Page 43 of Courtside

He shook his head, stepping away from her and quietly making his way back to his room.

As he lay there in the darkness, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have Sage Fogerty in his bed, tucked against his body.

Would it be so wrong if she was?

CHAPTER13

YOU DON’T LIKE SPICY

SAGE

Sage blinked awake slowly. She was warm, comfortable, and…fuck. She was definitely not in her bed.

Untangling her arms and legs from the soft blanket that covered her, she sat up, taking in her surroundings as she tried to get her brain functioning. Gray sectional couch, framed posters on the wall, a big TV on a dark wood shelf, a table covered in papers and game boards…Oh.

She was in David Hughes’ apartment.

Her car, then the food, then the game tape, and then pulling his stupidly soft shirt on and not being able to keep her eyes open a moment longer.

She stood up slowly, wiggling her toes into the carpet. The living room and kitchen were empty, and based on the bright sun that shone in around the closed blinds, it was already later than she usually slept in.

Down the hall, she could make out the sounds of muted shouts and shoes squeaking on the court coming from behind a closed door. She glanced over at the time displayed on the microwave.8:15am. Was he seriously watching more game tape? On a Saturday morning?

Sage walked toward the closed door, pausing for a second to look down at herself. David’s t-shirt was big enough that it reached her mid-thigh — decent enough. She was braless, too, but having been born a member of the itty bitty titty committee made it a non-issue.

Thanks for that, Mom.

“David?” she called out as she knocked twice.

“Come in.”

Sage opened the door, finding a home office. A futon couch was shoved up against one wall, a folding white table was covered in more papers, empty water bottles and mugs, and two white boards were mounted on the wall facing the couch. They were covered in David’s neat, printed handwriting — numbers, names, and plays sketched in the margins.

David sat on the futon, with Daisy curled up on his lap. A legal pad balanced on one knee, and his laptop sat open on a chair in front of him. More gametape played: this time their match up with College of Newport from earlier that week.

For a moment, she just watched him. His dark brows were drawn down low over his eyes as he watched the game, and he worried his bottom lip with his teeth. Square, black-framed glasses were balanced on his prominent nose, and fuck if he didn’t look good with those on. His beard was starting to tuft out unevenly along his jaw, like it might have been a few days since he last paid any attention to his reflection in a mirror.

He looked anxious and occupied, and Sage thought that if one more thing was added to the invisible weight he seemed to carry he might collapse.

“Morning,” Sage said, unsure of how to approach him. There was something profoundly intimate about being in his home with him, leaving her with a feeling of uncertainty that she wasn’t used to.

David blinked up at her, like he’d forgotten that he’d invited her in. “Sorry, did I wake you up?”

“No, you’re fine.” She moved to sit on the edge of the couch, and saw the exact moment when David noticed her bare legs. His brows shot up and she could feel his gaze tracing her exposed skin like a touch. Settling in on the couch, she tucked one of her legs up under her, very aware of the way he tracked every movement. “You’re back at it early,” she commented, pointing over at the laptop.

David shot her a pained smile as one of his hands started to absently scratch at Daisy’s ears. “I have to figure this out. I’ve got to turn this around for them.”

“What are your plans for today?”

“You’re looking at it,” he said with a low chuckle.

Sage should go home. It was the weekend, and she had stuff to do. She’d undoubtedly overstayed her welcome, and while David was being incredibly nice and gracious about her being there, it would be good to put some space between them. Wearing his clothes, sharing meals, and sleeping on his couch were not going to help her valiant attempts to shut down the way her body fuckingscreamedfor him.

“Let’s go for a walk.” She stood up, and her movement woke Daisy, whose tail immediately started thumping against David’s wide thigh.

“What?” The look David gave her was exasperated, like what she was suggesting was ridiculous.

“You need to go outside. Your dog needs to go outside. It’s a Saturday, and there’s nothing for you to do until practice on Monday.”

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