Page 9 of Claimed By the Goalie Alpha
"Yeah." He didn't move back even though the person had passed. "Rough game."
Up close, he was taller than I'd realized. The jacket stretched across his shoulders, and the top two shirt buttons were undone. His eyes were bloodshot, whether from exhaustion or emotion I couldn't tell.
"I'm sure the next one will be better," I said.
"Maybe."
The conversation was going nowhere, but neither of us moved. His eyes were locked on mine and I was finding it hard to breathe. I could smell his soap or body wash mixed with something else underneath. The combination was making my head spin and my pulse race.
"Are you okay?" The question slipped out.
"I don't know." His voice was barely above a whisper.
Someone shrieked in the main room, making me jump. Renard steadied me and heat rippled over my body. I couldn’t speak or move and the noise from the bar became background static.
His gaze dropped to my mouth. Was he going to kiss me here in this narrow hallway with a sports bar full of people twenty feet away? I wanted to close the distance between us and find out if he'd kiss me back or push me away.
Renard leaned in just a fraction. He was close enough that I could feel his breath. All I'd have to do was tilt my head up and?—
"Conley!" A voice boomed from the end of the hallway. "There you are!"
Renard jerked back like he'd been burned. A teammate appeared and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Come on, man. Stephen is throwing a thing at his place and everyone's going." The guy looked at me, then back at Renard with a knowing grin. "Unless you're busy?"
"No." Renard's monotone voice matched my plummeting mood. "Not busy."
The teammate started steering him away. Renard glanced back at me before he was swallowed by the crowd.
I tried to process what had just happened. Or what had almost happened. My arm was tingly where he'd touched it and my heart was still racing.
Marshall found me a few minutes later. "You’re flushed."
"Can we go?"
"Sure. Let me close out the tab."
On the drive home, I stared out the window. The city lights blurred together as Marshall navigated the streets.
"You're not listening to anything I'm saying," Marshall finally said.
"Sorry."
"Did something happen? You disappeared for a while."
"I ran into Renard in the hallway."
"And?"
"His teammate dragged him off to some party."
Marshall glanced around. "But something almost happened."
He knew me too well.
"I don't know. Maybe? We were just standing there and he was looking at me, and I thought..." I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. Nothing happened."
"But you wanted it to."
