Chapter One
DECEMBER, SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL
Cassian Ellis’s phone rattled in the cupholder. One hand gripping the steering wheel, he nabbed it and swiped his thumb across the screen.
Brennan: She’s down for it.
Anxiety burst in his chest. Propping his knee to control the wheel, he shot back a text.
Cassian: Leave her alone. I’m serious.
Nobody touched Gigi Cavanaugh.
Nobody.
His eyes flicked back to the road just in time to spot the coyote in front of his truck. Slamming on the brake, he jolted forward, tires squealing as he came to a stop a foot in front of the terrified animal. Headlights gleamed in its stunned eyes.
“Dammit.” Heart thundering, he tossed his phone onto the passenger seat.
He’d almost killed an animal.
He never texted while driving. Never. You’re losing your shit.
He’d been away from Gigi all week, and he couldn’t stand it.
She’s not my girlfriend.
She’ll never be my girlfriend.
He knew that, but still. The idea that Brennan—that any of his teammates—would try to hook up with her made him crazy.
But that’s not fair.
I can’t have her—but they can.
He honked, and the coyote bolted into the sagebrush meadow. Accelerating, he turned down Blossom Road to find cars parked haphazardly all over the snow-crusted cul-de-sac. Impatient to see her, he drove his truck up the side of a hill, jammed on the emergency brake, and jumped out.
Damn, it’s cold. His breath came out in quick, white puffs.
He jogged toward the house, snow crunching under his feet. Bass from the loud music shattered the brittle air.
The moment he opened the door, the noise and heat hit him. The place was crawling with people. It looked like everyone in his senior class had shown up.
“Dude.” A teammate saw him and rushed over. Others followed, surrounding him. Jesus, not now. Someone shoved a plastic cup of beer at him, but Cassian waved it off, too focused on getting to Gigi.
“Congratulations, dude,” a girl said.
“Monumental achievement,” one of the guys said.
“Come on.” One of the team’s wide receivers tried to drag him deeper into the room. “Shots to celebrate.”
“Hang on.” Something about his tone caused their smiles to freeze. “I’ll catch up with you in a minute.” He shoved out of the circle.
Where is she? He was so amped, he felt like he could hurl his truck off a ravine.
What if she’d had too much to drink, and Brennan took advantage of that?
Okay, first of all, Gigi wouldn’t let anyone take advantage of her. But, secondly, Brennan wasn’t a bad guy.
That’s not the point, is it?
The point is…what if Gigi wants to date Brennan?
What if Cassian had to spend the last six months of high school watching her have a boyfriend?
For nearly four years they’d been pretty much inseparable. He’d never had to see her with another guy.
We’re friends. Nothing more.
Her dad made sure of that.
Not finding her, he wove his way through the crowd into the game room. A group played beer pong on a pool table. Several people gathered around the fireplace, listening to someone play guitar.
Gigi.
His heart about exploded at the sight of her. Eyes closed, cheeks rosy from the roaring flames, she was beautiful—the most spirited, strong, positive person he knew.
And talented—not only could she sing, but she wrote songs that blew everyone away. For years, she’d performed at school functions—she was a rock star in the making.
Beside her, Brennan sat too close. Cassian wanted to shout at him to give her some space. But he didn’t need to do anything, because when his teammate tried to cup the back of her neck, Gigi shrugged him off.
He smiled. Yeah, she had no interest in his cornerback.
Draining his red Solo cup, Brennan threaded his fingers through her silky, dark hair. Cassian’s body went on high alert. She’d made herself clear—why wasn’t the guy listening?
He wouldn’t embarrass Gigi by making a scene, so he shot off a text.
Cassian: Back off, man. Let her play.
But Brennan wasn’t looking at his phone. He had his mouth right up against Gigi’s ear. Jolting to her feet, she jerked the guitar out in front of her like a shield. Brennan snaked a finger through the belt loop of her jeans and yanked. The moment she toppled onto his lap, she scrambled to get up, but Brennan wrapped an arm around her stomach and held her in place.
Cassian charged across the room. In one motion, he pried his teammate’s arm off her and pulled Gigi away.
She whipped around and kicked Brennan in the shin. “What’s the matter with you?”
“Ow. What? I was just playin’.” Brennan slurred his words.
Barely hanging onto his self-control, Cassian leaned in. “Soon as we get back to school after winter break, I’m going to get the entire offensive line to show you what it’s like to feel overpowered, got it?”
“Yeah, man. It’s cool. We’re cool.”
He turned back to Gigi, who was shaken. “Come on.”
The buzz of conversation and laughter only fueled his agitation. I’ve got to get out of here. He wanted to be alone with her in the quiet of his truck and drive, but it was December in Calamity. Their small, Wild West town, sandwiched between the Teton and the Gros Ventres Mountain Ranges, was bitter cold this time of year and blanketed in snow.
She tugged on his hand, head tilting toward the staircase. Let’s find a quiet room.
Christ, no. He couldn’t take her to one of the bedrooms. Not only would it give their classmates the wrong impression of them, but…he only had so much restraint. He forged ahead.
She tugged the back of his flannel shirt, pulling him into a small alcove. “Hey, I’m okay. Everything’s fine.”
“He’s an asshole.”
“He’s harmless.” Gently, she set her guitar against the wall, and then she gazed up at him with a sweet smile, amber eyes sparkling with excitement. “Tell me how it went.”
A cartoon meme popped into his brain, a field of flowers bursting into bloom all at once. His spirits soared. Affection for her consumed him, disabling his ability to speak.
She beamed at him with so much pride. “I’m so happy for you.”
He could only nod.
She smacked his arm. Come on. “Was it the coolest thing in the world?”
He wanted to be in their treehouse, sprawled side-by-side on the mattress, so he could tell her everything on his mind. He had so much turmoil, and she was the only one who could sort through all the crap and get everything to line up.
When he didn’t respond, her brow furrowed. “I wish I could’ve been there, but at least my dad was.” She gave him an encouraging smile. “Tell me everything.”
“Not much to say.” What she didn’t know—what he couldn’t tell her—was that he’d wanted her there while he’d signed his letter of intent.
He always wanted her with him.
He didn’t need anybody but her.
I love you. With everything in me, I fucking love you.