Page 31 of Rookie Mistake

Davis nods. “Yeah. It’s ninety-ten for me. Ninety percent of the time, I eat clean. I eat my protein, watch my sugar and carb intake. Follow the team dietician’s plan. But then there’s that ten percent where I indulge in stuff and allow myself to have something I’m craving. I make sure to keep up my workouts and not skip days even when I’m not eating a hundred percent clean.” He reaches for the hem of his T-shirt and lifts, exposing his six-pack, shrugging. “I think it’s working out.”

I laugh. “Yeah, I’d say so.”

Clearly, he has no issue with keeping his body looking the way that it does. He’s got muscles in places that I literally do not even know how to pronounce, and every time I see them, my brain goes hazy for a few seconds.

Davis Guidry is the epitome of the female gaze.

“Gotta stop looking at me like that, babe.”

Whoops. “Like what?” I ask, feigning innocence.

His lip curves into a lazy grin. “Like you want a repeat of your bedroom right in this parking lot.”

We stay on the tailgate of his truck for what feels like hours talking, and I don’t even realize how much time has passed until I’m yawning and my eyes have become heavy.

Davis notices and glances down at his watch, eyes widening. “Shit, we’ve been out here for two hours.”

“I guess we got lost talking. You’re easy to talk to, Loverboy, and honestly, I’ll admit I’m surprised by how many things we actually have in common.”

“You mean, besides how much we like to fuck each other?” he tests, his voice low and raspy. “Because I think that’s something we’re really good at together.”

I roll my eyes, nudging his shoulder with mine. “Seriously though, I just guess I didn’t think that this”—I use my hand to gesture between us—“would require talking to each other or I guess…”

“Being friends?” he interjects, and I nod.

“Yeah.”

“I told you I’m a likable guy, Trouble. It’s impossible to not want to be my friend.” His cocky smirk makes his dimples pop, and my heart does that thing where it flips and makes me breathless.

I should not be so affected by him, but he’s right. He’s impossible not to like, especially now that I know things about him. Like that his mom is his best friend, and he has a little brother who he FaceTimes every week and they watchTheBig Bang Theorytogether. And how he keeps asking about my music, like those things are important to him. Those things make him more than just a hookup that leaves once it’s over. It makes him more real.

“Mmm, I dunno. Jury’s still out on that.”

“Just give it time, babe. It’s inevitable.”

But… the truth is I don’t need to give it any time because I already know just how likable he is, and that’s what scares me the most.

chapter ten

Davis

“Hotel”— Montell Fish

Iknew this shit was going to happen eventually; I was just hoping he’d have time to simmer down and let this shit go, but clearly, that’s not the case.

The moment Oliver sees me standing near my locker, he storms over, rage written all over his face. His hand flattens against the front of the locker as he slams it shut, barely missing my fingers. “I know what you’re doing, Guidry, and I’m warning you now… stay the fuck away from my sister. This is not a game. Zara is off-limits.”

I don’t immediately respond.

I say nothing because I’m choosing what to say next very carefully.

I’mreallyfucking into Zara, and I don’t want to fuck that up having this shit with Oliver, but on the other hand, he’s not my handler and sure as fuck isn’t hers, and I’ve already had enough of this bullshit between us.

I’m not the one who feels threatened; it’s him.

“You’re the one with the problem, not me,” I respond finally, tugging my clean T-shirt over my head. “I’m good.”

He laughs humorlessly. “Yeah, I bet you’re fucking good. Leave her out of this.”

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