Page 195 of Challenge Me

“Pure force of will, really. Dodging Renshu is like trying to outrun a tsunami.”

“It’s going to catch up eventually.”

“You’re not wrong. My first appearance is dropping in about five minutes.”

“Welcome to being a big, bad baseball star.”

“Sure, but what if there was no baseball?”

A small laugh escaped me as I pocketed the fifth ball. “Have you figured out the whole multiverse thing?”

“Totally. Didn’t I tell you I’m an astrophysicist?”

“You’re kidding.” I put a hand to my chest in shock. “Mr. teen dad, barely graduated high school, hits a ball with a stick for a living is actually a genius? I’m floored.”

“First of all, I barely graduated because I had a baby my senior year.”

I tutted at him. “Irresponsible.”

The way his lips curved made my hands shake as I went for the sixth ball. I swore when it struck just shy of the pocket.

“Do I make you nervous?” he asked.

I froze from how close he was. His lips were at my ear as he pressed his body against mine from behind. The way his breath caressed my neck made me shiver but also forced me back to my senses.

Slipping away from him, I casually spun the stick around. “Don’t get too confident.”

As he aimed, I chewed on my lip. It was rare for me to screw up a shot like that. I should’ve known from the moment I met him that a guy who could fracture my control the way he did was bad news. One taste had been too much. Going back for seconds was what had done me in, though.

“You never answered my question,” he said.

I watched him sink one of the balls. “No, you don’t make me nervous.”

“Not that one.” He pocketed the next one, then met my eyes without rising from his position. “What if there was no baseball?”

“I guess Americans would have to learn what Rugby is.”

He pulled out his phone, then moved closer to me. His scent was too strong, but I stood my ground. I gasped when he pivoted, and when I stepped back, it put me right where he seemed to want me. Crowded against the table, I put a hand on his chest. He leaned in but stopped half a foot from my mouth.

“Please, Amir,” I whispered. “Don’t make this harder.”

“I’ve asked you to sacrifice for me, over and over again.”

I shook my head. “I didn’t sacrifice anything.”

“Of course you did. This life has only hurt you, and I didn’t do enough to stop it. I was supposed to stand up for you. I’m so sorry, baby.”

“Amir . . .”

He pulled something out of his pocket and held it beside us. He slid the thumb drive open, and I watched as he applied pressure until it snapped. I was about to say something, but he dropped it into his whiskey, then swirled it around and took a sip.

“I don’t think that’s good for you,” I said.

He shrugged and set the glass down. “I don’t want that shit. None of it defines who you are. Frankly, I think the past should stay where it belongs. How do you feel about that?”

“Sure, but—” I stopped talking when he set his phone on the pool table. A video played, showing Trav’s face on the screen. “What—”

He put a finger to my lips before he stepped back. I turned and rested my elbows on the surface so that I could see it. Vaguely, I was aware of him wandering further away, then I heard ice drop into a glass.