Page 15 of The Linebacker

Then again, that game was apparently the catalyst, the reason the Mountain Lions owners had decided to recruit Amil, so it made sense that Dante would have no regrets.

If only Jalen felt the same.

Diana insisted Jalen wasn’t the reason she was refusing to rekindle their one night together.

Which probably should keep him from wishing all those dirty thoughts running through his head on repeat could become reality. Again.

But Amil had always been bad about doing what was socially acceptable versus what he thought was right. And he thought he and Diana together were exactly right.

What a fucking conundrum. Because, yeah, he wanted a Super Bowl ring. But he also wanted Diana. And he wasn’t sure which he wanted more.

They talked football while they waited for Allison to get home from work. Mostly about how they thought they could beat the teams they were up against this upcoming season. Dante liked some of Amil’s ideas for the defense, which was cool. And maybe a little flattering. While Amil’s previous team could boast that they’d won five Super Bowls—second most in the league—they weren’t nearly as cohesive as this team seemed to be.

And that counted for something. For quite a lot, in Amil’s book.

With him on Jalen’s team instead of standing across from him at the start of every play, getting under his skin so he made stupid mistakes, yeah, they had a serious chance at winning back-to-back Super Bowls.

“We gotta prep Jalen for our first game against the 49ers,” Amil said abruptly.

Dante arched his brows. Diana swore.

“What?” Amil asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing. It was just nice that we were avoiding the elephant in the room.”

Amil pointed at her with his nearly empty wineglass. “That elephant is going to destroy our chances of Super Bowl rings this year if it isn’t addressed.”

Dante leaned forward in his chair, rested his forearms on his thighs. “You’re right.” He glanced over at Diana. “He gets way too up in his head over you, which is insane. Everybody knows you aren’t interested. Except him.”

“Including my ex-teammates,” Amil added.

Dante gave him a sharp look.

“When I figured out where Jalen’s head was at and how easy it was to rile him, I made sure every single guy on the defense knew,” Amil added. “And you best believe they are going to use that knowledge against us this year.”

Diana sighed dramatically. “I’ll talk to him.”

“No.” He shook his head. “This is between him and me. I’m the one who needs to talk to him.”

“It’s about me,” she said, her tone crisp.

Yeah, but if she talked to him, no matter what she said, all it would do was revive whatever obsessive crush Jalen had on her. Amil wanted her with a desperation that was vaguely alarming, but obsession was a whole different ballgame.

“Let’s try it my way first,” he suggested, trying to soothe her ruffled feathers.

The screen door slid open, and the woman he assumed was Dante’s fiancée stepped out onto the deck. “Well, hey, friends,” she said before Dante stood and swept her into his arms, kissing her as if he hadn’t seen her in months.

Yep, definitely the fiancée. Also, damn. Although, who was he kidding? He’d probably act exactly the same way every time the woman he loved returned after being away, no matter how long the timeframe.

His gaze slid to Diana. She glared back. Like she knew exactly where his thoughts were. He almost laughed but managed to keep it to a smirk.

Which only caused her to narrow her glare.

“Hi, I’m Allison.”

Amil stood and shook her hand. “Amil Halsted. Nice to meet you.”

“I’ve heard really good things,” Allison said, plucking Dante’s glass from his hand and finishing his wine.