Page 77 of Too Safe

“Wonderful. And so clever!” Charlie chimes in, clasping his hands. “You said you had it made? So we could order them, too?”

Pursing my lips to hold back a laugh, I nod. This is absurd. I had no idea they would be here. Or that this would become a thing…

Claudia digs a pen out of her purse and writes her number on a torn piece of paper, along with her shirt size, and Charlie’s, too. She’s going on and on about how she’ll pay for the jerseys, and how maybe she should order one to wear, plus one extra to display.

It takes several more minutes before the parents say their goodbyes and head back to their seats. I’m all sorts of frazzled by the time they leave, so I sit on the bench and blow out a breath, trying to get my bearings.

Kylian takes a seat beside me, legs spread wide, a device balanced on each thigh. All signs that the coin toss is imminent. His headset is in place, and a few of the coaches come over to speak to him. He’s locked in, focused, with his head in the game.

Watching him work is like watching an artist paint or a sculptor sculpt. His fingers fly over the screen, his eyes moving frantically as he assesses the numbers in front of him. When he speaks, he’s eerily calm, calling plays and making suggestions into a headset that I now know is linked to Decker, the head coach, and their offensive coordinator.

“Sorry about that,” Kylian murmurs, still not looking up. “I’ll help you get back at him for pulling that stunt.”

Kylian doesn’t exist in any shade of gray. He’s right and wrong. Black and white. He knows Decker upset me, and he’s agreeing to back me up on this.

Thoughtful, but not necessary. I have more than a few ideas for retribution after this unexpected parental meet and greet.

“They liked you,” he adds as an afterthought. Or maybe a reassurance.

They don’t know me. But it’s still kind of Kylian to say that.

“You didn’t have to say what you said about the jersey.”

I still. There’s a hollow sort of doubt in his words that I can’t ignore.

Sure, my comment about the jersey was playful and a bit cheeky. But it was still very much the truth.

“Do you really not understand that I’m wearing this for you?”

He blinks, his focus shifting so he’s side-eyeing me before his attention snaps back to the action on the field.

“I did not. I assumed the jersey was just a way to piss off Decker.”

“Fringe benefit,” I admit with a shrug. “But I thought you’d be into this. After everything that’s happened this week…” I trail off and drop my chin, suddenly filled with doubt.

“You’re serious? This isn’t about him?” In my periphery, he’s watching me, searching my profile. This time, I’m the one focused on the field, embarrassingly avoiding his gaze.

Finally, I shift on the bench and face him. “No Cap,” I assure him with a smirk.

Literally. Figuratively. In all the ways.

His grin is so wide, it lifts his glasses, and that single dimple appears.

The refs and players circle up for the coin toss.

“No Cap,” Kylian repeats, tongue in cheek, his attention laser-focused on what’s happening on the field once more.

I’m so caught up in watching him watch the start of the game that I jump when his arm circles my low back. But I don’t fight him when he pulls me as close as possible to him without disturbing his setup. I startle again when he brushes his fingertips along my leg, leaving goose bumps on my skin despite the heat of the sun radiating down on us.

“You look really fucking hot in my jersey,” he murmurs with a quick squeeze of my thigh.

The Crusaders win the coin toss. And the game begins.

Chapter 31

Josephine

ProfessorHinkleyhasbeendroning on for so long it’s possible that at any moment, he’ll pass out from not taking a breath. I chose this course because it fulfills my gen ed requirement for math, and Logic 200 sounded more appealing than pre-calc. Based on the makeup of the class, I wasn’t alone in that thought.

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