"What did you mean?" I lifted my head to look up at him, but that was a mistake. The move made me sway backward. He was way too tall. And big. No, that wasn't the right word. My sluggish mind searched and came up with brawny. Yeah, that was it. Tall and brawny with broad shoulders that blocked out the sun. When he held out a hand as if to steady me, I slapped it away. "Well?"
He shrugged. "I meant…rough in a good way."
I narrowed my eyes. "That doesn't even make sense."
"Does to me."
This guy had the audacity to grin.
I pointed to his face. "You know, any other day, I might've found that look charming."
"Thanks, I like your face too."
"I didn't say that."
"Kinda sounded like you did."
Was he…flirting with me, right now?
After possibly giving me a concussion?
The nerve.
"Nope, not today," I said.
"Why not?"
"Because I was just blindsided by a blue-eyed, basketball-playing bad boy with dubious intentions."
"That was a lot of words," he said. "Also, what makes you think I'm a bad boy?"
"The fact that you tried to take me out wasn't enough?"
"I wasn't trying to hit you. I shot a three-pointer, and yeah…" He cleared his throat before saying, "Didn't go as planned."
No kidding.
"I'm sorry," he said, sounding sincere. "Really sorry."
"It's okay," I said, waving that off. "Might want to work on your aim though. I know next to nothing about sports, but I'm pretty sure the goal is to get the ball in the hoop."
His lips twitched. "Thanks for the tip."
"Yeah well, I've got somewhere to be. So, bye."
Spotting my violin, lying unharmed in the grass less than a foot away—I was so glad I'd chosen one of the practically indestructible case models—I scooped it up and went to walk around him. But a sudden dizziness made me stumble. I knew I was going down, was trying not to be too embarrassed about doing it for a second time in front of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Insulting. But with surprisingly quick reflexes, he caught me.
"You okay?" he said.
"Mm hm," I replied, ignoring the way his touch made my heart race. It was probably just adrenaline from the near faceplant. "You can let me go now."
"I think you should go to the hospital."
"No can do, TDI. I have places to go, people to see, a cousin I made a promise to."
His hold relaxed, but I only got two steps away before losing my balance again.
He was there in an instant.
