Page 33 of Accidentally Checked By My Brother's Best Friend

I want her to look atmelike that.

As if on cue, she turns her face toward me, and my knees buckle.

The tenderness in her eyes,for me, is even better than the happiness I just witnessed. The other people in the room fade away and I make my way over to the three people before me.

“Thank you, Sandy, for taking care of Ava for me tonight.” I give Sandy a nod, tilted in her direction, without taking my eyes from the woman in front of me. “I really appreciate it.”

“I’m surprised Tom didn’t tell you how big of a fan I am. You did me a huge favor by asking me to help!” Sandy giggles, putting her hand on Ava’s arm. “It was so great spending time with you. Can’t wait to do it again.”

Ava turns to Sandy and hugs her. “Thank you, Sandy. You made coming alone so much easier for me.”

“I’m glad,” Sandy says, grabbing her husband’s arm and pulling him away. “Enjoy the rest of your night.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Tom staring at me with a grin but choose not to acknowledge it. I’ve had enough teasing for one night.

“See you at practice tomorrow, Denier.” I give him a quick nod before snapping my gaze back to Ava, only to find her watching me with a grin. My heart jumps, and the corner of my lip lifts.

“Nice jersey.” I point at my number, suddenly feeling uncertain of what to do next. We’re supposed to be dating, should I kiss her? You know, for appearance's sake? Not because I want to or anything.

“This old thing,” she says, looking at it shyly. “Someone sent it to the house with my name on it.”

I raise a brow and feel a laugh bubbling up. “Do you wear things that come from unknown senders, often?”

“Only if it’s new,” she says with a shrug and a mischievous smile. Her eyes dance.

A snort escapes and I feel a smile spread across my lips. “I’ll remember to make sure my name is on anything I send you from now on.”

“This was from you?” She says playfully, pulling the jersey away from her body. “You definitely need to make that clear next time.”

I can’t help it; I throw my head back and laugh. I can feel everyone’s eyes on us, and I don’t care what they think. Taking a step closer to Ava, the scent of sandalwood surrounds me. Gently, I slide my hand partially around her waist and feel a shiver run through her body. Bringing my mouth to her ear, I whisper. “So what am I supposed to do? I’ve never pretended to be somebody’s boyfriend before. Should I kiss you? Is that what a fake boyfriend would do?”

I hear her breath catch and a thrill runs through my body.

“Do you want to?” She whispers breathlessly.

Do I want to? I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire life. But should I?

The smart answer is no.

I pull my head away from Ava’s ear and look at her face. Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes shine, and my glance drops to her lips.

They part slightly as a gasp falls from them. I lift my gaze back to hers and pull my hand away from her waist. A flicker of disappointment runs across her eyes.

Moving my hand to cup her chin, I pull her face gently toward me. Right before our lips touch, I lift my gaze back to hers, making sure I have permission. What I find are lashes lying softly on her cheek. At my hesitation, her lids open, and a question lingers in her gaze.

I don’t wait a second longer before covering her lips with mine.

I never claimed to be smart.

MymusclesstrainasI lift the one-hundred and eighty pounds of weight from my chest. The day after a game is supposed to include a light workout, but after kissing Ava last night, and the way she looked at me when I dropped her off, I need to quiet my mind.

Workoutsusuallyhelp with that.

But remembering how her lips felt under mine has been delicious torture, and I haven’t been able to think about anything else since. It’s driving me insane.

The barbell rattles against the stand as I let go of the weight. My chest rises and falls in short, uneven breaths. My muscles burning is a satisfying ache that has no effect at quieting my thoughts.

Swiping the towel across my face, I lean forward, elbows on my knees, and take a long pull from my water bottle but the tension in my body isn’t fading. I need more.

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