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“Yeah.” He walked up to one of the glass cabinets. “Coach was a big deal back in his day.”
“You don’t say.” I ran my eyes over the collection of silverware. “What’s that one?” I asked pointing to a small bronze figurine.
Cameron gave a smooth chuckle. “That is the Heisman.”
“Oh, I think I’ve heard of it.”
His eyes widened with amusement. “It’s kind of a big deal.”
“Something to do with college football, right?”
He repeated my words, mumbling them under his breath. “How is it you’ve lived with Jason and his dad for six years and still don’t know any of this stuff?”
“I have excellent avoidance skills.” He gave me a pointed look and I felt myself blush. “I didn’t mean...”
“So, you haven’t been avoiding me all week?”
The air in the room turned dense as Cameron’s gray-blue eyes stared at me intently.
Clearing my throat, I managed to choke out, “I think it was pretty clear after last Saturday—” He took a step forward and I swallowed, backing up, careful not to touch the trophy cabinets. “Cameron,” I sighed.
“Yes, Sunshine?” The corner of his mouth tipped.
“You promised this was just for research purposes.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?” Humor danced in his eyes as he kept advancing on me, and despite knowing I needed to escape, I found myself lost in his stormy gaze.
My back finally hit the wall, the reverberation rattling my bones. I pressed my palms against it to stop myself from reaching out fo
r him. But Cameron leaned in, touching his head to mine, completely overwhelming me. “I can’t stop thinking about you,” he admitted, so quietly it was more like a rush of warm air than actual words. “Last Saturday was me doing the right thing, Hailee. You were drunk and I—”
“You just want what you can’t have.” My eyes burned with defiance, willing myself to stay strong.
“I wish it was that simple.” He let out a deep breath.
“What are we doing, Cameron?” What are you doing Hailee? I silently added as I breathed him in.
All week, I’d told myself avoiding him was for the best, that I needed to stay away from Cameron and his mind games. It was easy when I saw him with the team, the constant rotation of girls vying for his attention. Cameron Chase, wide receiver, number fourteen, belonged to Rixon. He was theirs to have, theirs to worship, theirs to love. But there were moments with him, when it was just the two of us, when it felt like he was mine. Like he was offering me a piece of himself.
And all I had to do was reach out and take it.
But I didn’t want the scraps. I wasn’t just another jersey chaser looking for whatever she could get. I wanted all of him or nothing. Something, I knew, he would never be able to give me.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said, pulling me further under his spell.
It was just that though. A spell. And when it was broken, I’d be Hailee Raine, Jason’s step-sister again and he’d be Cameron Chase, my brother’s best friend.
Which is why, no matter how much I wanted him—and I did, I could finally admit it—I forced out the words, “I’m thinking this, us, it can never work.”
Defiance glittered in his eyes as he lowered his mouth to mine. “Don’t you know by now, Sunshine? I’m a Raider and Raiders never quit.”
My stomach sank as Cameron kissed me. Not because the feel of his lips moving against mine didn’t feel good, it did. It felt like my entire body was on fire, every stroke of his tongue making the flames lick higher and higher until I was burning with need. But because he’d proved me right. He was a Raider, he would always be a Raider. And one day, he and my step-brother would ride off into the sunset together, leaving me and the rest of Rixon with no choice but to stand by and watch.
And then where would that leave me?
“Cameron—” I breathed against his lips as they devoured me. Fixed over mine again and again, stealing the air from my lungs, and all rational thought from my mind.
“Just give me this, Hailee.” He paused, his mouth hovering over mine, his eyes pinning me to the spot. “I need this, please.” There was something so vulnerable about the way he said the words it made my heart ache. I leaned back, finally bringing my hands to his face, allowing myself to touch him.
