Page 15

Jackson

Sitting on the couch, I watched Liam get his ass handed to him for what had to be the hundredth time today. At this point, it wasn’t even entertaining. He was playing so badly I’d launched my mic across the room an hour ago to avoid hearing his excuses. He was lucky he was pretty—otherwise, I would’ve ditched our channel years ago.

When I heard Thea’s door unlock and open, I smiled.

Fifteen hours.

Thea had been holed up in her room for fifteen straight hours, and I knew she’d have to come out eventually. No one had a bladder that strong, and I doubted she had the skill or arm strength to scale her balcony.

Tossing the controller aside, I sank deeper into the cushions, trying to look casual as I glanced over my shoulder. The second I saw her; I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing.

Thea’s back was pressed flat against the wall, her hands splayed out like she’d been caught midheist, and she gasped when her wide eyes locked onto mine. “What are you … What are you still doing here?”

She didn’t move, which only made it funnier. Like she actually thought I was about to pounce.

To be fair, the idea had crossed my mind.

I smirked and turned back to the TV, making a show of stretching out. I’d gotten to her. She might not have believed the things I said last night, but she was thinking about them now.

Soon enough, she’d have no choice but to believe them, and I wasn’t leaving this apartment until we’d gotten this out of our system.

“It’s my apartment too. Figured I’d actually enjoy it.” I grabbed the controller again, unpaused the game, and feigned indifference to Thea’s presence—not that it was possible to ignore her.

Sirens blasted from the TV, a reminder that I was supposed to be stealing a car, but I’d already accepted defeat. With Liam playing so badly and my disinterest, level sixty was a distant dream.

I was okay with that. Tonight, I was more interested in the girl glued to the wall behind me.

“But what about the rotation? It’s my night in.”

I let out a low chuckle, fingers tapping idly against the buttons. “Eh, I always thought the rotation was a little stupid. We’re adults. We should be able to sit in the same room for a night without a damn schedule, don’t you think?”

“But what about Grace?”

I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see me. I walked right into that one, and now I was left wondering if there was anything I could do to convince her I was obsessed with her, not Grace.

“Not interested in Grace. Never was.”

“You sure?” Her voice was getting closer, meaning she was making her way toward me. Finally. “You seemed interested in her two nights ago.”

I shook my head. “There’s no one out there I’m interested in.” I let that sit for a second before adding, “In here, is a different story.”

“W-what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I think last night should be enough of an explanation for you.”

“Asshole,” she muttered under her breath.

“But I’m your asshole.”

“How did you even hear that?”

I glimpsed behind and saw Thea’s head in the refrigerator, her beautiful ass in the air. Damn. Peachy and gorgeous. I wanted to bite it.

“Whatcha’ making? Wanna make me something while you’re at it?” I goaded her like I was a child desperate for her attention, which I obviously was.

“No, I don’t. In fact, I can’t think of anything worse than being stuck with you tonight.” She moved away from the fridge, coming out empty-handed as she picked at the different fruits on the kitchen counter. I might’ve gone a little overboard buying her replacement fruit. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to impress her, and this was one of the few ways I knew how.

“Oh, how you wound me, fickle one.”

She ran her fingers over the apple’s firm skin and scoffed quietly.

I turned back and glanced down at my crotch with a frown. How pathetic. It was twitching away because she’d made that noise in the dream I’d had about her.

“Don’t you have some football thing to go to?” she asked, walking into the living room area with a giant banana. Jesus, was she trying to seduce me? I’d only now noticed her hair was in a messy bun and she was wearing a Covey U football jersey—Tanner’s, no doubt—but what would she look like with mine on?

“Football season is over, which means I’m all yours tonight.” I turned my game off and threw her the TV remote. She fumbled the catch, giving me the opportunity to check out her ass and thick thighs. Was she wearing anything underneath that? “You pick what we watch. It is your night in, after all.”

Fuck. Why the hell was I being so nice?

She flopped down into the recliner and flipped through some shows, stopping on The Baseball Bachelor. I flinched when I heard a woman whining about the fact the baseball player kissed her on the same night as another girl.

“Already watched this,” she stated, changing the channel.

“Thank goodness.”

“There’s nothing on.” She was mindlessly flipping through channels, looking for anything.

“The only good live TV you’re going to get is sports.” Her nose crinkled at the suggestion, making me smile.

“Bet you’d like rugby.”

“Why on earth would you think that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, but I keep hearing from the ladies that they’re the next big thing. Liam tells me his DMs are full of women looking for a stocky British man to feed them bangers and mash.”

She peeled the banana, her lip curling as she said, “I don’t think that has anything to do with rugby. It’s the constant thirst traps he posts.”

“Thirst traps? How do you kno—” She gave me a smug smile of satisfaction before taking a large bite of her banana. “Wait, did you look him up?!”

“Didn’t have to. He found me.”

I would kill him. He knew Thea was off-limits … didn’t he?

“I can’t believe you.”

“Why?” She dropped her jaw in mock shock. “You said we’d get along, and you were right. He DMs me all the time now.”

I was officially cutting ties with Liam. He would be removed from my channel immediately. I didn’t need him to be successful. I could put some eyeliner on and look just as pretty.

“He’s got a girlfriend.” I lied because I could. She wasn’t going to check.

“Does he? Oh well. I guess I’ll just have to admire his abs from afar.”

“Good idea. He’s pretty serious with her. She’s a baroness or some kind of rich British girl. So she’s got an accent.”

“Not really an accent for her, is it?”

“To me it is. There’s no way he’d ever come to America when he has her and a contract with the Richmond Rugby Team.”

“Good for him. Is there a reason why you’re telling me Liam’s entire back story?”

Good Question.

“No. I was just making small talk.”

“Well, if this is your small talk, no wonder you can’t keep a girl past the second date.”

There goes my dick again. Throbbing away because I loved when she threw barbs my way. It was hell of a lot better than flirting.

“Oh, believe me, Pyro. My small talk isn’t what they’re after.”

She took another bite of her banana, going so far down my mind was having dirty thoughts.

“If you come over here, I can show you.”

She stopped chewing, her chest rising. Fuck, did I want to show her everything. To lavish her with attention and prove to her no one else would ever be as good to her as me.

She swallowed, taking her time to gain her composure. She’d never seen this side of me, but now she was the only person I wanted to show it to.

“I think I’m good.” She tried her hardest to look unaffected, but I’d lived with Thea long enough to know when her cage had been rattled. That was my plan. Keep poking her until she pushed back. She could feel the tension as much as me, she just didn’t want to admit it. Not yet, at least. I was there, so I needed to drag her in the right direction.

“Okay, well if there’s nothing on and you don’t want to see what I have to offer, what do you want to do.”

“Nothing with you.”

“So, you just want to sit and stare into each other’s eyes? I’m down.”

“No. We’ll find something else to watch.”

“Or we could play a game,” I suggested, watching every muscle in her face to gauge her reaction.

Her jaw tensed ever so slightly and her eyes narrowed. Flat-lipped, she glared at me with so much fire I was surprised I hadn’t spontaneously combusted under the scrutiny. I didn’t care, though. I would wear Thea down until she finally admitted what we both knew.

That we were hot for each other.

“A game?” Thea crossed her arms and sank farther into the recliner, watching me suspiciously. “I don’t like games.”

“So, would you rather we sit here and I list out all the things I like about you? Your hair. Your deep eyes. Your sassy mouth; I could go on, but I’m not sure you’d believe me.”

Her brows creased, her face scrunching in this cute way. “Are those my only two options tonight? Watch a terrible TV show or listen to you spout lies? If so, I seriously need to rethink my life choices.”

“Who hurt you, Pyro?”

“What do you mean?”

“Who made you think so poorly of yourself?”

“No one.”

“Then what happened in high school?” The question was always at the tip of my tongue even if I’d had no intention of asking it before. Now, though, things had changed between us, and I needed Thea to know that.

“Nothing.” She huffed out a breath, pushed out of the recliner, and made her way to the kitchen. She popped open a bottle of wine and poured herself a generous glass. “What?” she said when she noticed my glare. “If talking to you is the only option I have for the night, I’m going to need at least two more of these.” She raised her glass, heading back to the recliner.

“I can think of a few other things we can do.”

She plopped down onto the recliner and sighed. My gaze swept over her face, taking in her rounded cheeks and the faint dusting of freckles across them. So unassumingly beautiful.

“Stop it,” she said.

“Stop what.”

She flapped her hand in front of her face. “All these mind games. I don’t know what I did to make you want to fuck with me like this, but I’m tired, and I just want to relax tonight. I don’t want you over there plotting my downfall.”

Mind games? Did she really think that’s what I was doing?

“I’m not smart enough for mind games.” It wasn’t hard for me to admit that since it was the truth. We all had our limits in life. I knew mine.

“Wow. The first honest statement to ever leave your lips.”

My gaze dropped lower, trailing to her exposed legs. Those shorts … That jersey … They were doing things to me they shouldn’t. Thea snatched the Covey U blanket from behind her and yanked it over her legs as if she could hear my thoughts.

“Come on, Pyro. Aren’t you bored with these shows?”

“Not bored enough to play a game with you.” I tilted my head, unable to take my eyes off her. “Will you please stop looking at me like that?”

I rolled my eyes. “How about this? If you win, I’ll leave the apartment until Tanner returns?”

That perked her up. Little did she know, I had no intention of losing.

“The entire time?” I nodded. “Why would you do that?”

“Well, you’re clearly annoyed by my presence. You didn’t pee for nearly a day to avoid me.”

“Where would you go?”

I shrugged. “Britt and Matty’s.”

“Are you sure they want you there?”

“Doesn’t matter. They owe me.”

“For?”

“For planting something in my brain that I can’t shake off.”

“What can’t you shake off?”

“I think we both know the answer to that, but if I say it, you’ll say I’m lying again.”

Her lips pursed and her eyes bugged out. She looked like she was twenty seconds away from exploding.

Not one to give up, I tried again.

“Come on. Don’t you want to beat me and have this entire place to yourself? Imagine how good it would feel.”

“And if you win? Will you kick me out too? I doubt Matty and Britt would be as accommodating with me, considering I’m such a liability.”

I chuckled. “Do you really think I’d want to get rid of you?” I scratched my chin before taking her in. “Nah, I’d keep you right here, serving me.”

She gulped as she took in my words. “And what would serving you entail?”

“Beat me, and you’ll never have to find out.”