That guy. I bit back a grin at the way she’d referred to Caleb—like he was already old news.
“Does it make me shallow or girlie if I want people to think that I’m more than just an athlete and more than the nice girl next door?” Her words came out in a rush. “Is it so wrong for me to want someone to look at me the way Caleb looks at his new girlfriend?”
She wasn’t quite looking at me, and I knew she was embarrassed. Without thinking, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and loved the way she leaned against me like it was second nature. “That’s not shallow and it’s not girlie,” I said with a little laugh. “It’s human nature.”
She was quiet for a while. “I guess.”
“It’s also human nature to want to make your ex pay,” I added.
She turned her head to give me a rueful smile, and she was so close I could kiss her.
I didn’t. But I could have.
“What about making your rival pay?” she teased. “Is that human nature too?”
“That’s just called good sportsmanship,” I shot back.
She laughed. “Uh huh. Right.”
“Come on.” I squeezed her shoulders. “Don’t tell me you didn’t love that kiss…knowing that Caleb was watching and having a heart attack.”
She snickered. “Yeah, okay. I guess it was kind of awesome. I just wish I could have seen his face.” She groaned and dropped her head into her hands. “Man, when did I get so petty?”
“You didn’t get petty, you got even.”
She peeked over at me through the cracks in her fingers, making me laugh.
“And you liked it,” I added.
She lifted her head with a wince, but I could see her battling a smile. “Yeah, okay. Maybe I did.”
“What if…” I paused, the thought and the words taking root. I knew it was a bad idea, just like I knew I was going to say it anyway. “What if we let him think that it was real?”
She blinked over at me. “What?”
I shrugged, my heart picking up its pace at the thought of being able to be close to her…close but without the trappings of a real relationship. Surely that would get her out of my system right. If I could kiss her, hang out with her…and then walk away.
She’d get her revenge, and I’d get…her.
No, I’d get mine, too. I’d spent a lifetime watching that entitled jerk get everything. Everything came to him so easily, and he took it for granted.
He took her for granted.
“Well, what do you think?” I said. “Should we make him rue the day he ever dumped you over text?”
It was the reminder of the text that did it—at least, that was what made her jaw clench and her eyes narrow with anger.
“You know, I feel like he thinks no one else will want me,” she said quietly. “I swear he made it seem like he was with me out of some sort of charity or something.”
“You know that’s not true, right?”
She glanced over at me with a smile that was definitely not an answer. She bit her lip as she studied me, her lips curving up in a cute, mischievous grin. “Yeah, okay. Let’s do this. Let’s make him think we’re for real.”
A surge of satisfaction shot through me even as I told myself this was a mistake.
Dating a teammate was trouble. But pretending to date my rival’s ex?
This was clearly a mistake.
Chapter Thirteen
Hannah
The stares coming from the other side of the field were hard to ignore. My former teammates were giving me looks that ranged from curiosity to anger to little waves to say hello without Caleb noticing.
And then there was Caleb. His death stare occasionally came my way, but for the most part, he seemed even angrier than usual with River.
Probably because he’d seen us kiss in the driveway. I still couldn’t quite believe I’d done that. And today—well, today we’d looked every inch the happy couple, all whispering together on the sidelines and holding hands.
We hadn’t kissed or anything—I mean, we were playing soccer, not on a date. But even so, our friendliness did not go unnoticed. Caleb didn’t even seem to notice his pretty blonde sitting front and center. He was too preoccupied with watching me. And River.
Me and River.
Together.
“All right, Hannah, you’re up next,” River shouted over to me, and I tried to staunch the giant, ridiculous grin. What was wrong with me? I should not be getting such satisfaction out of this petty, vindictive game.
But it didn’t feel like a game. Maybe that was why I was having so much fun. All I had to do was joke around with River, hang out with him, stand close enough to soak in that yummy scent of his…
And it drove Caleb nuts.
And the fact that Caleb was so fixated on us seemed to drive his narrow-eyed, perma-glaring girlfriend nuts.
It was really a win-win.
But the best part of all? Caleb had totally lost his focus. He’d gotten so fixated watching us, his game was totally off. He fumbled a pass he should have been able to do in his sleep, he snapped at Richie, the goalie, leaving my poor freckled friend staring at me with wide, stricken eyes. I’d tried to give him a reassuring smile, but my new teammates had surrounded me and I’d been forced to remember that it was no longer my job to cheer up Richie, the super sensitive young goalie. I couldn’t go running over to his side of the field to give him a hug. He wasn’t my teammate anymore.
I was taking a much-needed break on the sidelines when my phone dinged beside me. I tried to ignore it, I really did, but some words caught my eye.
Mistake, namely. Alex and Jordan were both convinced that this was a mistake.
I probably shouldn’t have told them, but I was so used to telling them everything, especially when it came to sports and teams and all things Caleb. I picked it up to see the latest.
Yup, they were still certain this was a mistake.
JORDAN: I don’t know, Hannah. It’s not like you to play games. If you have an issue with Caleb, maybe you should talk to him about it.
Guilt slammed through me. She was right. I knew she was right. And yet…
ALEX: I get it. I mean, why not get some revenge? But I don’t know that dating another team member is the answer. You might just end up in the same situation.
I started to explain for the millionth time that we weren’t really dating, but Jordan beat me to it.
JORDAN: This is different. It’s not for real.
ALEX: He kissed her. They had a date by a lake. Sounds real to me.
It feels real to me. I bit back a sigh, annoyed with myself for even going there. Of course, there was nothing real about it. Was that kiss spectacular? Yeah. It was. So fine, maybe there was some chemistry there, but we were two young adults who knew the score. Granted that’s what I’d thought about me and Caleb. I’d been so sure our mutual maturity ensured our safety, and I’d been wrong.
But this thing with River was totally different, and this time no one would get hurt.
ME: He doesn’t see me that way—
You’re hot and you’re funny and you’re amazing on the soccer field. Any guy would be lucky to have you in his life. A fresh wave of giddy happiness swept over me at the memory, and I found myself deleting that last comment.
ME: We don’t see each other that way. I’ll be fine.
ALEX: We just don’t want to see you get hurt.
JORDAN: Again.
ME: Trust me. No one is going to get hurt.
“Let’s go, Hannah.” River’s voice had me dropping my phone back into my bag and hustling out onto the field.
I tried to ignore the curious looks from my former teammates and the worried expressions from my new teammates. I think everyone on my new team was waiting for some sort of altercation to break out.
I wasn’t. I knew my former teammates were still my friends, for the most part. Sure, a couple might have been annoyed that I was playing for the other team, but I was pretty sure those guys were mostly pissed beca
use we were winning.
I couldn’t speak for Caleb’s new girlfriend, but I was assuming she was content to sit and glare from the bleachers. I had a hard time imagining her rushing the field to tackle me—and even if she did? I’d win that fight.
As for Caleb…well, as he was always quick to point out—he didn’t do drama. So while he might have been over there fuming and messing with his teammates’ mojo by being an oversized toddler with a temper tantrum—he wouldn’t make a scene. Especially not when the director of the league was here.
The director was the Lakeview girls’ team coach and high up in the local soccer food chain—a man with connections to the recruiters he and River so desperately wanted to impress. So no. He’d behave…and so would I.
And by behave, I obviously meant I’d kick his butt on the field.
Which I did, thank you very much. Well, we did. Me, River, and our team.
We won by a landslide, in fact, and the win felt glorious. Glorious, I tell you! I’d never been Caleb’s opponent before and seeing his barely concealed rage and frustration at being beaten by yours truly after he’d unceremoniously kicked me off his team?
It felt good.
A whooping sound from my left was the only warning I got before I was tackled by Nick and Cara. The rest of the team followed and I was swallowed up in a group hug that had me laughing and trying not to topple over.
“Okay, guys, let her breathe.” As usual River’s voice was low and quiet, but the crowd around me parted like the Red Sea.
And then, there he was. Grinning at me with that crazy gorgeous smile, and looking at me with those intense eyes that made me feel like I was the only person on the planet when they were focused on me like that.
Like…that. He drew closer. Like I was the sun and the moon and brighter than every other star in the sky.
River was looking at me like that.
I knew it wasn’t real, but it felt so real. My breath hitched in my throat, and my belly did a backflip as he closed the distance between us. When he reached out and cupped my face in the palm of his hands, holding me like I was his most precious treasure, I tried to tell myself that this was all for show, I really did. But my heart didn’t listen. My body refused to hear it.
All I could hear was the thudding in my chest as the crowd around us walked away, talking amongst themselves as if they didn’t know that this moment right here was everything. That the world was moving around us now because there was a gravitational pull going on between us that was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.
“You were incredible out there,” he said.
I wasn’t sure I knew how to breathe anymore, so I didn’t bother. I just drank in the sight of that look. The way it made me feel and the way my heart felt like it was trying to pound its way out of my ribcage to get closer to him.
“You, too,” I managed, but it came out bizarrely breathy like I was doing my best Marilyn Monroe impersonation.
His smile grew and laughter flashed in his eyes, along with something else. Something mischievous and heady…something dark and dangerous and so crazy tempting.
And then he kissed me.
Time stood still and the rest of the players and the crowds ceased to exist. This was nothing like the quick peck I’d given him in the driveway the other night. His lips moved over mine, gentle but firm. His mouth hot as he guided me into a kiss that was heart-achingly sweet and knee-weakeningly hot.
My belly sank, and my limbs grew heavy as he worked some form of magic on me. His tongue teased my lips, his breath whispered over my skin. And my body…my body responded. It answered him like we were having some sort of silent conversation in a way I didn’t know I could.
This wasn’t me. I didn’t get swept off my feet by a kiss.
But that was exactly what was happening. I slipped my arms around his neck and held on for dear life as he kissed me like I’d never been kissed before.
He kissed me like he wanted me, like he needed me.
Like he loved me.
When he pulled back for air, I was hit by the sound of catcalls and whistles, and he grinned as I blushed and pulled away. How on earth I could have forgotten we were in public, I’d never know.
“I should go,” I said. “I’ll see you tonight?” As a team we were supposed to celebrate or commiserate our first game at a pizza place near Fairmont High.
He nodded. “Do you want a ride?”
I shook my head. “That’s okay, thanks. My friend Rose is dying to meet you—” I stopped and clamped my lips together as he smirked.
“You’ve been talking about me, huh?”
Do not blush. Do not do it.
My cheeks didn’t listen. It was possible I’d talked about our night together at the lake just a little bit.
Okay, fine. Maybe I’d talked about it ad nauseam with Rose and via videocall with Jordan and Alex.
“I should go home and change,” I said, ignoring the smirk. I had a hard time tearing my gaze away even after I turned to head to the sidelines where Rose was waiting to take me home. We’d made it as far as the parking lot, when I heard my name being shouted by the most familiar voice in the world.
“Hannah, wait!” Caleb shouted across the lot.
Rose gave me a questioning look, but I nodded toward her car. “I’ll be there in a second, okay?”
She arched her brows and gave Caleb a wary look before heading over to her car. I turned to Caleb with what I hoped was a friendly, innocent expression. “What’s up?”
His brows were drawn together and his eyes held a storm cloud of fury. “What do you think you’re doing with that guy?”
I blinked in surprise. I mean, I hadn’t expected him to be happy about it—about me and River or about losing. But I’d never seen him so…volatile. I’d never seen him lose his cool like this, and especially not in public.
I glanced behind him to see that others were following—my former teammates, my current teammates, even his new girlfriend. We seemed to be a magnet, probably because we were dangerously close to causing a scene. I took a step toward him and lowered my voice. “Can we please talk about this somewhere else?” I cast a meaningful look behind him. “Somewhere private?”
“Are you an idiot?” Caleb didn’t try to lower his voice and I flinched at the insult. “He’s using you.”
“Caleb.” I barked his name and reached for his arm. “We can take this somewhere else.”
Behind him, I saw his girlfriend stopping, her arms crossed as she glared at us both. But worse, behind her I saw the director of the league heading our way, his brows furrowed in concern. “Caleb,” I hissed. “Not here. Not now.”
He didn’t seem to hear me as he jerked his arm away from me. “Don’t be stupid, Hannah. How can you not see what he’s doing? He’s using you to get to me.”
The words hurt. They stung. They found some open wound inside me and burned like acid.
Probably because they were true. I mean, he’d made no secret that this fake relationship was to get to Caleb, his arch rival.
It was my motivation, too, of course.
It was just that…
For a moment there…
I swallowed and took a deep breath. One of us had to stay calm, or this could get ugly. “Caleb, we can talk about this later,” I said in a low, even voice. “After you’ve calmed down and when—” I cast another meaningful look around us. “When we don’t have an audience.”
He didn’t immediately respond, but he looked lost to anger. His nostrils were flared, and his eyes were narrowed. But he didn’t argue, and I took that to mean that I should walk away.
That was a mistake. I’d no sooner spun around to head toward Rose’s car when I felt his hand on my upper arm. His grip was tight as he tugged, pulling me back toward him. “Hannah, don’t—”
He was cut off by a fist.
In his face.
I hadn’t even seen River approaching, but he was here now, between us. Caleb jerked to the side b
efore righting himself and lunging toward River. They went down with a scream—that was me, I realized. I was the one screaming, and I wasn’t alone.
Teammates from both side were surging forward ready to…what? Pull them apart? Join in the fray? I had no idea. All I knew was I was frozen. It all happened so quickly, my brain couldn’t quite keep up.
It ended almost as quickly as it started, but in the worst possible way.
A man was tearing the two of them apart, shouting for them to calm down. If it was anyone else, they might not have listened. But it wasn’t just anyone, it was the director of the league—the man they both wanted so desperately to impress.
The man who was now holding them both by the scruff of their necks as he marched them off toward the school’s gymnasium.
Chapter Fourteen
River
Tristan widened his eyes as I walked into the back room of the pizza place. “We didn’t think you’d make it.”
I supposed that was why the large, crowded table full of my teammates were staring at me like I was a ghost just come back from the dead.
“You okay?” Cara asked.
I touched the rapidly swelling bruise on my jaw. “I’ll be fine.”
Physically. Physically I’d be just fine in no time.
Tristan got up out of his seat, and I noticed that Allison had been sitting close to him—the two non-team members joining in on the revelry. Tristan sort of guided me toward an empty booth and Allison slid into the seat across from us. They were both eyeing me with concern.
“So? How bad is it?” Tristan said.
I rubbed a sore spot on my chin where Caleb had caught me with a mean right hook before we were torn apart. “Let’s see, do you want to hear about how the director threatened to have me suspended from the regular season or about how my father got wind of it and reamed me out for more than an hour?”
They both winced, and I held back a sigh.
“Please tell me Caleb actually was suspended,” Allison said.
Playing the Enemy: The Trouble With Tomboys #1 Page 11