Page 57 of Dark and Dangerous

He shrugs, standing tall and proud in his Vikings uniform, exactly like the posters of him all over town. “Looking for you.”

“Well, go back.” I flick my wrist toward the gym. “They’re all in there for you, Jace.”

He stops inches in front of me, settling one hand on my hip, the other on the wall beside me. “Yeah, well, I’m out here for you.”

“Jace…” I whisper, my shoulders dropping when the tension leaves them. His presence alone calms the thumping in my chest. I tug on his jersey, bring him closer a step. I return the kiss he gifted me last night and smile when his eyes light up.

He shifts my hair behind my ear, keeps his fingers there. Bending so we’re eye to eye, he says, “You don’t have to come in. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“I want to watch you train. You know I do, I’m just… I don’t know.”

He takes my hand in his, linking our fingers and, without a word, he guides me back into the gym. And it feels different somehow, with Jace beside me, leading the way.

Like a light in my darkness.

A calm to my storm.

He keeps his hand linked with mine as we walk the sideline, only letting go when we’re by my friends. Sammy and Jeannie make room for me between them, and the moment I sit, they both offer a soothing touch. Jace squats down in front of us, but he doesn’t speak to me. He speaks to them. “Take care of my girl, okay?”

“You got it, Sunshine,” Sammy says, lacking her usual sarcastic tone.

As soon as he’s gone, Jeannie nudges my side. “Get ready,” she tells me. “Shit’s about to get real.”

“I’ve watched Jace play before.”

“That’s not what she means,” Sammy joins in, and I turn to her.

“What does she mean then?”

“That boy right there—Dopey McDreary Depression Boy?” She points to Jace. “He just claimed you ashis.”

38

Harlow

Jace smiles when he sees me waiting by his van after practice. I think he’s gifted me more smiles in the past two days than all the other days combined. “What’s up, baller?” I greet.

His grin widens as he removes his gym bag from across his torso, opens the side door of his van and throws it in.

I wait until the door’s closed to poke his stomach. He seems to hate it as much as the first time I did it, and it makes me giggle. I motion toward the school, saying, “You called me your girl in there.”

He immediately shakes his head, opening my door for me. “That, I do not recall.”

After hopping up in the seat and getting situated, I remind him, “I’m pretty sure your exact words were, ‘Take care of my girl.’”

“Nope.” Another head shake, along with a restrained smile. “You sure that was me?”

I click on my seat belt, never once taking my eyes off him. “So something interesting happened after your practice.”

“What’s that?” he asks, releasing my hair that got caught beneaththe belt. He shifts it behind my ear, and I kiss his palm before he retracts it.

Jace and I haven’t done anything physical.

We haven’t evenkissed—not the passionate, hour-long make-out sessions formed by nothing but pure lust and desire.

But, we have these moments… these short, quiet, intimate moments of shared words and small touches that reveal how we feel, what we mean to each other.

It may not be for everybody, but I’d take a simple, meaningful kiss to the forehead any day.

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