Page 12 of Quarterback Keeper

We stopped at a light, and he rubbed his eyes with his fingers, his weariness tangible. “Wrong word choice. I thought it would be good for you to see where I lived and maybe meet my roommates so you’re not blindsided by questions in the future.”

The brewing urge to fight with Kylian left me. I eased back in my seat, uncurling stiff fingers from the door handle. “Fine.” I couldn’t lie. I was a little curious about where Mr. Hotshot Football Star lived—mainly because I loved watching the sport. I had fond memories of watching weekend games on the TV and a feast I cooked with my uncle for every single one. When Dayton came around, he barely contained his disdain for football. I’d given up too much for Dayton—the tradition of food and football I’d had with my uncle was one thing among many.

We drove in silence until we pulled into an underground parking lot beneath a beautiful, nine-story building. I took note of the doorman.And were those reporters?I quickly turned my head away and raised my hand to block their view, worried they’d taken a picture of us as we’d pulled in. A camera had been angled toward the SUV, and a flash had gone off. Kylian parked, and I shoved the worry away. I was probably mistaken and overly paranoid.

As I got out of his SUV, his hand rested on the small of my back, and the same jolt of unwanted electricity from the last time he’d touched me shot through my body. I eased away and, instead, latched onto the annoyance from tilting my head so much just to glare at him. “No one’s here. You don’t get to touch me when it’s not for show.”

It wasn’t being touched that bothered me. It was how it happened. I wasn’t scared of men, or sex, but I was terrified of violence. I’d had enough time to lessen my reactions aroundpeople unless someone moved fast and in just the right way. It was a trigger, one I hoped I would heal from and escape.

“If my touch makes you pull away, then we need to do it more. It’s not a big deal.”

It was a big deal. I was too aware of him. I didn’t want to feel any sort of attraction. And how my body reacted to his—that alone was dangerous because my mind wasn’t ready. I didn’t trust him, not yet.

“These little things make us look comfortable together. Right now, we aren’t, so I’ll keep doing things like that or holding your hand. And before you try to deny it, my mom picked up on it.”

He stabbed at the elevator button, then his hand brushed against my back again. A shiver climbed my spine, and I bit my lip to stop from telling him to back off. His hand fell away as we stepped inside and turned to face the doors that closed with a quiet whoosh. He was on the top floor and had to use some card in front of the scanner to propel the elevator into motion.

Why am I not surprised by all this?

Dayton had money. Loads of it. More than he knew what to do with, and he threw it around to control situations that didn’t go his way—including me. Trust-fund kids.What’s that life even like?I had a taste of it with him until he soured my palate with his controlling ways. I’d lost too much of myself just to please him. Nothing was worth putting up with how he’d treated me. Making a run for it was the best decision I’d made from the moment I’d agreed to go on a date with him, a few months after my uncle had passed away.

I shook my head, dislodging the memories, and focused on what Kylian would show me instead. The doors opened to a hallway with only two doors on either end. We went left, and after he opened it, we stepped into a small foyer that led into the living room. From their spots on the couch, two huge guys played a video game on a large TV.

One glanced in our direction, his eyes widening when they landed on me. “Hey, Kyl. How’s your mom doing?”

“Tired but good.”

He grabbed my hand, and I let him lead me into the living room. A gorgeous kitchen sat to our right, and I got caught up in the Viking appliances and quartz countertops. I wanted to cook in there so badly. It’d been too long, and the boat didn’t count with its smaller galley and sparce pots and pans.

I stumbled, and his hand tightened around mine. Heat climbed my cheeks, and I ignored the kitchen, paying attention to where we were going. We stopped to the side of where his roommates sat.

“Gia, this is Ares and Liam,” Kylian introduced us after they paused the game.

“Hi.” I took in their wide shoulders and athletic builds. Their smiles were friendly, and I sensed nothing malicious behind their relaxed mannerisms.

“Nice to meet you.” The one I thought was Ares was the bigger of the two and wore a faded gray-and-blue Fall Lake football T-shirt.

The tension between my shoulder blades eased. He had a chill vibe for the most part. And bonus, he kept his kind topaz eyes on my face. I liked him immediately.

“Hey.” Liam’s voice was smooth and deep as his green eyes traveled from the top of my head to my toes then back up again. A slow, sexy smile curved his chiseled face. He, too, was gorgeous. And the scar on his cheekbone only enhanced his appeal—not to me, of course. But I imagined women in general would find him irresistible.

Heartbreaker.I pegged him as a womanizer.But maybe a harmless one?My instincts didn’t scream at me to make a run for it.

“We ordered out,” Ares said. “Leftovers are in the fridge if you guys are still hungry. But I imagine not after Evalyn cooked dinner. Man, I miss going with you.”

“Thanks, but we’re good.” Kylian nudged me toward one of the doors. “We’ve got a few things to talk about.”

“I bet you do,” Liam said quietly, but the sound traveled.

Kylian shut the door behind us. “Ignore them.”

“Planned on it.” I crossed my arms over my chest and took in his room. It was larger than I expected. I could see a little of the en suite bathroom but not enough. I wanted to explore everything. The room had white walls and dark-gray accents from the bedspread. A desk, computer, and dresser made up the rest of the furniture. It was surprisingly clean and didn’t smell like a sweaty guy, which shocked me.Aren’t all college athletes slobs?In my limited experience, they were.

I eyed the choices warily, crossed the room to the desk chair, and sat.

He took the bed. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and his lips twitched.

I wasn’t there for his amusement. It was time I reminded him. “Let’s get this over with. I want to get out of here.”

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