Page 98 of Mine to Take

Without my brother to cloud his judgment.

Or that I’d spent the last two years of high school sick, unsure if I’d live to celebrate my eighteenth birthday.

The uncertainty that flickers across his face melts my heart.

“I wanted to stop by and make sure you still planned to attend the game tonight.”

I glance away as the truth sticks uncomfortably in my throat. “Oh, um…about that...”

When my voice trails off, he steps farther inside my space. He’s so tall and broad in the shoulders that everything shrinks around him. The normally airy room now feels anything but.

He swallows up the distance with a handful of long-legged strides before dropping to his knees in front of me so that we’re eye level. It’s so tempting to reach out and sift my fingers through his thick hair.

Instead, I keep them locked on my lap.

His brows jerk together as he studies me. The intensity of his stare leaves me feeling unexpectedly vulnerable. It’s as if he’s capable of picking through all the private thoughts circling through my brain.

The ones I’ve been so careful to keep hidden away.

Disappointment floods his dark depths. “Did something come up?”

My fingers bite into my jean-clad thighs as I shake my head. “No, it’s nothing like that.”

The concern marring his expression dissolves as he flashes a relieved smile. One large hand rises to cup my face. “Good.”

It takes effort to swallow down the anxiety that gnaws at my insides. “We should probably?—”

Before I can force out the rest, my gaze dips to his other hand and I lose all train of thought.

How didn’t I realize he was holding something when he walked in?

His voice dips, turning raspy. The confidence that normally brims in it falls away, making him sound younger. “I was hoping you’d wear my jersey tonight.”

I can only gape at the orange and black fabric in his hand as my belly drops in free fall. It’s like I’m sitting at the very tippy top of a roller coaster and I’m harnessed in the first car as it plunges to the earth.

When I remain silent, at a loss, he clears his throat. “Sunshine?”

My tongue darts out to lick my parched lips.

There’s no way I should accept such a personal gift without revealing the truth.

“Please say something,” he whispers, eyes pleading with mine.

My heart twists as I blurt, “I’d love to wear it, thank you.”

As soon as I release the words into the atmosphere, I want to snatch them back.

All I’ve done is further complicate matters.

He sucks a breath into his lungs as a wide grin breaks out across his face and a relieved laugh bursts free. “I’m not gonna lie—you had me worried for a second or two. I thought I’d misread the situation.”

Before I realize what’s happening, he drags the thick material over my head and helps shove my arms through the large sleeves. A handful of seconds later, the hem settles around my waist.

His gaze roves over my chest and belly. “Fuck, sunshine. You look amazing.” He slants a look upward until our eyes can collide. “Almost as good as you looked the other night stretched out naked in my bed.”

Heat suffuses my cheeks as the memories once again push in at the edges before flooding my brain.

Another chuckle escapes from him, but this one is deep, husky, and knowing. The low scrape of it does funny things to my insides, making it impossible to hold on to rational thought.

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