Page 69 of The Quarterback Sneak

“Always.” I dart my tongue out, daring him to watch as I lick my lips.

He sucks in a breath and uses his helmet to point to the tunnel. “Let me just shower, and I’ll be in the parking lot in ten minutes.”

“Okay.” I give him a wry smile as I watch his sculpted ass walk away.

“Oh man,” Olivia says, pulling me away from the railing. “I knew it. You’ve got it bad. The last time you looked this happy was when you found out your mom and dad were going to Italy for the summer and were leaving you behind.”

Waving my hands, I glance around, making sure no one can hear us. We’re closer to the players now, and if there’s any inkling I know about the bet, Zach will be screwed.

“Like I said. It’s just fooling around. That’s it. Nothing else.” The guys are talking too loudly to hear my whispered tone, but I hope that makes it clear.

Olivia nods but chews on her bottom lip. She looks to Mike, then back to me. “Look, I didn’t want to say anything, but…”

“Oh, no. I hate that word.”

“Let’s go to the parking lot to talk.” She loops her hand around my arm, and we make our way to the quiet tarmac.

Once we get to my car, she sighs. “Look, I didn’t want to say anything, but I think you should be careful. Catching feelings for Zach this close to graduation might not be in your best interest.From what I hear, his sights aren’t set on settling down anytime soon.”

“What does that mean? Has Mike said something else to you?” She chews her bottom lip again, and her gaze drops to her shoes, avoiding my glare. “If Mike has told you something, you need to tell me.”

All sorts of ideas run through my head, but none make sense. None except Zach tricking me into believing he’s on my side until he decides to embarrass me worse than Jamie did.

“Mike hasn’t told me anything big. Just that a lot is going on in Zach’s life, and he’s a little misunderstood by the rest of the team because of it. Before you and Zach became a ‘thing,’ I did hang out with him every now and again, you know.”

“I already know he’s got a lot ofcommitments, and there’s no promises or anything after prom. That’s where we end. Prom.”

Her shoulders sag. “Well, that’s good. As long as you’re aware, that’s all.”

I offer her a short, tight smile. “I am.” I rest my back on my car, waiting for Zach, and try hard not to think about hiscommitments.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Zach

“Evans.” Jamie taunts behind me as my feet scuff across the gravelly sidewalk. I was hoping to sneak out of the locker room with no one noticing, but I should have known Jamie would be stalking my ass. He seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Honey even though he’s the one who kicked her to the curb.

Cricking my neck, I slow but don’t turn around. “What do you want, Jamie?”

I hear his clunky steps behind me, and even his feet sound uncoordinated. He drops his hand to my shoulder, squeezing a little too tightly for it to be considered friendly. “We need to talk.”

“If it’s about all those rough tackles you orchestrated in practice today, don’t apologize; they’ll just make me better for the championship game.”

He raises his hand with a half-lifted smile. “Touchy.” When he glances at my arm, his smile grows. “Hope that last hit by Kyle didn’t affect your throwing arm.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Jamie. Me being hurt will bring you up as our backup quarterback, and no one wants you playing. It would be embarrassing. Have you even thrown a ball this year?” I look up to the night sky, contemplating. “Oh wait, of course you have, during JV practice.”

For the slightest moment, he frowns, and I think I’ve gotten to him, but then that mask of arrogance comes back up. “You’ve taken the bet too far.”

Screwing my face in confusion, I say, “What’s that got to do with your piss-poor performance on the field?” Fury burns behind Jamie’s eyes, and he grabs my leather jacket, pushing me into a tree trunk. “Whoa, calm down, Nicks. I thought we were just shooting the shit?” Got to admit, I’m surprised by Jamie’s strength.

His forearm pushes me into the bark of the tree. “Back off of Honey.” Slumping, I calm. I should have known. Everything seems to boil down to her with Jamie.

Plucking his hands off me, I adjust my jacket. “Where was this overprotective guy when you were fucking McKenna?”

“That has nothing to do with this. You’re fucking with the wrong girl, and I’m tired of watching.”

“Aw, Jamie. Are you upset that the scholarship kid might actually be making progress with your plaything?”

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