He walks toward me, his strides so carefree and sexy. “I have an interview with Tony.”
I bring my brows in more. “Tony? The athletic trainer?”
“Yeah, I’m wanting to work on the jumbotron.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” I hit the ball again. “What about the Assassins?”
“I want to do both.”
“Busy man.”
“I like being busy.”
I hate small talk.
“Why are you in here? No class?”
“I have a little break. I usually come in here, hit balls, and eat my lunch on days like this.”
He nods, looking uncomfortable. I bang my fist into the ball again, watching as it bounces back up so I don’t have to look at him. The tension is tangible, but neither of us speaks. I bite the inside of my cheek as I smack the ball over and over again.
But I can’t take it.
When I look up, he’s watching me, and at the same time, we each say, “Can’t text me?”
It’s like the tension just evaporates, and we’re both grinning. Then, again at the same time, we say, “Jinx!”
Now we’re laughing. “I said it first,” I claim, and he scoffs.
“The hell you did. I was a second faster. You owe me a Coke.”
“No! You owe me one!”
As our laughter fills the gym, he leans on the basket, bouncing on it while looking down at me. “You sleep with him?”
I roll my eyes. “That’s none of your business.”
He gives me a dull look. “Don’t be like that.”
“Did you sleep with Angie?”
He scoffs. “No. My choice completely. Pretty sure she would have done me in front of everyone.”
I give him a “Yeah, right” look, and he grins.
“I’m irresistible. I can’t stop all this.”
When he winks, I groan. He may think I’m joking, but in reality, I’m in distress because I know how hot he is and I can’t have him. Nor can I handle all of it. “Get a life.”
He laughs, but it gradually subsides. “Actually, Aiden told me I couldn’t sleep with Angie.”
I perk a brow. “Really? That’s surprising. I thought he’d come bearing a Costco-size pack of condoms and a bottle of tequila to get things started.”
“One would think,” he says with a grin. “He got weirded out by it. You know he used to watch her.”
I shrug. “So? He babysat all of us.”
“Well, I don’t think he’s trying to do you.”
“But he is doing Shelli, and he babysat her.”
He gags. “Hmm. That’s got me thinking. I wonder if we can sell their love story to someone?”
“We could make millions!”
Asher holds up his hand. “Whoa, now. Maybe thousands, but not millions. They aren’t that great.”
I snort with laughter as I shake my head. “Yeah, you’re right.” He nods as we each look away again. The silence stretches, and like before, I can’t handle it. “I didn’t sleep with Taco, but he does claim he’s changed.”
He rolls his eyes very dramatically. “Into what? A burrito? Or did he take my advice and go with nachos? I’m telling you, nachos are the way to go.”
“For the love of Pete.” I give him a dry look, but he just grins. “He was really good to me last night. He paid for dinner, and he made me laugh. He didn’t get upset that I didn’t want to sleep with him.”
He gawks at me. “Oh, how great that the guy you went on a date with doesn’t get upset when you don’t want to have sex. Wow, that’s amazing.”
“Your sarcastic comment isn’t needed.”
“He’s trash, Ally. You deserve more.”
I shrug. “He’s comfortable.”
“So? You’re better than this. Don’t settle for trash because you’re lonely.”
“Wow. That’s rude,” I say, furrowing my brows. “I am just fine alone.”
“Whatever. You’re lonely. And I’m telling you, running back to a toxic relationship won’t fix that.”
I look down at the ball I’m holding. “Maybe it’ll be different this time.”
“It won’t,” he decides. “But you do what you want, and when it blows up in your face, I’ll only say ‘Told you so’ once.”
“Just once?”
“Just once,” he promises, and when I meet his gaze, he smiles. “I only want the best for you.”
“I know, but I’m a big girl. I’m actually the older one of the two of us.”
He strokes his chin, deep in thought. “I feel that’s a technicality that doesn’t matter.”
I shake my head. “You’re impossible.”
“And you love me,” he claims, pulling me to him for a hug. I drop the ball and wrap my arms around his middle. If only he knew how much I loved him. He smells like a freaking dream, and I nuzzle closer for longer than I should, but I can’t resist. I hold him until he starts to let go, and slowly, we part.
“I do.”
“I know,” he says, pushing a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I like your hair like this.”
It’s in a braided bun, but it’s nothing to get excited about. When he pulls his hand away, he touches my jaw lightly with his finger, and I hold my breath. “Thanks.” I swallow hard, swooning, needing to change the subject so he stops looking at me. “Bet you thought Angie was hot last night.”
I know, it’s pathetic, but I don’t want him to think I’m into him because I swooned at his touch.
He chuckles, a sexy look taking over his features. I love when he smiles like that. That bashful grin that shows his deep dimples. “She is. But man, she’s thirsty as fuck.”
I scoff. “Well, duh. I thought you were irresistible?”
He nods. “You’re right,” he says, pointing to me. “I told her I wanted a relationship, that I don’t fuck for free.”
I dissolve in laughter. “You think really highly of your abilities, friend.”
“Hey, I know what I can do,” he says, all rough and dangerous. “All this costs commitment.”
I’m dying. Like completely dying.
“Slow your roll, pump-and-dump,” I tease, and he guffaws. “So, whatcha thinking?”
“I don’t know. Aiden really doesn’t want me doing anything with her. She’s hot and smart, but I don’t see anything there. No sparks.”
“Well, got to have the sparks,” I say softly because, for me, it’s like fireworks going off around his head and mine. I feel like a character in the Sims. My heart is coming out of my chest, and I want to take him to bed for whoopee. It’s pretty damn insane in my head, but that’s what he does to me.
“Right? You know what’s crazy?” he asks, checking his watch.
“What?”
He meets my gaze once more, and I swear, if I weren’t harboring the secret that I’m in love with him, I would swoon once more. “Everyone is saying we should hook up.”
My stomach drops, and I choke on my word. “Huh?”