Page 76 of Temptation

Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for the game?

It was partially asked in jest. But I also didn’t want to be a distraction. I knew how much the team meant to him.

It wasn’t just about the money. The Leatherbacks were an extension of his family. He was deeply invested in the success of the team and every person who worked for him. It was one of the things I loved most about him.

“You’re texting him now, aren’t you?” Emmy asked, plopping down beside me.

“Yeah.” I smiled down at my phone as it vibrated in my hand.

D: It’s not like I have to warm up or stretch.

I laughed, grateful he couldn’t see me right now. I burrowed deeper into the pillows, thinking about Knox and love and…well, how empty the house felt without him.

With Emmy here, it felt less cavernous and hollow. But it was as if Knox’s personality brought it to life. As if he filled the rooms, infusing them with his presence.

The Leatherbacks lost the coin toss, and their opponent decided to kick off first. The game started, and Emmy and I settled in to watch. The Leatherbacks were playing well. We’d just scored the first point when it hit me—a sharp stomach cramp.

“Are you okay?” Emmy asked, placing her hand on my back as I leaned forward.

“I—” My stomach gurgled, and then I broke out in a cold sweat. “No.” I tried to focus on my breathing. Something, anything but the way my stomach roiled and cramped.

I hated the sensation of being both hot and cold. It was disconcerting and only made the nausea rolling through me worse. Like a cold front meeting a warm front inside my body. I had a feeling something destructive was coming.

“Oh god.” I stood and stumbled toward the nearest bathroom, desperate to reach it before something awful happened.

I barely made it to the toilet before emptying the contents of my stomach into the basin. I quickly flushed it and squeezed my eyes shut, my body feeling as if it were curling in on itself. I took a few breaths then threw up again, finally slumping against the wall.

“Kendall?” Emmy asked, peeking her head inside.

My phone buzzed again, but I ignored it.

“Are you feeling okay?” I asked.

“Yeah. But you look—” She shook her head and grimaced.

“Do you think I could have food poisoning?”

She opened her phone and started typing. As she listed off more symptoms, they continued to match up.

“But I don’t get it. We shared the appetizer,” I said. “And I tried your meal.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t try any of yours.”

“Thank goodness,” I moaned, clutching my stomach.

“Hopefully you’ll feel better quickly,” she said, grabbing a washcloth from beneath the sink and wetting it before handing it to me.

“What did the website say?”

She winced. “Twenty-four to forty-eight hours?” Then she straightened, handing the washcloth to me. “But you never know—maybe it will be over sooner.”

I groaned both at the idea and how I felt. I clutched my stomach and rushed over to the toilet again. I’d just washed my hands when my phone buzzed again. I held it out to Emmy.

“Will you please answer Knox? I—” I slumped against the wall. “I can’t.”

And I knew if I didn’t, he’d worry. And the last thing I wanted was to distract him from the game.

She left to search for some bottled water. I moaned, wishing I could just be done with this. The pain. The throwing up.