“I’m not the one walking around with my chin so high you can see up my nose.”
“Don’t be mad just because I’m taller than you.”
I cough out a laugh. “You are not taller than me. I’m six-one.”
“You’re not a hair over five-eleven.”
“Do you want to get out the measuring tape?”
She arches a brow. “Do you keep one handy so you can prove your size, Fletcher?”
I lower my voice. “There you go, thinking about my dick again.”
Her eyes ignite as she leans closer. “Or maybe you’re just wishing I would.”
My dick twitches like it knows it’s the topic of conversation.
Quinn clears her throat. “You do realize there are children present.”
My eyes snap up to hers, and she stifles a laugh as she turns back to her conversation with Raymond.
Ainsley takes a big bite of her pizza, waggling her eyebrows at me.
And I’m left wondering why she might be right...
Chapter 12
Landon
Summer Before Junior Year
“Goal!”
Ainsley holds her arms out straight on either side of her as she runs in a wide circle. “Wanna tell me again how a girl can’t score on you, Patrick?”
He tosses his stick onto the grass like the sore loser he is. “They’re not defending you. They’re going easy on you because you’re a girl.”
I hunch over, bracing my hands on my knees as I suck in ragged breaths. “The fuck I am. Let me seeyoudefend her.”
Evan’s chest heaves as he nods. “She’s fast as fuck.”
Ainsley grins wide. “You boys are looking a little tired. Should we call it quits already?”
“How are you not even winded?” Aiden, our attacker, asks.
Ainsley shakes her head. “You gotta do more cardio.”
“She’s a freak of nature,” Ivori calls.
I’ve never seen anyone play quite like Ainsley. She’s fast and agile on her feet, but her mind is just as quick. It’s like she can see the play before it happens, anticipating everyone’s moves soshe’s ready to adjust and adapt. She makes me question my own skills, and watching her play makes me want to push myself harder, to be better.
She scores on Patrick two more times before we end the game, too exhausted to continue any further. We head back to my house after, the usual hangout spot in the summer.
Mom greets us at the door, a beaming smile lighting up her face. “Did you guys have fun?”
“Patrick didn’t,” Ainsley says, stepping into the house.
“Aww, how many times did she score on you?” Mom asks.
