Page 169 of Heartache Duet

Busted.

“What?” Karen shrugs. “As if you both don’t know.”

Ava takes a breath, eyes on me again. “Karen’s giving me a ride home. It’s just as quick as if I were to take the bus.”

“Or me!” I rush out—too loud, too enthusiastic—and point a thumb to myself. “I could give you a ride home.”

“I know,” she says. “It’s just, by the time you shower and—”

“No shower,” I cut in. “Let me just grab my things.”

“Are you sure?”

Karen speaks up. “He’s sure, Ava.” Then to me: “We’ll meet you outside.”

I nod at the same time Ava orders, “Give me your jersey.”

I raise my eyebrows at her.

She shrugs. “For my collection.”

Without a thought, I reach behind me, pull my jersey off of my back and hand it to her.

Karen lets out a low whistle while Ava stares at my bare chest. Then she brings the jersey to her nose, inhales deeply. “Mmm. Pre-shower jock might be my favorite.”

“You’re so weird,” Karen laughs out, throwing her arm around Ava’s neck. “Go get your shit, Ledger,” she says, spinning Ava around. They make it to the exit before I realize I’m staring at Ava… and Ava—she’s staring back, her neck craned to look at me, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

I rush to grab my things and put on a sweatshirt. Then I go to the parking lot, where Ava and Karen are standing by my truck. Ava’s wearing my jersey, school skirt and knee-highs, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a hard-on so fast. She’s holding Karen’s pom-poms to her chest, and when she sees me, she grins full force. “Ready? Okay!” she yells, the standard cheerleader call. She moves the pom-poms around, her arms and legs kicking out, and I picture every guy in the parking lot watching her and let my growl die in my throat.I close in, seeing her smile fade the closer I get. Her head tilts back to look up at me when I stop in front of her. I take the pom-poms from her, hand them back to Karen. “You don’t need these.”

Ava giggles. “You don’t like cheerleaders?”

Shaking my head, I lead her with a hand on her hip to the passenger’s side of my truck and open the door. “I like you as my own personal one, sure,” I murmur, helping her step up and settle into her seat.

She eyes me a moment. “That’s a little possessive, no?”

I shrug. “Say it again without wearing my name on your back.”

“It’s just a jersey,” she whispers, her gaze locked on my lips.

“If that’s the story you’re going with.”

We’re halfway home by the time either of us says anything, the tension in the cab keeping us quiet. I say, “How was your day?” at the same time Ava says, “I know it’s notjust a jersey.” I clamp my lips together, hoping she’ll continue, and she does. “I know that it signifies a lot more than that, and I like that it does. The thing is, I have some stuff that I need to sort out right now, just a couple of personal hurdles… and I know it’s not fair to ask you to wait for me, but I was wondering if maybe when I do have everything worked out if maybe you’d want to try again… with me?”

I glance over at her, my smile unrestrained. “Yes.”

“Yeah?”

“A huge fuck yes, Ava, yes,” I laugh out, unable to hide my excitement. This is everything I wanted. Everything I needed. “And I don’t care how long it takes you to be ready. I’m so here for it.”

She removes her seatbelt, just long enough to slide in next to me on the bench seat. She kisses my jaw. “Thank you,” she says, as if I’m going out of my way to one day be with her. The girl’s delusional, and I kind of love that she is.

I pull up outside our houses and cut the engine, but I don’t make a move to get out. Instead, I lean against the car door and face her. She’s already watching me, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “So,” she says.

“So?”

“Thanks for the ride.”

“Anytime.”

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