Page 51 of Fearlessly Us

“Know that I like doing things for you, for absolutely no reason at all.” His eyes turn serious. Just the slightest bit intense. “That I think I need to do things for you, and when you let me, it feels like I’ve won the most important prize.” Then he shrugs, the spell broken, his lips tipping up in a smile. “Also, I happen to know the stadium concession stands use crescent ice, and that won’t do for a chewable-ice afficionado such as yourself.”

“How do you know I like chewable ice?” I ask, mostly to try to ignore the fullness filling my chest at the way he noticed what I like and committed it to memory. Is this what it feels like to be seen?

He takes the mini-Snickers from my hand and unwraps it himself, handing it back to me. I put it in my mouth without thinking, and when his eyes dip to my lips and back up again, that warmth in my chest turns into a minor inferno. “You have a pebble ice machine in your kitchen and another one in your office. Not, like, the kitchen of the office where everyone can use it but in your own personal office where it’s only yours. It was a reasonable guess. We have that ice in the training room, and I figured you would be jonesing.” He beams at me. “Can’t have my girl drinking her Sprite with inferior ice. Anyway, aren’t you going to congratulate me on scoring the game-winning touchdown?” he asks with a smirk. “That was a thirty-yard reception.”

I shrug, putting a hand on my hip and trying to recover from the my girl I feel like I should hate but don’t. “Did you win? I wasn’t paying attention. I don’t even like football; I was here for the snacks.”

“Liar,” he murmurs, bending in close so he’s practically whispering in my ear, and that fucking shiver races through me all over again. “I felt the way you couldn’t take your eyes off me. Saw the way you blushed when I winked.” He kisses my cheek and eases back, winking at me again, and goddammit, I feel the heat rush back to my cheeks because apparently I don’t just blush now, my cheeks are stained permanently red, and from his chuckle, I know he sees it too. “What you were, Princess, was interested. I like that I can interest you.”

I take a sip of the drink in my hand and bite back the urge to let out a happy hum at how amazing Sprite tastes when there is pebble ice involved. Then I narrow my eyes at him, trying to regain some of the ground I’ve lost by practically melting into a puddle at this man’s feet. “Maybe you’re just really nice to look at. Especially in football pants.”

Drew flashes me another grin and goddamn it all to hell. Ground not regained. “I’m hot as fuck Catie, but that’s not why you’re interested.”

“Care to enlighten me?” I ask dryly.

Drew lays one hand back on my neck, the other trailing down my arm, hand lightly circling my wrist. The hold is possessive, the message clear.

Mine.

I like that so much more than I should.

“You’re interested because I see you, Catie. I see every part of you—the ones you show me and the ones you don’t. I think that it’s been a long time since someone has. Maybe no one ever has. But I do. And I think you’ve been waiting to be seen.”

I swallow hard, lost in the deep brown of Drew’s eyes, butterflies swarming my stomach as his words settle between us. And for the second time tonight, the air between us turns thick, shimmering with an unnamable something that is as exciting as it is scary. The chaos around us ceases to exist and it’s just me and Drew and the anticipation of whatever’s to come.

“Ho-ly fuck, the sparks are fucking flying.” Tyler bounds up to us, breaking the spell as he swings an arm around Drew and grins at me. “Hey, Cait. So glad you finally made it to a game to see me play. It’s been forever.”

“Fuck off.” Drew elbows Tyler in the ribs. “She came to see me play, not you.”

Tyler scoffs. “She’s my literal actual cousin, dude. She may be your…” Tyler looks back and forth between me and Drew, clearly trying to put a title on something that isn’t anything yet.

“Nothing. I’m his nothing.” I watch as Drew laughs, clearly not put off in the slightest by my sharp tone. I don’t know why that does it for me, but hot damn does it ever. It does it for me so much I forget to mind that if Tyler is over here, that means everyone else will be over here soon too.

My family has a homing beacon for shit like this.

“For now,” Drew says, quirking an eyebrow at me.

“Oh my god, I’m obsessed with this,” Tyler says dramatically, blue eyes dancing with fun. “The playboy athlete and the badass, all-business lawyer. It’s the rom-com of my dreams.”

“What’s the rom-com of your dreams?” Sophie asks, tucking herself in next to him and sliding an arm around his waist, tossing me a grin.

Tyler gestures between me and Drew. “These two. It’s the best opposites attract story of all time. Like The Cutting Edge, but instead of an uptight figure skater, she’s a workaholic lawyer and problem solver extraordinaire.”

Tyler’s assessment of me cuts deep, and I suppress a wince, trying not to let anyone know just how hard his words hit. Drew reaches out a hand and takes mine, squeezing gently.

I see you, the gesture says.

Fuck, he was right. It does feel good to be seen.

“God, I love that movie.” Sophie grins as Tyler wraps an arm around her, kissing the side of her head, and the happiness on her face makes me happy too.

“What’s going on over here?” Maya asks, coming up next to me and linking her arm with mine, followed by Sarah and Emmy.

“Where’s Maddy?” Sophie asks, looking around.

“She and Cam left already. Ethan and Riley are home with Cam’s mom and they wanted to get back to them.” Emmy looks around our little circle, her eyes landing on me then dropping down to where my hand is still in Drew’s, devious grin on her face. “So, what’s going on over here?”

I immediately try to yank my hand back like I’m in middle school and just got caught holding hands with a boy, but Drew holds tight, letting out a low chuckle that does crazy things to my insides. “I was just asking Caitlin if she needs a ride home.”