Page 12 of A Quarterback for Christmas

Gasping, I cry, “Is that my nightie?”

His big paw makes the delicate fabric look like string, and I feel like I might crumble in embarrassment.

“Uh, yeah.” He drops the fabric like it’s on fire on top of the rest of the clothes he apparently rescued. “It fell out of your bag while I was walking in. Didn’t want the neighbors to see.”

Heat rises in my cheeks when I look over to my ripped bag. The hole splits straight down the middle, right in front of the underwear pocket. He can see everything, and the idea that Drew had to collect my clothes off the snow earlier is unthinkable. The only way I can save face in this mess is to pull out more bravado. Sitting up straighter, I say, “Like they aren’t used to your debauchery. I bet you have girls running around naked, looking for your hot tub all the time.”

“How’d you know about the hot tub?” He winks, staring at me challengingly. When I don’t say anything, he licks the corners of his lips as though he’s getting ready for another verbal boxing match. It’s a move he’s done since high school, but it’s one I’m finding harder to ignore. “Just joking, B. We don’t have a hot tub.” He shuts the door and takes another few steps into the room. “Jacob was such a stud when he joined; he got harassed by the girls here. Girls he’d never met before would do all this weird, crazy shit like show up at his dorm in just a trench coat, expecting him to invite them in. He forked out for this place because he wanted some peace and quiet.”

The rattling window forces Drew out of the conversation, and he spends a couple of minutes inspecting the snow. Not sure what he’s expecting to find out there, but at least it’s two fewerminutes to come up with small talk. “It’s getting bad out there. Glad we got in when we did.”

Pushing out a forced smile, I clasp my hands together, not knowing what to do. This whole thing is just weird. How on earth am I supposed to handle being around Drew for the next few days, without tying a rope around his neck and pulling? The longest time I’ve spent in a room with him is a few hours, and that was at prom with a few hundred other people surrounding us. To say that ended badly is an understatement.

“Are you hungry?” He walks to the open-plan kitchen, sounding chipper. “Jacob took up batch cooking this year because he was trying to get his mind off some girl back home. Lucky for us, he left a freezer full of food.” Pulling out a freezer drawer, he rifles through it until he finds what he’s looking for. “Burritos, okay?”

Shifting in my seat, I wave a hand. “Yeah, sure. That’s fine.”

“Perfect. I’ll put them in the oven now.”

Draped across the sofa, I throw my good leg over the top and lie on my side, trying to get comfortable as I listen to the clanking pans as Drew works in the kitchen. A cool, sharp surge of cold air dances across my shoulders from the drafty window. Reaching for the glass, I rub my finger against the windowpane, watching as the snow drifts through the air.

We may be in a crappy situation, but it really is beautiful out there. Too bad it’s my worst nightmare in here.

Suck it up, Belly.That’s what my dad would say if he could hear me now. Awkward barbs and no way to move are my reality for the foreseeable future, so I should embrace it.

“Here you go.” Drew throws an orange soda can my way, and I easily catch it.

“How did you know I liked these?”

He shrugs, sitting on the gaming chair next to the sofa. “You always had them in high school. Figured your tastebuds hadn’t changed that much.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.”How did he know what I liked in high school?I barely knew what I liked back then, and to be honest, I thought he was too busy chasing every girl in school to notice me, let alone know my drinking preferences.

Opening the can, I take a slow drink, knowing we have all the time in the world, so there’s no rush. The burritos won’t be done for another thirty minutes, and we have nothing to talk about.

I blow out a breath and roll my eyes in his direction to see if that gets his attention. It doesn’t. He’s too busy looking at something on his phone.

“I’m bored,” I spout out, more for a reaction than anything else.

Gulping down his drink and not looking up, he continues thumbing his phone screen. At first, I’m not sure he’s heard me, but just as I’m about to repeat the sentiment, he replies, “And what do you expect me to do about it?”

Am I so boring that he can’t give me the courtesy of eye contact?

This does not bode well for the next few days.

Sitting up straighter so I can watch his reaction, I decide to toy with him. “Entertain me,” I say in an overly seductive, sexy voice, as I pad to the couch.

He whips his head up, and his dark eyes burn with something other than disdain for the first time. Surprise? Curiosity? Interest?

“I don’t think you’d like how I entertain my female guests, Bella.” His words sound threatening, but the way he says my name, all hot and gravelly, sends little zings of electricity through my body. It hasn’t even been three hours, and my body is already reacting like he’s the last man on earth. Because,obviously, that’s the only reason I’d be attracted to Drew…There’s no underlying tension between us.

None at all.

“And how do you entertain your female guests?” I ask, my voice laced with mock boredom, because I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he made my panties a little wet.

He waits for me to look before raising a brow with interest. “I’d show you, but that would probably blow your mind.”

Now that makes me laugh out loud. Thankfully, I’d already finished drinking my soda; otherwise, it would have ended up all over his sectional. “Someone’s got an over-inflated opinion of themselves.” I snort out with an eyeroll.

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