9. Arianna
NINE
ARIANNA
I cleared my throat, throwing the rest of my ice cream into the trash. My knee was feeling a lot better thanks to Xavier, and we had embarked on a friendly walk through the park.
My eyes swept over to him, but he was already looking at me.
“Ask away.” He grinned, one of his curls touching his forehead.
I smiled, letting out a breath. “It might be something personal, but you don’t have to answer if you don’t feel comfortable,” I started, wanting him to know he wasn’t forced to share anything he didn’t want to. When he nodded at me in encouragement, I continued. “What’s up with you and Isaac? Why are you so harsh with him? He’s your cousin, after all.”
He took a deep breath. “My problem is really with my uncle, not him. I know it’s not fair to put the blame entirely on Isaac, but I guess he’s just collateral damage since I can’t lash out at my coach the way I want to. It makes me a coward, but I chose the easy path,” Xavier sighed, glancing down at his feet. “If he’d focused on the team and not just his son, this wouldn’t have been the first year our team made it this far in the championship.”
I nodded, placing one foot in front of the other. “I get it. I noticed he tried to make Isaac take all the important shots. It was nothing I hadn’t seen before, but it was the first time you lost your temper on the field. That surprised me.”
Xavier was silent for a while, and I dared to meet his eyes again, only to come face to face with the biggest grin on his lips. I couldn’t help but smile as well; his grin was contagious.
“What?” I asked.
He shrugged and looked away, still grinning. “You watch me play a lot?” Xavier looked down at me again, raising his brow in question, a profound kind of confidence swimming in his expression.
For some reason, my cheeks flushed as soon as he stopped speaking, heat traveling through my body like a volcano. Would it cross the mental boundaries of our current situationship to admit I'd been fangirling over a guy five years younger than me?
His round eyes confirmed that he had noticed the sudden blush on my face.
Goddamn it, Arianna.
“Oh my god,” he suddenly burst out laughing. “You really do watch me play a lot.”
My cheeks heated. “Maybe.” I shrugged. “But there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“There isn’t,” Xavier agreed, his steps behind me barely audible until he came to a halt.
I threw a glance over my shoulder, our eyes colliding. He wore a summer shirt with a beautiful green pattern and a pair of shorts. The outfit was so modest and simple that it made me forget I was standing next to a famous football player.
He watched me silently, those brown eyes of his inspecting every inch of me. The way he was looking at me made me want to crawl out of my skin, but not in a bad way. It made me want to scoot closer, get a better look, and find myself next to him.
“Why did you stop?” I asked.
Xavier swallowed, and approached me with small steps. I couldn’t hold his intense gaze. Whatever was about to happen had goosebumps rising all over my skin.
He stopped only when the tip of his shoes touched mine, and snuck a hand under my chin. I didn’t even realize I had been avoiding his eyes.
I frowned, unaware of his intentions. “What is going through your mind?”
Xavier smiled softly. “I was wondering if you’re going to run away again.”
My breath caught in my throat. We were so close now that our noses were touching. “Is there something I should run away from?” I asked breathlessly.
His warm breath danced over my face like a light touch, and my knees weakened at the addicting sensation. I was equally scared and excited for his answer.
Xavier’s eyes darkened, and he blinked slowly before he spoke. “There definitely is.” His hand circled the back of my neck, and his thumb caressed the sweet spot under my ear.
I bit back a moan and closed my eyes, waiting for it to happen. I was stripped of all my armor, my rational thoughts, and the walls I’d built. I was bare in front of him, one single thing swirling like a mantra through my mind— kiss me .
“I want to kiss you,” he added.
“You shouldn’t,” I said with the last bit of my sanity.
His lips nearly touched mine, and when he smiled and spoke, I felt every single motion of his mouth. “But do you want me to?”
I exhaled loudly, grabbing him by his collar. “Kiss me, Xavier. Now.”
His lips crashed onto mine, the sensation of his lips so warm and comforting that I found myself comparing it to a Christmas night by the fire. I couldn’t breathe, caught up entirely by him.
Why did the forbidden apple taste so good?