TheCourtsideCaféisonly a few blocks from Brooks’s apartment, so I walk to meet Spencer, Wes, and Thea for lunch, despite the drizzling rain.
I close my umbrella and shake off the excess moisture before stepping inside the restaurant. It’s covered in Palmer City sports memorabilia and art, from a baseball player wearing the Owls uniform to a Wolves player decked out in hockey gear, each of them mid-swing.
I spot Spencer and Thea first, standing in front of the counter, reading the menu.
“Having second thoughts?” The low rumble of Wes’s voice makes me jump.
My head snaps in his direction. Raindrops splatter from the tips of his long hair, barely grazing his collarbone, onto his bare chest left exposed from three undone buttons on his dark plaid button-up shirt. The sleeves are rolled to his elbows, leaving the obscenity of his forearms on display.
I’m close enough to decipher the tattoo on his left forearm, water and trees in black ink. I want to run my fingers over it, to study every inch.
What is going on with me? I need to snap out of this.
“Is this you not speaking to me, or—”
“You startled me,” I finally manage to reply.
The glint in his eyes makes it clear he realizes I’d been admiring him. I motion to his arm, needing to shift the focus off my inappropriate lingering look. “Is that a lake?”
Wes runs a hand over his tattooed forearm. “Yeah, one near where I grew up.”
“What, did you lose your virginity there or something?”
He huffs out a laugh. “How much of a caveman do you think I am?” He holds up a hand. “Don’t answer that.”
“Can’t take the truth?” I needle him.
“Let’s just say, we don’t have the best track record for having conversations in public establishments.”
I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Wow, you really have a problem with a woman speaking her mind.”
Wes drops his head to whisper the words in my ear. “You can speak your mind to me any time you want, Red.”
I suppress the shiver that runs through my body, not wanting him to realize the effect he has on me. My breath catches when he meets my gaze, a cascade of unwanted lust ripping through me at the intensity of his expression.
“Hey, Isla,” Thea calls to me, waving enthusiastically.
Wes and I straighten, turning away from each other. He clears his throat.
“Is she…” I’m suspicious of the eagerness in Thea’s tone.
“You’ve got yourself a fan. Since Spencer told her you’re his new partner, she’s been asking when we were going to see you again. Caught her watching some of your competition videos too.”
I cross my arms over my chest, feeling my lips stretch into a smile. “I’ve gotta say, the annoyance in your voice is really doing it for me.”
A smirk breaks across his face.
“Oh, my God. Not like that, dude. Not like that at all. I like bothering you. That’s it.”
Wes lets out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. I watch helplessly as the strands rise with his hand, then slowly fall. “You bother me more than I can say, Covington. Hopefully that’s enough fuel to help keep up our act for Spencer.”
I walk toward Spencer and Thea, who are placing their orders. “Guess we’ll see,” I say over my shoulder with a sly smile. “I can always recharge.”
“Everything all right with you two?” A skeptical crease forms between Spencer’s eyes.
Wes wanders to his brother’s side, flashing me a comically goading look, daring me to admit the truth. We agreed to pretend in front of Spencer, but that apparently doesn’t mean we’re going to be adults about it.
“I was thanking good ole Wessy for checking on me after he saw me fall on the ice the other day. He sprinted to me, all concerned.” I clutch a hand over my chest. “Such asweet, concerned gesture.”
