Page 105 of The Keeper

I didn’t ask how he knew Carina was here. When your girlfriend’s best friends were both dating your club teammates, gossip spread like wildfire, though everyone was discreet enough to keep it within our closed circle. No one at Blackcastle liked the paps.

My amusement from talking to Adil faded, and a strange heaviness settled in my chest as I stood on the pitch and took it all in.

The people. The stadium. The lights. A dream sporting stage for millions of little boys across the world who watched every match with starry eyes, hoping against hope that one day, they’d become the next Asher Donovan or Vincent DuBois or Adil Chakir. Maybe even the next Noah Wilson.

I used to be one of those little boys. Now I was here for the third time, but without the conviction I’d held during the first two tournaments. Was I ready to leave this all behind? Did I want to end my international career with a stupid shoulder injury?

I’d thought I knew the answer. I wanted to spend more time with Evie, and I’d felt like I was losing my passion for football a little bit. But being here, getting pushed to my limits and inspired by the pure, raw talent surrounding me—it reminded me why I fell in love with the sport in the first place. The spark had dimmed, but it wasn’t dead.

“Hey, man, we’re heading out.” Austin came up beside me, his hair damp with sweat. He looked exhausted and defeated after losing, but he mustered up a small smile anyway. “Let’s go.”

I swept one last gaze around the stadium before following him to the dressing room. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. You guys played a great match today,” I said. “We’ll be back in four years.” I put a mental asterisk next to the word we’ll.

“Yeah. We could’ve played better, but we’ll have to wait until the next World Cup.” Austin slanted a sideways look at me. “You still planning to stay? You know Emilio is fanatical about you getting proper care for that shoulder.”

I nodded. “I’m not staying for that long. Five days in Kruger. That’s it.”

National teams packed up and left within a day of getting knocked out, but individual players could choose to stay behind at their own expense. I’d already told our manager I would be doing exactly that.

I hadn’t had a chance to see Carina except for our morning at Boulders Beach, though we’d talked daily on the phone. She’d wanted to fly to me after I got injured, but I’d convinced her to stay with her friends. I didn’t want to derail her girls’ trip any more than I already had, and she wouldn’t be allowed into our base camp anyway.

However, I’d made plans to whisk her away on a romantic post-tournament trip even before the US got knocked out. My travel agent was on standby, and I’d instructed her to book us a couple’s trip to Kruger National Park as soon as possible. She should’ve already booked it after seeing the results of today’s match.

“Kruger? Nice,” Austin said approvingly. “I’ve heard it’s incredible. Who’re you going with?”

We weren’t close enough for me to tell him about Carina. “No one you know,” I said, even as my heart softened at the thought of her. “Just a friend from home.”

CHAPTER 42

CARINA

I tried not to fuss over Noah. I really did. But I’d already been on edge from not being able to see him after his injury, and the only reason I hadn’t launched myself at him when we finally met up again was that I didn’t want to hurt his shoulder.

In a stroke of fortuitous timing, he’d gotten his sling removed right before we flew to Kruger, but I kept looking over to make sure he wasn’t wincing or crying or silently dying on my watch anyway.

“We’re here to see the animals, not inspect my shoulder,” he said, sounding amused. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“I know.” But I couldn’t resist another follow-up. “You sure you’re cleared to do this? The roads aren’t aggravating your injury?”

We’d arrived at Kruger National Park last night and were currently on a game drive. We couldn’t do a walking safari since that would be too hard on him, but he’d said a game drive was fine—if the roads weren’t too bumpy. We’d told our private guide Simon about his condition, and Simon, the man that he was, had chosen the smoothest route and steadiest vehicle. Noah had also worn a shoulder brace for the ride, just in case. And yet…

“Yes,” he reassured me. “If it gets bad, I’ll throw myself in front of a lion and have it end my misery, okay?”

I glared at him. “Not funny.”

Noah’s mouth quirked. He’d made peace with his injury and early exit from the World Cup, but I couldn’t express in words the way my stomach plummeted when I saw the medical team rush to him after the Croatia match. Scarlett and Brooklyn, who’d rejoined us after the France match, had had to physically stop me from booking a last-minute flight to see him that same night.

I didn’t want to nag, so I reluctantly turned my attention to the landscape and tried to soak it all in. It wasn’t hard. Once I let myself relax, I was completely taken in by the sheer beauty surrounding us. Kruger National Park was a massive wildlife sanctuary located in the northeast of the country. It was home to the Big Five (lions, leopards, African elephants, buffalo, and rhinos) as well as hundreds of other animal species. After Antarctica, visiting a place like Kruger was basically my dream come true.

“The types of wildlife you encounter can vary greatly depending on the time of day,” Simon said. “Since we’re on a morning drive, we’re more likely to catch predators like lions and leopards who are waking up or returning from their night hunts. The afternoons and sunsets are better for elephants, giraffes, and hippos. Nighttime is, of course, for nocturnal wildlife like hyenas.”

He went on to explain more about the park’s animals, their behaviors, and the overall ecosystem dynamics. I gasped when we drove past a pride of lions, their bodies sleek and muscular as they prowled down the road like they owned it (which they sort of did). One of them turned her massive head toward us as we passed, and an electric mix of terror and exhilaration zipped down my spine.

Holy shit. We just got up close and personal with a lion. They were even more majestic in person. Penguins were still my number one, but the big cat was quickly climbing the ranks.

“She reminds me of you.” Noah leaned forward, his breath grazing my ear. My pulse stumbled, and a sudden, delicious awareness of his proximity brushed my skin.

“How so?” I asked, trying not to shiver. He was so close, and we hadn’t had sex yet because of his injury. But...