Page 84 of The Off-Limits Play

She sniffs, giving me a weak smile. “So yeah, I guess rain and storms are kind of triggering now. I’m working on it.”

I wish there was something I could say to make her feel better, but I’ve got nothing.

All I can do is brush my knuckles down her cheek and lightly pinch her chin. “I didn’t mean to scare you tonight.”

She shakes her head, silently forgiving me. I don’t fucking deserve it, and it just shows that she’s the better person. I pull my hand away, but she snatches it back, threading our fingers together and rubbing her thumb across the back of my hand.

I stare at our contrasting skin tones, entranced by the way our fingers fit so easily together. How good they look… and the feel of her thumb lightly caressing my skin.

That feeling in my chest intensifies, my throat swelling even tighter when I glance at her face. She’s staring at me, a quiet smile in her eyes, and I have no fucking idea what compels me to do it, but I whisper…

“You scare me, too, you know?”

Her head pops off the cushion. “Me?”

“Well.” I tip my head to the side, my lips twitching, my voice coming out all croaky. “How much I like you scares me.”

CHAPTER31

NYLAH

And there goes breathing.

The look on his face right now…

He’s so vulnerable. So unsure.

I can’t decide if I want to hug him like he’s a boy who’s just scraped his knee or kiss him because that sentiment is so damn sweet.

Letting go of his hand, I sit forward and run my fingers through his messy, wet hair.

“I’m no good for you,” he murmurs, staring down at my leg with a pained frown.

“Yeah, you are.” Fisting his hoodie, I drag him toward me, then cup his cheek, letting this blooming emotion in my chest shine through just before I press my lips to his.

He’s hesitant at first, cautiously kissing me back, and I pull away, practically pleading, “Kiss me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he rasps.

“I need you to kiss me, Casanova. Kiss me right now.”

His nose brushes against mine, and I can sense his smile as he whispers, “Lame,” then cups the back of my head and kisses me deep.

I moan when his tongue sweeps into my mouth, a slow brush against mine. Fisting the back of his hair, I drink from him like he’s the fountain of life… and I would have kept going if the front door hadn’t swung open.

Carson jolts away from me like he’s just been electrocuted, looking at the entrance and tensing when one of his teammates appears.

“Hey, Flash.” He lifts his chin, gently moving my legs so he can stand.

“’Sup.” The running back eyes us up like he’s trying to figure out the scene here. He obviously spots the bruises on Carson’s poor face, and his eyes narrow before his gaze sweeps to me. He stares at me for a beat, like he’s trying to figure out where he knows me from, and then his eyes round. “Wait, are you Coach Jones’s?—”

“Yes, she is,” Carson answers for me. “And she’s only here because she hurt her knee and our place is closer, so…” He scratches the back of his head. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be at that party?”

Grady’s expression changes from a skeptical frown to defeated frustration. “It was a bust.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothin’.” He shakes his head and turns for the stairwell. “I’m going to bed.”

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