Risk (Gentry Boys #2)(23)

“You have a good ear. I grew up in eight different states so my speech is pretty much a blended cornucopia of the south.”

“Do you like living in Arizona?”

“I do,” I answered truthfully. Something about Millie demanded honesty. “But sometimes I miss having a family. I’ve been on my own a long time.”

“Yes,” Millie nodded, “I understand.” She glanced back to where Saylor, Brayden and Cord were howling with laughter. “The nice thing is you can always forge a new family out of the people you’re lucky enough to find along the way.”

By the time we reached the stadium gates the crowd energy was frenetic. I knew the team was supposed to be pretty good this year and they were playing one of their conference rivals tonight. I was suddenly very happy not to be up to my elbows in fried chicken at Cluck This.

There was so much humanity pouring through the gates it was tough not to get separated from the group. Saylor linked her arm through mine and pulled me along. We finally reached our seats just as the marching band was taking the field.

We were in the student section. It was nice because the surrounding crowd was extra pumped up. However, standing on your seat throughout the course of the game was evidently a requirement.

“Don’t they ever sit down?” I yelled to Saylor.

Brayden heard me and turned around. “No!” he laughed.

At that moment the world erupted. After a clean pass from the ASU quarterback, the wide receiver took a fifty-yard sprint down the field and scored the first touchdown of the game. Everyone around me went bananas. I actually found myself smiling like a fool, delighted to be in the middle of it all even though the guy next to me raised his arms above his head to advertise how little he cared for deodorant.

The game moved quickly and before I knew it half time had been called. I tagged along with Millie and Say on a trip to the rest room. The line was long and I didn’t really need to go so I left them to wait in line while I idled on the concourse. There were students everywhere, jostling one another and appearing uniformly carefree. I envied them.

I was leaning against a cool concrete wall, just absently watching people wander around when I saw Creed. He was wearing a black polo shirt that said ‘Security’ on the back and was facing away, speaking to a petite redhead in a cheerleader uniform. The way she smiled up at him made my heart hurt a little. Then he shifted slightly and I realized I was wrong. The man wasn’t Creed. It was his brother, Chase.

Chase smacked the girl lightly on the ass and she squealed. I could tell from the way she glanced back that she liked him enormously. Chase had already turned away though. He walked over to the wall a few dozen feet away from where I stood and looked down over the railing at the ramps below.

A pasty dude with orange hair approached him and Chase said something to him in a low voice. Then he withdrew something from his pocket and handed it over. It looked like money. The orange-haired man slipped an object into Chase’s palm in return. He slapped Chase on the shoulder and slinked away.

Whatever I’d just seen didn’t look good. But I also figured it was none of my business so I turned my head. The line to the bathroom looked longer than ever. I could barely make out Saylor’s long brown hair just inside the door.

When I looked back in Chase’s direction I saw him staring at me. His eyes were guarded, almost cold. I’d never seen Chase being anything more than cheerfully sarcastic so it threw me a little. I figured he must have seen me watching him. Still, I thought he would say hello or at least wave. I was a little surprised when he just turned and walked deliberately in the other direction.

That didn’t jar me nearly as much as what happened next.

“Tallulah Rae Lee,” said a low voice right next to my ear.

I spun around and found myself looking up into the absurdly striking face of Creed Gentry. The black polo shirt he wore was scarcely able to contain the breadth of his shoulders. Creed was as big as any of the players on the field. It occurred to me how stadium security had made a good hiring choice. I couldn’t imagine anyone would challenge him about anything.

“Creed,” I breathed, suddenly unable to function properly. I’d be damned if I would let him know that though. “I thought I told you I don’t answer to that name.”

Creed’s blue eyes were locked on me and he moved a step closer. “You just did.”

I swallowed. He was so close. So very very close. I crossed my arms and kept my voice steady. “So how have you been?”

A ghost of a smile crossed his face. “I’m good right now.”

“Okay,” I answered lamely, “well that’s good then. It’s good to be good.”

Creed didn’t seem to notice I was suffering from temporary brain damage. His eyes had left my face and were traveling slowly up and down my body. The boy sure as shit wasn’t bashful about getting his message across.

“I like your dress,” he said and it wasn’t just a mild compliment. It was Creed’s way of saying that he would love nothing so much as to strip every stitch off my body.

“Thank you.”

“What are you doing after?” he asked.

“After what?”

“After the game.”

“Why? Are you inviting me to do you?”

Creed raised his eyebrows. “Is that an option?”