Page 143 of Scoring the Player
“When I was young. Really young.”
He hisses. “I knew there was a reason I can’t stand him. He approached me at the ESPYS a few years back, before you and I met. Energy was off. Reminded me of my first boyfriend’s dad.” He pauses, meeting my gaze. “I’m so sorry.”
The clear rage and sadness in his eyes have my ribs tightening, my mouth twisting, and my eyes cutting away.
My phone buzzes, and I lean back to dig it out of my pocket.
I stare at Salem’s name, and a jittery warmth spreads over my body.
“You two are okay?”
I nod as I drop the phone between my knees. “I think…Fuck, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him.”
“Yeah?” He grins.
“Shut up.”
“I knew it.”
“How?” I question.
“How’d I know you’d fall for him?”
I nod.
“Besides him being objectively hot and looking like he’d bury a body for you at Kieran’s house?”
I snort.
“You forgot how to breathe when he looked at you.”
I groan. “Did everyone notice?”
“I mean, it was obvious to me.”
“Yeah, but that’s ’cause you speak Blue.”
His eyebrows crinkle. “I do what?”
“I’ve been meaning to ask…How’d you know Ty was it for you?”
His gaze softens as he leans back on his elbows. “I don’t think it was one thing. It felt like more than friendship with him from the jump. I was also craving something deeper. It had felt empty for a minute.”
“Your bed?”
He grins. “Nah. I mean, yeah, I guess at some point that became true. Messing with people I didn’t want to spend breakfast with got old. But mostly, it became clear that I couldn’t imagine anyone else loving him or loving me, and it feeling so damn good…or right.”
The rage I feel at Josiah, yoga guy, even Salem’s ex…I don’t think rage is what he means, but that’s what I feel when I think about him with other men.
“How’d you know you could love him without hurting him?”
His head tilts to the side. “I didn’t. We had a rough patch, and I hurt him by putting up a wall. He hurt me too. Honestly, I think that’s part of it. It won’t be good times all the time. I just try my best every day, and I see him trying too.”
“It sounds like a gamble.”
“It’s a bond. And it’s work. Anyone claiming it’ll always be easy is lying. But I wouldn’t trade what I have with him for all the world.”
“Three hoursof the same drills! For fuck’s sake.” I ripped off my shirt. It landed with a plop against the bleachers.
