“You’re perfect,” he whispers, his head nudging my shoulder.
Damnit, I want him. Not just in a sexual way, but in a real, I have feelings for him, type of way.
Oh God. I have feelings for Holland. Actual, real feelings. Feelings that I’ve never had for anyone else and told myself didn’t really exist.
I think I might even love him. Can I love him? I don’t know, I’ve never been in love. But this feels like a lot more than just some little crush.
Well, that’s it then. I love Holland Monroe. I am in love with my best friend’s brother.
I… am royally fucked.
Chapter 36
Holland
One thing that wasn’t on my life bucket list? Falling for Lainey Barkley. Try telling ten-year-old me that I’d eventually fall in love with the girl next door and I would have laughed in your face. There’s absolutely no way I could have ever seen this coming.
I mean, my mom used to tell us that we fought like an old married couple, but like, I never took it to heart. I don’t even know where to go from here, but I do know that now that I have her, I’m not letting her go anywhere.
I don’t care what anybody says, especially Ellie. If she has a problem with it, she can fuck off. I love my sister, but I love Lainey. I won’t let her, or anyone else stand in the way of us.
Honestly, I can’t believe I got her to say it. She finally said she’s mine. I never thought in a million years that she’d say those words out loud.
Hearing them almost knocked the wind out of me. It was like I was dreaming, except I wasn’t. She was there, with me. She was real, and she was saying she was mine. Lainey Barkley is mine.
A large hand lands on my back hard, making me jump. The thoughts of Lainey and everything that happened between us the other day disappear as Mason’s face pops into view.
“You ready, dumbass?” he asks, chuckling to himself as if he’s the funniest guy in the world.
It’s game day, and instead of getting my head in the game, I’ve been imagining Lainey’s naked body on top of mine, riding my dick until we’re both screaming out each other’s names.
I’m not excited about this game tonight. Concoran State’s guys are assholes who think their shit doesn’t stink, and I can’t stand them. Okay, I can’t stand one of them in particular. One of the guys, Caleb Walker, dated Ellie a while back. They were pretty serious, and then one day, he ended it.
Not that big a deal, right? Wrong. Turns out the asshole had been cheating on her for months, got the other girl pregnant, panicked, and left. We didn’t find out until a few months later when Ellie saw a picture someone shared on social media.
What a fucking tool. Everything about that guy pisses me off. All I want out of tonight is a win for us, and if I happen to get a hit or two in on Walker, I’m good with that too.
“You’re the dumbass,” I tell Mason, and his face falls into a pout.
“Hey, no need for hostility, bro,” he says as he holds his hands up in surrender. I roll my eyes and finish lacing up my cleats.
“Let’s just get out there and get this over with, okay?”
Standing from the bench, I walk toward the door to the field and Mason follows close behind. I don’t normally want to get games over with, but tonight I do. Maybe it’s because of who we’re playing, or maybe it’s because after the game I get to see my girl.
My girl. That sounds really nice. Lainey Barkley ismygirl. Okay, Holland. Snap out of it and focus on the game.
When I open the door, the roar of the crowd fills my ears. It’s a full house tonight, due to the rivalry between the schools. Everybody’s hoping for a fight or two to break out, but if that happens, we get disqualified, and coach will have our asses.
My team follows behind as I walk onto the field. The stands are full of fans sporting Ellington green and white. On the other half of the stadium, blue and orange fills the stands as Concoran fans cheer for their team.
Across the field, Concoran State gets into position, their players slapping shoulders and shouting. I spot himright away. Caleb Walker. That cocky son of a bitch trying to look all tough and shit. No such luck, my guy.
Playing with my mouthguard between my teeth, my eyes lock on the enemy line. I take a deep breath, pushing everything else out of my mind and focusing in on what’s important right now. Winning this game.
The whistle screams and the ball soars upward, spinning against the gray-black sky, and the game has officially begun.
“Bind! Set!” the ref barks, circling like a hawk.
