Page 48 of Raine Out (Grand Slam 2)

Raine

“What?” I scoot away from him. “Wait, are you flirting with me?”

He pulls his head back like I slapped him, but then starts laughing. “Well, I’m damn sure trying to, but I guess I’m not doing a very good job if you can’t tell.”

I scoot further away. “Why? Why are you flirting with me?”

“What?” he says, squinting. “Why am I flirting? Is that a trick question?”

I look back at the party to see if Sophie and Maisie are watching. “Did they tell you to?”

“Who?” He looks over his shoulder to try to see where I’m looking.

“You don’t have to hit on me. Really. It’s cool. I’m good—”

“Raine, whoa,” he says, putting his hand on my leg and squeezing it. “Take a breath. If you’re not interested, I understand. It’s no big deal.”

When I feel his hand on my leg, a burst of heat rages through my body with such intensity that it makes me jump.

“Oh, God,” he says, pulling his hand away. “I’m so sorry I touched you. Do you want me to go away?”

“No!” I say, grabbing his arm. He pulls his head back again, smiling a little. I try to get my voice under control. “I mean, no. You don’t have to leave and you can touch me. No, I mean if you want to, you can touch me, but you don’t have to touch me—”

“Raine,” he says, putting his hand on my shoulder to stop my shifting, “what’s happening right now?”

As he says it, Mack’s voice runs through my head.Be upfront with the guy—tell him when a man starts showing interest, you get nervous.

I look up at Alex as he starts massaging my shoulder.

“What’s going on?” he says, smiling. “Tell me.”

I take a long, slow breath and blow it out. “Look, I have a pattern. When hot guys show any interest in me, I kind of fall apart. I get really awkward.”

He smiles as his hand slides down my arm. “So you think I’m hot, huh?” he says, taking my hand.

“Really?” I try to pull my hand away. He holds it tighter. “I put myself out there and that’s the only thing you took away from it?”

He looks down at me. “I have a pattern, too. I make jokes when I’m nervous.”

“You’re nervous?”

“Yeah, I’m nervous. I don’t want to look dumb in front of you. You’re really smart. It’s intimidating.”

“What?” I say, tilting my head. “No, it’s not. You’re smart, too.”

“I’m okay, but I’m just saying, I’m nervous, too.” He squeezes my hand again. “And I’m glad you told me that. It makes me feel better.”

Before I can answer him, I hear a screech from behind us that can only belong to Savannah. “Alex!”

“God, I think it’s Savannah,” I say, pulling my hand back and ducking behind the chair. “I got into it with her earlier. Hide me.”

“You gotinto itwith her?” He looks at me with his eyebrows squishing together. “Like you fought with her?”

“Yeah, it almost came to blows.”

“What?” he says, shaking his head. “Seriously? I can’t take you anywhere.”

“Don’t try to hide from me, Alex,” Savannah says as she closes in on us. She shakes the chair a few times. “I could see your swim trunks from across the party.”

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