The smile that spread across his lips made the ache in my chest reach a level of unbearable I didn’t know I could survive.
“So, do it. Make me look like I’m begging,” he encouraged. “Sell it.”
I closed the distance, my nose brushing against his. David took a breath but didn’t let it out. We hadn’t been this close since our kiss. We hadn’t even talked about our kiss. All the weight threatened to spill over now. His gaze flickered to my mouth, and I knew without a doubt he wanted to do it again just as much as I did. The confirmation left me with more questions. The biggest question was which one of us would be the first to officially break. Did it matter who held out when the reward would be complete and utter relief?
“You’ve thought of me since then, haven’t you?” Iwhispered. My voice was steady, leaning on the solid post that was seduction.
“Since…?” he prompted, needing me to say.
“Since our kiss.”
David swallowed but showed no other sign of arousal. “Hardly.”
“Liar.” My lips almost touched his, but not quite. We didn’t need to kiss to prove we were dating. “You’ve thought of it like I have.”
His jaw ticked, but he offered a half-shrug. “I guess.”
“Did you do it in bed? Like me?”
The red was back, creeping up his cheeks, and I went for broke.
“Touch yourself to it like me?” I asked.
He let out a heavy breath, his body nearly shivering at my words. “Are you fucking serious?”
I smiled and shook my head. “I don’t know. All I know is I’m making you beg for it.”
“That’s not…you’re…” It was rare to render David speechless. I reveled in the ability to do so while being so off-kilter. Once my gaze flickered down to his sweats and I saw a nicely hardened outline, we both knew denial would do him no favors.
“So… beg.” I wrapped my hand around his wrist, holding him in place where he still gripped my chin.
“Please,” he whispered, eyes soft with desperation a woman could only dream of.
For a second, I froze, confused whether this was still the game or if we’d crossed some line. But more of his teammates were showing up outside. And the only reason he held me back was to play this up. David wasn’t actually asking to be taken home.
“No,” I said, equally directed to myself as it was to him.
I pulled away from his grasp and opened the door. Hedidn’t stop me this time. Stepping outside into the crisp air calmed the heat of my skin. The few teammates who had been curiously watching the exchange quickly turned away, pretending to have no interest in their tight end’s love life. I rubbed my fingers across my lips as I started up the wooden stairs to the bar. Any doubt of successfully feigning attraction was decimated.
I wasin my third game of pool with Weston and Hart when Haven showed up. She’d waved at me from the bar, where she claimed a spot by Nat, Rissa, and David. I smiled back, trying my best not to get distracted by my fake boyfriend and his habit of watching me like I was the only person in the room.
“You’re scary good at this,” Hart said after my turn. He’d tried the whole, ‘want me to show you how to hit the ball’ thing. I ended up coaching him on his form after they witnessed what I could do. All three times, I’d beaten them in a landslide.
“And we most definitely suck.” Weston laughed when Hart missed an easy shot, once more cementing me as the winner. “You shouldn’t have bet.”
“Weshouldn’t have,” Hart corrected as he dug in his pocket to fork up the cash.
“I haven’t won yet.” I smiled as I got into position for my last shot.
“Well, let’s have it.” Hart gestured with dollar bills, signaling me to seal the deal. Once I did it with ease, Weston whistled. Hart just smiled at me indulgently. He held out the cash, but when I reached for it, he kept it out of reach.
“What’s exactly going on with you and David?” he asked as he held my winnings hostage.
“Hart,” Weston warned in a singsong voice as he placed his cue back on the rack.
“What exactly do you think’s going on with David and me?” I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to mask the heavy thumping of my heart. Was he somehow onto us? What if David and I didn’t look as desperate as it all felt? Was that more or less embarrassing than actually feeling desperate for David?
“I don’t know. Whatever it is, it’s cute,” Hart said. I smiled at how genuine the assessment sounded.
