Page 40 of Courtside

Of course the office was already closed for the night.Of courseit was.

Sage yanked on the locked door one more time before turning away.

David hovered beside her, tall and quiet. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, and he rocked back on his heels.

She shifted so that she was facing away from him. She blinked against the burning in her eyes and she could feel the itching in her nose, clenching her jaw as she willed herself not to cry.

She had her phone. She could call a ride share and go…somewhere. She could find a hotel, probably, or even go to campus and curl up on one of the couches in the library. She would figure it out.

“Right,” she said. There was a tremor in her voice, and she cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. “Well, thanks for the help again. I’m going to get a ride and find somewhere to stay.”

“Are you going to stay with friends?”

Sage felt her body stiffen. “No,” she admitted, but didn’t elaborate.

“Where are you going to go?”

Why couldn’t he just let things be?

“Probably a hotel.”

She heard his sharp inhale and turned to face him. His head was tilted back like he was looking up at the stars, but when Sage followed his line of sight, all she saw was the dark web of oak branches stretching above them.

“You should stay with me.” The words were soft, almost whispered. David still looked up, and her eyes dropped down to the shadow of stubble on his throat before she absorbed what he’d said.

“What?”He couldn’t have possibly…

“It’s after ten,” David said, and there was a quiet defeat to his voice that made Sage pause. “It’s late, and I have a really big couch that, if I’m honest, I end up falling asleep on most nights. You can take my bed. I’ll even change the sheets.” He rubbed his eyes. “Please, Sage.”

Sage opened and closed her mouth.

This was a colossally bad idea. But the reality was that she didn’t have a friend she could stay with, and while she could swing a hotel room, it was less than ideal for her budget.

And there was something about David in that moment, like he was hovering right on the edge of collapse, and a very, very small part of her had the feeling that maybe he wanted the company.

She let out a resigned sigh. “Yeah, okay,” she said. She watched as his eyes dropped closed for just a second, some of the tension in his body easing. “And thank you,” she added. “Really, I appreciate it.”

The smile that curved David’s mouth was genuine, and she was reminded of just how handsome he was. So fucking handsome, kind, and annoyingly concerned with her safety.

CHAPTER12

BIG AND SOFT

DAVID

“This is me.”

David fumbled with his key for a moment before successfully unlocking his apartment. Holding the door open, he gestured for Sage to walk inside first.

The jingle of Daisy’s collar greeted them, and before David could react, Sage had reached down and scooped up his dog, who greeted her with licks against her cheek.

“Hi, sweet pup,” Sage whispered softly, and David felt a wave of relief when he saw a hint of her crooked smirk. She still had the grease smudges on her face, and he hadn’t been able to bring himself to tell her when it seemed like she was already on the verge of losing it.

She was so goddamn lovely, even if she was so unrelentingly stubborn that he wanted to tear his hair out.

“Nice spot,” she said as she carried Daisy into his living room. She’d taken off her shoes by the door — Air Force 1’s, he noticed, impressed — leaving her in colorful knit socks. Her jeans were faded, a little bit baggy, but he could still see her thighs stretching the material.

He wet his lower lip with his tongue before he could stop himself.

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