Page 46 of Enemies Off Camera
She bolts upright, wide-eyed and panicked. “What? Did I fall asleep?” She locks onto me. “Jaxon? What time is it?”
I check my watch. “Seven thirty-three.”
“Nooo,” she groans, slumping forward. “I slept through the game.Again?” Her mouth turns down and she looks up at me with these helpless, glassy eyes.
Damn.
I want to kiss her. We’ve never kissed, but I want to. Just once.
Justonce.
I swallow hard—fighting the ache in my chest, the throb in my tricot track pants.
No.
No way.
No.
Way.
“What’s the problem, Zara? The game bores you?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I just don’t understand it. Why do they stop so often? Why do they keep slamming into each other? And what do all the numbers mean? It’s just... confusing. That’s all. And I’ve never been into sports.”
I cross my arms and nod. I can see what she needs now.
“So you need to learn the game?”
She shifts upright, suddenly alert. “I guess so.”
“Want me to teach you?”
Her brows shoot up like I just offered her a prison sentence. I stay still. Part of me wants to take it back—her hesitation feels like rejection.
But she needs help. And helping her helpsbothof us.
She exhales slowly. “Yes. Please. Teach me.”
THIRTY-FIVE
The way he’s looking at me, I almost expect him to take back the offer. But then he starts nodding.
“Follow me,” he says and walks off.
I spring to my feet and trail behind him—this towering hunk of a man.
No. No, no.
I shake my head. I can’t think of Jaxon that way. He’s myteacher. Like a coach. That’s better.
He leads me into his home theater and gestures for me to sit in one of the oversized black leather recliners near the front. I sink into the chair, and he takes the one next to me. He lifts a panel in the armrest to reveal a built-in control screen.
“From here, you can run everything,” he says, like he’s inviting me to use the space whenever I want.
As he talks me through it, I glance at his face. Jaxon really is generous. I can’t deny that. He’s magnetic—until he flips the switch and becomes a complete ass. But now... I’m not so sure anymore.
He honestly thinksI’mthe selfish one. And rude.
