Page 41 of Let You Love Me

“What are you doing after this?” I blurt.

She brushes past me, heading for the hydration station where she begins collecting the water bottles and placing them in the baskets. “I have to finish up here, and then I’m headed home, but I still have some loose ends to tie up first. Busy, remember?”

“I remember.” I smile. “I remember everything you say, but you still have to eat, right? Do you have dinner plans?”

She pauses. “Not specifically, no.”

“Can I interest you in pizza across town?”

She grabs the last of the bottles and begins to load them in a metal cart with a pulley. “I have to go pick up Sophie, and before you ask, no, my father might work here, but he can’t do it. If I know him, he’ll be in his office for another hour.”

I shrug. “So bring her.”

Surprise flickers through her eyes before she schools her expression. “And this isn’t a date?”

“Nope. I’ll even let you pay for your pizza if you want.” Though it will kill me to do so. Call me old-fashioned. Call me whatever the hell you want, but when I take a girl out, friend or not, I like to pay.

She stares at me for a moment, as if she’s trying to dissect my thoughts, or maybe it’s my motives she’s after. Actually, I’m sure it’s the latter. But I’m not sure I care because after a moment, she nods and says, “I need to finish cleaning up the equipment before I pick up Sophie. I’ll meet you there in thirty minutes?”

Chapter 10

LANE

Did I really sayyes to pizza with a boy I barely know?

His slow spreading smile confirms I did.

Shit.

I blame it on Chance. He approached meagainbefore practice and it’s fucking with my head.

“Great.” Teagan’s blue eyes glitter like jewels in the fading sun. “You know where Slice is, the place right off campus?”

I snort. “Of course I know where it is. I’m a local, remember?”

“Right.” He starts to walk backward toward the tunnel that leads to the locker rooms. “Six-thirty, it is. See you ladies, then.”

I nod, watching him as he turns, brushing past several of his teammates when I notice Chance hovering just outside the opening. His gaze drifts from Teagan to me, his brow furrowed, eyes narrowed to slits.

I wonder if he thinks something is going on between us. Too bad I don’t give a damn.

After our conversation Monday, and again today, I couldn’t give two shits about what he thinks. Controlling bastard.

I arch a brow, mentally flipping him the bird as I climb onto the utility vehicle already loaded full of equipment, and head for the storage room, wondering if Chance Lockhart was going to be a problem.

As promised, I enter Slice with Sophie in tow at exactly six-thirty. Even though it’s a weeknight, it’s still pretty crowded thanks to its proximity to campus, so it takes me a few minutes to see Teagan in the corner booth at the back.

He waves me over, standing as we approach, and my belly tumbles over itself.

Even from here, I can see his hair is still damp, fresh from his shower. His blond locks curl on the top of his head, creating a halo over his otherwise angelic features. Sharp jaw. Clear, blue eyes. Pink, pouty lips with dimples I want to touch.

He’s wearing a black button-down shirt rolled at the sleeves, with a pair of jeans that fit him to perfection. As I stop in front of him, the scent of his body wash, or cologne, or whatever it is, drifts toward me in citrus-cinnamon perfection.

My heart pounds, mind racing as I wonder what I’m doing here.

Date or not, I don’t hang out with men in my free time, especially not with Sophie.

It’s only pizza.