in hostile territory with that. That’s when he zipped his coat back up, proclaiming it too cold to show it off yet.
The Pitt Panthers play at Heinz Field, which is home to the Steelers. It’s an amazing stadium, and they say there isn’t a bad seat in the house.
We met at Gate C as Cage had to work in the morning, and timing prevented him from picking me up. But I didn’t mind as I love people watching, so I happily hung out until he came strolling down the sidewalk that runs the border of the stadium along N. Shore Drive, scanning the crowd for me.
Yeah… made my belly flip a little when, as soon as his eyes landed on me, they lit up with something far more intense than appreciation. He looked at me as if he’d never seen anything better before, and sadly, I realized no man has ever looked at me that way before.
I’ve been gazed upon with lust, attraction, and affection by other men, but nothing like the way Cage seems to drink me in.
He greeted me with a softly gloved hand to the nape of my neck, pulling me up on my tiptoes for a short kiss. We then walked into the stadium hand in hand.
Stocked up on hot dogs for him, cheese nachos for me and beer for us both, we make our way to our seats. We’re in the top section, only four rows from the very top of the stadium. Nosebleeds, they call it, but I love it up here. It’s all my family could afford when we came to Steeler games. Honestly, though, the view from up here is the best. It’s easy to see everything so much better when watching from above.
“I assume your sister is here,” Cage says as he starts to unwrap his hot dog.
“Yeah… not sure where, though. We’re going to meet up at halftime if that’s okay with you.”
“Totally okay with me,” he replies, opening his mouth and chomping at least a third of the hot dog in one bite. He has two more to eat after that. He’s a big guy so big appetite. “So, are you going to introduce me as a friend, a date, or a former one-night stand turned into a two-night stand so far?”
I snort, dipping a chip in cheese while giving him a side glance. “I’m just going to introduce you as Cage. I’ve already told her about you.”
Cage stops chewing, his face freezing as he stares at me. He swallows, and it looks almost painful. “You already told a family member about me?”
His tone is one of curiosity, not displeasure.
Grinning, I shrug. “Well, I told my sister about you. We’re tight, and we sort of share everything. We’re definitely not at the point I’d tell my parents or anything.”
“Of course not,” Cage agrees dramatically. “We’ve only had sex two times.”
“Way more than two times,” I correct in a censuring tone. “But on two separate evenings.”
And last evening was even better than the first. We didn’t have the haze of alcohol, but that didn’t lower inhibitions.
Cage bursts out laughing, then leans into me to plant a kiss on my temple. It’s a sweet gesture, making me feel young and giddy. And he almost looks surprised by his own action, as if that spontaneous act of affection was out of his norm.
I lean toward him, bumping my shoulder against his as if to say, your kiss was sweet, and I really liked it. Don’t be embarrassed by it.
Cage gives me a nudge back, smiling down at his dog.
♦
Come halftime, we make our way down to the outer ring that circles the middle of the stadium leading to the lower seating in the 200 and 100 sections. Laney texted where to meet her, and it’s quite the haul as our seats are on the opposite side of the stadium.
I try to see through the crowd of people rushing to use the bathroom and buy more refreshments. Cage stands a good head taller than me. He says, “I think I see her.”
“How do you know?” I ask as he grabs my hand and starts pulling me on a diagonal path to the right, cutting in and out of people walking in the opposite direction. I feel almost like a salmon swimming upstream.
“Does she have hair like yours?” he asks over his shoulder as I’m about half a step behind him.
“Yup.”
“Same crystal blue eyes that can crush a man’s soul?”