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“No. I didn’t go to high school. I was homeschooled.”
His forehead knitted like he was puzzling out her meaning.
“Something wrong?”
“No, uh…” He shifted from one foot to another. “Nothing. It’s just that my family is extremely passionate about sports, basketball especially. We can be a little, um, intense and aggressive.”
“I understand. I can be that way, too, about certain things.” She added a chuckle, but he still wore a pained expression. “Wait, are you worried about me?”
“A little. Please don’t call me a chauvinist but you’re tiny, and if you haven’t played much I’m afraid…”
At least he was honest. Ally placed a hand on his arm. “Don’t be. I’ll be fine. It’s just a game, right?” His arm was so much bigger than hers. She might have let her touch linger a little longer than necessary, she realized, when she noticed him staring down at his forearm.
She removed her hand, but his expression only held more angst as he said, “No, Ally, that’s my point. It’s not just a game with us. It’s…” His words faded away as his expression turned sheepish. He squeezed her shoulder. “Well, you’ll see. And I apologize in advance for the over-the-top behavior you’re about to witness.”
“Oh-kay, I guess?”
“What I’m saying is that I can’t let you win.”
Sliding her gaze toward the hand still on her shoulder, she said, “Thanks for the warning. Better be careful, though. All this looking out for me and I’ll wonder about your intentions.”
He went hands up, palms out, eyes wide, like she’d just caught him robbing a bank. “No, no. I don’t… I’m not thinking about you…like that. I promise.”
An invisible pain hit her in the chest, so sudden and powerful that she brought a hand up and placed it there. She glanced away, forcing a smile that felt brittle enough to crack her face. How could she have been so stupid? He could have any woman he wanted. Why in the world would he consider…whatever it was she’d been thinking?
“Of course not,” she managed. “I was only…kidding.” Liar. And she knew she sounded like one. She tried for eye contact, but her eyelids felt heavy, her vision blurred. Why had she flirted with him? It was all that pretend-wife talk and the looks and the touching. She had zero experience with flirting, and clearly she was not a natural.
“Hey,” he said, but she still couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. Her cheeks were flaming with embarrassment. Not until the very tips of his fingers found the tips of hers and squeezed, making her breath catch a little, did she look at him. He let go, but that deadly green glint was blazing in his eyes, and his voice held a desperate kind of urgency as he whispered, “That was a lie, Ally. I was lying. I shouldn’t say this, but if you were a decade or so older, my intentions would be exactly what you implied. But you’re not and so I promised myself I would let it go.”
His eyes roamed over her, and it felt like a panicky hummingbird had been turned loose inside her chest, darting every which way. She wanted to argue, to convince him age didn’t matter, but that would probably sound…desperate. And maybe he was just being nice and letting her down easy. But, no, the way he looked at her, watched her, had her believing every word. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him, either. And when they touched, the air went all heavy and thick between them, like a thundercloud gathering. She might not have much experience, but their attraction was about as straightforward as it got. And now he was admitting it only to assure her he wouldn’t act on it? Because of her age? She didn’t know how old he was and she didn’t care.
A whistle blew, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Game time. Further ruining the moment, Tag gave her a buddy-type pat on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. You should do fine with Gareth on your team. He’s really good. Almost as good as me. Don’t hate me after.” Walking backward, he tapped his chest with one finger before pointing it at her. “You young ’uns can learn something from us old guys.” Adding a cocky wink, he left to find his teammates.
