But Daddy I Love Him

Out of My League

Travis

I couldn't believe what had just happened. One second, I was leaving the restroom, just trying to survive the night without tripping over myself, and the next thing I knew, I'd practically plowed straight into Serena Montgomery.

I knew who she was. Everyone on the team did. But nothing could have prepared me for seeing her up close.

Photos of her were all over the place—magazine covers, Instagram, billboards, you name it. And, yeah, I'd thought she was beautiful before. But in person? She was...unreal. Standing just a few inches from her, I'd been able to see the little flecks of gold in her eyes, the kind that made her gaze feel electric, like she was looking straight through me. Her photos didn't come close to capturing that.

And then there was the way she looked at me. Amused, intrigued, and maybe a little mischievous, like she knew exactly what kind of effect she had. And that dress...she looked so unbelievably sexy it was all I could do not to stare. I could still feel the heat creeping up my neck just thinking about it.

Now, I was standing on the sidelines of the ballroom with Patrick Mahomes, trying to look like I hadn't just made a complete idiot of myself. Every time I looked around, I found my eyes drifting back to her, watching the way she moved through the crowd, her laughter carrying across the room. She was so far out of my league it wasn't even funny, and yet here I was, letting myself get distracted by her.

"Man, you're gonna blow your cover if you keep staring at her like that," Patrick muttered, smirking as he nudged me with his elbow.

I tried to play it off, laughing and glancing away. "What? I wasn't—well, maybe a little."

Patrick shook his head, clearly amused. "Look, I get it. But let me give you some advice—don't go there. Arthur Montgomery would chew you up and spit you out if he caught you even looking at her."

I sighed, but I knew he was right. "Yeah, I get it. Way out of my league."

"Way out," Patrick repeated, glancing at her briefly before looking back at me. "You know Arthur actually benched a guy last season just because he made some offhand comment about finding Serena attractive?"

I blinked, surprised. "Wait...seriously?"

"Dead serious," Patrick replied, raising his eyebrows. "Arthur's insanely protective when it comes to her. He'll make an example out of anyone who forgets that. Trust me."

That wasn't exactly comforting. I'd barely spoken to Serena, but from the second I'd crashed into her, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was more than just the boss's daughter. She was magnetic, effortlessly sexy, and those eyes...they were just crazy. I couldn't explain it, but they'd been impossible to look away from.

"Besides," Patrick added, lowering his voice, "she doesn't go for guys like us. You know who her last boyfriend was?"

I shrugged, not wanting to sound too interested. "Who?"

"Harry Styles," Patrick said with a grin. "And before him? The Weeknd."

I let out a low whistle, trying to keep my face neutral. Compared to that, I was just some rookie from Ohio with barely two feet in the NFL. She had a thing for musicians, for guys who were out of reach, and here I was, barely able to say a complete sentence to her.

"See what I mean?" Patrick said, clapping me on the back. "Girls like that? Not even on our radar."

I forced a laugh, trying to play it off. "Yeah. Guess it's just a harmless crush."

"Keep it that way," Patrick warned, chuckling. "Arthur's the type who'd have you sent to another team just to keep you away from her."

As if I needed any more reminders. But even though Patrick was right, I couldn't stop my mind from drifting back to her. She was the kind of woman you couldn't ignore, the kind who stood out without even trying. Just one look from her, and I felt like I'd been hit by a train. There was this energy about her, this spark, like she was meant to be center stage. And her eyes... God, those eyes. Sharp, daring, like she knew exactly what I was thinking and found it all a little bit funny.