burned, steam curling from my mouth in the cold.
Movement caught my eye across the field—bright orange fur and confidence she only displayed when she was in the tiger suit.
Ophelia jogged out to midfield, tail swaying behind her, flag tucked under one arm. She slid into place at the edge of the cheer formation, the white and orange of her costume gleaming under the floodlights as the drum line thundered to life.
She started to dance.
Not the usual mascot flailing, either—this was sharp, confident, choreographed.
Step back. Hip pop. Spin.
Flag sweep that shimmered under the lights.
A quick twirl, then a drop to her knees, finishing with a playful flick of her tail that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Cheers thundered from the stands, the band echoing the beat as she popped back up and bowed dramatically.
Parker groaned beside me, pulling off his helmet. “You’re drooling, Adler. That’s not what I want to see right now.”
I wiped my mouth with the back of my glove. “Shut up and throw me the ball,” I muttered, eyes still locked on her.
I actually knew that dance. She’d shown me the routine in my bedroom this week, and I’d been so turned on I’d pushed her against the wall and fucked her.
I grinned under my face mask. That was a good day. But they all had been good days since I met her.
The next drive started at our own thirty.
“Alright, loverboy. Time to focus. You want redemption or ESPN bloopers?” Parker quipped.
“Just get me the ball, QB,” I said. “Let’s go.”
He laughed. “There’s my guy.”
The snap came. I ran my route like my life depended on it.
Cut. Pivot. Acceleration biting against the turf.
The defender stuck to me for five yards, then I broke clean.
The ball spiraled through the cold night air, perfect rotation, perfect arc and…
I caught it on the run, tucked it tight, and burst forward down the field.
When I crossed into the end zone, the crowd went wild…as they should, obviously. Teammates slammed into me, helmets clanging, shouting my name, but I barely heard them. Because all I could see was her—standing at the sideline, paws covering her mouth like she couldn’t believe it.
I took a step back, dropped my shoulders, and grinned.
Then I started to move.
Step back. Hip pop. Spin.
Flag sweep—well, imaginary flag.
Drop to my knees, flick my imaginary tail, and finish with my hands on my hips.
The stadium lost its mind.
The cheer squad screamed, players were cracking up on the sidelines, and Jace was doubled over near the twenty-yard line, howling.
But I wasn’t doing it for them, obviously. I pointed straight at her.
The tiger froze for a second, then slowly lifted both paws and did the same sequence back—ending with the tail flick and a salute.
My chest went tight.
Yeah, she was laughing again.
And I was so gone for her.
By the time I jogged off the field, Coach’s face was red and his jaw was tense. “What the fuck was that, Adler? First Davis, then Thatcher, and now my tight end’s out here auditioning for Dancing with the Stars?”
“Just having a little fun, Coach,” I said, still half breathless.
He stared like he was two seconds from throwing his clipboard. “All my stars have lost their damn minds.”
Grinning, Garrett called out from down the bench, “Not me, Coach. Still got mine.”
Coach’s glare snapped to him. “With my luck this season, I’m not betting on it, son.”
Garrett’s grin dropped, and he shivered like what Coach had proposed was horrifying.
I shoved his shoulder, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
I had lost my damn mind.
And it was so worth it.
OPHELIA
Matty hadn’t stopped moving since the second we got in his car.
His knee bounced against the console like he hadn’t just played a football game and he actually had a bunch of energy to spare.
He tapped the wheel and adjusted the rearview mirror twice, even though nothing had changed.
He ran his tongue over his teeth like he was about to go into a huddle, and for a guy who could stiff-arm men the size of refrigerators, he looked ridiculously nervous.
“I think you’re more nervous than me,” I joked, sliding my hand over his knee to still it. “And I feel like I’m walking into an ambush since you didn’t tell me until after the game that I was meeting your family.”
I smiled so he’d know I wasn’t mad.
But inside, my stomach twisted.
They were his family. His. What if they took one look at me and saw everything I tried so hard to hide? What if they saw that something was wrong with me…that I wasn’t normal, that I was trying too hard, smiling too much, saying the wrong thing?
Matty’s friends had liked me, though. At least, they’d seemed to. They’d laughed at my jokes, treated me like I belonged. So maybe I could fake it again. Maybe if I smiled enough and said all the right words, his family would believe I was someone worth loving, too.
His aqua eyes flicked to me, quick, guilty, as if I’d caught him off guard. “You don’t need to be nervous.” His voice was low, but the words came too fast, like he was trying to convince himself as much as me. “My mom? She’s great. And my siblings? They’re going to love you. No question.”
“Then why do you look like you’re driving to your own execution?”
That earned me a huffed laugh, the corners of his mouth twitching, though his jaw stayed tight. “Because my dad…” He trailed off, then shook his head. “We didn’t actually end last week on the best terms.” He squeezed my hand, threading our fingers tight. “And I’m dreading you having to meet him.”
The pause after best terms said more than the words did.
“Do you want to cancel?” I asked.
That softened him immediately. His shoulders lowered a fraction, his mouth easing. “You’re so fucking sweet. But no, I want you to meet the rest of my family. I’m hoping he will behave better in front of you.”
His eyes darted toward me again, serious this time. “Don’t let him get in your head, okay? If he says anything stupid, I’ll shut him down.”
Warmth pooled in my chest, even while my nerves twisted tighter. He wasn’t just nervous about me meeting them—he was nervous about me seeing him with them.
Like he had just as much to lose in this thing between us as I did.
“They’re going to love you,” he said again, firmer, protective. “How could they not?”
I could think of a million reasons why they wouldn’t, actually.
I bit my lip, though, fighting the urge to say the words clawing at my throat: that even if they didn’t, I’d do anything to keep him, to convince him he shouldn’t let me go.
The Regency House was intimidating before we even stepped inside.
The brick facade glowed under iron lanterns, valets in long coats hurrying to take keys from cars that gleamed like spaceships. Matty’s car was nice, but it looked almost hilariously out of place compared to the cars that were pulling in around us.
“Do you usually eat this fancy after games?” I asked with a frown, hating that I didn’t know the answer to this already.
I was usually finishing up mascot duties and couldn’t follow him.
From researching him, though, I knew that Matty didn’t come from a wealthy family, so I was surprised we were eating here.
His jaw flexed. “Only when my dad’s involved.”
“Oh,” I said softly, watching as he handed over the keys.