Page 71 of The Purest Fake

She narrows her eyes at me. “Don’t make a joke when I’m trying to be serious with you.”

“Okay, Mom, make your point.” I gesture for her to continue.

“I’m reminding you that it would be easy to cross the boundaries you set without noticing.”

My shoulders jump in a quick shrug. “So far, we haven’t.”

“Doesn’t mean you won’t. And that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”

I roll my eyes. “I call bullshit.”

She snickers. “Let me rephrase. That’s all I’m going to say on the matterfor today.”

“Yeah, that’s more accurate. But I’m not convinced you can follow through with that,” I tell her.

“I’m gonna make some snacks before the game starts. Do you want anything?” she asks.

“I’ll help because the game’s starting soon and I can’t miss any of it. Cooper said he’s gonna quiz me on what happens to make sure I watched.”

Autumn gives me a look that says she wants to say something, but instead she mimes zipping her lips.

I shake my head as I grab bowls from the kitchen cabinet. “Just say it and get it over with.”

“Say what?”

“That I’m catching feelings for him,” I blurt out.

Her eyebrows rise. “Are you?”

Maybe. Yes.

“I don’t know.”

“Are you sure about that?” she presses, knowing I’m not being honest.

“Nope. And that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”

She gives me a dubious look as I fill the bowls with various snack foods before we head back into the living room and settle on the couch

“I need to pay attention to the game and help them win.” She turns her head forward, immersing herself in the world of the Silverbacks.

A memory sparks of Cooper warning me that he’s going to test me to make sure I watched the game, and my eyes lock on the TV with single-minded focus. For the duration of the game, every time Cooper’s in sight, my gaze stays with him. And after the things we’ve recently done together, I find myself getting turned on. Looks like my vibrator will be getting another workout tonight.

CHAPTER 19

COOPER

Ipace the locker room, trying to burn off some of my pre-game jitters. Today’s game is crucial after our loss last week. We need to prove ourselves and get back on track. Two losses in a row so early in the season would be devastating.

“You good, Coop?” Thor asks, clapping me on the shoulder as he walks by.

I nod, forcing a smile. “Yeah. I’m just ready to get out there and make some plays.”

“That’s a great attitude. We’re gonna crush it today.”

As Thor moves on to hype up some of the other guys, I take a deep breath and try to focus. My mind keeps drifting to Scarlett. Our FaceTime session last night was incredibly hot, but now I’m worried it might have been a distraction. I can’t stop thinking about what we did, and I need to be one hundred percent focused on the game.

Coach gathers us for a final pre-game talk. His words are motivating, reminding us of all the hard work we put in daily and how well we’ve prepared for this battle. I feel my focus sharpening and my determination revving up. I’m getting into battle mode.

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