Fumbled

It wasn't supposed to mean anything.

Just one night.

Sydney Hale goes home with a stranger who's charming, funny, and way too easy to talk to. The chemistry is instant, the sex is unforgettable-and somehow, they end up staying up half the night laughing, talking, and getting to know each other in a way that feels dangerously real.

It scares her.

So the next morning, she does what she always does when things start to matter-she leaves. No goodbye. No explanation. She moves on.

Except he doesn't.

Carson-which was not the name he told her-can't stop thinking about the woman who slipped through his fingers. He's drawn to her in a way that has nothing to do with attraction and everything to do with connection. He texts. He calls. He shows up. He wants more.

Sydney wants distance.

Then she sees a headline.

A photo.
A name she doesn't recognize-until she does.

Carson Beck.
The biggest, hottest quarterback in the NFL.
A notorious playboy with a reputation for chewing through women and walking away without a second glance.

The realization hits hard: she didn't just sleep with a stranger-she slept with him.

Now she's caught between panic and disbelief. Because the man she spent the night with doesn't match the one splashed across every sports page. And despite his reputation, Carson is still chasing her like she's the only woman who exists.

She knows better than to fall for a quarterback who lives under stadium lights and headlines.

But Carson Beck has never wanted anything the way he wants Sydney Hale.

And this time, he refuses to fumble her twice.