Page 131 of Ruthless Court

She twists a Twizzler around one finger while reading the final paragraph. Then she lifts it to her mouth and bites.

My attention follows the movement.

Her lips close around the candy. She pulls it free, still frowning at a citation.

Heat rolls low through my stomach.

This is absurd.

Krista has wrapped those long runner’s legs around me. Stella used to fall asleep with her head on my shoulder. Women who understand the power of a look have practiced on me for years.

Hannah is eating candy and correcting punctuation.

My body reacts like she climbed across the table.

I shift in my chair.

She glances up. “What?”

“Your citation format is inconsistent.”

“It is not.”

“Page seven.”

She searches, finds the mistake, and scowls.

I hide my smile.

“You’re enjoying this.”

“Immensely.”

“You need better hobbies.”

“I play basketball.”

“That explains the limited range.”

There’s my opening.

I close the outline and pull my tablet from my bag.

“Show me.”

“Show you what?”

“What’s happening with my game.”

“We came here for Aldridge’s assignment.”

“We finished.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You said my shooting is covering bad decisions.”

“It is.”