Chapter 161

After a few pictures of beat-up but happy players, I left the locker room and waited for Joel outside so he and the rest of the team could shower. He walked out wearing shorts that showed his scraped up legs, a red t-shirt molded to his chest, and his bag slung over his shoulder. I wanted to thread my fingers through his wet hair. He gave me a relieved smile when he saw me waiting outside the locker room.

Sitting his bag down, he planted his arms against the wall behind me, caging me in. "Thanks for waiting." His head dipped and he kissed me with an intensity that had my pulse soaring.

"Get a room," was shouted from one of his teammates as a group of them left the locker room. They all laughed.

I blushed, but Joel didn't look their way or acknowledge them at all. "We'll be drinking heavily tonight. Are you ready?"

"Ready?"

"You didn't stick around last week. I want you with me tonight. I just need to warn you that it gets rowdy."

"I can handle rowdy." His teammates forgotten, I w