Page 19 of Fall for You
Dallas held his breath as he waited, watching Ronnie like a hawk. She hadn’t changed much since the last time he’d seen her. She was still slender and sporty, owning her tomboy edge with a cool that was…heck, he’d always found it attractive. Maybe that was why he’d made it his mission to tease her relentlessly every summer…and winter…and any other holiday they’d had at his grandparents’ place.
Although he wouldn’t have said it wasattractionback then, more like a gleeful satisfaction at watching her get all riled up. There was nothing like going head-to-head with an opponent who could take with as much fervor as they gave.
Ronnie blinked up at him. That fire he’d been expecting in her dark brown eyes was nowhere to be seen.
It certainly put a damper on his playful greeting. He’d only been teasing.
“What?” She sounded more dazed than irritated. Or…was she just plain exhausted?
He noted the dark smudges under her eyes and his brows drew together, although his smile still lingered, because…
Man, it was Ronnie Colbert! In the flesh. He hadn’t seen her in over a decade, at least. Probably not since high school. I mean,sure, he might have seen her competing on TV, but he hadn’t spoken to her. Seen her in the flesh. This girl was intricately tied to all of his memories of this place.
He pressed a hand to his chest in an exaggerated, mocking move. “Dallas,” he prompted. “Dallas King.”
He’d seen her mouth his name. He knew she recognized him.
“It may’ve been a minute, but I didn’t think you’d forget your first crush.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
“My first…” She gave her head a shake, and he just barely held back a laugh. “Excuse me?”
She hadn’t had a crush on him. If anything, she’d been Bailey’s staunchest ally in their lifelong sibling rivalry. But it’d always been so fun to tease this girl?—
No. Thiswoman.
He eyed her again from head to toe. He didn’t feel bad about it because she’d done the same exact thing to him.
She might not have grown much, height-wise, since he’d last seen her, but there was no mistaking who she was. Her frame was still small, and she still wore oversized clothes, but her face had matured.
She’d gone from a pretty teen to a gorgeous woman—all high cheekbones and full lips.
She still had bronze skin and that thick dark hair, and everything about her seemed…effortless. She was naturally beautiful even in men’s clothes and no makeup.
But there was something missing. That spark in her eyes he remembered so well—it was nowhere to be seen.
And that was more than disappointing. It was concerning.
Which meant he needed to work overtime to light that fire inside her. He’d take outright rage over whatever this foreign energy was that seemed to be wafting around her.
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all the prank wars.” He leaned in closer. “Or did you forget us little people when you went off to win all those gold medals?”
She shook her head, her closed-mouth smile fleeting. “No, of course I remember.”
Her demeanor was distracted, and when she pressed her fingers to her temple like she was fighting a headache, he felt another pang of concern. “Hey, you okay?”
Her head snapped up. “Of course I’m okay.”
“Of course,” he echoed. He hadn’t really meant it to be mocking, but it might have sounded that way.
Her eyes narrowed. “Did you need something?”
A huff of amusement escaped at her harsh tone. “Uh, no.”
But that little laugh clearly made things worse. She crossed her arms. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” And then, because he couldn’t help himself… “You.”
Her brows shot up.
