Page 52 of Falling Offsides

The next morning,I wake up extra early. I get myself ready STAT before feeding Samson and focusing on the task at hand—baking another pound cake. This time I follow the instructions to add fruit to the mix. Mixing some of my frozen smoothie mix—mango, banana, strawberries, and blueberries—into the batter before I distribute it into the muffin cases I ordered online.

Once they’re done, I make two coffees to go—black for me and a couple of oat milk latte pods for her. I’m staring down at a Snow White themed tumbler, debating whether I should just down my coffee and pour Courtney’s into my Comets’ one when the alarm on my phone tells me I have to leave now to get my car.

“Fuck it,” I tell myself, grabbing the paper bags with our muffins in one hand and hitching my kit bag over my shoulder before I tuck Samson into the semi-opened main compartment and grab the coffees.

“Don’t yap, okay?” They’re my last words to Sammy before I open my door.

I’m watching the feed on my phone as I leave the apartment; to be sure Courtney is still getting ready.

She’s slow in the mornings. Takes her time stretching before she gets out of bed and then debates what to wear even though she ends up picking the same outfits—skin-tight leggings, quirky t-shirt, and an oversized hoodie.

One of these days she’ll be wearingmyhoodie. She’ll go around smelling of me all day.

I’m smirking to myself when I finally get to my car and unload Sammy into the front passenger seat followed by the coffees and muffins. Instead of stowing my kitbag in the trunk, I put it behind the front seats. Within reach.

Taking note of the time, I get in the car and kill the feed to her place. Last thing I need is for it to come up when she’s in the car. That would be… disadvantageous, and seriously fucking annoying.

We’re not at the right place for that little nugget of information to come out.

As soon as I coast back towards our building, the audiobook I downloaded yesterday, starts playing. Right at the scene where the dude is railing the girl against a tree after he’s chased her through thewoods. It’s fucking nuts, and seriously hot. And my whole thought process since last night has been:What part got my girl hot under the collar?

Samson leaps up, nosing the passenger side window with his tail wagging in a blur, as Courtney pauses outside the building door.

Black leggings clad her long, shapely legs. Courtney is a good average height, but her legs are long and her thighs are fucking juicy, just like her ass. She’s shelved and racked andfuck me, she’s coming down the stairs faster than I can turn the audiobook off.

“Fuck.”Fuck. Fuck…

The door yanks open just as I stop mid-fuck. In the book and verbally. Before I can sit up and act normal, she’s sliding into my front seat. Hugging my puppy to her chest and kissing his face.

I can’t take my eyes away from her. Not even when her stare lifts to mine and narrows. My pulse goes berserk under her scrutiny.

“What? Was I not meant to get in?”

“No,” I say too quickly, only to correct myself with a groan. “I mean, yes. I’m driving you to work.”

Her gaze narrows some more.

“Are you sure?” I nod and she asks, “You’re not one of those weirdos that sits outside a girl’s apartment and rubs one off?—”

“No,” I retort before she can finish only for the voice in my head to kindly point out that… I’ve done worse.

I’ve hacked into the doggie cams in her place and beat one out while I listened to her get herself off while thinking about me.

Putting it that way, it doesn’t even sound that bad.

When Sammy settles in her lap and she notices the coffee in the cupholder, the warm muffin on the napkin folded perfectly on the dash, her brows lift. “Okay, but this is getting suspicious.”

“I was up early,” I say, shrugging it off.

Courtney gives me a knowing look. One part amused, one part skeptical.

Then—“Thanks,” she says quietly.

Her fingers brush mine as she takes the cup and smiles at it. Warmth floods my chest like a damn furnace as she inspects the tumbler and her mouth quirks up into a grin.

“I like Snow White,” she murmurs with giggle. “I read this retelling once where she slams the prince gets with the dwarves. It was sensationally eye opening.”

My jaw drops at the story she’s describing.