Page 54 of The Love Playbook

“That poor boy,” Brynn says with a sigh.

“Poor boy? Are we talking about the same man?” I eye her like she’s crazy.

“You know I love Chris. He’s half the reason Jace and I are even together.”

“How so? Because I was there, and I don’t remember him helping.”

“By allowing me to live with them over the summer. Who knows what would’ve happened had he not agreed to share their apartment? It was our first semester, and they were in the thick of summer conditioning. It was awfully generous to let a stranger shack up in his new place.”

“Trust me. Jace was smitten from the start. He was just in denial. One way or the other, you would’ve winded up together, roomies or not.”

Brynn’s violet eyes soften with that lovesick puppy look I’ve endured for the last year, and shrugs. “True, but for the record, Chris really is a sweetheart. You can’t do much better.”

“Did you forget his mother is marrying my father? Even if Chris wasn’t a giant thorn in my side, it would be fucking weird to go there.”

“I mean, you’re unhappy with your dad, right?” Liz asks as we hand over our tickets to the attendant.

“Unhappy is putting it mildly,” I grumble.

“Well, what better way to piss him off than to bang his future wife’s son?”

Brynn barks out a laugh while my eyes glitter. “Damn, Liz. Who knew that beneath that sweet-as-pie exterior of yours is such a dirty, vindictive side. Bravo.” I clap slowly while Liz laughs.

“Thanks, I guess?”

“Oh, it’s definitely a compliment,” I say as we traverse the stadium to the student body section.

We pass a group of shirtless guys, each with a giant letter painted on their chest, spelling out the word G-R-I-F-F-I-N-S and a throng of girls, gossiping over who’s the hottest on the team. A few names are mentioned, and Chris is one of them.

I grimace, focusing back on the conversation at hand?Chris. “And though I like where your mind is at, it’s still gonna be a no considering I’d rather dip my tits in acid than let that man grope them.”

“That’s . . . oddly descriptive,” Brynn says, rubbing a hand over her boobs.

“Right? But it’s true.” Never mind the fact that my heart thundered in my chest when we nearly kissed outside the dorms, or the fact that for one split moment, I kind of wanted him to.

We step over a couple people as we find our row and settle into our seats.

Yanking my mittens out of my pocket, I tug them on, then pull my knit hat down further over my ears. “Shit, it’s cold, and it’s only early October. Why can’t your boyfriend play a spring sport?” I ask at the same time the Griffins run out of the tunnel and the fans scream.

“I don’t know, but football uniforms do have their advantages,” Liz says.

I grunt as my eyes zero in on number twenty-four?Chris’s number?and I allow my gaze to slide down to the muscular biceps and forearms I know are roped with muscle.

My thoughts shift to the memory of him gripping the stick in his car as he shifted gears, and my gaze drops down to the navy-blue tights that hug a perfectly round ass above a set of muscular thighs and calves.

“They’re okay,” I say, at the same time Chris spins around, giving me a glimpse of his broad chest as he leaves his teammates and quickly jogs to the edge of the field.

His gaze makes quick work of the student section, zeroing in on me before I avert my eyes and shield my face with a hand as I slouch into my chair.

“Lettie!” His voice ricochets through the stadium like a bullet.

“What’s he doing? Isn’t he supposed to be with the team?” Liz asks, her voice filled with glee.

“Le-ttie,” he singsongs, calling me again.

What the hell?

I slouch further, but Brynn grabs the hand shielding my face and tries to lower it. “What are you doing? Chris is calling you!” she hisses.