Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
“Kyle!” I couldn’t tell if I was more relieved or angry when he burst into laughter. I smacked his arm, not moving it a bit, but I did it again. “You jerk!”
He was still laughing. “I’m a jerk for not gambling in class?”
“You’re a jerk for making me believe it.”
His laughter finally dwindled, but he still had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. “No offense, but it was easy. You can be kind of naive and innocent sometimes.”
“Innocent?”
“You forgot naive.”
Though we were joking around, his assessment stung. “Would it be better to be calculating and pushy like that redhead?”
Kyle wasn’t smiling anymore. “No.”
“Is she your—”
“No.” He glanced at me without turning his head, as if trying to ascertain my mood. “No one’s ever done that for me before.”
“Done what?”
“Pretended to be my girlfriend to get someone off my back.”
“Your back wasn’t the part of you she was pawing at.”
He laughed. “True. But thank you. It’s nice to be the one being rescued for a change.”
Maybe he was still teasing, but to my ears, he sounded sincere. “It was my turn. You rescued me, or rather my necklace, from my former roommate.”
“Ah, yes. Okay, then, we’ll call it even. Although to truly be even, you should’ve punched Jasmine in the face.”
I gave him the side eye. “Is that what you did to Todd? Is that all you did to Todd?” I’d been wondering but hadn’t been brave enough to ask.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you an undercover cop? Because you have to tell me if you are.”
“If I were, I’d point out that you’re going fifteen miles over the speed limit. Are you going to tell me or not?”
He shook his head. “You could be wearing a wire. How about this—I’ll tell you if you let me frisk you first.”
He was joking, but that didn’t stop heat from pooling in my core. “No thanks, I don’t want to know that badly.”
“Can I frisk you anyway?”
I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. Talking with him like this was fun. And arousing. And it was also kind of a challenge to keep up with his rapid-fire innuendo. But the one thing it wasn’t was scary. Because he’d made sure, back when he barely knew me, that I had an out if I wanted one.
I didn’t.
Things were quiet for a few minutes. As always, I admired the confident way he drove. Not that Jayden and Lucas didn’t, but with Kyle… well, he was an athlete. He was in complete control of his body. His every movement was efficient and skilled. And it was almost like his truck was an extension of him. He handled it as skillfully as he did a bat, ball, or glove.
“I enjoyed the game.” Immediately after I said it, I cringed. Could I have sounded any lamer? A person enjoyed a painting at the art gallery. What I’d said didn’t even come close to conveying how impressed I’d been. Then again, this was Kyle and gushing over him too much would just feed his already inflated ego. And possibly give him the wrong idea. Or, like the right-yet-still-not-wise idea.
“Me too.”
“Do you always do that? Steal bases and hit home runs and do flips and stuff?”
A smile played at his lips. “When I can. Being out on the field brings out the best in me. It’s always been my favorite part of school.”
That made sense, given how much trouble he had with papers and assignments. “Did you ever think of going pro?” I’d asked Jayden about that, but I wanted to hear Kyle’s response.
He shrugged. “I thought about it, but the thing is, I’m good—but I’m not that good.”
“Does that bother you?”
“No, not really. Baseball is fun. Hitting a home run is one of the best feelings in the world. But there are other things in life, too.”
“Did you—wait, are you okay with me asking you this stuff?”
“You can ask me anything.”
He said that last word in a suggestive way, but I could tell he really meant it. His confidence level was off the charts.
“Okay. Did you ever want to play for a bigger university? One that’s competitive in college sports or whatever?”
He tilted his head, one hand lazily turning the wheel. “I thought about it. I had a few offers. But I chose to play for Langley, and it wasn't until this year that I realized why.”
“Why?”
“Here, I’m a big fish in a small pond. At a bigger school, maybe one of the Big Ten, I’d be a small fish in a big pond. I prefer the former.”
Wow. That was surprisingly introspective of him. Maybe some people would have said he should go for the latter, but I admired him for doing what he wanted to do, and I told him so.
He nodded. “We only get one life to live—might as well live it the way we want to.” His fingers tapped on the steering wheel. “Was that the first game you’ve been to here?”