Page 3 of Keep Me

This was fate, right? There was no other explanation for me meeting Matty on the night thatSpillittold me to come here. It had to be, not only because of the instant attraction between us, but also because we’d most likely see each other around campus.

He smiled at me, and I smiled at him.

Guess we’d have to sit next to each other in every class. Maybe even share notes… and other things.

“I guess so.”

Our marshmallows roasted until they burned to ashes, but we didn’t care because we couldn’t stop talking. I’d known him for all of twenty minutes, yet we were acting like we’d been best friends our entire lives.

Matty was awesome. He was funny and smart, and when he laughed, it was genuine. I hated to admit it, but I liked everything about him.

I’d never felt an attraction as strong as this.

My phone buzzed again, and I ignored it, but Matty frowned and looked down at his leg. “That’s your phone, right?”

Following his gaze, I realized our thighs were touching and he’d felt the vibration. Laughing, I pulled it out of my pocket, dismissed all the calls from my family, then turned it off and placed it on the other side of the log. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem.” He paused, studying me with his thick brow. “Someone’s really trying to get a hold of you.”

“Ah, it’s just my dad and brothers. They want to talk baseball.”

“Baseball? Who’s your team?”

“The Catfish.”

He raised a brow before shaking his head. “Should have known. Every girl I’ve ever met is a Catfish fan.” Matty rolled his eyes before turning back to me. “Or should I say a Tate Sorenson fan?”

“That’s not true,” I blurted, unsure if the heat in my cheeks was from being embarrassed by his accusation or that I might have to openly admit who my brother was. “Don’t get me wrong. Tate’s a dominant player, but I think he’s overrated.”

“Overrated?” Matty blew out a breath as he watched the fire. “Hasn’t he won Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year more than once, and a World Series?”

“I wasn’t talking about his game. That man could win Player of the Year through his batting average alone. I was talking about his looks, which is why most uneducated baseball fans are drawn to him.”

“Oh, okay, but theeducatedfan doesn’t notice that he’s tall, sculpted, and looks like he walked out of a men’s underwear ad?”

I groaned. “I’ll admit he’s good looking. However, he bears an uncanny resemblance to one of my brothers, so I’m good.”

Matty winced.

“Are you a Fish fan too?” I asked.

“Eh, I’d put myself in the casual, uneducated watcher category,” he said with an amused smile. Then he licked his bottom lip and bit down on it gently before saying, “Gotta focus on football.”

“Ah, so you’re a football player?” I tried to hide my excitement, but this was getting too surreal.

“Yeah.”

“Well, what a coincidence. Football is my favorite sport.”

“To watch?”

“And play.” I shifted in my seat and threw him a confident smile. “I was a kicker on my team in high school.”

His smile dropped, and he took me in silently for a second. “You’re shitting me, right?”

I shook my head. “Nope. First girl in my high school to be on the football team. I tried out for soccer for the longest time but kept kicking the ball too high and missing the goal. When the football coach saw me, he asked me to try out, and apparently, I was a natural.”

“Wow. Do you still play?”

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