Page 71 of Gamebreaker

"What about it?"

"Were you showing off?"

"Maybe."

"For whom?"

I met her eyes. "Take a guess."

She bit her lip. "That's a dangerous admission, Captain."

"You already know I'm attracted to you. Might as well own it."

"There's knowing, and then there's having it confirmed while you're looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're trying to memorize my face. It's very intense. Very 'I have thoughts I'm not sharing.'"

"I have a lot of thoughts I'm not sharing."

"Care to finally share?"

I shook my head. “Absolutely not. Some thoughts are better kept internal.”

"Coward."

"Self-preservation specialist."

She laughed, and the sound made my chest warm without any help from whiskey.

"Want to sit?" I asked, gesturing to an empty booth in the corner that would give us privacy from the rest of the group.

"Trying to get me alone, Captain?"

"Trying to have a conversation without shouting over basketball players."

"Sure. That's definitely your only motivation." But she was already moving toward the booth, and I followed, trying not to focus on how those leather pants fit or the curve of her waist or the expanse of skin visible at her chest and shoulders.

We slid into opposite sides of the booth, and I was acutely aware of the way her knee brushed mine under the table, how she leaned forward with her elbows on the surface, how her eyes never left my face.

"So," she said. "Basketball. You're really good at it."

"That's your conversation starter?"

"I'm brainstorming. Give me a minute." She took a sip of her vodka soda, eyes sparkling with humor. "Okay, better one: what's it like being in the zone? Like tonight? Does time actually slow down, or is that just movie nonsense?"

"It's real. Everything slows down, and you can see three moves ahead. Like the game unfolds in slow motion, and you know exactly where everyone's going to be before they move."

"That sounds incredible."

"It's the best feeling in the world." I paused. "Well. One of the best feelings."

Her eyebrow arched. "One of?"

"Basketball isn't everything."

”Wow. Character growth. Someone write this down."