Page 63 of A Quarterback for Christmas

He sighs, thumping his body back onto the sofa. “Wow, Bella. I didn’t think you were one of those girls. Drew’s got you all wrong.”

“What kind of girl are you referring to?”

“A jersey chaser. Fawning over a guy just because he plays football. You know there’s more to us than what we leave on the field.”

My mouth hangs open in shock at the insult. “Excuse me? I’m not a jersey chaser. I’m not interested in football, let alone any of the players. In fact, I hate football. With a passion.” The final words die on my lips because Jacob is watching me with such intensity I know he knows something.

“You sure about that? Because my QB2 has been a pain in my ass these last few weeks, but won’t tell me why.”

“Really?” High pitched and followed by a gulp. I’m about as subtle as a walrus pretending to be a sea lion. “I have nothing to do with that.”

“Look, I don’t want to get involved in your cat-and-mouse foreplay.” That last word makes me squirm in my seat, and Jacob notices, his smile growing wider. “Oh, am I wrong? Is it no longer a cat and mouse game? Has something already happened?”

“I...I...I.”

“Not so tough now that you have to talk to me in person, are you?” When I’m silent, he shakes his head and plays with the bill of his St. Michael’s ball cap. After a sarcastic laugh, he says,“Unbelievable. You two think no one sees it, but you might as well be wearing signs on your forehead that say ‘we fucked’ with how obvious you’re being. Can’t believe Coach Summers even invited us here with you two acting like this.”

Instinctively, I push him away. “Keep it down. My dad is in the room.”

“Then you should really tell Drew to stop staring at me like he’s going to burn my house down. He’s making it all too obvious that he has a claim on you.”

“He’s staring?” I so desperately want to look, but I hold back.

“Oh, Bella. He’s been staring at you since the minute he met you. When are you going to put that poor pining idiot out of his misery and just admit that you like him too?”

I swallow, not sure what to say. “Things are complicated between Drew and me.” True.

“Best way to uncomplicate them is to talk.”

“Who’s giving relationship advice now?”

“Who can’t see that the guy she’s into has been mildly obsessed with her since he hit her in the head with a football?” he replies sarcastically.

I gasp. “You know about that?”

He nods. “Yeah, I know about that.”

Looking around at the rest of the players, I feel like all eyes are on me. “Does everyone?”

“Nope. I’m just the lucky guy that Drew confided in once after there was a little fight in the locker room.” He chuckles when he sees my surprise. “Guessing he didn’t tell you about that, either?”

“Drew and I don’t talk.”

“So it would seem.” His eyes track my hair, but there’s no heat behind the move. He shuffles closer to me, though. “Maybe you were too busy doing something else. You ever wonder why no guy has asked you out since you came to college?”

“Because I’m the daughter of the coach.”

“If anything, that puts a target on your back with the guys, but Drew pretty much stamped his name on your forehead the minute you showed up on campus.”

“Watch this.” He draws his hand up, waiting for me to give him a high-five. “Come on. Don’t leave me hanging.” I slap his hand, and just as I’m about to let it go, he waffles our fingers together, dragging me closer to him.

His mouth is at my ear now. “Check out Drew’s face. He’s going to kill me tonight.” He laughs, unclasping our hands as he moves to get up. I’ve barely acknowledged Jacob because I’ve finally got Drew’s attention. His eyes are darker than normal, his jaw clenched, and he stares at me unblinking, almost as though he’s challenging me to make a move. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to find something to drink other than water. Sitting around, waiting for the draft is torture.”

Just like that, Jacob’s gone, but Drew is still looking in my direction. Swallowing, I subtly scrub my teeth with my tongue just in case there is any leftover pizza between them. I can’t handle the humiliation if that was the only reason he was looking at me.

When I know my teeth are clean, I stare right back at him.

Brown meets blue, and there’s a yearning brewing in my stomach. Now that I have his attention, I want to make sure I keep it.

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