Page 39 of Game On

“We did do more.”

His hand drops to my calf, then he brings it up, the pads of his fingers teasing my skin all the way until he holds my hip again. In his eyes, I can tell he wants to do more again. Now.

“What about the rest of the Ballers?” I ask. His eyes flare. “I mean, they hate me, and if you think I’m just going to be another Baller groupie, you’re wrong.”

“You think if you were, I’d actually like you? They don’t know the difference between a layup and a dunk. They don’t even know what position I play or the time I need to train or my stats. They only care that everyone looks at them when they’re around me.”

I had no idea he even cared about stuff like that. With the way he lets some girls hang off him, I figured that was what he wanted. “The Ballers?” I ask again, not letting this go. They won’t be happy.

His lips move into a thin line. “I’ll take care of them.”

I roll my eyes. “Right. The insults and the incidents are just going to go away. They’re suddenly going to feel bad.”

Alec pushes away from the car. He pulls his hands through his hair. “I can’t promise you anything, okay? So, if that’s what you want, we’ll put an end to this right here. Those four guys are my best friends. I don’t always agree with what they do, but they’ve got my back, and I’ve got theirs, always. We’re friends for life.”

I turn away and rub the back of my neck. There’s that determination for them that I see in myself sometimes even after they’ve done something cruel to me. For some reason, I still keep trying to show them they should like me instead of just blowing them off all together. There are other schools in the state I could make a splash in. I didn’t have to pick RHS. My mom probably would’ve taken me anywhere I wanted. It’s the pull of the Ballers though. Sometimes it’s like I crave them. I would go with my dad to any RHS event just because I knew I would see them there, and I wouldn’t miss camp for the world. That’s why I trained so hard. My dad wouldn’t have allowed me to go if I wasn’t top three in the state. Spending the summer with them was just the extra motivation I needed to get up early or get my workouts in. “I can take anything they throw at me.”

One side of his lips pull up. “Is it crazy that that turns me on? You’re strong, and fierce, and loyal to a fault. But aren’t we all?” he asks, his voice trailing like he’s trying to work something out in his head.

I rub my temple, then pull my hair behind my ears. “The guys…they’re not going to be mad at you, are they?”

“Ha.” He chuckles, but then he cuts himself off. “They’re going to be fucking furious.”

My face pales. I go to slide off the car because there’s no reason to even continue this—whatever this is—but Alec slides right back into place until I’m practically only perched on his hips.

“Trust me when I say that everything’s going to be fine.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Trust you? Seriously?” Not fucking likely.

“I can promise you that you can trust me from this point forward.”

His gaze pins me. I so want to believe him. I want an ally. A friend. Someone who can make me feel like he just did. Someone who understands what basketball means to me and not have to explain anything else about it. “Do you want to come see my basketball court now?”

He smiles, his eyes dazzling. “There’s so much I want to see, Tessa.” At his insinuation, he hardens underneath me. I squirm in his lap, but he holds me steady. “Not here.”

“I’m not trying,” I say, my pulse already erratic.

He leans back and pulls just far enough away that I slide down the car and his body until my feet are on the ground again. “Let’s go check out this court. Maybe we can play a little one-on-one.”

The look in his eyes tells me he’s not using that phrase in the traditional basketball way.

21

The alarm on my phone goes off. I fumble with it until I slide the arrow on the screen over to get it to quit beeping. Moving to my back, I stare up at the ceiling. Part of me still can’t believe what happened. Alec Christopoulos made me orgasm. He came to my house. He likes me. I think…

No. He said I could trust him from now on. He does like me.

If Mom hadn’t been home yesterday who knows what would have happened. As it was, we didn’t stay long. I showed him the court, the pool, and only the part of the house from the front door to the backyard. Mom was on us as soon as we stepped in. She knew Alec, of course, and she had no problem watching us the entire time we were there. I could feel her stare on us as I walked him to the court. We made a few baskets, but both of us were uncomfortable with the audience. At least, it was that way for me. I don’t know why since Mom knows nothing about the way they tortured me. To her, they’re just good kids who play basketball.

My phone buzzes, so I look over. Seeing Alec’s name on the screen, I scoop it up right away.Coach called an early morning baseball team meeting. I guess I won’t be needing that ride.

I swallow. I lay back and groan. Going to bed early didn’t help get the night over with just so I could see him this morning on our terms. I kept running over everything in my head. Mostly the way my body responded to his touch.

Another buzz makes me look at the screen again.See you at school though.

How do I tell him that’s not enough without sounding like one of the girls who hangs off him all the time? No matter how I play it in my head, I can’t think of anything to text that doesn’t sound desperate and needy. So, instead, I go with,Cool. See you then.

Be on the lookout for the Ballers today.

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