“Simon!” Tobias yells from my back door as he holds it open to let Natalie through. “I have news.”
I hold a finger up, watching as Coach Blue strides up to Greer and pulls her attention from my parents.
Without thinking too much about it, I take a few quick strides, stepping up next to Greer and sliding my hand along her lower back to pull her close. Then, as if I’m on autopilot, I kiss the top of her head.
“I’m going inside to chat with Tobias for a few minutes, but I wanted to check on you real fast,” I say as she twists into me, resting her hand on my chest.
Our gazes lock. We might be faking it for prying eyes, but the smile she gives me and the coy look in her eyes is very real.
“Oh, you’re so sweet. I’m okay. I’ll be right behind you. Walker just wanted to ask me something real quick.”
Oh, I bet he fucking did. And when the hell did these two get on a first-name basis?
“Oh, what’s that?” I ask.
“I don’t know yet,” she says.
We both turn to him, waiting.
“Oh, I didn’t know that the two of you were together. I thought you were just watching Grey to help out.”
“That’s how it started, but look at her,” I say and do just that. I swear my breath catches when she looks at me. “Her beauty may have caught my eye first, but getting to know her has been a gift, and I wasn’t about to let that go.”
Greer bites her bottom lip, never taking her focus off me.
Hell. I know how sweet that lip tastes. I’m jealous she gets to bite it anytime she wants. Right now, I’m tempted to do it myself. Put myself out of this misery and give myself what has been on my mind day and night for the past week.
To say I’ve been the master of control the past seven days is an understatement. Each day she showed up in one of those spandex sport dress things and converse sneakers, that control snapped a little more. And today, now that I get to touch her freely and act as if she were really mine, I can’t make any promises.
I’m not sure how much time has passed before Coach Blue clears his throat.
As much as it pains me, I pull my gaze from Greer’s.
“Sorry. You had a question?”
“Oh, um, yeah, it was just… I was just checking to see if Grey mentioned needing new shoes. His are getting pretty worn, and I recommended a couple of brands for the fall school year.”
Shoes. Ha.
“We’ll be sure to get them for him,” I say.
“Thank you for reminding me. I did, in fact, forget to mention that to Simon this week,” Greer adds in a much more polite tone than the one I’d been using. I can’t help it.
Until this afternoon, I never put a second thought into Greer talking or flirting or even dating another guy. I don’t like it. Not one bit.
“Of course. Well, I better go grab some of that food you mentioned.”
“Bye, Walker.” Greer waits just till he’s out of earshot and whispers, “Playing the jealous boyfriend a little strong, aren’t we?”
I pin her with a look. “There was no playing about it, Greer,” I say and then lean in as close as I can get. I’m so close, my lips brush her cheek as I speak. “We might not be dating for real, but something is going on between us, and until we have out the details, the only man who should be getting your attention is me.”
I pull back to see heat in her eyes. They glance to my lips, and I give her what she wants. I kiss her right here in my backyard despite the fact that my family could be watching, or anyone else for that matter. I don’t care. What I do care about, however, is anyone getting to see the glow on her face when she’s turned on. That’s only for me.
So I break the kiss and tell her, “And yes, until we figure this out, the only woman who matters to me is you.”
Her chest rises on an inhale, and I smirk.
“Do you like when I claim you?”
