He made his move. A feint to his right, then a lunge to his left. I moved in front of him and he passed the ball to Riley before I could intercept. His body continued the momentumeven without the ball and he ran into me, his hands landing on my hips before I knew to catch myself. He held me steady, our bodies close and tangled. The game continued on behind us.
“My bad,” he murmured against my temple.
A shiver raced down my spine at his nearness. Someone shot and scored behind us. I had no idea who.
“It’s fine,” I said in a way that was meant to shake him off.
He pulled his hands back slowly, letting them slide over my hips. “Your ball.”
It went on like that. We scored. They scored. We fouled. They fouled. The temps were dropping as the sun set, but I still got hot. This was a competitive game and while the boys had the height and body advantage, we girl weren’t going to hand over the victory without a fight.
When my hairline started to feel sweaty, I peeled my crewneck off. I’d forgotten that I was in a tight crop as I had never intended to remove my top layer.
Sam was waiting for me at the top of the key, his gaze dark and stormy. “I didn’t take you for the cheap tricks type?”
“What do you mean?” It was our turn with the ball. We were down by six. I’d loosened up around him a little, but mostly so I could shut him down.
He shook his head as if trying to clear it. “Nothing.”
I checked the ball. “Game’s not over yet, Autry. We still have time to win.”
He passed the ball back. “Bring it, Haden.”
So I did. Teagan cut through the middle, so I passed her the ball, then sprinted up the side. Sam followed me easily, his hands on my bare waist in an effort to slow me down. Or distract me. I feinted to the corner, then spun around, my body moving in front of Sam’s, to post up under the hoop.
Sam’s hands were back to my hips, my waist, the top of my ass. I pushed back into him, gaining position. His hands closedaround me, on my bare stomach. He held me against his chest. His nose skimmed the shell of my ear. My heart stopped. My breathing got trapped in my aching lungs. My vision blurred.
Parker passed me the ball and somehow from the depths of my basketball instinct, I managed to catch it. Sam released his hold, and I shoved my shoulder into his chest, managing to sink another layup.
Parker and Teagan cheered. Kami walked over to sit down next to Tom. She hadn’t really contributed except to distract Riley—which was fine with the rest of us. And the boys groaned at Sam’s lack of defensive effort.
“It’s your fault,” he grumbled as we moved back to the top of the key. “Cooper told me you had a boyfriend.”
I didn’t understand how me not having a boyfriend and him sexually assaulting me while I scored on his ass had anything to do with each other.
“I did have a boyfriend,” I told him flatly. “Until four months ago.”
His eyes widened at my candid confession. “Four months ago?”
My answering smile was sarcastic, and maybe a little sad. “Left with a broken heart. Came back with a broken heart. Think it’s me? Or this town?”
Sam’s eyebrows furrowed over his nose as he looked at me in utter confusion. I took that opportunity to run down a layup.
He was still at the top of the key when I came back with the ball. The rest of the boys shouted insults at him.
I passed him the ball and got into a defensive position. “Two-point difference. Better lock-in, Autry.”
“What do you mean,youleft with a broken heart?” He dribbled absently, his tone serious.
“Sam! Stop flirting with Balls for two seconds so we can win this game,” Cooper shouted from the wing.
Sam ignored him. “Holly.”
I stood up at the use of my full name. “Samuel.”
Cooper lunged in from the side and stole the ball from his own teammate. The game continued behind us.
“Why did you leave with a broken heart?” he demanded.
