Chapter 34
LUCY
After the game,Petal leads us to the area outside the locker rooms, with the guy in tow who wants his shirt signed.
“This is so exciting,” he bubbles. “Definitively the highlight of my year.”
It’s sweet, how excited he is. I am starting to understand the appeal of the sport, and also the enthusiasm of the fans.
Finally, the guys start exiting the locker room. Petal runs to Rake and throws her arms around him.
“Congrats, baby,” she yells.
She gets Rake busy signing popcorn guy’s jersey, who hasn’t let Gilly out of his sight, and I back up against the corridor wall, trying to get out of the way of everyone.
A few minutes later, Tyler appears, walking quickly, with his head down.
I could swear… is he trying to avoid me?
“Tyler,” I call.
He looks around until I wave over the throng of people, and my concerns are squashed. He smiles and heads my way.
“Hey there.”
He doesn’t kiss me. Okay, that’s weird.
Whatever.
“Why’d you leave the party early?”
He takes a deep breath. “I was not in a good… place that night. I’m sorry. I was super tired. Besides, it looked like you were having plenty of fun with your friends.” He looks away to avoid my gaze and in doing so, gives himself away.
Holy shit. He’s jealous.
No fucking way.
I press my lips together to stifle a giggle. It would be so mean to laugh at this point. But it is kind of humorous.
“Tyler, I’ve known those people all my life. We grew up together. I know their parents and they know mine. I’ve been to graduations, weddings, and funerals with those people. I’m godmother to one guy’s kid, and I was a bridesmaid in the wedding of another.”
He nods, looking down the hallway where popcorn guy is all over Rake like they’re new besties. “That’s cool. It’s nice you have friends like that.”
Fine. But I’m not keeping my mouth shut.
“Are you telling me you’re a little jealous, Tyler? Jealous that a bunch of guys at Petal’s party were happy to see me?”
He frowns and scoffs. A little too readily. “No way. I’m not the jealous type.”
Famous last words.
I lean closer to him. “I don’t know, Tyler Brooks. I think you might have a tinge of the green-eyed monster.”
He rolls his eyes.
I should probably back off but I’m having too much fun. “And if you’re jealous, I think that means you like me,” I sing-song.
There. I said it. The man is free to confirm or deny.
He is uncomfortable. I’ve made the man uncomfortable. And I am totally relishing that.
I never knew I was such a sadist.
“Tyler is jealous,” I whisper in a sing-song voice.
He huffs and takes my hand. “Goddammit. C’mon, let’s go.”
He heads for the exit but I don’t follow. Still holding my hand, he turns back around. “What?”
I throw him a coy smile. “Nothing. I’m coming.”
I wave goodbye to the girls and follow him out, half-dragged like a naughty little kid pulled along by Mom. We get to Tyler’s Escalade in the parking garage, and he throws his stuff in the backseat and guns the engine while I’m putting on my seatbelt.
But he doesn’t put it in gear.
“Are we going?” I ask after a moment.
“Yeah. In a sec.”
Then, he leans across the seat and buries his lips in mine and goddamn, I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed like this.
Correction. I know I’ve never been kissed like this.
He pulls away from me and puts the car in gear, leaving me breathless and shaking.
“We’re going now. I’m taking you home to fuck the shit out of you.”