Page 6 of The Love Dare
She was Alex’s sister.
She was Alexandru’s daughter.
She was completely off limits.
And she was devastatingly perfect.
He knew it then, and he knows it now, which is why that oh-so-familiar pang reverberates across his chest the second he sees her. It happens every time she’s around, no matter how hard he tries to stop it. And apparently, he’s a glutton for punishment, because instead of backing away before she notices him, he just sinks into that ache and steps closer.
“Hey, Win.”
She jolts as if shot. The book slips through her fingers as she loses her balance and nearly topples off the side of the bench. Grabbing her chest, she pants. “Oh my god, Ty. You scared me!”
He tries not to notice how adorable she looks, but can’t fight the little upturn twitching at the edges of his lips. He’s not used to having to hide a grin. She’s the only person who can so effortlessly bring out his smile. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. I’m such a spaz.” She shakes her head, then casts a furtive glance his way before turning her attention to the floor. “I’m just in the middle of a really good— Oh, there it is.”
She bends down to scoop up her book. He leans over her, intending to catch a look at the cover, but while she’s upside down, her hair falls forward over her shoulder, revealing the word spread across the back of her jersey.
Briggs.
He squeezes his eyes shut to stop the letters from swimming, then opens them back up, confident he must be wrong. But there it is again.
Briggs.
A bolt of pure heat spasms down his spine, exploding into something entirely different from the twinge of disappointment he’s grown used to—something that’s been building all along, but he still stubbornly isn’t ready to face.
He has to know if he’s seeing things.
He can’t trust his own brain.
“Is that—” He pauses, struggling to find the right words, the right tone. “Are you wearing my jersey?”
She freezes, still upside down. “…No?”
“Winnie.”
“Okay, yes.” She groans, still wincing as she rights herself and lifts those big hazel eyes. “But it’s not what you think,” she hastens to say, color rising like the dawn across her cheeks as her pace quickens. “It’s just— I noticed that your mom hasn’t been around as much this season, and it didn’t seem fair for you not to have anyone cheering for you, especially during such a big game. And my mom is like the loudest person ever. She’s a one-woman cheering section. Alex didn’t need both of us, and if I’m being honest, he could do with being brought down a peg or two. Have you noticed how full of himself he’s been since going to high school? I know. I’m so lame, still in eighth grade, but does he need to constantly rub it in my face all the time? I mean, I’ll be there soon enough. And you’re so nice, Ty. You’re like the nicest person to me. So I just thought, maybe this one time, I could be the nicest person to you, too? Maybe? But it’s weird, right? It’s weird. I won’t ever do it again. I swear. I?—”
“It’s not.”
She swallows and folds her lips into her mouth, the picture of uncertainty. That burning deep in his chest intensifies. A lump thickens at the back of his throat, so for a moment he can’t speak.
“Weird, I mean,” he clarifies. “It’s not weird. I’d say it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, but your dad pretty much adopted me into the family, so I’ll give you the number-two spot. It’s the second-nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
Elation slowly morphs her face, lighting a twinkle in her eyes, crinkling them at the corners. She tucks her hair behind her ear to hide a smile. “Really?”
He slips his hands in his pockets before they get a mind of their own and falls beside her on the bench, unable to fight the pull. “Really.”
“Well, I could do it again. Next season, I mean. If that’s something you might, um, want.”
Might, um, want.
The very thought sends his blood rushing. He clenches his jaw to stifle a groan. Yes, he wants it. He wants it too damn much. He’s ready to throw all his gear on and win another championship right now. He feels cheated that he just played an entire game completely unaware she was wearing his name. The breadth of his reaction causes a slow-motion horror show inside his mind as the realization he’s been doing his best to avoid announces itself with flashing lights.
No, Tyler thinks.No. No.
But he can’t deny it anymore. He can’t pretend. Not when he’s sitting there with his entire right side hyper aware of the three inches between their bodies and his brain on overdrive fighting the tailspin she’s flung him into. That feeling he gets every time she’s around isn’t disappointment—not anymore.
