Unbreak My Heart (Rough Riders Legacy #1)(20)
Then his questioning eyes were back on mine.
“What?”
“Why is it I get this close to you and I forget what the hell I wanted to say? Oh right, because you’re usually chewing my ass about something I already said or did wrong.”
I smiled. “You usually deserve it.”
He smiled back and I had that cartwheeling sensation again.
“Maybe you’ll get lucky and meet someone who doesn’t annoy you like I do.”
“You don’t annoy me, Sierra. You frustrate me, but that’s another conversation.”
Not going there. “Have you met many people?”
“This chick asked if I was in her art history class. I said no and she still hung around.”
Well yeah, have you looked in the mirror lately? “Some girls only come to these parties to bang a football player. And before you piss me off, no, that’s not the reason I went to jock parties.”
“Tug is the exception?”
“Tug and I are just friends. I let him go He-Man on me because he’s shy around women and our back-and-forth bullshitting builds his confidence. The rest of the guys on the team are cocky. That’s probably what Miss Art History recognized in you; that cockiness.”
His shrug said: it is what it is.
Props to him for not denying it.
“I’m surprised they’re partying tonight when they have a game tomorrow.”
“None of the starters are drinking booze.” I pointed out a dozen team members in our vicinity. “Water or energy drinks. Ky kicks them out early and he’s in bed before midnight.” When I noticed Boone looking at me oddly, I said, “What?”
“I said it before but I’ll say it again. It’s weird to think you’re hanging out with Kyler. He used to bug the crap out of you on the bus. You’d hide from him in the back seat, remember?”
Wrong. I sat in the far back because that’s where Boone always sat. “There’s nothing more obnoxious than a twelve-year-old boy, so anything is an improvement.”
He grinned. “Why didn’t we throttle the McKay-kateers every day when we had the chance?”
“We?” I poked him in the chest. “You stopped riding the bus. I still had to deal with them.”
“I would’ve preferred being on the bus to working two jobs.”
Hayden caught my eye and started to jog over.
“Speaking of the McKay-kateers…”
Hayden draped his arm across my shoulder for a one-armed hug. “S’up?” He saw both my hands were empty. “You’re not drinking tonight?”
“I’ve yet to reach the keg and I’m in dire need of a beer.”
“I’ll grab you one,” Boone said, and he was gone.
Hayden caught me watching Boone walk away. I bristled. “What?”
“You two are acting awfully cozy.”
“Cozy is not the word that comes to mind with Boone. He’s as cozy as a grenade launcher.”
“He said the same thing about you.” Hayden stepped in front of me. “Just watch yourself with him, okay?”
“Sex it and exit” Hayden had the balls to issue me a warning? Asshat.
Formerly the shiest of the McKay-kateers, the lone blond of the trio had shot up and bulked out. Now a super-hottie with charisma and brains galore, he’d made a name for himself as the sweet talker who could charm any woman into his bed.
“Aw, look at you, manwhore, concerned for my virtue.” I patted Hayden on the cheek. “Don’t worry that pretty head of yours, brainiac. The only thing I’m making with Boone is conversation.”
He laughed. “Right. I give it a week before you getcha some of that, ’cause he is as hot for you as you’re pretending not to be for him. Just keep it casual, true?”
“Whatever.”
“You coming to the game tomorrow?”
“Have I missed a home game yet this season?” I’d become a huge football fan over the years. Watching my talented cousin killing it on the field just kicked up my excitement level.
“No, football fanatic.” He punched me in the arm. “I can’t wait to see how bloodthirsty you get at Mase’s hockey games this year.”
Since the Scorpions were consistently at the bottom of their division, we scored great season tickets for fairly cheap. Mase had blushed when I showed him the Scorpions jersey I’d bought sporting Morrison on the back and asked him to sign it.
“There’s an extra ticket floating around to tomorrow’s game. You should invite Lu.”
“Lu has to work.” I returned his punch to the arm. It was our thing from our school bus days. “And dude, stop bird-dogging my roomie. She will chew you up and spit you out.”
“Or she might prefer a taste of Wyoming sage in her man-meat.” He smirked. “Anyway, I came over to tell you it’s Meat-topia weekend.”
“It is? Good thing I didn’t get tickets to Sunday night’s game.”
“Don’t bring that up with Kyler. His ticket deal fell through.” Hayden frowned. “It’s killing him his beloved Broncos are in town and he can’t be in the stadium.”
“Ky is the ASU quarterback! Why isn’t he just given tickets to every damn event?” I huffed. “That is so not fair. Sun Devils stadium is his home stadium. He plays on that field. He deserves—”