“I’m not hungry.”
He quickly shut the door and came toward me. “What’s wrong?” he blurted.
I rolled my eyes. “Just because I’m not hungry doesn’t mean there’s something wrong.”
He sat on the couch and looked at me.
“But yeah, there’s something wrong.”
“Carson, what happened?” He was in his black gym shorts and a t-shirt.
I set the beer on the table and dragged my hands down my face. “I fucked up really bad with Dax.”
“What did you do?”
“I ran into him tonight and said some stupid stuff about him being a playboy, all men are playboys, just a lot of stereotypical things, and he got pissed off and stormed off. I went after him, and…he told me I needed to fight for him. Otherwise, he was going to move on.”
Charlie stared at me for a while, trying to find the words to say. “I think he has every right to be mad—”
“I know he does. I have been such a bitch since the moment we met.”
“I wouldn’t say that…”
“It’s true. And now I feel really terrible about all of it. Because he seems like such a good guy, too good to be true.” I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. “I have no idea why he likes me. What is there to like?”
“A lot, Carson. You just need to let go of the past and move on.”
“I want to…but it’s not that easy.”
“At least try. Because you don’t want to lose this guy.”
I shook my head. “No…I really like him.”
“And he likes you. He wouldn’t have said any of that to you unless he felt that way.”
“Yeah.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
I grabbed the beer and took a long drink. “Ugh, I don’t know. I want to be with him, but I don’t think I’m ready for anything serious.”
“He’s not asking you to marry him, Carson. Just give him a chance.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t let this guy slip away. He’s smart, funny, kind, sexy…”
I turned to him, my eyebrow raised.
“What? He is,” he said defensively.
I gave a slight chuckle, feeling a little better. “I’m gonna tell him you said that.”
“I don’t care. I’m secure in my masculinity.”
I smiled. “You’re cute.”
“Back to the topic of conversation. What are you going to do?”
I shrugged. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow…and see what happens.”
We walked through the double doors and entered the room with the basketball court. The guys were making shots, passing the ball to take turns. Dax was sweaty and shirtless, drop-dead gorgeous.
Why did I always forget how gorgeous he was?
We put our stuff on the benches. I was in shorts and a tank top, my hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.
Matt hadn’t come along because he had work. It was just Charlie and me.
When Dax realized we were there, he left the court and walked to us, his expression hard to read. He moved to Charlie first and shook his hand. “Hey, man. Where’s Matt?”
“Got caught up at work,” Charlie said.
“It’s cool,” he said. “We’ve got enough players.” Dax looked at me next, but he was a bit cold. He didn’t extend any kind of affection.
Charlie picked up on the hostility and turned away. “I’m gonna go warm up.”
Dax continued to stare at me, like he expected me to say something.
Now that we were face-to-face and he was staring me down like that, I lost my confidence and didn’t know what to do other than squirm.
When he realized I didn’t have anything to say, he gave up and turned away.
“Wait.”
He turned back to me, his hands on his hips, a sour look in his eyes.
“I want to give this chance…if you still want me.”
He turned less lethal, his eyes softening subtly.
“Maybe we can talk after the game?”
He continued to stare, holding his silence, his hands on his hips, still irate.
Now I was afraid he’d had a change of heart overnight.
Then he moved into me, his arms circling my lower back, and he pulled me in for a kiss.
I didn’t mind the sweat. My arms circled his neck, and I felt the moisture immediately seep into my tank from his bare chest. I kissed him back, grateful for the chance he gave me…when I didn’t deserve one.
He pulled away and held my gaze. “Ready to kick some ass?”
I released the breath I was holding, a smile slowly coming onto my lips. The stress suddenly left my body, and I felt free. “Yes…let’s do it.”
After the game concluded, everyone said goodbye and started to file out. We patted ourselves dry with our towels and drank from our water bottles. Dax shook hands with all the guys who left.
Then it was just the three of us.
Charlie glanced back and forth between us, trying to read the room.
“Dax and I are gonna get a drink or something,” I said, letting him know I was going for it.
“Cool.” Charlie smiled then gave me a gentle squeeze on the arm. He turned to Dax. “I know this is gonna come up, so I’d rather you hear it from me…”
I raised an eyebrow.
“I said you were sexy last night. But, like, in a totally straight away.”
Dax chuckled. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“I know Carson will butcher the story, so I thought I would set the record straight now.” He grabbed his water and towel and walked out.
Dax watched him go before he turned back to me. “I think I’d rather hear your version instead.”
I smiled as I crossed my arms over my chest. “I was telling him about what happened last night, and he said you were a catch and I couldn’t let you slip through my fingers, basically.”
“Well, tell him I said he’s sexy too. In a totally straight kind of way.”
I laughed as I grabbed my stuff. “Alright. I will.”
We walked out together and left the gym.
“So, you want to go somewhere and talk?” We were in our gym clothes and sweaty, so stopping by a bar seemed like a bad choice. “Or we can shower at home and meet up somewhere?”
“How about we skip the conversation altogether?”
I stared at him, unsure what that meant.
“You want to have dinner with me tomorrow night? And yes, I’m asking you out on a date.” He stared down at me, his towel over his shoulder, like my response to this question was all he needed to know.
“Sure. I’d love to.”
His eyes softened in approval. “Wow…that’s nice.”
I dropped my gaze in embarrassment.
His fingers moved under my chin, and he lifted my gaze. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetheart.” He pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of my mouth and turned away.
“Alright. See you then.”
Sixteen
Carson
I got to the restaurant first and sat at the table alone. It was a nice place, with white linens, lit candles, and a small vase of roses on the surface. I was in a black dress with my hair curled. It was easy for me to feel confident because I was a naturally secure person.