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“He makes the most amazing big spoon. He just kind of”—I open my arms as if giving the air a hug—“wraps around you with his whole body.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Samantha waves this information away. “As great as that is, Charlotte said when she walked in on the two of you at Pizzuto’s, it looked like he was about to take you right there, so what the heck happened?”
I pause because the truth isn’t something I want to share. “Um, I don’t know. We got in the car with Chris and he was asking all these questions about why we used to hate each other, then we got back and things felt kind of heavy and awkward for a moment.”
“Nice. His wingman killed the mood.” Samantha scowls.
I shrug because she’s not wrong. “Kinda.”
“So, he settled for cuddling. Wow.” Charlotte beams. “I need me a Jace Taggart doppelgänger. Does he have any brothers, by chance?”
I scrunch my nose. “Only child. Sorry.”
Samantha huffs. “I can’t believe there arenojuicy details even though you left our group date with him. So, why was he there, anyway? Did you at least get that much out of him?”
I smile. “When he found out we were going on a group date, he got jealous and followed us there.”
“Ugh! I can’t take it.” Charlotte groans. “He iseverything. Please tell me you’re going to pursue whatever this is with him.”
I bite my lip and nod, causing Charlotte to let out a loud squeal. “At first, I tried to fight it, mostly because of my adverse feelings toward him and because it’s Jace, you know? I’ve known him for years. I’ve seen how he is with girls. He’s never had a real girlfriend because he can’t commit, and so this whole time with the kiss and the cupcake incident, I just assumed he was messing around. Jace being Jace. But I don’t think I can fight it anymore. I can’t deny that I feel something for him.”
“But do you think he actually wants something with you and not just a hook up?” Samantha asks as she pops a fry into her mouth.
I can’t blame her for questioning his intentions when I’ve questioned them myself, but my thoughts drift to Teresa and everything she just told me, and I smile. “I actually do,” I say, biting my lip and thinking about waking up this morning to him wrapped around me.
“What about your brother?” Charlotte asks, bringing me back to reality. “Will that be a problem?”
I sigh because I have no doubt Jace is the last person Teagan would want me to be with. Not because he thinks Jace is a terrible person; my brother doesn’t hang around with assholes. Teagan is as good as they come and he surrounds himself with good people in return. But when it comes to relationships and women, Jace has a reputation. If Teagan had even an inkling of what’s happening between us, especially with my past, he would not be happy. It’s not lost on me that Teagan will forgive me for keeping this from him because I’m his sister. But it’s different for Jace. He isn’t family. They might be as close as brothers, but at the end of the day, they’re best friends, separated by blood.
So, will Teagan be a problem? I just don’t know.
“I’m not sure,” I say, my tone wary. “But I think we’re probably wise to see what comes of this thing between us, if anything, before we run and tell him. It’s new. A lot can happen in a short amount of time.”
Samantha hums in the back of her throat as she flops back into her chair. “Well, get ready to tell him because something tells me that boy is smitten.”
CHAPTER 26
JACE
We amble off thefootball field, muscles sore and our practice gear soaked to the bone with sweat. I grip the face mask of my helmet, still slowing my heart rate after the suicides we just did. The days in the weight room are bliss compared to our training on the field, but when I step foot on the turf, it gets me excited for what’s to come in the fall. Football is now less than two months away, official practices only a month out, and I can’t wait to see what the season has in store. If the last month is any indication, I’ll dominate the field.
When I first promised Teagan I’d watch out for Brynn, I thought she might be a distraction, that she’d pull my focus. But since things have taken a turn for us during the last couple of weeks, I’ve played better than ever. It’s like the closer I get to her and the more we talk, the more I’m able to harness all my energy onto the field.
My thoughts drift to the time we spent together over the weekend, and I can’t wipe the goofy-ass grin off my face.Showing up at Pizzuto’s . . . sleeping beside her all night . . . I’ve never felt this way with a chick. It’s like I can’t get enough. Like I don’t want whatever this thing is between us to end. And it feels damn good.
“What’s that smile for?” Damon asks as we make our way into to the tunnel that leads to the locker room. “You were particularly chipper this morning, considering all those suicides and bleach sprints.”
Chris snorts. “Hmm, I wonder why that is?” He delivers a blow to my ribs and adds, “Guess who didn’t sleep on the couch last night?”
Both sets of eyes swing my way, but I shrug. “Nothing happened. We literally slept. That’s all.”
“Right,” Damon drawls. “The ole ‘we just slept,’” he says, making air quotes with his hands.
I roll my eyes as we enter under the huge archways that lead into the front of the locker room. “Seriously, that’s all that happened.” Then I change the subject because I know they’ll never let it drop. “What do you think Coach wants?”
Chris drops down on the bench across from his locker and shrugs. “No idea.”
I pop mine open, then yank my jersey up over my head. We were informed at the start of practice to wait for Coach, which has us all on edge, wondering what he wants. Luckily, I don’t need to wait long to find out what it’s about. Coach enters the locker room not more than a minute later, and the atmosphere immediately shifts. All joking fizzles out, smiles straighten, and conversation dies.
