“Didn’t know you liked that much meat, Delaney.”
I stop in my tracks.
I turn to see Maverick standing behind me, wearing low-slung jeans, a tight t-shirt, and a grin. We’ve been sitting together all week in class, and it’s been pure torture. We make small talk about the weather and football, but underneath is a current of electricity that I do my best to ignore. Maybe he’s ignoring it too.
His gaze brushes over me as if he’s undressing me, and a tingling sensation tickles my nose. I can’t stop it, sneezing once, twice, three times before I clench my hands together and calm myself.
I’m digging for a tissue in my bag when he says in his southern drawl, “You okay there?”
Sucking in a breath to stop the next one, I hold up a finger for him to give me a minute, and he seems to understand. It would be better if he just moved away.
He takes my packages from me and sets them down in my cart. It’s a thoughtful gesture, and I think he does it because he knows he makes me feel out of sorts.
He’s just standing there, patiently waiting for me to speak.
“You make me sneeze,” I finally say.
“I hope you can find the antidote or we won’t be able to hang out together.”
“It’s worse when I’m surprised by someone, and you’re always sneaking up on me.” Not exactly true, but I’m making up all kinds of excuses.
“Is it because you think I’m hot, Delaney?”
“Doesn’t everyone think you’re amazing and wonderful and hot? Been there, done that with a football player, and not doing it again because all it got me was a broken heart.”
He rubs at the scruff on his beautifully chiseled jawline. “We’re not all cheaters, Delaney.”
“I’m not buying it.”
He gives me a serious look. “Challenge accepted.”
“What challenge?”
“Proving to you that I’m not like anyone you’ve ever met.”
“And how are you going to do that?” I cock my hip and lean against my cart, trying hard to be nonchalant, but it’s hard as hell with six feet four inches of solid muscle running his gaze over you.
“You can start by hanging out with me.”
“We do…in class.”
“No, more than that.” He thinks on it, his top teeth chewing on his bottom lip a little. “Definitely somewhere with a lot of other people.”
“And why is that?”
He sweeps his gaze over me. “I think we both know what’s going to happen if we’re alone.”
Oh. My. God. He is so infuriatingly arrogant that I can’t even…
“I’m not interested in you like that.” Total lie. My body definitely is; it’s my head that’s rebelling.
“Uh-huh.” He grins widely.
My eyes flare. “I’m not.”
“Are you denying what’s going on between us?” His blue eyes are hot as he stares at me, and I might have to step into the ice cream freezer to cool off.
I swallow. “Yes. Flat-out denying.”
He shakes his head and laughs a little, his face so self-assured and freaking confident that I want to scream…or kiss him. What? Where did that thought come from?
He shuffles his feet. “Maybe I’ve been waiting two years for you to be free so I could ask you out.”
What?!
His eyes go back to the packages of ground beef. He clears his throat. “You never answered my question—what’s with all the meat?”
He’s changing the subject. Thank God. “I cook for the upcoming week on Sunday nights. Monday’s taco night, Tuesday’s nacho night, and Wednesday is quesadillas.”
“She’s beautiful and she cooks?”
“Stop flirting,” I snip. “I’m not beautiful.”
“You are.”
My body tingles all over at his simple words.
He leans over into my personal space, and I smell him, dark and exotic with a hint of pure male. His finger tilts my chin up until we’re staring each other in the face.
I recall the sexy convo with He-Man, about us standing in a cramped bathroom having sex against the wall, only now He-Man has a face and it’s Maverick. He’s holding me up, cupping my ass as he slides into me, and I’m gasping his name—
I stop, my heart flying as heat rushes to my cheeks. I look down and realize how close we’re standing. One more inch and my entire body will be plastered against his, and it’s all I can do to stand perfectly still.
Tension crackles in the air as his piercing eyes stare into mine.
“In case you didn’t know it already, I like how you look.” His eyes slowly drink me in, drifting over my face and lingering on my chest. “All that blonde hair, and your green eyes. I dig how tall you are…and your curves.”
Oh, lord. I’m nowhere near as bosomy as most, but I do have nice B-cups.
I’m back in that bathroom fantasy and he’s kissing me, his hand on my breast—
I can’t breathe.
A soft voice brings us both back to the present. “Mav? I…found…you.”
I glance over his shoulder to see a delicate creature with long, flowing russet-colored hair and a heart-shaped face. With creamy, porcelain-perfect skin, she reminds me of the beautiful dolls Nana used to collect. She tilts her head and looks at us with interest.
My lips compress as I turn and mutter under my breath. “You’re here with a girl and you’re hitting on me?”
Ignoring my comment, he takes a step back and simultaneously reaches out a hand to her. “Hey, I lost you at the candy aisle. You find what you wanted?”
She nods, presenting him with the little carry basket she’s hooked on her arm. She shows him a handful of Snickers and a six-pack of Dr. Pepper. “Can…I…have…them?” Her words are drawn out.
I glance back at Maverick to see a soft expression on his face. “You can get them, but you know the rule: only one each per day. Too much of that and…”
She nods. “My…teeth…will…fall…out.”
I look from one to the other, thoroughly confused. Who is she?
He glances back at me. “Delaney, I’d like you to meet Raven—my sister.”
Oh. She does a slow blink then comes toward me, and I notice her leg hitches a bit as she moves. She takes my hand in a limp shake, her expression unsure, as if she’s not certain of the etiquette.
“Girlfriend?” she asks, her eyes going from me to him.
Maverick grunts. “Too personal, Raven.”
She shrugs and drops my hand, almost sizing me up. “Need…a…girlfriend…so…you…stop…worrying…so…much.”
Hmmm. What does Maverick have to worry about?
“Nice to meet you,” I say. “And, Maverick and I are just friends.”
She squints, looking disappointed. “Oh.”
“We have a class together,” I tell her.
“Where she mostly ignores me,” Maverick adds.
I laugh.
Raven studies me and gives her temple a little tap with her index finger. “Nice…to…meet…you. My…head…is…wonky. I…tell…everyone…so…they…know.” She shrugs indifferently.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say, not quite sure how to respond.
“Don’t…be.” She smiles sweetly at nothing in particular, her gaze drifting off. “Mav…olives…please?”
He nods. “Of course, get whatever you want. Meet me back at the front to check out, okay?”
She nods, and without another glance at me, moves down the aisle.
I’m watching this in fascination. Maverick has a sister…a sister with special needs…and he adores her—it’s obvious in the softness of his eyes as they follow her.
He turns back to me. “What?” he asks, and I guess he’s reading my face.
I shake my head. “You’re such a surprise.”
“Yeah?”
I nod. “Is she the reason the highest-rated defensive player in the country decided to stay home and play for the local college?” It’s no secret that M
averick received ESPN’s highest ratings and was courted for scholarships from the big schools like University of Alabama and Georgia. I’ve even heard he promised himself to a big SEC team, but at the last moment decided to stay in Magnolia and play for Waylon—which, admittedly, isn’t a horrible team, but it doesn’t have the same prestige the Crimson Tide does.
“Yeah. It happened in a car accident my senior year that also took my mom. It…changed a lot of things for me.”
His countenance is full of melancholy, an emotion I recognize because I have the same darkness inside of me. Anyone who’s lost a loved one knows it. I nod. “I lost my parents at age ten in a car wreck. I get it.”
He straightens and gives me a surprised look, almost as if he’s restructuring how he sees me. “I never would have known it. You seem so…adjusted.”
I huff out a laugh. “Thanks?”
“You know what I mean,” he says with a little smirk. “You’re a good person, Delaney. You’re always kind and sweet and…” He stops talking and shakes his head. “Never mind. I’m talking too much.”
I clear my throat, easing over the awkwardness. “Anyway, my Nana took me in and raised me. I’d just graduated high school when she passed from a bad heart. Sometimes I think she waited until I was old enough and then just let go.” I don’t know what it is about this guy, but suddenly I’m opening up to him.
He nods. “That must have been tough.”
I shrug, playing off my grief, but when I look back up, there’s this look on his face like he gets me…like he’s been there a million times before and—
God.
Stop, Delaney. Just stop. No more football players.
I recall the words Martha-Muffin just spoke to me: Athletes screw around—it’s what they do.
I clear my throat and move closer to my cart, wrapping my hands around the handle, anchoring myself, because Maverick makes me feel like I might toss aside everything I think about football players and give him a chance. “Look, you’re a great guy, and thank you for the offer of hanging out, but it’s best if we keep it simple.”
He studies me. “You’ll change your mind.”
My chest rises rapidly, and before I can formulate a snarky reply his sister’s voice drifts toward us from down the aisle, calling to him, and he waves back at her.
“Guess I have to run. Later,” he says, and then just like that, he’s walking off—and damn if his ass isn’t fine.
I let out a sigh and push my cart to the front to check out.
Chapter Six
Maverick
“She’s…pretty,” Raven says as we get in my silver truck, ten-year-old Toyota I bought with my own money when I was sixteen. It’s seen its fair share of dings and scrapes, but it still runs like a well-oiled machine. Someday when I’m playing in the NFL, I’ll buy something sharp, but for now, I can’t think about that. One day at a time is all I can handle.
“Who?” I ask, helping her with her seat belt. Her eyes follow as I clip it into the buckle.
“Have…you…kissed…her?”
Raven’s eyes are turned up to me, and the light from the streetlight illuminates her sweet face. Emotion slams into my chest, reminding me that she’s not the same, not even close.
“No,” I say tersely as I start the truck and drive out of the parking lot.
“You…like…her?”
“Apparently, she’s just a friend.” I roll my eyes. “This isn’t one of your Disney shows where everything has a happily ever after.”
She shrugs and looks out the window. “You…should…ask…her…out.”
I shake my head at her, not telling her that I practically had. “Thanks for the dating advice, sis.”
Delaney…where do I even begin with her? Sure, we met at the bonfire, but I cocked that up, and by the time I tried to find her, she was with Alex. Once a football player has a girl, you can’t mess with them. It’s the bro code, not to mention the fact that Alex is the kicker and any small thing can freak them out.
I recall the first time I saw her after the bonfire: at a football party, on Alex’s arm, looking like she just stepped out of the pages of a geek girl magazine with her glasses, tight jeans, and a Walking Dead t-shirt she’d turned into some kind of halter top. What I liked about her was how she never looked at me any different because of who I was. She never put me on a pedestal or kissed my ass. In fact, she always fucking ignored me.
But now she isn’t with Alex.
The question is…what am I going to do about it?
I pull up at Dad’s doublewide, wishing like hell I had the money to get Raven out of here and in at Pineview Retreat, a state-of-the-art facility near Jackson, Mississippi. I’ve been eyeing it since she left the home where she was staying.
I put the groceries I bought in the cupboard and wake Dad up. He’s fallen asleep watching one of my old high school football games. It brings back memories of when Mom was alive and we were a whole family. Sure, we never had much, not with a dad who couldn’t hold down a job and a mom who railed at him constantly, but for me, it had been better than this.
He stirs in his recliner and looks up at me with bleary eyes. Smaller than me with thin shoulders and a haggard face, he’s in his fifties but looks older.
“You been drinking?” I ask sharply, feeling more like the parent than the child.
He stands and stretches. “No, just tired. I worked at Bill’s today changing oil on some cars he had.”
I exhale, staring at him. That’s good. As long as he works, everything is fine. I nod. “Just keep it that way.”
Dad gets up to make us dinner: leftover meatloaf and potatoes from last night. While he finishes up, I wait outside the bathroom while Raven takes a shower so we can talk through the door. I’m paranoid she’ll fall even though her balance has improved. I wish we could afford more than three days a week of a nurse who comes in to do these things.
After dinner, Dad loads the dishwasher and I tuck Raven in her bed. As requested, I make up a random story about a princess and her one true love.
She sighs as I stand up to turn off the light, careful to make sure her butterfly nightlight is still on.
“Mav?”
I pause at the door and hold in my exhalation, not wanting her to see how bone tired I am. I’ve been going since eight this morning when I hit the gym to box.
“Thank…you.”
“You don’t have to thank me every time I come see you, goofy.”
She sighs. “It’s…hard…for…you. Do…me…a…favor?” Her voice is small.
“Anything.”
“Kiss…Delaney.”
That wasn’t what I expected. I thought she’d ask for another cookie from the cupboard or another story.
“Why would I do that?”
She shrugs under the covers as she tucks her chin in, her eyes droopy. “You…just…need…to.”
“I’m not sure Delaney wants me to kiss her.”
“She…does,” she says. “I…have…a…TBI…but…I’m…not…stupid.”
I huff out a laugh. “Okay.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Guess this means I’m kissing her whether it’s a good idea or not. I mean, I’d do anything for my sister.
Chapter Seven
Delaney
“What you need is a fresh start with a rebound guy,” Skye says with a toss of her long red hair as we sit inside Buffalo Bills, a rowdy restaurant and bar near campus. We’re in the back in a leather booth, munching on peanuts from a pail as we wait for Tyler and my—shudder—blind date to show up. We came a bit earlier than the guys so we could catch up, and so I could get my nerve up with a drink. I haven’t been on a date with anyone but Alex since freshman year, and it feels weird.
I take a deep breath. “Tell me more about this Bobby Gene guy—which is a really weird name, by the way.”
Bubbly and eager, she waves me off and starts in. “Just ignore his name. You’ll love him. He’s on t
he baseball team but not a horn-dog. He’s nice—like you requested. No athlete floozies chasing him, no fetishes that I know of.”
“Key words being that I know of.” I smirk.
“You’re just anti-guy right now. At least he isn’t a football player.”
That is true.
She straightens her red halter top, which matches her hair. “Plus, Bobby Gene’s Tyler’s friend, so this is important.”
“Of course,” I murmur, but I’m feeling ambivalent. I mean, she’s put a lot of effort into arranging this, so I don’t want to be negative, but…Tyler’s a bit of a jerk. I’ve noticed him checking out other girls when they’re together then playing it off when she calls him on it. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe I’m just in a funk because my boyfriend cheated on me.
Whatever.
I just hope Bobby Gene is nice.
Skye gets a thoughtful look on her face. “You know, I wanted to tell you that I saw Alex on campus today and he looked…I don’t know…sad.” She sees my face and holds her hands up. “I mean, yes, he’s a major douchebag and I’ll hate him until the end of time for you…” Her voice trails off as she grimaces, giving me a please don’t be mad at me look. “But, I don’t know, maybe someday you guys can be friends again?”
I stare down at my drink. That’s the rub—we were all three great friends. I also adore Alex’s family in Texas, and now I’ll never get to see them again. Ugh. I don’t want to think about him right now.
A noncommittal shrug is my answer.
She sighs. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have even mentioned it.”
I nod. I know she misses him too since he was over at the house a lot. Before she met Tyler, we spent lots of nights hanging out, cooking, and watching movies together. There were even times I was a little jealous of the camaraderie she and Alex had, but I knew she wasn’t interested in him that way and he loved me. Ha. Right.
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