Page 82 of The Trouble with You (Rixon Raiders 1)

“She called Asher.”

“Asher? Flick has Asher’s number? How did I not know that?” She frowned. “So she called Asher, and what exactly?”

It was my turn to look at the floor. I played football against some of the biggest defensive ends in the game. Getting tackled to the ground by guys twice my size was all par for the course. Yet, Hailee, a girl half my size, completely disarmed me.

“She called Ash and asked him to have me call her.”

“But why would she do that? And more to the point, why did you call her back?”

My eyes narrowed slightly. “Hailee, come on...”

“Why, Cameron?” Her eyes pinned me to the spot.

“Because you don’t deserve any of this,” I admitted. “And I was worried.”

“But—”

“Come on.” I cut her off. “It’s late, you should probably get some rest.” My head motioned to the bed, and her brow quirked up. I added, “I’ll take the floor.”

“Cameron.” My name on her lips sounded good. Too fucking good. “I’m not going to make you sleep on the floor.” Color crept up her neck and into her cheeks. Hailee ducked around me and got on the bed, slipping under the covers. Part of me had expected her to put up a fight; to insist I take her home.

But she hadn’t.

And like the sucker I was, I wanted to believe it meant something.

Yanking off my t-shirt, I started unbuttoning my jeans while Hailee tried her best not to peek. But I felt her eyes on me more than once. I crawled on the bed beside her, careful not to get too close. Fumbling for the light switch, I plunged the room into darkness.

“Well, this isn’t awkward at all,” Hailee whispered. And even though it was dark, and I could barely see her, I was aware of everything. The soft sound of every breath she took, the warm current flowing between us. The way my skin tingled, and my pulse raced at her close proximity, despite the fact I hadn’t even touched her.

Turning onto my side, I traced the profile of her face. “Get some sleep.” I choked out the words to stop myself from doing something stupid. Like telling her it didn’t feel awkward to me at all.

That it felt pretty damn near perfect.

“Night, Cameron.”

“Night, Sunshine.”

A beat of silence passed and then her sleepy voice cut through the quiet. “Cameron?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

As I felt the pull of sleep, my mind was a jumble of thoughts. Of me and Hailee. Of all the reasons why this was a really bad fucking idea. But one thought stood out above all the others. It was the first time I’d ever fallen to sleep with a girl in my bed.

And I liked it.

I liked it a whole lot.

Hailee

“Ameron, Ameron’s home.” The voice startled me, and I peeked open an eye, trying to get my bearings. Where the hell am I? I wracked my brain for an explanation when a dark-haired, chubby-faced boy filled my vision.

“You’re not Ameron,” he said, a cute little frown crinkling his face.

Ameron?

I groaned, pushing the hair from my face. What the hell—