Chapter 25 #2
“Why are you here?” she shot back, ignoring me, as I knew she would, her voice low but sharp. “Because you don’t strike me as the type who does things for fun. But you definitely like to play games, don’t you? QB fucking ten.”
Her words cut too close to the bone. I let the silence stretch, my stare fixed on her until her breath hitched just slightly.
“I came,” I said finally, my voice a rough drawl, “because Noah said you told him to call you Savvy, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Her lips parted. Just barely. “That’s not . . .” She wet her lips, suddenly unsure. “That’s not anything.”
“It’s the only thing you’re getting.” I let my eyes flicker down — just once, to her mouth — then dragged them back up. “Unless you want to talk about why you’re so deliciously angry.”
Her chin lifted again, stubborn, but her pulse betrayed her, thrumming at the base of her throat. “You don’t intimidate me, Dante.”
I smirked. “Sweetheart, I never intended to.”
The smell of scorched glass clinging to the air, but all I could focus on was her — the way her defiance looked too much like an invitation, the way her body leaned forward just enough to betray her.
She swallowed hard, then forced out, “You’re wasting my time.” She looked away. “You don’t . . . Ugh!” Her little scream of frustration went straight to my groin. “You should leave.”
“I think you like me here.” I tilted my head, closing the last inch between us without touching.
“I think you need to learn to read body language better,” she snapped back.
“Yeah? Then why are you shaking?”
Her inhale caught, sharp, and for one beat, we both hovered on the edge of something neither of us was ready to name.
“What upset you today, Sav?”
My hand braced on the bench behind me. I was close enough that I could feel the heat coming off her, and I knew I’d reach out to her, so I kept my grip firm on the wood. She didn’t move. Didn’t step back from how dangerously close we were.
“Do you enjoy this?” she whispered, her voice thin but steady. “Is everything just . . . entertainment?”
I had no idea what she was talking about. “Sav? I don’t know what you’re upset about.”
Her throat worked, her fingers tightening around her arms. She held my stare, but the tremor in her breath gave her away. “You’re not as untouchable as you think,” she pressed. “And if you’re here to throw me off balance, you’re wasting your time.”
“Sav . . .” I dropped my voice low, almost a growl. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know damn well. Or are you saying the great Dante Spence doesn’t know everything?”
I rubbed my forehead. “Okay, let’s try this. Why don’t you tell me what you think I know, then I’ll tell you if I know it.” I nodded when she frowned. “Speak.”
“Is this a trick?”
“Sweetheart, I’m asking this once, and only once. Are you high?”
She looked so confused by the question, I couldn’t hold back the laugh. Which, of course, only made her furious again.
“Sweetheart,” she mocked. “Are you stupid? Aren’t popping painkillers your thing?”
A sound of surprise escaped me, and she looked immediately guilty.
“Shit.” She looked down. “I . . .” She blew out a breath, not looking at me. “Can you just go?”
I reached for her; it was an unconscious decision. My arms moved before the thought did.
The little gasp she made was so worth it. “What are you doing?” She looked up at me, eyes wide, lips parted.
Fuck. I burrowed my face into her neck.
“Dante?”
“Shh . . . I need a minute.”
“Let me go.” But she made no attempt to move away. I lifted my head, facing her, watching her eyes dart between mine and my mouth.
“You’re the one standing here, holding your breath like you’re waiting for me to—” I stopped myself, jaw locking. Too far.
Her eyes flickered, wide and warning, like she’d heard the word I hadn’t said anyway.
Kiss.
The tension between us was thick enough to choke on. All it would’ve taken was one tilt of my head, and we’d both stop pretending.
Instead, she uncoiled her arms and pressed both palms flat against my chest. Not shoving. Not pulling closer. Just . . . holding me there, like she couldn’t decide which way to push.
Her voice came out hoarse. “You need to leave.”
“Sav, talk to me, tell me what you think I know,” I said again, softly, my eyes roaming over her face. “Why are you so mad? You walked out on me, remember?”
“This isn’t about sex!”
“Okay, well, now I’m really confused.”
Her gaze held mine, and that small line she had when she frowned deepened. “I know.”
“Okay, tell me, so I can know too.”
She pushed back, and I let her. One step back and I felt the cold between us like a blow. Her stare held mine the whole time, searching. Unsure.
“I know you don’t need to be tutored. I know that they’ll pass you anyway.” She looked at me defiantly.
“You’ve told me twice that I’d pass without you,” I spoke slowly. “I don’t understand.”
She swallowed, watching me so closely I felt like a lab rat. “Do you know?” She sounded like she was asking herself.
“Please, I can’t take the tension, just tell me.”
“The Academics Association told me this afternoon that your coach has already assured them that your academic eligibility is secure.”
I let out a huff of surprise. “Coach Sutherland said that?”
“You didn’t know?” She squinted at me. “Are you fucking with me right now?”
“For Christ’s sake, Sav, I think you know when I’m fucking you,” I muttered distractedly. “Are you sure they said Coach Sutherland?”
“I’m sure.” Her voice was a low whisper, and she stepped back into my space. “You really didn’t know?”
I shook my head. “Did I know that this program was dirtier than it looked?” I asked bitterly. “No.”
“Oh.”
It was my turn to look at her. “Did you not know that the program allows a little more grace for the grades?”
She shook her head emphatically. “No. I found out today. You’re my first athlete.” She flushed as she said it. “When Dad asked me to spy on you, I thought he was being paranoid, and then the whole whispered phone call, the painkillers and—” She looked up and saw my face. “What?”
I pushed her gently back until she took a step. “Back right up,” I said, my voice my normal, calm, collected self, even as my body felt like it trembled with rage. “And explain to me what the fuck you mean when you said, when Dad asked me to spy on you.”
“Dante—”
“I said, explain, Savannah. Now.”