Page 42 of Ruck Me Harder

“Are you going to try to stay local?”

Is this thing between us dead on arrival? If he’s moving, do I even put in the effort?

“I want to, yeah,” Tony says quietly. “My siblings are here. And yeah, I know they can be traded at any time, but it’s home.” He sighs. “There’s only one good vet school in the city, and if I don’t get in, I don’t think I’d have the stomach to apply again. There are other schools in New England, but it would mean moving out again, and I just…”

“It’s a lot.”

“Yeah.” He looks at me out of the corner of his eye. “This isn’t exactly fun date conversation, is it?”

“I’m digging it.” Relaxing a bit, I give him a smirk. “I’d much rather you be real with me than pretend to be someone else.”

To my surprise, he swallows and nods seriously. His fingertips skim over my cheek. “I’ll only ever be real with you.”

My heart skips a beat and my mouth goes dry.

“I don’t play games,” Tony says. “What this is, what we could have… It’s important to me. It’s real.”

Before I know what I’m doing, I’m yanking him by his shirt collar and crashing my mouth to his. His body is tense, but his lips are soft and yielding beneath mine.

It takes all of a second for him to react. And then his fingers slide into my hair, cupping the back of my skull in his massive palm, as he kisses me senseless. His tongue slips into my mouth, stroking mine. My entire body turns into goo. I melt against him, or as much as I can in the uncomfortable stadium seat.

There’s a shout and then a whistle chirps, and we break apart. I almost forgot about the basketball game going on below us.

Tony doesn’t go far. He rests his forehead against mine, breathing hard. His eyes are closed. How have I never noticed how long and thick his eyelashes are? His eyelashes are the goals of every mascara company everywhere.

When I realize I’m still clutching his shirt collar, I release him, smoothing the fabric back into place. He lets out a soft chuckle, plucking my hand away and pressing a soft kiss to my palm.

Easing back into my own personal space bubble, I clear my throat. “Sorry for, um, mauling you.”

Tony blinks his eyes open, a hazy smile on his face. “You can maul me anytime.”

“You’d probably like that, wouldn’t you?” I tease, nudging him with my elbow.

“Yeah,” he says, his eyes bright. “I would.”

My stomach swoops and drops like I’m on a rollercoaster.

He hasn’t made it a secret that he’s into me. Now that I’ve come around… I don’t want to hide it, either. I’m too old to play games.

As much as I want to ignore the game and take him back to my place, I know there’s no need to rush. He’s not going anywhere.

Settling back into my seat, I draw his arm around my shoulders. Tony tightens his arm around me and presses his lips to my hair.

“I like this,” he murmurs.

“I like you,” I whisper, my eyes trained on the court below. If I turn to look at him and he doesn’t feel the same way, I think I might die. If he thinks I’m joking or teasing, I might yeet myself out of this stratosphere.

But Tony just squeezes my arm, his grip reassuring and calm.

“I like you too.”

A smile stretches my face from ear to ear, and I have to resist the urge to look at him. From the corner of my eye, I think he’s smiling. Good. He’s adorable when he’s all scowls and frustration, but I like when he smiles. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure he keeps smiling.

eighteen

. . .

Tony