Page 25 of Scoring Lessons

“Why?” Curiosity got the best of me.

“Does it matter?”

I guess it didn’t. But it didn’t mean I was any less curious.

“I don’t want this to become awkward between us.”

She rolled her eyes and lifted her little finger. “Will a pinky promise that I won’t make things weird make you feel better?”

“Yes, it would, actually.” I linked our fingers together for a brief second.

“Lovely,” she let out a dry laugh. “Now we make deals like we’re twelve years old.”

“Pinky promises are serious business,” I said with a quirk of my brow.

She let out a humorless laugh. “I can’t believe you’re saying that like you haven’t broken one before.”

“Not this again,” I groaned.

She leaned closer with a knowing grin. She was close enough that my eyes could trace every single freckle dusting her face. My hand twitched with the need to trace them with my fingertips. I balled it into a fist until my palm became numb. There was no way I was going to do something as stupid as touching Olivia.

“Hurts when I’m right, doesn’t it?” she mocked.

“You know you’ll need to drop this attitude when I start teaching you, right?”

She let out a short puff of air. “Who the hell made you boss?”

“You.” My grin was lazy. “And you’re going to have to obey me whether you like it or not.” I hummed knowingly. “Though I have a feeling you will.”

“Oh, do you, now?” she replied, sarcasm filling her tone.

“Yeah,” I rasped, a lazy grin settling on the corners of my lips. “I think you’ll enjoy obeying me a hell of a lot.”

What the fuck was wrong with me?

Had I moved to a different reality where I actually enjoyed flirting with my best friend’s sister?

Her eyes slightly widened, and blush crept up her cheekbones. It was a faint maroon color, like the last sip of red wine clinging stubbornly to the rim of a glass. It matched the lipstick she wore, and my throat turned dry as I wondered if they tasted as fruity as they looked. But knowing her, they would have the perfect amount of sweetness, with a hint of spice as sharp as she was.

It took everything in me to keep my satisfied smile in check. I loved the idea that I, out of all people, could make her blush.

She cleared her throat. “You’re in way over your head, Wesley.”

“You mean I’m confident.”

“More like cocky.”

I studied her deadpan expression. It was hard to read what Olivia was thinking sometimes.

“Sometimes you have to be if you want to be a player. Let that be your first lesson.” I shot her a quick wink.

She arched a skeptical brow. “When are you actually going to start teaching me?”

The line I was walking was more like a tightrope at this point. We were crossing into brand new territory—one I didn’t know where it was going to lead us. But, fuck me, I was eager as hell to find out.

You know what? Yeah. Go with Parker, was what I should have said. He was the easier and more sensible option. Anderson had already warned all of us off her, but if the situation ever blew over, it would be less messy if it were Parker.

But I wasn’t the type to run away from thrilling situations.