I Dare You (The Hook Up #1)(29)

He exhales and takes a step closer to me. “Delaney, I’m sorry…I just need to focus on football…” His voice trails off.

His words hurt, and it makes me angry that I’ve let my guard down and allowed him to get this close. “I’m sure you do have big things going on—football, and probably a different girl every night.” It’s not a fair assumption, but I can’t stop the words from coming out.

He frowns. “It’s not like that at all. I’m taking care of my sister, juggling classes and practice, and working through some other things.”

“What things?”

He stiffens and shutters his face, not giving anything away, but this nerd girl can read him like a book: he’s withdrawing. He doesn’t want to share. He doesn’t want me.

I let out a sigh. “Good luck with your life,” I say as I grip the cart and push it down the aisle.





Maverick



I’m at Carson’s Gym, and I grunt out my displeasure when I take a direct hit to the face from my sparring partner. Rio, the guy Leslie has paired me up with, dances away from me, grinning around his big-ass mouthpiece. His hits are sneaky and he’s got a mean left hook, but I’m bigger, faster, and light on my feet. Being in tune with my body and how it works is something I’ve always been good at. Boxing is second nature to me as well, something I took to in high school since my dad used to work here doing part-time janitorial duties.

My skill is the reason Leslie is interested in me—well, that and my name in football. He’s standing down on the floor watching us, a cold look on his face, wearing a slick tailored suit. I’ve already met with him this week, and he’s made it clear what he wants from me: a fight with another SEC football player. No rules, just me and another guy in a boxing ring. My gut churns at the prospect of putting everything on the line—my career, my whole fucking life.

A flash of white-blonde hair and a pink workout shirt coming out of one of the yoga classrooms gets my attention—right as Rio plants a hit straight to my eye.

“Shit!” I bark and back away into the corner. At this rate, I’ll really need to brush up on my skills if some chick in a tight top is all it takes to lose my focus.

I look back to the hallway, and my heart pounds as I realize it’s Delaney—I know it from the Princess Leia buns she likes to wear. I haven’t spoken to her since the library, and that was a few days ago.

She strides toward the gym foyer, and it looks as if she’s been crying.

“Delaney! Wait!”

She pauses and looks over her shoulder at me, and once again I’m floored by how gorgeous she is. Wearing black yoga pants and a pink tank her breasts strain against, she is damn amazing, even with a tear-streaked face. Her cheeks are red, and she hurriedly wipes at them as I grab a towel and jump down from the boxing platform.

Her eyes widen as she watches me.

I call over my shoulder, telling Rio I’ll catch him later, and I give Leslie a quick nod. I’ve gotten enough sparring in today and I’m done.

“Why are you crying?” I ask as I come to a stop in front of her, still breathing hard from the boxing.

“I’m not.” She sniffs and turns her head away, giving me a view of her long neck, the soft lines of her jaw. My eyes greedily eat her up. I’ve missed her like crazy in class, and I’m a heel for not trying to explain things to her, but with the fight looming over me, I think it’s best I keep my distance. Even so, that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about her a hundred times.

“Why did you bolt out of the yoga class?” It’s an activity I didn’t even know she participated in.

She seems to gather herself slowly. “I know it seems silly, but Han Solo’s been missing the past two days. I’m sure you don’t get it…” Her voice trails off.

“What happened?” I take her arm and lead her over to a group of chairs in the foyer. Grabbing a box of Kleenex from the desk, I press them into her hand as she sits down.

She cleans up her face. “A couple of days ago, I let him out to stomp around like he likes to do, and he just never came back. I called for him and put out tuna fish on the back porch—nothing. It’s not like him.”

“Maybe he found a girlfriend?”

She shakes her head. “He’s been spayed. What if he’s in a ditch somewhere and I can’t find him?”

“So why are you rushing out?” I glance back at the yoga room. “I didn’t even know you took a class here.”

“The campus rec center has the worst yoga classes. This one is much better, and I needed to get out of the house and let off some steam.”

I nod.

“Anyway, my neighbor, Mrs. Wells, just called me. She thought she saw him on campus today near the fine arts building, and it’s the first ray of hope I’ve had. I’m on my way there to look for him.” She stands and holds out the box of tissues. “Thank you for asking.” Her voice is shaky yet cool, and I sigh. I don’t blame her for being standoffish with me.

“I’ll go with you,” I say, and she blinks.

“What? Why?”

I ignore that. I’m in take-charge mode, and when I see the coat she wears to class hanging near the door, I stride over to get it. Slipping it off the hook, I wrap her up in it and button it carefully.