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“Why were you talking to him?”
I focused on him. “Excuse me. Did you just ask me why I was talking to someone?”
He stopped in front of me and crossed his arms, muscles tense. “Yeah, I did. Do you even know who he is?”
“He’s a Bison tight end.”
“Wait, you knew? Then why would you...and why’d he say...”
“Didn’t your mother teach you to finish your sentences?” I said crossly, and then could’ve punched myself. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay.” His voice was wry. “She tried to. How did you end up with Barrett?”
“He’s the teammate of the ex-best friend of the author I met. The two of them already split off—his name was Nate? Do you know a Nate?”
He stared at me, and then actually turned in a circle as he shoved his hands through his hair. “Yes. Yes, I know Nate Hart. Please don’t tell me you were hanging out with him, too. Christ, what are the possibilities you’d want to meet with a writer with Bison connections?”
I leaned back on the couch. “That’s a good question. I’m going with cosmic alignments. Mercury’s probably doing something funky.”
He dropped down beside me. “You’re crazy.”
“It’s one of my most endearing qualities.”
He tried to glare, but I could see the suppressed humor. “That’s not exactly what I was going to say.”
“Well, and I’m crazy?” I angled my body toward him, propping my arm up on the back of the couch. “Ryan. I don’t care how much you don’t like Matt, you can’t just yank me around like I’m a chew toy!”
His expression flickered. “I thought I was rescuing you.”
“How does breaking someo
ne’s nose rescue me? No, you were using me to prove that you were better than Matt.”
“And I’m not better than that idiot?”
“That’s not the point! I’m not a pawn you can jerk around. That proprietorial attitude—”
He exploded, eyes flaming hot blue fire, shooting to his feet. “What the hell is wrong with the attitude of not wanting my girlfriend hanging around the team that just beat us 34-32?”
I stopped breathing.
Okay, he wasn’t off the hook for acting chauvinistically. But. I just needed a moment to clarify. “What do you mean, your ‘girlfriend’?”
He glared at me, crossing his arms. “Well, aren’t you?”
My jaw dropped open. My throat went dry. “Uh...”
“You told Caitlin Morrison we were a couple.”
“Yeah, to get her to go away!”
His eyes narrowed. “Okay. So I’m good enough to fuck, but you won’t date me?”
Sometimes I could read Ryan’s mind, and sometimes he leapt to conclusions that didn’t make any sense. “What are you talking about?”
“Because no matter what, I’m still just another dumb jock. I get it.”
Good God, this man could be stubborn. “I don’t think you’re dumb.”
