Page 62 of How to Prevent a Fumble

I shake my head. “I’m not going anywhere with you if you’re going to be a dick, Leo.”

He stops, his back still to me, and sighs, rolling his shoulders before turning to me. “Briar, with all due respect, I just bought you over two grand worth of clothes because I wanted to. Because I wanted you to feel good about yourself because your dickhead of an ex-husband took half your clothes or some shit. Can you please, please just give me this?”

I’ve never felt like such an asshole.

Sure, Leo can be a dick. And sure, sometimes he uses money to get out of sticky situations. But this wasn’t one of those, and I knew that.

“I just don’t want to be threatened,” I say quietly, retreating into myself. “I really appreciate what you did for me.”

His face softens as he walks over in two strides, wrapping his arms around me and placing his chin on my head.

And I become all too aware of him.

Leo Warner.

Hugging me.

My head in his chest.

No, a little under his chest. Leo is a massive man.

“I—”

“We’re having a moment here, Sunny. Shush for a minute.”

And I do. I don’t even argue about him calling me Sunny again.

“They said that they called some people to alert them we’d be here, so if you see any cameras, just ignore them, okay? Pretend like they don’t exist.”

I salute him, grabbing my purse before reaching for the door.

“Don’t you dare touch that door,” Leo says before jumping out and rounding the back of the car. When he reaches me, he opens the door, offering me his hand.

“You’re really playing this up, aren’t you?” I whisper.

He smiles, the dimple in his right cheek more pronounced in the evening light, his eyes twinkling. “Are you calling me charming?”

“I’m calling you casuistic.”

He clicks his tongue with a smile as he pulls me out, directing me to the restaurant. “That would also infer that you think I’m smart, Crosby, and you and I both know that’s not something you believe.”

I watch him, honestly shocked he even knew what that word means.

Because I don’t entirely believe Leo Warner is smart. Sure, in some ways he may be. He’s amazing on the field. He’s a genius athlete.

But that was the extent of it.

As if sensing this realization, the corner of Leo’s lips lift in a smirk, and it takes everything in me not to roll my eyes.

As we near the entrance to the restaurant, Leo places his hand at the small of my back, leading me in, and it feels scorching.

But I realize that I don’t hate it.

20

LEO

Briar sits in front of me looking as beautiful as I’ve ever seen her, nervously tucking her curled hair behind her ear as she looks at the menu.

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