Page 85 of The Wingman

She grins and rolls her eyes.

“Mhm. That’s what I thought. You want my advice? Hold out for a guy who wants to TI-83 you all night long.”

Her chest shakes with laughter. “What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know.” I shake my head and blow out a heavy breath like I’m turned on. I am, a little. “Butman, it sounds hot.”

“You’re so weird,” she says, starting to walk again.

I let her wrist go, following at a leisurely pace. “Your recommendations worked the other night at the game.”

Her gaze whips to mine, eyes widening, before she shakes her head, brushing it off. “The team got lucky.”

“It’s not luck. That’s what you always say about these things, right? It’s not luck, it’s a predicted circumstance. You were right, Darce. Your math checked out.”

She bites her lip, and I silently hope that she changes her mind, forgetting all about what happened in the past.You’re right, I’m an amazing genius, she says in my daydream.

A smile lifts on her mouth. “You still haven’t told me what changed.”

“Miller said if I didn’t score a goal, he’d set you up with one of the rookies.” Even now, protective feelings spike in my gut. “Not in a creepy way. He was going to encourage them to ask you out or talk to you at the bar.”

Darcy’s eyes spark with amusement. “Aren’t they, like, twenty years old?”

“One’s eighteen.”

She laughs. “Why would I ever go out with an eighteen-year-old? It would be like dating my little brother.”

Relief throttles through me. “Yeah, I don’t know why he thought that would work.”

“I mean, it did work.” She gives me a pointed look.

It seems stupid, now that I think about it. Why would Darcy be into some kid fresh out of high school? I force myself to shrug. My ears are going warm. “I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“Hayden.” She nudges my rib with her elbow. The way she says my name makes my blood feel warm and thick like honey. “You’re too sweet sometimes, you know that?”

“Don’t say that.” My chest feels tight, heart pumping hard.

She gives me a funny look, but when she says things like that, in that loving tone, looking up at me like I’m more than just a pretty face and a good fuck, I feel hope.

It’s dangerous.

She opens her mouth to say something but winces like she’s in pain, looking down to her feet.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“These shoes.” She leans down to tug at the strap. “They hurt. How does Georgia wear shoes like this every day? She said something about tape on my toes, but we didn’t have any at home.” She starts walking again, but the pained expression stays put on her face.

Concern streaks through me and I put a hand on her wrist again, stopping her. “You can’t walk, Darce. You’re going to get blisters.”

“I already have blisters. It’s fine. We’re two blocks from home.”

I glare at her shoes. Stupid sexy shoes, causing her pain. I could call a rideshare, but it would be faster to walk, and myinstincts are yelling at me to get Darcy home so she can take the heels off.

With my back facing her, I kneel. “Jump on.”

“What? No, I’m fine.”

“You’re not. Your feet hurt.” Seeing her in pain makes my chest hurt. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

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