Page 21 of Lime Tree Hill

Mitch turned to her now, leaning in close to murmur, “Do you need a ride home, or are you okay to drive?”

She closed her eyes for a second and inhaled, acutely aware of their nearby audience. “I’ll just book an Uber.”

He checked his watch. “I’ll be leaving in thirty minutes. I’m happy to drop you off. Come find me later.”

“Um…okay.”

He moved away, and as she watched him slip onto the dance floor with a girl from another team, Tayla tried to ignore the feeling that it should be her dancing with him. Because, damn, the man could dance.

Of course he could!

“Yep. That’s what I mean right there,” Tim said.

She looked at him and frowned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Liar. You two won’t have to pretend on the day. Boom!”

Tayla sipped her beer as she snuck a peek at the man in question, his hands on his partner’s hips as they moved to the beat. “There is no day. He’s changed his mind.”

“What the…? You can’t be serious?” Tim’s wide-eyed gaze shot to Mitch on the dance floor then back to Tayla. He leaned in close and whispered, “He’s flip-flopped on you?”

“Well, to be honest, I flip-flopped first, so?—”

“Stop.” Tim held up a palm to silence her. “That’s bullshit. I should talk to him.”

Tayla grabbed him by the arm as he went to stand. “Don’t you dare. I can fight my own battles, thank you very much.” She chuckled as she let go. “But I appreciate the gesture of gallantry.”

Thirty minutes later, Mitch sat perched up at the bar with not one but three women hanging off his every word. Tayla stood and said her goodbyes. But as she walked toward him, despite the alcohol warming her inside, that shy nerd with the goth obsession and slight stammer she thought she’d left behind at Clifton Falls High threatened to return.

Mitch set his water on the bar as his companions checked her out. “You ready to head home, babe?”

Babe? Seriously?

He remained poker-faced like she really was his ‘babe.’

Two could play at that game.“I’m happy to call an Uber if you want to stay,sweetie.”

He looked at her and grinned at their shared joke before turning to his friends. “Right, time for me to hit the road.” With that, he stood, grabbed her hand, and led her out to his truck without saying another word.

Tayla sat next to him in silence, his presence filling the space.And as he pulled onto the highway and headed for home, the alcohol-fueled attraction she felt for her very sexy, very attractive, and very cocky neighbor was at odds with her resolve.

“Did you enjoy the game?” he finally asked.

She turned to look at him. “I did. Except for the part where you literally took my breath away.”

He laughed. “Unintentional, believe me. You played well, though.”

“You sound surprised.”

He shot her a sideways glance. “I was a bit. But then, I tend to judge a book by its cover, even though my grandfather advised me not to.”

“Most men do, don’t they?”

“Come on.” He flicked her a sideways glance. “Not only men judge with their eyes. Women do it all the time.”

“I bet they do,” she murmured.

He chuckled at her response. She had no idea why he suddenly found her amusing. This was it, she thought, the sign she needed. The guy was trouble, and she should keep away. It wouldn’t be fair to use him as a rebound from Hayden, the traitor. She certainly couldn’t imagine Mitchel Harrington having an ‘intellectual relationship’ with any woman.

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