Page 24 of The Wrong Play

She finally laughed. Like a full-body, tilt-her-head-back-and-giggle kind of laugh.

I felt that shit. Like an electric shock straight to my bloodstream.

“There it is,” I murmured, feeling strangely satisfied.

“There what is?” she asked, still smiling.

“The first laugh. The first step toward our inevitable love story.”

She rolled her eyes. “Wow. Does that usually work?”

I shrugged. “It’s working right now.”

She huffed out another laugh and shook her head, finally relaxing a little. She was still hesitant, but she wasn’t running.

Yet.

I slid my hands into my pockets, leaning in slightly. “So, what’s your name?”

She tilted her head. “What’syours?”

“Jace,” I said immediately, wanting her to know everything about me. “Jace Thatcher.”

She nodded slowly, no hint of recognition in her gaze. That was different.

“Not a big football fan, are you?” I asked, amused.

She shrugged, a light blush hitting her cheeks. “Not exactly.”

I fucking grinned. I kind of liked that. “Your name. You were about to tell me that,” I pushed.

She hesitated, and I leaned forward, like what she was about to say was the most important thing anyone had ever told me inmy life. But then she smirked, taking a sip of her drink, and said, “I’d rather not say.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

She shrugged, eyes dancing with mischief. “You don’t need to know. You’re astranger.”

The smile that I’d had since the moment I saw her face only widened. “I’m pretty sure everyone starts out a stranger in college,” I noted. “But, once you tell me your name, we won’t be strangers anymore. So, the whole stranger thing is a pretty easy problem to solve.”

She shook her head again, taking an exaggerated sip of her drink and pretending like she was suddenly fascinated by the crowd around us.

I laughed, shaking my head. “Okay, little firecracker. Do you plan on giving meanythingto work with here?”

She pursed her lips, pretending to think about it. “Hmm. No.”

“Fuck.” I let out a dramatic sigh. “Guess I’ll just have to steal your wallet when you’re not looking.”

She snorted again. “Good luck with that.”

I leaned in closer, my voice dropping. “Why won’t you tell me your name?”

She blushed. Just a little. Just enough. But I saw it, and I fuckingthrivedon it.

Huffing, she crossed her arms. “You don’t even know if I have a boyfriend or not.”

I smirked. “I know.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Oh? How’s that?”

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