The wild tangle of curls spilling over her shoulders catches the light, looking impossibly soft. The kind of hair that begs to betouched, to have fingers tangled in it just to find out if it feels as good as it looks. Then there are her eyes—sharp, green, intense, unreadable. They don’t just look at you. They strip you bare, already knowing what’s running through your head before you do. Heat rises in my chest, my breath hitching involuntarily.
And her lips? Full, painted just right, parted slightly as if she’s mid-thought, mid-breath; as if she’s about to say something that could change everything.
My fists clench briefly, tension spiraling tighter in my gut, unwelcome desire battling my carefully constructed disdain.
She moves with effortless command, owning the space around her, bending the room to her presence. The oversized band tee drapes over her frame, careless but intentional, clinging just enough to remind me she’s all curves beneath it. And those shorts—black, frayed, short. Sitting high on her waist, held by a belt that does nothing to stop my mind from slipping into places it has no business going.
Her legs? Long, smooth, golden in the dim lighting. It’s stupid how distracting she is, especially when she hates me for reasons I still can’t figure out. I’ve never done a damn thing to her, but somehow, I’m the enemy.
I blink, dragging my eyes back up before I give too much away. But hell, can you blame me? My pulse throbs angrily at my temples, betraying my forced indifference.
“You made two thousand tonight,” Coach Tompkins says, pulling my focus back.
I finally step forward, looking between Candace and Coach.She placed a bet? And on me?Curiosity twists sharply in my gut, my breath shallow.
Her eyes flick up, catching mine, and whatever softness was in them a second ago disappears behind an irritated scowl. My chest tightens.If she hates me so much, why the hell did she bet on me?
Coach Tompkins hands her an envelope, and she snatches it without a word. There’s something forced in the smile she throws him, the kind of expression worn by someone who’d rather be anywhere else. She keeps her gaze pointed away from me, avoiding eye contact as if locking eyes might give me too much; take something from her she isn’t ready to admit. Or worse, expose the truth that part of her might want me to look.
My throat goes dry at that thought, heart hammering a little harder against my ribs.
Ruby claps her hands together. “Now we can party!”
Candace rolls her eyes, stuffing the envelope down the front of her shirt into her bra. My jaw clenches tight, heat flaring through me as my gaze follows the movement. Now she has something I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on.
I shake the thought away sharply, irritation and longing twisting together painfully in my gut. What the hell is wrong with me?
“Not happening, Ruby,” she says, voice flat. “Besides, you have Daddy’s credit card.”
Ruby gasps dramatically. “Candace Renee Giles. I am shocked and appalled. How dare you expose me like that in front of such a dangerously attractive criminal?”
Candace mutters, “He’s not even that attractive.”
A smirk pulls at my lips, but her words sting more than they should, burrowing beneath my skin. I grin, masking the unexpected flare of irritation. “Keep telling yourself that, Sour Patch.”
Her eyes flash with irritation, and I swear she clenches her jaw before turning away, but not before a flicker of something else—something softer—briefly ghosts across her expression.
“Oh my God,” Ruby says, looking between us. “Are you two gonna bang or fight? Because the sexual tension in here is giving me whiplash.”
Candace groans. “Ruby.”
“What? I’m just saying! It’s all ‘I hate you’ but also ‘please ruin me.’ I’m getting mixed signals.”
I bark out a laugh, tension easing just slightly from my shoulders. “She’d rather choke on glass.”
“Only if it means I die before hearing you gloat again.” Her voice is all venom and steel, her eyes sharp enough to cut, and somehow, that makes me grin even wider.
Ruby throws her hands up. “And there it is! Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be here all week. Tip your bartender.”
Candace covers her face, clearly regretting every decision that led her to this moment. “We need to go.”
Before she can escape, I lean in closer, pulse hammering at my throat, voice low. “So, you really bet on me?”
Her eyes snap to mine, hard and unrelenting. A faint flush colors her cheeks. “Don’t flatter yourself, Hayes. I just bet on the biggest ego in the ring.”
I grin despite the sting, the bitter taste of disappointment lingering on my tongue. “Guess I owe that ego a thank you.”
She brushes past me, all fire and attitude. I swear I can still feel the heat she leaves behind, scorching every nerve ending. Ruby skips after her, humming something suspiciously like “Bad to the Bone.”
