Page 60 of Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends

Brad shifts his weight from one foot to the next. I glance at him and think, yeah, even this guy’s got your number. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world sees who he really is, too.

“Ty, let’s go,” Ryder says, pulling on my arm while glaring at Dean.

“Just tell her,” he spits as if I would ever do anything for him.

“Fuck you.”

And with that, Ryder and I turn to walk back toward our sideline. Everyone on our sideline is watching me. Hell, I’m sure most of the fans and Lily are too, and with each step I take, my anger grows. Will I be using this on the field today? Absolutely. We will win today. There’s no way I’m letting that guy come into my house, talk about Lily as if she’s a possession of his, and then order me around. The audacity. It’s unbelievable.

“Wow, that guy’s a dick,” he mumbles.

“Didn’t you already know that?” I say through clenched teeth. More sweat rolls down my body, this time straight down my spine.

“No. Not really. I only know what the media says about him. I’ve never met him. Why would I? I’m a rookie, remember?”

“I’ll never understand why they’ve painted him as the ‘all-American quarterback.’ He sucks and is a pain in everyone’s ass.”

Can he turn on the charm? Sure, I’ve seen it for years. But he’s so self-absorbed that the Destroyers must pay off the media to keep his true nature from being shown.

“You going to tell her what he said?” he asks.

“Probably. I’m certain she saw us talking.” Along with the rest of the world. “I don’t want to hide things from her.”

I also want to clear up his assumption that she had a thing for me. Did she? Does she now? I mean, we’ve been a little flirty, and we’ve definitely gotten much closer. I’ve loved every second of it, but she’s never given me the go-ahead signal. Trust me, I’ve looked for it. Because if she shows even the slightest bit of confirmation, all rules about bro code when it comes to my best friend’s sister will be thrown out the window.

I want her.

I want to taste her. I want to feel her body against mine. Basically, I want to drown in her.

“Do you think she’ll call him?”

“No. She blocked him months ago.”

“Good for her.”

“Eight years too late in my opinion, but at least she figured it out.”

And it’s about time that I figured it out too.

“That’s right. Now she’s got you.” He bumps me in the shoulder, smiling.

She does.

My gaze tips up to the box she’s sitting in today. I instantly find her. She’s standing at the edge against the glass barrier, and even though she’s too far away to see the exact expression on her face, I know she’s worried. Worried about what was said. Worried about how I’m going to take it. And worried about what this will mean for her.

The truth is, she has nothing to worry about. No matter what, like Ryder said, she’s got me. And I think it’s time I tell her, too.

Chapter 26

Lily

One by one, the players emerge from the locker room. I’m standing with Lexi as she talks to anyone and everyone she knows, and my nervousness increases with each second. There is no family room today since they’ve blocked it off for reporters. Instead, we’re all standing underneath the stadium in a roped-off area. It feels like everyone is staring at me even though I know they aren’t. But the subtle glances here and there are enough to raise my warning flags that people are curious. Very curious.

Flapping my arms, I do my best to dry out my armpits. It’s still hot as blazes outside with the humidity, but with worrying over that interaction between Tyler and Dean before the game, who knows if all the sweating is from the heat or me.

Ugh. Is he mad at me? I can’t think of one single thing that I’ve done to make him so, but the look he pinned me with after he walked away from Dean wasn’t good. Heated, sharp, angry, it was like a shot of electricity straight down to my toes.

And what did Dean say to him?