Chapter Five Colin
Chapter Five
Colin
There they are,” I say, as Hattie and I weave through the club toward the dance floor. I spot Mikey and Annabelle first, dancing together, then the rest of our teammates spread out around them.
Hattie holds on to my bicep as she lifts onto her toes to see over the crowd. That simple touch has heat spreading up to my shoulder and through my chest.
“One, two, three, four, five . . .” She continues to count until she gets to twenty-five. “Plus me and Laura.” She lets out an audible breath. “Thank goodness.”
Hattie looks visibly relieved, even smiling a little as she drops back flat-footed. She has the best smile. Her top lip is as full as the bottom, and her teeth are perfectly straight. No gaps or overlapping. My dad is an orthodontist, so I’ve grown up noticing these types of things.
“We’ve been spotted,” she squeaks out, smile falling.
“Do you want to go say hi?” I ask her.
“Wearing this?” She glances down at the jersey she’s wearing. Mine.
I fight a wide grin. She didn’t want to waste any time getting into her room before we left, so I let her borrow something.
“You did this on purpose.”
“I grabbed the first thing I saw,” I say, but the smile that breaks out is all the confirmation she needs to know I’m not telling the whole truth. I take a step closer to her, and my hand falls to her hip. “You look sexy as hell.”
Her cheeks flush, but she shakes her head like she can’t quite comprehend the words. “This is too bizarre.”
“What?”
“You being so nice to me.” She worries her bottom lip with her teeth. “Why didn’t you tell me how you felt?”
“Because you were with Denny.” I shrug. “It didn’t matter.”
“It did to me.”
“I could see how much you liked him. Hell, I liked him. Denny is a good guy.”
She hums a response, not quite agreement.
“I’m questioning his judgment a little in letting you go, but at the time I just didn’t want to do something that was going to hurt you or my team.”
“And now?”
“It’s game on, Cannon.”
A laugh slips from her lips, and that wide smile breaks out on her face. “Is that so?”
“Yep.” I wink. “I’ve been kicking myself for two years that I didn’t jump to ask you out in that first conversation.”
“And yet, you still haven’t asked me out.” There’s a sassy glint in her eye that sends a rush of excitement through me.
“You came!” Annabelle shrieks as she rushes toward us. She throws her arms around Hattie’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry. Are you mad?”
“No.” Hattie shakes her head. “Just slightly offended no one told me.”
“You’re here now.” Annabelle pulls back, then does a slow once-over of her best friend. “I feel like I missed a few things.”
She sends me an accusatory glare that turns to a smirk.
“It’s a long story,” Hattie says.
“I think I get the gist.” Annabelle is full-on grinning now. “Let’s dance.”
She pulls Hattie with her, and Hattie grabs my hand, tugging me along. Everyone is excited to see us and, as far as I can tell, keeping the drinking to a minimum.
I get a questioning brow lift from Mikey when he sees what Hattie’s wearing, but I pretend like I don’t notice. I’m not letting anyone ruin this for me. I don’t know what will happen, but I’m going to remember how good she looks wearing my name and number across her back for a very, very long time.
Annabelle drags Hattie into a circle with the rest of their teammates, dancing and singing along to the music. I hang back, grab a drink from the bar, chat with my teammates, and check in on everyone, but I never lose sight of her.
After three songs, the girls finally break apart. Hattie scans the room until she spots me, then a slow smile spreads across her face. She starts toward me, and my pulse kicks up a notch.
I hand her the drink in my hand. She takes a tentative sip, then her eyes light up. “Diet Dr Pepper?”
I nod.
“How do you know it’s my favorite?” she asks.
“The same way I know all kinds of things about you. I’ve been paying attention.”
“Favorite color?”
“Purple.”
“Major?”
“Sports medicine, but you also considered education.”
“I thought I wanted to be a teacher like my mom,” she says.
I knew that too.
“I also know your schedule, your favorite TV shows, your warm-up routine before games, and . . .” I hesitate. “That you hated when Denny called you honey.”
“I did not,” she says, but she has a tell, and she’s doing it now.
“You did. Your nose scrunches up all cute, and your lips smush together like you’re fighting a scowl.”
“It isn’t my favorite pet name, but it’s fine.”
“Okay, honey.”
She does the face again.
“Dance with me,” I say and tip my head that direction.
Hattie nods, and I take the cup back, set it on the bar, and lead her out to the dance floor. My jersey hangs below her shorts and falls off one shoulder. She catches my gaze as we move to the beat, a foot of space between us.
“I liked you too,” she shouts over the music.
“Past tense?”
“The night we met. I wanted you to ask me out. Then you left and . . .” She shrugs.
“I hesitated. That’s on me.”
She closes the distance between us and drapes her arms along my chest. “Like you. Present tense.”
I hook an arm around her waist and pull her flush against me, then drop my head down to brush my lips against hers.