Page 89 of Kickoff

I rolled my shoulders back and nodded, blocking all sounds around me and putting my game face on. My competitive side had taken over, and I was about to make the other contestants look like kids.

My first take was a miss. The ax struck the target but didn’t stick. I adjusted my stance, played around with the tool in my hands, modified my grip, and threw it as if I’d done it multiple times in the past. It hit the highest-value mark. A slow smile spread on my lips. Yes, I could win this.

I risked a look at my supporters. Melinda stood still, her hands clamped together, as she watched me. Craig had his arms around his girlfriend, their eyes on me.

The man in charge neared me once I was done. “Okay, wow. I must say this is the best score I’ve seen in all the years I’ve done this.”

My name went at the top of the best-score board, and I returned to my friends with a stuffed beaver, a plaid shirt, and a miniature golden plastic ax.

“You guys are so cute,” Paige said, her gaze traveling between Melinda and me. “Ax-throwing champs. You two should start a team and compete. Screw football and swimming, you’ll be the perfect little lumberjack duo. You could live in the woods and perfect your skills every day. Why go to college when you can enter the ax-throwing circuit and have ax-throwing babies dressed in plaid shirts one day, right?”

“Beginner’s luck. On my part. Not sure plaid shirts match my complexion.” I spun to face my brother. “Are you giving it a try?”

“Nope. Wouldn’t wanna beat your ass and make you feel like a second string. See, I’m doing it to preserve the peace between us. And that giant ego of yours.”

I hit my chest with the side of my fist. “So generous of you, man.”

We reached the corn maze.

“First one to reach the center wins,” Paige called.

“If you’re lost, call for me, I’ll come to find you,” Craig told her.

“It’s cheating,” I said while Paige cooed, “Oh, you’re so sweet. I love you.”

They kissed like they were alone in this world for a long minute.

Melinda and I exchanged an amused gaze.

You’ll be okay, I mouthed.

Watch me win, she mouthed back.

I loved it when she was confident about her own skills and didn’t shy away from it.

I clapped my hands. “Stop the PDA, guys. We’ve seen enough of your tonsils for the rest of our lives. Let’s go. I’m ready to wait for you at the center.”

Craig and Paige broke apart, and we all rushed toward the maze through a different entry point.

The blazing autumn sun shone high in the sky, and little beads of sweat pearled on my forehead under its warmth. From my hiding spot, I watched Melinda take the same route for the third time. “This maze is a joke,” she complained with a huff. The skinny jeans she was wearing made her legs appear mile-long, showcasing her lean thigh muscles. Combined with her snug cream knitted sweater and matching hat, she was a sight for sore eyes. And one my body had a hard time resisting.

Giggles and whispers resonated from somewhere on her right, and she moved forward, distancing herself from the noise—probably not wanting to risk seeing something her eyes could never unsee—and breaking my perusal of her.

I stepped behind her and covered her eyes with my hands. “Shepard, are you lost?”

A shiver traversed her body when I spoke close to her ear. My front pressed against her back, the firmness of my muscles molding to hers and the fabric of our jeans not thick enough to conceal how my dick reacted to her proximity. She relaxed against me, like she was expecting me to stand there. “No. I’m just killing time so you can finish first in case you throw a second-place tantrum when you lose.”

“Liar. You’re almost there. I’ve been waiting for you to join me in the center for almost ten minutes. And I don’t do second place. Never.”

She turned in my arms, her breasts pressing against my chest. Our gazes collided. “Ten minutes?” Her soft voice sent a zing through me. Like supercharged tiny particles of electricity moving throughout my body and lodging in my crotch.

“Ten minutes,” I repeated. “Paige and Craig are on the south side, doing who knows what.”

“Ugh.”

“Don’t remind me. I ran the other way when I bumped into them. Now, I’ve been waiting for you to join me because I’m all alone over there. Winning isn’t as much fun when you’re not competing against me.”

“First, don’t put images in my head about your brother and my best friend. It’s a load of information I don’t need. And second, it’s not that I’m losing on purpose. This maze leads nowhere. And by the way, what are you doing here if you’ve already found the center?”