Page 8

Teagan

“Good job, José! Excellent form, mate!” I cheer for the boy as he expertly blocks a ball from entering the net. The kid has some serious talent at such a young age.

After I ended my call with Layla, it took me a long time to focus on my homework. I hadn’t intended to be so forward with our conversation, but there’s something about her that makes me want to open up and show all of my cards. And that throaty laugh of hers is quickly becoming my favorite sound. It makes me want to work harder to earn her smiles.

I should have been doing a research paper, but instead, I spent my time looking up salsa dancing. My jaw dropped once I realized how sensual it was. I’d give up just about anything to watch Layla move like that. In private. No other wanker is going to look at her luscious body swaying and undulating so seductively. I’m thinking of learning how to do it myself just so I have the excuse of putting my hands on her while her hips sway.

Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I bring myself back to the present and see Gabriela sitting on the bleachers, pouting. She looks so sad that my heart just about breaks. Jogging over, I take a seat next to her.

“What’s wrong, Gabriela?” I ask quietly. “Are you alright, lass?”

Sniffling, she peeks over at me before pointing to a boy around her age across the gym. “That boy over there told me girls can’t play soccer as well as boys.”

I frown, looking over at the boy in question. That won’t do. “Now you listen to me, lass. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Girls are some of the fiercest soccer players around. Did you know that one of the best players in the world is not only a girl but she’s Hispanic?”

Her head shoots up, face bright with excitement. “?No mames! Who is she?”

The light in her eyes makes me smile.

“Her name is Marta Vieira da Silva. She’s been named the FIFA World Player of the Year five times.”

Gabriela’s eyes go wide. “??Cinco?! Wow! Do you think I could be the best player in the world, Mr. Teagan?”

“I do! If you practice and work hard, you could be anything you want,” I tell her sincerely.

She beams up at me before jumping up and wrapping her arms around my neck in a fierce hug. Chuckling, I give her a quick squeeze back.

“C’mon. Let’s go work on your saves. We’ll show those fellas how it’s done, yeah?”

“ ?Sí! ?Vámonos! ”

Gabriela proves to be quite the force to be reckoned with when challenged. She still roars like a lion when she pounces on a ball, but she doesn’t hesitate to dive for it either. The look of determination in her eyes would stop anyone in their tracks. She means business.

In the last few minutes of class, I make it a point to discuss female soccer players. They don’t get enough credit to begin with and definitely don’t get paid enough as professionals. I’m going to start the next class by watching some footage from the Women’s World Cup. That will surely put that little tosser in his place.

The rest of the week flies by in a blur, which is fine by me since I’ll be seeing Layla tonight for the opening of Beauty and the Beast. I haven’t seen her since that chance meeting on campus, and now I look for her every time I step out of Cameron Hall. I even go so far as detouring around the amphitheater on the off chance of seeing her. When I don’t see her, I send her a text message asking about her day. She’s usually quick to respond, which makes me grin like a fool every time.

Now I’m staring at my closet and trying to decide what to wear to the play. I don’t usually fuss over clothes, but I’m clueless as to what kind of attire is appropriate for this type of event. Eamon just happens to walk by my door at that moment. He glances over, then stops in his tracks.

“What the feck are you doing, mate?” he asks, raising a brow.

“Ach. I’m trying to figure out what the hell I’m supposed to wear to this thing.” I groan in frustration.

Chuckling, Eamon leans against the door frame and folds his arms across his chest. “Honestly, you could probably dress casually. It’s not Broadway, so don’t get fancy. ”

“No,” I say quickly. “I’m meeting Layla there.”

Eamon’s brows rise higher. “Yeah? That changes things. Have you asked her what she’s wearing?”

“‘Course not. What are you going to wear?”

“I’m…” He pauses. “Well fuck. I don’t know. I hadn’t even thought about it.”

“See? This feels like an important event. It’s an important night for your mot, and it’s the first time Layla and I’ve gone to anything just the two of us.”

“So it’s a date?” he asks, smirking at me.

“No. Yes. I don’t know. She asked if I was going, and I told her I was if she’d be there. So we agreed to meet up. I’m not picking her up. And I’m paying her back for the ticket. She wasn’t going to let me, but I wasn’t having that.”

Eamon nods in agreement. “I’ll ask Norah what the dress code is. Problem solved.”

“Thanks, mate.”

Layla

I’m a nervous wreck, and I have no idea what to wear. Normally I’d wear jeans and a nicer sweater, but this feels like a date, even if neither of us confirmed it as such. Thank god my best friend is a part of the production. If anyone will know what I should wear, it will be Norah.

Layla: What’s the dress code for tonight?

Norah: For the play? There’s not really one. Some people dress up, some dress casual. I’ll be in business casual since I’m on the crew. Why?

Layla: I might be meeting Teagan there…

Norah: WHAT?! A date?!

Layla: No. At least I don’t think so? He insisted on buying Charlie’s ticket off of me, and he’s not picking me up.

Norah: Hmmm. Sounds kind of like a date to me. Wear that one black mini dress with the Queen Anne neckline. Play up the smoky eye. And your red peep toes!

Layla: You don’t think that’s too much?

Norah: Nope. You’ll have him drooling. ;)

Layla: That’s NOT what my goal is.

Norah: Added bonus. Do beach waves too.

Huffing out a breath, I pull open my closet door, grabbing the dress in question. If I’m being honest, it’s my favorite. The last time I wore it was to Charlie’s wedding. If I really want to be truthful, I’d admit that I kind of love the idea of dressing up for Teagan. I’ve caught his hungry gaze running over my body more than once, and every time, I’ve been in jeans and a casual top.

A lot of women that are my size are self-conscious of their bodies, but Mami instilled in me from a young age that a woman’s curves are one of her best assets that deserve to be accentuated just as much as her hair and eyes. Do these curves make shopping difficult at times? Absolutely, but I’ve learned what styles work on my hourglass figure and have stuck with it.

After curling my hair, I apply my makeup, carefully contouring and highlighting my features. Before beginning my eye makeup, I dust a shimmery bronzing powder over my cheekbones and decolletage. Following Norah’s advice, I blend a few different shades to give my eyelids a smoky look, then add a sexy cat eye lining. I remember spending hours in front of a mirror perfecting this particular technique once I started high school. Finally, I add a couple of coats of extreme-length mascara and a deep red lipstick to match my heels. Stepping back, I admire my reflection with satisfaction. I look and feel confident and sexy. Snapping a selfie, I send it to Norah.

Layla: Thoughts?

Norah: Holy shit, Lay. You’re smoking. Can I date you?

Layla: Ha! I don’t think Eamon wants to share you.

Norah: Good point. I’ll just live vicariously through Teagan. Gotta get back to the dressing room. See you soon! xoxo

Layla: Break a leg! xoxo

Taking a deep breath, I grab my cropped leather jacket and small clutch and head out the door.

* * *

Finding a parking spot proves to be a challenge. The play has been so hyped up that everyone wants to be at the first showing. Eventually, I give up and decide to park near Congdon Hall and walk. It isn’t too long of a walk, and the weather is mild. Locking up, I pull out my phone to see a text from Teagan .

Teagan: I just got here. I’m outside of Kenan Auditorium.

Layla: On my way. Had to park over by Congdon.

Teagan: I’m coming to you.

Layla: It’s really okay. Be there soon.

Teagan: Nope. Not letting you walk in the dark alone.

I roll my eyes out of habit, but inside, I feel all gooey like a toasted marshmallow.

After walking for a few more minutes, I see him. He’s far enough away that I can’t make out all of his features, but I know it’s him just by his easy stride and the hands stuffed into his pockets. As he approaches, I almost trip. He’s mouthwatering in a maroon sweater over a white collared shirt with charcoal gray slacks. While reminding myself to shut my gaping mouth, I notice his steps falter, his eyes going wide as they trail from my head to my feet and back up my body. Placing a hand over his heart, he lets out an almost pained sound.

“Christ Almighty,” he breathes, stopping inches from me.

“Hola , ” I say softly, peeking up at him through my lashes.

Clearing his throat, he takes a step back and looks me over again. “Layla, you look…devastatingly beautiful.”

“Thank you.” I blush. “You’re looking pretty good yourself.”

I can’t not compliment him. Even if he hadn’t said a word to me, I still wouldn’t have been able to refrain from telling him how handsome he is. If Niall Horan and Lucas Bravo had a love child, it would look just like Teagan. He has the boyish smile of Niall mixed with the sexy and pensive eyes of Lucas. His maroon sweater is stretched tight over his broad chest and shoulders. Does he actually have product in his hair? It looks like it has been artfully tousled and swept to the side. He even shaved. Oh, that jawline. Damn.

“I wasn’t sure what the dress code was. I was afraid I might have overdressed, but now I feel like maybe I didn’t dress up enough,” he says, eyes continuing to roam.

“Uh, no. You look just right,” I blurt out, which makes him grin, showing off that dimple. “Shall we, Lovely?” he asks, offering his arm to me .

Unable to stop myself, I run a hand down his bicep before looping it through and resting it in the crook of his arm. What I actually want to do is run my hands all over him.

“We shall. Hopefully, we’ll find some good seats,” I tell him as we begin walking towards the theater.

“I think Eamon said Norah reserved some for us.”

That was news to me. “Oh yeah? She didn’t mention it to me earlier.”

He shrugs in response, and we walk silently the rest of the way, our eyes repeatedly darting towards each other. Each time I catch his gaze, he smiles, which makes me blush. Everything he does makes me blush. Annoying. When we reach the theater, I stop and pull the tickets out of my small handbag then turn and hand one to Teagan.

“Right. Here.” He starts to pull his wallet from his pocket.

I reach out a hand to stop him. “We’ll worry about it later.”

“Is this your way of trying to get me to forget?” he asks with narrowed eyes.

I roll mine in return. “You’re ridiculous. Let’s just go find our seats first.”

Teagan pulls the door open and ushers me through with a hand on the small of my back. I can feel the heat searing through my dress. How can such a small gesture be so telling? When we enter the lobby, we stop short. It’s completely packed full of people. Half of them are just waiting to be seated, while the other half are visiting in large circles. I’m suddenly very glad I wore heels as they give me just enough height to see over all of the heads.

“Sheesh. I wasn’t expecting this big of a crowd,” I mumble to Teagan.

“C’mon. Let’s try going around,” he says as he slips his warm, rough hand into mine, holding it firmly and leading me to the outside edge of the room.

He doesn’t release his grip once. Any time someone steps in front of us or blocks our path, he pauses and rubs soothing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. Eventually, we find a side door and sneak into the auditorium. The room is half full with people milling about trying to find the best seats.

“Did Eamon say where our seats were?” I ask, craning my neck to find the man in question.

“No, he didn’t. Not very helpful of him, was it?” Teagan teases before saying, “Ah! There he is.”

Following his line of sight, I see Eamon standing to the left of the stage and about ten rows back, motioning us forward

“Hey,” Teagan greets his friend. “Thanks for saving the seats.”

“Yeah, mate, no worries,” the tall dark-haired Irishman says. He looks at me and nods in greeting. “Layla. You look lovely.”

Giving him a small smile, I murmur a quick thank you right as Teagan says, “Doesn’t she just? I about fell to my knees at the sight of her. Took the breath right out of me.”

My face heats, but I shake my head in amusement and Eamon chuckles before clapping his friend on the shoulder.

“Right, well your seats are in the middle there.” He points. “I’m in the row ahead of you but down a bit. See you after the show?”

“Yeah, mate. ‘Course.”

Teagan turns to me and gestures for me to go ahead of him. It’s a tight space, so I brush against him as I step by. God, he smells good. I’m suddenly very thankful I’m familiar with not only Beauty and the Beast but all of Norah’s work because I don’t think I’ll be able to concentrate on anything other than Teagan tonight.

We find our seats with index cards taped to them that read, “Reserved for T. O’Brien and L. Diaz.” Once we’re settled, I realize just how great these seats are. We’re far enough back that the actors’ voices won’t be booming at us but close enough to see details. I turn to remark on how good this spot is but stop when I find Teagan staring at me with an unfathomable look in his eyes. My breath hitches at the intensity of it.

“What?” I ask quietly, bringing a hand to my hair and looking down at my dress. “What’s wrong?”

His mouth tips up at the corner. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong. I’m just mesmerized is all.”

“Wow,” I huff in an attempt to break the tension thickening around us. “I guess I need to make myself up more often, huh? ”

A crease forms between his brows, and his lips turn down. “No, I wasn’t saying you’re not always beautiful— because, lass, you are stunning. I’ve just never seen you all decked out like this.”

Snorting in amusement, I turn back to face the stage. I knew exactly what he was trying to say; I just wanted to tease him. Then I feel his hot breath on me as he whispers against the shell of my ear, “Those red lips are distracting, Layla. They have me thinking about tamales.”

A flash of heat shoots straight to my core, and I immediately press my thighs together. I slowly look over at him, not at all surprised to find his face so close to mine, but my pulse still quickens at the proximity. Unable to control myself, my gaze darts to his mouth and back to his eyes. My teeth latch on to my bottom lip, and Teagan’s eyes zero in on the movement. The tension continues to press in as he angles his head closer, so close I can feel his breath fanning over my lips.

Then the lights in the auditorium dim momentarily, signaling the production will be starting in five minutes.

My eyes slam shut as I turn back to face the stage, and I hear Teagan curse under his breath. I’m immensely thankful for the program I managed to snag from the lobby on the way in. There’s nothing subtle about the way I’m fanning my face with it, but I can’t bring myself to care. I am on fire. Not from embarrassment, but from being so turned on it’s unbearable. Twice now we’ve been on the verge of what I know will be an earth-shattering kiss only to be interrupted. I know for a fact I won’t be able to control myself if we find ourselves in this situation a third time.